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Max Meyer Launched a Print Magazine in 2024. Here's Why. (EP.245)
5 december 2024 · 1 uur 15 min
My guest today is Max Meyer, the proprietor of Arena Magazine, a new quarterly publication exploring technology, capitalism and civilization. Lees meer
Arena's aim? To "make it okay to dream in public again."
Max and I discuss why he launched a print magazine in 2024, WTF happened to legacy media, the wisdom of Ratatouille and MUCH more.
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!", check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Max's Twitter
Arena Magazine
The New Needs Friends
The Earthly Miracle of the Grocery Store
Robert F. Kennedy announces the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Show Notes:
What is going on with legacy media?
Print advertising and the race to the bottom
The collapse of trust in the media
TikTok brain, news consumption & social media as a steam valve
Bailouts & the appeal of the "zero interest fairyland"
The wisdom of Ratatouille
The decline of Presidential oratory
American progress & the population bomb that didn't go off
Failure is a ladder
The one rule of capitalism
Long haul flights: Where's our roast turkey?
Why is Arena a physical magazine?
Max as Emperor of the world
MORE!
Books & Articles Mentioned:
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch
The Ultimate Resource; by Julian L. Simon
The Population Bomb; by Dr Paul R. Ehrlich
The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism; by Howard Bloom
How United Became an Airline; by Andy Kessler (WSJ)
This is Water; by David Foster Wallace line.
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Parmita Mishra — How to Think About Biology (EP.244)
28 november 2024 · 1 uur 31 min
Parmita Mishra is a computational biologist and the founder & CEO of Precigenetics, a company aiming to become a rocket to precision medicine. Lees meer
Parmita is deeply knowledgeable about cutting-edge biology, particularly epigenetics — how behavior and environment can affect gene function without altering genetic code. Her passion for advancing our understanding of diseases is inspiring (and contagious: OSV is an investor in Parmita's company!)
In our conversation, Parmita and I discuss everything from the curious case of male baldness to how her parents have saved 50,000 lives.
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, highlights, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!", check out our Substack.
Important Links:
LinkedIn
Twitter
Website
Precigenetics Twitter
Preciginetics launch post
Show Notes:
Explaining epigenetics to a golden retriever
The curious case of male pattern baldness
How to think about biology: start from first principles & beware binary thinking
The lens you look through determines what you see
The problem of data collection in biology
Why the FDA needs to change its approach
Why we still don't understand the human brain
Garry Tan's advice: "Get an idea. Get a co-founder."
What's been surprising about foundership?
Failure is a ladder
Obsession & how Parmita's parents have saved 50,000 lives
The most surprising things about America
Parmita as World Empress
Books Mentioned:
What is Life?; by Erwin Schrodinger
I should have loved biology; by James Somers
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid; by Douglas Hofstadter
The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Success in America; by John D. Gartner
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Luis Seco — On Mathematical Beethovens, Decentralized Education & the Voyage to the Human Brain (EP.243)
21 november 2024 · 1 uur 25 min
Professor Luis Seco is a mathematician, educator, and investor. Lees meer
Among many other titles and achievements, he is the Professor of Mathematics at the University of Toronto, Director of the quant research hub Risklab, Chair of the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Fields Institute, and co-founder of the asset management firm Sigma Analysis & Management Ltd.
Got all that?!
This one was really fun, and not just because Luis is a fellow quant. We discuss how maths resembles Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the future of the 'metaversity', the most important lesson Luis gives his students, why investing isn't what it used to be, and much more.
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!", check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Website
Twitter
YouTube
Show Notes:
What Luis learned from the Beethoven of mathematics
"Mathematics is the language computers speak"
The role of community in an increasingly confusing world
Lifelong education & the voyage to the human brain
Why to teach is to be human
Timebinding & social media as a steam valve
What matters more - content or communication?
Math as a social science: quantifying risk in a nonlinear world
From paper, to numbers, to images: The changing nature of data
Why the future of education lies in decentralization
Swarm solutions & why we're in the century of collaboration
Metaversities & the case for bringing your kids to work
Why managing money is now based on words, not numbers
Luis as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams
The Two Cultures; by C.P. Snow
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Robert M. Pirsig
Manhood of Humanity; by Alfred Korzybski
How to Win Friends and Influence People; by Dale Carnegie
The Myth of 1926: How Much Do We Know About Long-Term Returns on U.S. Stocks?; by Edwa…
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Anthony Pompliano — How to Live an Extraordinary Life (EP.242)
14 november 2024 · 1 uur 10 min
Anthony Pompliano — investor, entrepreneur, and media powerhouse — returns four years and 228 episodes later to discuss his new book, How To Live an Extraordinary Life, a collection of 65 heartfelt letters to his two children. Lees meer
At just 36, Anthony has already invested in circa 200 companies, served in Iraq with the U.S. Army, built and sold multiple businesses, and created one of the world's largest independent media platforms. You don't accomplish all that without learning a thing or two, and in this episode we dig into his hard-earned insights — from the uniting traits of the world's smartest people, to the luxury of pessimism, to why luck isn't real.
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!", check out our Substack.
Important Links:
How To Live an Extraordinary Life
Website
Twitter
The Pomp Letter
Anthony's Previous Episode
Show Notes:
The hidden power of "I don't know"
Why Anthony started writing letters to his children
Today is practice for tomorrow
Carve your ethics in stone, but your opinions in sand
How bad positioning poisons decision-making
Are there any parts of the book Anthony no longer believes in?
What unites the smartest people in the world
Why luck isn't real
The luxury of pessimism
Power laws everywhere!
Anthony as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books, Articles & Podcasts Mentioned:
Adventures of a Bystander; by Peter F. Drucker
The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance; by Josh Waitzkin
How Will You Measure Your Life?: A thought-provoking approach to measuring life's success; by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth and Karren Dillon
Rules for a Knight; by Ethan Hawke
The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War; by Robert J. Gordon
Why Writing Letters to Your Kids Is the Best Gift You Can Give Them as Adults; by Polina Pompli…
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Sajith Pai — Exploring Indus Valley (Ep.241)
7 november 2024 · 1 uur 28 min
There's a quote I heard a long time ago that goes something like this - "India has consistently disappointed both the optimists and the pessimists". Lees meer
It is equal parts pithy and profound, and does a somewhat passable job of summarising the multitudes contained in 21st century India. It's a quote that was brought to life for me numerous times in my conversation with this week's guest on Infinite Loops - Sajith Pai.
Sajith is a GP at Blume Ventures, one of India's largest homegrown VC firms. He's known for his prolific writing and sharp frameworks that have become part of Indian startup canon over the past decade.
In 2018, he swapped a long-time career as a media executive for one as a venture capitalist. This changing of lanes, relatively late in his professional life, has given him a refreshingly nuanced perspective on the Indian startup ecosystem (which he's bestowed with the moniker of 'Indus Valley', as a nod to both Silicon Valley as well as the Indus Valley Civilisation, one of the cradles of the ancient world and the ancestral civilisation of the Indian people).
His most compelling insight? That India isn't the monolithic 1.5-billion-person market that many Westerners believe. Instead, it's three distinct "countries" hiding in plain sight. There's India One: 120 million affluent, English-speaking urbanites (think the population of Germany) who love their iPhones and Starbucks. Then comes India Two: 300 million aspiring middle-class citizens who inhabit the digital economy but not yet the consumption economy. Finally, there's India Three: a massive population with a similar demographic profile to Sub-Saharan Africa, that's still waiting for its invitation to join India's bright future.
'India 1-2-3' is one amongst many pearls of wisdom that Sajith gifted me over our conversation, that also touched on India as a "digital welfare state", India as a 'low trust society'; the emergence of a new class of 'Indo-Anglians'; how cultural nuances in India shape every…
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Scott Aaronson — Quantumania (EP.240)
31 oktober 2024 · 1 uur 12 min
My guest today is Scott Aaronson, a theoretical computer scientist, OG blogger, and quantum computing maestro. Lees meer
Scott has so many achievements and credentials that listing them here would take longer than recording the episode. Here's a select few:
Self-taught programmer at age 11, Cornell computer science student at 15, PhD recipient by 22!
Schlumberger Centennial Chair of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin.
Director of UT Austin's Quantum Information Center.
Former visiting researcher on OpenAI's alignment team (2022-2024).
Awarded the ACM prize in computing in 2020 and the Tomassoni-Chisesi Prize in Physics (under 40 category) in 2018.
… you get the point.
Scott and I dig into the misunderstood world of quantum computing — the hopes, the hindrances, and the hucksters — to unpack what a quantum-empowered future could really look like. We also discuss what makes humans special in the age of AI, the stubbornly persistent errors of the seat-to-keyboard interface, and MUCH more.
I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, some highlights from Scott's blog, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!" check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Shtetl-Optimized (Scott's blog)
My Reading Burden
On blankfaces
Show Notes:
So much reading. So little time.
The problem of human specialness in the age of AI
It's always the same quantum weirdness
Why it's easy to be a quantum huckster
Quantum progress, quantum hopes, and quantum limits
Encryption in a quantum empowered world
Wielding the hammer of interference
Scientific discovery in a quantum empowered world
Bureaucracy and blank faces
Scott as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Fifth Science; by ****Exurb1a
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams
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Danny Crichton — Player of Games (EP.239)
24 oktober 2024 · 1 uur 24 min
Danny Crichton is a man of many talents. He's got a background in computer science, has worked in the worlds of foreign policy, was a managing editor at Techcrunch, and now serves as Head of Editorial at Lux Capital. Lees meer
As Lux's de-facto games master, Danny also devises their Riskgames: strategic simulations that immerse players in complex scenarios reflecting real-world challenges and dynamics. These games – whose players include senators, major generals, congressmen and, think-tank CEOs – include scenarios like 'Hamptons at the Cross-Roads' (that deals with climate change and maritime security) and 'Powering Up' (that deals with China's global EV dominance).
Danny and I discuss the origins of Riskgaming and the lessons he's learned in high-stakes games with tech founders and government officials. Plus, we riff on our shared Minnesotan roots, and discuss ways to combat the uncertain fog of war in our careers.
I hope you enjoy this insightful conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!", check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Danny's Twitter
Danny's LinkedIn
Danny's Personal Website
Lux Securities Newsletter
The Riskgaming Initiative
Show Notes:
Origins of Riskgaming
The Different Play Styles between Technologists and Policymakers
One-off games vs. Iterative games
The Game Theoretic Foundations of Riskgaming
It's All About Tough Decisions
Parable of the First Mover Disadvantage
The Importance of Incentives
Why Insurance Companies are Obsessed with Truth in the Market
How AIs Can Cut Through Bureaucratic Slog
How Danny Builds Scenarios
Why Riskgaming Teaches Better Decision Making
Danny's Thoughts on Intellectual Humility
Danny and Jim's Minnesotan Heritage
Danny's experience launching TechCrunch+
Facing the Fog of War
The Importance of Agility
Danny as Emperor of the World
Books Mentioned:
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Gol…
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Yuk Chi Chan — On Rockets, Dog Years & Robotic Space-Snakes (EP.238)
17 oktober 2024 · 1 uur 28 min
My guest today is the human Swiss Army Knife, Yuk Chi Chan, who has packed more into the last decade than many people do in a lifetime. Lees meer
Yuk Chi is the founder of Charter Space, the first British space company to graduate from the Techstars Space Accelerator. Before that, he served as an officer in the Singapore army (hmm, so maybe I should have described him as a Singaporean Army Knife) and practiced as a space lawyer (it's funny how much cooler being a lawyer becomes when you preface it with the word "space").
Suffice to say, Yuk Chi knows a lot about space. We had a blast discussing how 'ownership' of territory really works, why the sector impacts our daily lives FAR more than we think, and the mind-boggling mission of an intrepid robotic space snake.
I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!", check out our Substack.
Important Links:
LinkedIn
Substack
Twitter
Charter Website
Charter Twitter
Show Notes:
Yuk Chi Chan: The human Swiss Army Knife
The strangely antiquated tools of the space industry
Military training, problem-solving, and reframing the challenge
The single most important trait in a co-founder
Unlearning, cyclical culture, and robotic space snakes
The labyrinthine world of space insurance
Who owns space?
The angry man on Yuk Chi's shoulder
Why Yuk Chi measures his life in dog years
Space insurance as Zeno's Paradox
Why the space industry is WAY more ubiquitous than you think
Yuk Chi as emperor of the world
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said; by Philip K. Dick
Ubik; by Philip K. Dick
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Dan Shipper — I, Writer (EP.237)
10 oktober 2024 · 1 uur 26 min
"Ignoring what is obvious incurs a huge cost. Lees meer
It requires you to go about your day numbing yourself to the reality of who you are and what you want—which is a waste of time for you and everyone around you.
By contrast, admitting what is obvious is freeing and motivating. But it's terrifying to do it. Sometimes the most obvious truths about ourselves are hard to see because the consequences of those truths seem so dire."
Those are the opening lines of one of my favourite essays I've read in the last year, written by this week's guest on Infinite Loops - Dan Shipper.
Dan is the Co-founder and CEO of Every, a media company that wants to be an intellectual lighthouse amidst the tempest that is the Age of AI.
Every began life in 2020 as a bundle of digital newsletters (almost like a centralised version of Substack with more of an editorial flourish). These days, it's blossomed into an ecosystem of colourful newsletters, podcasts, courses, and software products, all oriented around the unpacking of a single question - "What comes next?"
Every is already one of my go-to destinations for all things interesting. It's less brain food than brain buffet (the kind of buffet that serves fresh blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup).
In our conversation, Dan shares his thoughts on everything from AI companions; his approach to erecting the Every 'Pyramid'; his playbook for building new media companies; the idea of LLMs as mirrors for humanity; and using content to 'find your people'.
What I love about him is how candidly and thoughtfully he talks about his journey to discover his own truth. His realisation that he didn't need to hang up his boots as a writer in order to become a founder is something that particularly hit home for me.
Dan Shipper is also my underdog pick to eventually wrest the title of Infinite Loops Emperor from reigning clubhouse leader Alex Danco. By which I mean to say, this is most certainly not the last time Dan joins us on the show, so you may a…
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Dr. Gena Gorlin — How to Build a Builder (EP.236)
3 oktober 2024 · 1 uur 44 min
My guest today is Dr. Gena Gorlin, a psychologist specializing in the unique needs of the ultra-ambitious. Lees meer
Unlike many in her field. Gena doesn't aim to simply lift the floor of her clients' ambitions — she wants to raise the ceiling.
In this episode, she breaks down the "Builder Mindset" - a way of thinking that empowers people to live to healthier, happier, and more fulfilled lives.
Over on our Substack, we dig deeper into Gena's ideas, exploring the perils of perfectionism, the allure of complacency, and why psychological perfection might be more achievable than you think.
Important Links:
Gena's Website
Building the Builders (Gena's Substack)
Gena's Twitter
Show Notes:
The Unique Needs of the Ultra Ambitious
Death is the Default
The Rigid Authoritarianism of Your Inner Drill Sergeant
The Sweet, Stagnant Embrace of the Zen Master
Agency & the Enlightenment
Historical Ignorance as a Bottleneck
Human Beings as the Base Unit of Action
Fight, Flight or Freeze
How to Build a Builder
Perfectionism is not Perfect
What to Do When Surrounded by C Players
Persistence, Passion & Personality
Reframing FTW
Gena as Empress of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Success in America; by John D. Gartner
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Nir Eyal — How To Become An Indistractable Force (EP.235)
26 september 2024 · 1 uur 10 min
"Most people don't want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality." Lees meer
My latest guest, Nir Eyal, writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.
In our conversation, Nir gives it to us straight. Distraction is killing us, and stopping us from reaching our full potential. In a world that is constantly conspiring to keep us distracted, Nir provides an alternative: we can take back control. We can regain our agency.
All of these ideas are presented in his book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life (co-authored with Julie Li). This book is a clear guide to understanding the psychology behind our impulses and is chock-full of great anecdotes and peer-reviewed studies to help you better manage your time, and your life.
Nir's framework is not only interesting, it is practical, so I suggest you check out our Substack, where you'll find the episode transcript and some actionable takeaways. I also encourage you to buy Nir's excellent book and start applying his strategies to your own life.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
Important Links:
Nir's personal blog
Nir's LinkedIn
Nir's Twitter
Nir's YouTube channel
Nir's Habit Tracking Tool
Nir's Schedule Maker Tool
Show Notes:
What Being Indistractable Is All About
Etymology of the Word Distraction
The Strong Pull of Internal Triggers
The Tyranny of the To-Do List
The Difference Between High Performers and Low Performers
The Dangers of Labelling Ourselves
Using the Psychology of Identity
Using Self-Determination Theory to Diagnose Distraction
The Perils of Snowplow Parenting
Believe the Good Science
Nir as Emperor of the World
Books / Articles Mentioned:
Indistractable; by Nir Eyal (+ bonus content)
Nir's artic…
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Alex Danco — Finding Mystery in the Margin (EP.234)
19 september 2024 · 1 uur 28 min
As the saying goes, only three things in life are certain: death, taxes & Alex Danco. Lees meer
Armed with sizzling hot takes on the sad death of Twitter likes and a new secret weapon in the form of his catchphrase-turned-episode theme ("Without mystery, there is no margin"), Alex returns for his eighth episode.
Despite our intentional lack of preparation, somehow this ended up as one our most cohesive conversations yet.
As usual, we've included links and an episode transcript over on our Substack, where we've also made the foolhardy attempt to distil one overriding theme from eight episodes of fiercely unstructured, defiantly unplanned, proudly meandering conversation.
Important Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alex_Danco
Website: https://alexdanco.com/
Previous episode: https://www.infiniteloopspodcast.com/alex-danco-on-self-delusion-sancho-panza-safe-words-seinfeld-ep156/
Show Notes:
What the fuck is going on? & the sad death of Twitter likes
Where are the journalists?
Without mystery, there is no margin
Why aesthetics are underrated
Friction is good, actually
Make things to gain agency
Empowering small firms to access the mysterious margin
Everything is positioning
How to learn effectively
Alex as emperor of the world
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Fifth Science; by Exurb1a
What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
The Gervais Principle, Or The Office According to "The Office"; by Venkatesh Rao
The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism; by Howard Bloom
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Mike Maples, Jr. — How To Become a Pattern-Breaking Founder (EP.233)
12 september 2024 · 1 uur 33 min
Mike Maples, Jr., co-founding partner of the VC firm Floodgate, is the veteran seed investor behind some of the 21st-century's great success stories, including Twitter, Twitch, and Applied Intuition. Lees meer
His book, Pattern Breakers (co-authored with Peter Ziebelman), articulates a new model of foundership, one built on the simple premise that transformative startups upend rather than improve current practices.
My company, OSV, is built around my belief that the collapse of the old models presents enormous opportunities to those savvy enough to seize them, so I had a blast quizzing Mike on the nuts and bolts of pattern-breaking foundership, from finding true believers to waging asymmetric war on the status quo.
If Mike's theory sounds as interesting to you as it did to me, check out our Substack, where we've distilled some pattern-breaking insights and shared the episode transcript. I also encourage you to buy Mike's excellent book.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
Important Links:
Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future; by Mike Maples, Jr & Peter Ziebelman
Twitter
Substack (Starting Greatness)
Floodgate
LinkedIn
Show Notes:
Seagull mode: an unexpected founder paradigm
How to wage asymmetric war on the present
Evading the comparison trap
Finding your people: how to build a movement
Why we should continually seek the truth
The customer isn't always right, but the ones living in the future are
Why disagreeableness is undervalued
How to fix a pitch Franckendeck
Don't use jargon as a substitute for clear thinking
How to find the true believers
How to live in the future
How founders are like trainspotters
Why wanting to be a founder is a bad reason to start a company
Reading habits of a pattern-breaker
The unreliability of memory
Mike as emperor of the world
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A story; by Richard Bach
The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism; b…
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Ben Orlin — Math As Universal Language (EP.232)
5 september 2024 · 1 uur 31 min
As a former quant with six grandkids, my spidey-senses started tingling as soon as I heard about Ben Orlin's mission to make math fun. Lees meer
A native of St.Paul, Ben is a math educator and popularizer who is known for his "Math With Bad Drawing" blog and book series. Today's conversation revolves around his excellent, original new book Math for English Majors: A Human Take on the Universal Language, which reframes math as a language, complete with nouns, verbs and grammar.
Like any mathematician worth his salt, Ben loves games, which he sees as 'puzzle engines'. No wonder then that our conversation meandered and unfolded like a satisfying puzzle, touching upon rich concepts. We discussed making sense of sampling through fantasy towns where 70% of inhabitants are lawyers (not a town I'd like to be in), threw in a bit of Lewis Carroll to discuss the assumptions built into propositional logic (sometimes it really is turtles all the way down) and pitied the Welsh kids learning how to count (keep listening to know what that means).
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did! For more thoughts on the episode, the full transcript, and bucketloads of other stuff designed to make you go; "Hmm, that's interesting!" check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Ben's Blog
Ben's Twitter
Ben's LinkedIn
Show Notes:
A Mathematician's Obsession
The Language of Algebra
What the Tortoise Said to Achilles
The Concrete and the Abstract
Games As Puzzle Engines
We're not Built to Understand Base Rates
Why We Always Think About Samples Incorrectly
Randomness and Wikipedia Rabbit-holing
Counting in Different Languages
The Concept of Zero
Negatives as the Mathematical Language of Opposites
Mathematical Escape Rooms
Why Is the World Comprehensible?
Discussing Infinity on Infinite Loops
The Deep Mathematics of Music
Ben As Emperor of the World
Books Mentioned:
Math for English Majors: A Human Take on the Universal Language; by Ben Orlin
Math with Bad Drawings: Illumin…
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Gurwinder Bhogal's Guide to Modern Survival (EP.231)
29 augustus 2024 · 1 uur 40 min
"We have created for ourselves a world that we didn't evolve for." Lees meer
Gurwinder Bhogal is, for my money, one of the most independent, original and insightful thinkers you'll find in our corner of the internet.
He returns to discuss how willpower and good old-fashioned human agency can help us reclaim our mental sovereignty and escape the "constant avalanche of concerns that are being vomited over us through our laptop screens, our phones, our TV screens, and in conversations."
For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other stuff designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!" check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Gurwinder's Substack
Gurwinder's Twitter
Gurwinder's previous Infinite Loops appearance
Show Notes:
"We have created for ourselves a world we didn't evolve for"
The dogged persistence of our stubborn beliefs
Gamification; generational differences in agency
The societal impact of the education system's changing priorities
How to zombify a population
Skin in the game: Gurwinder's guide to reclaiming agency
LLMs, bullshit, and the atomization of culture
How to play better games
Willpower is the bottleneck
Gurwinder as emperor of the world
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
Why Everything is Becoming a Game; by Gurwinder Bhogal
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know; by Adam Grant
The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements; by Eric Hoffer
Why the Mental Health of Liberal Girls Sank First and Fastest; by Jonathan Haidt (After Babel)
America's Colleges Are Reaping What They Sowed; by Tyler Austin Harper (The Atlantic)
Joe Biden and the Common Knowledge Game; by Ben Hunt (Epsilon Theory)
The Emperor's New Clothes; by Hans Christian Andersen
Futarchy Details; by Robin Hanson (Overcoming Bias)
The Enlightenment Trilogy; by Jed McKenna
The Weirdest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particula…
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Julia Sonnevend — Charming! (EP.230)
22 augustus 2024 · 1 uur 25 min
Professor Julia Sonnevend believes that charm is one of the defining political trends of our era. Lees meer
In her latest book, she argues that charm will do no less than "shape the future of democracy worldwide," exploring how it is weaponized by politicians ranging from Jacinda Arden to Kim Jong Un.
In our episode, you will discover why charm has emerged as a political force and how to innoculate yourself when you encounter it in the wild.
Julia and I also dig into the five components of a charming interaction, a tantalizing prospect for those of you who want to dabble in the dark arts yourself…
For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other stuff designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!" check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Charm: How Magnetic Personalities Shape Global Politics
Julia's website
Julia's Twitter
Show Notes:
Why social scientists are scared of charm
The beer test of political leadership
Can charm be manufactured?
How humor affects charm
The five building blocks of charm
Does writing a book about charm make you immune to charm?
Suspicion of seduction
Is personality damaging politics?
The true arbiter of authenticity
How to encourage students to think critically
How global iconic events are constructed
Historical villains & the banality of evil
Charming or not-charming: a speed-round
The transitory nature of the charm offensive
The benefits of taking a moment
Julia as Empress of the World
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Bilawal Sidhu — How to Unite Reality With Imagination (EP.229)
15 augustus 2024 · 1 uur 40 min
As a proud owner of the exceedingly rare "two-digit" designation on CompuServe (the internet's precursor), I've always been an early adopter of new tech. Lees meer
I was, therefore, particularly excited to speak to Bilawal Sidhu, a one-man corporation whose prolific output outpaces many creators put together.
Since he was 11, Bilawal has been passionate about using cutting-edge tech to create videos that unite reality with his imagination.
He made his bones as a product manager at Google, but after his short-form videos generated millions of views on social media, he decided to go all-in on his creative projects, including this video showing 'shadow aliens' invading Miami Mall, which racked up 11M views in 24 hours (!) on TikTok.
Bilawal is also an adept rune-reader in the tech industry — his Creative Digest newsletter and YouTube channel offer insights and analysis on tech and market developments, while his TEDAI podcast broke the recent Helen Toner x OpenAI story.
If you're a creator curious about the opportunities presented by cutting-edge tech, you're gonna love this episode.
For the full transcript and bucketloads of other stuff designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!" check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Bilawal's Website (includes links to all social channels)
What Does "Rat Park" Teach Us About Addiction? (Psychiatric Times)
Show Notes:
Aliens at the Miami Mall & the deep fake arms race
How to unite reality with imagination
The three waves of content democratization & the incoming content tsunami
Artisan vs organic content
Creation by proxy
Climbing up the adoption curve
Bilawal's idea-to-execution creation process
Remix culture & co-creation
Competing visions of an AI-infused feature
Finding an economic model that benefits indie creators
Sovereign AI & being long human creativity
Bilawal as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Fifth Science; by Exurb1a
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams
The God…
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Luca Dellanna — How to Play (and Win) Long Term Games (EP.228)
8 augustus 2024 · 1 uur 26 min
When Luca Dellanna speaks, I listen. Lees meer
Unlike many of the other management, productivity and behavioral gurus out there, Luca is ruthlessly committed to providing actionable, tangible advice that is rooted in the messy, chaotic reality of daily life.
This conversation, my second with Luca, revolves around his excellent new book, Winning Long-Term Games: Reproducible Success Strategies to Achieve Your Life Goals.
Why should you care? Because long-term strategies consistently deliver better results. In other words, being able to identify, play, and win long-term games is, quite literally, the secret to success.
With examples ranging from NASA janitors to Stonehenge spray painters, we discuss how to successfully identify reproducible long-term strategies and how to persuade others to get on board with them.
We also explore how hypotheticals can be an insanely powerful tool for ensuring our short-term actions remain consistent with our long-term goals (and yes, before you ask, my beloved premeditation makes an appearance).
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did! For more thoughts on the episode, the full transcript, and bucketloads of other stuff designed to make you go; "Hmm, that's interesting!" check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Winning Long-Term Games: Reproducible Success Strategies to Achieve Your Life Goals
Luca's Website
Luca's Twitter
Luca's Previous Episode
Five Counterintuitive Truths We Learned From Luca Dellanna
Show Notes:
The Tale of the Three Bricklayers
Tighten Up Those Feedback Loops
The Perils of Short-Term Thinking
How to Signal Long-Term Intentions
Reproducibility is King
The Mighty Power of the Humble Hypothetical
Concretizing the Abstract
Goldilocks Solutions
Extracting Tangible Benefits From Stratospheric Objectives
Intuition & Luck in Long-Term Games
Risk of Tactic vs Risk of Strategy; Flexible North Stars
Build Your Own Long-Term Company
Tesla's Risky Success
Luca as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books…
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Ateet Ahluwalia — The Many Bosses of a Venture Capitalist (EP.227)
1 augustus 2024 · 1 uur 21 min
Let me introduce you to the four horsemen of the investment apocalypse: Lees meer
Fear.
Greed.
Hope.
Ignorance.
Notice anything?
Three of four are emotions.
I've long argued that effective investing is far more about emotional control than technical know-how (although the latter certainly helps!) By hook or by crook, the best investors can find a way to tame their pesky emotional impulses and overcome that primal urge to respond impulsively to panic, passion, or pride.
My guest, the razor-sharp Ateet Ahluwalia, is a veteran trader and investor who has spent well over 15 years at the coalface, from trading at Goldman at the dawn of the financial crisis to his current role as founder and managing director of the venture capital firm Island Green Capital Management. As you'll hear from our conversation, Ateet has built an insanely deep understanding of the emotional constitution required to succeed in finance and venture capital, which informs his approach to risk management, hiring, investing, due diligence, and everything in between.
I hope you enjoy our wide-ranging conversation, whose implications extend well beyond investing. For episode takeaways, a full transcript, and various other goodies, check out our Substack.
Important Links:
The Thinker and The Prover; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
Ateet's LinkedIn
Island Green Capital Management
Show Notes:
Why Venture Capitalists Should Shun the Glory
"In a changing world, playing it safe is one of the riskiest things you can do."
Risk: Why Size Matters
The Emotional Constraints of Investing
How to Find Out What Someone Really Wants
The Purifying Power of Mistakes
Pick up the Phone!
Being Humbled by the Market
Public vs Private Investing
Why Hit Rates Matter
Assessing the Macro Position
Bullshitting, Question-Dodging, and Other Red Flags
The Many Bosses of the Venture Capitalist
Be a Painkiller
Ateet as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Enlightenment Trilogy; by Jed McKenna
Venture Deals: Be…
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Audrey Wisch — How to Cultivate Curious Kids (EP.226)
25 juli 2024 · 1 uur 14 min
I've always tried to encourage curiosity in my three children and now six (!) grandchildren. My kids often reminisce about my default response to their childhood questions: pointing to the bookshelf that flanked our sofa and saying, "look it up in there!" Lees meer
Luckily, natural curiosity was never lacking in our household. Over the years, however, I have become increasingly frustrated when I hear about the stultifying, rote, curiosity-killing nature of our education system.
It was a pleasure, therefore, to speak to Audrey Wisch, an impressive young founder who, after witnessing first-hand how kids' curiosity was being crushed, decided to do something about it. She left Stanford University to build Curious Cardinals, a personalized service that matches children with university mentors. What started as a pandemic project has grown into something much bigger - Audrey and her co-founder were named to the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 List in education, and Curious Cardinals has now delivered over 20,000 hours of mentorship to over 2,000 kids.
As you'll hear in our conversation, Audrey's approach to education is a breath of fresh air, focusing on agency and empowerment, meeting kids where their interests lie, and harnessing the benefits of technology.
I hope you enjoy our conversation! For the full transcript alongside bucketloads of other stuff designed to make you go; "Hmm, that's interesting!" check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Curious Cardinals
LinkedIn
Twitter
Show Notes:
The Classroom: Disengaging, Uninspiring and Regurgitating
The Chicken Nugget Strategy: Learning Through Interests
Are Attention Spans Shortening?
Why Mentors Matter
Rose, Bud, Thorn: How to Design an Effective Mentorship Session
The Perks of Proximity
The RBG Approach to Disruption
Against a One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Curiosity, Lifelong Learning & Openness to Change
Shakespeare on Snapchat
The Changing Role of Memory
Prompting via Socratic Iteration; Tapping into the Why
How Audre…
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Matthew Ball — Into The Metaverse (EP.225)
18 juli 2024 · 1 uur 29 min
Matthew Ball is the CEO of Epyllion, which makes angel investments, provides advisory services, and produces television, films, and video games. Lees meer
He's also a Venture Partner at Makers Fund, Senior Advisor to KKR, Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company, and sits on the board of numerous start-ups.
Matthew is one of the sharpest and most original thinkers on the future of media and the Internet (i.e. The Metaverse). The fully revised and updated edition of his bestselling book "The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet" releases next week.
Important Links:
Matthew's website
Matthew's Twitter
Show Notes:
Into The Metaverse
AI and The Metaverse
'AI Can Bend the Laws of Physics'
Human Engineering and the Human Brain
Screens and Education
The Reflexivity of AI Doomerism
The Salvation of the 'TV Species'
From Passive Media to Active Media
'What's An Appropriate Simulation?'
'We Don't Outlaw Fire, We Train Firemen'
Applying the Precautionary Principle
Media and the Metaverse: Three Stages of Competition
The Enduring Value of Taste
Hardware and AI: The Vergence-Accommodation Conflict
The Emperor of the Metaverse
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet; by Matthew Ball
The Streaming Book; by Matthew Ball
The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich
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Nat Eliason — Crazy, Crypto, Confidential (EP.224)
11 juli 2024 · 1 uur 33 min
Nat Eliason is a writer with a keen interest in writing about challenging and revealing things. His debut book, Crypto Confidential: Winning and Losing Millions in the New Frontier of Finance (out July 9th, 2024), charts his personal odyssey into Crypto's Get-Rich-Quick underbelly. Lees meer
Nat joins the show to discuss the highs and lows of the cryptocurrency market, the lessons learned from his financial adventures, the psychological effects of bubbles, crypto's cutting-edge developments, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Nat's Website
Nat's Twitter
Nat's YouTube
Show Notes:
Making A Lot of Money, As Fast as Possible
The Peer Pressure of Crypto Markets
The Psychological Effects of Diamond Hands
Signs of Peak Speculation
How Bitcoin Has Carried the Crypto Story
Ethereum's Innovations
The Emergence of Stablecoins
What Makes USD A Reserve Currency?
The Crazy Anonymity of Crypto Projects
The Two Options of Getting Into Crypto
Imagining the Money Pile
What Nat Couldn't Keep in the Book
Nat's Next Career as a Novelist
Nat as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
Influence; by Robert Cialdini
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Noor Siddiqui — A Thiel Fellow's Guide to Having Healthy Babies (EP.223)
4 juli 2024 · 1 uur 15 min
Noor Siddiqui is currently building Orchid, a reproductive technology company that measures genetic predisposition to disease and provides embryo screening for couples going through IVF. Lees meer
Noor joins the show to discuss the ambitious culture of the West Coast, getting into the Thiel Fellowship, her personal reasons for starting Orchid, the sacred act of reproduction and why it must be made safe, her belief in children as the future, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Noor's Personal Website
Noor's Twitter
Noor's Linkedin
Orchid's Website
Show Notes:
The Ambitious Culture of San Francisco
The East Coast Aversion to Risky Ambition
The Intimate Origin Story of Orchid
What Orchid Has Built
The History and Controversy Around Reproductive Technology
Surprising Aspects of Orchid's Technology
Benefits of Saliva Testing
Making Our Own Genetic Luck
Noor's Predictions for the Field
Advances in Embryonic Freezing
Why Noor Values Clear Writing
Noor as Empress of the World
MORE!
Books/Essays Mentioned:
What You Can't Say; by Paul Graham
Secrets (from Zero To One); by Peter Thiel
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The Fourth Way - Mastering The Self (EP.222)
27 juni 2024 · 1 uur 20 min
The Fourth Way is a pseudonymously run Youtube channel and Twitter page dedicated to the path of psychological and spiritual growth and self-improvement. Built around the philosophy of two thinkers - George Gurdjieff and Peter Ouspensky - the ultimate aim of the Fourth Way is "to assist individuals in achieving a higher state of consciousness and self-awareness which can lead to a more fulfilling and meaningful existence." Lees meer
Tune in to this week's episode to learn about the four ways of being; how to befriend your centers; the keys to the universe; and MUCH more!
Important Links:
The Fourth Way Youtube channel
The Fourth Way on Twitter
Show Notes:
Memetic Alchemy
Introducing The Fourth Way
The Best Time To Start Is Now
The Four Ways of Being
Waking Sleep
Befriending Your Centers
Keys To The Universe
The Law of Octaves
Indoctrination as Hypnosis
The Fourth Way Curriculum
The Search for Mystery
Don't Forget To Self-Remember
Life Is Movement
A Pitch for The Fourth Way
Don't Go With The Flow
The Fourth…Emperor Of The World
Books Mentioned:
The Fourth Way; by Peter Ouspensky
In Search of the Miraculous; by Peter Ouspensky
Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson; by ****George Gurdjieff
In Search of Being: The Fourth Way to Consciousness; by George Gurdjieff
The Struggle of the Magicians; by George Gurdjieff
Siddhartha; by Herman Hesse
The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean; by Thoth The Atlantean
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Mona Sobhani — A Neuroscientist's Journey From Materialism to Beyond (EP.221)
20 juni 2024 · 1 uur 22 min
Mona Sobhani, Ph.D. is a cognitive neuroscientist, researcher, and author. In 2022 she published her first book, Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist's Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe, which documents her "transformation from diehard materialist to open-minded spiritual seeker." Lees meer
Mona joins the show to discuss blowing open the box of materialism, why anecdotes are scientifically underrated, what she learned from studying decades of research into psi-phenomena, how quantum science is transforming the way we think about consciousness, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Mona's Twitter
Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist's Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe; by Mona Sobhani
Cosmos, Coffee & Consciousness (Mona's Substack)
Life Will Be the Death of Me Podcast with Chelsea Handler (Ep. 19): People on the Other Side with Laura Lynne Jackson
Infinite Potential: The Life & Ideas of David Bohm
Prophetic AI
Show Notes:
Mona's Journey Beyond Materialism
Anecdotes are Scientifically Underrated; Research Into Psi Phenomena
How Mona Deals With Her Colleagues' Skepticism
The Persuasiveness of Personal Experience
Psychic Phenomena & the Scientific Method
Blowing Open the Box of Materialism
How Quantum Science is Transforming How We Think About Consciousness
Transcendent Technology
Psychedelics as a Bridge
What's Next for Mona
Bringing Humanity Back Into Science
Mona as Empress of the World
MORE!
Books & Articles Mentioned:
Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist's Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe; by Mona Sobhani
The Radical Ideas of Psychedelic Research 2.0 (Pt.1; Pt.2); by Mona Sobhani
Many Lives, Many Masters: The true story of a prominent psychiatrist, his young patient and the past-life therapy that changed both their lives; by Dr. Brian Weiss
The New Inquisition: Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science; by Robert Anton Wilson
Personal Knowledge: Towards a P…
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Ellen Fishbein — Make Art, Not Noise (EP. 220)
13 juni 2024 · 1 uur 35 min
Described by David Perell as "like Rick Rubin for writing," Ellen Fishbein is an author and writing coach and the founder of Altamira Studio, an independent publisher specializing in short-form books. She joins the show to discuss how traditional publishing disrespects intelligent readers, her advice for aspiring authors, what she's learned from Shakespeare's sonnets, and MUCH more! Lees meer
Important Links:
Altamira Studio
Writing.coach
Muse By Mail
Ellen's Website
Ellen's Twitter
Show Notes:
The Caves of Altamira
The New Book Deal
Using Shakespeare's Sonnets as a Writing Guide
The Author's Compass
The Storytelling Magic of Herman Hesse
Zero to One & Writing as Personal Communication
How Traditional Publishing Disrespects Smart Readers
How the Legacy Publishing System Results in Regression to the Mean
AI in the Writing Process
Cutting Out the Middle Man
Muse By Mail
Advice for Aspiring Authors
Writing Coaching & Working with Big Publishers
Ellen as Empress of the World
MORE!
Books, Articles & Films Mentioned:
The New Book Deal; by Ellen Fishbein
Future of Publishing: 10 High-Conviction Views; by Ellen Fishbein
What makes Zero to One a masterpiece; by Ellen Fishbein
Have you found your "bible"?; by Ellen Fishbein
ASK ARISTOTLE; by Vishal Sharma and William Jaworski
MEMES MAKE MILLIONS; by Jason Levin
SPACEFARING: A contribution to Earth's archives; by Ellen Fishbein
The Glass Bead Game; by Hermann Hesse Hesse's
Demian: The Story of a Boyhood; by Hermann Hesse
Siddharta; by Hermann Hesse
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future; by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
How to Retire Rich: Time-Tested Strategies to Beat the Market and Retire in Style; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
Cave of Forgotten Dreams; Directed by Werner Herzog
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John A. Paulos — Avoiding Innumeracy (EP. 219)
6 juni 2024 · 1 uur 7 min
Professor, Mathematician and Writer John A. Paulos joins the show to discuss math education, the power of puzzles, cognitive biases, and MUCH more! Lees meer
Important Links:
John's Website
John's Twitter
Show Notes:
Why Do People Hate Math?
The Power of Posing Problems with Counterintuitive or Shocking Results
Using Everyday Examples to Understand Math Concepts
Systems Designed to Take Advantage of Innumeracy
People's Ignorance of Randomness and Random Samples
The Strange Power of Anchoring Bias
Tradeoffs between Probability and Plausibility
The Prisoner's Dilemma & Math Anxiety
Improving the Monty Hall Problem
Designing an Ideal Intro Math Course
The Big Brother Aspect of Nudging
John as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
Innumeracy - Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences; by J.A. Paulos
A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market; by J.A. Paulos
A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper; by J.A. Paulos
Statistics; by D.A. Freedman, R. Pisani, and R.A. Purves
Thinking Fast and Slow; by Daniel Kahneman
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Chris Wilcha — Flipside (EP.218)
30 mei 2024 · 1 uur 16 min
Chris Wilcha is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and commercial director. Lees meer
His latest film, Flipside, which is co-executive produced by Jim and presented in association with Infinite Films (among others), opens in select US theaters tomorrow (May 31st, 2024).
An ode to creative failure, abandoned projects, and rekindled passion, Flipside premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews. Here's the full description:
"When filmmaker Chris Wilcha revisits the record store he worked at as a teenager in New Jersey, he finds the once-thriving bastion of music and weirdness from his youth slowly falling apart and out of touch with the times. FLIPSIDE documents his tragicomic attempt to revive the store while revisiting other documentary projects he has abandoned over the years. In the process, Wilcha captures This American Life icon Ira Glass in the midst of a creative rebirth, discovers the origin story of David Bowie's ode to a local New Jersey cable television hero, and uncovers the unlikely connection between jazz photographer Herman Leonard and TV writer David Milch. This disparate collection of stories coheres into something strange and expansive—a moving meditation on music, work, and the sacrifices and satisfaction of trying to live a creative life."
Important Links:
Flipside; a film by Chris Wilcha
32 Sounds; a film by Sam Green
Show Notes:
An Ode to Abandoned Projects
How Flipside Got Made
When Filmmaking Gets Personal
Taking the Big Swings
Bringing the Film to Life in the Editing Room
"Life can only be understood backwards, but we must live it forwards"
Meeting Uncle Floyd
Working With Judd Apatow & the Coen Brothers; Balancing Art & Commerce
Stylistic Choices & Following Your Obsession
How Jim Got Into Music
The Changing Landscape of Documentary Filmmaking
How the Creative Industries Compare to Wall Street
Chris' Favourite Unmade Documentaries
Chris as Emperor of the World
MORE!
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Bridget Phetasy — Comedy is Dead, Long Live Comedy (EP.217)
23 mei 2024 · 1 uur 41 min
"PHETASY IS a movement disguised as a company. We just want to make you laugh while the world burns." Lees meer
Bridget Phetasy is an entrepreneur, writer, podcast host, political commentator, burgeoning media mogul, and standup comedian. Over the past few years, her media company - Phetasy - has become an outlet for 100s of hours of social commentary filtered through her sharp and spiky worldview.
She joins the show to discuss the comedic temperature in America today; the role of comedy in contemporary society; humour as a weapon; and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Bridget's Twitter
The 'Beyond Parody with Bridget Phetasy' newsletter
Bridget's Youtube channel
Bridget's website
Show Notes:
Comedy as Dissidence
Post-Trump Comedy
America's Comedic Temperature
A Tipping Point For Comedy
Does The Rubber Band Snap Back?
The Atomization of Culture
The Coddling of the American Mind
Fighting Political Peer Pressure
The Anti-fragility of Normie-ville
"Capitalism Always Wins"
The Pendulum Swings
The Cyclical Nature of Moral Panic
Luxury Beliefs
Humor as a Weapon
The Societal Utility of Comedy
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art; by Lewis Hyde
Mediated: How the Media Shapes Your World and the Way You Live in It; by Thomas de Zengotita
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community; By Robert D. Putnam
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Porter Braswell — Building the Future of Leadership (EP.216)
16 mei 2024 · 1 uur 9 min
Porter Braswell is the Founder and CEO of 2045 Studio, an exclusive network for accomplished professionals of color. Lees meer
Porter is also the Co-founder and Executive Chairman of the career advancement platform Jopwell, the host of the Harvard Business Review podcast Race at Work, and the author of two books, including 2019's Let Them See You.
Porter joins the show to discuss how 2045 Studio is harnessing community to empower professionals of color to succeed, how to establish trust within a community, what he learned from Magic Johnson's mentorship, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
2045 Studio
Porter's LinkedIn
Porter's Twitter
Porter's Instagram
Race at Work podcast
O'Shaughnessy Ventures Invests in 2045 Studio
Show Notes:
The Significance of 2045
Bridging the Inclusion Gap
Networks, Community & the Clubhouse
The Opportunity To Be in the Majority
Building the Right Kind of Partnerships
The Importance of Human Capital
Socratic Problem-Solving
How to Establish Trust Within a Community
The 2045 Approach to Networking
Councils & Relationship-Building
Surprising Lessons From Foundership
Leveraging the Community
Magic Johnson's Mentorship & the Advantages of the Athletic Mentality
Why Porter Writes
"Wouldn't it be so cool if I could always feel like I belong?"
2045's Long-Term Vision
Porter as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
Let Them See You: The Guide for Leveraging Your Diversity at Work; by Porter Braswell
Yes, You Can: The Secrets Revealed for How to Get into and Succeed at America's Top Universities and Colleges; by Porter Braswell
The Intelligent Investor; by Benjamin Graham
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Grant Mitchell — The Potential of AI Drug Repurposing
9 mei 2024 · 1 uur 5 min
Grant Mitchell is a seasoned entrepreneur, operator, and investor in the areas of health, technology, and machine learning. He is currently the co-founder and CEO of Every Cure, where he uses AI to research rare diseases and conduct drug repurposing. Lees meer
Grant joins the show to discuss the use of AI in rare drug research, the role of translational scientists, neglected knowledge, and MUCH MORE!
Important Links:
Every Cure Website
Dr. Grant's Twitter
Dr. Grant's LinkedIn
Show Notes:
The Organizational Problem in Pharma
The Power of Biomedical Knowledge Graphs
The Traditional Pharma Approach to Drug R&D
Risks in the World of AI-driven Drug Discovery
The Limits of AI for Medical Use
Biology's 'Ignorome'
The Role of Translators
Every Cure's Typical Supporters
Neglected Latent Knowledge
Grant as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books/Essays Mentioned:
The AI Revolution; by Tim Urban (Wait But Why)
Ikigai - The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life; by Héctor García & Francesc Miralles
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Jimmy Soni — The Courage of Creative Risk (EP.214)
2 mei 2024 · 1 uur 14 min
Author and friend-of-the-show Jimmy Soni returns to discuss the future of publishing, the changing world of book marketing, the courage of creative risk, and MUCH more! Lees meer
Important Links:
Jimmy's website
Jimmy's Twitter
The Great Reshuffle
Show Notes:
Why Traditional Publishing is in Stasis
A Case of Broken Incentives
The Changing World of Book Marketing & the Case for Patience
Talent Spotting & Creative Risk
The Challenge of Self-Publishing
Experiment, Experiment, Experiment
Taylor Swift, Michael Jordan, and the Courage of Trying Something New
Don't Be Trapped by the Opinions of Others
Jimmy as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Founders; by Jimmy Soni
A Mind at Play; by Jimmy Soni & Rob Goodman
What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
Invest Like The Best; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
How To Retire Rich; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
Atomic Habits; by James Clear
Psychology of Money; by Morgan Housel
The Obstacle is the Way; by Ryan Holiday
Trust Me, I'm Lying; by Ryan Holiday
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics; by Daniel James Brown
You Are a Badass; by Jen Sincero
11/22/63; by Stephen King
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Arjun Khemani — The Hunt for Better Problems (EP. 213)
25 april 2024 · 1 uur 16 min
Arjun Khemani is a 17-year-old writer and podcaster who dropped out of high school to help lead support at Airchat, the social network co-founded by Naval Ravikant. Lees meer
As the host of the Arjun Khemani podcast, Arjun has spoken to a wide range of guests including David Deutsch, David Perell and Naval Ravikant. His Substack, Progress Good, "serves as a defense against the anti-Enlightenment tradition, exploring progress, rationality, and optimism."
Arjun joins the show to discuss why education should be voluntary, the moral case for selfishness, the pessimism of ultimacy and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Arjun's Twitter
Progress Good (Arjun's Substack)
Show Notes:
The Myth of the Good Old Days
The Citadel of Science
Generational Warfare
Why Education Should Be Voluntary
Misunderstanding Money
Escaping the Altruism Trap: the Case for Selfishness
Coercion & Moral Righteousness
The Pessimism of Ultimacy
The Hunt for Better Problems
Arjun's Leap Into the Unknown
Reimagining Education
What's Next?
Arjun as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
One Summer: America 1927; by Bill Bryson
The New Inquisition: Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science; by Robert Anton Wilson
The Road to Serfdom; by Friedrich Hayek
The Lessons of History; by Will & Ariel Durant
Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behaviour; by David R. Hawkins
Deschooling Society; by Ivan Illich
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Eddy Elfenbein — On Crossing Wall Street (EP. 212)
18 april 2024 · 1 uur 4 min
Eddy Elfenbein is an OG finance blogger, ETF manager, and FinTwit legend, with over 25 years of experience working in and around Wall Street. Lees meer
Eddy joins the show to discuss the story behind his longtime blog - Crossing Wall Street (CWS), the origins of his famous Buy List, his ETF journey, his philosophy as an investor, and much more!
Important Links:
Eddy's Twitter
Eddy's Blog (Crossing Wall Street)
Eddy's Substack
The Myth of 1926
Show Notes:
Origins of a Wall Street Blogger
Bypassing the Gatekeepers
Eddy's Buy List
Many Paths to Stock Market Success
The Last Sustainable Edge in Public Markets
The Great Truths of Investing
Stocks Don't Know You Own Them
The Market and the Casino
Debating Academic Finance
Major League Buy List
Down with Perma-Bears
Unpacking ETFs
The Next Avatar of Market Intelligence
The Moat of the Stock Picker
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
THE MISBEHAVIOR OF MARKETS: A Fractal View of Financial Turbulence; by Benoit Mandelbrot and Richard L Hudson
Stocks for the Long Run; by Jeremy Siegel
The Myth of 1926: How Much Do We Know About Long-Term Returns on U.S. Stocks?; by Edward F. McQuarrie
Fama and French Three Factor Model Definition: Formula and Interpretation (Investopedia)
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Anna Gát — We Digress (EP. 211)
10 april 2024 · 1 uur 21 min
Friend-of-the-show Anna Gát returns to discuss… well… pretty much everything! Lees meer
On April 13th, O'Shaughnessy Ventures and Interintellect are co-hosting a Future of Publishing event at the beautiful Pratt Mansion in NYC.
We're bringing together established publishers, online writers, new publishing houses, journalists, technologists, authors and more to rethink and reimagine how ideas are spread in our changing world. Confirmed speakers include Coleman Hughes, Tara Isabella Burton, Tamara Winter, Sahil Lavingia and many more!
Here's the best part - we want YOU to be there! To buy in-person tickets and for more information on live-streaming, scheduling, speakers, and more, just follow this link.
We hope to see you there!
Important Links:
Interintellect
Anna's Twitter
Anna's Website
Interintellect Substack
Show Notes:
The Shock of Losing a Parent
Interintellect & the Post-Tribe Internet
How to Facilitate Better Conversations
Surprising Salons
Faker Spotting & the Temptations of Power
Avoiding Audience Capture
The Humanness of Casablanca
Greatness, Co-Creation & Doing the Work
Misconceptions About Leadership
The Personality of Language
What's Next for Anna
Cities as Ideas
Anna as Empress of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity; by David Graeber and Wengrow
Adventures of a Bystander; by Peter Drucker
Mating; by Norman Rush
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York; by Robert A. Caro
Power vs. Force; by David R. Hawkins
Tao Te Ching; by Lao Tzu
The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics; by Stanislas Dehaene
Embers; by Sándor Márai
The Hunger Games; by Suzanne Collins
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Visakan Veerasamy — Expanding Our Possibility-Space (EP. 210)
4 april 2024 · 1 uur 48 min
The inimitable Visakan Veerasamy returns for a characteristically wide-ranging discussion… Lees meer
Important Links:
Visa's Website
Visa's Twitter
Visa's Youtube
Visa's Previous Episode
Visa's Post-Episode Thread
Show Notes:
Life as a Dad
A Conversation With David Deutsch
Change, Courage, Curiosity & Creativity
Possibility Space & the Problem of Wretchedness
A Good Blog Post Can Change the World
The Outdated Language of Counterculture
Colliding Our Reality Tunnels
Imperfection Breeds Creativity
We Are Co-Creators
Status Quo Soldiers
The Power of Noticing
Visa as Emperor of the World
MUCH more!
Books & Articles Mentioned:
Friendly Ambitious Nerd; by Visakan Veerasamy
Introspect; by Visakan Veerasamy
status quo soldiers lose in the long run; by Visakan Veerasamy
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch
The Thinker and The Prover; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
Leonardo Da Vinci; by Walter Isaacson
Ninety-five Theses; by Martin Luther
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; by Lewis Carroll
The News: A User's Manual; by Alain de Botton
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man; by Marshall McLuhan
Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behaviour; by David R. Hawkins
How I Accidentally Started The Sixties; by Howard Bloom
One Summer: America 1927; by Bill Bryson
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Brendan McCord — AI and the Philosophy of Technology
28 maart 2024 · 1 uur 39 min
Brendan McCord is the founder of Cosmos Institute — a non-profit dedicated to exploring the intersection of AI and philosophy. Lees meer
Brendan joins the show to discuss Cosmos' origins, the pursuit of philosophy as a technologist, the different schools of thought in AI, complex adaptive systems and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Brendan McCord's Reading List
Cosmos Institute Substack
Brendan's Twitter
Show Notes:
The Genesis of the Cosmos Institute
Philosophy as a Quixotic Pursuit
The Man of the System Dilemma
Existential Risk & Scenario Agnosticism
The AI Schools of Thought
The Religious Nature of the E/Acc Movement
What Tocqueville Can Teach Us About AI
The Philosophy-to-Code Pipeline
"Cars ignited the Sexual Revolution" and Other Unexpected Occurrences
The Best Systems are Adaptive
Heterogeneity & Resilient Systems
Open Source and the US-China Situation
Automation, Augmentation & Open-Ended Generation
The Underrated Nuance of Russian Realism
Cinematic Visions of the Future
Great Talent & the Risk of the Tasmanian Devil
Brendan as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
Murray Rothbard, "For A New Liberty"
David R. Hawkins, "Power vs. Force"
Jung Chang, "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China"
Jung Chang, "Mao: The Unknown Story"
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, "The Gulag Archipelago"
Arthur Koestler, "Darkness At Noon"
Adam Smith, "The Theory of Moral Sentiments"
Lewis Carroll, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"
Lewis Carroll, "What the Tortoise Said To Achilles"
Eliezer Yudkowsky, "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality"
Marc Andreessen, "The Techno-Optimist Manifesto"
Alexis De Tocqueville, "Democracy in America"
'Pericles's Funeral Oration' quoted in Thucydides' "History of the Peloponnesian War".
Plato, "Theaetetus"
Plato, "The Republic"
Nietzsche, "The Gay Science"
C.P Snow, "The Two Cultures"
Elinor Ostrom, "Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action"
James M. Buchanan, "Freedom in Constitutio…
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Alex Komoroske — Complex Adaptivity All The Way Down (EP. 208)
21 maart 2024 · 1 uur 26 min
Alex Komoroske has spent his career studying, writing about, and working in complex adaptive systems. He has published multiple essays on topics like Schelling points in organizations, why debate should be collaborative, and how to ensure resilient growth in harsh environments. Alex has also worked as a product manager and in corporate strategy at Google and Stripe. Lees meer
Alex joins the show to discuss how to escape busyness, why heroism is overrated, the different types of magic, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Alex's Website
Alex's Twitter
Alex's LinkedIn
Show Notes:
The Parable of the Builder & the Gardener
Against Heroism
Noise is Good
Complex Adaptivity All the Way Down
Information Flow, Context Switching and Luck Surface-Area
Escaping Busyness
Paradigm Shifts & the Importance of Uncertainty
The Self-Transcending Mindset
The Power of Compression & The Virility of Memes
Order From Chaos
The Iterative Adjacent Possible
Saruman & Radagast Magic
The Illusion of Certainty
Alex as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books and Articles Mentioned:
The Magic of Acorns; by Alex Komoroske
The Sarumans and The Radagasts; by Alex Komoroske
The Iterative Adjacent Possible; by Alex Komoroske
Crossing the Bridge of Nihilism; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
Adult Development Primer; by Dimitri Glazkov
The Mower against Gardens; by Andrew Marvell
Being There; by Jerzy Kosinski
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment; by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony & Cass R. Sunstein
Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century; by Howard Bloom
Zorba the Greek; by Nikos Kazantzakis
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny; by Robert Wright
The Fifth Science; by Exurb1a
A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction; by Christopher Alexander
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Cedric Chin — Accelerating Business Expertise (EP. 207)
14 maart 2024 · 1 uur 27 min
Cedric Chin is a writer, researcher and operator whose Commoncog newsletter is dedicated to finding useful, practical ways to accelerate business expertise. He joins us to discuss some of the most potentially transformative concepts he's uncovered, from the business expertise triad to naturalistic decision making. Lees meer
Important Links:
Cedric's Website (Commoncog)
Are You Ready for the Great Reshuffle?
The Naturalistic Decision Making Podcast
Wisdom Unleashed
Show Notes:
Commoncog's Rabbit-Holing Origins
The Business Expertise Triad
Quality Engineering & Process Control
The Effectiveness of Naturalistic Decision Making
Expectancy, Intuition & Investing
How to Stay Open-Minded
Trial & Error, Knowledge Shields & the Power of Reading
Protocols & Pattern-Matching
Cedric as Emperor of the World
MUCH more!
Books and Articles Mentioned:
The Tricky Thing About Creating Training Programs; by Cedric Chin
The Business Expertise Series; by Cedric Chin
The Oxford Handbook of Expertise; edited by Paul Ward, Jaan Maarten Schraagen, Julie Gore and Emile Roth
Accelerated Expertise; by Robert R. Hoffman, Paul Ward, Paul J. Feltovich, Lia DiBello, Stephen M. Fiore and Dee H. Andrews
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success; by Will Thorndike
Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon; by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr
Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos; by Donald Wheeler
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform the World; by David Deutsch
The Hound of the Baskervilles; by Arthur Conan Doyle
What Works on Wall Street: The Classic Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
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Devon Eriksen — Theft of Fire (EP. 206)
7 maart 2024 · 1 uur 27 min
Devon Eriksen always wanted to be a writer. As a child, he was persuaded to abandon his aspirations in favor of a career in software engineering. Two decades later, he retired to finally fulfil his ambition to write imaginative hard-science fiction in the vein of authors like Asimov, Heinlein and Niven. He self-published his first novel, Theft of Fire, last year to an excellent reception. Lees meer
Devon joins the show to discuss why his book incorporates alien technology, the role of patronage in the digital era, his unusual approach to obtaining feedback, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Theft of Fire; by Devon Eriksen
Devon's Website
Devon's Twitter
Introducing: The Life of David Rhoiney
Show Notes:
Centralization & Institutional Corruption
The Evolving Nature of Resource Constraints
Why Theft of Fire Features Alien Technology
The Musk Dynasty
Architects vs Gardeners
Editing, Feedback & Beta-Readers
Audience Capture & Disagreeableness
"Money is a measure of fu*ks given"
Patronage & Intellectual Property in the Digital Era
Permissionless Writing
How to Become a High-Agency Character
Devon as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books and Articles Mentioned:
Theft of Fire; by Devon Eriksen
The Ultimate Resource; by Julian Simon
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress; by Robert A. Heinlein
The Population Bomb; by Paul R. Ehrlich
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Robert M. Pirsig
The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
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Jacqueline Novogratz - Manifesto for a Moral Revolution
29 februari 2024 · 1 uur 15 min
Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder of Acumen, a nonprofit impact investment fund "changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas." Lees meer
As well as founding Acumen in 2001, Jacqueline is a public speaker and best-selling author. She also sits on multiple philanthropic boards. Her latest book Manifesto for a Moral Revolution, "reveals 12 leadership practices for anyone eager to build a better world."
Jacqueline joins us to discuss how to create a high-trust society, the difference between moral righteousness and moral leadership, why the opposite of poverty is dignity, and MUCH more.
Important Links:
Acumen's Website
Acumen Academy
Jacqueline's Twitter
Show Notes:
Acumen's Origins
A People-First Theory of Change
Emerging Entrepreneurship in Africa
Social Return on Investment and the Rise of Microfinance
How to Create a High Trust Society
The Blue Sweater
The Path to Moral Leadership
Defining Win-Win
Solar Lights, the Adjacent Possible and the Rejection of Cynicism
What Jacqueline is Most Excited For
Jacqueline as Empress of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World; by Jacqueline Novogratz
Manifesto for a Moral Revolution: Practices to Build a Better World; by Jacqueline Novogratz
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Rupert Sheldrake — On Scientism, Morphic Resonance and the Extended Mind (EP. 204)
22 februari 2024 · 1 uur 7 min
Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of 9 books and over 100 scientific papers. A critic of what he sees as the scientific establishment's dogmatic dedication to materialism, he is perhaps best known for his theory of "morphic resonance," via which information and activity can be transferred across space and time. Rupert joins the show to discuss being branded a heretic, how to test for telepathy, his advice for young scientists, and MUCH more! Lees meer
Important Links:
Rupert's Website
Rupert's Banned TED Talk
The Science Delusion; by Rupert Sheldrake
A New Science of Life; by Rupert Sheldrake
Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals; by Rupert Sheldrake
Is The Sun Conscious?; by Rupert Sheldrake (Journal of Consciousness Studies)
Show Notes:
The Apostate of Scientism
The Origins of Scientism
How to Achieve a Phase Change in the Sciences
Testing for Telepathy & Incentivizing Intuition
Structural Resistance to Panpsychism
When Science Gets Personal
Loosening the Grip of Determinism
Advice for Young Scientists
Rupert as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books & Articles Mentioned:
The Science Delusion; by Rupert Sheldrake
New Science of Life; by Rupert Sheldrake
Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals; by Rupert Sheldrake
Is The Sun Conscious?; by Rupert Sheldrake
The New Inquisition: Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science; by Robert Anton Wilson
Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters; by Steven Pinker
The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature; by Steven Pinker
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures; by Merlin Sheldrake
The End of Faith; by Sam Harris
The Fifth Science; by Exurb1a
What the Tortoise Said to Achilles; by Lewis Carroll
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Robert M. Pirsig
The (Mis)Behaviour of Markets: A Fractal View of Risk, Ruin and Reward…
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Rob Henderson — Troubled (EP. 203)
20 februari 2024 · 1 uur 51 min
Friend-of-the-show Rob Henderson returns to discuss his powerful, moving and important debut book, Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class (published TODAY). We discuss Rob's experience of the American foster care and adoption system, the life-changing impact of the military, the rise of Luxury Beliefs, the benefits of standardized testing, and MUCH more. Lees meer
Important Links:
Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class (Amazon)
The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe)
Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press)
Rob's Substack
Rob's Twitter
Show Notes:
Foster Care, Adoption & Social Mobility
Structural Origins of the Foster System
Why Early-Life Stability is Underrated
How Ideas Can Change Outcomes
The Life-Changing Impact of the Military
Young Male Syndrome
The Role of Intelligence in Governing Outcomes
The Benefits of Standardized Testing
Yale, Luxury Beliefs & the Rise of Identity Politics
Are Luxury Beliefs a Political or Class Phenomenon?
Trickle-Down Meritocracy
Technology, Assortive Mating & Social Mobility
Is the Overton Window Shifting on Campus?
Rob as Emperor of the World
Books and Articles Mentioned:
Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class; by Rob Henderson
The SAT is a pathway to more college diversity, not less; by Rob Henderson (The Boston Globe)
Rob Henderson: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way; by Rob Henderson (The Free Press)
Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society; by Nicholas A. Christakis
Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010; by Charles Murray
Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World, by Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross
A Suitable Boy; by Vikram Seth
The Son Also Rises; by Gregory Clark
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Alec Stapp — Progress is a Policy Choice (EP. 202)
15 februari 2024 · 1 uur 7 min
Alec Stapp is the co-founder of the Institute for Progress, a non-partisan innovation policy think tank aiming to "accelerate scientific, technological and industrial progress while safeguarding humanity's future." He joins the show to discuss how to achieve change in the age of lobbying, why bipartisanship is underrated, why US immigration policy is so slow-moving and MUCH more! Lees meer
Important Links:
IFP's Website
Alec's Twitter
IFP's Twitter
Show Notes:
Reimagining the Think Tank
Progress is a Policy Choice
Bipartisanship is Underrated
Achieving Progress via Reframing
Achieving Change in the Age of Lobbying
Moonshot Projects and Incremental Change
Ways to Enact Change Within Existing Institutions
Governmental Embrace of Technology
Reducing NIMBYism
The Barbell Approach to Policy
The Washington Mindset
Reasons to be Optimistic
Lessons From Other Countries
Why Hasn't Immigration Policy Changed?
Alec as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books and Articles Mentioned:
Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better; by Jen Pahlka
The Proceduralist Fetish; by Nicholas Bagley
The housing theory of everything; by Sam Bowman, John Myers & Ben Southwood
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Rohit Krishnan — Demystifying AI (EP. 201)
8 februari 2024 · 1 uur 27 min
Essayist, tinkerer, and author Rohit Krishnan returns to discuss his book, Building God: Demystifying AI for Decision Makers. Lees meer
Important Links:
Strange Loop Canon (Rohit's Substack)
Building God: Demystifying AI for Decision Makers
Rohit's Twitter
Show Notes:
Demystifying AI
AI as a Fuzzy Processor
Complexity & Determinism
The Flash Crash Scenario
Regulating AI
Open Source, Closed Source & Big Brother
Carving Through Bureaucracy
Socially Adapting to AI Disruption
The Centaur Model
Integrated Information Theory & Consciousness
Big Tech in the AI Era
Are We Running Out of Data?
Rohit as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
Building God: Demystifying AI for Decision Makers; by Rohit Krishnan
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Jim O'Shaughnessy — Turning the Tables (EP. 200)
1 februari 2024 · 2 uur 3 min
For this milestone 200th (yes, TWO HUNDREDTH) episode of Infinite Loops, regular guest and Infinite Media head Liberty RPF joins writer & researcher Ed William to turn the tables on Jim O'Shaughnessy. Lees meer
Stay tuned for Jim's dream podcast guests, his advice to parents, a diabolical spin on his trademark closing question, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Infinite Loops Substack
Show Notes:
Episode One: Tequila With Ramp Capital
Taking Inspiration From My Dinner With Andre
Would the Show Be Different if Monetized?
"I would be doing this if I wasn't pressing publish"
Jim's Definition of a Successful Episode
Nerves & Jim's Appearance on Oprah
Infinite Loops as a Serendipity Engine
The Infinite Loops Team
Jim's Dream Guests
Controversiality & Being Distinctive
Jim's Relationship With His Grandchildren
We Are Winners of the Cosmic Lottery
Why Aren't There More History-Focused Episodes?
The Jim O'Shaughnessy Guide to Productivity: Silence, Journalling & Keeping Things Simple
Advice to Parents
What Has Jim Changed His Mind On in the Last 12 to 24 Months?
Advice to Young People Who Doubt the American Dream
When Will We See An Updated What Works on Wall Street?
What Would a World of Abundance Look Like?
Jim's Favorite Poem
Jim as EVIL Emperor of the World
MORE!
Episodes Mentioned:
Ramp Capital and Super Mugatu (Ep.01)
Brian Muraresku (Ep. 57)
David Rhoiney (Ep. 99)
Will Storr (Ep. 122)
Alex Danco (latest episode) (Ep. 156)
Brian Roemmele (latest episode) (Ep. 168)
Julie Fredrickson (Ep. 181)
Ben Westhoff (Ep. 189)
Guy Spier (Ep. 197)
Books & Poems Mentioned:
The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name; by ****Brian Muraresku
How to Retire Rich: Time-Tested Strategies to Beat the Market and Retire in Style; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
Invest Like the Best: Using Your Computer to Unlock the Secrets of the Top Money Managers; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
What Works on Wall Street: The Classic Guide to the Best-Performing Investment…
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Lisa Wehden and Minn Kim — America is Open For Business (EP.199)
25 januari 2024 · 1 uur 9 min
Lisa Wehden and Minn Kim are the founders of Plymouth Street, which guides talented individuals through the US immigration process. Its aim is to accelerate innovation through faster and more transparent immigration services. Lees meer
Lisa & Minn join the show to discuss the pitfalls of the current system, how Plymouth Street is injecting agency into the immigration process, the importance of storytelling, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Plymouth Street
Lisa's LinkedIn
Lisa's Twitter
Minn's LinkedIn
Minn's Twitter
Show Notes:
The Origins of Plymouth Street
Problems With the Current US Immigration System
Expanding Access to the O-1 Visa
High-Skilled Immigration as a Bipartisan Issue
The Importance of Storytelling
From Anecdotal to Empirical; Coalition Building
Injecting Agency Into the Immigration Process
Scaling with Technology
The Emotional Toll of the Immigration System
Building the Right Team & Breaking Bad News
Dealing With Negative Externalities
Is America Open for Business?
Augmenting Plymouth's Offering
Remote Work vs In-Person
What's Next?
Lisa & Minn as Emperors of the World
Books Mentioned:
The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (a Little) Craziness and (a Lot Of) Success in America; by John Gartner
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Alice Albrecht — On Creativity, Connection & Convergence (EP.198)
18 januari 2024 · 1 uur 11 min
Alice Albrecht is the founder and CEO of re:collect, a company dedicated to "enhancing human intelligence by augmenting memory, perception, and synthesis utilizing AI." Alice started her career in psychology and academia, obtaining a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Yale University. She joins the show to discuss how to become more creative, why she believes that nothing is true, how to boost evolution and MUCH more! Lees meer
Important Links:
re:collect's Website
Alice's Twitter
Alice's LinkedIn
How to Improve Your Creative Thinking
Show Notes:
Augmenting Human Creativity
Collection Does Not Always Lead to Recollection
Using re:collect to Connect Information
How to Increase Your Creativity
Different Phases of Creativity
How AI Fits Into the Picture
Harnessing Our Attention
AGI & ASI
Boosting Evolution
re:collect's First Order Effects
Nothing is True
Convergence, Divergence & Collective Intelligence
re:collect in Seven Years' Time
From Academia to Entrepreneurship
Alice as Empress of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch
The Fabric of Reality: Towards a Theory of Everything; by David Deutsch
The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich
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Guy Spier — Wealth, Wisdom & Enlightenment (EP.197)
11 januari 2024 · 2 uur 4 min
Guy Spier runs the Aquamarine Fund, an "investment partnership closely modeled on the original Buffet Partnerships." He is also a podcast host, YouTube creator, author of The Education of a Value Investor and the host of the annual investment gathering VALUEx. He describes his life's project as "a quest for wealth, wisdom and enlightenment." Lees meer
Guy joins the show to discuss the differences between Switzerland and the US, how to unlock the British class system, what he learned from Warren Buffett, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Guy's Website
Guy's Twitter
Guy's YouTube Channel
3Blue1Brown (YouTube Channel)
Numberphile (YouTube Channel)
Show Notes:
The Differences Between New York, Switzerland & Paris
Exploring the Dark Underbelly of New York Nightlife
Psychedelics, Guns & Regulation
The Advantages of Swiss Democracy
Don't Short the United States
The Branding Skill of the Royal Family
Unlocking the Rules of the Class System
Life Paths & Premeditation
Luck, Opportunity & Non-Canonical Science
Jim's Music Taste
Mathematical Shenanigans
Guy as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence; by Michael Pollan
The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (a Little) Craziness and (a Lot Of) Success in America; by John Gartner
Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want and Getting It; by Henriette Anne Klauser
Invest Like The Best; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
Outside, the Sky is Blue: The story of a family told with searing honesty, humour and love; by Christina Patterson
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Jared Dillian — How To Live a Stress-Free Financial Life (EP.196)
4 januari 2024 · 1 uur 4 min
Jared Dillian is a writer, strategist, financial expert, public speaker, and author of four books, including No Worries: How To Live a Stress-Free Financial Life (out this month!). Lees meer
He joins us to discuss why you should never loan money to your friends or family, why the FIRE movement is a fast track to a miserable life, the hidden costs of being cheap, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
No Worries: How To Live a Stress-Free Financial Life
Jared's Website
Jared's Twitter
Daily Dirtnap
We're Gonna Get Those Bastards
Jared Dillian Money
Show Notes:
From Coast Guard, to Wall Street, to Writer
"I am not in the money business—I am in the happy business"
The Awesome Portfolio
Stop Worrying About Small Financial Decisions
The Biggest Financial Decisions You Will Ever Make
Keep Your Finances Separate From Your Partner; Never Loan Friends or Family Money
To Make Money, You Have to Want Money
Generational Attitudes to Money
Being Wealthy vs Being Rich
Blowing Up Your Identity
Improving Financial Education
Why Investing Should Be Hard
The Hidden Costs of Being Cheap
Why People Are Scared of Entrepreneurship
The Worst Financial Decision Jared Has Ever Made
Jared as Emperor of the World
MORE!
Books Mentioned:
No Worries: How To Live a Stress-free Financial Life; by Jared Dillian
Those Bastards: 69 Essays on Life, Creativity, and Meaning; by Jared Dillian
All The Evil of This World; by Jared Dillian
Street Freak: Money and Madness at Lehman Brothers; by Jared Dillian
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!; by Robert T. Kiyosaki
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; by Stephen R. Covey