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. 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 Ori...
Mar 14, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 207
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. Devon joins the show to discuss why his book incorporates alien technology, the role of patronage in the di...
Mar 07, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 206
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.” 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 s...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 205
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! Important Links: Rupert’s Website Rupert’s Ba...
Feb 22, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 204
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. Important Links: Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class (Amazon) The SAT is a pathway to more college...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 203
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! Important Links: IFP’s Website Alec’s Twitter IFP’s Twitter Show Notes: Reimagining the Think Tank Progress is a Poli...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 202
Essayist, tinkerer, and author Rohit Krishnan returns to discuss his book, Building God: Demystifying AI for Decision Makers. 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 I...
Feb 08, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 201
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. 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 ...
Feb 01, 2024•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 200
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. 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 M...
Jan 25, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 199
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! Important Links: re:collect’s Website Alice ’s Twitter Alice ’s LinkedIn How...
Jan 18, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 198
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 T he 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 .” 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...
Jan 11, 2024•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 197
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!). 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 Ge...
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 196
Writer, marketer, entrepreneur, and master of mental models, George Mack, returns to discuss the top 0.1% of ideas he’s ever come across, from treating life as a video game to spotting high-agency individuals. Important Links: George’s Twitter The Lindy Library Roy: A Life Well Lived (Rick and Morty) How to Spot High Agency People The Mack Meditation What is ignored by the media — but will be studied by historians? The Early-Late Razor Show Notes: Treating Life as a Video Game Finding the Import...
Dec 28, 2023•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 195
Eric Jorgenson is ( deep breath) an author, investor, writer, podcast host, online course creator, and the CEO of Scribe Media ( breathe out ). He joins the show to discuss the death of the marketing department, the changing nature of business-to-creator economics, the most impactful thing he learned from Balaji, the future of the publishing industry, and MUCH more! Important Links: Website Twitter Fund Scribe Media Money 20/20 Talk The Thinker and The Prover Jimmy Soni & Liberty RPF — Unleashin...
Dec 21, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 194
Arkady Kulik is a founding partner of rpv, a deep tech venture fund that aims to “ drive tangible advancements in the well-being of humankind ” by focusing on early, scientifically intensive ventures. He has over 15 years of experience in the IT sector as a C-level executive, a master’s degree in physics, and an MBA from INSEAD. Arkady joins the show to discuss how to evaluate a deep tech deal, why more scientists don’t become entrepreneurs, the ultimate goal of science, the two types of human m...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 193
Alex Lieberman is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, the cofounder of Storyarb and the host of 60 Second Startup & Founder’s Journal. Alex joins the show to discuss why hiring a Voice Editor contributed to Morning Brew’s success, how to spot a writing unicorn, how he learned to follow his intrinsic motivation and MUCH more! Important Links: Alex ’s Twitter Founder’s Journal Morning Brew The Great Reshuffle Will Storr on Infinite Loops The Best Stuff | Conscious Leadership Gro...
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 192
Tim Beiko, who runs the core protocol meetings for Ethereum, teams up with writer and consultant Venkatesh Rao to discuss their “Summer of Protocols” research program. This initiative brought together 33 researchers with a wide range of expertise to investigate protocols across several domains. Join us for an in-depth exploration of protocols: understanding what they are, their importance, why they can go wrong, and much more! Important Links: Summer of Protocols Protocolized Newsletter Venkates...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 191
Will Schoder is a video essayist who explores a diverse range of topics including psychology, meaning, re-enchantment, metamodernism, mortality, and satire. Initially known for his short-form videos, his latest series is a trilogy of fascinating long-form deep dives into the nature, foundations, and secrets of happiness. Will joins the show to share his insights on the evolving significance of curation, the future of the creator economy, how to obtain deep happiness and MUCH more. Important Link...
Nov 23, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 190
Ben Westhoff is a best-selling investigative journalist focusing on culture, drugs, and poverty. Ben’s book Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic was the culmination of a four-year investigation into the worst drug crisis in American history, an investigation that included Ben making an undercover visit to Chinese drug factories. His latest book, Little Brother: Love, Tragedy, and My Search for Truth tells the story of Ben’s search for his little br...
Nov 16, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 189
AI researcher, memelord extraordinaire, and techno-optimist Roon joins the show to discuss coming up with the shape rotator vs. wordcel meme, what an AGI world could become, and why Tenet is Christopher Nolan’s best movie. Important Links: Roon’s Twitter Roon’s Substack AGI Futures Show Notes: Shape Rotators Vs. Wordcels Why AGI is Possible AI in Science Fiction AGI Future #1: Neuralink Third Impact AGI Future #2: Simulation Theory AGI Future #3: Dumb Matter AGI Future #4: Balrog Awakened AGI Fu...
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 188
Katherine Dee is a writer, journalist, and internet culture reporter. A contributor to publications such as UnHerd, Tablet, and Blaze Media, she is also the proprietor of the Default Wisdom Substack, where she writes about a wide range of topics, including internet history and culture, digital communities, millennial nostalgia, and online fandom. Katherine joins the show to discuss why you’re never leaving Twitter, how to escape the nostalgia trap, whether it’s possible to heal our attention spa...
Nov 02, 2023•51 min•Ep. 187
The inimitable Derek Sivers returns for Part Two of our conversation. Important Links: Part One Website Twitter Still Too Soon to Tell & Other Songs Tech Independence Show Notes: Curiosity Starts With Dissatisfaction Defining Things By Their Opposites Counterbalancing Our Biases How To Reframe Your Problems Still Too Soon To Tell Alternate Pasts & Alternate Futures The Choice You Commit To Is The Best Choice Just Do The Thing What Next? Derek As Emperor Of The World MORE! Books Mentioned: Anythi...
Oct 26, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 186
Over the years, Derek Sivers has been a musician, circus performer, computer programmer, author, public speaker, and entrepreneur. In the 2000s, he sold his business, CD Baby, for $22 million and gave the proceeds to charity. Derek has optimized his life “for creating and learning” and spends as much of his time as he can (often 12 hours a day, 6 days a week) passionately pursuing his interests. Known for his ability to compress complex ideas into succinct insights, he has written four books and...
Oct 24, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 185
John Fio is an inventor and entrepreneur who has bootstrapped four products that have collectively generated hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue. He joins the show to discuss why ideas are harder than execution, what he learned from being Justin Bieber’s intern, what most people get wrong about Kanye West, why magic is real, and what the success of Barbie and Taylor Swift can tell us about the future. Enjoy! Important Links: Twitter LinkedIn MoonPals Fio Creations Show Notes: From Bieber’...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 184
James Pethokoukis is a policy analyst, official CNBC contributor, and Dewitt Wallace Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He is also the creator and writer of the Faster, Please! newsletter, which is dedicated to “discovering, creating, and inventing a better world through technological innovation, economic growth, and pro-progress culture.” James joins the show to discuss his new book, The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised. Important Links: Faster, P...
Oct 12, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 183
Bojan Tunguz is a senior systems software engineer at NVIDIA, quadruple Kaggle grandmaster, former top 10 Amazon reviewer, and former physicist. He joins the show to discuss the problems that LLMs can’t solve, the speed of AI progress, why he homeschools his kids, how to win Twitter, and more! Important Links: Twitter Substack 40 AI Use Cases Show Notes: Becoming a Kaggle Grandmaster Hyper-Competitive Learning From Physics to Data Science How Natural Language Processing Has Evolved The Problems ...
Oct 05, 2023•57 min•Ep. 182
Julie Fredrickson is a former founder and the Managing Partner of Chaotic Capital, an “early stage fund for companies that adapt our lives and systems to the opportunities that chaos brings.” She joins the show to discuss the Great Weirding, becoming a playable character, how the market provides a muse, the power of preparation, and more! Important Links: Website Twitter LinkedIn Chaotic Capital The Great Weirding ; by Venkatesh Rao The Thinker and The Prover Show Notes: Julie’s Origin Story The...
Sep 28, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 181
Danny Miranda ’s ambition is to sell out Madison Square Gardens for a live edition of his podcast. Now, on episode 402 (and counting), he is getting closer to that goal every week. He joins the show to discuss the art of interviewing, why he’s attracted to the light, his favorite questions, and more. Important Links: Danny ’s Twitter Danny ’s Website Wisdom Unleashed Show Notes: Fancy a phone call? The power of human interaction What Danny has learned from 397 podcasts The Art of Interviewing Fi...
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 180
Dror Poleg is an author, speaker, and researcher investigating technology’s impact on the way people work, live, and invest. He joins us to discuss the relationship between AI and remote work, how cities are going to change, the internet’s role as a matching engine, and MUCH more! Important Links: Dror ’s Website Dror ’s Twitter Our Great Reshuffle Series The Once and Future Liberalism ; by Walter Russell Mead The Great Online Game ; by Packy McCormick Show Notes: The relationship between AI & r...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 179
Our previous episode with Trung & Rob included the bombshell reveal that Rob had never watched Apocalypse Now. Nearly one year later, Rob and Trung make their triumphant return to the show to discuss the themes of the film, the lessons aspiring creators can draw from its troubled production history, the role of the Vietnam War in American cinema, and a whole lot more. Important Links: Rob’s Substack Rob’s Twitter Trung ’s Substack Trung ’s Twitter Our previous episode with Trung & Rob Show Notes...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 178
