Brent Seales - How AI Is Reading the Only Library That Survived Antiquity (Ep. 328)
Infinite Loops
Dr. Brent Seales, computer scientist at the University of Kentucky and co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge, joins guest host Nick Tawil on Infinite Loops to explain how synchrotron X-rays and machine learning are making unopenable ancient scrolls readable, and why the work has now shifted from engineering to reading. This summer in Naples, his team presented results from three sealed Herculaneum scrolls, including the first read end to end. Show Notes Brent Seales & Nick Tawil Dr. Brent Seales: Stanley and Karen Pigman Chair of Heritage Science at the University of Kentucky and...
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Ryan Resch - How Data Changed the NBA and What AI Changes Next (Ep. 327)
Infinite Loops
Ryan Resch, former Assistant General Manager and VP of Basketball Operations for the Phoenix Suns, joins guest host Jimmy Soni on Infinite Loops to explore what happens to competitive advantage when every team has the same data, and why the real edge comes from the questions you ask of it. Ryan traces his path from a cold email to Baylor coach Scott Drew to nearly a decade in the Suns front office and his current work leading data and AI in private equity. Show Notes Ryan Resch & Jimmy Soni Ryan Resch on LinkedIn: Former Suns Assistant GM and VP of Basketball Operations, now leading data...
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Brian Chau - How AI is Reinventing Investigative Journalism (Ep. 326)
Infinite Loops
Brian Chau, founder of Effort News, joins Infinite Loops to explore how AI could fundamentally reshape investigative journalism—not by writing articles, but by searching, analyzing, and connecting millions of legal, financial, and government records that humans could never examine manually. Show Notes Brian Chau & Effort News Effort News — Brian Chau’s document-led investigative journalism publication, using AI to search and analyze large datasets while keeping the reporting and final writing human-reviewed. About Effort News — More on Brian’s approach to AI-assisted...
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Julian Gough — The Egg and The Rock (Infinite Loops Classics)
Infinite Loops
We're digging out some of our favorite conversations from the archive. This one is from January 2025, with Julian Gough. Enjoy. Julian Gough sums up his career as follows: “I just sit in my room and write.” Well, I think being an acclaimed children’s author, novelist, stage playwright, poet and top-ten Irish musician is a little more impressive than he’s letting on… Oh, and I didn’t even mention that he wrote the ending to the computer game Minecraft! His current project, The Egg and The Rock, puts all of this to shame. This book, which Julian is writing in public on...
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Dr. Julie Gurner — Ultra Successful (Infinite Loops Classics)
Infinite Loops
Hi everyone, Jim here. We’re taking a short pause on new episodes through the end of August. In the meantime, we’re digging out some of our favorite conversations from the archive. This one is from August 2023, with Dr. Julie Gurner. Enjoy. Dr. Julie Gurner is a doctor of psychology and executive performance coach to top percentile executives, primarily in finance and technology. She is also the proprietor of the Ultra Successful newsletter, which delivers a weekly challenge pulled from global business leaders and designed to ”help you unleash your power.” Dr. Gurner joins the show...
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Lulu Cheng Meservey — Going Direct: What Founders can learn from K-Pop, Crypto, and the Early Christians (Infinite Loops Classics)
Infinite Loops
Hi everyone, Jim here. We're taking a short pause on new episodes through the end of August. In the meantime, we're digging out some of our favorite conversations from the archive. This one is from November 2022, so a few of our references (and jobs!) are out of date, but the ideas have only gotten better. Enjoy this conversation with Lulu Cheng Meservey. Lulu Cheng Meservey is the Chief Communications Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Activision Blizzard. She joins Infinite Loops to provide us with a masterclass in communications for startups. A must-listen for...
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Jesse Michels — American Alchemy (Infinite Loops Classics)
Infinite Loops
Hi everyone, Jim here. We're taking a short pause on new episodes through the end of August. In the meantime, we're digging out some of our favorite conversations from the archive. This one is from February 2023, so a few of the references have aged since (mine included), but the ideas have only gotten better. Enjoy this one with the wonderfully heretical Jesse Michels. Jesse Michels is an investor at Thiel Capital and the creator and host of ‘American Alchemy’, a Youtube channel dedicated to highlighting the most heretical thinkers and ideas of our time. He joins the show to discuss the...
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Nat Eliason - The High School That Guarantees You'll Make $1 Million (Ep. 325)
Infinite Loops
Nat Eliason joins guest host Jimmy Soni to discuss Founders School, a new high school for entrepreneurs that guarantees students will generate $1 million in gross profit by graduation or get their tuition refunded. We explore how AI is changing what teenagers can build, why traditional entrepreneurship education falls short, and what happens when we take young people seriously. Important Links: Learn more about Founders School: Read more from Nat here:
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Philip Howard - How to Bring Common Sense Back to America (Ep. 324)
Infinite Loops
Philip Howard joins Infinite Loops to explain how America’s legal and regulatory system became too complicated to function effectively—and how we can rebuild it around judgment, accountability, and human agency. We discuss why government has become unmanageable, how thousand-page rulebooks discourage individual judgment, why infrastructure projects can take decades to approve, and how public institutions end up costing more while delivering less.
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Sangeet Choudary - How AI Will Reshape the Knowledge Economy (Ep. 323)
Infinite Loops
Sangeet Choudary joins Infinite Loops to explain why AI’s greatest impact will not be automating today’s work, but rebuilding the structures beneath it. They discuss AI-native companies, the future of knowledge work, the American and Chinese AI models, creative “exhaust,” changing career paths, and how to compete when the rules of the game are constantly being rewritten. Important Links: Learn more about Sangeet and Reshuffle here: Read more about the Platform Revolution here:
info_outlineBen 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 brother’s killer.
Ben is currently working on a documentary, Antagonist, about naltrexone, an opioid treatment medicine that some have called a “wonder drug.”
Ben joins the show to discuss the failure of the War on Drugs, the role played by Big Pharma, how he speaks to his children about drugs, what most Americans misunderstand about poverty, and MUCH more.
Important Links:
Show Notes:
- The Worst Drug Crisis in World History
- How China and Fentanyl Are Connected
- Why Can’t the USA Stop This?
- The Failure of the War on Drugs; Better Solutions
- Vivitrol: a Wonder Drug?
- Finding Better Ways to Care For the Vulnerable
- Free Markets & Big Pharma
- How Ben Speaks to His Children About Drugs
- Innovation & Stigmatization
- How Harm Reduction Can Help
- What Has Happened to San Francisco?
- Could Decriminalization Work?
- Ben’s Hunt For His Little Brother’s Killer
- What Most Americans Misunderstand About Poverty; How Listeners Can Help
- How Ben’s Documentary Can Help
- Ben as Emperor Of The World
- MORE!
Books Mentioned:
- Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic; by Ben Westhoff
- Little Brother: Love, Tragedy, and My Search for Truth; by Ben Westhoff
- Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap; by Ben Westhoff
- Thank You For Smoking; by Christopher Buckley