Parmita Mishra — How to Think About Biology (EP.244)
Infinite Loops
Parmita Mishra is a computational biologist and the founder & CEO of Precigenetics, a company aiming to become a rocket to precision medicine. 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...
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Luis Seco — On Mathematical Beethovens, Decentralized Education & the Voyage to the Human Brain (EP.243)
Infinite Loops
Professor Luis Seco is a mathematician, educator, and investor. 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...
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Anthony Pompliano — How to Live an Extraordinary Life (EP.242)
Infinite Loops
Anthony Pompliano — investor, entrepreneur, and media powerhouse — returns four years and 228 episodes later to discuss his new book, , a collection of 65 heartfelt letters to his two children. 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...
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Sajith Pai — Exploring Indus Valley (Ep.241)
Infinite Loops
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”. 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...
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Scott Aaronson — Quantumania (EP.240)
Infinite Loops
My guest today is Scott Aaronson, a theoretical computer scientist, OG blogger, and quantum computing maestro. 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...
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Danny Crichton — Player of Games (EP.239)
Infinite Loops
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. 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...
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Yuk Chi Chan — On Rockets, Dog Years & Robotic Space-Snakes (EP.238)
Infinite Loops
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. 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...
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Dan Shipper — I, Writer (EP.237)
Infinite Loops
“Ignoring what is obvious incurs a huge cost. 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 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...
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Dr. Gena Gorlin — How to Build a Builder (EP.236)
Infinite Loops
My guest today is Dr. Gena Gorlin, a psychologist specializing in the unique needs of the ultra-ambitious. 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 , 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...
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Nir Eyal — How To Become An Indistractable Force (EP.235)
Infinite Loops
“Most people don’t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.” My latest guest, , writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of , technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a 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...
info_outlineBrendan McCord is the founder of Cosmos Institute — a non-profit dedicated to exploring the intersection of AI and philosophy.
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:
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 Constitutional Contract: Perspectives of a Political Economist”
- Iain M. Banks, “Consider Phlebas” (Culture Series #1)
- Chen Qiufan and Kai-Fu Lee, “AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future”
- Christopher Buckley, “Thank You for Smoking”
- John Stuart Mill, “On Liberty”