Ed William - Writing A Biography That Reads Like Fiction (Ep. 332)
Infinite Loops
Pre-order No One’s Coming to Save You today: David Rhoiney was five when his father walked out, forcing David to become the “man of the house.” Compton, Oakland, Long Beach: no matter where they turned, fear and hunger waited. Long nights in the homeless shelter. Drive-by shootings. Strangers in overalls dragging his mother away. As his world collapsed, David lost hope. No one was coming to save him. But he could save himself. When basketball threw him a lifeline, David grabbed it. So began an unlikely journey, one that carried him from living in a Volkswagen Jetta onto the courts of...
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Emma Camp - Why Gen Z Is Afraid of Rejection: Dating, Therapy Culture & Housing (Ep. 331)
Infinite Loops
Emma Camp, senior newsletter editor at The Wall Street Journal's Free Expression, joins Jim O'Shaughnessy on Infinite Loops to talk about why Gen Z is dating less and spending more time alone, how therapy culture and helicopter parenting can turn growing pains into permanent labels, why the fix for the housing shortage is more housing, and why she invites everyone she's met to every party. She also previews her forthcoming essay collection on Gen Z and risk aversion. Show Notes Emma Camp & Jim O'Shaughnessy Emma Camp: Senior newsletter editor at Free Expression, The Wall Street Journal's...
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Julie Fredrickson - The Right to Compute: AI Agents, Nuclear Power & Human Data (Ep. 330)
Infinite Loops
Julie Fredrickson, Managing Partner of Chaotic Capital, rejoins Jim O'Shaughnessy on Infinite Loops to talk about Montana's Right to Compute Act, why verified human data may become one of the most valuable assets online, what nuclear power and the encryption wars teach about regulating AI, why chatbots keep recommending the same sunscreen, and what 2,089 days of daily public writing taught her about being wrong. It is her second Infinite Loops conversation, three years after Episode 181. Show Notes Julie Fredrickson & Jim O'Shaughnessy Julie Fredrickson: Managing Partner of Chaotic...
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Derek Sivers - Living Many Lives: Parenting, Moving Countries & AI (Ep. 329)
Infinite Loops
Derek Sivers, author, entrepreneur, TED speaker, and founder of CD Baby, joins Jim O'Shaughnessy on Infinite Loops to talk about parenting a teenager who is ready to leave home, why he moves countries on purpose and plans to live in Bangalore and Shanghai next, the certainty slider, and how AI can make you less dependent on big tech, not more. It is his first podcast after more than a year of saying no to every request. Show Notes Derek Sivers & Jim O'Shaughnessy Derek Sivers: Author, entrepreneur, and TED speaker, and founder of CD Baby, once the largest seller of independent music...
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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...
info_outline“Most people don’t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.”
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 articles on Timeboxing, Values, FOMO and Wage slavery
- Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life; by Peter Gray