Michael Dean — The Architecture of Essays (EP. 281)
Infinite Loops
Michael Dean — architect-turned-writer, O’Shaughnessy Fellow, and creator of Essay Architecture — joins the show to explore the hidden structures beneath nonfiction and why essays, like buildings, can be designed with patterns rather than left to inspiration. We discuss the origins of Essay Architecture, Michael’s 27-pattern framework that maps essays across Idea, Form, and Voice, and how to make craft teachable and AI feedback useful without replacing the writer. Along the way, we dive into architecture school critiques, why publishable doesn’t mean perfect, how editing rewires...
info_outline
Roon — On Shape Rotators, AGI & Tenet (Infinite Loops CLASSICS)
Infinite Loops
Hello everyone, Jim here. We're taking a brief two-week break from new episodes to spotlight a couple of golden oldies from the Infinite Loops archive. Years later, these remain some of my favorite conversations. We’ll be back soon with fresh episodes, but in the meantime, enjoy this trip back to November 2023, when we welcomed the one and only Roon. _________________ 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....
info_outline
Gurwinder Bhogal's Guide to Modern Survival (Infinite Loops CLASSICS)
Infinite Loops
Hello everyone, Jim here. We're taking a brief two-week break from new episodes to spotlight a couple of golden oldies from the Infinite Loops archive. Years later, these remain some of my favorite conversations. We’ll be back soon with fresh episodes, but in the meantime, enjoy this trip back to August 2024, when we welcomed the one and only Gurwinder Bhogal. _________________ “We have created for ourselves a world that we didn't evolve for.” 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...
info_outline
Joe Hudson — The Art of Accomplishment (EP. 280)
Infinite Loops
What happens when a self-described "not very good" venture capitalist discovers he has an extraordinary gift for coaching the world's most successful CEOs? Joe Hudson joins Infinite Loops to share his unconventional journey from Alaska fishing boats to Hollywood directing to Silicon Valley boardrooms, ultimately finding his calling in helping high-performers unlock their deepest potential. This conversation dives deep into Joe's revolutionary three-center approach to human development—working with the head, heart, and nervous system simultaneously to create lasting transformation, and MORE!...
info_outline
Michael Gibson & Danielle Strachman — The 1517 Rebellion (EP.279)
Infinite Loops
Michael Gibson and Danielle Strachman, co-founders of 1517 Fund, join the show to discuss their rebellion against higher education, why universities stifle creativity, why IQ doesn't correlate with innovation, and how betting on "misfit toys" is the way to go—plus we explore Girardian mimesis, the perishable nature of creativity, the laziness of pessimistic storytelling and MORE! 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 . Important...
info_outline
Ed Latimore — The Art of Self-Transformation (EP.278)
Infinite Loops
Ed Latimore: boxer, physicist, and author of Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business makes his third appearance on the show to discuss hard-won wisdom about impulse control, self-forgiveness, the challenges of modern parenting and why being discerning (not judgmental) about your social circle might be the simplest rule for a better life. 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 . Important Links: Ed’s Previous Appearances: , Show...
info_outline
Sam Arbesman — Science, Complexity and Humanistic Computation (EP.277)
Infinite Loops
Sam Arbesman, complexity scientist, author of "The Magic of Code," and scientist in residence at Lux Capital, joins me for a wide-ranging exploration of how we navigate an increasingly complex world that often exceeds human comprehension. We dive into the oral traditions that preserve crucial scientific knowledge, why cognitive diversity trumps demographic diversity, the forgotten innovations hiding in technological history, and Sam's vision for "Maxis 2.0". This conversation had everything—from science fiction's cultural impact to the philosophy of intellectual humility. Sam and I...
info_outline
Nick Maggiulli — Climbing the Wealth Ladder (EP.276)
Infinite Loops
Nick Maggiulli, data scientist turned financial writer and COO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, joins me to discuss his latest book,The Wealth Ladder, which presents a six-level framework for building and managing wealth. Warning: this episode will upend what you think you know about money. We explore why atypical results require atypical actions, how income and not budgeting is the real unlock for wealth mobility, and how many financial myths persist simply because they feel good. Nick also shares the personal rules he lives by, how wealth changes meaning, and why being rich doesn’t guarantee...
info_outline
Lawrence Yeo — The Inner Compass (EP.275)
Infinite Loops
Lawrence Yeo — writer, illustrator and author of “The Inner Compass” — joins the show to discuss the power of intuition in an uncertain world. We explore why embracing uncertainty leads to greater curiosity, how social conditioning pulls us away from our true north, why doing things for their own sake builds authentic conviction and how journaling the "whys" rather than the "whats" can transform your self-awareness. This conversation flowed so naturally we jumped right in without a formal introduction! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways,...
info_outline
Will Storr—The Status Game (Infinite Loops CLASSICS)
Infinite Loops
Hello everyone, Jim here. We're taking a brief two-week break from new episodes to spotlight a couple of golden oldies from the archive. Years later, these remain some of my favorite conversations. We’ll be back soon with fresh episodes, but in the meantime, here's my September 2022 chat with the always interesting Will Storr. _________________ Will Storr is an award winning journalist and author. His book ‘The Status Game’ transforms our understanding of human nature by demonstrating how our unconscious desire for status ultimately drives our behaviour. Important Links: ...
info_outlineMy 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 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