Ideas X People

Stefan is an ecologist and biologist who gave a Tedx talk discussing the importance of basic research in the sciences. We get Stefan’s perspective on just why investing early and investing big into scientific research is crucial for humanity’s long term success. Ideally convincing you of this perspective as well. Photo by Mark Hang Fung So on Unsplash

For audio, scroll down. Our conversation today is split into two parts. The first is on Mojo Vision the company, their upcoming product the mojo lens, a smart contact lens that will allot humans, both with and without vision impairments, the ability to see further in a number of ways. Along with covering the concept of […]

For audio, scroll down. My guest today is former astronaut Scott Kelly.  Scott gives us the three lessons he’s come to learn from his career.  He discusses with us the importance of things such as: Finding your inspiration Focusing on what you have control over and ignoring what you don’t The wide scope of human […]

For audio, scroll down. We discuss Diane’s book The Gig Economy: The Complete Guide to Getting Better Work, Taking More Time off, and Financing the Life you Want. Diane takes us through: What exactly the gig economy is and why it has come to be Why the gig economy could actually be better than our […]

For audio, scroll down. Our conversation today spans Paul’s book Computing, a Concise History. Taking listeners through a brief history of computation and its development. We cover what Paul considers to be the  four threads that run throughout computing’s development What the key watershed moments in modern computing history were that lead to breakthrough advances in […]

For audio, scroll down. Our conversation spans sports psychology and Jim’s philosophy on it. He covers: Common performance obstacles The difficulty and rewards in working towards your goals, regardless of your outcome The importance of identity and accurate motivation in achieving your goals Jim’s big ideas on how anyone can begin to improve on what […]

For audio, scroll down. Dave walks us through his story as a musician and the highs and lows and his career. All the while imparting upon us some of the life lessons he’s taken away from his journey thus far.  Whether you’re interested in becoming a musician or simply wish to hear a new perspective […]

For audio, scroll down. Our conversation spans the daunting question: What is the meaning of life. Frank takes us through highlights and insights from his book A Wonderful Life: Insights for Finding a Meaningful Existence and explains to us along the way how finding meaning can be boiled down to focusing on a select number of […]

For audio, scroll down. Our conversation spans Christie’s book: Good to Go, What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn About the Strange Science of Recovery.  Christie takes us through her book all the while unearthing the many things athletes can do to stave off injury and maintain long term health.  We discuss the […]

For audio, scroll down. Our conversation spans Robert’s time as a documentary filmmaker along with his thoughts on nuclear energy and the climate crisis. Covering: The major themes prevalent throughout his documentaries The lessons Robert has come to learn over his career His advice for people who want to create films Robert’s conversion from anti-nuclear […]

For audio, scroll down. Gerardo walks us through findings from his much reported on recent coauthored paper: Vertebrates on the Brink As Indicators of Biological Annihilation and the Sixth Mass Extinction, which, do not worry he breaks that all down for us.  He explains: What a mass extinction is and how they’re determined Why they […]

For audio, scroll down. Alexander takes us through: His journey to The Long Now What The Long Now Foundation is and what their goals are His work on a 10,000 year clock currently being assembled within a mountain in West Texas His 3 Big Ideas on what society should consider and think about as it […]

For audio, scroll down. Our conversation spans Dr. Raza’s acclaimed book The First Cell: And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last Azra helps make both a passionate and informed argument for how and why the way society currently attempts to alleviate the plight of cancer needs to shift.  We discuss everything from […]

For audio, scroll down. Dr. Matweychuk adheres to, and practices, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Our discussion spans: The practice of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Stoicism How REBT differs from other forms of therapy How REBT relates to practices and teachings from stoicism Key takeaways from REBT and stoicism that we as listeners can […]

For audio, scroll down. Our conversation today spans the National Fund For Workforce Solutions and their mission. Michelle walks us through: Common problems certain segments of the workforce might encounter when attempting to find work The involved and dynamic nature of engineering solutions that allot workers access to decent jobs The importance of utilizing data […]

For audio, scroll down. Ted walks us through: The concept of ecomodernism and The Breakthrough Institute’s vision for climate solutions What ecomodernism is How humans can tackle climate change by embracing smart modernization What the energy sources of the future could look like along with the logistical importance of making them globally integrable The 3 […]

For audio, scroll down. Alisa walks us through: What a startup coach does The common obstacles that startup founders and executives might encounter and how to overcome them The importance of communication with your team and what new founders should focus on in order to optimize and catalyze their paths to success The lessons she […]

For audio, scroll down. Our conversation spans establishing sound public health structures.  As such we touch on: What public health is How public health aims to provide solutions to medical problems What public health structures should look like in the future Dr Benjamin’s 3 big ideas on what society could change today to make a […]

Our conversation is centered around the occurrence of emerging infectious diseases and general pandemic preparedness. We cover: The increased occurrence of infectious diseases What researchers have yet to know about diseases A brief history of our knowledge on SARS type viruses Positive steps society should’ve taken decades ago, that they need to take today, to […]

Our conversation today spans: The past present and future of the National Science Foundation The importance of basic research to society What makes the NSF unique in its mission The role that the federal government plays in funding innovation Where an ideal NSF budget would be set at  Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash

Our conversation spans Michael’s book Out There: A Scientific Guide to Alien Life, Antimatter, and Human Space Travel (For the Cosmically Curious) all the while addressing fascinating topics and questions along the way. Questions such as: Are we alone in the universe? If there are aliens out there what will they look like? How fast […]

“I guess one of the great agonies of life is that we are constantly trying to finish that which is unfinishable” – Martin Luther King Jr. My conversation with Joe spans his company Aspiration Partners and his story as a change agent. We discuss: Aspiration and its current and future products Where Joe envisions his startup […]

Michael Brenner’s 3 Big Take aways from Mean People Suck: “Its really the 3 C’s. The 3 C’s are colleagues, customers, and companies and so the 3 ideas really are all joined together and that is happy colleagues create happy customers that deliver better profits and more revenue for our companies. So whether you’re a […]

Our conversation spans science and technology policy. Rob walks us through: His time with the The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation ITIF The difficulties in influencing policy makers to fund technology and science investment today that won’t bear fruit until tomorrow The importance of federal investment into basic research What members of society can do […]

We discuss Anna’s recently co-authored paper with Lawrence Summers, Declining Worker Power and American Economic Performance: An Exploration for the Recent Evolution of the Economy. Anna walks us through An overview of the economic environment that has existed within the past few decades Their hypothesis on why a declining share of national income is going […]

Dr. Anderson takes us through: An explainer on what the Pluriverse is How researches and historians today need to re-examine their methods of studying past civilizations and cultures in order to better encapsulate their realities The nature of reality and its objectivity or lack thereof What modern society could gain from contemplating a Pluriverse of […]

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”  ― Howard Thurman My conversation today is with Matt Green. Matt has walked across the United States coast to coast and runs the blog Imjustwalkin.com. Our conversation largely spans […]

Daniel takes us through his recently published book Extraterrestrial Languages which aims to answer the question of, If we ever do encounter an intelligent Alien life, how exactly would we communicate with it and where would that process start?  He walks us through the history of humanity’s many attempts to communicate with extraterrestrial life, the […]

Our discussion is focused on inefficiency and waste in the healthcare system along with how the United States can improve its public health structures. Donald takes us through a number of topics ranging from waste and inefficiencies in minor systems such as those in hospitals and physician’s offices to inefficiencies at the national level. He […]

Our conversation is centered around terraforming Mars and what the MAVEN mission is.  Bruce takes us through what an atmosphere is, what the MAVEN mission has revealed about Mars’s atmosphere thus far, and whether or not terraforming Mars is even possible, along with the difficulties that would come in trying to achieve such a feat.  […]

Our conversation today spans CRISPR. Kevin takes us through what CRISPR is, how to think about it, why it works, its possible applications, and what the developments for CRISPR could look like in the near future. We also discuss two of Kevin’s fascinating blog posts. One on how COVID-19 will change the academic landscape & […]

“A Model of Human Endogenous Retrovirus (HERV) Activation in Mental Health and Illness”: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987719308849 A brief lay persons summary provided by Turhan: RNA retroviruses can integrate their genetic material into the DNA of the infected host organism. If the infected cells are sperm or egg, the viral genetic material can be transmitted into the next […]

Our conversation today spans the topic of poverty in the United States. We cover what poverty is, why it structurally persists, what causes it, how COVID-19 is making the situation worse, and most importantly what long term solutions exist to alleviate and ultimately end poverty in the United States. .  Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash

Our conversation spans Taylor’s research into privilege and her recently published paper Access is not enough: Cultural mismatch persists to limit first-generation students’ opportunities for achievement throughout college. Taylor explains to us how cultural mismatch entering college can lead to a slew of negative consequences for a first generation student throughout their college experience, why […]

Today’s conversation is on Matthew’s story as a physicist. Covering why and how he came to be interested in the subject, misconceptions about being a scientist, his major areas of research, how being a theoretical physicist has changed the way he looks at certain things, and the inherent difficulties in predicting what advances in the […]

Our conversation spans two of Alexander’s books. The first being How History Gets Things Wrong: The Neuroscience of Our Addiction to Stories and the second, The Atheists Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life Without Illusions. We cover topics from philosophy, history, & the sciences. Discussing natural selection, purpose, theory of mind, the nature of our reality, […]

We discuss the topic of cheating in the sport of running and Amby’s general background as a runner. Encompassed in this we touch on the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Next % and whether or not the performance multiples obtained by recent runners will continue to grow over time. We also cover general running advice and what […]

Questions on Reiko’s Mind: What is “contemporary” art, or what is “contemporary” in art? Answer: I believe in the responsibility of the artist.  This responsibility needs to result in art that is relevant.  Relevant art consciously deals with the specifics of our time, our natural and social (political) environments.  That, however, creates a challenge: the […]

Our conversation is centered around the current state of higher education from a financial point of view. We discuss the financial health, or lack thereof, of many universities, the cost structures that many universities’ exhibit, the decrease in state funding towards higher education over the years, how inequality is exasperated when universities aren’t financially sound, […]

Our conversation covers current and historic levels of inequality in the United States, the political and economic structures and policies that have either enabled or helped alleviate said inequality, solutions in helping bolster the middle class, the health of the Social Security system, implementing versions of universal basic income, and ultimately solutions to the problems […]

My conversation with Albena Azmanova is on her recent book Capitalism on the Edge: How fighting Precarity Can Achieve Radical Change Without Crisis or Utopia.  We discuss how our economic systems are constructed today, the importance of focusing on current levels of instability as opposed to solely focusing on inequality, how we need to transcend […]

My conversation with Iain is centered around the topic of spacecraft propulsion systems. We discuss the different types of propulsion systems currently in existence, the constraints each type of propulsion system exhibits, & where propulsions systems could be in the future. This is part of our series on Aerospace & Astronomy for the Nonscientist. Iain’s […]

Our conversation spans the intricacies of science policy. We discuss the difficulties in increasing funding to the sciences, what we can do to encourage government to increase funding, and Micheal’s story in successfully pushing through funding for the sciences. Navigating the Maze: How Science and Technology Policies Shape America & the World Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash

On today’s episode I speak to Charles Hwang. We discuss everything, well mostly, everything there is to know about bitcoin and blockchain from a nontechnical, financial macro lens.  Covering topics such as what exactly is bitcoin, what is blockchain, how do they work together, what will the future of crypto currencies look like, society’s negative […]

Todays talks sees a fascinating conversation on how data analytics is being deployed into the criminal justice system with aims in helping remedy instances of injustice and inequality. In the process attempting to note what the long term implications of certain laws and policies are. We also touch on the importance of funding data driven […]

On this episode we discuss the ominous question, Why are the bees disappearing and are humans to blame? We have a fascinating conversation on everything from the cellular stress responses of the honey bee, to how bug populations in general seem to be dwindling down, to what humans can do top help bolster the bee […]

Historian, professor, and podcast host Natalia Petrzela takes us through her upcoming book Fit Nation. We discuss the contemporary perceptions and landscape of the fitness culture in the United States along with how perceptions and meanings associated with fitness have changed over time. Link to the Runners World article: Link to her podcast: Photo by RUN […]

Today’s conversation sees a fascinating discussion on the 07-08 crisis focusing on an alternative theory to why the magnitude of The Great Recession was so pronounced. We also discuss some lessons you can take away from the crash and doing your due diligence.

Today’s conversation entails a fascinating conversation on how big data and algorithms are playing a much more prominent role in financial decision making. We discuss regulatory arbitrage, technology firms becoming banks, and the positive and negative impacts of our fintech future.  Photo by Rick Tap on Unsplash

Today we go down a fascinating road on Professor Shaikh’s main thesis that what drives capitalism and its cyclical nature can be explained by intrinsic forces such as the profit motive for corporations. This, as opposed to the current orthodox view that the rational actor, who care only about their consumption, makes the world go […]

Link to the full talk: