Positive Feedback Loop

In this episode, you’ll learn what midwifery is all about from a professional midwife who runs a birth center in Northern California. Our special guest Allison Blackham talks about the relationship midwifery has with the healthcare industry, the history of midwifery, the risks and rewards of childbirth, and even the odd requests she has gotten from expecting families. Learn about how COVID-19 has impacted her practice and what childbirth might look like in the future.

When you think of authority, what is the first color that you think of? What is authority? What are social contracts? Where does authority come from? What is the difference between power and authority? Commercial: Listen to more episodes! Looking through The Power of Political Authority, a book by Michael Huemer. Implicit and explicit consent. What if you started as a non-citizen? What is the role of religion in political authority? What is a nation state? Is the United States a nation state? We discuss a little about diversity and geography and how that affects power dynamics globally. Does power belong with the strongest person? How has warfare changed? If the president is removed from office and loses authority, will he lose power and influence?

Why do we have leap day and when does the world actually skip leap day? What is your preferred calendar? Let’s ponder how and why we measure time in this episode all about everything you might not know about calendar systems.

In this episode, we begin by pondering past moments of jealousy and defining what jealousy really is. Then we dig into: jealousy vs. envy, comparing ourselves to others, and resources as limited vs. abundant. We also talk about how to deal with jealousy, including giving a word to the opposite of jealousy (inspired by Stella the dog!) and how we feel empathy. Commercial brought to you by Thieves. Bonus material: we try to invent a musical version of “Stay Crazy”.

In this episode, we talk about what quantum internet is and how it differs from the internet as we know it today. Photons, hacking, teleporting, qubits, quantum state, entanglement, and more. If you want to understand more about quantum internet, listen to this episode! Brought to you by Positive Feedback Loop. Commercial: Deep Space Realtors.

What is a consumer? Producers vs. consumers in the ecological world What is the difference between consumerism and materialism? Are consumers more empowered than before? Protecting consumers Marketing and consumer behavior The obsession with acquisition Black Friday Morality and Spending (e.g., “Fair Trade”) Customizing consumerism Clothing subscription services Waste vs. Giving to the Needy Minimalism

With guest Pascal Guyon! Pascal is a musician, an investor, and more. In this episode, he shares his insights about the music industry and where it’s headed.

Our guest was Lyn Ulbricht of the Free Ross movement. Ross Ulbricht was convicted of crimes associated with the Silk Road. Topics discussed in this episode: Ross’s experience in federal prison. Libertarian philosophy. Becoming a public figure; opportunities for public speaking. Learning about law, government, and rights. Seeking clemency. Experiences with the media. Having a family member in prison. The courtroom experience. Internet privacy. Is the law keeping up with technology? The War on Drugs. Is understanding of new technologies a generational capability—can someone of another generation fairly judge a crime done with a technology he/she doesn’t understand? Is Ross’s sentence fair, and what was the purpose of his sentence? Will other marketplaces like Silk Road exist after this? Is this a tipping point in history? The petition (started July 2018); 60k signatures in the first month, now nearing 141k. What should a nonviolent charge look like? The damage of nonviolent crimes. Vicarious liability. What is life like in federal prison? What does this mean for the future of nonviolent crimes, especially those that use new technologies like bitcoin and the dark web?

Is memory reliable? Has technology changed how we remember? What is the purpose of memory? How do you want to be remembered? All this and more in this episode about memory.

Ray and Steph recorded this week without Luis, but he’ll be back next week! In this episode about events, Ray and Steph discuss some memorable events and try to determine what defines an event. Does an event have to have a purpose, a focus? Hackathons, VR, Facebook Live. Event logs in computing. Event as initiation. Burning man. An unplanned event. In this episode, we wax philosophical to analyze how culture has shaped events (and how events have shaped culture). Commercial: Escape the Event.

In this episode we define truth and we compare truth vs. reality. Then, we talk about the role of data in truth-seeking, and ask, will the truth set us free? Is ignorance bliss? What does it mean to be a truth seeker? The responsibility of truth, painful truths, perceptions of truth, truth vs. belief, truth in religion and science. What is the value of truth? Do you challenge truth? Uncomfortable truths. Avoiding the truth. Also, enjoy our commercial: the Truthify App.

In this episode we start with some stories about famous liars. Then we talk about types of lies. We discuss pathological liars, influence, the dating world, and employment. Commercial: Lie Detector Siren. Are we lying more? Social media, justification, blockchain’s impact, why and when we lie, social pressure.

What happens—or could happen—to our data after we die? Listen to Ray, Luis, and Steph talk about the possibilities.

In this episode, we talk about forms of meditation and prayer. We discuss topics such as Tai Chi, taking the time to think, running as meditation, Ray's temple visit, the role of silence, the rhythms of our bodies, chanting, ASMR, breathing, singing, flying, and slowing down. Also, joining us during the commercial for a "moment of ohm."

In this episode, we talk about attention. Have our attention spans gotten longer or shorter or stayed the same? What distracts us? How does the future of marketing impact our attention? Can AI lose attention, or is AI attention limited? What are the dimensions of attention? Is attention quality tied to the quality of our relationships? Cultural attention cues—what does attention look like? What metrics do marketers use to measure attention? What are the biometric markers for attention?

What defines an influencer? The Present: How much do influencers get paid? How do you become an influencer? What is more effective for advertising: macro-influencers or micro-influencers? The dark side of influencer marketing The Past: The history of influencers — Ancient Rome, Coco Wine, Vaudeville, etc. Commercial: DinnerSmash The Future: AI influencers, the future of human influencers, the shifting power of influencers

What are some popular conspiracy theories? Can a conspiracy theory be proven wrong? How have social media propagated conspiracy theories and what are the implications for free speech? Should communication platforms limit or block conspiracy theorists? What is your favorite conspiracy theory?

What Kari is working on at Screen Door Labs, what augmented reality can do for first responders, AR features that are well-suited for serving first responders, the hardware she has worked with, and where Kari thinks the future of AR is headed. We also discuss one-way and two-way AR. Commercial: Screen Door Labs We begin the second half of the episode talking about Google Glass and Magic Leap. Kari then discusses her point of view on AR and privacy. Will AR add fashion to utility? What is the future for AR in B2B and B2C markets? We then talk about the startup environment in which Screen Door Labs is growing, including accelerator programs.

From online forums of the 1980s to social media and beyond Forms of spam Why do people send spam? Statistician Paul Graham Robo calls Spam vs. scams CAN-SPAM Act Commercial: Future Spam Protection Spam in social media, online reviews, etc. Fake followers and bot engagement Is spam in the eye of the receiver? What is spam, really? How can you avoid being spammy? Bonus: Stay crazy. Kaw kaw!

What is Compassion Fatigue? The difference between Compassion Fatigue and Burnout The Green Cross Charles Figley and the Figley Institute Commercial: Robot Patients Caring for aging parents Resilience Survivor vs. victim mentality Post-traumatic growth Experiences that can result in compassion fatigue How to treat compassion fatigue

A special thanks to Alex Straley, a leadership development consultant at IBM, for joining us! Alex's views in this episode are solely his own and does not represent IBM. Episode notes: Characteristics of bad bosses What makes a bad boss “bad”? There is not one kind of management Managers vs. leaders Military leadership Cruel work environments Why are we mean to each other in the workplace? Commercial: Doppelgang Giving feedback to a manager How to be a better manager Be ready to be wrong What it means to put yourself in someone else’s shoes The golden rule vs. the platinum rule The impact of personality and environment on behavior The importance of habit-building What do my employees need to succeed? Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/astraley/

Episode notes: What is a nation-state? Globalization and local communities How will Bitnation redefine the nation-state? Security and jurisdiction Government is like an icecream shop Globalization and the preservation of culture The potential for private armies Governments’ roles in genocides War and land/conflict The Pangea app The technology of Bitnation Commercial Privacy and security Carrots and sticks The protection of identity on the blockchain Crime in a borderless nation Reputation vs. being unknown A liquid economy The acceptance of crypto-governance Decentralized Borderless Nation (DBN) exit option Pseudonymity Bitnation Homepage: https://bitnation.co/

Sandra Miller Intro What is Democracy.Earth? Origins of Democracy Earth Foundation Democracy and voting Problem to be solved- Corruption Commercial - DemocracyEarth Ambassador Program How do you prove your identity without a third party? Facebook as an authoritarian regime Trust How the Internet has changed David Bowie analogy about the internet How you can get involved! http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/19/digital-gap-between-rural-and-nonrural-america-persists/ The Future of Democracy | Santiago Siri | TEDxStPeterPort - https://youtu.be/yGmGWZCE4h0 https://www.democracy.earth/ https://github.com/DemocracyEarth/ambassadors/blob/master/README.md Note: Ray meant to say bitcoin rewards for mining will end in 2140 (not 2040)

What role will bitcoin play in the future of money?

We start with our first memories of the Internet. Then we discuss fake news and echo chambers. Can we find good sources and can we trust the press? What is a good incentive structure for journalism? Is journalism (or can it be) unbiased? Infographics and data without context. Listening and understanding vs. winning arguments. Outrage: our biological flaw. Is sensationalism fake news? The breakdown of trust. [Commercial: Commercial Tracker 300.] Virality based on outrage: Ken Bone and Hugh Mungus. Getting the public’s attention: Kony 2012. Finding information online. We end this episode with a discussion of being ethical about what we put online.

This episode is all about why and how to forgive, gaining back trust, making mistakes, the purpose of forgiveness, and more. Commercial: Confessional

Utopia 3: How Do We Get There? From the perspective of inputs How do you make real your utopic vision of the future? Barriers to reaching utopia Types of utopias, e.g., techno-utopia, eco-utopia, agrarian utopia The near future: what can we do to get on a trajectory toward utopia How do you reach Mormon utopia? Utopia: do we need to share core values? The role of culture in utopia Economic utopia and blockchain Commercial: Stella AI Value creation and exchange in utopia If there’s no work in the future, will there be currency? Do you trust your image of utopia? The role of trust in utopia Start with yourself first Reaching for utopia

Perception, crafting an apology, timing, blame, responsibility, hurt, guilt, and more! Examples include: Kitchenaid, Amazon reviews, Dove, Netflix, Apple, a steakhouse in Brighton MA, Electronic Arts, Tesla, etc.

We’ve discussed what Utopia might look like, but how do you get there? The future of Artificial Intelligence Utopia or Eutopia? Commercial The future of work Will technological trends take us to a dystopia?

Episode notes: What are we grateful for? Is gratitude natural? The benefits of being grateful Daily gratitude Commercial: Presidentially Pardoned Turkeys When you shouldn’t be grateful Grateful for challenges

In this episode, the three co-hosts describe their very different concepts of utopia. Episode notes: Mormon Utopia Is modern society the past’s utopia? What is consciousness? Do any two people imagine the same utopia? Ray’s utopia: all people become one unified energy outside of time Matryoshka Brain Static vs. dynamic world Luis’s utopia of work and leisure as choices Is a utopia a perfect world, and if so, can imperfect people live in it? Are we capable of imagining a true utopia? Will we overcome mortality, or at least aging? What are you willing to give up to achieve utopia? Forms of government Commercial: Utopios Utopia in pop culture: Star Trek Death in utopia Are we already living in a utopia? Moral agency AI of the future

Episode notes: What are pets? Being a “pet parent” What’s in an animal’s mind? Humans raised by animals Do animals feel emotions similar to humans’? Commercial: Petcestry Genomics Why do we have pets? Homeless pets People who poison other people’s pets Ray’s chameleon Luis’s dog Steph’s dog Worm charming Are people like their pets? Caring for pets vs. children Street cats Seeing-eye dogs Vanity pets and breeding

Most destructive diseases in history Contagion Social contagion The spread of ideas Should you vaccinate your child? Travel and disease The Anthrax story Disease in war Suicide contagion Commercial: Minority animal diseases World of Warcraft and the CDC Studying the spread of disease Google Flu Trends Dancing Plague of 1518 Fictitious monsters on the Internet Leprosy colonies Zombies Network theory

Episode notes: MIT’s Moral Machine test Who would you save? Fate and interference, guilt Kant’s autonomous morality Utilitarianism Patience with people vs. machines MBTA and Amtrak stories Consumer comfort with driverless cars Blame in autonomous vehicle accidents The future of machine autonomy Applying moral frameworks in the context of changing technology

This is a Listeners’ Choice episode! The topic ("the importance of celebration”) was submitted by Akshay. We also talked about birthdays, which was submitted by Jan Marie! Episode notes: Is “celebrating the everyday” really a celebration? Celebrations as checkpoints Celebration vs. recurring holidays Luis’ story about his mother’s gifts Ray on Turkish weddings and communal lamb Is celebration a group activity? History/etymology of celebration Two types of celebration (surprise vs. expected) Steph on Utah’s and the LDS Church’s celebration of Pioneer Day Luis on Cuban celebrations Commercial: Chainsaw the Clown / Murder Clowns LLC What’s the purpose of celebrating? Holiday anxiety Funerals Birthdays Celebration pet peeves

Episode notes: What we did before we started the MBA program The role of diversity and different types of diversity Choosing extracurriculars What is a case competition? “Teaming” A clear vision vs. experimentation Commercial: Bartholomew's School for Shady Business How to network effectively Skills for learning in the classroom

What is a “golden age”? How do we know if we are in a golden age? The golden ages of media: television, information, radio, video games… The golden age of hip hop Are we able to identify a golden age while we’re in it? Commercial: Customized Element Ages The golden age of television The metrics for identifying a golden age Is ubiquity or acceleration a sign of a technology’s golden age? Are golden ages in “the chasm”?

What defines sleep? What’s your common sleep position? Why do we sleep? Sleep deprivation The relationship of anxiety and sleep Sleep apnea and night terrors Naps and siestas Commercial: Hypernation Pills Sleep paralysis and kanashibari Cultural views of sleep Debunking bunker: Does turkey make you sleepy? Food and sleep: Rip Van Winkle, pizza dreams How to fall asleep or sleep well Relationships and sleep (fairytales vs. reality) Vulnerability Sleeping in public and social norms “Sleep ecologies” Sleep in different parts of the world

Baby Bowling Thomas Gotchi “Nothing” Barry Berries The Screaming Room Ray’s Fireworks Barn Snow Box

*Special episode* We visited the Popnology Exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Science! In this episode we discuss some topics that come up in the exhibit, such as: Lots of robotic arms (e.g., Baxter!) Space Elevator What the smartphone has replaced The love for retro Digital vs. 35mm photography 3-D printed cars A world with flying cars The wall of tech prophecies (did they really envision the future?) Pop culture influenced by research …and research influenced by pop culture Sustainability and escapism: will we need to leave planet earth? What was the point of the Popnology Exhibit?

What is a MOOC? Are MOOCs more interesting than normal college courses? Are MOOCs the future? Are online courses effective? The role of online learning in the workplace Who learns online? Can one put online learning on a resume? Commercial: Pifflorations You can learn just about anything online Online misinformation: how do you know what’s true? The modularization of content Reading the news The importance of context and source Can online learning replace the traditional college experience?

Ep. 32: Venture Capital (with Carlo Santelli of Stonehenge Capital) Carlo Santelli explains growth capital The role of venture capital in community development Trends in the private equity and venture capital worlds Are the unicorns in a bubble? Networking in the VC world Does size matter? The management team The college majors that will prepare you for working in the industry How has technology changed the world of venture capital? How to identify the right investors What is the geography of venture capital? Venture capitalists as portrayed in pop culture (e.g., Shark Tank) The goal of venture capital

When are you most bored? Are children more prone to boredom than adults? Inactivity vs. boredom Is boredom related to imagination, motivation, energy? Boredom as a lack of freedom Boredom from entertainment overload Boredom as a source of innovation and creativity Commercial: Bartholomew’s School for Active Children Are we more bored as a society than we used to be? Choice paralysis / overload / FOMO Boredom and dissatisfaction Are people with depression more prone to boredom? Being bored during work vs. leisure time Is any event inherently boring or does it vary by person? Is boredom about choice? Is boredom one cause of drug abuse? Are some people more prone to boredom than others? Are the thrill-seekers among us the more prone to boredom? Embrace the boredom

Independence as control Cosmic lack of control Controlling the weather Do humans ultimately desire to conquer and control? Civilization as control over environment Do we ever desire to lose control? The spiritual side: acknowledging a lack of control The power of the brain Drugs and loss of control Modern life: too much control? Who has more control? Uncertainty and letting go Commercial: The Vacuum Cleaner for your soul Self-control Controlling our dreams (shout out to Episode 14) Control and anxiety Pursuit of control as an irritant Is there a balance between control and lack of control? The relationship between control and power Has the Internet given people more control? Internet activism How do our choices affect others? Bonus: Getting the commercial right

A conscious decision or just instinct? Process discipline vs. collaboration Cooperation vs. collaboration Organization and discipline in crime rings Do crime rings thrive because of ideology or market demand? The electronic silk road Cybercrime groups: collaborating against vs. for something Commercial: The PFL Threadless Store How to incentivize collaboration Do you prefer a collaborative culture or people with collaborative traits? Collaboration within diverse groups Collaboration vs. chaos First-ever “debunking bunker”: are crowds naturally chaotic or collaborative? The dark side: groupthink Machine-to-machine collaboration Artificial intelligence vs. Internet of Things

What is a board game? The best strategy for Monopoly German-style board games Jumanji Collaborative games Group games Kickstarter games Commercial: The Positive Feedback Loop Game Ancient games AI/machine learning 3D games Solveable vs. unsolveable games Tactile games Dominoes across cultures Games we played in high school Strategy vs. luck One-player games Why do we play games? Is there a difference between work and play?

Do we take more risks in the summer than in other seasons? Summer vacation Jobs that make it difficult to take a vacation Dangerous sports Attempts to avoid a shark bite Ways to treat a jellyfish sting Our favorite seasons The story of the grateful woman When seasons change Traveling during summer Two types of holidays Virtual reality and tourism Commercial: Invisibility Sunscreen Will there be such a thing as a virtual reality summer? Summer: away to the ocean, Europe, etc. Virtual reality providing accessibility to a new market Augmented reality for an enhanced vacation experience Democratizing augmented reality for tourism Most memorable summer activities Summer vacation to Mars Space elevator

Episode notes: Society’s fear of aging Agism Seniors and their independence Tom Leer’s song Aging for women vs. men Aging in Japanese culture The Giver Experience over mere ability The perks of being old Traveling and age Commercial: Time Paradox Box Why are younger people afraid of getting old? Expectations: seniors vs. teenagers Retirement Why seniors should podcast PFL in 40 years Senior singles Friendships help us age well Aging vs. growth The biology of aging (cellular senescence) The immortal jellyfish Anti-aging science and technology Natural ways to slow aging

Does the magic of friendship last? What is a friend? Are Facebook friends… friends? The definition of friendship: has it evolved? Friend audit Friendship in terms of database management Can friendship be one-sided? Friends you see daily and friends far away Ralph Waldo Emerson’s definition of friendship Childhood vs. adulthood friendships Friendship: serendipitous or hard work? Commercial: The Friendship Battery 100 years ago: communicating with friends Dunbar’s number Long-distance friendships How to maintain friendship Technology’s role Friendship takes time Friendship atrophy Can it be a perfect balance of give and take? Can a deep friendship be reinstated after many years of separation?

Do grades correctly reflect achievement? How are grades constructed? Grades as inaccurate predictors of success Different sources of power Professors and power The status of honor societies Competition, aspiration Commercial: Time paradox box (again!) The power dynamics of grades Do grades account for soft skills? Grades are just a simplified tool What is the future of grades? A better understanding of who people are and what they can do Is grading itself a primitive practice? Grade non-disclosure agreements Ethics and incentives: will people who are rewarded by a bad system still fight to correct that system? Grades as a metaphor for politics Taking a more holistic approach to seeing people Grades as a heuristic Does academic achievement translate to workplace achievement? Should resumes be screened by GPA? Do people in all courses really fit to a normal curve?

The synonym of genius: Einstein The IQ test Can you be a genius without realizing you are a genius? The troubled genius Artists and other creative geniuses Does genius come at a cost? Incidental genius Are you born with it? Genius as divine inspiration The role of curiosity Gifted children Can genius be taught? Beyond intellectual and creative genius Isn’t genius relative? Galileo Galilei: the risks of genius Unsuccessful genius Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison Commercial: Genius Garden The unnoticed geniuses Giving women credit for discoveries Happy Mothers Day: mothers who facilitate our learning We build upon past genius Artificial intelligence: surpassing human genius? Evolution and magical DNA Imagination