Podcasts about Adept

How much longer can our industry afford to keep filling potholes instead of preventing them in the first place?In our latest Highways Voices we discuss the situation that is drivers the most - the poor condition of our roads.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!During Pothole Prevention Week we hear that more than half of councils still carry out no preventive road maintenance at all, and look into why reactive approaches are costing millions more, damaging trust, and keeping the cycle of potholes alive, despite there being proven, cost-effective solutions are within reach.The RAC and the Road Surface Treatments Association have written to the Government calling for the introduction of mandatory training for councils who carry out little or no maintenance to prevent potholes forming, and guests Mike Hansford, Chief Executive of the RSTA and Simon Williams, PR and External Affairs lead at the RAC, discuss the need to factor in your maintenance from the very beginning, and to make it part of the overall project cost.They also explain how preventive maintenance saves up to five times the cost of resurfacing, describe pothole repair like Groundhog Day, and that practical strategies and case studies show early interventions extend road life, improve safety, and deliver visible results for drivers.You can sign up to the webinar they talk about here.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

Session 6: Be Kind Part 4 - Weekend at Martinis The Adept Mystics are gonna do it, they're gonna pull a “Weekend at Bernie's”! They're also planning to cash out a portion of the CEO's profits in the process. They just need to make it to the bank, what could possibly go wrong! Cast: Chris - GM Dave - Trevor “Huey” Riggs (Troll Physical Adept and Ex-Beat Cop) Aaron - Alatar “Jonathan Strange” Pollando (Elf Former Wage Mage)   Musical Credits:  Epic Unease by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3714-epic-unease  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    There It Is by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4519-there-it-is  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    "Bet You Can ver 2" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/    "The Way Out" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Jonathan O'Connor, Fintech South 2025 Chair; Division President, Third-Party Payments, Synovus. Jonathan is a results-oriented Executive, with 25+ years of experience leading sales teams, driving revenue, and identifying operational improvement strategies. Expert knowledge of global payment solutions, e-commerce, risk mitigation, digital currencies, merchant processing, mergers and acquisitions. Adept at effective communication with internal executive leaders and external […] The post Fintech South 2025: Jonathan O’Connor with Synovus appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

James chats with his good friend Mia about her education journey and coaching. Mia is an educated and results-driven young professional with six years of experience in hospitality and consulting. Adept at client relationship management, networking, and event management with a proven track record of increasing revenue and executing the general management of sales and operations. Strong communication and problem-solving abilities, combined with my enthusiasm for maximizing efficiency and being a vital part of team success has consistently propelled me to deliver exceptional results. Honors, Awards, and Recognitions: - Dale Carnegie's Highest Achievement Award (2023) - First ever recipient of Southern Arkansas University's Greek Student Leader of the Year (2016-2017) - Mulerider Leadership Awards (2016-2017) - Vice President's Student Leader of the Year Award (2015-2016) - Mulerider Leadership Awards (2015-2016) - Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges (2015-2016) - Southern Arkansas University's “100 Years of Homecoming” Queen (2015)Follow here https://www.linkedin.com/in/mia-hyman-selfaklaimed-llc/

Today on Highways Voices we'll look at how AI-driven maps, integrated traffic data, and smarter signal systems could cut congestion, boost safety, and transform how highways are managed, thanks to insights from HERE, Flow Labs and TomTom.This episode takes you inside the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress 2025 in Atlanta, where global experts reveal how new data partnerships, real-time integration, and AI are reshaping traffic management and mobility ecosystems that matter directly to your network's performance.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!You'll get insight into how AI and collaborative mapping initiatives are improving incident detection, fleet operations, and long-term planning, real-world examples of integrated data platforms that give agencies visibility across entire networks to optimise signals and improve safety and a clear view of how UK and global expertise is driving the next wave of resilient, future-ready transport solutions.We'll also hear from British Consul General to Atlanta Rachel Galloway, talking about the UK's hosting of this major event in two years' time, as the excitement builds towards Birmingham 2027.Along with Rachel Galloway, the guests are Jeff Rowen, Vice President Global Product Partnerships at HERE Technologies; CEO & Founder at Flow Labs, Jatish Patel; and Douglas Gilmour, TomTom's Global Traffic BD lead.The podcasts are presented from the UK & ERTICO – ITS Europe Pavilion at the World Congress, supported by Transport for West Midlands, AGD Systems, MAV Systems, Immense, Intelligent Instruments, Navtech Radar, Nicander and Zenzic.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

1.   Adapt and Be Adept: Market Responses to Climate Change edited by Terry Anderson, champions market-based adaptation to climate change over top-down, incentivized approaches such as carbon taxes or "climate clubs". The book uses Pascal's Wager to frame its argument: regardless of whether climate change is definitively proven, it is prudent to adapt. A central critique in the book is directed at the economic impracticality of relying solely on renewable energy. Mark Mills' chapter highlights that historically, the dominance of wood and the search for food kept societies from specializing, a limitation overcome by fossil fuels. Current statistics show renewables account for only 2% of global and 3% of US electricity generation. The cost comparison is stark: $1 million worth of shale gas produces 300 million kilowatts of power, while the same value in renewables yields only 50 kilowatts. Furthermore, storing renewable energy with batteries is prohibitively expensive (costing $200 per equivalent unit compared to $1 for hydrocarbons) and limited by the availability and environmental impact of mining critical resources like lithium. The book dismisses goals like the Biden administration's aim for 100% renewable electricity by 2035 as being in "total denial" of these physical and economic limits. The book also critiques government-led "incentivized" policies, like carbon taxes or emissions trading systems, as susceptible to political distortion and protectionist agendas. These policies, derived from "blackboard economics," fail to account for the political reality where powerful interests at the negotiating table ensure they are not "on the menu" for taxation. The failure of Europe's emissions trading system, which was diluted by granting credits to new energy producers, serves as an example of such distortion destroying market incentives. Instead, the book advocates for improving "price discovery" through financial and risk markets as the most effective means of adaptation. These markets, like property and insurance, naturally adjust prices to reflect changing risks, such as declining property values in areas prone to storm surges. However, government subsidies for programs like flood or crop insurance distort these signals, leading to maladaptive behavior. The crucial role of government, according to the authors, is not to dictate energy policy or impose taxes, but to provide accurate, transparent, and timely data on climate variables like rainfall and temperature, enabling markets to make informed decisions. The experiences of Alaskan Native Villages (ANV) illustrate the importance of local control and human ingenuity in adaptation, which external regulations have often hindered. The book emphasizes the need for pragmatism in addressing climate change, echoing Bjorn Lomborg's argument for sensible investments in areas like public health (e.g., malaria control) that yield greater returns than attempts to halt climate change altogether. Ultimately, Adapt and Be Adept posits that empowering individuals and communities with accurate information and minimal market distortion will unleash the human capacity to adapt and prosper in a changing climate. 1873 VULTURE BISON

2.  Adapt and Be Adept: Market Responses to Climate Change edited by Terry Anderson, champions market-based adaptation to climate change over top-down, incentivized approaches such as carbon taxes or "climate clubs". The book uses Pascal's Wager to frame its argument: regardless of whether climate change is definitively proven, it is prudent to adapt. A central critique in the book is directed at the economic impracticality of relying solely on renewable energy. Mark Mills' chapter highlights that historically, the dominance of wood and the search for food kept societies from specializing, a limitation overcome by fossil fuels. Current statistics show renewables account for only 2% of global and 3% of US electricity generation. The cost comparison is stark: $1 million worth of shale gas produces 300 million kilowatts of power, while the same value in renewables yields only 50 kilowatts. Furthermore, storing renewable energy with batteries is prohibitively expensive (costing $200 per equivalent unit compared to $1 for hydrocarbons) and limited by the availability and environmental impact of mining critical resources like lithium. The book dismisses goals like the Biden administration's aim for 100% renewable electricity by 2035 as being in "total denial" of these physical and economic limits. The book also critiques government-led "incentivized" policies, like carbon taxes or emissions trading systems, as susceptible to political distortion and protectionist agendas. These policies, derived from "blackboard economics," fail to account for the political reality where powerful interests at the negotiating table ensure they are not "on the menu" for taxation. The failure of Europe's emissions trading system, which was diluted by granting credits to new energy producers, serves as an example of such distortion destroying market incentives. Instead, the book advocates for improving "price discovery" through financial and risk markets as the most effective means of adaptation. These markets, like property and insurance, naturally adjust prices to reflect changing risks, such as declining property values in areas prone to storm surges. However, government subsidies for programs like flood or crop insurance distort these signals, leading to maladaptive behavior. The crucial role of government, according to the authors, is not to dictate energy policy or impose taxes, but to provide accurate, transparent, and timely data on climate variables like rainfall and temperature, enabling markets to make informed decisions. The experiences of Alaskan Native Villages (ANV) illustrate the importance of local control and human ingenuity in adaptation, which external regulations have often hindered. The book emphasizes the need for pragmatism in addressing climate change, echoing Bjorn Lomborg's argument for sensible investments in areas like public health (e.g., malaria control) that yield greater returns than attempts to halt climate change altogether. Ultimately, Adapt and Be Adept posits that empowering individuals and communities with accurate information and minimal market distortion will unleash the human capacity to adapt and prosper in a changing climate. 1873 TASMMAAN

3  Adapt and Be Adept: Market Responses to Climate Change edited by Terry Anderson, champions market-based adaptation to climate change over top-down, incentivized approaches such as carbon taxes or "climate clubs". The book uses Pascal's Wager to frame its argument: regardless of whether climate change is definitively proven, it is prudent to adapt. A central critique in the book is directed at the economic impracticality of relying solely on renewable energy. Mark Mills' chapter highlights that historically, the dominance of wood and the search for food kept societies from specializing, a limitation overcome by fossil fuels. Current statistics show renewables account for only 2% of global and 3% of US electricity generation. The cost comparison is stark: $1 million worth of shale gas produces 300 million kilowatts of power, while the same value in renewables yields only 50 kilowatts. Furthermore, storing renewable energy with batteries is prohibitively expensive (costing $200 per equivalent unit compared to $1 for hydrocarbons) and limited by the availability and environmental impact of mining critical resources like lithium. The book dismisses goals like the Biden administration's aim for 100% renewable electricity by 2035 as being in "total denial" of these physical and economic limits. The book also critiques government-led "incentivized" policies, like carbon taxes or emissions trading systems, as susceptible to political distortion and protectionist agendas. These policies, derived from "blackboard economics," fail to account for the political reality where powerful interests at the negotiating table ensure they are not "on the menu" for taxation. The failure of Europe's emissions trading system, which was diluted by granting credits to new energy producers, serves as an example of such distortion destroying market incentives. Instead, the book advocates for improving "price discovery" through financial and risk markets as the most effective means of adaptation. These markets, like property and insurance, naturally adjust prices to reflect changing risks, such as declining property values in areas prone to storm surges. However, government subsidies for programs like flood or crop insurance distort these signals, leading to maladaptive behavior. The crucial role of government, according to the authors, is not to dictate energy policy or impose taxes, but to provide accurate, transparent, and timely data on climate variables like rainfall and temperature, enabling markets to make informed decisions. The experiences of Alaskan Native Villages (ANV) illustrate the importance of local control and human ingenuity in adaptation, which external regulations have often hindered. The book emphasizes the need for pragmatism in addressing climate change, echoing Bjorn Lomborg's argument for sensible investments in areas like public health (e.g., malaria control) that yield greater returns than attempts to halt climate change altogether. Ultimately, Adapt and Be Adept posits that empowering individuals and communities with accurate information and minimal market distortion will unleash the human capacity to adapt and prosper in a changing climate. 1848 EXTINCTION DODO BIRD

4.  Adapt and Be Adept: Market Responses to Climate Change edited by Terry Anderson, champions market-based adaptation to climate change over top-down, incentivized approaches such as carbon taxes or "climate clubs". The book uses Pascal's Wager to frame its argument: regardless of whether climate change is definitively proven, it is prudent to adapt. A central critique in the book is directed at the economic impracticality of relying solely on renewable energy. Mark Mills' chapter highlights that historically, the dominance of wood and the search for food kept societies from specializing, a limitation overcome by fossil fuels. Current statistics show renewables account for only 2% of global and 3% of US electricity generation. The cost comparison is stark: $1 million worth of shale gas produces 300 million kilowatts of power, while the same value in renewables yields only 50 kilowatts. Furthermore, storing renewable energy with batteries is prohibitively expensive (costing $200 per equivalent unit compared to $1 for hydrocarbons) and limited by the availability and environmental impact of mining critical resources like lithium. The book dismisses goals like the Biden administration's aim for 100% renewable electricity by 2035 as being in "total denial" of these physical and economic limits. The book also critiques government-led "incentivized" policies, like carbon taxes or emissions trading systems, as susceptible to political distortion and protectionist agendas. These policies, derived from "blackboard economics," fail to account for the political reality where powerful interests at the negotiating table ensure they are not "on the menu" for taxation. The failure of Europe's emissions trading system, which was diluted by granting credits to new energy producers, serves as an example of such distortion destroying market incentives. Instead, the book advocates for improving "price discovery" through financial and risk markets as the most effective means of adaptation. These markets, like property and insurance, naturally adjust prices to reflect changing risks, such as declining property values in areas prone to storm surges. However, government subsidies for programs like flood or crop insurance distort these signals, leading to maladaptive behavior. The crucial role of government, according to the authors, is not to dictate energy policy or impose taxes, but to provide accurate, transparent, and timely data on climate variables like rainfall and temperature, enabling markets to make informed decisions. The experiences of Alaskan Native Villages (ANV) illustrate the importance of local control and human ingenuity in adaptation, which external regulations have often hindered. The book emphasizes the need for pragmatism in addressing climate change, echoing Bjorn Lomborg's argument for sensible investments in areas like public health (e.g., malaria control) that yield greater returns than attempts to halt climate change altogether. Ultimately, Adapt and Be Adept posits that empowering individuals and communities with accurate information and minimal market distortion will unleash the human capacity to adapt and prosper in a changing climate. 1873 ABORIGINES

What if a single innovation could prevent visually impaired passengers from being left behind at bus stops, or if autonomous shuttles could fill the critical gaps in our transport networks?In this episode of Highways Voices from the 2025 Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress, Paul Hutton speaks with pioneers reshaping the future of inclusive and intelligent mobility, from an app designed to make public transport accessible to everyone, to the rollout of autonomous shuttles that connect communities left out by traditional transit. The discussions highlight both the opportunities and the challenges in delivering equitable, safe, and sustainable mobility.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!In today's show, you'll also hear insider perspectives from ITS Hall of Fame inductees on building successful autonomous shuttle businesses across Europe and beyond and critical insights into cybersecurity gaps in public transport systems and how agencies can safeguard infrastructure against inevitable attacks.There's also an update in the planning for the next Europe-based World Congress, when the major event comes to Birmingham's NEC in October 2027.Press play now to hear how today's innovations in inclusive mobility, autonomous vehicles, and cybersecurity are setting the course for the highways and transport systems of tomorrow.The podcasts are presented from the UK & ERTICO - ITS Europe Pavilion at the World Congress, supported by Transport for West Midlands, AGD Systems, MAV Systems, Immense, Nicander, Intelligent Instruments, Navtech Radar and Zenzic.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

What happens when innovative British ITS companies bring their latest breakthroughs to the global stage in Atlanta, revealing how traffic management, enforcement, simulation, and even noise control are being redefined for the next decade?You'll find out on today's Highways Voices from the ITS World Congress, where we have our popular "pitwalk" podcast, chatting to companies exhibiting on the UK Pavilion.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!Our guests are from AGD Systems, MAV Systems, Immense, Nicander, Intelligent Instruments, Transport for West Midlands (for Birmingham 2027), Navtech Radar and Zenzic.Hear discussion about how leaders face the same urgent challenges: maintaining safety and reliability under budget constraints, adapting to changing regulations, and preparing for the future of connected, automated, and sustainable mobility. This episode discusses showcasing real-world solutions designed to address exactly those pressures, and seize the opportunities ahead.We discuss above-ground detection and AI-powered enforcement cameras to predictive simulation tools and centralized bus-priority systems, get insights into how global cities are adapting UK-developed ITS solutions to tackle congestion, emissions, and safety, and hear more about when the World Congress comes to Birmingham in 2027, and why it promises to be a significant knowledge-sharing and commercial opportunity.Press play now to walk the exhibition floor with us and hear directly from the leaders shaping the next era of intelligent transport.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

Today on Highways Voices we're in the USA for the ITS World Congress in Atlanta talking emerging technologies in transport technology, a new faster modelling solution and what it's like to be a CEO of a multinational company.Our guests are from Clearview Intelligence and WSP, and we bring you two CEOs - Christian U Haas from Umovity (pictured on his stand) and SWARCO's Michael Schuch.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!You'll find out what we're learning from pilot projects and deployments that can be scaled nationwide, and practical insights for aligning innovation with policy, funding, and public expectations.Plus you'll hear all about the planning for when this major event comes to the UK, with Transport for West Midlands banging the drum for Birmingham all week.Tune in now to hear proven strategies and fresh perspectives from the forefront of intelligent transport—your roadmap to staying ahead in the future of highways.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

This is Alex Heath, your Thursday episode guest host and deputy editor at The Verge. One of the biggest topics in AI these days is agents — the idea that AI is going to move from chatbots to reliably completing tasks for us in the real world. But the problem with agents is that they really aren't all that reliable right now. There's a lot of work happening in the AI industry to try and fix that, and that brings me to my guest today: David Luan, the head of Amazon's AGI research lab, a cofounder of Adept, and a former VP of engineering at OpenAI. David and I discussed the release of GPT-5, what Amazon wants with agents, and where he thinks the AI race is headed next. Read the full transcript on The Verge. Links:  The Platonic Representation Hypothesis | Phillip Isola Amazon plays catch-up with new Nova models to generate voices, video | Verge Amazon's new AI agent is designed to do your shopping | Verge Microsoft is racing to build an AI ‘agent factory' | Verge OpenAI's new ChatGPT Agent can control an entire computer | Verge 24 hours with Alexa Plus: we cooked, we chatted, and it kinda lied to me | Verge Why AI researchers are getting paid like NBA All-Stars | Decoder OpenAI's Windsurf deal is off — and Windsurf's CEO is going to Google | Verge This is Big Tech's playbook for swallowing the AI industry | Command Line Amazon hires founders away from AI startup Adept | TechCrunch Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Session 5: Be Kind Part 3 -  Greasy Mustache The Adept Mystics get a new job, one that was born of their own actions. Turns out, when a “Free Spirit” destroys a construction site, the corp that runs that site wants some pay back. Can the crew continue to have their cake and eat it too? All the while digging themselves out of a sticky situation? Find out! Cast: Chris - GM Dave - Trevor “Huey” Riggs (Troll Physical Adept and Ex-Beat Cop) Aaron - Alatar “Jonathan Strange” Pollando (Elf Former Wage Mage)   Musical Credits:  Epic Unease by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3714-epic-unease  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    There It Is by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4519-there-it-is  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    "Bet You Can ver 2" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/    "The Way Out" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Session 4: Be Kind Part 2 - Toasted Wieners The Adept Mystics have to try and get their cake and eat it too. Semi-altruistic as ever, but committed to staying loyal to a contract, they must figure out how to spare a fledgling media rental business in the Brampton Barrens BUT not really… but make it SEEM like they did… maybe? What troubles will they face in this gang riddled suburban wasteland? Cast: Chris - GM Dave - Trevor “Huey” Riggs (Troll Physical Adept and Ex-Beat Cop) Aaron - Alatar “Jonathan Strange” Pollando (Elf Former Wage Mage)   Musical Credits:  Epic Unease by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3714-epic-unease  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    There It Is by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4519-there-it-is  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    "Bet You Can ver 2" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/    "The Way Out" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What's really holding back innovation in our sector, and how do we finally break through?We find out together on today's Highways Voices as we hear about a brand new report from the Local Council Roads Innovation Group, called Inspiring Change Across The Highways Sector.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!LCRIG CEO Paula Claytonsmith is our guest to tell us about the in-depth study and how it's found that, despite growing enthusiasm for innovation, decision makers across highways and transport consistently face the same barriers: complex procurement, risk-averse cultures, and siloed learning.She talks about how most local authorities self-identify as innovators, but still feel stuck when it comes to real change. We hear that collaboration is being shaped by local authorities and some of the practical tools and support are being rolled out to drive shared innovation, knowledge hubs, and lasting sector improvement through 2026 and beyond.The full report is available here.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

Awards season can bring out the best in people - but also the most suspicious takes… In this episode of Adepting To Change Bitesize, we chat about our recent experience at the BISA awards ceremony in London. From the big moments to the behind-the-scenes doubts (and debates!), we unpack what it actually means to be in the running - and discuss whether or not we will get involved next year! It's short, sharp, and full of classic Adept honesty.

We're joined by the fantastic A.M. Adair to discuss her novella Origin Story, translating fiction into different mediums, and diving headfirst into a character's frame of mind. We also get a sneak peek of Origin Story, representation of women in fiction, and the therapeutic benefits of creative outlets. A.M. Adair retired from active duty as a Chief Warrant Officer of the United States Navy, having spent over 21 years in the Intelligence Community, specializing in counterintelligence and human intelligence. She has been to numerous countries, including multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her experiences have been unique and provided her imagination with a wealth of material to draw from to give her stories life. A lifelong fan of the genre, she is an International Thriller Writers associate member. Shadow Game was her debut novel and the first book in the Elle Anderson series. Her second novel, The Deeper Shadow, was a Distinguished Favorite in the 2021 NYC Big Book Awards thriller category. In 2023, her third novel, Shadow War, won in the Action/Adventure category of the Independent Press Awards and was a finalist for the 2023 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award. Her fourth novel, A New Game, won an Independent Press Award and NYC Big Book Award in 2024 for Action/Adventure, and it was a 2024 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion finalist. Her first novella, Origin Story, released at the end of 2024, became an Amazon bestseller. She lives in Tennessee with her husband Jake, daughter Arya, and son Finn.Dark Waters vol. 1 & 2 are available to order! To get acopy, head over to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Want to submit your writing? Emaildarkwaterspodcast@gmail.comIntro/Outro music: www.bensound.comDisclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinionsof the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

How do you innovate, lead, and scale in an industry where policy, procurement, and public funding often stand in the way of real progress?We discuss this with one of our industry's leaders, Michael Schuch, CEO of SWARCO today on Highways Voices.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!In our chat, we unpack the major roadblocks facing innovation in transport infrastructure - from rigid procurement processes to inconsistent sustainability policies. This conversation reveals how to navigate the frustrating gap between political ambition and practical deployment, and how to stay future-proof in the process.Michael gives reasons for the industry to work together to counter anticompetitive behaviour, discusses his culture of innovation across borders, even in the face of post-pandemic workplace challenges and explains why many groundbreaking traffic technologies never scale, and what's needed to change that. He also talks about the company's the GoGreen Initiative and how to communicate the value of smart mobility solutions to cities worldwide.This interview is a dip into the archives, originally shared in 2024 but as relevant 15 months later.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

Alex & Paul are back this time with shorter episodes with the same honest chat, industry insight, and behind-the-scenes stories from the Adept world. In this first instalment, we talk about what it really feels like to be nominated and to sponsor awards (spoiler: it's a bit surreal).  Hit play for a quick listen that's light, relatable, and very Adept.

Session 3: Be Kind Part 1 - Simple Jobs The Adept Mystics have a promise to uphold and message to deliver. It's time for some grave robbing and rituals to commune with the dead to deliver a message. How far are they willing to go for a favour with a long dead little girl to her estranged dead father? Cast: Chris - GM Dave - Trevor “Huey” Riggs (Troll Physical Adept and Ex-Beat Cop) Aaron - Alatar “Jonathan Strange” Pollando (Elf Former Wage Mage) Crystal Chris - Yorgen Fal (Banshee Street Samurai)   Musical Credits:  Epic Unease by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3714-epic-unease  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    There It Is by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4519-there-it-is  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    "Bet You Can ver 2" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/    "The Way Out" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Today on Highways Voices, we cut through carbon reduction confusion, and look at taking meaningful action.We're joined by Brightly to talk Carbon Literacy, which is an understanding of carbon emissions associated with everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce them, as well as being about being aware of the impact of our choices, both as individuals and businesses.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!Brightly has recently taken action on this, being accredited themselves as a business, and now they are using that learning to help local authorities with their targets.Our guest is Zoe Sterling-Wall, Business Development Manager for Sustainability at Brightly, who chatted to Adrian Tatum and discussed how carbon literacy training can simplify decision-making and empower action across entire highway networks. They also discuss how organisations like Brightly are leading by example and helping local authorities embed sustainability into operations, and you'll hear her advice about practical, scalable strategies to foster collaboration and accountability across departments and supply chains.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

Alex & Paul launch a series of quick-fire episodes of the Adepting To Change Bitesize - and this time we're talking all things charity, community and dragon boat racing! From sponsored step counts to tough mudders, we reflect on what giving back really means at Adept - and how we try to make it fun.

Dennis berättar om hur det var uppe i Stockholm på High Fice Summer Party och Broken Summer Fest med en riktig svensk emokvartet! Chemical Vocation, Adept, Normadie och Intohimo!Vi går igenom hela Craig Owens liv som musiker med alla medgångar, motgångar och bandbyten. Hela hans diskografi med samtliga band som Chiodos, DRUGS, Cinematic Sunrise, Isle & Glaciers mfl. Du hittar länkar till instagram, patreon, merch, discord och våra andra poddar i vårt länkträd: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/emopodden.⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify-lista med låtarna från avsnittet⁠⁠Vill du sen ha ännu mer musik så kan du spana in den ⁠⁠ultimata listan⁠⁠ med alla låtar från alla våra avsnitt![We do not own any music played in this podcast. All short snippets of music we play are for promotion and/or reviewing purposes only, and all credit goes to the original creators.]

Today on Highways Voices we return to our occasional series of Highways Business podcasts, where we look to explain the highs and lows, the profits, the losses and successes and failures of running a company in the highways and transport industry.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!With everything from the forthcoming launch of the National Highways Scheme Delivery Framework 2 worth around £14.5 billion, to numerous local authorities looking to go to tender at any one time during the year, finding an organisation that can properly support bids can be tough. So today we talk to one that can, EIB.EIB is a client focused consultancy with a fully employed team delivering market leading bid management and writing support. Scott Brown, co-founder and CEO, and the company's Deputy Chief Executive, Caitlin Murphy join Adrian Tatum to tell the 33-year story of the business, why it was started in the first place and what potential did they see.In today's podcast you'll hear details of how how they set up the business, grew it and focussed it, and to get and retain the right staff for the right work. You'll also get details on how to win bids - why early engagement and client alignment are critical to crafting winning bids, how EIB's fully employed consultancy model creates consistency, quality, and client trust, and the practical tools you can use to improve a bid, everything from compliance matrices and storyboarding to cross-sector strategy.Hit play now to uncover how the EIB team achieves its rate—and what you can take from their approach to immediately improve your next bid.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

Session 2: Ghostpunchers! Part 2: Kirby Road Beatdown One trucker ghost down and beaten on camera, pure authentic entertainment for the masses. Trideo viewers and stay at home mothers will love it! But there's gotta be more lurking in the shadows of this decades haunted road. What will the Adept Mystics fight next? Find out! Cast: Chris - GM Dave - Trevor “Huey” Riggs (Troll Physical Adept and Ex-Beat Cop) Aaron - Alatar “Jonathan Strange” Pollando (Elf Former Wage Mage)   Musical Credits:  Epic Unease by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3714-epic-unease  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    There It Is by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4519-there-it-is  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license    "Bet You Can ver 2" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/    "The Way Out" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Let's get around a hundred local authorities, local and national infrastructure leaders and cutting-edge transport technology companies together to redefine the future of highways on Highways Voices today.We're back at the LCRIG Innovation and Learning Festival after last week's show to discuss maintaining roads more efficiently, introducing autonomous vehicles and securing infrastructure from cyber threats, all while under pressure to do more with less.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!This episode offers practical solutions already being trialled as you'll learn about how autonomous shuttles are moving from prototype to real-world first/last mile transport solutions, discover how Coventry City Council successfully integrated drones, AI, and V2X tech to cut incident response times and emissions and you'll understand how public-private partnerships and technology-enabled asset monitoring, and smart procurement models are driving down costs and improving infrastructure resilience.Hit play now to explore how today's innovations in highway technology can make your operations safer, smarter, and more cost-effective—starting with what's already working across the UK.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

A truly groundbreaking road maintenance machine makes its debut on today's Highways Voices, while we get advice on innovation and funding from a leading local authority and hear a call to action on a new way of managing data.We're at the Innovation Festival in Warwickshire, which is an event for industry leaders and professionals dedicated to advancing highways maintenance and transport technology, with a mix of indoor and outdoor exhibitions, demonstrations, presentations and networking.Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!Multevo launches its new Recycle, Rejuvenate, Repair machine on today's podcast where you hear what it does and why it could prove to be groundbreaking in more ways that one.You'll also hear from Sam Shean from Reading Borough Council on its approach to using innovation to lower carbon, while Dorian Isaacson from start-up zone attendee Streetwise discusses data counting and its value for road safety.On top of that, we hear about above ground detection and how the technology can replace, or work with, inductive loops, there's a roadworker safety solution demonstrated by Highway Resource Solutions and clever data management system from Nicander looking for someone to try it out.Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.

Trenayce will open with the “The Internal Light Meditation” and then continue our deep discussion on the Sacred Egyptian Tarot, by examining Card #21, of the Major Arcana. This is “The Adept” also known as “The World” Card in the modern day Tarot. Find out what power and significance is held within this Archetype and how this information can help you Navigate Your Awakening!  #Transformation  #TheAwakening  #SacredTarot  #SelfEmpowerment

The GTS (Season 2): The Adept Mystics! Session 1: Ghostpunchers! Part 1: We are Back, we are SO Back! 2 Months since the Muskoka Desert run, some things have been changing and shaking up in the GTS and north of it. Our Runners, the Adept Mystics have taken a break from running in the Shadows, but no ones out for long. A new job, one that seems pretty legit and straightforward has been dropped in their laps. Punch some ghosts for a Trideo pilot episode. What could go wrong? Cast: Chris - GM Dave - Trevor “Huey” Riggs (Troll Physical Adept and Ex-Beat Cop) Aaron - Alatar “Jonathan Strange” Pollando (Elf Former Wage Mage) Crystal Chris - Yorgen Fal (Banshee Street Samurai) Musical Credits:  Epic Unease by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3714-epic-unease  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license  There It Is by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4519-there-it-is  License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license  "Bet You Can ver 2" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  "The Way Out" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

Episode 254 of the EYE ON SCI-FI podcast introduces 'The Adept,' an indie sci-fi fantasy short film by Canadian visual effects artist and composer Adam Stern, also known for the hit short film 'FTL.' The film explores the story of a married scientist couple, Ben and Maddie, who uncover a powerful force that blends science and magic. #scifishort #scifi #fantasySubscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts or Amazon Music.To subscribe to the newsletter, explore the podcast archive, support the podcast, and more, visit EYE ON SCI-FI Link Tree.Episode Link:Watch sci-fi/fantasy short: THE ADEPTInterview with ‘The Adept' creator, VFX professional and composer, Adam Stern

We're going back to the 80s to spotlight a low budget horror from The Empire days of legendary producer Charles Band.  We hope you enjoy as we give the horror 101 treatment to Luca Bercovici's Ghoulies.  Show Highlights:01:00 Prelude to Terror...05:15  Before Full Moon....07:55  You have a Big Hit on your hands...09:35  PG-13!?14:00  Ritual Infanticide...17:05  Inheritance...19:10  First Party...23:20  Becoming an Adept...26:00  Weird Sexy Time...27:55  Summoned Dwarves...31:55  Resurrection Ritual...34:23  Malcolm's Ghoulie Massacre...43:50  Black Magic Showdown...47:45  The Ending...51:00  Scoring the film...59:00  Conclusion!  Thanks for lIstening!

Recorded during the early hours of Sunday morning at Garage Noord at the Omen Wapta Weekender, this live set from Formant Value captures the essence of a weekend that transcended the club experience—where sound, space, and shared energy merged into something truly transformative. Opening in slow motion, the set unfolds with a deep, psychedelic ambient current—echoes, pulses, and dub textures forming a wide sonic horizon. What follows is a steady, organic rise into tribal techno rhythms and hi-tech structures, maintaining a sense of spaciousness even at its most kinetic. It's a set that mirrors the architecture of the night itself: meditative, then elevating, then dissolving again. There are no sharp corners—just flow. Time felt suspended. Movement turned internal. And in the foggy warmth of the dancefloor, listeners were gently guided through a collective dreamspace. Formant Value is known for his unique & sophisticated sound, that defies easy categorisation whilst nodding in the direction of downtempo, dub and IDM, with elements of D'n'B, trance and techno. His music has been released by a number of labels including Lowless Records, Well Street Records, Rgd tribe and Annulled Music. Adept at sustaining the fine tension between dancefloor energy and audiophile precision of intent home listening, Formant Value brings a uniquely fresh take on contemporary club music. Follow: https://soundcloud.com/formant-value https://www.instagram.com/formantvalue/ https://linktr.ee/formantvalue

This week Sam and Marcos welcome back deathcore titans Lorna Shore, discuss the separation of I Prevail and Brian Burkheiser, who or what is President(?), Pierce The Veil's insane setlist for new tour, Anthony Fantano murders Sleep Token, Adept return, reviews of new albums from Bury Tomorrow, The Callous Daoboys, Arm's Length, and Sleep Theory plus much more! News: I Prevail and Brian Burkheiser break-up, Sleep Token keeps topping the charts, Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine tour comes to a strange end, Pierce The Veil's insane setlist and more (7:19). Spotlight: Outsider Heart starting at (44:50).  New Music: Lorna Shore, President, Adept, The Rasmus, De'Wayne, and Beauty School Dropout starting at (52:31). Reviews: Bury Tomorrow (1:25:56), Arm's Length (1:36:04), The Callous Daoboys (1:54:13), and Sleep Theory.  Become a Patron to gain early access and exclusive benefits! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Sotspodcast Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jp0fpudUz7gvu0SFaXhK3?si=6cddbd5b63564c9a Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sotspod Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3egU3Dk Merch: https://www.sotspodcast.com/merch Twitter: https://twitter.com/SOTSPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sotspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sotspodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sotspodcast  Threads: https://www.threads.net/@sotspodcast?hl=en Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sotspodcast.bsky.social

podcast #warhammer #warhammer40k #warhammercommunity #gamesworkshop https://warhammertv.com/player/25504/stream?assetType=episodes&playlist_id=5 New episodes LIVE every Tuesday at 10PM EST / 7PM PST! Also available as a podcast wherever you get yours. www.grimafterdark.com for links to all our stuff! Hosted by: Jon Quennell, Danny McDevitt and Val Heffelfinger Produced by: Tech Priest Dickie Executive Producer: Nick Horton

Die Abwesenheit von Unglück und Katastrophen bedeutet nicht automatisch Glück und Zufriedenheit. Das kommt langsam auch in der Psychotherapie an, die sich in der Vergangenheit vor allem mit Krankheitsbildern beschäftigt und daher eher das Ziel hat, das Unglück und die Katastrophen zu beseitigen. Aber wäre es nicht schön, wenn wir wieder glücklich sein könnten? Leon und Atze beschäftigen sich dieses Mal mit Therapieansätzen, die positive Gefühle im Fokus haben und was wir für unseren Alltag daraus mitnehmen können. Fühlt euch gut betreut Leon & Atze Start ins heutige Thema: 12:07 min. VVK Münster 2025: https://betreutes-fuehlen.ticket.io/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leonwindscheid/ https://www.instagram.com/atzeschroeder_offiziell/ Der Instagram Account für Betreutes Fühlen: https://www.instagram.com/betreutesfuehlen/ Mehr zu unseren Werbepartnern findet ihr hier: https://linktr.ee/betreutesfuehlen Tickets: Atze: https://www.atzeschroeder.de/#termine Leon: https://leonwindscheid.de/tour/ Quellen: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-psychotherapies-that-focus-on-positive-experiences-could-better-treat/ Studie zu PAT: Craske, M. G., Meuret, A. E., Echiverri-Cohen, A., Rosenfield, D., & Ritz, T. (2023). Positive affect treatment targets reward sensitivity: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10213148/ Studie zu ADepT: Dunn, B. D., Widnall, E., Warbrick, L., Warner, F., Reed, N., Price, A., ... & Kuyken, W. (2023). Preliminary clinical and cost effectiveness of augmented depression therapy versus cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment of anhedonic depression (ADepT): a single-centre, open-label, parallel-group, pilot, randomised, controlled trial. EClinicalMedicine,. https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/eclinm/PIIS2589-5370(23)00261-4.pdf Studie zu SkillJoy: LaFreniere, L. S., & Newman, M. G. (2023). Reducing contrast avoidance in GAD by savoring positive emotions: Outcome and mediation in a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9976801/ Redaktion: Andy Hartard Produktion: Murmel Productions

David is an OG in AI who has been at the forefront of many of the major breakthroughs of the past decade. His resume: VP of Engineering at OpenAI, a key contributor to Google Brain, co-founder of Adept, and now leading Amazon's SF AGI Lab. In this episode we focused on how far test-time compute gets us, the real implications of DeepSeek, what agents milestones he's looking for and more.[0:00] Intro[1:14] DeepSeek Reactions and Market Implications[2:44] AI Models and Efficiency[4:11] Challenges in Building AGI[7:58] Research Problems in AI Development[11:17] The Future of AI Agents[15:12] Engineering Challenges and Innovations[19:45] The Path to Reliable AI Agents[21:48] Defining AGI and Its Impact[22:47] Challenges and Gating Factors[24:05] Future Human-Computer Interaction[25:00] Specialized Models and Policy[25:58] Technical Challenges and Model Evaluation[28:36] Amazon's Role in AGI Development[30:33] Data Labeling and Team Building[36:37] Reflections on OpenAI[42:12] Quickfire With your co-hosts: @jacobeffron - Partner at Redpoint, Former PM Flatiron Health @patrickachase - Partner at Redpoint, Former ML Engineer LinkedIn @ericabrescia - Former COO Github, Founder Bitnami (acq'd by VMWare) @jordan_segall - Partner at Redpoint

ABOUT COLLEEN TARTOWColleen Tartow, Ph.D. is Field CTO and Head of Strategy at VAST Data and has 20+ years of experience in data, analytics, engineering, and consulting. Adept at assisting organizations in deriving value from a data-driven culture, she has successfully led diverse data, engineering, and analytics teams through the development of complex global data management solutions and architecting enterprise data systems. Her demonstrated excellence in data, engineering, analytics, and diversity leadership makes her a trusted senior advisor among executives. An experienced speaker, author, valued mentor and startup advisor, Colleen holds degrees in astrophysics and lives in Massachusetts.ABOUT JIM LIUJim Liu is an accomplished engineering leader with a track record of driving business outcomes at companies like StockX and Nordstrom. He is also an active community builder with Engineering Leader Community and Angel Investor communities. Jim and his family reside in Seattle, WA.ABOUT DIVYA ALAVARTHIDivya Alavarthi is an experienced engineering and business leader with 14+ years of expertise in architecture, engineering, product delivery, pre-sales, professional services, and organizational leadership. She developed Salesforce Platform architecture standards, best practices, and minimal viable architectures. She supported a talent pool of 5000+ architects and developers resulting in improved strategic agility, speed to market, and business value in large-scale multi-cloud implementations.This episode is brought to you by Clipboard HealthClipboard Health is looking for the next generation of exceptional software engineering leaders, not just managers. They're a profitable unicorn, backed by top-tier investors, and they take the craft of engineering management seriously.Clipboard Health matches highly qualified healthcare workers with nearby facilities to fulfill millions of shifts a year - revolutionizing healthcare staffing with a fast, flexible, and user-friendly platform.Learn more & browse their open roles at clipboardhealth.com/engineeringSHOW NOTES:The importance of leadership in hiring (1:29)The Tartow Method Explained: Key aspects of a successful hiring practice (3:57)How to build out the interview process & ask the right questions (6:14)Behavioral Interviews and good responses: Tips for gaining clarity from interviewees on abstract skills (7:52)Where eng leaders can start building their hiring skill set (9:16)Colleen's experience co-leading ELC Boston & advice for 1st time event attendees (10:36)Understanding how to model problems as engineering challenges (14:41)How to use an engineering mindset to tackle personal problems (16:35)Jim's process for deconstructing problems & solving them like an engineer (18:38)Tips for building / applying your skill set around abstracting problems (21:27)Jim's perspective on getting involved with a local ELC community (24:36)Ways to help make the most out of your first ELC local experience (27:05)Divya shares about the power of storytelling in engineering leadership (30:07)Build the narrative about your product's business impact (32:24)An example of bringing different demos & storytelling together (34:09)Frameworks for effective storytelling: build a narrative around a product / demo (36:16)How to start improving your storytelling today (37:35)Divya's favorite moments with the ELC Seattle chapter & how to get involved (39:42)LINKS AND RESOURCESCheck out all of our local chapters & get involved here: elc.community/home/clubsThis episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-HostJerry Li - Co-HostNoah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan's also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/

We were live for the first time this year! Show Notes: Run Time: 1:32:51 Lots of goofs, silliness, mistakes, apologies, answers, justifications, and ridiculous listener interactions (encompassing interactions that are ridiculous AND listeners who are ridiculous — you know who you are), all of which means: it's another Editor's Note! Thank you all for being a part of this. We also announced the upcoming schedule:  Tuesday, February 4th: Episode #308 - Writers' Room: K.N.Y.F.E. can't just punch her way out of a situation Tuesday, February 11th: Episode #309 - Writers' Room: Disparation: a modern hero in the Golden Age Tuesday, February 18th: Editor's Note #88 Tuesday, February 25th: Episode #310 - Creative Process: Other Scions of OblivAeon Also, we had another installment of the Yarniverse from our industrious listener Kyrie Wynne! Featuring... Vis-yarn-ary! Craft-ain Cosmic! The Darn-gent Adept! and Weave! We love them. Join us next week for yet another Creative Process episode! About a distant future limited series? What could that possibly mean?! You'll just have to listen to find out!

* Tribes of Cara Fahd: The Thunderers * Astrologically-inclined tribe. * Emerged from their kaer during a storm. * Adapted and changed from raiding to trade and mercenary service. * More spiritual bent; influence from their shared experience. * Are not family-exclusive. Open to other orks joining them. * Significant portion of their tribe are cavalry. * Overview of Thunderer training. * Forces organized around "cerri" -- small, tight-knit groups. * Adept cerri frequently swear oaths and form group patterns. * Elite forces, but not egotistical about it. Much respect from other tribes. * Very organized, routine-oriented tribe. * Feelings of obsidiman or troll spirituality to the Thunderers. * "Strong, silent types." * Questors are rare; they honor them all (thirteen) in turn. * Association with Cara Fahd * Waited for sign to join Krathis Gron... and got it. * Have adapted again, settling in to Cara Fahd as their home. * Current chief is Krathis Gron's primary military advisor. * True believers, but not as dramatic about it. * Speculation on the Thunderers' role in the Second Theran War. * Rebuilding the ruins of an old Cara Fahd city - New Revalk * Influential members of the Thunderers. * Clever twist/deconstruction on the stereotypical ork tribe. Find and Follow: Email: edsgpodcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcast Find and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchant Get product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.com FASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesinc Official Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawn FASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9u Earthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

The DWP Echo Chamber returns with the final episode of Series Two! In Episode 10, James and Michele talk about Winter for the Adept by Andrew Cartmel, released in July 2000 - the tenth story in Big Finish's main range. Listening instructions are very straightforward - Buy Winter for the Adept from Big Finish Productions for just a few pounds (if you don't own it already of course!) Listen to it! Join us in the Echo Chamber, listen to what we thought and join in the discussion! The Echo Chamber will be back with Series 3 later in 2025. Enjoy the show!

Applications for the 2025 AI Engineer Summit are up, and you can save the date for AIE Singapore in April and AIE World's Fair 2025 in June.Happy new year, and thanks for 100 great episodes! Please let us know what you want to see/hear for the next 100!Full YouTube Episode with Slides/ChartsLike and subscribe and hit that bell to get notifs!Timestamps* 00:00 Welcome to the 100th Episode!* 00:19 Reflecting on the Journey* 00:47 AI Engineering: The Rise and Impact* 03:15 Latent Space Live and AI Conferences* 09:44 The Competitive AI Landscape* 21:45 Synthetic Data and Future Trends* 35:53 Creative Writing with AI* 36:12 Legal and Ethical Issues in AI* 38:18 The Data War: GPU Poor vs. GPU Rich* 39:12 The Rise of GPU Ultra Rich* 40:47 Emerging Trends in AI Models* 45:31 The Multi-Modality War* 01:05:31 The Future of AI Benchmarks* 01:13:17 Pionote and Frontier Models* 01:13:47 Niche Models and Base Models* 01:14:30 State Space Models and RWKB* 01:15:48 Inference Race and Price Wars* 01:22:16 Major AI Themes of the Year* 01:22:48 AI Rewind: January to March* 01:26:42 AI Rewind: April to June* 01:33:12 AI Rewind: July to September* 01:34:59 AI Rewind: October to December* 01:39:53 Year-End Reflections and PredictionsTranscript[00:00:00] Welcome to the 100th Episode![00:00:00] Alessio: Hey everyone, welcome to the Latent Space Podcast. This is Alessio, partner and CTO at Decibel Partners, and I'm joined by my co host Swyx for the 100th time today.[00:00:12] swyx: Yay, um, and we're so glad that, yeah, you know, everyone has, uh, followed us in this journey. How do you feel about it? 100 episodes.[00:00:19] Alessio: Yeah, I know.[00:00:19] Reflecting on the Journey[00:00:19] Alessio: Almost two years that we've been doing this. We've had four different studios. Uh, we've had a lot of changes. You know, we used to do this lightning round. When we first started that we didn't like, and we tried to change the question. The answer[00:00:32] swyx: was cursor and perplexity.[00:00:34] Alessio: Yeah, I love mid journey. It's like, do you really not like anything else?[00:00:38] Alessio: Like what's, what's the unique thing? And I think, yeah, we, we've also had a lot more research driven content. You know, we had like 3DAO, we had, you know. Jeremy Howard, we had more folks like that.[00:00:47] AI Engineering: The Rise and Impact[00:00:47] Alessio: I think we want to do more of that too in the new year, like having, uh, some of the Gemini folks, both on the research and the applied side.[00:00:54] Alessio: Yeah, but it's been a ton of fun. I think we both started, I wouldn't say as a joke, we were kind of like, Oh, we [00:01:00] should do a podcast. And I think we kind of caught the right wave, obviously. And I think your rise of the AI engineer posts just kind of get people. Sombra to congregate, and then the AI engineer summit.[00:01:11] Alessio: And that's why when I look at our growth chart, it's kind of like a proxy for like the AI engineering industry as a whole, which is almost like, like, even if we don't do that much, we keep growing just because there's so many more AI engineers. So did you expect that growth or did you expect that would take longer for like the AI engineer thing to kind of like become, you know, everybody talks about it today.[00:01:32] swyx: So, the sign of that, that we have won is that Gartner puts it at the top of the hype curve right now. So Gartner has called the peak in AI engineering. I did not expect, um, to what level. I knew that I was correct when I called it because I did like two months of work going into that. But I didn't know, You know, how quickly it could happen, and obviously there's a chance that I could be wrong.[00:01:52] swyx: But I think, like, most people have come around to that concept. Hacker News hates it, which is a good sign. But there's enough people that have defined it, you know, GitHub, when [00:02:00] they launched GitHub Models, which is the Hugging Face clone, they put AI engineers in the banner, like, above the fold, like, in big So I think it's like kind of arrived as a meaningful and useful definition.[00:02:12] swyx: I think people are trying to figure out where the boundaries are. I think that was a lot of the quote unquote drama that happens behind the scenes at the World's Fair in June. Because I think there's a lot of doubt or questions about where ML engineering stops and AI engineering starts. That's a useful debate to be had.[00:02:29] swyx: In some sense, I actually anticipated that as well. So I intentionally did not. Put a firm definition there because most of the successful definitions are necessarily underspecified and it's actually useful to have different perspectives and you don't have to specify everything from the outset.[00:02:45] Alessio: Yeah, I was at um, AWS reInvent and the line to get into like the AI engineering talk, so to speak, which is, you know, applied AI and whatnot was like, there are like hundreds of people just in line to go in.[00:02:56] Alessio: I think that's kind of what enabled me. People, right? Which is what [00:03:00] you kind of talked about. It's like, Hey, look, you don't actually need a PhD, just, yeah, just use the model. And then maybe we'll talk about some of the blind spots that you get as an engineer with the earlier posts that we also had on on the sub stack.[00:03:11] Alessio: But yeah, it's been a heck of a heck of a two years.[00:03:14] swyx: Yeah.[00:03:15] Latent Space Live and AI Conferences[00:03:15] swyx: You know, I was, I was trying to view the conference as like, so NeurIPS is I think like 16, 17, 000 people. And the Latent Space Live event that we held there was 950 signups. I think. The AI world, the ML world is still very much research heavy. And that's as it should be because ML is very much in a research phase.[00:03:34] swyx: But as we move this entire field into production, I think that ratio inverts into becoming more engineering heavy. So at least I think engineering should be on the same level, even if it's never as prestigious, like it'll always be low status because at the end of the day, you're manipulating APIs or whatever.[00:03:51] swyx: But Yeah, wrapping GPTs, but there's going to be an increasing stack and an art to doing these, these things well. And I, you know, I [00:04:00] think that's what we're focusing on for the podcast, the conference and basically everything I do seems to make sense. And I think we'll, we'll talk about the trends here that apply.[00:04:09] swyx: It's, it's just very strange. So, like, there's a mix of, like, keeping on top of research while not being a researcher and then putting that research into production. So, like, people always ask me, like, why are you covering Neuralibs? Like, this is a ML research conference and I'm like, well, yeah, I mean, we're not going to, to like, understand everything Or reproduce every single paper, but the stuff that is being found here is going to make it through into production at some point, you hope.[00:04:32] swyx: And then actually like when I talk to the researchers, they actually get very excited because they're like, oh, you guys are actually caring about how this goes into production and that's what they really really want. The measure of success is previously just peer review, right? Getting 7s and 8s on their um, Academic review conferences and stuff like citations is one metric, but money is a better metric.[00:04:51] Alessio: Money is a better metric. Yeah, and there were about 2200 people on the live stream or something like that. Yeah, yeah. Hundred on the live stream. So [00:05:00] I try my best to moderate, but it was a lot spicier in person with Jonathan and, and Dylan. Yeah, that it was in the chat on YouTube.[00:05:06] swyx: I would say that I actually also created.[00:05:09] swyx: Layen Space Live in order to address flaws that are perceived in academic conferences. This is not NeurIPS specific, it's ICML, NeurIPS. Basically, it's very sort of oriented towards the PhD student, uh, market, job market, right? Like literally all, basically everyone's there to advertise their research and skills and get jobs.[00:05:28] swyx: And then obviously all the, the companies go there to hire them. And I think that's great for the individual researchers, but for people going there to get info is not great because you have to read between the lines, bring a ton of context in order to understand every single paper. So what is missing is effectively what I ended up doing, which is domain by domain, go through and recap the best of the year.[00:05:48] swyx: Survey the field. And there are, like NeurIPS had a, uh, I think ICML had a like a position paper track, NeurIPS added a benchmarks, uh, datasets track. These are ways in which to address that [00:06:00] issue. Uh, there's always workshops as well. Every, every conference has, you know, a last day of workshops and stuff that provide more of an overview.[00:06:06] swyx: But they're not specifically prompted to do so. And I think really, uh, Organizing a conference is just about getting good speakers and giving them the correct prompts. And then they will just go and do that thing and they do a very good job of it. So I think Sarah did a fantastic job with the startups prompt.[00:06:21] swyx: I can't list everybody, but we did best of 2024 in startups, vision, open models. Post transformers, synthetic data, small models, and agents. And then the last one was the, uh, and then we also did a quick one on reasoning with Nathan Lambert. And then the last one, obviously, was the debate that people were very hyped about.[00:06:39] swyx: It was very awkward. And I'm really, really thankful for John Franco, basically, who stepped up to challenge Dylan. Because Dylan was like, yeah, I'll do it. But He was pro scaling. And I think everyone who is like in AI is pro scaling, right? So you need somebody who's ready to publicly say, no, we've hit a wall.[00:06:57] swyx: So that means you're saying Sam Altman's wrong. [00:07:00] You're saying, um, you know, everyone else is wrong. It helps that this was the day before Ilya went on, went up on stage and then said pre training has hit a wall. And data has hit a wall. So actually Jonathan ended up winning, and then Ilya supported that statement, and then Noam Brown on the last day further supported that statement as well.[00:07:17] swyx: So it's kind of interesting that I think the consensus kind of going in was that we're not done scaling, like you should believe in a better lesson. And then, four straight days in a row, you had Sepp Hochreiter, who is the creator of the LSTM, along with everyone's favorite OG in AI, which is Juergen Schmidhuber.[00:07:34] swyx: He said that, um, we're pre trading inside a wall, or like, we've run into a different kind of wall. And then we have, you know John Frankel, Ilya, and then Noam Brown are all saying variations of the same thing, that we have hit some kind of wall in the status quo of what pre trained, scaling large pre trained models has looked like, and we need a new thing.[00:07:54] swyx: And obviously the new thing for people is some make, either people are calling it inference time compute or test time [00:08:00] compute. I think the collective terminology has been inference time, and I think that makes sense because test time, calling it test, meaning, has a very pre trained bias, meaning that the only reason for running inference at all is to test your model.[00:08:11] swyx: That is not true. Right. Yeah. So, so, I quite agree that. OpenAI seems to have adopted, or the community seems to have adopted this terminology of ITC instead of TTC. And that, that makes a lot of sense because like now we care about inference, even right down to compute optimality. Like I actually interviewed this author who recovered or reviewed the Chinchilla paper.[00:08:31] swyx: Chinchilla paper is compute optimal training, but what is not stated in there is it's pre trained compute optimal training. And once you start caring about inference, compute optimal training, you have a different scaling law. And in a way that we did not know last year.[00:08:45] Alessio: I wonder, because John is, he's also on the side of attention is all you need.[00:08:49] Alessio: Like he had the bet with Sasha. So I'm curious, like he doesn't believe in scaling, but he thinks the transformer, I wonder if he's still. So, so,[00:08:56] swyx: so he, obviously everything is nuanced and you know, I told him to play a character [00:09:00] for this debate, right? So he actually does. Yeah. He still, he still believes that we can scale more.[00:09:04] swyx: Uh, he just assumed the character to be very game for, for playing this debate. So even more kudos to him that he assumed a position that he didn't believe in and still won the debate.[00:09:16] Alessio: Get rekt, Dylan. Um, do you just want to quickly run through some of these things? Like, uh, Sarah's presentation, just the highlights.[00:09:24] swyx: Yeah, we can't go through everyone's slides, but I pulled out some things as a factor of, like, stuff that we were going to talk about. And we'll[00:09:30] Alessio: publish[00:09:31] swyx: the rest. Yeah, we'll publish on this feed the best of 2024 in those domains. And hopefully people can benefit from the work that our speakers have done.[00:09:39] swyx: But I think it's, uh, these are just good slides. And I've been, I've been looking for a sort of end of year recaps from, from people.[00:09:44] The Competitive AI Landscape[00:09:44] swyx: The field has progressed a lot. You know, I think the max ELO in 2023 on LMSys used to be 1200 for LMSys ELOs. And now everyone is at least at, uh, 1275 in their ELOs, and this is across Gemini, Chadjibuti, [00:10:00] Grok, O1.[00:10:01] swyx: ai, which with their E Large model, and Enthopic, of course. It's a very, very competitive race. There are multiple Frontier labs all racing, but there is a clear tier zero Frontier. And then there's like a tier one. It's like, I wish I had everything else. Tier zero is extremely competitive. It's effectively now three horse race between Gemini, uh, Anthropic and OpenAI.[00:10:21] swyx: I would say that people are still holding out a candle for XAI. XAI, I think, for some reason, because their API was very slow to roll out, is not included in these metrics. So it's actually quite hard to put on there. As someone who also does charts, XAI is continually snubbed because they don't work well with the benchmarking people.[00:10:42] swyx: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a little trivia for why XAI always gets ignored. The other thing is market share. So these are slides from Sarah. We have it up on the screen. It has gone from very heavily open AI. So we have some numbers and estimates. These are from RAMP. Estimates of open AI market share in [00:11:00] December 2023.[00:11:01] swyx: And this is basically, what is it, GPT being 95 percent of production traffic. And I think if you correlate that with stuff that we asked. Harrison Chase on the LangChain episode, it was true. And then CLAUD 3 launched mid middle of this year. I think CLAUD 3 launched in March, CLAUD 3. 5 Sonnet was in June ish.[00:11:23] swyx: And you can start seeing the market share shift towards opening, uh, towards that topic, uh, very, very aggressively. The more recent one is Gemini. So if I scroll down a little bit, this is an even more recent dataset. So RAM's dataset ends in September 2 2. 2024. Gemini has basically launched a price war at the low end, uh, with Gemini Flash, uh, being basically free for personal use.[00:11:44] swyx: Like, I think people don't understand the free tier. It's something like a billion tokens per day. Unless you're trying to abuse it, you cannot really exhaust your free tier on Gemini. They're really trying to get you to use it. They know they're in like third place, um, fourth place, depending how you, how you count.[00:11:58] swyx: And so they're going after [00:12:00] the Lower tier first, and then, you know, maybe the upper tier later, but yeah, Gemini Flash, according to OpenRouter, is now 50 percent of their OpenRouter requests. Obviously, these are the small requests. These are small, cheap requests that are mathematically going to be more.[00:12:15] swyx: The smart ones obviously are still going to OpenAI. But, you know, it's a very, very big shift in the market. Like basically 2023, 2022, To going into 2024 opening has gone from nine five market share to Yeah. Reasonably somewhere between 50 to 75 market share.[00:12:29] Alessio: Yeah. I'm really curious how ramped does the attribution to the model?[00:12:32] Alessio: If it's API, because I think it's all credit card spin. . Well, but it's all, the credit card doesn't say maybe. Maybe the, maybe when they do expenses, they upload the PDF, but yeah, the, the German I think makes sense. I think that was one of my main 2024 takeaways that like. The best small model companies are the large labs, which is not something I would have thought that the open source kind of like long tail would be like the small model.[00:12:53] swyx: Yeah, different sizes of small models we're talking about here, right? Like so small model here for Gemini is AB, [00:13:00] right? Uh, mini. We don't know what the small model size is, but yeah, it's probably in the double digits or maybe single digits, but probably double digits. The open source community has kind of focused on the one to three B size.[00:13:11] swyx: Mm-hmm . Yeah. Maybe[00:13:12] swyx: zero, maybe 0.5 B uh, that's moon dream and that is small for you then, then that's great. It makes sense that we, we have a range for small now, which is like, may, maybe one to five B. Yeah. I'll even put that at, at, at the high end. And so this includes Gemma from Gemini as well. But also includes the Apple Foundation models, which I think Apple Foundation is 3B.[00:13:32] Alessio: Yeah. No, that's great. I mean, I think in the start small just meant cheap. I think today small is actually a more nuanced discussion, you know, that people weren't really having before.[00:13:43] swyx: Yeah, we can keep going. This is a slide that I smiley disagree with Sarah. She's pointing to the scale SEAL leaderboard. I think the Researchers that I talked with at NeurIPS were kind of positive on this because basically you need private test [00:14:00] sets to prevent contamination.[00:14:02] swyx: And Scale is one of maybe three or four people this year that has really made an effort in doing a credible private test set leaderboard. Llama405B does well compared to Gemini and GPT 40. And I think that's good. I would say that. You know, it's good to have an open model that is that big, that does well on those metrics.[00:14:23] swyx: But anyone putting 405B in production will tell you, if you scroll down a little bit to the artificial analysis numbers, that it is very slow and very expensive to infer. Um, it doesn't even fit on like one node. of, uh, of H100s. Cerebras will be happy to tell you they can serve 4 or 5B on their super large chips.[00:14:42] swyx: But, um, you know, if you need to do anything custom to it, you're still kind of constrained. So, is 4 or 5B really that relevant? Like, I think most people are basically saying that they only use 4 or 5B as a teacher model to distill down to something. Even Meta is doing it. So with Lama 3. [00:15:00] 3 launched, they only launched the 70B because they use 4 or 5B to distill the 70B.[00:15:03] swyx: So I don't know if like open source is keeping up. I think they're the, the open source industrial complex is very invested in telling you that the, if the gap is narrowing, I kind of disagree. I think that the gap is widening with O1. I think there are very, very smart people trying to narrow that gap and they should.[00:15:22] swyx: I really wish them success, but you cannot use a chart that is nearing 100 in your saturation chart. And look, the distance between open source and closed source is narrowing. Of course it's going to narrow because you're near 100. This is stupid. But in metrics that matter, is open source narrowing?[00:15:38] swyx: Probably not for O1 for a while. And it's really up to the open source guys to figure out if they can match O1 or not.[00:15:46] Alessio: I think inference time compute is bad for open source just because, you know, Doc can donate the flops at training time, but he cannot donate the flops at inference time. So it's really hard to like actually keep up on that axis.[00:15:59] Alessio: Big, big business [00:16:00] model shift. So I don't know what that means for the GPU clouds. I don't know what that means for the hyperscalers, but obviously the big labs have a lot of advantage. Because, like, it's not a static artifact that you're putting the compute in. You're kind of doing that still, but then you're putting a lot of computed inference too.[00:16:17] swyx: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, I mean, Llama4 will be reasoning oriented. We talked with Thomas Shalom. Um, kudos for getting that episode together. That was really nice. Good, well timed. Actually, I connected with the AI meta guy, uh, at NeurIPS, and, um, yeah, we're going to coordinate something for Llama4. Yeah, yeah,[00:16:32] Alessio: and our friend, yeah.[00:16:33] Alessio: Clara Shi just joined to lead the business agent side. So I'm sure we'll have her on in the new year.[00:16:39] swyx: Yeah. So, um, my comment on, on the business model shift, this is super interesting. Apparently it is wide knowledge that OpenAI wanted more than 6. 6 billion dollars for their fundraise. They wanted to raise, you know, higher, and they did not.[00:16:51] swyx: And what that means is basically like, it's very convenient that we're not getting GPT 5, which would have been a larger pre train. We should have a lot of upfront money. And [00:17:00] instead we're, we're converting fixed costs into variable costs, right. And passing it on effectively to the customer. And it's so much easier to take margin there because you can directly attribute it to like, Oh, you're using this more.[00:17:12] swyx: Therefore you, you pay more of the cost and I'll just slap a margin in there. So like that lets you control your growth margin and like tie your. Your spend, or your sort of inference spend, accordingly. And it's just really interesting to, that this change in the sort of inference paradigm has arrived exactly at the same time that the funding environment for pre training is effectively drying up, kind of.[00:17:36] swyx: I feel like maybe the VCs are very in tune with research anyway, so like, they would have noticed this, but, um, it's just interesting.[00:17:43] Alessio: Yeah, and I was looking back at our yearly recap of last year. Yeah. And the big thing was like the mixed trial price fights, you know, and I think now it's almost like there's nowhere to go, like, you know, Gemini Flash is like basically giving it away for free.[00:17:55] Alessio: So I think this is a good way for the labs to generate more revenue and pass down [00:18:00] some of the compute to the customer. I think they're going to[00:18:02] swyx: keep going. I think that 2, will come.[00:18:05] Alessio: Yeah, I know. Totally. I mean, next year, the first thing I'm doing is signing up for Devin. Signing up for the pro chat GBT.[00:18:12] Alessio: Just to try. I just want to see what does it look like to spend a thousand dollars a month on AI?[00:18:17] swyx: Yes. Yes. I think if your, if your, your job is a, at least AI content creator or VC or, you know, someone who, whose job it is to stay on, stay on top of things, you should already be spending like a thousand dollars a month on, on stuff.[00:18:28] swyx: And then obviously easy to spend, hard to use. You have to actually use. The good thing is that actually Google lets you do a lot of stuff for free now. So like deep research. That they just launched. Uses a ton of inference and it's, it's free while it's in preview.[00:18:45] Alessio: Yeah. They need to put that in Lindy.[00:18:47] Alessio: I've been using Lindy lately. I've been a built a bunch of things once we had flow because I liked the new thing. It's pretty good. I even did a phone call assistant. Um, yeah, they just launched Lindy voice. Yeah, I think once [00:19:00] they get advanced voice mode like capability today, still like speech to text, you can kind of tell.[00:19:06] Alessio: Um, but it's good for like reservations and things like that. So I have a meeting prepper thing. And so[00:19:13] swyx: it's good. Okay. I feel like we've, we've covered a lot of stuff. Uh, I, yeah, I, you know, I think We will go over the individual, uh, talks in a separate episode. Uh, I don't want to take too much time with, uh, this stuff, but that suffice to say that there is a lot of progress in each field.[00:19:28] swyx: Uh, we covered vision. Basically this is all like the audience voting for what they wanted. And then I just invited the best people I could find in each audience, especially agents. Um, Graham, who I talked to at ICML in Vienna, he is currently still number one. It's very hard to stay on top of SweetBench.[00:19:45] swyx: OpenHand is currently still number one. switchbench full, which is the hardest one. He had very good thoughts on agents, which I, which I'll highlight for people. Everyone is saying 2025 is the year of agents, just like they said last year. And, uh, but he had [00:20:00] thoughts on like eight parts of what are the frontier problems to solve in agents.[00:20:03] swyx: And so I'll highlight that talk as well.[00:20:05] Alessio: Yeah. The number six, which is the Hacken agents learn more about the environment, has been a Super interesting to us as well, just to think through, because, yeah, how do you put an agent in an enterprise where most things in an enterprise have never been public, you know, a lot of the tooling, like the code bases and things like that.[00:20:23] Alessio: So, yeah, there's not indexing and reg. Well, yeah, but it's more like. You can't really rag things that are not documented. But people know them based on how they've been doing it. You know, so I think there's almost this like, you know, Oh, institutional knowledge. Yeah, the boring word is kind of like a business process extraction.[00:20:38] Alessio: Yeah yeah, I see. It's like, how do you actually understand how these things are done? I see. Um, and I think today the, the problem is that, Yeah, the agents are, that most people are building are good at following instruction, but are not as good as like extracting them from you. Um, so I think that will be a big unlock just to touch quickly on the Jeff Dean thing.[00:20:55] Alessio: I thought it was pretty, I mean, we'll link it in the, in the things, but. I think the main [00:21:00] focus was like, how do you use ML to optimize the systems instead of just focusing on ML to do something else? Yeah, I think speculative decoding, we had, you know, Eugene from RWKB on the podcast before, like he's doing a lot of that with Fetterless AI.[00:21:12] swyx: Everyone is. I would say it's the norm. I'm a little bit uncomfortable with how much it costs, because it does use more of the GPU per call. But because everyone is so keen on fast inference, then yeah, makes sense.[00:21:24] Alessio: Exactly. Um, yeah, but we'll link that. Obviously Jeff is great.[00:21:30] swyx: Jeff is, Jeff's talk was more, it wasn't focused on Gemini.[00:21:33] swyx: I think people got the wrong impression from my tweet. It's more about how Google approaches ML and uses ML to design systems and then systems feedback into ML. And I think this ties in with Lubna's talk.[00:21:45] Synthetic Data and Future Trends[00:21:45] swyx: on synthetic data where it's basically the story of bootstrapping of humans and AI in AI research or AI in production.[00:21:53] swyx: So her talk was on synthetic data, where like how much synthetic data has grown in 2024 in the pre training side, the post training side, [00:22:00] and the eval side. And I think Jeff then also extended it basically to chips, uh, to chip design. So he'd spend a lot of time talking about alpha chip. And most of us in the audience are like, we're not working on hardware, man.[00:22:11] swyx: Like you guys are great. TPU is great. Okay. We'll buy TPUs.[00:22:14] Alessio: And then there was the earlier talk. Yeah. But, and then we have, uh, I don't know if we're calling them essays. What are we calling these? But[00:22:23] swyx: for me, it's just like bonus for late in space supporters, because I feel like they haven't been getting anything.[00:22:29] swyx: And then I wanted a more high frequency way to write stuff. Like that one I wrote in an afternoon. I think basically we now have an answer to what Ilya saw. It's one year since. The blip. And we know what he saw in 2014. We know what he saw in 2024. We think we know what he sees in 2024. He gave some hints and then we have vague indications of what he saw in 2023.[00:22:54] swyx: So that was the Oh, and then 2016 as well, because of this lawsuit with Elon, OpenAI [00:23:00] is publishing emails from Sam's, like, his personal text messages to Siobhan, Zelis, or whatever. So, like, we have emails from Ilya saying, this is what we're seeing in OpenAI, and this is why we need to scale up GPUs. And I think it's very prescient in 2016 to write that.[00:23:16] swyx: And so, like, it is exactly, like, basically his insights. It's him and Greg, basically just kind of driving the scaling up of OpenAI, while they're still playing Dota. They're like, no, like, we see the path here.[00:23:30] Alessio: Yeah, and it's funny, yeah, they even mention, you know, we can only train on 1v1 Dota. We need to train on 5v5, and that takes too many GPUs.[00:23:37] Alessio: Yeah,[00:23:37] swyx: and at least for me, I can speak for myself, like, I didn't see the path from Dota to where we are today. I think even, maybe if you ask them, like, they wouldn't necessarily draw a straight line. Yeah,[00:23:47] Alessio: no, definitely. But I think like that was like the whole idea of almost like the RL and we talked about this with Nathan on his podcast.[00:23:55] Alessio: It's like with RL, you can get very good at specific things, but then you can't really like generalize as much. And I [00:24:00] think the language models are like the opposite, which is like, you're going to throw all this data at them and scale them up, but then you really need to drive them home on a specific task later on.[00:24:08] Alessio: And we'll talk about the open AI reinforcement, fine tuning, um, announcement too, and all of that. But yeah, I think like scale is all you need. That's kind of what Elia will be remembered for. And I think just maybe to clarify on like the pre training is over thing that people love to tweet. I think the point of the talk was like everybody, we're scaling these chips, we're scaling the compute, but like the second ingredient which is data is not scaling at the same rate.[00:24:35] Alessio: So it's not necessarily pre training is over. It's kind of like What got us here won't get us there. In his email, he predicted like 10x growth every two years or something like that. And I think maybe now it's like, you know, you can 10x the chips again, but[00:24:49] swyx: I think it's 10x per year. Was it? I don't know.[00:24:52] Alessio: Exactly. And Moore's law is like 2x. So it's like, you know, much faster than that. And yeah, I like the fossil fuel of AI [00:25:00] analogy. It's kind of like, you know, the little background tokens thing. So the OpenAI reinforcement fine tuning is basically like, instead of fine tuning on data, you fine tune on a reward model.[00:25:09] Alessio: So it's basically like, instead of being data driven, it's like task driven. And I think people have tasks to do, they don't really have a lot of data. So I'm curious to see how that changes, how many people fine tune, because I think this is what people run into. It's like, Oh, you can fine tune llama. And it's like, okay, where do I get the data?[00:25:27] Alessio: To fine tune it on, you know, so it's great that we're moving the thing. And then I really like he had this chart where like, you know, the brain mass and the body mass thing is basically like mammals that scaled linearly by brain and body size, and then humans kind of like broke off the slope. So it's almost like maybe the mammal slope is like the pre training slope.[00:25:46] Alessio: And then the post training slope is like the, the human one.[00:25:49] swyx: Yeah. I wonder what the. I mean, we'll know in 10 years, but I wonder what the y axis is for, for Ilya's SSI. We'll try to get them on.[00:25:57] Alessio: Ilya, if you're listening, you're [00:26:00] welcome here. Yeah, and then he had, you know, what comes next, like agent, synthetic data, inference, compute, I thought all of that was like that.[00:26:05] Alessio: I don't[00:26:05] swyx: think he was dropping any alpha there. Yeah, yeah, yeah.[00:26:07] Alessio: Yeah. Any other new reps? Highlights?[00:26:10] swyx: I think that there was comparatively a lot more work. Oh, by the way, I need to plug that, uh, my friend Yi made this, like, little nice paper. Yeah, that was really[00:26:20] swyx: nice.[00:26:20] swyx: Uh, of, uh, of, like, all the, he's, she called it must read papers of 2024.[00:26:26] swyx: So I laid out some of these at NeurIPS, and it was just gone. Like, everyone just picked it up. Because people are dying for, like, little guidance and visualizations And so, uh, I thought it was really super nice that we got there.[00:26:38] Alessio: Should we do a late in space book for each year? Uh, I thought about it. For each year we should.[00:26:42] Alessio: Coffee table book. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Put it in the will. Hi, Will. By the way, we haven't introduced you. He's our new, you know, general organist, Jamie. You need to[00:26:52] swyx: pull up more things. One thing I saw that, uh, Okay, one fun one, and then one [00:27:00] more general one. So the fun one is this paper on agent collusion. This is a paper on steganography.[00:27:06] swyx: This is secret collusion among AI agents, multi agent deception via steganography. I tried to go to NeurIPS in order to find these kinds of papers because the real reason Like NeurIPS this year has a lottery system. A lot of people actually even go and don't buy tickets because they just go and attend the side events.[00:27:22] swyx: And then also the people who go and end up crowding around the most popular papers, which you already know and already read them before you showed up to NeurIPS. So the only reason you go there is to talk to the paper authors, but there's like something like 10, 000 other. All these papers out there that, you know, are just people's work that they, that they did on the air and they failed to get attention for one reason or another.[00:27:42] swyx: And this was one of them. Uh, it was like all the way at the back. And this is a deep mind paper that actually focuses on collusion between AI agents, uh, by hiding messages in the text that they generate. Uh, so that's what steganography is. So a very simple example would be the first letter of every word.[00:27:57] swyx: If you Pick that out, you know, and the code sends a [00:28:00] different message than that. But something I've always emphasized is to LLMs, we read left to right. LLMs can read up, down, sideways, you know, in random character order. And it's the same to them as it is to us. So if we were ever to get You know, self motivated, underlined LLMs that we're trying to collaborate to take over the planet.[00:28:19] swyx: This would be how they do it. They spread messages among us in the messages that we generate. And he developed a scaling law for that. So he marked, I'm showing it on screen right now, the emergence of this phenomenon. Basically, for example, for Cypher encoding, GPT 2, Lama 2, mixed trial, GPT 3. 5, zero capabilities, and sudden 4.[00:28:40] swyx: And this is the kind of Jason Wei type emergence properties that people kind of look for. I think what made this paper stand out as well, so he developed the benchmark for steganography collusion, and he also focused on shelling point collusion, which is very low coordination. For agreeing on a decoding encoding format, you kind of need to have some [00:29:00] agreement on that.[00:29:00] swyx: But, but shelling point means like very, very low or almost no coordination. So for example, if I, if I ask someone, if the only message I give you is meet me in New York and you're not aware. Or when you would probably meet me at Grand Central Station. That is the Grand Central Station is a shelling point.[00:29:16] swyx: And it's probably somewhere, somewhere during the day. That is the shelling point of New York is Grand Central. To that extent, shelling points for steganography are things like the, the, the common decoding methods that we talked about. It will be interesting at some point in the future when we are worried about alignment.[00:29:30] swyx: It is not interesting today, but it's interesting that DeepMind is already thinking about this.[00:29:36] Alessio: I think that's like one of the hardest things about NeurIPS. It's like the long tail. I[00:29:41] swyx: found a pricing guy. I'm going to feature him on the podcast. Basically, this guy from NVIDIA worked out the optimal pricing for language models.[00:29:51] swyx: It's basically an econometrics paper at NeurIPS, where everyone else is talking about GPUs. And the guy with the GPUs is[00:29:57] Alessio: talking[00:29:57] swyx: about economics instead. [00:30:00] That was the sort of fun one. So the focus I saw is that model papers at NeurIPS are kind of dead. No one really presents models anymore. It's just data sets.[00:30:12] swyx: This is all the grad students are working on. So like there was a data sets track and then I was looking around like, I was like, you don't need a data sets track because every paper is a data sets paper. And so data sets and benchmarks, they're kind of flip sides of the same thing. So Yeah. Cool. Yeah, if you're a grad student, you're a GPU boy, you kind of work on that.[00:30:30] swyx: And then the, the sort of big model that people walk around and pick the ones that they like, and then they use it in their models. And that's, that's kind of how it develops. I, I feel like, um, like, like you didn't last year, you had people like Hao Tian who worked on Lava, which is take Lama and add Vision.[00:30:47] swyx: And then obviously actually I hired him and he added Vision to Grok. Now he's the Vision Grok guy. This year, I don't think there was any of those.[00:30:55] Alessio: What were the most popular, like, orals? Last year it was like the [00:31:00] Mixed Monarch, I think, was like the most attended. Yeah, uh, I need to look it up. Yeah, I mean, if nothing comes to mind, that's also kind of like an answer in a way.[00:31:10] Alessio: But I think last year there was a lot of interest in, like, furthering models and, like, different architectures and all of that.[00:31:16] swyx: I will say that I felt the orals, oral picks this year were not very good. Either that or maybe it's just a So that's the highlight of how I have changed in terms of how I view papers.[00:31:29] swyx: So like, in my estimation, two of the best papers in this year for datasets or data comp and refined web or fine web. These are two actually industrially used papers, not highlighted for a while. I think DCLM got the spotlight, FineWeb didn't even get the spotlight. So like, it's just that the picks were different.[00:31:48] swyx: But one thing that does get a lot of play that a lot of people are debating is the role that's scheduled. This is the schedule free optimizer paper from Meta from Aaron DeFazio. And this [00:32:00] year in the ML community, there's been a lot of chat about shampoo, soap, all the bathroom amenities for optimizing your learning rates.[00:32:08] swyx: And, uh, most people at the big labs are. Who I asked about this, um, say that it's cute, but it's not something that matters. I don't know, but it's something that was discussed and very, very popular. 4Wars[00:32:19] Alessio: of AI recap maybe, just quickly. Um, where do you want to start? Data?[00:32:26] swyx: So to remind people, this is the 4Wars piece that we did as one of our earlier recaps of this year.[00:32:31] swyx: And the belligerents are on the left, journalists, writers, artists, anyone who owns IP basically, New York Times, Stack Overflow, Reddit, Getty, Sarah Silverman, George RR Martin. Yeah, and I think this year we can add Scarlett Johansson to that side of the fence. So anyone suing, open the eye, basically. I actually wanted to get a snapshot of all the lawsuits.[00:32:52] swyx: I'm sure some lawyer can do it. That's the data quality war. On the right hand side, we have the synthetic data people, and I think we talked about Lumna's talk, you know, [00:33:00] really showing how much synthetic data has come along this year. I think there was a bit of a fight between scale. ai and the synthetic data community, because scale.[00:33:09] swyx: ai published a paper saying that synthetic data doesn't work. Surprise, surprise, scale. ai is the leading vendor of non synthetic data. Only[00:33:17] Alessio: cage free annotated data is useful.[00:33:21] swyx: So I think there's some debate going on there, but I don't think it's much debate anymore that at least synthetic data, for the reasons that are blessed in Luna's talk, Makes sense.[00:33:32] swyx: I don't know if you have any perspectives there.[00:33:34] Alessio: I think, again, going back to the reinforcement fine tuning, I think that will change a little bit how people think about it. I think today people mostly use synthetic data, yeah, for distillation and kind of like fine tuning a smaller model from like a larger model.[00:33:46] Alessio: I'm not super aware of how the frontier labs use it outside of like the rephrase, the web thing that Apple also did. But yeah, I think it'll be. Useful. I think like whether or not that gets us the big [00:34:00] next step, I think that's maybe like TBD, you know, I think people love talking about data because it's like a GPU poor, you know, I think, uh, synthetic data is like something that people can do, you know, so they feel more opinionated about it compared to, yeah, the optimizers stuff, which is like,[00:34:17] swyx: they don't[00:34:17] Alessio: really work[00:34:18] swyx: on.[00:34:18] swyx: I think that there is an angle to the reasoning synthetic data. So this year, we covered in the paper club, the star series of papers. So that's star, Q star, V star. It basically helps you to synthesize reasoning steps, or at least distill reasoning steps from a verifier. And if you look at the OpenAI RFT, API that they released, or that they announced, basically they're asking you to submit graders, or they choose from a preset list of graders.[00:34:49] swyx: Basically It feels like a way to create valid synthetic data for them to fine tune their reasoning paths on. Um, so I think that is another angle where it starts to make sense. And [00:35:00] so like, it's very funny that basically all the data quality wars between Let's say the music industry or like the newspaper publishing industry or the textbooks industry on the big labs.[00:35:11] swyx: It's all of the pre training era. And then like the new era, like the reasoning era, like nobody has any problem with all the reasoning, especially because it's all like sort of math and science oriented with, with very reasonable graders. I think the more interesting next step is how does it generalize beyond STEM?[00:35:27] swyx: We've been using O1 for And I would say like for summarization and creative writing and instruction following, I think it's underrated. I started using O1 in our intro songs before we killed the intro songs, but it's very good at writing lyrics. You know, I can actually say like, I think one of the O1 pro demos.[00:35:46] swyx: All of these things that Noam was showing was that, you know, you can write an entire paragraph or three paragraphs without using the letter A, right?[00:35:53] Creative Writing with AI[00:35:53] swyx: So like, like literally just anything instead of token, like not even token level, character level manipulation and [00:36:00] counting and instruction following. It's, uh, it's very, very strong.[00:36:02] swyx: And so no surprises when I ask it to rhyme, uh, and to, to create song lyrics, it's going to do that very much better than in previous models. So I think it's underrated for creative writing.[00:36:11] Alessio: Yeah.[00:36:12] Legal and Ethical Issues in AI[00:36:12] Alessio: What do you think is the rationale that they're going to have in court when they don't show you the thinking traces of O1, but then they want us to, like, they're getting sued for using other publishers data, you know, but then on their end, they're like, well, you shouldn't be using my data to then train your model.[00:36:29] Alessio: So I'm curious to see how that kind of comes. Yeah, I mean, OPA has[00:36:32] swyx: many ways to publish, to punish people without bringing, taking them to court. Already banned ByteDance for distilling their, their info. And so anyone caught distilling the chain of thought will be just disallowed to continue on, on, on the API.[00:36:44] swyx: And it's fine. It's no big deal. Like, I don't even think that's an issue at all, just because the chain of thoughts are pretty well hidden. Like you have to work very, very hard to, to get it to leak. And then even when it leaks the chain of thought, you don't know if it's, if it's [00:37:00] The bigger concern is actually that there's not that much IP hiding behind it, that Cosign, which we talked about, we talked to him on Dev Day, can just fine tune 4.[00:37:13] swyx: 0 to beat 0. 1 Cloud SONET so far is beating O1 on coding tasks without, at least O1 preview, without being a reasoning model, same for Gemini Pro or Gemini 2. 0. So like, how much is reasoning important? How much of a moat is there in this, like, All of these are proprietary sort of training data that they've presumably accomplished.[00:37:34] swyx: Because even DeepSeek was able to do it. And they had, you know, two months notice to do this, to do R1. So, it's actually unclear how much moat there is. Obviously, you know, if you talk to the Strawberry team, they'll be like, yeah, I mean, we spent the last two years doing this. So, we don't know. And it's going to be Interesting because there'll be a lot of noise from people who say they have inference time compute and actually don't because they just have fancy chain of thought.[00:38:00][00:38:00] swyx: And then there's other people who actually do have very good chain of thought. And you will not see them on the same level as OpenAI because OpenAI has invested a lot in building up the mythology of their team. Um, which makes sense. Like the real answer is somewhere in between.[00:38:13] Alessio: Yeah, I think that's kind of like the main data war story developing.[00:38:18] The Data War: GPU Poor vs. GPU Rich[00:38:18] Alessio: GPU poor versus GPU rich. Yeah. Where do you think we are? I think there was, again, going back to like the small model thing, there was like a time in which the GPU poor were kind of like the rebel faction working on like these models that were like open and small and cheap. And I think today people don't really care as much about GPUs anymore.[00:38:37] Alessio: You also see it in the price of the GPUs. Like, you know, that market is kind of like plummeted because there's people don't want to be, they want to be GPU free. They don't even want to be poor. They just want to be, you know, completely without them. Yeah. How do you think about this war? You[00:38:52] swyx: can tell me about this, but like, I feel like the, the appetite for GPU rich startups, like the, you know, the, the funding plan is we will raise 60 million and [00:39:00] we'll give 50 of that to NVIDIA.[00:39:01] swyx: That is gone, right? Like, no one's, no one's pitching that. This was literally the plan, the exact plan of like, I can name like four or five startups, you know, this time last year. So yeah, GPU rich startups gone.[00:39:12] The Rise of GPU Ultra Rich[00:39:12] swyx: But I think like, The GPU ultra rich, the GPU ultra high net worth is still going. So, um, now we're, you know, we had Leopold's essay on the trillion dollar cluster.[00:39:23] swyx: We're not quite there yet. We have multiple labs, um, you know, XAI very famously, you know, Jensen Huang praising them for being. Best boy number one in spinning up 100, 000 GPU cluster in like 12 days or something. So likewise at Meta, likewise at OpenAI, likewise at the other labs as well. So like the GPU ultra rich are going to keep doing that because I think partially it's an article of faith now that you just need it.[00:39:46] swyx: Like you don't even know what it's going to, what you're going to use it for. You just, you just need it. And it makes sense that if, especially if we're going into. More researchy territory than we are. So let's say 2020 to 2023 was [00:40:00] let's scale big models territory because we had GPT 3 in 2020 and we were like, okay, we'll go from 1.[00:40:05] swyx: 75b to 1. 8b, 1. 8t. And that was GPT 3 to GPT 4. Okay, that's done. As far as everyone is concerned, Opus 3. 5 is not coming out, GPT 4. 5 is not coming out, and Gemini 2, we don't have Pro, whatever. We've hit that wall. Maybe I'll call it the 2 trillion perimeter wall. We're not going to 10 trillion. No one thinks it's a good idea, at least from training costs, from the amount of data, or at least the inference.[00:40:36] swyx: Would you pay 10x the price of GPT Probably not. Like, like you want something else that, that is at least more useful. So it makes sense that people are pivoting in terms of their inference paradigm.[00:40:47] Emerging Trends in AI Models[00:40:47] swyx: And so when it's more researchy, then you actually need more just general purpose compute to mess around with, uh, at the exact same time that production deployments of the old, the previous paradigm is still ramping up,[00:40:58] swyx: um,[00:40:58] swyx: uh, pretty aggressively.[00:40:59] swyx: So [00:41:00] it makes sense that the GPU rich are growing. We have now interviewed both together and fireworks and replicates. Uh, we haven't done any scale yet. But I think Amazon, maybe kind of a sleeper one, Amazon, in a sense of like they, at reInvent, I wasn't expecting them to do so well, but they are now a foundation model lab.[00:41:18] swyx: It's kind of interesting. Um, I think, uh, you know, David went over there and started just creating models.[00:41:25] Alessio: Yeah, I mean, that's the power of prepaid contracts. I think like a lot of AWS customers, you know, they do this big reserve instance contracts and now they got to use their money. That's why so many startups.[00:41:37] Alessio: Get bought through the AWS marketplace so they can kind of bundle them together and prefer pricing.[00:41:42] swyx: Okay, so maybe GPU super rich doing very well, GPU middle class dead, and then GPU[00:41:48] Alessio: poor. I mean, my thing is like, everybody should just be GPU rich. There shouldn't really be, even the GPU poorest, it's like, does it really make sense to be GPU poor?[00:41:57] Alessio: Like, if you're GPU poor, you should just use the [00:42:00] cloud. Yes, you know, and I think there might be a future once we kind of like figure out what the size and shape of these models is where like the tiny box and these things come to fruition where like you can be GPU poor at home. But I think today is like, why are you working so hard to like get these models to run on like very small clusters where it's like, It's so cheap to run them.[00:42:21] Alessio: Yeah, yeah,[00:42:22] swyx: yeah. I think mostly people think it's cool. People think it's a stepping stone to scaling up. So they aspire to be GPU rich one day and they're working on new methods. Like news research, like probably the most deep tech thing they've done this year is Distro or whatever the new name is.[00:42:38] swyx: There's a lot of interest in heterogeneous computing, distributed computing. I tend generally to de emphasize that historically, but it may be coming to a time where it is starting to be relevant. I don't know. You know, SF compute launched their compute marketplace this year, and like, who's really using that?[00:42:53] swyx: Like, it's a bunch of small clusters, disparate types of compute, and if you can make that [00:43:00] useful, then that will be very beneficial to the broader community, but maybe still not the source of frontier models. It's just going to be a second tier of compute that is unlocked for people, and that's fine. But yeah, I mean, I think this year, I would say a lot more on device, We are, I now have Apple intelligence on my phone.[00:43:19] swyx: Doesn't do anything apart from summarize my notifications. But still, not bad. Like, it's multi modal.[00:43:25] Alessio: Yeah, the notification summaries are so and so in my experience.[00:43:29] swyx: Yeah, but they add, they add juice to life. And then, um, Chrome Nano, uh, Gemini Nano is coming out in Chrome. Uh, they're still feature flagged, but you can, you can try it now if you, if you use the, uh, the alpha.[00:43:40] swyx: And so, like, I, I think, like, you know, We're getting the sort of GPU poor version of a lot of these things coming out, and I think it's like quite useful. Like Windows as well, rolling out RWKB in sort of every Windows department is super cool. And I think the last thing that I never put in this GPU poor war, that I think I should now, [00:44:00] is the number of startups that are GPU poor but still scaling very well, as sort of wrappers on top of either a foundation model lab, or GPU Cloud.[00:44:10] swyx: GPU Cloud, it would be Suno. Suno, Ramp has rated as one of the top ranked, fastest growing startups of the year. Um, I think the last public number is like zero to 20 million this year in ARR and Suno runs on Moto. So Suno itself is not GPU rich, but they're just doing the training on, on Moto, uh, who we've also talked to on, on the podcast.[00:44:31] swyx: The other one would be Bolt, straight cloud wrapper. And, and, um, Again, another, now they've announced 20 million ARR, which is another step up from our 8 million that we put on the title. So yeah, I mean, it's crazy that all these GPU pores are finding a way while the GPU riches are also finding a way. And then the only failures, I kind of call this the GPU smiling curve, where the edges do well, because you're either close to the machines, and you're like [00:45:00] number one on the machines, or you're like close to the customers, and you're number one on the customer side.[00:45:03] swyx: And the people who are in the middle. Inflection, um, character, didn't do that great. I think character did the best of all of them. Like, you have a note in here that we apparently said that character's price tag was[00:45:15] Alessio: 1B.[00:45:15] swyx: Did I say that?[00:45:16] Alessio: Yeah. You said Google should just buy them for 1B. I thought it was a crazy number.[00:45:20] Alessio: Then they paid 2. 7 billion. I mean, for like,[00:45:22] swyx: yeah.[00:45:22] Alessio: What do you pay for node? Like, I don't know what the game world was like. Maybe the starting price was 1B. I mean, whatever it was, it worked out for everybody involved.[00:45:31] The Multi-Modality War[00:45:31] Alessio: Multimodality war. And this one, we never had text to video in the first version, which now is the hottest.[00:45:37] swyx: Yeah, I would say it's a subset of image, but yes.[00:45:40] Alessio: Yeah, well, but I think at the time it wasn't really something people were doing, and now we had VO2 just came out yesterday. Uh, Sora was released last month, last week. I've not tried Sora, because the day that I tried, it wasn't, yeah. I[00:45:54] swyx: think it's generally available now, you can go to Sora.[00:45:56] swyx: com and try it. Yeah, they had[00:45:58] Alessio: the outage. Which I [00:46:00] think also played a part into it. Small things. Yeah. What's the other model that you posted today that was on Replicate? Video or OneLive?[00:46:08] swyx: Yeah. Very, very nondescript name, but it is from Minimax, which I think is a Chinese lab. The Chinese labs do surprisingly well at the video models.[00:46:20] swyx: I'm not sure it's actually Chinese. I don't know. Hold me up to that. Yep. China. It's good. Yeah, the Chinese love video. What can I say? They have a lot of training data for video. Or a more relaxed regulatory environment.[00:46:37] Alessio: Uh, well, sure, in some way. Yeah, I don't think there's much else there. I think like, you know, on the image side, I think it's still open.[00:46:45] Alessio: Yeah, I mean,[00:46:46] swyx: 11labs is now a unicorn. So basically, what is multi modality war? Multi modality war is, do you specialize in a single modality, right? Or do you have GodModel that does all the modalities? So this is [00:47:00] definitely still going, in a sense of 11 labs, you know, now Unicorn, PicoLabs doing well, they launched Pico 2.[00:47:06] swyx: 0 recently, HeyGen, I think has reached 100 million ARR, Assembly, I don't know, but they have billboards all over the place, so I assume they're doing very, very well. So these are all specialist models, specialist models and specialist startups. And then there's the big labs who are doing the sort of all in one play.[00:47:24] swyx: And then here I would highlight Gemini 2 for having native image output. Have you seen the demos? Um, yeah, it's, it's hard to keep up. Literally they launched this last week and a shout out to Paige Bailey, who came to the Latent Space event to demo on the day of launch. And she wasn't prepared. She was just like, I'm just going to show you.[00:47:43] swyx: So they have voice. They have, you know, obviously image input, and then they obviously can code gen and all that. But the new one that OpenAI and Meta both have but they haven't launched yet is image output. So you can literally, um, I think their demo video was that you put in an image of a [00:48:00] car, and you ask for minor modifications to that car.[00:48:02] swyx: They can generate you that modification exactly as you asked. So there's no need for the stable diffusion or comfy UI workflow of like mask here and then like infill there in paint there and all that, all that stuff. This is small model nonsense. Big model people are like, huh, we got you in as everything in the transformer.[00:48:21] swyx: This is the multimodality war, which is, do you, do you bet on the God model or do you string together a whole bunch of, uh, Small models like a, like a chump. Yeah,[00:48:29] Alessio: I don't know, man. Yeah, that would be interesting. I mean, obviously I use Midjourney for all of our thumbnails. Um, they've been doing a ton on the product, I would say.[00:48:38] Alessio: They launched a new Midjourney editor thing. They've been doing a ton. Because I think, yeah, the motto is kind of like, Maybe, you know, people say black forest, the black forest models are better than mid journey on a pixel by pixel basis. But I think when you put it, put it together, have you tried[00:48:53] swyx: the same problems on black forest?[00:48:55] Alessio: Yes. But the problem is just like, you know, on black forest, it generates one image. And then it's like, you got to [00:49:00] regenerate. You don't have all these like UI things. Like what I do, no, but it's like time issue, you know, it's like a mid[00:49:06] swyx: journey. Call the API four times.[00:49:08] Alessio: No, but then there's no like variate.[00:49:10] Alessio: Like the good thing about mid journey is like, you just go in there and you're cooking. There's a lot of stuff that just makes it really easy. And I think people underestimate that. Like, it's not really a skill issue, because I'm paying mid journey, so it's a Black Forest skill issue, because I'm not paying them, you know?[00:49:24] Alessio: Yeah,[00:49:25] swyx: so, okay, so, uh, this is a UX thing, right? Like, you, you, you understand that, at least, we think that Black Forest should be able to do all that stuff. I will also shout out, ReCraft has come out, uh, on top of the image arena that, uh, artificial analysis has done, has apparently, uh, Flux's place. Is this still true?[00:49:41] swyx: So, Artificial Analysis is now a company. I highlighted them I think in one of the early AI Newses of the year. And they have launched a whole bunch of arenas. So, they're trying to take on LM Arena, Anastasios and crew. And they have an image arena. Oh yeah, Recraft v3 is now beating Flux 1. 1. Which is very surprising [00:50:00] because Flux And Black Forest Labs are the old stable diffusion crew who left stability after, um, the management issues.[00:50:06] swyx: So Recurve has come from nowhere to be the top image model. Uh, very, very strange. I would also highlight that Grok has now launched Aurora, which is, it's very interesting dynamics between Grok and Black Forest Labs because Grok's images were originally launched, uh, in partnership with Black Forest Labs as a, as a thin wrapper.[00:50:24] swyx: And then Grok was like, no, we'll make our own. And so they've made their own. I don't know, there are no APIs or benchmarks about it. They just announced it. So yeah, that's the multi modality war. I would say that so far, the small model, the dedicated model people are winning, because they are just focused on their tasks.[00:50:42] swyx: But the big model, People are always catching up. And the moment I saw the Gemini 2 demo of image editing, where I can put in an image and just request it and it does, that's how AI should work. Not like a whole bunch of complicated steps. So it really is something. And I think one frontier that we haven't [00:51:00] seen this year, like obviously video has done very well, and it will continue to grow.[00:51:03] swyx: You know, we only have Sora Turbo today, but at some point we'll get full Sora. Oh, at least the Hollywood Labs will get Fulsora. We haven't seen video to audio, or video synced to audio. And so the researchers that I talked to are already starting to talk about that as the next frontier. But there's still maybe like five more years of video left to actually be Soda.[00:51:23] swyx: I would say that Gemini's approach Compared to OpenAI, Gemini seems, or DeepMind's approach to video seems a lot more fully fledged than OpenAI. Because if you look at the ICML recap that I published that so far nobody has listened to, um, that people have listened to it. It's just a different, definitely different audience.[00:51:43] swyx: It's only seven hours long. Why are people not listening? It's like everything in Uh, so, so DeepMind has, is working on Genie. They also launched Genie 2 and VideoPoet. So, like, they have maybe four years advantage on world modeling that OpenAI does not have. Because OpenAI basically only started [00:52:00] Diffusion Transformers last year, you know, when they hired, uh, Bill Peebles.[00:52:03] swyx: So, DeepMind has, has a bit of advantage here, I would say, in, in, in showing, like, the reason that VO2, while one, They cherry pick their videos. So obviously it looks better than Sora, but the reason I would believe that VO2, uh, when it's fully launched will do very well is because they have all this background work in video that they've done for years.[00:52:22] swyx: Like, like last year's NeurIPS, I already was interviewing some of their video people. I forget their model name, but for, for people who are dedicated fans, they can go to NeurIPS 2023 and see, see that paper.[00:52:32] Alessio: And then last but not least, the LLMOS. We renamed it to Ragops, formerly known as[00:52:39] swyx: Ragops War. I put the latest chart on the Braintrust episode.[00:52:43] swyx: I think I'm going to separate these essays from the episode notes. So the reason I used to do that, by the way, is because I wanted to show up on Hacker News. I wanted the podcast to show up on Hacker News. So I always put an essay inside of there because Hacker News people like to read and not listen.[00:52:58] Alessio: So episode essays,[00:52:59] swyx: I remember [00:53:00] purchasing them separately. You say Lanchain Llama Index is still growing.[00:53:03] Alessio: Yeah, so I looked at the PyPy stats, you know. I don't care about stars. On PyPy you see Do you want to share your screen? Yes. I prefer to look at actual downloads, not at stars on GitHub. So if you look at, you know, Lanchain still growing.[00:53:20] Alessio: These are the last six months. Llama Index still growing. What I've basically seen is like things that, One, obviously these things have A commercial product. So there's like people buying this and sticking with it versus kind of hopping in between things versus, you know, for example, crew AI, not really growing as much.[00:53:38] Alessio: The stars are growing. If you look on GitHub, like the stars are growing, but kind of like the usage is kind of like flat. In the last six months, have they done some[00:53:4

Links For The Occult Rejects and The Spiritual Gangsters https://linktr.ee/occultrejectsandfriendsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Links For The Spiritual Gangstershttps://linktr.ee/thespiritualgangsterspodcastCash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsAbcedarian Ma'athttps://linktr.ee/abcedarianhttps://www.patreon.com/posts/61141974

On this auspicious Mrgaśīrsha Pūrnimā (full moon) to which is ascribed Bhairavi Jayanti, Annapurna Jayanti and also Dattatreya Jayanti, we decide to say a few words about just who Mā Bhairavi might be. She is one of the most mysterious of the mahāvidyās (the ten terrifying forms of Mā). In this video, referring to the meditation mantra below, I make the case that Bhairavi is a euhemerized Tantrik adept! We of course discuss Bhairavi Brāhmani, Sri Ramakrishna's Tantrik guru and we spend the first half of the talk discussing what makes Tantra, Tantra in order to clearly indicate the path upon which we ourselves must trod to become a Bhairavi/Bhairava! उद्यद्भानुसहस्रकान्तिमरुणक्षौमां शिरोमालिकांरक्तालिप्तपयोधरां जपवटीं विद्यामभीतिं वरम् ।हस्ताब्जैदधतीं त्रिनेत्रविलसद्रक्तारविन्दश्रियंदेवीं बद्धहिमांशुरक्तमुकुटां वन्दे समन्दस्मिताम् ॥udyad-bhānu-sahasra-kāntim-aruṇa-kṣaumāṃ śiro-mālikāṃraktā-lipta-payodharāṃ japa-vaṭīṃ vidyām-abhītiṃ varam .hastābjaidadhatīṃ trinetra-vilasad-raktāravinda-śriyaṃdevīṃ baddha-himāṃśu-rakta-mukuṭāṃ vande samandasmitāmRadiant like the splendour of a thousand suns, clad in red garments, garlanded in headsBreasts smeared with blood, holding a rosary and a book, assuring fearlessness and granting boons With her lotus like hands, Her third eye shining with the beauty of blood-red lotus flowers,She is the Goddess who wears a red crown in which is tucked the moon- I worship Her who is smiling gently!For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the show

Lisa Lee, former Director of Smirnoff Pre-Mix and Lone River at Diageo, joins Amanda Ma, CEO & Founder of Innovate Marketing Group, to discover strategies for brand reinvention, cultural relevance, and inclusive marketing. Listen now! About the guest: Lisa is a Results-driven Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in building and scaling brands. Expertise in brand strategy, innovation, digital marketing and consumer engagement. Proven track record of driving revenue growth, leading brand reinventions including enhancing brand equity, and leading high-performance marketing teams. Adept at leveraging data-driven insights to craft compelling marketing strategies in fast-paced dynamic environments. EventUp is brought to you by Innovate Marketing Group. An award-winning Corporate Event and Experiential Marketing Agency based in Los Angeles, California. Creating Nationwide Immersive Event Experiences to help brands connect with people. To learn more, click here⁠⁠. Follow us! Find us on ⁠⁠LinkedIn, ⁠⁠⁠⁠EventUp Podcast⁠, and ⁠⁠Instagram

CLIMATE COMMON SENSE: 3/4: Adapt and Be Adept: Market Responses to Climate Change by Terry Anderson (Editor) https://www.amazon.com/Adapt-Be-Adept-Responses-Climate/dp/0817924558/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1618603521&refinements=p_27%3ATerry+Anderson&s=books&sr=1-1 How can markets help us adapt to the challenges of climate change? The editor Terry L. Anderson brings together this collection of essays featuring the work of nine leading policy analysts, who argue that market forces are just as important as government regulation in shaping climate policy—and should be at the heart of our response to helping societies adapt to climate change. Anderson notes in his introduction that most current climate policies such as the Paris Agreement require hard-to-enforce collective action and focus on reducing or mitigating greenhouse gases rather than adapting to their negative effects. Adaptive actions can typically deliver much more, faster and more cheaply than any realistic climate policy. The authors tackle a range of issues: the hidden costs of renewable energy sources, the political obstacles surrounding climate change policy, insurance and financial instruments for pricing risk of exposure to the effects of climate change, and more Terry Anderson @HooverInst https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/547525-a-better-approach-to-climate-change-for-stateshttps://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/547764-the-urge-to-complicate-and-climatize-trade-policy?rl=1 https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/548667-climate-change-to-adapt-is-to-be-human1940 NACA

CLIMATE COMMON SENSE: 4/4: Adapt and Be Adept: Market Responses to Climate Change by Terry Anderson (Editor) https://www.amazon.com/Adapt-Be-Adept-Responses-Climate/dp/0817924558/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1618603521&refinements=p_27%3ATerry+Anderson&s=books&sr=1-1 How can markets help us adapt to the challenges of climate change? The editor Terry L. Anderson brings together this collection of essays featuring the work of nine leading policy analysts, who argue that market forces are just as important as government regulation in shaping climate policy—and should be at the heart of our response to helping societies adapt to climate change. Anderson notes in his introduction that most current climate policies such as the Paris Agreement require hard-to-enforce collective action and focus on reducing or mitigating greenhouse gases rather than adapting to their negative effects. Adaptive actions can typically deliver much more, faster and more cheaply than any realistic climate policy. The authors tackle a range of issues: the hidden costs of renewable energy sources, the political obstacles surrounding climate change policy, insurance and financial instruments for pricing risk of exposure to the effects of climate change, and more Terry Anderson @HooverInst https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/547525-a-better-approach-to-climate-change-for-stateshttps://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/547764-the-urge-to-complicate-and-climatize-trade-policy?rl=1 https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/548667-climate-change-to-adapt-is-to-be-human2011 PYRAMID EGYPT

CLIMATE COMMON SENSE: 2/4: Adapt and Be Adept: Market Responses to Climate Change by Terry Anderson (Editor) https://www.amazon.com/Adapt-Be-Adept-Responses-Climate/dp/0817924558/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1618603521&refinements=p_27%3ATerry+Anderson&s=books&sr=1-1 How can markets help us adapt to the challenges of climate change? The editor Terry L. Anderson brings together this collection of essays featuring the work of nine leading policy analysts, who argue that market forces are just as important as government regulation in shaping climate policy—and should be at the heart of our response to helping societies adapt to climate change. Anderson notes in his introduction that most current climate policies such as the Paris Agreement require hard-to-enforce collective action and focus on reducing or mitigating greenhouse gases rather than adapting to their negative effects. Adaptive actions can typically deliver much more, faster and more cheaply than any realistic climate policy. The authors tackle a range of issues: the hidden costs of renewable energy sources, the political obstacles surrounding climate change policy, insurance and financial instruments for pricing risk of exposure to the effects of climate change, and more Terry Anderson @HooverInst https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/547525-a-better-approach-to-climate-change-for-stateshttps://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/547764-the-urge-to-complicate-and-climatize-trade-policy?rl=1 https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/548667-climate-change-to-adapt-is-to-be-human 1920 FRANCE

CLIMATE COMMON SENSE: 1/4: Adapt and Be Adept: Market Responses to Climate Change by Terry Anderson (Editor) https://www.amazon.com/Adapt-Be-Adept-Responses-Climate/dp/0817924558/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1618603521&refinements=p_27%3ATerry+Anderson&s=books&sr=1-1 How can markets help us adapt to the challenges of climate change? The editor Terry L. Anderson brings together this collection of essays featuring the work of nine leading policy analysts, who argue that market forces are just as important as government regulation in shaping climate policy—and should be at the heart of our response to helping societies adapt to climate change. Anderson notes in his introduction that most current climate policies such as the Paris Agreement require hard-to-enforce collective action and focus on reducing or mitigating greenhouse gases rather than adapting to their negative effects. Adaptive actions can typically deliver much more, faster and more cheaply than any realistic climate policy. The authors tackle a range of issues: the hidden costs of renewable energy sources, the political obstacles surrounding climate change policy, insurance and financial instruments for pricing risk of exposure to the effects of climate change, and more Terry Anderson @HooverInst https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/547525-a-better-approach-to-climate-change-for-stateshttps://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/547764-the-urge-to-complicate-and-climatize-trade-policy?rl=1 https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/548667-climate-change-to-adapt-is-to-be-human 1940 BUCHAREST

PREVIEW: WILDFIRES: CLIMATE: Conversation with colleague Terry Anderson of Hoover Institution, author of "Adapt and Be Adept," regarding how to prepare for climate change events, including precautions for living in forests during wildfire season out West. More later. 1901 Clark County Nevada