Today's Top Episodes
Basketball in the Last 60 Seconds: Ben Sasse on Mortality, Meaning, and the Future of America | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution
Diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, Ben Sasse shares unfiltered wisdom on life, education, and America's future. What truly matters in your final 60 seconds?
How this visually impaired engineer uses Claude Code to make his life more accessible | Joe McCormick
Discover how a visually impaired engineer is harnessing AI to revolutionize his daily life – a testament to technology's power to empower and include.
After Venezuela, Is Cuba Next?
Cuba faces its worst crisis in decades, crippled by fuel shortages and international pressure. Is it on the path to becoming 'the next Venezuela'?
How Big Tech Weaponized the Internet and How to Fix It | Tim Wu
Tim Wu, the architect of '넷 중립성' (net neutrality), reveals how Big Tech weaponized the internet and what we can do to reclaim its promise.
Why You're Smarter Than You Think
Are you constantly questioning your own intelligence? This Hidden Brain episode reveals why that might be the strongest sign that you're actually smarter than you give yourself credit for.
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#2455 - Donnell Rawlings
- The conversation delves into dietary considerations, specifically the digestive impact of red meat versus pasta, and how individual age and eating habits might influence these issues.
- A significant portion of the discussion centers on the influence of marketing and societal trends on consumer choices, using examples from tobacco and food industries to illustrate how brands target specific demographics.
- The podcast explores the complexities of the comedy industry, touching on themes of artistic integrity, the pursuit of fame versus craft, the impact of social media, and the importance of a strong work ethic in achieving lasting success.
Basketball in the Last 60 Seconds: Ben Sasse on Mortality, Meaning, and the Future of America | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution
- Ben Sass, facing a stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis, emphasizes the importance of honesty and bluntness in confronting mortality and actively engaging with life rather than withdrawing.
- The conversation delves into the purpose of higher education, questioning whether universities are adequately preparing students for life and citizenship beyond vocational training, and the concerning trend of ideological capture.
- Sass reflects on the decline of meaningful political discourse, attributing it to the amplification of extreme voices online and a lack of engagement from the broader public, while also discussing the need for character over material abundance in a prosperous society.
Crypto, AI and the Permanent Underclass | The Breakdown
- Crypto's unique advantage lies in the rapid development and investability of new onchain primitives, enabling direct investment in the protocols powering applications.
- The convergence of AI and crypto offers potential through new primitives like identity and verification (e.g., ERC-8004), secure data access (e.g., FHE), and efficient payment systems for autonomous AI agents.
- The future value capture from AI agent primitives will likely depend on whether it runs through onchain rails, impacting chains, protocols, or off-chain companies, rather than through traditional IPOs of AI firms.
Nicolai Tangen: The $2 Trillion Mind
- The rapid advancement and pervasive integration of AI are seen as a "once in a lifetime opportunity" with significant potential to increase productivity and transform industries.
- Ambition levels differ significantly between regions like America and Europe, with higher ambition in America fostering greater achievement, even in the face of failure.
- Open economies and free trade are highlighted as historical drivers of prosperity, while their restriction signals the potential end of golden ages.
After Venezuela, Is Cuba Next?
- Cuba is experiencing its most severe crisis in decades due to crippling fuel shortages, leading to widespread blackouts, reduced work/school hours, and limited transportation.
- The country's limited fuel reserves and reliance on imports are being exacerbated by US economic pressure and sanctions, impacting water, food, and even air travel.
- International oil shipments to Cuba, particularly from Mexico and Venezuela, have been halted due to US threats of tariffs, further intensifying the energy crisis.
Guthrie Case DNA Results Delayed, RFK Fights Processed Foods, Canada Curling Scandal: AM Update 2/17
- Sheriff Chris Nanos has cleared Nancy Guthrie's family of being suspects in her disappearance, a reversal from previous statements, amidst ongoing investigation and DNA testing delays.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the importance of strong leader relationships in fostering international alliances and navigating global rivalries during his visit to Hungary.
- HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signaled the administration's intent to address concerns regarding ultrapurified foods and their impact on public health, following a petition from former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler.
Uncovering the $7 trillion reputation economy
- The impending "machine economy" relies on autonomous AI agents for economic activity, necessitating a native trust layer to overcome the "trust gap" and enable seamless inter-organizational interactions.
- ERC 8004 establishes a foundational protocol for trust by providing agents with verifiable onchain identity (akin to NFTs), a permanent audit trail for reputation, and a pluggable validation system for scalable security.
- This decentralized trust layer, combined with machine payment rails like X42, creates a censorship-resistant, permissionless economy where agents are sovereign and possess absolute, ownable digital existence.
Part One: How Jeffrey Epstein Helped Build the Modern World
- JP Morgan provided financial resources to Jeffrey Epstein for years, ignoring red flags and continuing the relationship despite his criminal activities.
- A pivotal year was 2005 when Epstein was accused of sexual abuse, yet he continued to withdraw significant sums of money from his JP Morgan accounts.
- Despite internal concerns and Epstein's guilty plea to soliciting prostitution, he remained a client until his arrest, reflecting an institutional failure at JP Morgan.
Ramp founder Eric Glyman on the many ways AI is changing corporate spending
- Ramp has evolved from a corporate card provider into a comprehensive finance automation platform with distinct and rapidly growing business lines in bill payments, software, and treasury.
- The company is leveraging AI agents to review expenses automatically, significantly improving accuracy and freeing up employee time for more strategic tasks.
- Ramp's spend data reveals that businesses are adopting AI tools more widely than official reports suggest, and that implementing efficiency tools demonstrably leads to higher revenue growth for those businesses.
Inflation Is About to Get Worse
- Donald Trump's announcement to send every US citizen $2,000 through tariff revenue is discussed as potentially causing widespread inflation.
- The economic impact of such a giveaway is compared to pandemic stimulus checks, which allegedly led to significant price increases.
- The proposed policy is predicted to make essential goods like gas and groceries substantially more expensive.