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Infinite Loops

Business & Economics Podcasts

Become a more nuanced thinker. In an era of uncertainty, the ability to think dynamically and avoid getting trapped in infinite loops of thought is more important than ever. Whether we’re discussing ancient Chinese philosophy, the history of finance, or cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence, our host Jim O'Shaughnessy’s passion, experience, and eclectic range of interests, combined with our extensive research into our podcast guests, always result in surprising conversations which substantively engage with our guests’ ideas. Our aim: To equip you with the tools required to navigate through the Great Reshuffle that we are in. Let’s start exploring.

Location:

United States

Description:

Become a more nuanced thinker. In an era of uncertainty, the ability to think dynamically and avoid getting trapped in infinite loops of thought is more important than ever. Whether we’re discussing ancient Chinese philosophy, the history of finance, or cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence, our host Jim O'Shaughnessy’s passion, experience, and eclectic range of interests, combined with our extensive research into our podcast guests, always result in surprising conversations which substantively engage with our guests’ ideas. Our aim: To equip you with the tools required to navigate through the Great Reshuffle that we are in. Let’s start exploring.

Language:

English


Episodes

Danny Miranda — Attracted to the Light (EP.180)

9/21/2023
Danny Miranda’s ambition is to sell out Madison Square Gardens for a live edition of his podcast. Now, on episode 402 (and counting), he is getting closer to that goal every week. He joins the show to discuss the art of interviewing, why he’s attracted to the light, his favorite questions, and more. Important Links: Danny’s Twitter Danny’s Website Wisdom Unleashed Show Notes: DannyDannyDannyDannyDanny Books Mentioned:

Duration:01:05:50

Dror Poleg — The Future of Work

9/14/2023
Dror Poleg is an author, speaker, and researcher investigating technology’s impact on the way people work, live, and invest. He joins us to discuss the relationship between AI and remote work, how cities are going to change, the internet’s role as a matching engine, and MUCH more! Important Links: Dror’s Website Dror’s Twitter Our Great Reshuffle Series The Once and Future Liberalism The Great Online Game Show Notes: DrorDror Books Mentioned: DrorPolegDrorPoleg

Duration:01:34:49

Trung Phan & Rob Henderson — Apocalypse Now (EP.178)

9/7/2023
Our previous episode with Trung & Rob included the bombshell reveal that Rob had never watched Apocalypse Now. Nearly one year later, Rob and Trung make their triumphant return to the show to discuss the themes of the film, the lessons aspiring creators can draw from its troubled production history, the role of the Vietnam War in American cinema, and a whole lot more. Important Links: Rob’s Substack Rob’s Twitter Trung’s Substack Trung’s Twitter Our previous episode with Trung & Rob Show Notes: Trung Books Mentioned: Films, TV Shows & Podcasts Mentioned: Do We Get To Win This Time?

Duration:01:11:00

Frederik Gieschen — On Agility, Agreeableness, Alchemy & the Arena

8/31/2023
"Who is America’s best-known banker? That would be Jamie Dimon. But who is the richest? That would be Andy Beal, with an estimated net worth of $9 billion." Friend-of-the-show Frederik Gieschen joins us for an impromptu conversation about his article on the life and work of Andy Beal, the richest banker in America. Important Links: High Roller: Lessons from America’s Richest Banker Frederik’s TwitterFrederik’s Substack Frederik’s previous episodeThe Internet Contrarian Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:01:14:21

Dr. Julie Gurner — Ultra Successful (EP.176)

8/24/2023
Dr. Julie Gurner is a doctor of psychology and executive performance coach to top percentile executives, primarily in finance and technology. She is also the proprietor of the Ultra Successful newsletter, which delivers a weekly challenge pulled from global business leaders and designed to ”help you unleash your power.” Dr. Gurner joins the show to discuss the merits of being unreasonable, why your business should not be your identity, why niceness is overrated, and more! Important Links: SubstackTwitterWebsite Show Notes: Dr. Gurner’s origin storyHow forensic psychology experience can help executive coachingLeaning into the 1%Why psychological tests are flawedThe common traits of successful foundersHigh performance & bottlenecksWhy your business should not be your identityData vs. emotionHow Dr. Gurner applies her strategies in her own lifeDon’t be niceBe unreasonableSocial validation is not importantHow can you improve someone’s communication skills?How Dr. Gurner would teach executive coachingThe “no Plan B” mentalityCan high energy be detrimental?How to unpack charismaHow to turn down workDr. Gurner’s greatest satisfactionHow has leadership changed in the last 20 years?Dr. Gurner as Empress of the WorldMORE! Books Mentioned: The Art of War; by Sun Tzu

Duration:01:19:35

Todd Goodwin — “Revelation is not Resolution” (EP.175)

8/17/2023
Board Certified hypnotist & Goodwin Hypnosis founder Todd Goodwin joins us for his second appearance to discuss why we should treat the mind like a garden, why revelation is not the same as resolution, why labels can be counterproductive, and much more! Important Links: Goodwin Hypnosis Goodwin Hypnosis’ YouTube Todd’s first episode Luca Dellanna’s episode Our episode on Dr John Sarno Show Notes: Treating the symptoms vs treating the cause Gardening the mind “Revelation is not resolution” Why aren’t hypnosis & NLP more popular? Could Todd’s work be filmed? Why labeling conditions can be counterproductive Clearing the emotional charge from traumatic memories Top-down vs. Bottom-up solutions Hypnosis as a way of reclaiming agency How we are shaped by childhood experiences Why we need a more compassionate criminal system MORE! Books Mentioned: Healing Back Pain; by John E. Sarno

Duration:01:16:30

Luca Dellanna — On Survival, Signals & Success (EP.174)

8/10/2023
Why is hard work a form of laziness? Why should we be wary of short-term success? How can imagining parallel worlds help us make better decisions? Author, management advisor, and researcher Luca Dellanna joins us to discuss these questions and more! Important Links: Luca’s Website Luca’s Twitter Show Notes: Ergodicity: survival is king Why sample size matters The two types of competitors Teaching by signaling The parallel worlds approach to decision-making Racing to the bottom Why working hard can be a form of laziness The three things managers should prioritize Why desiring change isn’t enough Fighting avoidance with actionable small steps “Mixed values produce mixed results” Thinking by writing What Luca has learned from living in multiple countries Luca as Emperor of the World MORE! Books Mentioned: Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder; by Nassim Nicholas Taleb What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy Ergodicity: Definition, Examples, And Implications, As Simple As Possible; by Luca Dellanna The Control Heuristic: The Nature of Human Behavior; by Luca Dellanna 100 Truths You Will Learn Too Late; by Luca Dellanna

Duration:01:16:33

Jack Butcher — Reality is the Boss (EP.173)

8/3/2023
Designer, entrepreneur and Visualize Value founder Jack Butcher joins us for his second appearance on the show to discuss how to get closer to reality, the differences between the US & the UK, whether vision can be taught, and MUCH more! Important Links: Jack’s TwitterVisualize Value Jack’s first appearance on the show How to Get Rich The Great Reshuffle Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:01:29:17

Dan Runcie — The Future of Music (EP.172)

7/27/2023
Dan Runcie is the Founder of Trapital, a company focused on music, media, and entertainment. Trapital’s output includes a podcast, weekly newsletter, and deep-dive essays breaking down trends in the music industry. Dan joins us for his second appearance on the show to discuss how AI will transform the music industry, whether the age of the superstar is over, how artists become billionaires, and MUCH more! Important Links: Show Notes:

Duration:01:22:13

Dr. William Zeng — Towards a Quantum Future (EP.171)

7/20/2023
Dr. William Zeng is founder and President of the Unitary Fund, a non-profit dedicated to developing the quantum ecosystem to benefit the most people. He previously led initial development of Rigetti Computing’s quantum cloud platform, and is co-inventor of the Quil quantum instruction language. He was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 in the Science category for his work on quantum computing. Dr. William was one of the first recipients of an O’Shaughnessy Fellowship, which is a one-year program for ambitious people who want to build something great. Fellows receive a $100,000 grant and access to OSV’s network of founders, investors and experts to support them in bringing their projects to life. Dr. William is using his fellowship grant to study how emerging quantum technologies can explore foundational questions in quantum mechanics. Important Links: The O’Shaughnessy FellowshipsThe Unitary Fund Will’s TwitterA possibilities no-go theorem on the Wigner’s friend paradox Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:01:03:33

Jack Raines — The Authentic Path (EP.170)

7/13/2023
Jack Raines is an online writer and LinkedIn provocateur, whose newsletter Young Money has already amassed 30,000 readers. Jack joins the show to discuss the importance of travel, the upsides of authenticity, risk, luck, and much, much more! Important Links: Jack's Twitter Young Money Show Notes:

Duration:01:12:05

Richard Craib — How to Open Source Finance (EP.169)

7/6/2023
Richard Craib is the Founder & CEO of Numerai, a new kind of hedge fund where data scientists around the world collaborate to predict equity returns using artificial intelligence. Richard joins the show to discuss Numerai’s origins, how it embraces the spirit of open source, why it has its own cryptocurrency and MUCH more! Important Links: Numerai Richard’s Twitter Show Notes:

Duration:00:58:06

Brian Roemmele - The Wisdom Keeper (EP.168)

6/29/2023
The scientist, researcher, analyst, connector, thinker, and doer Brian Roemmele joins us for his second Infinite Loops appearance to discuss the decline of wisdom and how we can save it, why LLMs are the modern version of Plato’s cave, we need locally run AI models and MUCH more! Important Links: Brian’s TwitterReadMultiplex.com 40 AI Use Cases: How Many Did You Know About? Brian’s first Infinite Loops appearance Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:02:11:27

Dr. Pippa Malmgren — Why Leadership Has Gone Wrong (EP.167)

6/22/2023
Dr. Pippa Malmgren is an economist, founder, keynote speaker & award-winning author. She served President George W. Bush as Special Assistant to the President and on the National Economic Council. She was responsible for financial market issues during the Enron crisis, and was responsible for assessing terrorism risks to the economy after 9/11. She has also advised the US Cabinet. Dr. Pippa’s most recent book, the Infinite Leader, won the International Press Award for the Best Book on Leadership for 2021. Dr. Pippa joins the show to discuss why leadership has gone wrong, what she thinks of the recent UFO news, why we’re already in World War III, and a whole lot more! Important Links: Dr. Pippa’s websiteDr. Pippa’s SubstackDr. Pippa’s Twitter Show Notes: Books Mentioned: mgren is an economist, founder, keynote speaker & award-winning author. She served President George W. Bush as Special Assistant to the President and on the National Economic Council. She was responsible for financial market issues during the Enron crisis, and was responsible for assessing terrorism risks to the economy after 9/11. She has also advised the US Cabinet. Dr. Pippa’s most recent book, the Infinite Leader, won the International Press Award for the Best Book on Leadership for 2021. Dr. Pippa joins the show to discuss why leadership has gone wrong, what she thinks of the recent UFO news, why we’re already in World War III, and a whole lot more! Important Links: Dr. Pippa’s websiteDr. Pippa’s SubstackDr. Pippa’s Twitter Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:01:13:31

Ethan Mollick — How AI Changes Everything (EP.165)

6/15/2023
Ethan Mollick is an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies and teaches innovation and entrepreneurship. He also leads Wharton Interactive, an effort to democratize education using games, simulations, and AI. When Ethan started his Substack One Useful Thing in November last year, he was planning on writing about a different management paper every post. Then, in Ethan’s words, the arrival of ChatGPT turned him from “an AI-skeptic to an AI-believer.” Over the last few months, Ethan has been explaining the rapid developments in the AI industry, documenting how he has incorporated AI into his teaching, and providing practical guides to how we can use AI in our daily lives. Important Links: Ethan’s SubstackEthan’s Twitter 40 AI Use Cases: How Many Did You Know About? Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:00:53:47

Chen Qiufan — AI 2041: 10 Visions of Our Future (EP.164)

6/8/2023
Chen Qiufan (AKA Stanley Chan) is an award-winning science fiction writer, screenwriter, creative producer, and columnist. He is the president of the World Chinese Science Fiction Association and the founder of the content development studio Thema Mundi. Chen joins the show to discuss his latest novel, AI 2041: Ten Visions for the Future, which he co-wrote with former Google China president Kai-Fu Lee. Part science fiction, part science forecasting, over ten short stories AI 2041 imagines the different ways, good and bad, that AI will impact our society. The central thesis? AI will transform our lives, but we remain masters of our fate. Important Links: Qiufan’s WebsiteQiufan’s Twitter Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:01:13:30

Todd Goodwin — Hypnosis: Separating Myth From Reality (EP.163)

6/1/2023
Todd Goodwin is the founder of Goodwin Hypnosis, a hypnosis center based in North Carolina. He is a Board Certified Fellow of the National Guild of Hypnotists, a designation earned by only one in every 500 hypnotists. As well as working with thousands of clients since opening Goodwin Hypnosis in 2007, Todd has co-facilitated hypnosis certification courses, created a book and accompanying 30-day hypnosis system designed to stop people from smoking, and given numerous presentations on hypnosis to physicians, students, and medical staff. Todd joins the show to discuss some of the common myths & misconceptions around hypnosis. Important Links: Goodwin Hypnosis Goodwin Hypnosis’ YouTube The Thinker and the Prover Our episode on Dr John Sarno The Six Stage Model of Behaviour Change Show Notes: Hypnosis in our everyday lives Why isn’t hypnosis more widely used? “I don’t want someone in my head” “I can’t be hypnotized” Targeting the root causes of behavior Tension between the conscious & the unconscious How secondary gains can obstruct progress How to clear root fear Using language to elicit change Be curious about yourself; remember that you are worthy of love MORE! Books Mentioned: Healing Back Pain; by John E. Sarno Influence: Science and Practice; by Robert Cialdini Frogs into Princes: Neuro Linguistic Programming; by Richard Bandler and John Grinder

Duration:01:05:57

Nat & Martha Sharpe — The Conflict between Agency & Community (EP.163)

5/30/2023
Nat & Martha Sharpe have been a creative team for over a decade. Nat was a film school graduate and Martha a storytelling enthusiast. They fell in love while filming a musical parody of "Beowulf" with their friends. After another comedy and two documentaries, they started having children. Focus shifted from art to survival. Together, they learned to code, got off food stamps, and traveled around America in an RV. Today, Nat and Martha homeschool their 5 kids and are eager to explore alternative education, expand their comfort zones, and—as always—make movies. Nat & Martha were the first recipients of an O’Shaughnessy Fellowship, which is a one-year program for ambitious people who want to build something great. Fellows receive a $100,000 grant and access to OSV’s network of founders, investors and experts to support them in bringing their projects to life. Nat & Martha are using their fellowship grant to study and make documentary films of alternative childhood education schools. Important Links: The O’Shaughnessy FellowshipsNat & Martha’s Website Nat & Martha’s TwitterNat & Martha’s O’Shaughnessy Fellowship Application VideoNat & Martha’s YouTube ChannelOSV’s investment in Synthesis School Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:01:14:30

Jason Crawford — The Roots of Progress (EP.162)

5/25/2023
Jason Crawford is the founder & president of The Roots of Progress, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing a new philosophy of progress for the 21st century. Jason has written well over 100 essays on the history of technology and the philosophy of progress, and given numerous talks and interviews on the same. He joins the show to discuss whether humans deserve progress, how to make progress cool, the two types of optimism, and more! Important Links: The Roots of ProgressJason’s Website Jason’s TwitterDiscourse on the Arts and Sciences; by Jean-Jacques RousseauTriumph of the Nerds Why I’m a proud solutionist Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:01:12:03

David Pinsof — Everything is Bullshit (EP.161)

5/18/2023
David Pinsof is an evolutionary social scientist and a co-creator of the game Cards Against Humanity. He holds a PhD in Psychology from UCLA, where he studied the evolutionary origins of political bullshit, and has written a handful of academic papers, one of which has been cited 152 times and another of which was quoted in the New York Times. David is the author of the ‘Everything Is Bullshit’ Substack, which aims to poke holes in the stories we tell ourselves. He joins the show to discuss why happiness & morality are bullshit, the difference between bullshit & lying, why we conceal the status monkey, and more! Important Links: David’s TwitterEverything is BullshitCards Against HumanityThe Execution Hypothesis; by Richard WranghamDiscordianismOur podcast with George MackOur podcast with Will Storr Show Notes: Books Mentioned:

Duration:01:06:47