Podcast Episodes

Nadia Asparouhova — Tech elites, democracy, open source, & philanthropy

Nadia Asparouhova is currently researching what the new tech elite will look like at nadia.xyz. She is also the author of Working in Public: The Making and Maintenance of Open Source Software.

We talk…

Published on 3 years ago

Aella - Sex, Psychedelics, & Enlightenment

Sex tips, porn revolutions, psychedelics, and enlightenment

Aella writes at knowingless.com. Her posts and tweets provide a unique perspective about the data on sexual kinks and on being an escort & …

Published on 3 years ago

Byrne Hobart - FTX, Drugs, Twitter, Taiwan, & Monasticism

Perhaps the most interesting episode so far.

Byrne Hobart writes at thediff.co, analyzing inflections in finance and tech.

He explains:

* What happened at FTX

* How drugs have induced past financial bubb…

Published on 3 years ago

Edward Glaeser - Cities, Terrorism, Housing, & Remote Work

Edward Glaeser is the chair of the Harvard department of economics, and the author of the best books and papers about cities (including Survival of the City and Triumph of the City).

He explains why:

*…

Published on 3 years, 1 month ago

Kenneth T. Jackson - Robert Moses, Hero of New York?

I had a fascinating discussion about Robert Moses and The Power Broker with Professor Kenneth T. Jackson.

He's the pre-eminent historian on NYC and author of Robert Moses and The Modern City: The Tran…

Published on 3 years, 1 month ago

Brian Potter - Future of Construction, Ugly Modernism, & Environmental Review

It was a pleasure to welcome Brian Potter on the podcast! Brian is the author of the excellent Construction Physics blog, where he discusses why the construction industry has been slow to industriali…

Published on 3 years, 2 months ago

Bryan Caplan - Feminists, Billionaires, and Demagogues

It was a fantastic pleasure to welcome Bryan Caplan back for a third time on the podcast! His most recent book is Don't Be a Feminist: Essays on Genuine Justice.

He explains why he thinks:

- Feminists …

Published on 3 years, 2 months ago

Tyler Cowen - Talent, Collapse, & Pessimism of Sex

It was my great pleasure to speak once again to Tyler Cowen. His most recent book is Talent, How to Find Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Across the World.

We discuss:

- how sex is more pessimistic t…

Published on 3 years, 3 months ago

Tyler Cowen - Talent, Collapse, & Sex

It was my great pleasure to speak once again to Tyler Cowen. His most recent book is Talent, How to Find Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Across the World.

We discuss how sex is more pessimistic tha…

Published on 3 years, 3 months ago

Charles C. Mann - Americas Before Columbus & Scientific Wizardry

Charles C. Mann is the author of three of my favorite history books: 1491. 1493, and The Wizard and the Prophet. 

We discuss:

* why Native American civilizations collapsed and why they failed to make m…

Published on 3 years, 3 months ago