Best How Things Were Invented Podcasts (2025)

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The Race to Stop Scheming Before AI Gets Superhuman — Marius Hobbhahn (CEO of Apollo Research) 3:03:18

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18h ago3:03:18

3:03:18

We often worry about AI models “hallucinating” or making honest mistakes. But what happens when a model knows the truth, but decides to deceive you anyway to achieve a goal of its own? This isn’t sci-fi — it’s happening regularly in deployment today. Marius Hobbhahn, CEO of the world’s top research organisation focused on AI deception (Apollo Resea…

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191: Chaos, Bloopers, and the most unhinged things Bailey said all year! 45:00

9h ago45:00

45:00

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday! Welcome to the fourth... and maybe final... Joanie Awards. Tear. But don't be sad that it might be over... be happy because it all happened. After a season jam packed with horny nuns, rogue presidents, cursed statues, disastrous love lives (ancient AND modern), Britney impressions and some evil, shedding mittens… we’re…

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Week 3 A Doctor's 52 Week Journey to an Unprocessed Life 31:48

2h ago31:48

31:48

Speaker-Organized Summary: Key Points, Decisions, and Next Steps Dr. Brent Lartz Key Points and Decisions: Acknowledged the difficulty of staying motivated during the holidays, but emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Discussed the concept of "holiday heart" and the negative impacts of overconsumption of unhealthy foods and…

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World AIDS Day _ Philip Emeagwali _ December 1, 2006 2:19

33m ago2:19

2:19

World AIDS Day _ Philip Emeagwali _ December 1, 2006 by Philip EmeagwaliBy Philip Emeagwali

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_How I Invented a New Internet_ _ Philip Emeagwali _ Famous Physicists _ Inventions and Discoveries 8:22

41m ago8:22

8:22

_How I Invented a New Internet_ _ Philip Emeagwali _ Famous Physicists _ Inventions and Discoveries by Philip EmeagwaliBy Philip Emeagwali

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Tech Solutions (#4): How organizations can grow in a post-aid world (with Jacqueline Novogratz) 29:16

24m ago29:16

29:16

When the Trump administration dismantled USAID, it was the beginning of a post-aid era, says philanthropist and social entrepreneur Jacqueline Novogratz. Aid may not be coming back but in its place Jacqueline hopes creative solutions will emerge to provide independence and dignity at the community level. Jacqueline is the CEO of Acumen and has help…

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Stranger Things: Plot Holes, Nostalgia, and Season 5 Predictions 56:48

8d ago56:48

56:48

Connect with us! Steve and Jeff dive into Stranger Things—breaking down Seasons 1–4, the 80s nostalgia, the D&D roots, the plot holes, and what we expect from Season 5. From Eddie Munson to Vecna to that ridiculous Russian lab moment, this is the Gen X geek breakdown you didn’t know you needed. We talk Dungeons & Dragons influences, 80s pop-culture…

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190: The Mysterious Cult Leader Who Inspired Jonestown - Father Divine 1:07:42

7d ago1:07:42

1:07:42

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday! What if I told you that one of the most influential... and mysterious cult leaders in American history is someone most people have never heard of? And that Jim Jones himself, yes Jonestown Jim Jones, got many of his ideas from same guy? Today, we’re diving into the wild and complicated story of Father Divine—the charis…

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Rob & Luisa chat kids, the 2016 fertility crash, and how the 50s invented parenting that makes us miserable 1:59:09

9d ago1:59:09

1:59:09

Global fertility rates aren’t just falling: the rate of decline is accelerating. From 2006 to 2016, fertility dropped gradually, but since 2016 the rate of decline has increased 4.5-fold. In many wealthy countries, fertility is now below 1.5. While we don’t notice it yet, in time that will mean the population halves every 60 years. Rob Wiblin is al…

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Tech Solutions (#3): How one of China’s biggest tech companies is tackling carbon removal (with Xu Hao) 22:28

11d ago22:28

22:28

Tencent is one of China’s biggest tech companies, running the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat and the world’s largest video game vendor. Now, it’s also an up-and-coming force in the field of carbon removal. Xu Hao, the vice president of Sustainable Social Value at Tencent, oversees two of those initiatives: the Carbon Neutrality Lab and Carbon…

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#228 – Eileen Yam on how we're completely out of touch with what the public thinks about AI 1:43:24

14d ago1:43:24

1:43:24

If you work in AI, you probably think it’s going to boost productivity, create wealth, advance science, and improve your life. If you’re a member of the American public, you probably strongly disagree. In three major reports released over the last year, the Pew Research Center surveyed over 5,000 US adults and 1,000 AI experts. They found that the …

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Tech Solutions (#2): How to balance the AI boom and environmental responsibility (with Juan M. Lavista Ferres) 18:55

15d ago18:55

18:55

The environmental impact of AI is a growing concern. In this episode, Sherrell sits down with Juan M. Lavista Ferres, the Chief Scientist and Lab Director of Microsoft’s AI for Good Research Lab, to discuss his work in using AI for conservation and sustainability. Whether it’s using AI to measure methane gas leaks or allowing AI to optimize healthc…

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Week 2 A Doctor's 52 Week Journey to an Unprocessed Life 1:09:00

18d ago1:09:00

1:09:00

Key Points & Decisions: Continuing the "Go Unpro" journey to an unprocessed life, building on progress from Week 1 Focusing on the 4 pillars of longevity: diet, exercise, sleep, and social connection Instituting a low-sugar, high-fiber, mostly plant-based diet Avoiding processed foods, plastic containers, and seed oils Implementing time-restricted …

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189: The Wicked Truth Behind Hollywood’s Favorite Movie - The Wizard of Oz 1:08:29

21d ago1:08:29

1:08:29

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday! You’ve seen The Wizard of Oz... the ruby slippers, the Yellow Brick Road, the flying monkeys… But you've also heard rumblings of some dark rumors, haven't you? Well, behind all that glitter and Technicolor magic was a nightmare of toxic makeup, real fires, starvation diets, terror in Munchkinland and a studio system th…

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OpenAI: The nonprofit refuses to be killed (with Tyler Whitmer) 1:56:06

23d ago1:56:06

1:56:06

Last December, the OpenAI business put forward a plan to completely sideline its nonprofit board. But two state attorneys general have now blocked that effort and kept that board very much alive and kicking. The for-profit’s trouble was that the entire operation was founded on the premise of — and legally pledged to — the purpose of ensuring that “…

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The King of Nightmares: Why Stephen King Still Rules Horror 57:51

23d ago57:51

57:51

Connect with us! How the Master of Horror became the ultimate Geek King Stephen King didn’t just write horror — he defined it. From Carrie to It, The Shining to Shawshank, King’s stories built an entire universe of fear, magic, and monsters that shaped every geek kid who ever stayed up too late with a flashlight and a paperback. In this episode, St…

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Tech Solutions (#1): The affordable tech that will revolutionize farming (with Samir Ibrahim and Josephine Waweru) 23:42

25d ago23:42

23:42

When entrepreneur Samir Ibrahim asked farmers in Kenya what problem they most needed solved, the answer was simple: reliable access to water to irrigate their farms year-round. Samir is the CEO of SunCulture, a company replacing diesel- and petrol-powered water pumps with more affordable solar-powered ones. He sits down with Sherrell Dorsey, host o…

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#227 – Helen Toner on the geopolitics of AGI in China and the Middle East 2:20:02

29d ago2:20:02

2:20:02

With the US racing to develop AGI and superintelligence ahead of China, you might expect the two countries to be negotiating how they’ll deploy AI, including in the military, without coming to blows. But according to Helen Toner, director of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology in DC, “the US and Chinese governments are barely talking at…

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188: The Mass Murders That Set The Stage for Hitler 1:15:22

29d ago1:15:22

1:15:22

Hi friends. Happy Wednesday. Today’s episode is personal. It’s painful. And it’s important. We’re talking about the Armenian Genocide... a chapter of history that millions experienced, yet many still deny or have never been taught. I’ve always known I wanted to cover this story because of my family history. But every time I tried, it never felt lik…

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Creature Double Feature: From Camp to Cool! 51:34

27d ago51:34

51:34

Connect with us! Grab your popcorn and dim the lights — this week on Original Geek, we’re firing up the old TV set for a trip back to Creature Double Feature! 👾 Steve and Jeff dig into the evolution of the movie monster — from the campy rubber suits of the 70s to the CGI behemoths that crush cities (and box offices) today. We’re talking Godzilla, G…

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Sunday Science by Go_UnPro Episode 1: 2025_11_02 24:41

25d ago24:41

24:41

In this first episode of Sunday Science, we explore a few articles showing the carcinogenic potential of a strain of E coli (pks+ or colibactin-producing) that produces a DNA mutational toxin. Evidence from the discussed articles shows that this bacteria could be responsible for a high percentage of early onset (under age 50) colorectal cancer (CRC…

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When AI Cannibalizes Its Data | NPR's Short Wave 14:12

22d ago14:12

14:12

Today, we’re featuring an episode from NPR’s science podcast Short Wave. In it, host Regina G. Barber talks to computer scientist Ilia Shumailov about maybe the buzziest topic around: AI. I’m sure you know AI models like OpenAI's ChatGPT are trained on millions of examples of human-written text. Nowadays, a lot of content on the Internet is written…

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#226 – Holden Karnofsky on unexploited opportunities to make AI safer — and all his AGI takes 4:30:19

1M ago4:30:19

4:30:19

For years, working on AI safety usually meant theorising about the ‘alignment problem’ or trying to convince other people to give a damn. If you could find any way to help, the work was frustrating and low feedback. According to Anthropic’s Holden Karnofsky, this situation has now reversed completely. There are now large amounts of useful, concrete…

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187: Possessed Nuns, Mass Hysteria, and an Influencer Priest: DH of Exorcisms 1:04:04

1M ago1:04:04

1:04:04

Hi friends. Happy Wednesday. More importantly... 🎃 Happy Halloween!! 👻 Grab your holiest water and close the curtains, because I've got the perfect episode to button up spooky season. We are diving headfirst into the real Dark History of Exorcisms — and it’s crazier than the movies ever showed us. From a convent full of “possessed” nuns shouting fi…

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#225 – Daniel Kokotajlo on what a hyperspeed robot economy might look like 2:12:01

1M ago2:12:01

2:12:01

When Daniel Kokotajlo talks to security experts at major AI labs, they tell him something chilling: “Of course we’re probably penetrated by the CCP already, and if they really wanted something, they could take it.” This isn’t paranoid speculation. It’s the working assumption of people whose job is to protect frontier AI models worth billions of dol…

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The inside story of Notre-Dame's incredible reconstruction | Philippe Villeneuve 15:02

1M ago15:02

15:02

In a moment that stunned the world in 2019, the famed Notre-Dame in Paris went up in flames, threatening the future of the centuries-old Gothic treasure. Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect of the cathedral’s restoration, recounts the collective effort to bring the building back to life while honoring its history. Listen for a story of craftsm…

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TRON Was Too Smart for 1982: How Disney Invented the Future 57:45

1M ago57:45

57:45

Connect with us! The Digital Dream That Stared it all... From the 1982 original to Legacy and Ares — how TRON went from box-office glitch to digital prophecy. Before The Matrix, before Ready Player One, before anyone even owned a home computer… Disney dropped TRON (1982) — a movie that predicted the digital age, invented CGI filmmaking, and got dis…

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I’ll probably lose my job to AI. Here’s why that’s OK | Megan J. McArdle 14:11

2M ago14:11

14:11

Artificial intelligence could cost many of us our careers — but that doesn’t mean we should stop its development, says journalist Megan J. McArdle. As she watches AI encroach on her own craft, she shares a fresh take on the 19th-century Luddites, who tried to destroy machines that would upend their trade. Looking back, McArdle reframes today’s fear…

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186: Tales from the Dark History Crypt - A Spooky Season Special 4:05:14

2M ago4:05:14

4:05:14

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! No tricks. Just treats here this spooky season. Over the years, many of your have commented that your like to put Dark History on and just let it play in the background. So, instead of you having to shuffle through a mish mash of episodes... I did the hard work for you and created a special themed playlist, if you will.…

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How Texas became America’s biggest producer of wind energy 26:59

2M ago26:59

26:59

This is the surprising story of how Texas – rich in oil and gas – became America's biggest producer of wind energy. For our first episode, Ryan and Anjali talk with Pat Wood, once George W. Bush’s right hand man and head of Texas's Public Utility Commission, to uncover the innovative approach that turned Texas into a renewable energy powerhouse. It…

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185: The Alaska Triangle: Disappearances, Dead Ends, and the Dark Truth Beneath It All 48:21

2M ago48:21

48:21

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I learned about a place in Alaska where more than 20,000 people have vanished — planes, hikers, politicians — and almost none have ever been found. And I had to do an episode on it. It’s called the Alaska Triangle and it's a remote stretch of wilderness bigger than California and notorious for swallowing people, aircraf…

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The John Hughes Yearbook: Do His Movies Still School Us Today? 1:03:13

2M ago1:03:13

1:03:13

Connect with us! The 1980s teen experience in one filmography. In this episode of Original Geek, Steve Scarfo and Jeff Shaw dive into the John Hughes universe—The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck—and ask the big question: do these classics still hold up in 2025? Expec…

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Inside a dark web kill list | Carl Miller 16:25

1M ago16:25

16:25

Who pays for an assassin on the internet? Dark web researcher Carl Miller spent years tracking down the answer to this question. In this chilling talk, he shares how he uncovered real kill orders placed online by seemingly ordinary individuals — and gives an unsettling look at what drives people to the brink. (Note: This talk contains descriptions …

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#224 – There's a cheap and low-tech way to save humanity from any engineered disease | Andrew Snyder-Beattie 2:31:11

2M ago2:31:11

2:31:11

Conventional wisdom is that safeguarding humanity from the worst biological risks — microbes optimised to kill as many as possible — is difficult bordering on impossible, making bioweapons humanity’s single greatest vulnerability. Andrew Snyder-Beattie thinks conventional wisdom could be wrong. Andrew’s job at Open Philanthropy is to spend hundreds…

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184: The Devil's Secretaries or Scapegoats? The Witches History Erased 52:53

2M ago52:53

52:53

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other night I was deep into my usual bedtime routine of doomscrolling, and I stumbled across this headline that said: “DID YOU KNOW: The Last Witch Trial Was in 1944.” And I was like… I’m sorry, what? 1944? Like while the rest of the world was fighting Nazis, someone was in a courtroom yelling, “She’s a WITCH”? B…

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Inside the Biden admin’s AI policy approach | Jake Sullivan, Biden’s NSA | via The Cognitive Revolution 1:05:58

2M ago1:05:58

1:05:58

Jake Sullivan was the US National Security Advisor from 2021-2025. He joined our friends on The Cognitive Revolution podcast in August to discuss AI as a critical national security issue. We thought it was such a good interview and we wanted more people to see it, so we’re cross-posting it here on The 80,000 Hours Podcast. Jake and host Nathan Labe…

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Interview: The plant-based coating that is eliminating food spoilage | Jenny Du 20:51

2M ago20:51

20:51

If food waste were a country, it’d be the third highest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions after China and the US, says Apeel Senior VP of Operations Jenny Du. Following her talk at TED2025, Du sits down for a conversation with host Sherrell Dorsey on how her lab is creating plant-based coating that can help reduce food spoilage. From combating fo…

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Behind the DM Screen: From Basements to Center Stage (Ft Dave Tufts) 58:23

2M ago58:23

58:23

Connect with us! In this episode of The Original Geek, hosts Steve Scarfo and Jeff Shaw are joined by their friend Dave Tufts as they dive into the evolution of geek culture through the eyes of the Dungeon Master. Once just the Gen X kid running games in a basement, the DM has now leveled up into performer, storyteller, and even paid professional. …

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How to build in space for life on Earth | Ariel Ekblaw 13:01

2M ago13:01

13:01

Is space the “final frontier” — or the perfect place to revolutionize life on Earth? Space architect Ariel Ekblaw reveals how self-assembling structures could build orbiting real estate in space dedicated to solving humanity’s greatest dilemmas on Earth, leading to scientific and medical breakthroughs only possible in zero gravity. Hosted on Acast.…

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183: The MESSY Life of Ronald Reagan: Snitching, Scandals & DEADLY Decision 1:01:37

3M ago1:01:37

1:01:37

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other day, I was googling jelly beans. Don’t ask why, I was in a mood. But I ended up falling down a rabbit hole, and suddenly… I was reading about Ronald Reagan. Apparently, Reagan was *obsessed* with jelly beans. I guess he started eating them as a way to quit smoking. He swapped cigarettes for jelly beans. Ins…

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#223 – Neel Nanda on leading a Google DeepMind team at 26 – and advice if you want to work at an AI company (part 2) 1:46:49

3M ago1:46:49

1:46:49

At 26, Neel Nanda leads an AI safety team at Google DeepMind, has published dozens of influential papers, and mentored 50 junior researchers — seven of whom now work at major AI companies. His secret? “It’s mostly luck,” he says, but “another part is what I think of as maximising my luck surface area.” Video, full transcript, and links to learn mor…

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The AI revolution is underhyped | Eric Schmidt 29:51

2M ago29:51

29:51

The arrival of non-human intelligence is a very big deal, says former Google CEO and chairman Eric Schmidt. In a wide-ranging interview with technologist Bilawal Sidhu, Schmidt makes the case that AI is wildly underhyped, as near-constant breakthroughs give rise to systems capable of doing even the most complex tasks on their own. He explores the s…

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182: The Cult of Kellogg: Cornflakes, Celibacy, and Colonics?? 49:40

3M ago49:40

49:40

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! The other day I was craving a big fat bowl of Honey Smacks cereal with whole milk. When I was a kid, that was luxury to me. But I hadn’t had them in forever so I didn’t even know if they were still around. You know me - I googled “HONEY SMACKS… DISCONTINUED??” Good news, they’re around. Bad news… I found out about Kello…

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Rise of the Sports Geek: From Box Scores to Billion-Dollar Fantasy 55:10

3M ago55:10

55:10

Connect with us! “Remember keeping baseball box scores by hand? Today, those same stat-obsessed weirdos run billion-dollar fantasy leagues and sports betting apps. In this episode of Original Geek, Steve and Jeff take a nostalgic (and hilarious) look at how sports geeks went from the stands with scorecards to running the game from behind the screen…

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#222 – Can we tell if an AI is loyal by reading its mind? DeepMind's Neel Nanda (part 1) 3:01:11

3M ago3:01:11

3:01:11

We don’t know how AIs think or why they do what they do. Or at least, we don’t know much. That fact is only becoming more troubling as AIs grow more capable and appear on track to wield enormous cultural influence, directly advise on major government decisions, and even operate military equipment autonomously. We simply can’t tell what models, if a…

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The future of finding love with Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd | ReThinking with Adam Grant 36:29

3M ago36:29

36:29

What will dating look like in the age of AI? Whitney Wolfe Herd is the founder and CEO of Bumble, the popular dating app that has helped millions of people meet their match. In this episode, Whitney chats with Adam about her vision for the future of dating online and offline, her decision to take a break from leading Bumble, and the importance of p…

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181: The Real Conjuring: Ghost Hunters or Grifters? Who Were Ed & Lorraine Warren 49:38

3M ago49:38

49:38

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! Listen… I know it’s not *officially* Fall yet, okay? But we all know Fall means Halloween, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. So I wanted to get started celebrating a little early this year. I did a soft launch on my decorations. Put out a few pumpkins and spider webs. The crows in my backyard approved. And I decided…

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A concrete plan for sustainable cement | Ryan Gilliam 10:43

3M ago10:43

10:43

Cement is one of the most-consumed materials on Earth — second only to water — and it accounts for a whopping eight percent of the world's carbon pollution. What if we could turn this climate villain into a hero? Clean tech innovator and serial entrepreneur Ryan Gilliam reveals his company's surprisingly simple process for transforming waste from t…

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LARP vs Ren Faire: Foam Swords, Lightning Bolts & Geek Wars 55:26

3M ago55:26

55:26

Connect with us! Foam Swords & Lightning Bolts: The World of LARPing & Renaissance Faires - Boyd Returns! Ever wondered what happens when D&D leaves the basement and hits the forest? We’re diving headfirst into the geeky clash between Renaissance Faires and LARPing. Foam swords, lightning bolt spells, turkey legs, costumes, and way too much ale—thi…

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#221 – Kyle Fish on the most bizarre findings from 5 AI welfare experiments 2:28:53

3M ago2:28:53

2:28:53

What happens when you lock two AI systems in a room together and tell them they can discuss anything they want? According to experiments run by Kyle Fish — Anthropic’s first AI welfare researcher — something consistently strange: the models immediately begin discussing their own consciousness before spiraling into increasingly euphoric philosophica…