Into The Impossible

  I thoroughly enjoyed this deep and wide-ranging conversation with two mathematical mavericks. Thanks goes out to both Eric and Stephen for a fascinating live conversation!   Find out more about Wolfram’s Physics Project: https://www.wolframphysics.org Buy Wolfram’s’s new book here: https://amzn.to/3iA6RNh Watch Wolfram’s TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=60P7717-XOQ Find Eric’s Portal Podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR85PW_B_7_Aisx5vNS7Gjw Find Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephen_wolfram Find Eric on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericrweinstein Find Sabine Hossenfelder’s commentary on Stephen and Eric here: https://youtu.be/mdu9KvLxHFg    ‍♂️ Find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating Find me on Instagram at https://instagram.com/DrBrianKeating Buy my book LOSING THE NOBEL PRIZE: http://amzn.to/2sa5UpA Subscribe for more great content https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeatin… ✍️Detailed Blog posts here: https://briankeating.com/blog.ph

  David Marquet’s leadership transformed the fate of those aboard the U.S. Navy submarine under his command. Watch this episode to learn tips from his latest book and motivate people through your language. David and I talk about the small adjustments in our habits and language that can make a difference. His creation of intent-based leadership programs encourages purposeful and effective leadership, which in turn creates happy and productive workers. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive show notes for this episode: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php 10:32 Language matters in leadership. 19:42 The ego of decision making. 25:25 Reprogramming our instincts to live in the modern world. 32:14 Getting real feedback using the “Fist to 5” method 41:44 You can be better every day. 48:03 What ethical will does Marquet plan to leave behind? 49:52 What object or knowledge would Marquet put in or on his monolith? 50:39 What did Marquet think was impossible until he did it? David Marquet served as captain o

  Experimental evidence for any current Theory of Everything is, at best, inconclusive. This is perhaps the greatest fundamental challenges facing physics. That lack of progress has opened up a sea of controversy. Welcome to the second in our two-event series about Theories of Everything! Watch the first one: https://youtu.be/3MX8EpvLwao?sub_confirmation=1 Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel to watch one-on-one interviews with the guest speakers and more: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 Please join my mailing list: http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php to receive “conference proceedings” and other goodies from these events. From disagreements about the very necessity of TOEs, to questioning the cost/benefit of mega-billion dollar particle accelerators in search of them, to the emergence of competing TOEs from physicists outside of the academic community. In this 90 minute chat, we dive into the existential questions around TOEs. Special thanks to Matt O’Dowd, Lee Smolin, Sabine

  James Altucher is an American hedge-fund manager, author, podcaster and entrepreneur who has founded or cofounded over 20 companies. He has published 20 books and he is a contributor to publications including The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and The Huffington Post.  ‍♂️ Find Brian Keating on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating Find Brian Keating on Instagram at https://instagram.com/DrBrianKeating Buy Brian’s book LOSING THE NOBEL PRIZE: http://amzn.to/2sa5UpA Subscribe for more great content https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 ✍️Detailed Blog posts here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php Join my mailing list: http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php Join my Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/losingthenobelprize ️Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-impossible/id1169885840?mt=2 A production of http://imagination.ucsd.edu/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me

  What are the Leading Theories of Everything? In this 90 minute summit with some of the world’s leading physicists, we’ll go beyond the hype into the heart and soul of physics. The search for a theory that finishes what Einstein began and ties together all the forces of the universe. Can that ever be achieved ? Will it be achieved? When? Is physics stuck in 1920? Join @matt_of_earth and @DrBrianKeating on @PBSSpaceTime with some of the world’s leading physicists for two 90 minute webinars on #TheoriesOfEverything https://www.pbsspacetime.com/events the promo video https://youtu.be/iozCwyjxhyY And stay tuned for Part 2 with Lisa Randal, Sabine Hossenfelder, Lee Smolin and Eric Weinstein! ‍♂️ Find Brian Keating on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating Find Brian Keating on Instagram at https://instagram.com/DrBrianKeating Buy Brian’s book LOSING THE NOBEL PRIZE: http://amzn.to/2sa5UpA Subscribe for more great content https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 ✍️Detailed Blog po

  Rapper and entrepreneur Zuby shares his thoughtful brand of straight talk on this episode of INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE. Topics included whether an AI rapper will ever pass the “Turing Test”, his fitness book “Strong Advice,” his independently released albums, and his REAL TALK podcast. Subscribe to Brian Keating’s newsletter to receive show notes for this episode: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php 00:04:04 Is your DNA your destiny? 00:11:44 A day in the life of Zuby. 00:20:05 Prayer as a form of mindful meditation. 00:26:44 Imposter syndrome and handling feedback. 00:36:50 The impacts of artificial intelligence on our humanity. 00:50:00 Authenticity of language in Zuby’s music. 00:57:34 What ethical will does Zuby plan to leave behind? 00:59:18 What object or knowledge would Zuby put in or on his monolith? 01:00:17 What did Zuby think was impossible until he did it? Zuby is a musician, author, podcaster, public speaker, fitness expert, and life coach. He studied computer science at Oxford. Buy Z

  Noam Chomsky is one of the most influential and highly cited scholars of our time. He is a pioneer in the fields of linguistics and cognitive science. This episode of INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE covers those topics and delves into his thoughts on communicating with aliens, meditation, and free speech including his contribution to the “Harper’s Magazine letter”. Chomsky is a prolific author and known political activist. We avoided politics, as is the custom for my interviews. Our conversation also covers the Turing Test, neural nets, and artificial intelligence, including why he expects Elon Musk’s Neuralink project to fail. Subscribe Professor Keating’s mailing list to receive show notes for this episode. 00:11:00 Does Noam Chomsky believe in extraterrestrial life & could we communicate with E.T.? 00:26:30 Busting (or confirming) linguistic myths with the master. 00:41:00 “There is no scientific method, it’s just being intelligent.” 01:00:00 Artificial intelligence applications in cognitive science. 01:11:25 C

  Nobel Prize-winning astronomer Adam Riess is my guest on this episode of INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE. Adam was an essential character in my book, Losing the Nobel Prize. Though at the top of his field, Riess is relentlessly passionate about perfecting his craft and he credits curiosity as the force that sustains his career. Riess and I discussed cosmological controversies including inflation, the Hubble tension, and primordial magnetic fields. We also discuss legacies, prize money, Albert Einstein’s ability to transfix physicists and laypeople.  07:02 Curiosity is the key to a fulfilling career in science. 18:22 9% and why it matters. 26:00 Einstein was a victim of bad data. 33:02 Resolving Hubble tension. 40:56 The pursuit of extraordinary evidence. 52:03 What ethical will does Adam plan to leave behind? 53:28 What would Adam put on a billion year old time capsule? 55:44 What wisdom would Adam share with his younger self? 57:53 How did Adam spend his Nobel Prize winnings? Adam Riess was a recipient of th

  Producer Stuart Volkow interviews Dr. Fadel Zeidan, PhD, the Associate Director for Research at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness and Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at UCSD. He and his laboratory have discovered the neural processes supporting mindfulness meditation and mindfulness-based pain relief. https://www.zeidanlab.com/ https://medschool.ucsd.edu/som/fmph/r… Recently, he and his team have demonstrated that mindfulness meditation is mechanistically distinct from and more effective than placebo, distraction, and relaxation. His research is currently funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and has disseminated his findings through traditional media outreach (CNN ; NPR ; Time Magazine , CBS and others), Tedx and recently personally presented his work to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama in Mongolia. In his role at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness, Fadel will focus on expanding his research to focus on working with different patient populations and user-friendly approaches to

   Theoretical cosmologist Janna Levin is an-award winning author of both nonfiction and fiction. In her interview on the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE podcast, she emphasizes the important role of creativity in science, and life in general. We discussed Levin’s research on the topology of the universe and black holes, including the Event Horizon Telescope. We also discuss her highly-anticipated upcoming book, “Black Hole Survival Guide.” Subscribe to my newsletter to receive show notes for this episode: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list… 00:03:17 Science is part of our culture. 00:12:17 Cultivating communication skills in scientists. 00:16:29 Gödel, Popper, and what constitutes good science. 00:23:55 Extra spatial dimensions. 00:31:45 “Every kid is a scientist.” 00:37:26 Illuminatin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

   Ann Druyan has brought the universe to millions around the world. The wife of the late Carl Sagan, Ann is a renowned science communicator and producer/writer and co-creator of the upcoming series Cosmos: Possible Worlds. She is the author of the companion book of the same name.  She is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning writer and producer. She co-created and wrote the 1980 TV series Cosmos with Carl Sagan, whom she later married. She also co-created, wrote, produced, and directed the follow up series, 2014’s Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and 2020’s Cosmos: Possible Worlds. She was also creative director for NASA’s Voyager Interstellar Message Project and her brain waves are part of the golden record that has traveled outside our solar system. Druyan discusses her fascinating voyage through the most mysterious phenomena in the cosmos. We discuss her family’s remarkable role as science ambassadors including not only her marriage to Carl Sagan, but her remarkable daughter Sasha Sagan who is continuing their rol

Mathematician, codebreaker, Professor, hedge fund pioneer, & philanthropist Jim Simons makes his first-ever podcast appearance on this episode of INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE with UC San Diego Professor Brian Keating. Learn about Chern-Simons theory, leadership lessons, hedge funds, and a dedication to serve the world through basic research from a master. It is truly a delight to share with you the more personal side of the man who’s been called The World’s Smartest Billionaire: https://youtu.be/gjVDqfUhXOY In this interview, we discuss heroes, fatherhood, leadership and the art of math.    00:15:15 Why he’d invite Abraham Lincoln to dinner. 00:23:42 Discovering Zeno’s paradox at the age of three. 00:34:28 Can math be beautiful? 00:46:25 Lessons from a master investor: alpha vs. beta. 00:56:06 The serendipitous Chern-Simons partnership. 01:03:18 A father’s love. 01:11:09 The legacy of a good example. Jim Simons earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from UC Berkeley at the age of 23. He worked as a mathematician for the

   Part 2 of Brian Keating’s conversation with Eric Weinstein on the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE podcast pivots from faith & family to the course catalog at “Weinstein University” (fictional, for now!) which would combine scholarship with wonder. We also contemplate the notion of legacies, not just for our actual children, but for our ideological children as well. Show notes and, by popular demand, Eric’s slides from his famous 2013 “Geometric Unity” lecture at Oxford are available when you join my mailing list: http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php Highlights: 00:12:18 A place for the rituals of religion in an atheist’s life. 00:19:26 Crisis of faith versus crisis of reason. 00:25:20 Eric Weinstein’s parenting philosophy. 00:33:05 Resolving dualities in human lives and behaviors. 00:36:05 Rapid fire questions about God and aliens. 00:40:26 Eric’s legacies in space and time. Eric Weinstein has a Ph.D. from Harvard in mathematical physics. He is the managing director of Thiel Capital. Weinstein hosts the pod

   Physicist, jazz musician, & President of the National Society of Black Physicists, Stephon Alexander is this week’s guest on the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE podcast. He discussed the foundations of the cosmos, his advice for balancing academic and creative pursuits, and his book “The Jazz of Physics.” Support the National Society of Black Physicists: https://nsbp.org/support-nsbp/support-us Show notes and resources for this episode are available: simply join my mailing list: http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php and you’ll also get information to enter giveaways to win my guest’s books! Our next giveaway will be Stephon’s phenomenal THE JAZZ OF PHYSICS! 00:14:20 Balancing the creative pursuits of research, jazz, and writing. 00:28:46 Which came first – theoretical or experimental physics? 00:40:30 Creativity and intuition have a role in science. 00:46:48 How legacy and John Coltrane inspired Alexander to write his book. 00:57:18 The power (and limits) of analogies to explain science. 01:07:34 Journal arti

   Sarah Frier is a prolific technology reporter for Bloomberg. Her new book, “No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram,” is both a compelling account of Instagram’s history and a record of the social media platform’s impact on society. Professor Brian Keating’s interview with Frier covers a range of topics, including the inspiration to research and write the book, the role of augmented technology, and how social media will be changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Show notes and resources are available here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php Timestamps links 00:07:39 The meanings behind the title and cover of “No Filter.” 00:14:45 Social media moguls as humans and not just characters in the story. 00:22:15 How to tell a story when everyone knows the ending. 00:31:15 Anyone can be an Instagram celebrity. 00:41:00 Will a new platform emerge during the pandemic? 00:47:51 Technological advances keep Instagram relevant. 00:53:11 Questions INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE asks all authors. Sarah Frier is a technology report

Dr. Jud Brewer is a mindfulness expert, using his background in addiction psychiatry to help people around the world. In this interview with Brian Keating, on INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE, Brewer talks about his book, “The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love – Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits.” Show notes and resources are available here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php 00:08:53 The effects of nature versus nurture on cravings. 00:17:04 Are some cultures resistant to psychotherapy and meditation? 00:26:16 How technology can enhance mindfulness. 00:37:04 How to help our kids develop good habits. 00:44:03 Incorporating artificial intelligence & human empathy in healthcare. 00:49:38 Anxiety is rampant in academia. What can be done? 01:04:45 Questions INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE asks authors. I’ve used Brewer’s teaching in my own life and work. Mindfulness practices can help achieve higher efficiency and happiness at work, and moderate stress of all varieties, including the anxiety that

   Part 1 of Brian Keating’s fascinating interview with mathematician & economist Eric Weinstein on the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast. Topics include Eric’s provocative new ideas on physics and science culture. Weinstein is a vocal critic of modern academic hierarchies and advocates for advances in scientific theory over an emphasis on experimental results. Keating’s own issues with what he calls the “academic Hunger Games” leads to a lively debate about funding, academic freedom, and theoretical vs experimental physics. Find show notes and resources are available here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php 00:11:09 Is there middle ground between cranks and peer review? 00:20:23 The value of Weinstein’s approach to communicating science. 00:30:50 The ethics of attribution. 00:41:26 Surviving the academic Hunger Games. 00:54:24 Theoretical physicists can save human life by getting us off Earth. 01:11:52 “Great science is whatever people have done to make major advances.” 01:22:00 Experiments are only the last

   #TechShabbat #character #neuroscience Filmmaker, and author Tiffany Shlain discusses her life, films and her book 24/6, about the neuroscience of how technology reshapes our brains and how the practice of turning off all screens 24 hours each week can make us healthier and more creative. http://tiffanyshlain.com https://twitter.com/tiffanyshlain Get the book   This practice of turning off all screens for twenty-four hours each week, which she’s done for over a decade with her husband and kids (sixteen and ten), has completely changed their lives, giving them more time, productivity, connection, and presence. She and her family call it “Technology Shabbat”, which has become a worldwide movement. Learn more about it at https://www.24sixlife.com/ Drawn from the ancient ritual of Shabbat, living 24/6 can work for anyone from any background. With humor and wisdom, Shlain shares her story, offers lessons she has learned, and provides a blueprint for how to do it yourself. It has become even more important r

   Sasha Sagan’s stirring debut book, “For Small Creatures Such As We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World,” is the topic of this week’s episode of INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE. Sagan is the daughter of late astronomer/author Carl Sagan and writer/producer Ann Druyan. Show notes and resources are available here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php Highlights: 00:10:02 The power of secular rituals versus relying on habits and willpower. 00:23:48 Rituals span the distinction between belief through evidence, faith, and philosophy. 00:27:01 Poetry for Physicists: Brian Keating reads poems by Walt Whitman and Richard Feynman 00:34:42 Academic rituals and how to share wonder through education. 00:44:34 Generational learning and how we’re influenced by family. 00:56:45 Would Carl Sagan have given up the search for extraterrestrial life by now? 01:01:46 Questions INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE asks of all authors. On this Mother’s Day episode, Sagan discusses her own upbringing and how becoming a mother inspired her

    Peter Diamandis is a remarkable entrepreneur, and futurist, best known as the Founder & Executive Chairman of XPRIZE Foundation. His new book, written with Steven Kotler, is “The Future is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives.” Already a bestseller, it is both timely and important. In this discussion with Brian Keating, Diamandis shares his vision for technological and educational advances over the next decade and how COVID-19 has accelerated the timeline. Show notes and resources are available here.  04:49 How COVID-19 will change what the next ten years look like. 13:02 The Tricorder XPRIZE and how Star Trek inspired Diamandis. 18:19 Artificial intelligence and human intelligence need to work together. 27:03 “For the first time ever, the human race has a singular enemy.” 36:46 Should universities offer lifelong subscriptions? 45:28 Technology marches forward; make it a force for good. 50:30 Arthur C. Clarke supported Diamandis’ ea