The Orthogonal Bet

• Niko McCarty on Building Asimov Press and Writing for Ambitious Readers

  In this episode of The Orthogonal Bet, host Samuel Arbesman speaks with Niko McCarty, the founding editor of Asimov Press. With a background in biology and science journalism, McCarty now leads Asimov Press, a publication dedicated to deep, thoughtful articles at the frontiers of biology and its history.Arbesman, a longtime admirer of McCarty’s writing, was eager to explore his insights for many reasons. As the builder of a new press and a curator of compelling scientific narratives, McCarty has a unique perspective on science journalism. But beyond that, he also has his finger on the pulse of the future of biology itself.Their conversation delves into McCarty’s journey into science journalism and how his newsletter became a transformative force in his career. They discuss his vision for Asimov Press, the reasoning behind publishing science fiction short stories alongside rigorous scientific writing, and the press’s expansion into print publishing—offering a glimpse into how McCarty envisions the future of science communication.When it comes to biology, Niko provides so much wisdom into how to think about the cutting-edge in biology and biotech. They explore the levers that create biological progress, and Niko’s vision of the future in biology. Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Gates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Suno ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• Dave Jilk on AI, Poetry, and the Future of AGI

  In this episode, host Samuel Arbesman speaks with ⁠Dave Jilk⁠. Dave is a tech entrepreneur and writer. He’s done a ton: started multiple companies, including in AI, published works of poetry, and written scientific papers. And he’s now written a new book that is an epic poem about the origins of Artificial General Intelligence, told from the perspective of the first such entity. It’s titled ⁠Epoch: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga⁠ and is a deeply thoughtful humanistic take on artificial intelligence, chock-full of literary allusions.Sam wanted to speak with Dave to learn more about the origins of Epoch as well as how he thinks about AI more broadly. They discussed the history of AI, how we might think about raising AI, the Great Filter, post-AGI futures and their nature, and whether asking if we should build AGI is even a good question. They even finished this fun conversation with a bit of science fiction recommendations.Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Gates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Suno

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• Henry Oliver⁠ on Embracing Second Acts

  In this episode, host Samuel Arbesman speaks with the writer ⁠Henry Oliver⁠. Henry is the author of the fantastic new book ⁠Second Act⁠. This book is about the idea of late bloomers and professional success later in life, and more broadly how to think about one’s career, and Sam recently reviewed it for The Wall Street Journal. Sam really enjoyed this book and wanted to have a chance to discuss it with Henry.Henry and Sam had a chance to talk about a lot of topics, beginning with how to actually define late bloomers and what makes a successful second act possible, from experimentation to being ready when one’s moment arrives. They also explored why society doesn’t really accept late bloomers as much as one might want it to, how to think about the complexity of cognitive decline, what the future of retirement might look like, along with many examples of late bloomers—from Margaret Thatcher to Ray Kroc.Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Gates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Suno

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• Dominic Falcao on How Deep Science Ventures Redefines Deep Tech Innovation

  In this episode, host Samuel Arbesman speaks with Dominic Falcao, a founding director of Deep Science Ventures (DSV), which he created in 2016 after leading Imperial College London’s science startup program. Deep Science Ventures takes a principled and problem-based approach to founding new deep tech startups. They have even created a PhD program for scientists specifically geared towards helping them create new companies.Sam wanted to speak with Dom to discuss the origins of Deep Science Ventures, as well as how to think about scientific and technological progress more broadly, and even how to conceive new research organizations.Dom and Sam had a chance to discuss tech trees and the combinatorial nature of scientific and technological innovation, non-traditional research organizations, Europe’s tech innovation ecosystem, what scientific amphibians are, and the use of AI in the realm of deep tech.Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Gates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Suno

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• ⁠Max Bennett on A Brief History of Intelligence

  In this episode, host Samuel Arbesman speaks with writer, researcher, and entrepreneur⁠ Max Bennett⁠. Max is the cofounder of multiple AI companies and the author of the fascinating book ⁠A Brief History of Intelligence⁠: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains. This book offers a deeply researched look at the nature of intelligence and how biological history has led to this phenomenon. It explores aspects of evolution, the similarities and differences between AI and human intelligence, many features of neuroscience, and more.Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Gates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Suno

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