Samuel Arbesman, a scientist-in-residence at Lux Capital, discusses his new book on the enchanting world of coding and its impact on our future. He shares insights into how coding can be seen as modern sorcery, transforming the way we understand language and AI. The conversation touches on the creative journey of writing the book, emphasizing the balance between playful exploration and productivity in programming. Arbesman also highlights the vital connection between humanities and technology, advocating for a holistic approach to education in the age of AI.
41:36
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Serendipity as a Role at Lux
Sam Arbesman acts as a "weird optionality machine" at Lux Capital by exploring broad science and tech landscapes.
He helps identify future investment opportunities by connecting the venture world to new ideas and communities.
insights INSIGHT
Recurrent Ideas Spark Books
Sam often writes books when ideas keep recurring in his thoughts, signaling their depth and importance.
This process transforms repeated reflections into elaborate explorations worth sharing.
insights INSIGHT
Code as Digital Magic Language
Programming languages share traits with human language but have unique styles reflecting their purpose.
Code is akin to magical language, enabling us to coerce the world through digital instructions.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is a timeless story about love, loyalty, and adaptation in a changing world. Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Mary Anne, once renowned for their efficiency, struggle to find work as newer technologies emerge. They take on a challenge to dig a cellar for a new town hall in a single day, leading to an unexpected yet heartwarming conclusion. The book explores themes of perseverance and finding new roles in life.
Overcomplicated
Samuel Arbesman
If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript
If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript
Angus Kroll
The Half-Life of Facts
Samuel Arbisman
Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin
The Earthsea Cycle follows the journey of various characters, notably Ged (Sparrowhawk), as they navigate the complexities of magic, power, and balance in the world of Earthsea. The series is known for its Taoist themes, emphasizing the importance of maintaining equilibrium in the world and the consequences of using magic. It includes six novels: A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu, Tales from Earthsea, and The Other Wind. The series is praised for its rich world-building, nuanced characters, and exploration of themes such as identity, power, and responsibility.
The Magic of Code
The Magic of Code
Samuel Arbesman
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)
Julie Sussman
Harold Abelson
Gerald Jay Sussman
This book teaches central ideas of computation by establishing a series of mental models for computation. It covers programming concepts common to all modern high-level programming languages and uses Scheme (or JavaScript in the latest adaptation) to formulate language processors. The book focuses on discovering general patterns for solving specific problems and building software systems that make use of those patterns. It was formerly used as the textbook for MIT's introductory course in computer science and is known as the 'Wizard Book' in hacker culture.
The Little House
Virginia Lee Burton
The Little House, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton, is a classic children's picture book that tells the story of a small house built on a hill in the countryside. As time passes, the house watches as the city encroaches upon its peaceful surroundings, leading to feelings of sadness and longing. The narrative follows the house through decades of change, from the construction of roads and buildings to the eventual urbanization that surrounds it. Ultimately, the house is rescued and moved back to the countryside, where it can once again enjoy the beauty of nature. The book is celebrated for its vibrant illustrations and its exploration of themes such as change, belonging, and the importance of nature.
Tubes
Andrew Blum
It’s not every day that we get to fete the launch of a new book by one of our colleagues at Lux Capital, so today is a very special day. Lux’s scientist-in-residence, Sam Arbesman, just published his new book, “The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World―and Shapes Our Future.” It’s a deep dive into the wonderful conjuring that comes from coding computers, and Sam explores programming languages, spreadsheets, and how code bends reality all in a taut narrative. At its center, Sam is looking to bring the human back into the machine, and create a better computing environment for the future.
Joining Editor-in-Chief of RiskgamingDanny Crichton and Riskgaming director of programming Laurence Pevsner, the three talk about the new book and its major themes, the writing, editing and publishing process, as well as also how Sam is feeling about the science and venture world after nearly a decade with Lux.This episode will be published on both the Riskgaming and The Orthogonal Bet podcast feeds.
Riskgaming 
