Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

Big Bang Productions Inc.
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Aug 12, 2020 • 1h 26min

Theories of Everything: Cosmic Controversies, Great Debates, and Scientific Speculations — Part 2 (#063)

 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=1Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel to watch one-on-one interviews with the guest speakers and more: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1Please 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 Hossenfelder, and Eric Weinstein for helping us create this great event.Our Guests’ Work: Sabine Hossenfelder YouTube Channel, Lost in Math: How Beauty Led Physics Astray: https://amzn.to/3kL9huy Eric Weinstein The Portal Podcast: https://ericweinstein.org/ The Portal Wiki: https://projects.theportal.wiki/ Lee Smolin The Trouble With Physics: https://amzn.to/3agWJpH Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution: https://amzn.to/30LW7VV Watch my most popular videos: Eric Weinstein: https://youtu.be/YjsPb3kBGnk?sub_confirmation=1 Jim Simons: https://youtu.be/6fr8XOtbPqM?sub_confirmation=1 Noam Chomsky: https://youtu.be/Iaz6JIxDh6Y?sub_confirmation=1 Sabine Hossenfelder: https://youtu.be/V6dMM2-X6nk?sub_confirmation=1 Sarah Scoles: https://youtu.be/apVKobWigMw Stephen Wolfram: https://youtu.be/nSAemRxzmXM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Aug 5, 2020 • 1h 52min

Part 1 of A Conversation with James Altucher on his philosophies, investing strategies and how comedy works. (#062)

 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 megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jul 30, 2020 • 1h 37min

PBS Spacetime Presents: “Theory of Everything” Livestream Max Tegmark, James Beacham, Stephon Alexander (#061)

 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/eventsthe promo video https://youtu.be/iozCwyjxhyYAnd 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 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: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jul 29, 2020 • 1h 6min

Rapper & entrepreneur Zuby: A brief history of rhyme! (#060)

 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 Zuby’s book and albums here: https://teamzuby.com Listen to the “Real Talk with Zuby” podcast here: https://www.zubymusic.com/podcast Watch Zuby’s interview on The Joe Rogan Experience https://youtu.be/ffwbNfjNRTw Find Zuby on the web: https://www.zubymusic.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/zubymusic Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes for a chance to win a copy of Zuby’s book: 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 megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jul 23, 2020 • 1h 40min

A conversation with Noam Chomsky: Linguistics, SETI, Cognitive Science, & Artificial Intelligence (#059)

 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 Chomsky University would encourage discovery. 01:23:44 Thoughts on the negative reaction to the Harper’s Magazine article. 01:31:50 What object or knowledge would Chomsky put in or on his monolith? 01:34:09 What did Chomsky think was impossible until he did it? Noam Chomsky has been called “the father of modern linguistics.” He has been a professor at MIT since 1955 (now emeritus) and continues to teach at the University of Arizona at the age of 91. Chomsky has received numerous awards and honorary doctorates, along with being a member of multiple professional societies. He has written over 100 books covering topics including linguistics, politics, and philosophy. Read “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate,” the letter in Harper’s Magazine which Chomsky signed https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/ Watch “Requiem for the American Dream” here https://youtu.be/hZnuc-Fv_Tc Find Chomsky on the web: https://chomsky.info and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Noam-Chomsky-294468630182/ ‍♂️ Find Brian Keating on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating Find Brian Keating on Instagram at https://instagram.com/DrBrianKeating Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jul 15, 2020 • 1h 2min

Adam Riess: A Nobel Mind on a Cosmic Quest (#058)

 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 the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. He is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, and the Thomas J. Barber Professor in Space Studies at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. He is also an Astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute. He received his PhD in Astrophysics from Harvard University with Bob Kirshner. Adam Riess talks about his latest paper on the podcast “Cosmology Talks” here: https://youtu.be/2LN6dJi0ogFind Adam Riess on the web: https://www.stsci.edu/~ariess/Into The Impossible is a Production of the Arthur C. Clarke Center For Human Imagination. http://imagination.ucsd.edu@imagineUCSD Our four areas of exploration are: The neuroscience of imagination Science fiction and speculative culture Space and the cosmos Art and science as tools of the imagination ️Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jul 15, 2020 • 58min

Fadel Zeidan on the neuroscience of mindfulness, and his research on pain, anxiety and psilocybin (#057)

 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 promote the self-regulation of pain. Fadel is especially excited at examining ways to integrate mindfulness from the lab to the clinic and community.Dr. Fadel is also part of the The Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative (PHRI) at UC San Diego, under the auspices of the Clarke Center, that conducts novel basic and clinical research on the use of psychedelics for the treatment of pain and other health conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jul 15, 2020 • 1h 4min

Janna Levin: Spots, Blues, and Madmen — revealing cosmic mysteries (#056)

  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
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Jul 15, 2020 • 1h 18min

The Many Worlds of Ann Druyan: Matriarch of the Cosmos (#055)

  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 role as the First Family of the Cosmos!Ann talked about her and Carl’s collaboration on the original Cosmos series, their multiple books, and Voyager’s famous golden record. She also shares lessons on love, parenthood, and the importance of science communication. In addition to her award-winning writing and directing, she has an asteroid named after her, 4970 Druyan (which is in companion orbit with asteroid 2709 Sagan). Her brain waves were recorded onto Voyager’s golden record that is traveling outside our solar system. In fact, she is the first guest on INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE who can say she already has a billion year time capsule in response to my standard question about monoliths! Five billion years, in fact, as that’s how long the golden record was designed to last. 00:07:37 Ann Druyan has brought science to millions.00:15:42 Druyan and Sagan’s love is part of the Voyager recordings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jun 27, 2020 • 1h 27min

Jim Simons: Life Lessons from the ‘World’s Smartest Billionaire’ (#054)

Jim Simons, a groundbreaking mathematician and hedge fund pioneer, shares his extraordinary life journey. He delves into Chern-Simons theory and discusses leadership lessons inspired by Abraham Lincoln. Simons reflects on discovering Zeno’s paradox at age three and the beauty of mathematics. He also outlines vital investment strategies, focusing on alpha versus beta. Personal anecdotes about fatherhood and mentorship reveal a deep commitment to legacy, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge.

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