The Orthogonal Bet

In this episode, Samuel Arbesman speaks with Sara Imari Walker, a theoretical physicist and astrobiologist at Arizona State University. Walker is the author of Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence, a book that explores the nature of life through the lens of physics and highlights her pioneering contributions at the frontier of this field.Their conversation delves into how Walker became fascinated by the nature of life, how to distinguish life from non-life, and how physics can offer new insights into some of the universe’s most fundamental questions. Along the way, they touch on topics ranging from astrobiology and SETI to the philosophy of science and her work in assembly theory.

In this episode, Samuel Arbesman speaks with Peter Bebergal. Peter is a writer and the author of numerous books, and the editor, most recently, of Appendix N: Weird Tales From the Roots of Dungeons & Dragons. Dungeons and Dragons was created by Gary Gygax and draws from numerous sources, which Gygax listed in Appendix N of his Dungeon Master’s Guide. Peter took this list as the basis for creating a fascinating collection of stories that inspired D&D.Peter and Sam talked about the origins of this book and how he chose what to include in the anthology. But they also spoke more broadly about pulp and high fantasy, remixing and creativity in the role playing world, and even how all of this led to Peter’s favorite parts of the Internet.

Samantha John, co-founder of Hopscotch, discusses her innovative programming platform designed to make coding accessible and fun for kids. She shares the origins of Hopscotch and its evolution into a collaborative community tool, emphasizing creativity and support among young coders. The conversation touches on the historical barriers in tech and the transformative experience of learning programming. They also delve into the impact of AI on the future of coding education, highlighting the importance of fostering a love for programming from an early age.

In this episode, Samuel Arbesman sits down with Torie Bosch—now an editor at STAT News and formerly a longtime editor at Slate Magazine. Building on a groundbreaking Slate project, Bosch edited the acclaimed anthology You Are Not Expected to Understand This: How 26 Lines of Code Changed the World, which explores the pivotal snippets of software that have profoundly shaped society.Arbesman and Bosch trace the project’s origins and unpack the stories behind these influential code fragments. Their conversation dives into the wider interplay of code, technology, and culture—probing themes of humility in tech and the pitfalls that arise when programmers overlook social context. They explore how “learn to code” cycles through history, why recurring tech-society tensions matter, and the value of studying technology’s past. Bosch also shares insights from her current beat at STAT, outlining the questions she’s chasing in the life-sciences arena.

In this conversation, Jason Crawford, founder of the Roots of Progress Institute, dives into the essence of progress in our society. He shares his journey from blogging to establishing a dedicated organization. The duo discusses storytelling's cultural significance and how it shapes societal values. Jason explores the unique aspects of the progress movement, especially in relation to effective altruism. They touch on the importance of optimism and industrial literacy in education, aiming to inspire a proactive mindset for the future.

In this episode, Samuel Arbesman speaks with John Hendrix. John is a writer and illustrator whose work appears widely across books and publications. His most recent book is the graphic novel The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. This compelling work delves into the enduring friendship between Lewis, author of the Narnia series, and Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But it also goes far beyond their personal story, exploring broader themes such as mythmaking, creativity, and the nature of friendship itself.Samuel and John discuss the genesis of the book, examining the impact of the world wars on both Tolkien and Lewis, and how those experiences shaped their worldviews and writing. Their conversation also explores the role of mythology and fantasy, the authors’ differing views on progress and disenchantment, and the influence of fame on their lives and relationship. They even venture into the idea of what modern mythmaking might look like today.Produced by⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Gates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Suno

Join Nadia Asparouhova, a tech writer and thinker, as she sheds light on her intriguing new book about antimemetics. Discover why some ideas resist virality and how this relates to public versus private discourse. She delves into the contrast between supermemes and antimemes, comparing them to dark matter that influences behavior subtly. The conversation also touches on the tech industry as a distinct social class and the evolving landscape of tech philanthropy, sparking a deeper understanding of the dynamics shaping our digital interactions.

In this episode, Samuel Arbesman speaks with Alex Pang, author of several influential books on rethinking work—particularly how we rest and why spending less time in the office can lead to greater productivity. Pang’s most recent works include REST: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less and SHORTER: Work Better, Smarter and Less—Here’s How. His work focuses deeply on the four-day workweek, and he collaborates with 4 Day Week Global to promote a more sustainable and balanced approach to labor.Together, Samuel and Alex explore the origins of Alex’s interest in rest and productivity, his thoughts on meaning and leisure, and why we should take our downtime seriously. Their conversation touches on how time itself opens up choice and freedom, and Alex’s vision for a better future of work and life. They also delve into how these ideas are received—or often ignored—in the startup world, and how many only begin to embrace them after reaching a breaking point.Produced by⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Gates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Suno

In this episode, Samuel Arbesman speaks with Lawrence Lundy-Bryan, a partner at the venture capital firm Lunar Ventures who specializes in researching the landscape of cutting-edge technological advances. Lawrence has been examining technologies as part of a project called the State of the Future, providing analyses into a large number of new technological developments.And the current state of AI is freaking him out. In a recent essay titled "data-driven VC is over," Lawrence looks at how the new AI research tool Deep Research basically can do everything he used to do. This has prompted Lawrence to think about his work, and work and meaning more broadly, which he has also explored in further essays.Samuel and Lawrence discuss the nature of research in the world of venture capital and the shock of using Deep Research. They examine how to think about AI when it takes away not only work you are good at, but something you enjoy and love doing. They talk about the future of venture capital in an age of research democratization and the role of secret knowledge, taste, and wisdom, as well as how people have responded to Lawrence's essay. They even explore broader future implications, including youth unemployment and how education might need to be rethought.

On November 16, 1974, the first message meant for the stars was broadcast into space, using a series of zeros and ones to encode an image. This image was designed by Frank Drake, an astronomer who helped develop the modern field of SETI as well as the Drake Equation, a formula which helps scientists think about the likelihood of intelligent life in our galaxy.Fifty years later, the science journalist Nadia Drake, who is also the daughter of Frank Drake, wrote an essay for Scientific American about this message.In this episode Samuel Arbesman had the pleasure to speak with Nadia about this Arecibo Message. Nadia is a freelance science journalist and former contributing writer at National Geographic. Nadia and Samuel had a chance to discuss the nature of the Arecibo message and how this "selfie for humanity" was designed by her dad. They talked about SETI more broadly, as well as the wisdom of sending messages into outer space. They talked about other messages sent on behalf of humanity, as well as the nature of technosignatures more generally. They even discussed how the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence might change our lives, or not, and how we think about the world.Produced by⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Gates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Suno