Stranded Technologies Podcast

J. Storrs Hall or "Josh" is an independent researcher and author.He was the founding Chief Scientist of Nanorex, which is developing a CAD system for nanomechanical engineering.His research interests include molecular nanotechnology and the design of useful macroscopic machines using the capabilities of molecular manufacturing. His background is in computer science, particularly parallel processor architectures, artificial intelligence, particularly agoric and genetic algorithms.This episode is filled with techno-optimist verve.Josh wrote an epic book called "Where is My Flying Car - A Memoir of Future Past".The book is the subject of the conversation, for which we're joined by Trey Goff - the CMO of the startup city Prospera, who sees the book as his ideology.The book starts as an examination of the technical limitations of building flying cars and evolves into an investigation of the scientific, technological, and social roots of the economic stagnation that started in the 1970s.The period from 1880 to 1940 brought major technological advances: electricity, electric lights, powerful motors, automobiles, airplanes, household appliances, the telephone, indoor plumbing, pharmaceuticals, mass production, the typewriter, the tape recorder, the phonograph, and radio, and television.Today, in contrast, apart from the seemingly magical internet, life in broad material terms isn’t so different from what it was in 1953.Scholars like Tyler Cowen and Robert J. Gordon spoke of "The Great Stagnation".Josh has explosive insights into the history of regulation and technology that show how different our lives could be.At the center of losing out on major new innovations in the world of atoms is nuclear energy. The world not producing enough clean energy at scale to advance in energy-intensive areas such as nanotechnology, air & space travel, and advanced materials.We learn that flying cars are a real possibility, even right now.It's just due to policy changes and a culture of "safetyism" that sometimes deliberately, sometimes inadvertently holds back progress.Is humanity ending up like the "Eloi" in H.G. Well's novel "The Time Machine": lazy, stupid and timid due to the coddling effect of advanced technology?Josh says "No"! Humanity can do better.Human ingenuity is endless, and we can invigorate our passions to reach to the frontiers into new and hostile environments, master the elements through the scientific method and engineer our environments for human flourishing.This episode is a rallying cry to build a better future now!J. Storrs Hall's website: https://autogeny.org/Prospera's website: https://prospera.hn/Niklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Fund Website: https://infinitafund.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4H6UjbubK This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Dusan is the Founder and CEO of the AmityAge Academy, a Bitcoin Education Center based in the startup city of Prospera on the island of Roatan, Honduras.The mission of the academy is to accelerate bitcoinization.Dusan and Niklas share a special history.Dusan heard about the paradise island of Roatan, Honduras from a friend. While he was visiting in April, he heard about the "Build Prospera Summit 2022".The conference was organized as an "unconference", so it was very open for every participant to engage and bring their ideas.On the last day, we had a pitch competition. Dusan spontaneously pitched a long-held idea: a Bitcoin Education Center.Dusan gave a fantastic presentation, where he talked about his goal to "educate 100m people about bitcoin by 2030".After the talk, Prospera CEO Erick A. Brimen told Dusan: "Come with me, I show you a place where you can do it."The rest is history.In this episode, you'll hear more about Dusan's journey to becoming a Bitcoin educator, how he teaches children bout Bitcoin, living in and working with the communities in Roatan, and why Dusan is a Bitcoin Maximalist.Dusan and Niklas debate the maximalist thesis, talking about competition vs. efficiency when it comes to creating a store of value, the risk of default of governments & fiat currencies vs. Bitcoin, and the path to broad adoption.The AmityAge Academy will have its grand opening on November 18, in the wake of the Prospera Fintech & DeFi Summit 2022 (Nov 18-20). Join us on this dreamy island to build the future of money together: https://infinitafund.com/fintech2022Niklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Fund Website: https://infinitafund.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4H6UjbubK This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Savva is the Founder and CEO of Crowd Funded Cures, a New Zealand-based charity and Open Source Pharma De-Sci Organisation.Savva and Niklas talk about the pharmaceutical market, and how the interplay of clinical trials and the patent system disincentivize pharma companies from producing widely available drugs that could significantly improve people's lives.This is another deep dive into one of the largest markets in the world, healthcare, and into the possible future using blockchain technology to disrupt it.Savva describes three core concepts: a Health Impact Fund, Pay-For-Success Contracts and intellectual property (IP) NFTs (non-fungible tokens).Together, these legal and technological innovations can create the right incentives and create a scalable business model to fund clinical trials for off-patent, generic drugs such as ketamine to treat depression, which is only $2 a dose compared to expensive patented drugs such as esketamine for over $850 a dose.This is important because the pharmaceutical industry is disincentivized from conducting clinical trials, if they can't enforce a monopoly price. Because people can buy generic drugs cheaply from multiple sources, they can't create a business model by charging a monopoly price and suing other companies. This is why we need new "pay-for-success" contracts to fix this market failure under the traditional IP system.There are over 7500 off-patent drugs and 50,000 supplements that could be repurposed to treat new diseases at up to 1/100th of the cost and 5-10x faster than new patented drugs.Savva offers deep insights into the broken incentives of the pharmaceutical system, but he is describing key innovations enabled by blockchain technology that has the potential to create an open-source, decentralized science ecosystem.Niklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Fund Website: https://infinitafund.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4H6UjbubK This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Niklas speaks with Silicon Valley-based serial entrepreneur John Chisholm.Over the last 35 years, John has founded, grown, or sold four companies in Silicon Valley, including Decisive Technology, now part of Google; and CustomerSat, now part of FocusVision. He has served as president and chair of the worldwide MIT Alumni Association, and as trustee of MIT and the Santa Fe Institute. Today, John is CEO of John Chisholm Ventures, a startup advisory, and angel investment firm. He is the author of “Unleash Your Inner Company: 10 Steps to Discover, Launch, and Scale Your Ideal Business.”Among much else, Niklas & John explore the thesis of entrepreneurship as a stranded technology. Technology can be stranded by failing to attract sufficient investment to compete, such as automobiles propelled by steam as compared to internal combustion engines in the early 20th century; or by being superseded by other technologies, such as fax has been replaced by email and messaging; or by regulation, such as nuclear energy today. Similarly, entrepreneurship is increasingly being stranded. Across the United States, entrepreneurship is on the decline. According to the Kauffman Foundation, as a percentage of all businesses, new firms have dropped from 16% in 1977 to fewer than 8% in 2010. This encompasses all new businesses – sole proprietorships, retail stores, service providers, restaurants, consultants – not just high-tech.In this session with John Chisholm, we’ll see how a combination of factors, both external & regulatory, on the one hand, and internal & psychological on the other, is holding back entrepreneurs today. John offers recommendations both for aspiring entrepreneurs on how to discover, launch and scale a business ideal for them, and also for lawmakers and regulators on how to make their jurisdictions more economically resilient, humane, and friendly to startups and innovation, via such techniques as localism, sunset clauses, and special economic zones. Niklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Fund Website: https://infinitafund.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4H6UjbubK This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Niklas speaks with Zina Sarif, the Founder and Managing Director of Yendou, a company on a mission to accelerate clinical research and make it universally accessible to patients, clinicians, and scientists.Zina starts by talking about her familial experiences with cancer during her upbringing in Morocco, and how it motivated her to dedicate her life to combating cancer.During her career as.a cancer scientist in Germany, Zina experienced the inefficiencies and bureaucratic obstacles to bringing solutions from the science to market.It takes 12 years and $800m in cost to bring a new treatment to market, and the shortened patent life cycle pushes for non-patient-centric incentives."We are currently not winning the war against cancer," so Zina.However, Zina has identified hope for patients.Clinical trials contain the most innovative treatments for cancer, and they typically take place in large hospitals with great infrastructure and care options for patients,Yet only 8% of cancer patients globally are participating in clinical trials, and it takes 18 months to get access - often too long to have a chance at survivalWith Yendou, Zina aims to reduce the time to access new treatments from 18 to 4 months and enable more patients to access them.But this is only the beginning. Long-term, Yendou aims to reduce the time for clinical trials from 12 to 7 years and reduce costs from $800m to $300m.We learn in the conversation how medical innovation in oncology is held back by a Kafkaesque bureaucracy, a frustrating reality that takes a toll on innovators.Yet, Zina is bent on overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles and encouraging hope that the war against cancer is not over.Niklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Fund Website: https://infinitafund.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4H6UjbubK This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Sebastian A. Brunemeier, Co-Founder of Healthspan Capital and ImmuneAGE Pharma, shares his insights on the future of human longevity. He discusses groundbreaking advancements in longevity biotech and the urgent need for innovative, decentralized approaches in healthcare. Brunemeier critiques the current regulatory landscape and advocates for new funding models to foster scientific innovation. He also emphasizes the potential of DAOs and blockchain technology to transform research and empower patients, envisioning a future where longevity is accessible and driven by collaborative efforts.

Niklas speaks with Grant Taylor. Grant is the Founder & CEO of Quotanda, a company that is digitising financial aid for educational institutions and students.Over the past 40 years, college has developed from an offering for an elite of knowledge workers to a job entry requirement for a majority of the population.Grant argues that college is overutilised in developed countries such as the United States, but underutilized in less developed countries such as Mexico.The higher education system he knows intimately from his experience in the USA, Spain and Mexico is massively mismatching students with jobs.A couple of key innovations can help overcome that gap: 1) bootcamps of 3-6 months that teach job-relevant skills quickly. Students in Mexico can earn 5x more with a coding BootCamp compared to working in a call center. 2) Income share agreements (ISAs) between universities or financial institutions and students.Grant talks about how ISAs have gained a bad reputation and regulatory attention in the USA after some flawed marketing messages. Yet Grant sees lots of opportunities for ISAs to become widespread. There are no regulatory barriers in many countries in Latin America, allowing an underserved market to access higher education.We invite you to join us at the frontier to build the education system of the future together on Roatan, Honduras, a beautiful Caribbean island:Prospera Edtech Summit, October 28-30, 2022Niklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Fund Website: https://infinitafund.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4H6UjbubK This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Niklas speaks with Cameron Sorsby, the CEO of Praxis, a college alternative that builds your skills, your network, and leads to a full-time job at a growing business.Over the past 40 years, college has developed from an offering for an elite of knowledge workers to a job entry requirement for a majority of the population.However, during the past 2 years enrollment rates have been dropping rapidly.During covid-19, students and parents were comparing "Zoom University" with free, or better alternatives to a 4-6 year commitment with potentially $100ks in student debt.Covid-19 supercharged college alternatives such as Praxis.Cameron talks about the benefits of "a vocational MBA" when it comes to costs and time spent. He also shares insights as an entrepreneur starting in a small niche, growing through word-of-mouth and becoming a premier talent pool for fast-growing tech companies that value tenacity and skills over the signal of a college degree.We invite you to join us at the frontier to build the education system of the future together on Roatan, Honduras, a beautiful Caribbean island:Prospera Edtech Summit, October 28-30, 2022Niklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Fund Website: https://infinitafund.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4H6UjbubK This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Niklas speaks with Michael Gibson, co-founder and General Partner at 1517, a VC firm that backs dropouts, renegade students & deep tech scientists at the earliest stages.Michael is the author of the book “Paper Belt on Fire - The Fight for Progress in an Age of Ashes”, coming out on November 8, 2022 (pre-order on Amazon).Michael dropped out of his philosophy PhD program and was then picked by Peter Thiel to run the now legendary Thiel Fellowship Program from Day 1. With no traditional VC background, Michael then founded 1517 to find young entrepreneurs willing to leave the traditional paths to build the next great thing.One such renegade entrepreneur Michael backed early was Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, whom he noticed early to be a voracious self-learner who taught himself not only the necessary coding and math but also to speak Mandarin Chinese.In this wide-ranging conversation, we learn about the failures of the higher education model and science funding ("the paper belt" from NYC, Washington to Boston), and "The Great Stagnation" in technological progress starting in 1971.Michael talks about the notion of the "frontier", a place where you can go to if the established institutions are corrupt and favor insiders over outsides, to do it all differently. In American History, the frontier was the West.The new frontiers now seem to be the internet, the crypto/blockchain movement, and charter cities. We invite you to join us at the frontier to build the industries of the future together on Roatan, Honduras, a beautiful Caribbean island:Prospera Healthtech Summit, September 23-25, 2022Prospera Edtech Summit, October 28-30, 2022Prospera Fintech Summit, November 18-20, 2022Niklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Fund Website: https://infinitafund.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4H6UjbubK This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Niklas speaks with Sandra Carillo, the Professor in charge of Cannabis Research and Education, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Panama.Sandra has been advocating and promoting the use of medical cannabis as an educator, advisor to policymakers, and a medical doctor treating 1.500 patients in Colombia.Cannabis for medical use is a great example of a stranded technology. It's prohibited by many governments and faces cultural resistance, even though the benefits have been proven for a long time in epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and as a pain reliever.Sandra talks about the endogenous cannabinoid system, or "endocannabinoid system" —named for the plant that led to its discovery—one of the most important physiologic systems involved in establishing and maintaining human health.We learn that both the scientific and political establishments have long resisted change coming from these insights, and the regulations have been blocking progress in developing better treatments for patients for decades.Sandra is at the forefront of the campaign to legalize medical cannabis in Latin America and all over the world, and her journey provides insightful lessons into what's required to unleash the potential of a stranded technology.We invite you to join us to build the industries of the future together on Roatan, Honduras, a beautiful Caribbean island:Prospera Healthtech Summit, September 23-25, 2022Prospera Edtech Summit, October 28-30, 2022Prospera Fintech Summit, November 18-20, 2022Niklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Fund Website: https://infinitafund.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4H6UjbubK This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com