Thinking On Paper Technology Podcast

The Human Story of Technology, Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson
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Oct 1, 2025 • 55min

Beyond Q-Day: IBM’s Lory Thorpe on Mastering Post-Quantum Cryptography

IBM's Lory Thorpe warns that quantum computers could soon crack the encryption protecting our banks, health records, and personal data, enabling "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks that threaten global security. Through IBM's collaboration with NIST and major institutions, she's racing to develop quantum-resistant algorithms before current encryption systems become obsolete. Join hosts Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson to explore how organizations and individuals can prepare for this looming cryptographic crisis, featuring insights from Apple's quantum-safe iMessage initiative.Please enjoy the show. --TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Intro: Disruptors and Curious Minds(02:30) Meet Lory Thorpe of IBM Quantum(03:21) Lory’s Journey: From Telecom to Quantum Security(07:01) Why Healthcare Needs Post-Quantum Protection(09:41) "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later": The Quantum Data Risk(12:00) IBM’s Work with Governments and Regulators(16:30) Cryptography 101: What You Need to Know(18:47) The Cost of Quantum and the Threat to Today’s Encryption(21:20) IBM & NIST: Setting Quantum Standards Together(22:08) Inside the 3 Quantum-Resistant Algorithms(25:17) Apple Adopts Post-Quantum Encryption in iMessage(25:52) Crypto Agility Explained: A Key to Future-Proof Security(29:54) The RSA Encryption Debate: Is the Quantum Threat Overblown?(38:45) Thought Experiment: November 1st, 2031 – The Quantum Deadline(42:51) Where Cryptography Touches Everyday Life(46:57) How AI and Quantum Shape IBM’s Strategy(52:35) Carryover Question for Next Episode--Follow Thinking On Paper:Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/thinkonpaperpod⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@thinkingonpaper/videos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/thinkingonpaper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠--Past guests on The Thinking On Paper Show include: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ciaran Murray⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (web3 for journalists), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Torrey Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Robotics For Medicine), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jason Lynch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Quantum Computing), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joe Fitzsimons⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Quantum Computing), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dana Sydorenko⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Gaming), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don Norman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Humanity Centered Design), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercina Tillerman Perez⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Circle & Crypto), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tyler Adams⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Blockchain), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Todd Haselhorst ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Blockchain for Logistics), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vince Yang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (ZK Proofs)
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Oct 1, 2025 • 52min

D-Wave: The €20 Million Quantum Computer Your Business Can Buy Today - Murray Thom, VP Quantum Technology Evangelism

Murray Thom, VP of Quantum Technology Evangelism at D-Wave, joins us to break down how D-Wave’s quantum computing technology (as used by NASA, VW, Lockheed Martin) is tackling complex, high-stakes problems across industries. Learn how D-Wave’s unique use of quantum annealing helps solve real-world challenges, from logistics optimization to drug discovery and traffic management.Murray explains how D-Wave’s hybrid quantum-classical systems maximize computational power by leveraging quantum effects alongside classical computing, enabling optimizations that traditional systems simply can’t match. Discover why D-Wave is trusted by organizations, including NASA, to handle high-dimensional, multi-variable data, delivering immediate benefits in efficiency, productivity, and operational insight.From the development of the first quantum computer to real-world applications, Murray explains how businesses are gaining a competitive edge and solving their toughest challenges with quantum technology.Stay tuned for practical insights, key D-Wave milestones, and a look at what’s next in quantum computing.🔔And please subscribe.--TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Introduction to Quantum Innovation(01:22) Meet Murray Thom: Quantum Expert from D-Wave(02:30) How Quantum Incentives Drive Industry Collaboration(05:30) Breaking Down Quantum Complexity for the Real World(07:30) Murray Thom on Joining D-Wave 22 Years Ago(09:02) The Role of Quantum Physics in Real-World Solutions(10:07) Major Milestones in D-Wave’s Quantum Journey(12:36) Understanding Quantum Annealing: A Practical Guide(18:47) Key Benefits of D-Wave’s Quantum Annealing Technology(21:40) D-Wave’s Efficient Power Use: 15kW Explained(23:45) Quantum Computing Through a Pokémon Analogy(25:35) Real-World Impact: Workforce Scheduling with Quantum(31:45) Quantum Systems in Sports Team Optimization(33:02) Tackling Complex Industrial Problems with Quantum(34:48) Portfolio Optimization: Quantum vs. Classical Methods(40:53) What Does a D-Wave Quantum Computer Cost?(42:11) Exploring the D-Wave SDK(44:45) Partnering with D-Wave: What to Expect(45:58) Quantum Collaboration with IBM(49:39) A Question for IBM on Post-Quantum Cryptography--Follow Thinking On Paper:Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/thinkonpaperpod⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@thinkingonpaper/videos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/thinkingonpaper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠--Past guests on The Thinking On Paper Show include: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ciaran Murray⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (web3 for journalists), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Torrey Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Robotics For Medicine), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jason Lynch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Quantum Computing), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joe Fitzsimons⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Quantum Computing), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dana Sydorenko⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Gaming), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don Norman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Humanity Centered Design), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mercina Tillerman Perez⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Circle & Crypto), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tyler Adams⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Blockchain), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Todd Haselhorst ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Blockchain for Logistics), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vince Yang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (ZK Proofs)
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Sep 25, 2025 • 26min

Space Manufacturing & Self-Replicating 3d-Printed Humanoids

Twelve metric tons and a SpaceX rocket. That’s all it would take to begin building industry on the Moon. Factories would rise. Humanoids would adapt. Asteroids would be mined. And within decades, the solar system could host an economy millions of times larger than Earth’s today.The catalyst is a paper by Philip Metzger, Anthony Muscatello, Robert Mueller, and James Mantovani outlining a pathway to scalable off-world industry. Their thesis: with as little as twelve metric tons delivered to the Moon, we could set in motion a self-sustaining system at a fraction of traditional costs.The upside is clear. Manufacturing shifts away from Earth, easing climate pressure. Humanity secures a new home. Our culture extends beyond the planet, with no end in sight.The risks are equally sharp. Corporations could carve space into their next empire. Billions might remain behind, spectators to humanity’s expansion.This is the blueprint for how we leave Earth. And the reason we may not all go together.Stay curious. Stay disruptive. Keep Thinking on Paper.Subscribe if you believe the hardest part of leaving Earth isn’t the technology. It’s us.--TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Trailer(02:05) The Vision for Humanity's Future in Space(03:22) Affordable Rapid Bootstrapping of Space Industry(04:58) The Role of Resources in Space Expansion(05:06) Technological Advancements and Robotics(08:12) Generational Development of Lunar Industry(09:42) The Evolution of AI and Automation in Space(10:47) The Future of Humanity Beyond Earth(14:25) Exploring Space-Based Solar Power(15:23) The Future of Robotics and AI in Space(17:21) Challenges of Teleoperation in Lunar Environments(18:05) The Ambitious Vision for Space Manufacturing(20:25) Terraforming Mars vs. Space-Based Manufacturing(22:32) Human Nature and the Future of Space ExplorationOther ways to connect with us:⁠Listen to every podcast⁠Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠Follow us on ⁠X⁠Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Read our ⁠Substack⁠Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz
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Sep 24, 2025 • 30min

Is AI For EVERYONE A Silly Pipe Dream (Or A Genuine End To POVERTY?)

Rajeev Kapur believes we’re standing at the edge of a new enlightenment. One powered not by steam or electricity, but by the democratization of artificial intelligence.Named by Forbes as one of the leading voices making AI accessible to everyone, Rajeev’s work centers on a simple question: what happens when world-class technology reaches every hand on Earth? From launching the Kapur Parada Center of AI in Arizona to authoring AI Made Simple and Prompting Made Simple, his mission is to turn curiosity into capability.In this conversation, we look at what true AI democratization might mean. From the favelas of Brazil and the villages of Africa to classrooms in the U.S. If you have a smartphone, you already have access to mentorship, education, and entrepreneurial tools that rival Silicon Valley. But access alone isn’t enough.As Rajeev argues, the future belongs to those who can tell stories with AI. People who use these tools not just to search for answers, but to imagine, create, and build.Please enjoy the show. --🕓 TIMESTAMPSTrailer: (00:00)How Do We Democratize AI: (02:30)Case Studies: How AI Is Being Used By Business Today: (05:44)Outsourcing and AI Transform Businesses: (06:31) How To Prompt Better: (08:08)Using ChatGPT For Mental Health: (09:25)AIs Manipulation Of Empathy: (13:44) AI Advice For Parents: (14:49)Deepfakes & Guardrails: (19:45)Entrepreneur Spikes (26:19)What Should Humans Be? (28:28) --Other ways to connect with us:⁠Listen to every podcast⁠Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠Follow us on ⁠X⁠Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Read our ⁠Substack⁠Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyzWatch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWEuQmPcqJ8
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Sep 20, 2025 • 38min

Has KEVIN KELLY Changed His Mind About Artificial Intelligence?

Kevin Kelly has spent 40 years asking one question: what is technology really?He is the founding editor of Wired. His books have shaped how we think about innovation, the future of technology, and what works. His voice has been present at every major technological shift, from the early internet to AI today.His influence has reached all the way to this podcast. His essays and ideas are often places we return to for deep thought and reflection. Kevin Kelly is the ultimate curiosity machine, and it was a pleasure to speak with him at length about his ideas, philosophies, and even his jokes.In this conversation, Kevin thinks on paper with Mark and Jeremy about technology as the 7th kingdom of life, as real and alive as plants, animals, and fungi.We get into:Why technology is not separate from us. Kevin argues that tools, machines, and AI are part of the same evolutionary process as biology. Technology is “nature accelerated.”The limits of top-down control. From DAOs to Wikipedia, Kevin explains why bottom-up systems thrive, but also why some hierarchy is unavoidable.AI as creativity, not imitation. He sees large language models as collaborators, capable of surprising outputs that extend human imagination.Artificial aliens. Rather than replicas of us, Kevin believes AIs will become their own kind of consciousness, different and alien but no less real.How tools shape thought. From writing to photography to AI, Kevin shows why every medium changes how we think, and why skill matters as much as the tool itself.The practice of wonder. He shares how noticing, gratitude, and “thinking like a Martian” keep curiosity alive in a world saturated with tech.Kevin Kelly is more than a futurist. He is a thinker who helps us see clearly, reminding us that technology is not a threat from outside but a living system we are already part of.This is a must-watch for anyone who wants to see AI and technology not as hype or fear, but as part of life itself, the 7th kingdom of nature.Please enjoy the show.And remember: stay curious, be disruptive, keep thinking on paper. --Other ways to connect with us:⁠Listen to every podcast⁠Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠Follow us on ⁠X⁠Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Read our ⁠Substack⁠Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz--Chapters(00:00) Kevin Kelly On Nature And Technology(02:59) Why Decentralized Systems Still Need Some Hierarchy(09:03) Why DAOs Failed: Immutability Was a Bug(16:46) Is AI Creative? (Yes) & The Coming Emotional Bonds(21:39) AI Consciousness: A Spectrum of Artificial Aliens(29:16) "Write to Discover What You Think"(32:48) Balancing AI Tools & Human Thinking(33:50) AI as a Skill & Powerful Thinking Partner(37:50) Hot Buttons: Future, Bitcoin, Jurassic Park, Aliens?(41:10) How to Cultivate Wonder (Hint: Be a Martian)(49:10) The Power of Saying "I Don't Know"(53:54) Kevin Kelly's Question: What Do We Want Humans To Be?
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Sep 18, 2025 • 8min

SPACE-BASED SOLAR POWER Explained... In 8 Minutes

For decades, the idea of harvesting solar energy from orbit belonged to science fiction. The theory was sound—collect sunlight in space and beam it to Earth as microwave energy—but the cost of launch, assembly, and control made it impossible to justify.Today, those constraints have changed. Reusable rockets, autonomous robotics, and modular design have pulled the concept from imagination into prototype. What was once a thought experiment at NASA is now an engineering roadmap at the European Space Agency, Japan’s JAXA, and several private ventures.Dr. Sanjay Vijendran has spent his career at the center of that transition. As the former solar lead at the European Space Agency and now CEO of Space Energy Insights, he is helping to define what the first space-based utility might look like.The principle is deceptively simple: no cables, no new physics—just power transmitted by radio waves, a technology proven since the 1960s. In 2022, researchers demonstrated the first controlled transmission of two kilowatts over thirty-six meters, enough to light a model city and power an electrolyzer.The question now is scale. Gigawatt-class satellites would require kilometer-wide antennas, in-orbit robotics, and coordination across nations. Yet the direction of progress is clear. Space-based solar power is no longer a dream of limitless energy; it is a near-term infrastructure program with global implications.The first nation or consortium to master it will not just create clean energy. It will control a new layer of the world’s power grid—one that operates above the atmosphere.This conversation with Dr. Vijendran explores how that future is being built, the physics that make it possible, and the geopolitical choices that will determine who turns sunlight into sovereignty.Please enjoy the show.📺 Watch the full show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53c08ygOFyc&t=1074s--Timestamps(00:00) Why Energy Poverty Still Matters(01:26) How Beaming Power Actually Works(04:09) The Big Problem: Scaling It Up(04:56) Can It Ever Be Affordable?(07:19) Building Solar Farms in Space--Other ways to connect with us:⁠Listen to every podcast⁠Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠Follow us on ⁠X⁠Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Read our ⁠Substack⁠Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz
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Sep 18, 2025 • 47min

Don Norman Is The GODFATHER of Design

At 88, Don Norman, the godfather of design, issues his final warning: the same mindset that gave us convenience also gave us climate collapse, inequality, and fragile institutions. Design isn’t decoration. It’s power. It built the products we use, the systems we depend on, and the crises that now threaten us.“Human-centered” design sounds good, but it isn’t enough. Norman argues it has blinded us to bigger responsibilities , ecosystems, culture, and the generations who will inherit our mistakes. We need Humanity Centered Design.In this conversation Don Norman Thinks on Paper with Mark and Jeremy about:Has human-centered design failed?Why are climate summits designed to fail before they begin?How did STEM education strip out wisdom?Can empathy ever be built into systems at scale?Can humanity centered design help us survive, or will it keep driving us toward collapse?Please enjoy the interview with Don Norman.--Timestamps(00:09) Why Design Shapes the World We Live In(00:37) How Design Shapes Human Behavior (Often Without Us Noticing)(06:00) Why Most Solutions Don’t Matter — and What Real Design Should Do(09:10) Humanity-Centered Design: What It Really Means(22:16) Can Design Help Us Avoid Collapse?(26:51) Why Communities Hold the Answers, Not Just Experts(28:49) The Spark That Starts Humanity-Centered Design(30:18) How Young Designers Can Change the Future(33:16) Working Together Across Borders(35:39) Measuring What Matters, Not Just What’s Easy(37:06) Why Empathy Can’t Be an Afterthought(42:05) Thinking Beyond the Next Quarter — Business for the Long Term(45:02) Rethinking Education for the Next Generation(46:43) The Hard Questions We Still Need to Answer--Other ways to connect with us:⁠Listen to every podcast⁠Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠Follow us on ⁠X⁠Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Read our ⁠Substack⁠Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz
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Sep 16, 2025 • 26min

Thousands Of Lives RUINED In Sam Altman's Corporate ARMS RACE for AGI | Karen Hao Book Club - Part 2

This is a book summary of Empire of AI by karen Hao. The book asks whether Sam Altman and the Open AI gang are sociopaths with no regard for humanity or the planet? Is artificial intelligence and the drive to AGI driven only by ego?From data farms to global labor networks, the story of AI is ugly. The systems are sustained by unseen humans. Millions of workers labeling data, moderating content, and maintaining the illusion of automation and paid peanuts. At the top, in their castles in San Francisco, sit the new emperors of technology, CEOs and policymakers navigating a system that no single person can command or fully comprehend. And one man sits at the top of the empire: Sam Altman.In part two of our Empire of AI book summary, we get a reality check. Please enjoy the show.--Other ways to connect with us:⁠Listen to every podcast⁠Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠Follow us on ⁠X⁠Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Read our ⁠Substack⁠Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz--🕰️ TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Trailer(02:00) Introduction to Empire of AI & Karen Hao(03:41)Shifting power dynamics in Silicon Valley(03:59) Karen Hao’s warnings in Empire of AI(04:56) Humanity V the relentless race for scale(06:32) The environmental impact of AI systems(07:38) Stochastic parrots: Silencing Critics(09:48) Sam Altman Loves A Military Quote(10:53) What Cost Humanity?(15:14) The global race for AI advancement(18:32) The hidden labor behind ChatGPT(25:07) The ethical dilemma at the heart of AI development
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Sep 13, 2025 • 8min

QUANTUM COMPUTERS Make Too Many Mistakes | Oliver Dial, IBM Quantum

Quantum computers make mistakes — a lot of them. One in every thousand calculations can be wrong.In this Thinking on Paper Pocket Edition, Mark and Jeremy speak with Oliver Dial, CTO of IBM Quantum, about how researchers are turning unstable prototypes into practical machines.Oliver explains the difference between error mitigation and fault tolerance, how IBM’s new codes make quantum systems ten times more efficient, and why AI now helps optimize the circuits themselves. He also shares how quantum computing could transform material science, unlocking lighter, stronger, and smarter materials for the next technological age.Please enjoy the show.And remember: Stay curious. Be disruptive. Keep Thinking on Paper.Cheers,Mark & Jeremy--Other ways to connect with us:⁠Listen to every podcast⁠Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠Follow us on ⁠X⁠Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Read our ⁠Substack⁠Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz📺 Watch the show on ourdedicatedd YouTube Channel
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Sep 11, 2025 • 35min

Personal AI: Reclaim Your Identity in a World Trained on Everyone Else

When it comes to Personal AI, Rob LoCascio knows best. Having spent three decades teaching machines to talk as the founder of LivePerson, he helped create the first commercial chatbots that shaped online conversation.Now, with Eternos AI, he’s working on the next phase of personal AI: teaching machines to remember us.Eternos builds personal AI models trained on your voice, memories, and values. These are designed to act as living archives of the self. The vision is twofold: a digital companion that helps you while you’re alive, and a legacy system that continues to share your guidance after you’re gone.It’s a project that merges AI ethics, data rights, and philosophy. If your thoughts can be modeled, who owns them? When your personality becomes software, is that preservation or replication?In this conversation, Rob discusses the evolution from LivePerson to personal AI, the architecture behind Eternos, and why he believes digital immortality will become one of the defining industries of the 21st century — transforming grief, mentorship, and identity itself.As AI moves from automation to imitation, we may be entering an era where the most valuable data is no longer what we produce, but who we are.Please enjoy the show.--Other ways to connect with us:⁠Listen to every podcast⁠Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠Follow us on ⁠X⁠Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠Read our ⁠Substack⁠Email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz--Chapters:(00:00) The future of AI starts here(02:11) How AI is changing human connection forever(05:55) Where AI meets humanity(11:54) The story that sparked personal AI(19:50) Why you must own your AI before it owns you(20:10) The hidden vault of your data(22:31) Why voice is the next big interface(25:11) How AI will slip into daily life?(25:36) Can personal AI be monetized?(27:14) The fight to regulate AI(27:52) What AI means for being human(29:46) Will your knowledge outlive you?(32:05) How to build your personal AI identity(33:28) Writing the story of your life with AI--Peace and Love. Always. Mark & Jeremy

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