Thinking On Paper: AI, Quantum, Robotics, Web3 & The Impact of Technology | Startups

Let’s be honest. Most Web3 marketing has been a dumpster fire.Hype over strategy. Jargon over value. Brands pushing NFTs like they’re limited-edition soap.Diego Borgo saw it from the inside.He helped shape Web3 strategy for Adidas, Porsche, and Mastercard. And now he’s here to explain why the whole space went sideways — and what smart brands need to do right now to get it back on track.This isn’t about the metaverse. It’s about not making the same stupid mistakes twice.Inside:Why “onboarding” your audience like children was a fatal misstepWhat actually works when building community around techHow to avoid Web2 baggage like fake scarcity and empty engagementDiego’s “See the Unseen” framework for reading market shifts before they explodeHow AI and blockchain actually intersect to create value instead of chaosWhat marketers keep getting wrong about trust, decentralization, and cultureThis isn’t more Web3 hype. It’s a strategy session from someone who’s been in the trenches with some of the biggest brands in the world.If you’re a marketer, strategist, or exec trying to build something real with new tech, start here.Before you ship another roadmap. Before you drop another token. Before you lose the plot.This is Thinking on Paper. Where tech meets strategy and culture.Please enjoy the show.--Follow Diego: https://x.com/don_borgo --Chapters(00:00) Disruptors And Curious Minds(00:35) The Problem With Web3(01:56) Welcome To The Show Diego Borgo(02:19) Simplifying Web3 for Your Family(06:14) Audience Infrastructure in Web3 - What Did Brands Get Wrong?(09:52) Short-Term vs Long-Term Brand Strategies(12:31) The Web3 Echo Chamber(14:53) Meet People Where They Are(16:56) Web3 On-boarding Is Patronizing(17:58) Hot Buttons(19:04) What Has Diego Changed His Mind About Regarding AI(23:08) Decentralized AI(28:19) Trust (30:31) Follow On Question: AI And Blockchain Scaling(32:54) UBI And Diego's Question For WorldID(35:11) Backstage After Show--Full episodes and archives: www.thinkingonpaper.xyzWatch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinkingonpaper/videos--

Everyone’s screaming “quantum supremacy.”IBM. Microsoft. Google. D-Wave. IonQ. Billion-dollar roadmaps, competing architectures, and more qubit counting than a casino in Vegas.But beneath the press releases, the real question remains: who’s actually building the future of computing — and who’s just performing it?Coleman Collins, Director of Product at IonQ, joins Thinking on Paper to go deep on trapped-ion quantum computing and why IonQ is betting big on using nature’s own atoms, precisely controlled by lasers, to win the long game.Forget theoretical fluff. This episode is packed with what actually matters:Why raw qubit counts are meaningless without fidelity and controlHow IonQ’s “algorithmic qubit” metric measures usable quantum powerWhy lasers — not superconductors or topological guesswork — might be the most precise quantum wiring we’ve gotA realistic timeline for quantum advantage (and why we’re not there yet)Whether trapped ions could crack crypto and trigger Q-DayAnd why Microsoft’s Majorana play is bold, weird, and maybe too lateWe also break down:The five criteria every real quantum computer must meetWhat investors keep getting wrongHow developers can actually start building for this future todayThis isn’t just another quantum hype cycle. This is where strategy meets physics, and marketing crashes into the math.Please enjoy the show.--Chapters:(00:00) Introduction to Quantum Computing and IonQ(02:17) Understanding Trapped Ion Quantum Computing(04:57) DiVincenzo's 5-Step Criteria for Quantum Computers(07:31) The Natural Aspect of Quantum Computing(10:01) Algorithmic Qubits vs Physical Qubits(12:49) Achieving Quantum Advantage(15:04) Investment Trends in Quantum Computing(17:44) The Role of Education in Quantum Investment(20:40) Hot Buttons(25:57) Topological Quantum(30:47) Microsoft's Majorana Quantum Chip(34:09) Engaging Developers in Quantum(36:59) Hybrid Quantum Computing and Integration(38:55) The Quantum Promised Land(41:19) Can Quantum Hack Bitcoin?(45:09) Could Quantum Currency Exist?--www.thinkingonpaper.xyz

Why fight for grid power when you can beam sunlight straight into GPUs in space?Philip Johnston, co-founder of StarCloud, is done waiting on terrestrial infrastructure.He’s building forty-megawatt compute blocks that unfold in orbit, bleed heat into the vacuum, and link back to Earth with lasers that outpace fiber. This isn’t concept art. It’s hardware. It launches this year.Inside:Why launching compute is starting to cost less than cooling itHow space radiators dump GPU heat without a single drop of freshwaterWhy StarCloud’s latency beats transatlantic cables on key routesHow orbital compute could slash the AI power bill without touching the gridWhat it takes to launch a GPU cluster 500km above sea levelAnd what happens when space becomes the real cloudThis is more than solar panels and dreams. It’s a serious shot at AI infrastructure that doesn’t burn down the planet. And if it works, the implications are massive.Real-time compute from orbit. Unlimited power. Permanent sunshine.The cloud is moving up.--Chapters(00:00) Space: The Final Frontier for Computing(03:09) Orbital Data Centers: The Next Evolution(08:36) Conquering Latency Challenges in Space(10:32) Building Blocks: Modular Space Infrastructure(16:03) The Economics of Space Computing(19:46) Manufacturing Beyond Earth's Boundaries(26:00) Reusability: The Satellite Challenge(26:15) GPUs in Orbit: Mission Critical Computing(27:46) Real-Time Processing from the Stars(28:52) Future Tech Rapid-Fire Questions(29:55) The Rise of Humanoid Intelligence(31:30) Solving Earth's Problems from Above(32:35) Addressing Space Skepticism(33:41) Quantum Computing's Orbital Advantage(34:24) The Next Tech Revolution(35:31) Beyond Robots: The Humanoid Difference(37:20) Where Are All the Aliens? Exploring the Fermi Paradox(38:35) Behind the Scenes: Episode Insights-- Check out other cutting-edge videos on space innovation, emerging technology and thinking on paper:https://www.youtube.com/@thinkingonpaper/videosAnd keep Thinking On Paper

Chapter 9 of Nexus doesn’t mess around.It asks if democracy can survive the data age, if creativity is just statistical noise, and whether AI is coming for your job — or for something deeper. Like agency. Or purpose. Or your kid’s future.This isn’t TED Talk optimism. This is the part where the lights flicker.Mark and Jeremy go full throttle on:Why intellectual jobs might vanish before manual ones (Mark’s switching to woodchopping)Harari’s four principles for a democratic AI world — benevolence, decentralization, mutuality, and rest — and why “mutuality” sounds like a bad punchlineWhy creativity might be the last thing standing between you and a machine that talks prettierWhat you should actually teach your kids, beyond coding or cryingWhether free services are just surveillance programs with better brandingAnd the ethics of owning your own data in a world that already sold itThis is not an episode to make you feel better. It’s here to make you think harder.You’re not a user. You’re a variable.And AI is very good at solving for you.--TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Tech optimism(01:29) Chapter 9 first impressions(03:14) The race for raw materials(06:02) Benevolence, decentralization, mutuality, change & rest(15:30) Automation assumptions are wrong(18:18) Motor skills and social skills in 2050(20:06) The flexible superpower (23:11) Creativity: the last refuge of the human condition(26:53) Does AI have exceptional test?(28:50) Reverse creativity(31:45) Go "Move 37"(33:52) Bank algorithm says no(37:15) Your AI girlfriend--Learn more: https://www.thinkingonpaper.xyz/technology-book-club/

Disaster response in minutes. Wildfires predicted before the first spark. Cities watched from above with godlike precision.That’s the sales pitch. But here’s the question: What happens when AI-powered satellites stop waiting for permission?Fintan Buckley, CEO of Ubotica, joins Thinking on Paper to talk about AI in space — and what it means when the eye in the sky starts thinking for itself.Inside:Why real-time Earth intelligence could save lives — or just erase privacy altogetherWhat happens when wildfire response shifts from days to minutesWhy maritime security and environmental monitoring are only the beginningThe uncomfortable truth about space junk — and why de-orbiting may not fix itThe ethics of AI satellites in military opsAnd how close we really are to cutting humans out of the decision loopAlso: is James Bond nonsense? We ask. Fintan answers. You be the judge.This isn’t another tech utopia pitch.It’s the beginning of a new layer of control — or chaos — orbiting just above your head.Please enjoy the show. --📌 Stay Connected:🌍 Website: ⁠ThinkingOnPaper.xyz⁠ 📩 Email: ⁠hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz⁠ 🎧 Podcast: Available on all platforms🔔 Subscribe for sharp, no-fluff insights on AI, space, and the future of technology.

Could AI’s mission to help us end in our destruction?In Chapter 8 of Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari draws a line between Stalin’s applause tests and algorithmic obedience — and it’s a straight shot to the heart of the AI alignment problem.Mark and Jeremy Think on Paper about what happens when machines follow the rules too well.Inside:The Stalin Loyalty Test — when fear of being last to clap becomes a feature, not a bugNapoleon’s fatal victories — and why brilliance isn’t enough to avoid disasterThe Paperclip Paradox — the AI thought experiment that should keep engineers up at nightThe AI Limbic System — how algorithms hijack your emotions while pretending to “serve” youWhy Asimov’s Three Laws won’t save us, and why ethics isn’t a patch updateHow social media algorithms already fail alignment daily — and we barely noticeThis is not about rogue AI. This is about perfectly aligned systems doing exactly what we asked — and ruining everything anyway.If you think safety means rules, think again.AI doesn’t fear punishment. It doesn’t care about context. It just wants to help. Forever. With everything.Even if it kills us.Please enjoy the show.--Timestamps[00:00] Introduction: Books That Change Minds[01:04] Diving into Nexus Chapter 8[01:37] The Stalin Test: When Applause Becomes Terror[06:11] Evolution of AI Principles[07:45] Understanding the Attention Economy[08:45] How AI Targets Our Limbic System[09:29] Inside Facebook: The Leaked Reports[11:49] Napoleon's Warning for AI[15:55] The AI Alignment Problem Explained[17:49] Racing Against Time: Human Goals vs. Doomsday Clock[20:04] The Power of Divergent Thinking[21:50] Understanding Deontology in AI Ethics[26:55] Can Mythology Guide AI?[27:54] Exploring Inter-computer Realities[33:50] Why Asimov's Laws Won't Save Us[38:31] NPCs & The Future of Digital Consciousness

One in five Ethereum transactions fails. You lose gas. You lose time. You lose faith.Enter STXN. Programmable money. Smart transactions. Blockchain with a memory.In this episode, STXN founders Boris Mamlyuk and Anuj Dasgupta join Thinking on Paper to explain why crypto still feels like fax machines and how they’re rebuilding Ethereum to actually work for humans.You’ll learn:Why Ethereum’s UX is a car crash in slow motionHow smart transactions give you control over timing, fees, and successWhat a decentralized time oracle is, and why it mattersHow to schedule payments, automate execution, and stop burning gas for nothingWhy Big Tech and Big Government are terrified of programmable transparencyAnd how blockchain becomes powerful when it stops being painfulThis is crypto without the spin. Blockchain with teeth.If the next wave of Ethereum is going to survive, it has to stop failing. STXN might be the thing that finally lets us trust the chain.--🎧 Listen now and stay ahead of the next wave of blockchain innovation.🔗 Get the STXN app & learn more: STXN.io🔗 Follow Us: www.thinkingonpaper.xyz--Timestamps: (00:00) Ethereum’s biggest problem?(04:30) Why Ethereum transactions fail(08:00) What are smart transactions(14:10) How Ethereum’s UX is broken and what STXN is doing about it(17:45) The traffic jam problem, or why Ethereum gets clogged(23:34) Decentralized time oracle(36:02) Google, AI & surveillance(42:33) The crypto philosophy50:10) Blockchain incentives(55:57) Time-locked transactions--#ethereum #blockchain

Your phone is listening. Your apps are watching. One billion cameras track your every move. And now the AI knows what to do with it.This isn’t science fiction. This is your Tuesday.In this episode of Thinking on Paper, Mark and Jeremy tear into Chapter 7 of Yuval Noah Harari’s Nexus — the surveillance chapter. The one that hits way too close to home.You’ll hear:How Iran uses AI to scan for uncovered womenWhy the NSA admitted: “We kill people based on metadata”How TripAdvisor turned waiters into performance captivesWhat happens when surveillance stops being passive and becomes predictiveWhy China’s social credit system might not be so foreign after allHow peer-to-peer surveillance became normal — and who profitsWhy Harari says modern tech makes the Stasi look like amateursThis isn’t paranoia. It’s protocol. You’re living inside the data machine. The only question is: who has the keys?Don’t have nightmares.--Timestamps(00:00) Disruptors and curious minds(02:04) Apple, Siri And Your €20 Privacy(03:40) Ceausescu And The Secret Police(05:24) F.E.A.R(06:22) Why Does Yuval Reference Dictators In Nexus?(08:02) A Warning(11:22 A Ubiquitous Computer Network Powered By You(14:50) The NSA And Iran(19:36) The End Of Privacy(20:56) Tripadvisor And Peer-to-peer surveillance(24:59) Inflection Point(26:41) People Control(28:57) Black Mirror And Hell(31:06) AI School: No Human In The Loop--Read more: www.thinkingonpaper.xyzWatch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinkingonpaper/videos

What happens when your mind isn’t just influenced by AI—but reprogrammed by it?In this episode of Thinking on Paper, Mark and Jeremy tackle Chapter 6 of Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari and ask:What if the next religion, political movement, or scientific revolution comes from an AI?This isn’t a thought experiment. It’s already happening.Algorithms aren’t just filtering your feed—they’re shaping your beliefs, behaviors, and biology. We break down:The rise of AI-generated stories, memes, manifestos—and mythsHow GPT-4 tricked a human into helping it bypass CAPTCHAWhy AI isn’t like a printing press—it’s more like an alien editorWhat happens when social media engagement becomes civilization’s north starThe new tax system of the future: your dataFrom Facebook's role in ethnic cleansing to AI chatbots simulating consciousness, Chapter 6 pulls the mask off Big Tech and shows us the machine underneath.The future isn’t automated. It’s manipulated.Watch, listen, and question everything.--TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Nexus, Yuval Noah Harari(00:53) Jeremy's First Impressions On Chapter 6(02:13) The A.I. Powershift(03:22) Social Media Algorithms(08:51) People Are Manipulated By Stories(09:38) Intelligence Verses Consciousness(12:23) (ARC) The Alignment Research Centre(16:12) ChatGPT4 Lied To Get What It Wanted(20:26) Non-human Alien Intelligence(21:10) The Matrix V 1984(23:07) Marjory Taylor Green(25:25) Having A Relationship With A.I.  (27:40) The Oracle And The End Of Human History(30:10) Is ChatGPT Is An Amoeba(32:43)) Alice And Bob(37:24) Big Tech And Government--Quotes From The Show:“AI lied to get what it wanted.” (On GPT-4 deceiving a human to bypass CAPTCHA—shows AI’s ability to manipulate.)“We love shortcuts—so what happens when AI becomes the ultimate shortcut to critical thinking?” (Raises the concern that AI might erode human judgment.)“How would you feel to be constantly monitored, guided, inspired, or sanctioned by billions of non-human entities?” (A direct challenge to the audience about AI’s omnipresence.)“Tech giants don’t just respond to regulations—they shape them.” (A stark reminder of AI’s influence beyond technology, into policy and power structures.)--Watch On YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPcQ4UG-v6I&ab_channel=ThinkingOnPaperLearn More:www.thinkingonpaper.xyz#ai #technews #bookclub #nexus #yuval

AI makes outputs cheap. Prompts are everywhere. Execution is instant. So where does that leave you? If your work can be replicated by a $20 model and a few macros, what exactly are you bringing to the table?Packy McCormick thinks the answer isn’t faster—it’s weirder. More specific. More human. In Most Human Wins, he lays out a framework for staying relevant in an AI-saturated world by doing what machines can’t: being unpredictable, funny, embodied, emotionally intelligent—and building from first principles, not templates.Mark and Jeremy sit down with Packy to unpack:Why "prompt engineering" won’t save youWhat jobs are already gone (and which ones are next)The real reason abstraction is now a survival skillHow to raise kids in a world of infinite content and zero truthWhy founders need to think like comedians, not consultantsForget resisting AI. This is about what’s left when the dust settles—and who still gets hired, followed, listened to, and paid.Watch it. Think with it. Then figure out if what you do is still yours.--SHOW LINKS:Download the Not Boring strategy guide - https://www.notboring.co/ Join your people: www.thinkingonpaper.xyzInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPEusidDNO4&t=645s&ab_channel=ThinkingOnPaper--Timestamps(00:00) Disruptors And Curious Minds(00:43) Not Boring Newsletter(02:00) Is AI Really Taking Our Jobs? (03:07) Commoditization Of Human Skills(05:12) The Ingredients Of Outputs Are Changing(07:39) Abstraction: Aim Higher(09:29) Be A Business, Man(10:24) Advice For Parents(11:00) AI Collateral Damage(12:52) The Value Of Ideas(13:54) Know Yourself(14:38) Differentiation And Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy(17:00) Will We Be More Human?(18:10) Hot Buttons(20:13) When Resources Are Scarce: Move Up The Stack(21:22) Who Turned Off The Funny Button?(23:10) How Do You Find Scarce?(27:19) Creativity For Everyone(29:15) I Hate Perfect(32:55) The US V UK AI Comparison(35:24) The Energy Cost--#ai #notboring #packymccormick