Curious Worldview

✍︎: The Curious Worldview Newsletter - the ultimate compliment to the podcast...

• Jos Benschop – SVP Science ASML - Episode #56
• Chris Miller – Chip War - Episode #81
• ASML Bloody Good Business

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ASML is certainly among the most critical businesses to the modern economy. They make the machines that make the microchips which makes modernity go round. 

You’ve likely heard of TSMC, the Taiwanese behemoth at the centre of Chinese geopolitics and how these are in fact the guys that make these amazing microchips. That is true! But they make them on ASML machines, and that’s the critical point to take home. The insane complexity of ASML’s EUV machine is impossible to fully appreciate. Jos Benschop, ASMLS senior vice president of Technology he makes the claim that ASML’s EUV machine is the most complex machine ever made by man.

When words are overused they lose their meaning, but truly ASML’s EUV machine is by definition, unbelievable.

The CTO Martin Van De Brink has recently retired from ASML – and his cultural legacy really forms the narrative for Marc’s Book – with plenty of fun anecdotes.

Marc Hijink is the guest on this episode, he is a Dutch journalist and tech reporter for Handelsblad and recently went down a three year journey with unparalleled access to ASML and produced a wonderful history of this phenomenal company. 

• 00:00 – Who Is Marc Hijink & ASML
• 02:38 – Writing ‘Focus’ A Dream Project
• 07:38 – ASML Origins & Culture
• 17:23 – Culture & Martin Van De Brink
• 24:35 – The Geopolitics Of ASML
• 26:58 – Complexity Of The EUV Machine & ASML’s Appetite For Risk
• 44:55 – What About The Software? + Recruitment Against Meta, Google, OpenAI
• 50:13 – Growing At 800 Employees A Month
• 55:28 – Fragility Of ASML’s Client Base
• 57:17 – Focus
• 58:38 – Serendipity In ASML & Marc’s Life

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Sam Leith is the literary editor for the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world, an organisation which started publication in 1828 which means… the magazine for which he is the literary editor of, The Spectator, are on the doorstep of a famous double century in just 4 years time!

While also contributing a monthly column on gaming, over the course of 30 years Sam has written 100’s of book reviews, authored multiple books himself, but as well, Sam hosts one of my favourite podcasts titled ‘Book Club’ where… in a similar fashion to this very show but with much better execution, Sam talks with interesting authors about their books.  

Sam’s also got a new book, scheduled for release later this year and available for per order – The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading – and although we don’t discuss it in this podcast, if you like the way Sam talks and thinks then you might be keen on checking this one out as well.

But in this podcast we non exclusively discussed Sam’s 5th book – You Talkin’ to Me? Which is a book on Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama…

And so as you can imagine, I brought up Christopher Hitchens immediately as a reference for good rhetoric but in the podcast you can also expect a break down of Ethos Pathos Logos, what makes some of the great speakers great, and references to Obama, Churchill, Martin Luther King and more for what made specific things they said stick so deeply. 

• 00:00 – Who Is Sam Leith
• 01:43 – Who Are The Best Communicators Alive Right Now?
• 07:23 – Sam’s Great Theory on US Presidents (Rhetoric v Anti-Rhetoric) + Obama V Trump
• 20:04 – Good Speech… Writing or Delivery?
• 26:03 – Christopher Hitchens (+ a bit of Peter)
• 37:45 – How Media Is Consumed & How Media Changes (Introducing Socrates)
• 1:03:23 – Ethos Pathos Logos
• 1:20:23 – Story & Rhetoric (Martin Luther King)
• 1:26:58 – Best Of Churchill
• 1:28:53 – Speeches Lost To History
• 1:30:25 – Podcasting & Rhetoric
• 1:39:46 – Visit One Speech In History
• 1:44:24 – Serendipity & Country You’re Bullish On

Curious Things Mentioned During The Episode

• Matthew Dicks – Storyworthy
• Ben Burgis – Christopher Hitchens
• Ethos Pathos Logos

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Micheal Hilliard is a geopolitical analyst host and creator of 'The Red Line Podcast'… and! a fellow Aussie coming to us today from Australia’s glorious West coast capital, Perth.

Micheal and his team with the 'Red Line' take a deep fortnightly dive into a eclectic mix of narrow geopolitical topics … everything from the second hand market for nuclear weapons to the growth of Chinese private military groups...

And so therefore, and needless to say, the 'Red Line'  is brilliant and if you have anything geopolitical populating your new episodes feed you'd be smart to too add the red line to your subscriptions.

This is michael’s second appearance on the pod… in his first appearance he hinted a time in his life when he was living in Kazakstan ghostwriting geopolitical analysis and this tidbit has been on my mind ever since.

Therefore this pod we do Michael Hilliard…
Touring as a bass player in a rock n roll bandTid bits on TurkmenistanTop to bottom the world of geopolitics ghostwritingIndonesia from Australia’s perspectiveSerendipity… and much more

• 00:00 – Who Is Michael Hilliard
• 03:15 – Michael's Early Story (Touring As A Base Player)
• 17:05 – Turning Geopolitical 
• 19:15 – Turkmenistan Is Worse Than North Korea
• 29:31 – Transitioning From Rock n Roll To Journalism
• 32:35 – Geopolitical Ghostwriting (Top To Bottom)
• 47:05 – 'The Red Line Podcast'
• 1:00:32 – Indonesia's Geopolitics
• 1:16:06 – Who Are The Journalist's You Most Admire
• 1:19:59 - The Business Of The Red Line
• 1:23:55 - Podcasting Landscape In Australia
• 1:30:45 – Final 3 Questions… Serendipity, Fictional Character, Country Bullish On

Curious Things Mentioned During The Episode

• Geopolitics Starter Pack
• Michael Hilliard First Appearance

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Link to example of clip I am looking for - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibLyjkpYY_E

Link to example of infographic I am looking for (halfway down) - https://curiousworldview.beehiiv.com/p/update-1

Write to me at [email protected]

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https://atlasgeographica.com/ernest-scheyder/

#170 - Ernest Scheyder runs directly towards the impossible trade-offs of mining in the ‘War Below’...

The electrification of the economy is on the one hand very good. It means we can move away from consuming the carbon rich oil into our atmosphere… but it also means that we are going to need way more other stuff from the under the ground than we currently even know about. It will require mining 100’s of more sacred sites and 100’s of more beautiful vistas. 

Copper, lithium, cobalt and literally 100’s of other rare earths are all necessary components of batteries, electric cars, trucks, boats, even leaf-blowers… and this for a scale for 8 billion, soon to be 9 billion people…

If a sacred religious sight is built atop enough copper to secure your domestic supply… should you mine it?

If thousands of tonnes of lithium is built under a unique flower, almost certain to go extinct if you extract… should you do it?

And if you decide to play by environmental rules while everyone doesn’t… are you doing what’s right in the short term at the cost of whats best in the long?

These questions consume the book, and as well, this conversation.

So here is a veteran energy journalist for Rueters, and author of the War Below… Ernest Scheyder.

War Below – Ernest Scheyder

• 00:00 – Understanding Ernest Scheyder’s ‘War Below’
• 02:54 – Daniel Yergin & Geothermal Energy
• 05:21 – It’s Trade-Off’s All The Way Down (Mining, Policy Hypocrisy)
• 28:08 – Ernest’s Hesitation To Offer His Opinion
• 36:10 – Waste, Death & Bi-Products Of Mining
• 54:19 – Greenwashing & Child Labour
• 1:06:16 – Appreciation For The Miners
• 1:08:58 – Economic Protectionism
• 1:11:18 – Robert Friedland
• 1:12:36 – Final 3 Questions… Serendipity, Fictional Character, Country Bullish On

Curious Things Mentioned During The Episode

• Geothermal Starter Pack
• Erik Townsend – Energy Transition
• Investigative Journalist Starter Pack

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https://atlasgeographica.com/jon-lee-anderson/

#169 - I once responded to a question in a grant application that the people I admired most were great adventurers, great writers and great journalists… the kicker naturally being, that the best was a combination of all three!

Well, in Jon Lee Anderson we have an exemplar for all three of those labels.

Listens past 10 minutes and you will see the adventurer, listen to the details of how he put together Che’s biography and you will understand the journalist but then to top it all off, read anything Jon Lee’s written and you will understand the great writer. 

This was a mighty moment for the podcast. I managed to hide my nerves behind a facade of professionalism… but Jon and I ended up spending more than 4 hours together as we inhabited a closed, cold, empty drinkers club on a January London morning. 

Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker Staff Writer

Che: A Revolutionary Life

• 00:00 – Who Is Jon Lee Anderson
• 02:20 – On The Same Stage Julian Assange Launched Wikileaks.
• 05:50 – 13 Year Old Runaway Vagabond In East Africa.
• 22:15 – Is Risk Necessary For It To Be An Adventure?
• 26:03 – Discovering A Part Of The World For The First Time.
• 32:44 – Serendipity & Jon Lee On Religion & Evil.
• 40:20 – First Bi-Line At The Lima Times.
• 47:37 – Jon Lee Reflects On His Upbringing & How He Thinks About Being A Father.
• 53:54 – Che Guevara.
• 1:24:00 – There’s No More Revolutionaries, Only Narcos…
• 1:32:45 – Haiti.
• 1:35:48 – What Does Jon Lee Admire Most & Least About Che Guevara?
• 1:45:48 – What Doors Do The New Yorker Open?
• 1:46:47 – Christopher Hitchens.
• 1:51:50 – Next Generation Of Journalists & Media Landscape They Inherit.
• 1:58:07 – Jon Lee Anderson Autobiography.
• 2:00:24 – Country Jon Lee Is Bullish On.

Curious Things Mentioned During The Episode

• Journalist Starter Pack – All Journalists Who Have Appeared On The Podcast
• Explorers Starter Pack – All Explorers Who Have Appeared On The Podcast
• David Grann – Lost City Of Z, New Yorker

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https://atlasgeographica.com/patrick-watts/

#168 - The following is with Patrick Watts who is one hell of an interesting fella, this was a really fun episode to record!

The podcast is about the themes from his debut book, The End Of The American Empire. 

The End Of The American Empire – UK Amazon

The End Of The American Empire – US Amazon

It’s just come out in US and UK markets, so don’t hesitate a second to go and get it. Amazon link is in the description… this is a self published book from Patrick, so my hope is that the curious worldview audience will really make a difference in moving the needle here.

• 00:00 – Who Is Patrick Watts
• 01:23 – US Politics (Biden, Culture & Trump)
• 11:23 – Theory Of Rhetoric
• 13:49 – Patrick Watts… Self Confessed Americanophile
• 17:54 – Distinction Between An Empire & State
• 21:33 – Behind The Scenes Self Publishing
• 47:58 – John Perkins & Confessions Of An Economic Hitman
• 54:25 – Why Empires Have Fallen Throughout History
• 1:16:49 – 50% Of Pregnancies In The US Are Unplanned
• 1:19:13 – US Is The Most Mediciated Citizenry On Earth
• 1:20:13 – What Does A Collapse Of The American Empire Look Like?
• 1:33:30 – Serendipity In Patrick’s Life
• 1:45:35 – Favourite Fictional Character & Country Particularly Bullish On

Curious Things Mentioned During The Episode

• Geopolitics Starter Pack
• John Perkins & Confessions Of An Economic Hitman

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https://atlasgeographica.com/bill-browder-russia/

#167 - Bill Browder is back for his #2 appearance on the pod!

This was recorded in his London offices, and builds upon the themes from our first conversation.

Bill discusses the very real threat of assassination by both Putin and China. He lays out his Rouges Gallery of both nations and individuals and offers what is a rather desolate and grim picture of the Russian culture and economy.

Bill Browder is the author of Red Notice & Freezing Order.

Red Notice is one of my favourite autobiographies. It is an incredible story from how Bill went from the descendent of one of America’s most famous communists to becoming one of the most famous capitalists in Russia. At Hermitage Capital’s peak (Bill’s investment firm) he was the largest source of Western Capital in Post-Soviet Russia… his experiences around the voucher system alone make the book a must read. Or podcast a must listen ;)

• 00:00 - Safety & Threat Of Assassination
• 08:00 - Long Term Impact On Russian Culture
• 17:22 - Current State Of The Russian Economy?
• 21:46 - The Global Magnitzky Act
• 26:46 - Bill Browder's Rouges Gallery & Anti Rouges Gallery
• 34:44 - Bill's Public Profile
• 38:24 - What Is The Function Of Hermitage Capital
• 40:18 - Bills Son & Entrepreneurship
• 45:29 - Country Bill Is Most Bullish On

Curious Things Mentioned During The Episode

• Jim Henry – Blood Bankers
• Desmond Shum - Red Roulette
• John Perkins – Confessions Of An Economic Hitman
• Nic Shaxson – The Tools Of The Offshore Accountant
• Bradley Hope – Jho Low & 1MDB Financial Fraud
• Nathan Lynch – Money Laundering In Australia
• Oliver Bullough – Moneyland
• Podcast Starter Pack – Offshore Finance

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https://atlasgeographica.com/brian-klaas/

#166 - Brian Klaas is an associate professor in global politics at University College London, author of several books, host of a really good podcast, creator of a huge substack and someone who has created a life for himself for which I wish to emulate many parts…

We recorded this in person!… Brian and I sat down together in his Winchester kitchen and spoke about randomness, chance, Nassim Taleb, Flukes and why all these things are worth thinking about…

If you like Taleb, then Brian’s new book, Fluke which just came out… is right up your alley. Brian’s research is wonderful.

• 00:00 – Who Is Brian Klaas?
• 01:00 – Life Can Be Understood Backwards, But It Must Be Lived Forwards.
• 11:55 – Does Brian Feel Like He Has More Or Less Agency?
• 20:51 – Taleb’s Blindfold Metaphor & The Problems Of Prediction.
• 35:20 – How Nassim Taleb Effected Brian’s Worldview.
• 44:55 – Why Experimentation Is Wise.
• 50:55 – Why The Minority Rule Is Relevant To Politics.
• 53:20 – Extremistan V Mediocristan
• 1:03:00 – The Idea Of Lock-In.
• 1:07:30 – Serendipity In Brian’s Life & The Media Landscape In The Next 20 Years.
• 1:22:00 – Brian’s Favourite Authors.
• 1:24:30 – An Ode To Madagascar & Explanation OF Geographical Determinism.

Curious Things Mentioned During The Episode

• Scott Patterson – Chaos Kings
• Russ Roberts – Reflecting on 15 Years Of EconTalk
• Luca Dellana – Ergodicity
• Me Being Interviewed For The Profile On Nassim Taleb
• Nassim Taleb Incerto Podcast
• Nassim Taleb Incerto Book Reviews

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#165 - Christopher Neijd is a police lieutenant for Southern Stockholm, he’s been in the force for more than 14 years, and is a close mates of Rhino who was episode #146 as a member of Sweden’s SWAT force, called Piketen. 

This is an interview about Christopher's experiences on the police force, how Sweden has or hasn’t changed over time, a microscope on the events of the Easter Riots of 2022 plus plenty more of course…

• 00:00 - Who Is Cristopher Neijd
• 01:05 - Early Life & Formative Experiences
• 21:45 - Why People Want To Join Police & What Policing Is Like These Days
• 31:25 - Shootings In Stockholm
• 41:21 - 2022 Easter Riots
• 1:05:45 - How Crime Has Gotten More Violent In Sweden
• 1:21:05 - Why Being Police Is A Great Job

Curious Things Mentioned During The Episode

• 46: Arne Andersson | Three Tours In Afghanistan Through The Eyes Of The Swedish Military
• 146: The Life & Lessons Of An Elite Swedish 'Piketen' Police Officer
• 113: Diamant Salihu | Gang Violence, Drugs, Immigration & Integration In Sweden

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