Infinite Loops

Julia is the co-founder of Rosetta Analytics Inc, "an alternative asset manager that is pioneering the use of advanced artificial intelligence to build and actively manage liquid investment strategies." Prior to co-founding Rosetta, Julia served as President of Wilshire Consulting and was a member of Wilshire's Board of Directors and Consulting Investment Committee. Julia joins the show to take a deep dive into deep reinforcement learning and Rosetta's pioneering work using AI as the basis of its investment strategies. Important Links:

• Rosetta Analytics
• Julia's LinkedIn

Show Notes:

• Julia's journey from Wilshire to Rosetta
• Defining deep reinforcement learning
• AI and non-linear thinking
• Using adaptive models
• Overcoming the human need for 'why'
• Pitching deep reinforcement learning models to new investors
• Telling positive stories about AI; improving our discourse
• "Wake up and look for the joy"; "overcoming fear is the biggest barrier to success"

Books Mentioned:

• What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch
• The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy - What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny; by William Strauss and Neil Howe

Creator and curator Liberty RPF returns for his second appearance on Infinite Loops. He and Jim discuss the art of curation, the opportunities and risks of AI, the curse of creativity, the future of learning, and MUCH more!

Title: Description: Lulu Cheng Meservey is the Chief Communications Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Activision Blizzard. She joins Infinite Loops to provide us with a masterclass in communications for startups. A must-listen for current and aspiring founders. Important Links: • Lulu's Twitter • Lulu's Substack Show Notes: • Why people write hit pieces • The insurgency framework • How to access your audience's neural real estate • How to develop a spontaneous elevator pitch • Tips for becoming better at reading the room • Speak directly and take the hits • Defining business objectives • Learning from other industries • Personalising your message • Overcoming resistance to the unknown, what Christianity can teach us about comms • Escaping corporate jargon • How comms resembles rugby • Taking ownership of comms • Moving to a new model of comms • "Don't let things happen to you. Go and happen to things." Books Mentioned: • The Network State: How To Start a New Country; by Balaji S. Srinivasan • The Hero with a Thousand Faces; by Joseph Campbell

"With enough curiosity, self-confidence is irrelevant." Tinkered Thinking is a writer, artist, author and creator. He is also the worthy winner of our 'White Mirror' competition. His writing includes a series of 'Lucilius Parables', short stories dispersed throughout time and space designed to help readers reconceptualise their experience of being alive. He joined the show to discuss writing, technology, curiosity, optimism and MUCH more! Important Links:

• Website
• Twitter
• The Lucilius Parables, Volume I
• The Lucilius Parables, Volume II
• The Century of the Self: Happiness Machines - Adam Curtis

Show Notes:

• The origin of Lucilius
• Why write short stories?
• Fear and human nature
• Technology, progress and optimism
• Where is the positive poetry of today?
• The momentum metric
• How to rebrand Guatemala
• White Mirror
• Choose your disposition
• The power of curiosity
• The question as a concept
• Hope grows foolish with no doing

Books Mentioned:

• The Lucilius Parables, Volume I; by Tinkered Thinking
• The Lucilius Parables, Volume II; by Tinkered Thinking
• The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory; by Brian Greene
• The Fifth Science; by Exurb1a
• Foundation; by Isaac Asimov
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Bob Pirsig
• The Beginning of Infinity; by David Deutsch
• Language in Thought and Action; by S.I. Hayakawa
• Screw the Zoo: Escape From Your Cage, Free Your Mind, and Take Over the World; by Sam McRoberts
• Unflattening; by Nick Sousanis
• Atomic Habits; by James Clear
• The Power of Habit; by Charles Duhigg
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams
• The Egg; by Andy Weir
• The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James
• Awakening: Conversations with the Masters; by Anthony De Mello
• Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment; by Jed McKenna

Edward Slingerland is a University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. He has authored a number of books, including 'Trying Not to Try' and 'Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization'. He joins the show to discuss the paradox of effortless action, the history of Chinese philosophy, the benefits of alcohol, and a whole lot more. Important Links:

• Edward's Twitter
• Edward's Website
• Drunk
• Trying Not to Try

Show Notes:

• The paradox of trying not to try
• Western equivalents to wu-wei
• The difference between wu-wei and flow
• How to cultivate wu-wei
• How technology makes it harder to find wu-wei
• Why were Confucianism and Daoism so successful?
• Utilitarianism, China and the panopticon
• The right amount of rationality, choking
• Shutting down the prefrontal cortext
• The evolutionary origins of our love of alcohol
• The power of psychedelics
• Ecological niches, cooperation, creativity and honesty
• An alternative model of honesty
• Stop pushing so hard, go walk in the woods

Books Mentioned:

• Trying Not to Try: The Ancient Art of Effortlessness and the Surprising Power of Spontaneity; by Edward Slingerland
• Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization; by Edward Slingerland
• The Dao De Jing; by Laozi
• The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
• The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better; by Will Storr
• The Master and His Emissary; by Iain McGilchrist
• Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To; by Sian Beilock
• The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name; by Brian C. Muraresku

Jeremiah Lowin is the founder & CEO of Prefect, a dataflow automation company. Jeremiah joins Jim for his second appearance on Infinite Loops to discuss executing, storytelling, artificial intelligence and, of course, puns. Important Links:

• Prefect.io
• Disney Research Hub
• The story of the fake statue of Venus

Show Notes:

• Slack, puns and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Planning, executing and the story of Prefect in 2022
• Why naming things is a superpower
• If you can't pivot, you're dead
• Make original mistakes
• AI, storytelling, deep fakes and open source

Books Mentioned:

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams
• What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• The Beginning of Infinity; by David Deutsch

Herbert is a writer and editorial director who has been writing online since he was 15. He is the editor of 'The World According to Kanye' and has written for publications such as Forge, TIME and Quartz. Herbert joins the show to discuss his book 'Creative Doing: 75 Practical Exercises to Unblock Your Creative Potential in Your Work, Hobby, or Next Career', and to share some practical, actionable methods of harnessing the creative impulses that lie inside us all. Important Links:

• Herbert's Twitter
• Herbert's Website
• Creative Doing

Show Notes:

• "Think less; do more"
• Adapting to social media
• "Don't make the bad the enemy of the good"
• "Doing is thinking"
• The strongest case for thinking over doing
• The role of the subconscious in the creative process
• The Madman and the Judge
• What initial steps can an aspiring creator take?
• Is there such a thing as natural creativity?
• "Quality is a word smart people use to procrastinate"
• Unifying the Madman and the Judge
• Why do societies try to crush creativity out of people?
• Why we are all creative

Books Mentioned:

• Creative Doing: 75 Practical Exercises to Unblock Your Creative Potential in Your Work, Hobby, or Next Career; by Herbert Lui
• Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective; by Kenneth O. Stanley and Joel Lehman
• The Love Song of J. Alfred Profrock; by T.S. Eliot
• The I Ching
• Tao Te Ching; by Laozi
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; by Robert M. Pirsig

Emad Mostaque is the founder and CEO of Stability AI, the company behind Stable Diffusion. Emad joins Stability AI's recently announced Executive Chair of the board of directors Jim O'Shaughnessy to discuss the future of AI, the benefits of open source software, and much more. Important Links:

• Stability AI
• Stable Diffusion Launch Announcement
• Stability AI's Twitter
• Emad's Twitter
• Jim's announcement as Executive Chair

Show Notes:

• The open vs closed AI debate
• How will open AI lead to better outcomes for AI safety?
• How will AI allow us to to solve previously unsolvable problems?
• How AI can transform education
• AI and storytelling
• What is 'clean' data?
• Can AI technology increase IQs across the entire world?
• The future: optimism, pessimism, jobs, AI alignment and the panopticon
• Why closed AI is a bad business model
• Anticipating and defending against future problems
• What two ideas would you like to give everyone in the world?

Books Mentioned:

• The WEIRDest People in the World; by Joseph Henrich

"To get me stop, they're going to have to pry the microphone out of my cold dead hand". Hot on the heels of his hugely popular appearance on 'Invest Like The Best', David Senra joins a marathon episode of Infinite Loops to discuss obsession, education, optimism, podcasting, and so much more. Unsurprisingly, this one is not to be missed. Important Links:

• Founders Podcast
• Founders on Colossus
• David's Twitter
• David's Substack
• Runnin' Down a Dream - Bill Gurley

Show Notes:

• David's grandfather, refugees, and risk-taking
• Why reading history raises our ambition
• Obsession and genetics
• Why founders are the most important people in the world
• Our failing education system
• "To get me to stop, they're going to have to pry the microphone out of my cold dead hand"
• "Don't do anything that somebody else can do"
• Societal responses to change, predicting the future
• The benefits of small teams
• "Plan B should be to make plan A work"
• Optimism, risk and the bridge of nihilism
• Why you need to start a podcast
• "History doesn't repeat, human nature does"
• AI and art
• The internet is the greatest variance amplifier in history
• "You can't fake passion"
• Infinite networks
• Luck, burnout, learning and excuses
• "Don't be surprised if your best idea comes 30 to 40 years into your career"
• The blueprint for a great day
• Pick the right heroes

Books Mentioned:

• Am I Being Too Subtle?: Straight Talk From a Business Rebel; by Sam Zell
• The Sugar King of Havana: The Rise and Fall of Julio Lobo, Cuba's Last Tycoon; by John Paul Rathbone
• The Hypomaniac Edge: The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Success in America; by John D. Gartner
• One Summer: America, 1927; by Bill Bryson
• Reluctant Genius: The Passionate Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bell; by Charlotte Gray
• Born of this land : my life story; by Chung Ju-yung
• Shoe Dog; by Phil Knight
• Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power; by James McGrath Morris
• Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company; by Andrew S. Grove
• Time to Make the Donuts: The Founder of Dunkin Donuts Shares an American Journey; by William Rosenberg
• Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration; by Ed Catmull
• The Tao Te Ching; by Laozi
• My Life & Work - An Autobiography of Henry Ford; by Henry Ford
• One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization; by Dee Hock
• Zanies: The world's greatest eccentrics; by Jay Robert Nash

Dr Michael Donnino is the founder/director of the Psychophysiologic Research Group, and the first person in the country to complete a residency/fellowship program leading to board certification in internal medicine, emergency medicine, and critical care. Liz Wallenstein is a licensed mental health counselor who has trained in, among other areas, the methodology of 'TMS Mind Body-Connection'. Liz and Dr Michael join the show to discuss the profound influence of Dr John Sarno on their lives, and the potentially transformational power of 'Mind-Body' therapies. Important Links:

• The Mind-Body Group
• Michael's Twitter
• Liz's Website
• Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

Show Notes:

• Introductions to Dr. Sarno
• The relationship between our emotional and physical reactions
• Reasons to be hopeful
• Emotions and conditioning
• A response to the sceptics
• The societal costs of chronic pain
• Mental health: moving beyond diagnostic labels
• Long COVID and mind-body syndrome
• The future of psychophysiological research
• What does the medical community think of mind-body syndrome?
• Doing the inner work that's needed to heal
• The future of mind-body treatments
• The importance of sincerity

Books Mentioned:

• Your Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma; by Bessel van der Kolk;
• Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine; by Candace Pert
• Healing Back Pain; by John E. Sarno
• The Screwtape Letters; by C.S. Lewis
• The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
• The Great Pain Deception: Faulty Medical Advice Is Making Us Worse; by Steve Ozanich
• Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient; by Norman Cousins