The Idea Roastery

We're back!! It's 2023 and all we're thinking about in the start of the new year is fusion energy! In this episode we talk about the recent breakthroughs in fusion energy at the National Ignition Facility in US and we go through a mirage of topics such as what actually happened; what is the impact of having commercially available fusion energy; and how we can accelerate energy transformation in South Africa too.

Helion Energy

Outline

(0:20) Experiencing a cricket & more intense versions of it. (3:30) Brief chat about coffee making. (4:40) Recent breakthroughs in the fusion space. (6:00) The cost to get this far, the transition and what about solar? (6:50) When could it be here and what are the companies that could do it? (9:20) The state of load shedding and will fusion be too late for South Africa? Other renewable mechanisms used in developing economies - is there a market for fusion power? (11:52) Jason has doubts about the cost that it will take to get modular fusion to market. (13:38) Fundamental problem with tokamaks & accelerators and how they work? (17:15) Converting fusion energy to electricity still needs to happen & how Helion's system works. (20:00) Evolution of the electricity grid away from what fusion can bring. (22:00) How to finance the switch to alternative energy sources. (25:07) What are the things to look forward to when there is cheap, viable fusion available. (30:00) Carbon credits from direct-air carbon capture and devices that could reimagine shipping, and the effect on vertical farming. (33:50) How do we accelerate this transformation? (37:00) Geopolitical & economic impact of having fusion technology and where South Africa might have missed in terms of energy policy. 

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Thanks to all our valuable listeners who tune in on a regular basis! In this episode we cover some of the interesting things that happened in 2022 and what the future may hold for next year. We cover topics like energy security in South Africa and the world, AI and it's affects on the internet & the commoditization of art via NFTs, the economic down-turn and if there are any upsides to look out for in the new year.

This is our last episode for 2022 but don't fear - we'll be back at it in 2023 with more curious content. If you like what we're doing here please subscribe to get updates as soon as we release new episodes.

Outline

(0:00) Getting started and warming up! (01:45) Talking about the changes in the monachy (3:15) We get started with the actual podcast! (03:45) The growth of AI in the last few months and how it's probably a powerful tool, could it replace "ground breaking" writing though? ChatGPT? Stable Diffusion and other interesting developments around AI. (8:40) ChatGPT3 as a disruption for Google, Stack Overflow and others. (10:25) The crash in NFT & crypto hype, how royalty systems are still being worked out. Why artists don't necessarily like NFTs and how the down-turn could be a net positive. (14:25) The great chess cheating scandal and how computers are allowing for more advanced styles of play. (17:30) The huge economic downturn in the tech industry and most places, layoffs and loads of distress in the geo-political sense. Is there an upside in more discipline. (21:20) The proliferation of remote work and how it could contribute to economic growth in South Africa. How the move could be a great thing for tourism. (24:50) Something interesting about Iceland - the country. How re-forestation could change the landscape of this volcanic island (28:00) How the problems with Eskom and load-shedding could get much worse? Could diversification of energy could be the new future of South African energy? (33:00) The problems with local solar and how to finance it and find consensus to build energy independence. The innovation that's needed to make a change. (39:00) Negativity bias without thinking about how far we've come and the misplaced assumption of stability. (42:00) A footnote on adaptability to change and the upper atmosphere project to prevent climate change. (44:05) Patagonia donation to environmental protection and maybe it'll get worse. How to make small steps towards bigger changes. The ocean cleanup project. (48:30) Personal plans for the new year from both Herman & Jason and what to do next year with the podcast.

In this episode we circle round to the topic of co-working and what the future of work looks like! Sure remote working has it's benefits but are there drawbacks to how teams interact and are there limiting factors for what roles are more suited to remote first.

Outline

Some banter about operating systems and laptops crashing (3:25) We get started and intro the episode (3:48) Jason and his experience working from the office (5:00) and then what about co-working spaces and the future of office buildings. (6:40) The paradigm shift due to the pandemic and your business context. (9:30) Sharing resources as a reason for co-working as a reason to have an office at all and micro-offsites. (11:14) How does co-working impact teams. (13:08) Job ambiguity relation to remote work and is there a sensible reason to have a fixed office? (16:15) White collar and blue collar co-working options. (17:45) Co-living as an option?? (19:15) Rather just have a mixed use zone with a bunch of small office for companies. (22:00) Hacker homes for building ideas and companies to build opportunity for new business. (24:40) What makes a good co-working space? (29:00) Why don't public libraries become co-working spaces? (32:55) Best co-working spaces in the world. (36:15) Co-workshops for the more physical stuff!

In this episode we talk about the layoffs that are happening in the tech industry. We chat about way to fire and why companies get into this situation in the first place. We talk about some of the positive changes that could be on the horizon for Twitter and whether there is a future for people who loose their jobs at this time.

Outline

(0:00) We get started pretty quickly and laying the ground for discussion. (1:20) Did we expect tech layoffs? (3:15) Why is the stock price correllated to having to lay people off? (5:24) Human psychology when getting money into your busines & growing at all costs. (8:33) Challenges & dynamics of larger teams & time delays when adjusting team sizes. (13:12) Comparing Twitter & Stripe layoffs. (15:30) The counter argument and why it's not as bad as people make it out to be. (18:26) Artists escaping Twitter to go elsewhere and does anyone care what goes on there? (21:00) Incentive alignment and filtering your feed. (22:13) What would you have done differently and how long till people move on? (23:45) Companies have to grow and sometimes pivot and how to do a layoff properly to avoid affecting employee mentality. (26:55) The worst thing about layoffs and the alternative. (28:22) How public letters and PR could've made things better at Twitter and the challenge of parody accounts. (32:30) What happens next - is there an up side? 

In this episode we talk about one of our favorite places on Earth - the small seaside town of Muizenberg. We talk about the develop works that are planned and what a upgraded town would look like. We talk about the challenges and some of the wider issues facing this project and then give some optimistic outlooks on anyone can build anything better with just a little bit of effort.

Outline

(0:00) Simplification as the ultimate location for design and how it relates to simple places, brutalism. (2:58) Modern life an utilitarianism of dustbins and the beauty of small towns. (6:04) Specificity vs working at scale with the lowest common denominator & adding character to buildings similar to Thailand. (8:38) The introduction (8:55) How privacy is similar to being forced to build your house in a specific way. (10:32) Talking about the tampon towers in Vredehoek and unpleasant architecture. (11:38) What's happening at surfer's corner right now and the definition, what is the essence of Muizenberg to somebody? (14:11) Laying out the challenges of how the town is designed. (15:48) Similarities to Strand beachfront on the other side of False Bay. (17:35) An idea of a park and a promenade and making things better. (18:20) The citizen participation process is underway in Muizenberg. (18:56) Constraints on such a small town come into this - does tourists mean there's more money?? (20:00) Inevitable that we have to figure out cars, parking & trade-offs. (21:29) Making long-term decisions vs ideology and the downside of loads of people. (23:01) We're getting back onto train transportation again!. (24:10) MVP for a safe train trip mobile app. (26:30) How to improve connection between the train station and the beach. (27:20) Citizen participation and information access needs to be improved! (29:47) Airbnb driving up housing prices Edinburgh (the South Africa one) and getting stuff done. (31:30) Is there a complacency or a challenge of organizing people in a particular direction? (33:35) The bystander effect and what is the future of seaside towns? (35:15) Open co-working spaces of the future. 

Resources

In this episode we do a take on housing. What are the challengers that renters and landlords face in this changing world. We talk about the effort that goes into building, operating and living in an apartment in the city with a few stories here and there.

Outline

(0:25) Herman talks about his think carpet and his new home. (2:05) What about steepness?? (3:20) It kicks off on the topic of housing. (3:40) Why the city and not the suburbs? (5:30) Moving back into London was a struggle & how to move country / house. (9:10) Adaptability & flexibility when moving home and in general. (10:50) Challenges of property and buy-to-let in London. (12:30) Rental protections and building more housing. (14:02) Reality of building flats and housing and how hard it is to do. (15:30) Herman's laptop just crashed!! (16:10) Continuing on how hard it is to build houses. (18:00) Living in a flat compared to electric vehicles. (19:35) Other things need to think about the utilities that support houses & economy of scale. (21:50) Buy vs rent and an owner mentality. (23:30) Having a great sense of place and the security of it and leasehold vs freehold. (26:05) How people in Dubai live. (27:25) Are we scared of changing the character of Cape Town & home owners association. (29:40) New buildings being built in Cape Town. (30:55) The idea of home renter associations and bringing people together for a cause. (32:55) Thinking about the home owners revolt. (35:44) Herman making his home more livable. (37:00) Developments around the city and becoming more pedestrian focused city.

About the Episode

In this episode we dive into the topic of personal finance, how to ensure that you don't run out of money at the end of the month, the importance of income rather than saving as a means of accumulating wealth and some topics here and there about how to generate value in this modern world.

Outline

(0:00) How to start the conversation about personal finance. (1:30) A concept, how does inflation work? (4:30) Putting money to work as a solution and using stocks as a way to make money with your money. (7:00) Buying vs renting and delayed gratification. (9:50) What about the FIRE movement? (11:50) High housing prices, saving for retirement & increasing income. (15:00) Importance of cashflow (16:30) Herman drops some opinions on investing in stocks. (18:35) ETFs vs starting a business. (20:45) Correction!! it would be 120% ROI soz :) (21:30) Accumulating wealth via properties and leverage. (23:15) How would you know you've "made" it? (24:40) Some advice on money vs happiness and finding the minimum amount needed to live. (26:38) How to increase your income and get more cash? (28:13) On getting a university degree in South Africa vs United States. (29:05) Supply and demand for skills, picking a career & value to work ratio. (31:40) Gigs vs small businesses vs startups. (33:50) Generating value via bootstrapping on your physical input. (37:00) Building an emergency fund if you have a job & paying yourself first. (40:10) Emergency funds as a way of building a risk appetite. (43:35) The hedonic curve of getting building up income and getting wrecked in US & UK. (45:40) Using percentage of salary to baseline certain expenses. (48:00) Candle charts too early is not good and a thought experience about time in the market.

In this episode we talk about the darker side of the internet, the topic of scams. We uncover some of the scams that we've be affected by over the years and the types of scams that are out there. We also give a few top tips on how to stay vigilant online and avoid getting taken for a ride!

Outline

(0:45) Talking about Jim Browning and something you do when you're ill. (2:44) Some interesting tools to tackle scammers. (5:12) The episode has started and we have an ad! (6:12) Scams and the internet are almost synonymous. (7:14) A scam that Jason was involved with. (10:45) A really easy scam and how casinos work. (12:40) How similar gamification can arise in the online multiplayer gaming industry. (14:45) Ponzi and Pyramid Schemes (16:35) Herman's first time getting scammed. (20:55) An in-person scam in Bali. (23:58) Jason gets scammed in Turkey. (25:50) The type of cons that really get under Herman's skin. How you can edit web pages to fool old people. (28:15) One top tip to protect yourself online - know how scammers filter targets. (31:29) How to be suspicious online with passwords and credit card details. (33:05) HTTPs online and the not so secure nature of it. (34:45) Maximum return on investment on the internet and the close!

We continue on the topic of longevity, this time we focus on human longevity. We talk about some of the types of illnesses we get as we age and some of the processes that can make life after 30 harder. We chat about some of the approaches we take and how we think about health, exercising and staying on track with exercise.

Outline

(0:00) Working hard at the gym. (2:44) Herman takes a big leap forward. (4:35) We kick things off and start talking about longevity in humans. (5:58) What does your penultimate decade look like? (8:45) Jason is in a small town in Barcelona with a load of old age homes. (11:55) Aerobic capacity, VO2 max measurements and working backwards and why marthons are bad ideas. (14:55) What exactly is aging from a genomic perspective? (18:05) The top down approach from a disease perspective. Top causes of death in South Africa. (19:35) How to approach health as a 30 year old and environmental stressors. (23:20) Where did we come from as a species? (26:35) What do we do now as a practice and how do we take a baseline? (31:35) What is the best exercise to do? (35:30) The third important thing about longevity. (36:35) Keeping busy as a way to keep going on and three ways to categorize how to approach health. 

In this episode we talk about product longevity, drawing on a number of examples of where it works and where it doesn't. We talk about natural longevity and answer some questions about things that last a long time. Enjoy!

This is first part of a two part series on the topic of longevity!

Episode Outline

(0:00) Banter about heaters, heat and cold and insulation. (3:20) Long cold intro about heat exchangers. (4:42) Finally we start the episode about longevity (5:13) Smartphone longevity as a starting point with Apple (6:50) and getting a new phone that's the same from Samsung. (8:40) Frying pans last forever and some advice on how to buy products. (10:13) Terry Pratchett & Capt. Samuel Vimes' boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness. (11:52) An alternative point of view arises. (13:25) Economies of scale inside a product leads way to a higher quality product and some examples in the auto industry (14:00) Jaguars are very nice cars Herm - what about Toyota though? (15:10) What Jason gets excited about Product Development. (15:40) There is an example from Cuba. (16:18) Alternative example of Tesla and getting feedback. (16:52) Car value can fluctuate over time in the secondary markets and when is optimal time to sell a new vehicle? (18:15) Suzukis vs Mercedes Benz and the upkeep that's involved. (19:30) Phone components that can be reused and marginal value in circular economies. (21:32) Apple repairability challenges and benefits. (22:08) John Deere tractors with high tech gadgetry and service plans causing spike in old tractor prices. (23:08) Rolls Royce use-case and their new business models in farming, air transport & industrial settings. (26:40) The topic of jelly fish and the worlds oldest creatures. (28:12) Anti fragile and robustness and jelly fish in warming oceans.... and sharks! (29:47) Coming back to the frying pan as an optimal solution to cooking and dealing with changing environment! (31:20) The longevity of nature and evolution. (32:30) Carcinization and life evolving to crabs more often than is comfortable. (32:25) How would you store something for a very long time? (35:40) The huge ice vault and wiping out humanity. (37:25) Nice close off from Herm!