Explore every episode of the podcast Manifold
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
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| Letter from Reykjavik: Genomics, Chess, Hyperscaling genAI, and Quantum Black Holes — #67 | 29 Aug 2024 | 00:35:30 | |
This is a short episode recorded at the end of a trip to Caltech (LA), Frankfurt, and Reykjavik. Black hole information and replica wormholes at Caltech (talk slides): 00:00 Intro: summer in Iceland 02:04 deCODE genetics 05:52 Chess: Bobby Fischer in Reykjavik 11:56 Hyperscaling genAI 23:11 Synthetic data and Hyperscaling 24:26 Is the Transformer architecture enough for AGI? 29:45 Quantum black holes
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve. | |||
| Robin Hanson: Prediction Markets, the Future of Civilization, and Polymathy — #66 | 15 Aug 2024 | 01:20:47 | |
Robin Hanson is a professor of economics at George Mason University. He has worked in a variety of fields, including Physics, AI, Economics, and Futurism. Follow him at https://x.com/robinhanson "When the typical economist tells me about his latest research, my standard reaction is 'Eh, maybe.' Then I forget about it. When Robin Hanson tells me about his latest research, my standard reaction is 'No way! Impossible!' Then I think about it for years." -- Prof. Bryan Caplan, GMU 0:00 Introduction 00:34 Welcome and Manifest conference introduction 03:12 Robin Hanson: Education and Early Influences 08:38 Transition from Physics+AI to Social Science and Economics 22:02 Prediction Markets: Potential and Challenges 28:37 Cultural Drift and Challenges to Modern Society 40:49 Fertility and Demography 48:37 Life as a Polymath 59:27 Future of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation Question 01:09:29 Audience Q&A Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve. | |||
| Casey Handmer: Terraform Industries and a carbon-neutral future — #57 | 04 Apr 2024 | 01:02:02 | |
Casey Handmer (PhD, Caltech, general relativity) is the founder of Terraform Industries. He is one of the most capable and ambitious geo-engineers on planet Earth! Terraform Industries is scaling technology to produce cheap natural gas with sunlight and air. Using solar energy, they extract carbon from the air and synthesize natural gas, all at the same site. March 2024: "Terraform completes the end to end demo, successfully producing fossil carbon free pipeline grade natural gas from sunlight and air. We also achieved green hydrogen at <$2.50/kg-H2 and DAC CO2 at <$250/T-CO2, two incredible milestones." Links:
0:00 Introduction 00:31 Casey's early life and background, from Australia to Caltech 07:55 The academic path and transition to tech entrepreneurship 10:40 Terraform Industries 15:21 Solar costs, efficiency, and global Impact 24:25 A world powered by Terraform methane 31:27 The entrepreneurial journey: challenges and insights 35:01 Investor dynamics and strategic decisions for Terraform 41:28 The hard Reality of manufacturing and innovation 44:11 Navigating intellectual property and strategic partnerships 45:49 The moral and technical challenges of carbon neutrality 55:48 Looking ahead: Terraform's next milestones and the solar revolution Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve. | |||
| Mark Moffett on the Life and Death of Human Societies – #17 | 22 Aug 2019 | 00:57:08 | |
Steve and Corey talk with Mark Moffett, Photographer and Research Fellow at the Smithsonian Institute, about his new book The Human Swarm: How our Societies Arise, Thrive and Fall. They discuss Mark’s view that being able walk into a cafe filled with others and not be attacked illustrates what makes human societies distinct and so successful. Mark explains why he is far more interested in questions about when war and other events occur than with traditional issues such as the genetic origins of human behavior. The three discuss Dehumanization and its Chimp equivalent, Dechimpanizeeization, and how they lead to the division of societies, friend turning against friend, and genocide. They discuss the conditions under which foreigners are embraced and whether the US might ever enter into a post-racial society where group differences don’t matter and immigrants are more easily accepted.
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| John Schulman: OpenAI and recent advances in Artificial Intelligence – #16 | 08 Aug 2019 | 01:07:49 | |
John Schulman is a research scientist at OpenAI. He co-leads the Reinforcement Learning group and works on agent learning in virtual game worlds (e.g., Dota) as well as in robotics. John, Corey, and Steve talk about AI, AGI (Artifical General Intelligence), the Singularity (self-reinforcing advances in AI which lead to runaway behavior that is incomprehensible to humans), and the creation and goals of OpenAI. They discuss recent advances in language models (GPT-2) and whether these results raise doubts about the usefulness of linguistic research over the past 60 years. Does GPT-2 imply that neural networks trained using large amounts of human-generated text can encode “common sense” knowledge about the world? They also discuss what humans are better at than current AI systems, and near term examples of what is already feasible: for example, using AI drones to kill people.
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| Daniel Max on Writing a Literary non-Fiction Classic and Prion Diseases Then and Now – #15 | 25 Jul 2019 | 01:16:23 | |
Daniel Max, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Every Love Story is A Ghost Story, a biography of David Foster Wallace, speaks with Corey and Steve about his first book, The Family that Couldn’t Sleep. The discussion covers the emerging genre of literary non-fiction, Daniel’s process of writing The Family that Couldn’t Sleep, and how he approached and gained the trust of the family at the heart of the story. Corey probes Daniel about how he handled the complex scientific characters, Carl Gajdusek and Stanley Prusiner, who led research into prion disease for 40 years. Daniel recounts how Shirley Glasse (now Lindenbaum) discovered how prions were transmitted through ritual cannibalism in Papua New, a critical step in solving the mystery of what causes of the disease, but how credit was given to Gajdusek. The three discuss the painfully slow pace of research and the inspiring story of a young couple, Eric Minikel and Sonia Vallabh, who have changed careers to dedicate their lives to finding a cure.
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| Stuart Firestein on Why Ignorance and Failure Lead to Scientific Progress – Episode #14 | 11 Jul 2019 | 01:00:34 | |
Steve and Corey speak with Stuart Firestein (Professor of Neuroscience at Columbia University, specializing in the olfactory system) about his two books Ignorance: How It Drives Science and Failure: Why Science Is So Successful. Stuart explains why he thinks that it is a mistake to believe that scientists make discoveries by following the “scientific method” and what he sees as the real relationship between science and art. We discuss Stuart’s recent research showing that current models of olfactory processing are wrong, while Steve delves into the puzzling infinities in calculations that led to the development of quantum electrodynamics. Stuart also makes the case that the theory of intelligent design is more intelligent than most scientists give it credit for and that it would be wise to teach it in science classes.
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| Joe Cesario on Political Bias and Problematic Research Methods in Social Psychology – #13 | 27 Jun 2019 | 00:58:36 | |
Corey and Steve continue their discussion with Joe Cesario and examine methodological biases in the design and conduct of experiments in social psychology and ideological bias in the interpretation of the findings. Joe argues that experiments in his field are designed to be simple but that in making experimental set ups simple researchers remove critical factors that actually matter for a police officer to make a decision in the real world. In consequence, he argues that the results cannot be taken to show anything about actual police behavior. Joe maintains that social psychology as a whole is biased toward the left politically and that this affects how courses are taught and research conducted. Steve points out the university faculty on the whole tend to be shifted left relative to the general population. Joe, Corey, and Steve discuss the current ideological situation on campus and how it can be alienating for students from conservative backgrounds.
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| James Cham on Venture Capital, Risk Taking, and the Future Impacts of AI – Episode #12 | 13 Jun 2019 | 01:16:05 | |
James Cham is a partner at Bloomberg Beta, a venture capital firm focused on the future of work. James invests in companies applying machine intelligence to businesses and society. Prior to Bloomberg Beta, James was a Principal at Trinity Ventures and a VP at Bessemer Venture Partners. He was educated in computer science at Harvard and at the MIT Sloan School of Business.
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| Joe Cesario on Police Decision Making and Racial Bias in Deadly Force Decisions – Episode #11 | 30 May 2019 | 01:18:38 | |
Corey and Steve talk with Joe Cesario about his recent work showing that, contrary to many activist claims and media reports, there is no widespread racial bias in police shootings. Joe discusses his analysis of national criminal justice data and his experimental studies with police officers in a specially designed realistic simulator. He maintains that evidence suggests that racial bias does exist in other uses force of force such as tasering but that the decision to shoot is fundamentally different and driven by facts about criminal context in which officers find themselves rather than race.
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| Ron Unz on the Subprime Mortgage Crisis, The Unz Review, and the Harvard Admissions Scandal – Episode #10 | 16 May 2019 | 01:05:15 | |
Ron Unz is the publisher of the Unz Review, a controversial, but widely read, alternative media site hosting opinion outside of the mainstream, including from both the far right and the far left. Unz studied theoretical physics at Harvard, Cambridge and Stanford. He founded the software company Wall Street Analytics, acquired by Moody’s in 2006, and was behind the 1998 ballot initiative that ended bilingual education in California.
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| Philosopher Sam Kerstein on the Morality of Genome Engineering, Inequality, and Star Trek – Episode #9 | 02 May 2019 | 01:10:53 | |
Corey and Steve speak with Samuel Kerstein, Professor of Philosophy and expert in Medical Ethics at the University of Maryland. They discuss the ethics of genome engineering and preimplantation embryo selection, and the inequality and narrowing of human diversity that might result from widespread adoption of these technologies. Among the topics covered: Why genome engineering at this time is immoral. Should we always pick the healthiest embryo? In the future will parents have a moral obligation to engineer their children? Will there be an arms race between countries to engineer their populations? Is Star Trek’s Khan a more advanced person (Steve) or just another smart psychopath (Sam) or both?
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| Sabine Hossenfelder on the Crisis in Particle Physics and Against the Next Big Collider – #8 | 18 Apr 2019 | 01:04:17 | |
Hossenfelder is a Research Associate at the Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Studies. Her research areas include particle physics and quantum gravity. She discusses the current state of theoretical physics, and her recent book Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray.
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| Russell Clark: Japan, China, and USD reserve status — #56 | 21 Mar 2024 | 01:13:35 | |
Russell Clark is a hedge fund investor who has lived and worked in both Japan and China. He writes the widely followed Substack Capital Flows and Asset Markets: https://www.russell-clark.com/ Steve and Russell discuss: 0:00 Introduction 0:52 Russell's background and experiences in Japan 13:25 Hong Kong and finance 31:53 China property bubble 48:54 Dollar status as global reserve currency 56:09 Japan and China economies from a long run perspective 1:05:07 Inflation, US economy, and macro observations
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve. | |||
| David Skrbina on Ted Kaczynski, Technological Slavery, and the Future of Our Species – Episode #7 | 04 Apr 2019 | 01:14:52 | |
David Skrbina is a philosopher at the University of Michigan. He and Ted Kaczynski published the book Technological Slavery, which elaborates on the Unabomber manifesto and contains about 100 pages of correspondence between the two which took place over almost a decade. Skrbina discusses his and Kaczynski’s views on deep problems of technological society, and whether violent opposition to it is justified.
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| John Hawks on Human Evolution, Ancient DNA, and Big Labs Devouring Fossils – Episode #6 | 21 Mar 2019 | 00:54:08 | |
Hawks is the Vilas-Borghesi Distinguished Achievement Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is an anthropologist and studies the bones and genes of ancient humans. He’s worked on almost every part of our evolutionary story, from the very origin of our lineage among the apes, to the last 10,000 years of our history.
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| Kaiser Kuo of Sinica on Modern China and US-China relations – Episode #5 | 07 Mar 2019 | 01:17:05 | |
Kaiser Kuo is a host and co-founder of Sinica, a current affairs podcast originally based in Beijing. Sinica guests include prominent journalists, academics, and policy makers who participate in uncensored discussions about Chinese political, economic, and cultural affairs.
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| Ted Schultz on Ants, Emergent Behavior, and the Molecular Revolution in Systematics – Episode #4 | 21 Feb 2019 | 00:45:09 | |
Corey and Steve speak with Ted Shultz, research Entomologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Ted is an expert in Leaf Cutter Ant evolution and systematics. Topics discussed include evolution, systematics, the genetic basis of behavior, E. O. Wilson and small revolutions in science. Resources | |||
| Noor Siddiqui, Thiel Fellow, on Stanford and Silicon Valley – Episode #3 | 07 Feb 2019 | 01:08:45 | |
Corey and Steve interview Noor Siddiqui, a student at Stanford studying AI, Machine Learning, and Genomics. She was previously a Thiel Fellow, and founded a medical collaboration technology startup after high school. The conversation covers topics like college admissions, Tiger parenting, Millennials, Stanford, Silicon Valley startup culture, innovation in the US healthcare industry, and Simplicity and Genius.
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| Bobby Kasthuri & Brain Mapping - Episode #2 | 31 Jan 2019 | 01:15:13 | |
Corey and Steve are joined by Bobby Kausthuri, a Neuroscientist at Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago. Bobby specializes in nanoscale mapping of brains using automated fine slicing followed by electron microscopy. Among the topics covered: Brain mapping, the nature of scientific progress (philosophy of science), Biology vs Physics, Is the brain too complex to be understood by our brains? AlphaGo, the Turing Test, and wiring diagrams, Are scientists underpaid? The future of Neuroscience. ▶️ WATCH: Bobby Kausthuri & Brain Mapping — Episode #2
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| CRISPR Babies — Episode #1 | 24 Jan 2019 | 00:22:34 | |
Corey and Steve discuss news of gene edited babies in China, and the future of human genetic engineering. ▶️ Watch: CRISPR Babies — Episode #1
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| Introductions — Episode #0 | 24 Jan 2019 | 00:48:10 | |
Corey and Steve, friends for almost 30 years, introduce each other to the audience. Caltech Traditions and Pranks Steve’s blog, Information Processing man·i·fold /ˈmanəˌfōld/ many and various. In mathematics, a manifold is a topological space that locally | |||
| Stephen Grugett: Predicting the Future with Manifold Markets — #55 | 07 Mar 2024 | 00:50:19 | |
Stephen Grugett is the co-founder of Manifold Markets, the world's largest prediction market platform where people bet on politics, tech, sports, and more. Steve and Stephen discuss: 0:00 Introduction 0:52 Stephen Grugett’s background 5:20 The genesis and mission of Manifold Markets 11:25 The play money advantage: Legalities and user engagement 20:47 Manifold’s user base and the power of calibration 23:35 Simplifying prediction markets for broader engagement 27:31 Revenue streams and future business directions 30:46 Legal challenges in prediction markets 31:47 Dating markets 32:53 The Art of PR 38:32 Global reach and community engagement 39:27 The future of Manifold Markets and user predictions 43:38 Life in the Bay Area; Tech, culture, and crazy stuff Manifold Markets: https://manifold.markets/
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Ray McGovern: CIA, JFK, Deep State, and Ukraine Crisis — #54 | 22 Feb 2024 | 01:07:36 | |
Raymond McGovern is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst, serving from 1963 to 1990. His CIA career began under President John F. Kennedy and lasted through the presidency of George H. W. Bush. McGovern advised Henry Kissinger during the Richard Nixon administration, and during the Ronald Reagan administration he chaired National Intelligence Estimates and prepared the President's Daily Brief. He received the Intelligence Commendation Medal at his retirement but returned it in 2006 to protest the CIA's involvement in torture. Steve and Ray discuss: 0:00 Introduction 01:25 Ray McGovern's assessment of the JFK assassination 26:10 Hunter Biden's laptop 30:50 Ukraine and the U.S. intelligence services' role in the deep state 55:20 Strategic implications of the Ukraine war for the U.S. 01:03:38 Are things worse today, versus 1963? Books referenced in this episode: JFK and the Unspeakable https://www.amazon.com/JFK-Unspeakable-Why-Died-Matters/dp/1439193886 Mary's Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy https://www.amazon.com/Marys-Mosaic-Conspiracy-Kennedy-Pinchot/dp/1510708928/ Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Lecture: Fermi Paradox, AI, Simulation Question — #53 | 08 Feb 2024 | 00:53:07 | |
Steve discusses DNA and the origin of life on Earth, the Fermi Paradox (is there alien life?), AI and its implications for the Simulation Question: could our universe be a simulation? Are we machines, but don't know it? Slides: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CrWLiKYhLbDLG8yTOBySrsKrzAUbV-FES1toeJL-UWE/edit?usp=sharing Further discussion of the Simulation Question in light of AGI, and a refinement from quantum mechanics: The Quantum Simulation Question: https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-quantum-simulation-hypothesis-do-we.html CORRECTION: 31:25 The size of our galaxy is not 100 million light years. I should have said ~100 THOUSAND = 100k light years instead!!! -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Utah AG Sean Reyes: “Sound of Freedom” and Human Trafficking — #52 | 25 Jan 2024 | 01:10:55 | |
Sean Reyes is Utah’s Attorney General and a producer for the movie “Sound of Freedom.” Steve and Sean discuss his personal story, human trafficking, and the role of technology in law enforcement. More on Reyes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Reyes NOTE: Reyes has announced that he will not seek re-election as Utah AG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEEj4UgjDL4 00:00 Sean Reyes’ early life and family history 14:21 Sean's personal journey and career 21:28 Political journey and decision to run for AG 24:08 The movie Sound of Freedom 28:45 The reality of human trafficking 31:40 Technology and law enforcement 44:00 The horror of human trafficking: victims, aftercare, and the media 01:05:23 Future plans and aspirations Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve. | |||
| Military Technology and U.S.-China War in the Pacific — #51 | 11 Jan 2024 | 01:24:14 | |
TP Huang returns for the third time to discuss the US-China strategic competition in terms of military technology. Previous episodes with TP include:
Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve. | |||
| Louis-Vincent Gave: Understanding China’s Economy, and U.S. Competition — #50 | 14 Dec 2023 | 01:27:12 | |
Louis-Vincent Gave of Gavekal discusses China's economic growth, its focus on education, and the global implications of its economic and political policies. Steve and Louis discuss:
Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Follow him on X @hsu_steve. | |||
| Charles Miller: Satellite Technology and the Future of Mobile Connectivity — #49 | 30 Nov 2023 | 01:02:57 | |
Charles Miller is co-founder and CEO of Lynk. He is a serial space entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in the space industry. Lynk - https://lynk.world/ Steve and Charles discuss: 0:00 Introduction and guest background 1:27 Miller's early passion for space 3:54 Evolution of commercial space 6:42 Impact of Elon Musk and SpaceX 8:01 The challenges of early stage startups 11:26 The birth of Lynk, its technical challenges, and breakthroughs 33:11 Use cases for satellite connectivity 35:20 The plan for Lynk satellites 36:41 Competition with Starlink 39:25 Investment opportunities in Lynk 47:04 Satellite technology and global competition 50:21 Impact of Huawei’s satellite phone features 59:01 Advice for entrepreneurs
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. | |||
| China's EV Market Dominance and the Challenges Facing Tesla — #48 | 16 Nov 2023 | 01:23:03 | |
TP Huang is a computer scientist and analyst of global technology development. He posts often on X: https://twitter.com/tphuang. 0:00 Introduction 2:21 How TP Huang became interested in electric vehicles 6:30 The perception and reality of Chinese products, future of Chinese auto market 9:24 The impact of Tesla on the Chinese electric vehicle market 14:41 Buying a car in China 27:05 China dominates with electric vehicle batteries 30:44 The challenges facing Tesla in China 40:11 The evolution of smart cars, autonomous vehicles, and self driving 50:48 LIDAR technology and autonomous driving 59:08 BYD, China’s energy independence, and power grid 1:14:04 The downstream impact of China leading in tech and electric vehicles Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. | |||
| China Today: Myths and Realities — #65 | 01 Aug 2024 | 01:21:47 | |
Steve discusses China myths and realities with Victor, a tech founder who ran a company in Beijing for 7 years. Among the topics covered: economic growth, real estate bubble, technology innovation, human capital, freedom of expression, Confucianism and Culture. 00:00 Introduction 02:02 Post-COVID economy and bursting of the real estate bubble 08:25 Semiconductor Industry and US-China Tech War 16:57 STEM Education and Workforce: China vs US 20:36 Slides on PRC human capital deepening, STEM and total workforce 39:58 Economic indicators and potential war economy 41:03 Singapore as model for PRC development, leadership exchanges 45:45 Travel plans, changes since pre-COVID era, YouTube travel content 53:00 Freedom of expression 1:02:20 Confucianism, leadership styles 1:17:57 Backyard Addendum: Further thoughts, travel to China Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve. | |||
| Taylor Ogan, Snow Bull Capital: China's tech frontier, the view from Shenzhen — #47 | 02 Nov 2023 | 01:30:02 | |
Taylor Ogan is Chief Executive Officer of Snow Bull Capital, based in Shenzhen, China. Follow him on X @TaylorOgan. Steve and Taylor discuss: 0:00 Introduction
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. | |||
| Bharat Karnad: India geostrategy, nuclear arsenal, and assassination of Homi Bhabha, the Oppenheimer of India — #46 | 19 Oct 2023 | 01:43:17 | |
Bharat Karnad is an Emeritus Professor in National Security Studies at the Center for Policy Research in Delhi. He was a member of India's first National Security Advisory Board and has authored several books on nuclear weapons and Indian security. Karnad's blog: https://bharatkarnad.com/ Karnad on the death of Homi Bhabha and of other atomic weapons scientists: An excellent documentary film on the life of Indian theoretical physicist Homi Bhabha: Steve and Bharat discuss: 0:00 Introduction 0:58 Karnad's educational background, nuclear research, journalism career 26:50 Refocusing India's defense posture from Pakistan to China 45:21 Why don't India and China have better relations? 53:33 India's nuclear arsenal 1:04:31 The mysterious death of Homi Bhabha, India's Oppenheimer 1:28:50 Land of subjugation, the caste system, and English as the language of Indian elites Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. | |||
| Yasheng Huang: China's Examination System and its impact on Politics, Economy, Innovation — #45 | 05 Oct 2023 | 01:31:58 | |
Yasheng Huang is the Epoch Foundation Professor of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His new book is The Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline. Steve and Yasheng discuss: 0:00 Introduction Yasheng Huang at MIT Web site:
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. | |||
| Huawei and the US-China Chip War — #44 | 21 Sep 2023 | 01:17:40 | |
TP Huang is a computer scientist and analyst of global technology development. He posts often on X: https://twitter.com/tphuang. Steve and TP discuss: 0:00 Introduction: TP Huang and semiconductor technology 5:40 Huawei’s new phone and SoC 23:19 SMIC 7nm chip production in China: Yield and economics 28:21 Impact on Qualcomm 36:08 U.S. sanctions solved the coordination problem for China semiconductor companies 42:48 5G modem and RF chips: impact on Qualcomm, Broadcom, Apple, etc. 47:14 5G and Huawei 52:50 Satellite capabilities of Huawei phones 56:46 Huawei vs Apple and Chinese consumers 1:01:33 Chip War and AI model training
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. | |||
| Meritocracy, SAT Scores, and Laundering Prestige at Elite Universities — #43 | 07 Sep 2023 | 01:01:59 | |
Steve discusses 10 key graphs related to meritocracy and university admissions. Predictive power of SATs and other factors in elite admissions decisions. College learning outcomes - what do students learn? The four paths to elite college admission. Laundering prestige at the Ivies. Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1n-nwoeKe_DcA5tJxTwqTeZBEY7nObxkujKLxVfAzRAY/edit?usp=sharing CLA and College Learning outcomes: https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2015/01/measuring-college-learning-outcomes.html Harvard Veritas: Interview with a recent graduate https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2022/08/harvard-veritas-interview-with-recent.html Defining Merit - Human Capital and Harvard University: https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2009/11/defining-merit.html Chapter markers: 0:00 Introduction 1:28 University of California system report and the use of SAT scores admissions 8:04 Longitudinal study on gifted students and SAT scores (SMPY) 12:53 Unprecedented data on earnings outcomes and SAT scores 15:43 How SAT scores and university pedigree influence opportunities at elite firms 17:35 Non-academic factors fail to predict student success 20:49 Predicted earnings 24:24 Measured benefit of Ivy Plus attendance 28:25 CLA: 13 university study on college learning outcomes 32:34 Does college education improve generalist skills and critical thinking? 42:15 The composition of elite universities: 4 paths to admission 48:12 What happened to meritocracy? 51:48 Hard versus Soft career tracks 54:43 Cognitive elite at Ivies vs state flagship universities 57:11 What happened to Caltech?
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. | |||
| Aella: Sex Work, Sex Research, and Data Science — #42 | 24 Aug 2023 | 01:39:05 | |
Aella is a sex worker, sex researcher, and data scientist. Aella on X: https://twitter.com/Aella_Girl Interviews with ex-prostitutes on the pimp life (Las Vegas) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAlXdyjmWUo&ab_channel=PeterSantenello An earlier Aella interview with Reason: https://reason.com/podcast/2022/04/27/aella-libertarian-sex-worker-turned-data-scientist/ Steve and Aella discuss:
Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. | |||
| AI on your phone? Tim Dettmers on quantization of neural networks — #41 | 10 Aug 2023 | 01:07:03 | |
Tim Dettmers develops computationally efficient methods for deep learning. He is a leader in quantization: coarse graining of large neural networks to increase speed and reduce hardware requirements. Tim developed 4-and 8-bit quantizations enabling training and inference with large language models on affordable GPUs and CPUs - i.e., as commonly found in home gaming rigs. Tim and Steve discuss: Tim's background and current research program, large language models, quantization and performance, democratization of AI technology, the open source Cambrian explosion in AI, and the future of AI. 0:00 Introduction and Tim’s background 18:02 Tim's interest in the efficiency and accessibility of large language models 38:05 Inference, speed, and the potential for using consumer GPUs for running large language models 45:55 Model training and the benefits of quantization with QLoRA 57:14 The future of AI and large language models in the next 3-5 years and beyond Tim's site: https://timdettmers.com/ Tim on GitHub: https://github.com/TimDettmers Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Paul Huang, the real situation in Taiwan: politics, military, China — #40 | 27 Jul 2023 | 01:16:54 | |
Paul Huang is a journalist and research fellow with the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation. He is currently based in Taipei, Taiwan. Sample articles: Taiwan’s Military Has Flashy American Weapons but No Ammo (in Foreign Policy): https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/08/20/taiwan-military-flashy-american-weapons-no-ammo/ Taiwan’s Military Is a Hollow Shell (Foreign Policy): https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/02/15/china-threat-invasion-conscription-taiwans-military-is-a-hollow-shell/ Steve and Paul discuss:
0:00 Introduction 1:44 Paul’s background; the Green Party (DPP) and Blue Party (KMT) in Taiwan 4:40 How the Taiwanese people view themselves vs mainland Chinese 15:02 Taiwan taboos: politics and military preparedness 15:27 Effect of Ukraine conflict on Taiwanese opinion 29:56 Lack of realistic military planning 37:20 Is there a political solution to reunification with China? What influence does the U.S. have? 51:34 The likelihood of peaceful reunification of Taiwan and China 56:45 Honest views on Taiwanese and U.S. military readiness for a conflict with China Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Richard Hanania & Rob Henderson: The Rise of Wokeness and the Influence of Civil Rights Law — #39 | 13 Jul 2023 | 01:34:27 | |
Steve Hsu, Richard Hanania, and Rob Henderson were scheduled for a June 2023 panel as part of the University of Austin (UATX) Forbidden Courses series. Steve missed the panel due to travel issues, but the three have gathered on this podcast to recreate the fun! They discuss: 0:00 Introduction LINKS Richard Hanania’s new book: The Origins of Woke: Civil Rights Law, Corporate America, and the Triumph of Identity Politics: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-origins-of-woke-richard-hanania?variant=41004650528802 Richard Hanania’s newsletter: https://www.richardhanania.com/ The Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology: https://www.cspicenter.com/ Rob Henderson’s newsletter: https://www.robkhenderson.com/ Rob Henderson’s new book: Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Troubled/Rob-Henderson/9781982168537 UATX: https://www.uaustin.org/forbidden-courses Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Richard Sander (UCLA Law) on the Supreme Court Affirmative Action Ruling — #38 | 01 Jul 2023 | 00:47:39 | |
Richard Sander is Jesse Dukeminier Professor at UCLA Law School. AB Harvard, JD, PhD (Economics) Northwestern. Steve and Richard discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling in Students For Fair Admissions vs Harvard and UNC. Sander has studied the structure and effects of law school admissions policies. He coined the term "Mismatch" to describe negative consequences resulting from large admissions preferences. 0:00 Introduction 1:09 Richard Sander’s initial reaction to the Supreme Court ruling 4:03 How data influenced the court’s decision 7:58 Overview of the court’s ruling 11:27 Carve outs in the court’s ruling 16:59 The litigation landscape 21:25 Workarounds to race-blind admissions and the UC system 32:22 Remedies: What will happen with Harvard and UNC now? 38:02 The landscape of college admissions 44:47 Effects of the Supreme Court ruling beyond higher education
SCOTUS decision on Affirmative Action: Richard Sander’s amicus brief: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/20/20-1199/222805/20220509134743957_20-1199%2021-707%20Amicus%20BOM.pdf Richard Sander on SCOTUS Oral Arguments: Affirmative Action and Discrimination against Asian Americans at Harvard and UNC: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/richard-sander-on-scotus-oral-arguments-affirmative-action-and-discrimination-against-asian-americans-at-harvard-and-unc Richard Sander: Affirmative Action, Mismatch Theory, and Academic Freedom: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/richard-sander-affirmative-action-mismatch-theory-academic-freedom-6
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| Ivy League Anonymous: Great Awokening and Campus Radicals — #64 | 18 Jul 2024 | 01:11:52 | |
Earlier episode, Harvard Veritas: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/harvard-veritas-interview-with-a-recent-graduate-anonymous-18 Chapter markers:
Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| AI Cambrian Explosion: Conversation With Three AI Engineers — #37 | 08 Jun 2023 | 01:04:55 | |
In this episode, Steve talks to three AI engineers from his startup SuperFocus.AI. 0:00 Introduction 1:06 The Google memo and open-source AI 14:41 Sparsification and the size of models: AI on your phone? 30:16 When will AI take over ordinary decision-making from humans? 34:50 Rapid advances in AI: a view from inside 41:28 AI Doomers and Alignment Links to earlier episodes on AI and LLMs. Artificial Intelligence & Large Language Models: Oxford Lecture — #35: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/artificial-intelligence-large-language-models-oxford-lecture-35 Bing vs. Bard, US-China STEM Competition, and Embryo Screening — #30: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/bing-vs-bard-us-china-stem-competition-and-embryo-screening-30 ChatGPT, LLMs, and AI — #29: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/chatgpt-llms-and-ai
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| David Goldman: US-China Competition, AI, Electric Vehicles, and Manufacturing — #36 | 25 May 2023 | 01:16:17 | |
David Paul Goldman is an American economic strategist and author, best known for his series of online essays in the Asia Times under the pseudonym Spengler with the first column published January 1, 2000. Steve and David discuss: 0:00 Introduction 2:22 David’s background in music, finance, and Asia 16:55 Looking back at the financial crisis 23:04 Rise of the Chinese economy 29:44 How Huawei’s strength is tied to China’s economic power 36:49 Competition in the global electric vehicles market 38:06 Why David thinks European countries like Germany will become closer with China 45:29 U.S. manufacturing is falling behind 52:08 Potential for war and ongoing U.S.-China competition 1:04:07 Predictions for Taiwan Links: David Goldman in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_P._Goldman Spengler column: https://asiatimes.com/author/spengler/ You Will Be Assimilated: China's Plan to Sino-form the World https://www.amazon.com/You-Will-Be-Assimilated-Sino-form/dp/1642935409 Prisoner’s Dilemma: Avoiding war with China is the most urgent task of our lifetime https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/prisoners-dilemma/ David Goldman articles in Claremont Review: https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/author/david-p-goldman/
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Artificial Intelligence & Large Language Models: Oxford Lecture — #35 | 11 May 2023 | 01:24:36 | |
This week's episode is based on a lecture Steve gave to an audience of theoretical physicists at Oxford University. The topic is artificial intelligence and large language models. Lecture slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xiMeeRMVpB-_W66BnyRyUAtrLlUwQNlndqbVcguKK8U/edit?usp=sharing Chapter markers: 0:00 Introduction 2:31 Deep Learning and Neural Networks; history and mathematical results 21:15 Embedding space, word vectors 31:53 Next word prediction as objective function 34:08 Attention is all you need 37:09 Transformer architecture 44:54 The geometry of thought 52:57 What can LLMs do? Sparks of AGI 1:02:41 Hallucination 1:14:40 SuperFocus testing and examples 1:18:40 AI landscape, AGI, and the future
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Simone Collins: IVF, Embryo Selection, Dating on the Spectrum, and Pronatalism — #34 | 27 Apr 2023 | 01:30:13 | |
In collaboration with her husband Malcolm Collins, Simone is an author (The Pragmatist's Guide to Life, Relationships, Sexuality, Governance, and Crafting Religion), education reform advocate (CollinsInstitute.org), pronatalism activist (Pronatalist.org), and business operator (Travelmax.com). Note: the YouTube version of this interview includes video of Steve and Simone. Steve and Simone discuss: 0:00 Introduction 1:49 Simone's IVF journey, and embryo screening 40:02 Dating; girl autists 55:41 Finding a husband, systematized 1:09:57 Pronatalism Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. — Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Katherine Dee: Culture, Identity, and Isolation in the Digital Age — #33 | 13 Apr 2023 | 01:56:25 | |
Katherine Dee is a writer, journalist, and internet historian. Steve and Katherine discuss: 0:00 Introduction 1:15 Katherine’s early life and background 21:52 Mass shootings, Manifestos, Nihilism, and Incels 59:35 Trad values, Sex negativity vs Porn and Fleshlights 1:28:54 Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter 1:33:00 TikTok 1:41:41 Adderall 1:44:07 AI/GPT impact on writers and journos 1:49:30 Gen-X generation gap: are the kids alright? References: Katherine’s Substack: https://defaultfriend.substack.com/
Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Marc Martinez: "Dream Big" and the Golden Age of Bodybuilding — #32 | 16 Mar 2023 | 01:16:28 | |
Marc Martinez is the director of Dream Big, a documentary about Gold's Gym and the golden age of bodybuilding in Venice and Santa Monica in the 1970s. Steve and Marc discuss:
References:
Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. -- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Gilles Saint-Paul: The Yellow Vests, French Politics, and Hypergamy — #31 | 02 Mar 2023 | 01:10:14 | |
Gilles Saint-Paul is Professeur à l'Ecole Normale Supérieure. He is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique in Engineering and received his PhD from MIT in Economics. Gilles and Steve discuss the French elite education system, the Yellow Vest movement, French politics and populism, and Saint-Paul’s paper on marriage markets and hypergamy. 0:00 Introduction 1:43 Gilles Saint-Paul's background and education 6:31 French and American higher elite education 14:44 The Yellow Vests 41:46 Mating and Hypergamy References: On the Yellow Vest Insurrection https://gillessaintpaul.wordpress.com/2018/12/18/on-the-yellow-vest-insurrection/ https://ideas.repec.org/p/ide/wpaper/9118.html
-- Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||
| Bing vs. Bard, US-China STEM Competition, and Embryo Screening — #30 | 16 Feb 2023 | 00:49:37 | |
Steve discusses the competition between Microsoft and Google, the competition between the U.S. and China in STEM, China’s new IVF policy, and a Science Magazine survey on polygenic screening of embryos. 00:00 Introduction 02:37 Bing vs Bard: LLMs and hallucination 20:52 China demographics & STEM 34:29 China IVF 40:28 Survey on embryo screening in Science References: Bing vs Bard and Hallucination https://twitter.com/hsu_steve/status/1625222378383876119 China demographics and STEM https://twitter.com/hsu_steve/status/1620765589752119297 https://twitter.com/hsu_steve/status/1623279827640848385 China IVF https://twitter.com/hsu_steve/status/1623475304432820224 Survey on embryo screening https://twitter.com/hsu_steve/status/1623783244947722241 https://twitter.com/hsu_steve/status/1623664372202500097 Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure. Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (Superfocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on Twitter @hsu_steve. | |||