Nontrivial is a podcast that looks to uncover deep patterns in life, discussing them at the intersection of science, complexity, and philosophy.
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The Leprechaun Connection Podcast is hosted by Mike McClure and Sean Buck. Co-hosted by Bruce "Florida Man" Ruff. We cover Notre Dame football from coast to coast with weekly pre and post game shows, former player interviews and more!
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A "here's what's really happening" take on science. Understand deep concepts intuitively, and relate them to important broader perspectives. Support the Show. https://www.youtube.com/@ScienceinPerspective
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Welcome to The Book Recall. Each week I recall the content from a different book*, and discuss its implications in the broader context of science and life. Become a member at thebookrecall.com *episodes are not endorsements for the books I discuss. Any misinterpretations of the author's content are my own.
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Interviews. Inspiration. Insight. Helping you cultivate the best life possible.
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Sharing knowledge! Learn and apply key insights from the best & brightest in the fields of functional fitness, strength, and wellness. #upnation #reachtheuncharted
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Send us a text Mike and Sean talk about the departure of Irish QB Steve Angeli Support the showBy Mike McClure, Sean Buck and Bruce Ruff
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Send us a text Mike and Sean give their take on the Blue/Gold game. Support the showBy Mike McClure, Sean Buck
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In this episode I discuss the importance of creating a physical snapshot of your life, to add meaning and direction to your efforts. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the Video Version https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcastBy Sean McClure
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The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
1:09:49
1:09:49
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1:09:49In this episode I recall and comment on Ichiro Kishimi's and Fumitake Koga's book The Courage to Be Disliked. Support the show Become a Member https://thebookrecall.comBy Sean McClure
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Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective
58:09
58:09
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58:09In this episode I recall and comment on Kenneth O. Stanley's and Joel Lehman's book Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective. Support the show Become a Member https://thebookrecall.comBy Sean McClure
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In this episode I discuss the idea that our environment should make the "decisions" for us, when it comes to crafting our lives and the things in it. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the Video Version https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcastBy Sean McClure
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In this episode I recall and comment on Michael Shermer's book Conspiracy. Support the show Become a Member https://thebookrecall.comBy Sean McClure
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Throw it In and See what Sticks: The New Engineering
33:12
33:12
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33:12In this episode I discuss the new direction engineering is headed, and why it sounds to many as unsophisticated. It's a "throw everything in a pot to see what happens" outlook on how to build things, which I argue is in fact a far more sophisticated approach than best-laid plans. Something we should learn to embrace in our creativity and life in ge…
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When the Ink Fades; Why (and How) We are Now the Media
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42:11
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42:11In this episode I argue that platforms like X are in fact a better source of truth than mainstream news outlets, despite their errors and lack of expertise. I lay out the underlying mechanism behind how truth persists in large collectives, and show how natural dynamics in large complex systems effectively materialize truth. Support the show Become …
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Scale-Free Truth: Keeping AI Correct, Regardless its Power
45:45
45:45
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45:45How can we keep AI truthful, even if it knows more than we do? In this episode I discuss how AI might be kept aligned to human truth and values, despite superseding us in scale and capability. I argue that logic is a scale-free framework that is agnostic to size and complexity, and can serve as a self-regulating form of truth discernment, even for …
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AI, Creativity, and the Benefit of Being Chased by the Machine
40:47
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40:47In this episode I talk about a recent comment made by Ben Affleck, suggesting that AI does not currently create. I challenge this, outlining how AI follows the same overall approach to creativity as humans. Further, I argue that our creativity should be challenged by AI, as this ensures we challenge ourselves to be as humanly creative as possible. …
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Dynamics are Truer than Facts: How to "Win" Debates
56:54
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56:54In this episode I discuss what I believe is missing from almost all debates today; an understanding of the dynamics at play in the systems being discussed. I argue that knowledge of natural systems and their dynamics can land debates on something more rigorous and true than the mere swapping of facts. O'Connor / Shapiro Debate https://www.youtube.c…
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Scripting the Unscripted: The Fallacy of Trying to Design Life
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50:00
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50:00In this episode I discuss a recent project initiative that looks to design a genome from scratch, and argue that such research motivations rely on a deeply flawed premise. Suggested Reading He’s Gleaning the Design Rules of Life to Re-Create It, Quanta Magazine Support the show Become a Member https://science-in-perspective.com/…
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In this episode I discuss the importance of placing guarantees in your life, to ensure you biggest realizations get folded into your processes going forward. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the Video Version https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcastBy Sean McClure
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Time travel, and the Unification of all Physics
1:10:55
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1:10:55In this episode I discuss recent research related to quantum time travel, and comment on what this might mean for the biggest outstanding problem in all physics: the unification of quantum mechanics with general relativity. Support the show Become a Member https://science-in-perspective.com/By Sean McClure
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Stop Offloading Your Memory to the Machine
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50:07
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50:07Externalizing your memory to machines ultimately makes you less productive. It feels like the opposite when you first do it. That’s what today’s products depend on. But what feels like an advantage is really just seeing the isolated definition of a task become optimized. Real world tasks do not function according to such isolation definitions. In t…
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Complexity Answers Complexity: Merging Brains and Machines
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26:04In this episode I discuss recent research in merging the human brain with machines. This opens the door to reestablishing motor control in paralyzed individuals, and also raises the question as to how far this might go. Augmented memory? Increased processing power? Time will tell. Music Attribution Depth of Science Intro by SPmusic Episode music by…
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Infinite Palaces: The True Potential of the Mind
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27:37In this episode I discuss the potential of the human mind in terms of assumed versus actual boundaries. People frame their mental potential in terms of space and time complexity (although most don't call it that); in other words, they assume their potential is limited by the speed and space of the task (how much time it takes, the amount of raw inf…
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You can read more effectively by hovering above words and waiting until the text you thought would be too much to comprehend materializes in the mind. But if you try, sometimes it seems to work and sometimes it doesn't. But if you learn to hover and wait, it eventually always works. There is a universal pattern at play here, that occurs in many are…
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Classical Supremacy: Quantum Computers Still Mostly Hype
30:22
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30:22In this episode I discuss the announcement made by Google in 2019 about achieving "quantum supremacy", only to be surpassed this year with a classical computer. The hype is real, but the computer? Less so. This episode gives a conceptual overview of how quantum computing works, and why both companies and scientists can get a little too carried away…
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In this episode I discuss how to be more niche in your life and with your projects, and why that's the only way to truly grow. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the Video Version https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcastBy Sean McClure
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You Should Be Reading at the Speed of Thought
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23:55In this episode I discuss how standing too close to the techniques we use can end up ruining their ability to help us. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the Video Version https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcastBy Sean McClure
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You Only Need the Title to Make the Rest Work
24:46
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24:46In this episode I argue that all that is required to produce your best work is the title of that work. The title captures the essence of what you're hoping to communicate, while everything else can be achieved automatically. The "everything else" includes the structures, transitions and details that will appear very deliberate, and at times even "a…
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Most of us want some kind of work-life balance. We tend to assume this means creating a distinct separation between when we work and when we play. In this episode I argue that balance is more naturally achieved when we bring work and life together into a single flow. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the Video Version…
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In this episode I argue that it often makes more sense to go through life caring less. In today's society we are told we need to care more about how we look, how we speak, what we contribute to, etc. But we all care by default, and the real challenge is caring less about things that don't matter. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.c…
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In this episode I talk about the need to realize that we are always in a war of some kind. This is true for our personal lives as much as society. If we stand for anything, than we must accept that messy friction is a part of life, and that embracing this reality leads to less problems in the long run. If we believe in anything, we must be willing …
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In this episode I look at the online judgement directed at those who post reading lists. I argue that what really matters is not so much what you read, but how you read, since the information you are after can only be gleaned by reading many different books. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the Video Version https://…
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In this episode, I discuss the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, and the ongoing criticism regarding the performance of the Secret Service. I argue that while diversity is critically important, when forced, it ends up creating more problems than solutions. I show how both the Left and the Right are in fact committing the same transgress…
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In this episode I talk about a study that says smarter people listen to less music. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the Video Version https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcastBy Sean McClure
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In this episode I discuss the problem with thinking we know what smart looks like. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the Video Version https://www.youtube.com/@nontrivialpodcastBy Sean McClure
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In this episode, I challenge the idea that we can learn effectively by "learning from scratch." I discuss how starting with the basics runs learning in the wrong direction, and how genuine learning only happens when we embed ourselves inside real environments. I use the difference in strength between bodybuilders and naturally strong individuals to…
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Society has become a little too enamoured with analysis and explanation, at the cost of building real things. Nature only validates by making things that work. This is what true validation looks like; less talking, more pointing (at what has been made). In this episode I use Mike Tyson as an example of the difference between real and polished. Supp…
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In this episode I discuss the increasingly popular idea that valuing death is irrational, and that death should be treated as a problem to solve. I argue that such a stance is itself irrational, and that death should be viewed more objectively as an essential piece to how nature works. I show how the death-as-a-problem stance suffers from being int…
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Nature is not Magic, Just Different: Why AI Shouldn't Surprise You
31:52
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31:52In this episode I use a recent statement made by Sam Altman, regarding the emergence of intelligence, to highlight the outdated way both laymen and many scientists view AI specifically, and complexity more broadly. I argue that, despite what we are told, a truly scientific and rigorous theory or decision does not demand a causal explanation, and in…
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Round and Round We Go: The Circularity of IQ
28:18
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28:18In this episode I discuss one of the core flaws in IQ research, showing how it violates basic logic (let alone any notion of complexity). I discuss how such studies are not mere niche areas of research, but rather directly affect people's lives through the policies they encourage. Support the show Become a Member nontrivialpodcast.com Check out the…
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For video version: https://youtu.be/kAnnsjl-jyg In this episode I discuss the problem with taking only the final/best parts of something, and using those parts as a system to run our lives. I look at the importance of "waste" and redundancy in natural systems, and how this runs counter to our modern world's obsession with stripped down efficiency. …
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Reputations are things people tend to protect. But protecting our reputation means blocking our values from being known, which I argue invites the wrong opportunities into our lives. Having a life filled with wrong opportunities means never having the chance to deliver your real potential to the world, which really is a tragedy. Support the show Be…
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People Who Understand Beethoven Don’t Play Beethoven
21:28
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21:28Many people proclaim to understand something because they study it. But you cannot know a thing by studying the thing, you have to create the thing. Playing Beethoven is replicating what you see in front of you, it is not creating the thing you see in front of you. Those who don’t create don’t understand. It doesn’t matter what you create, but if y…
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Placing bets means wagering something of value on the outcome of an uncertain event with the hopes of achieving a payoff. The decisions we make in life are akin to placing bets, and as with all bets, access to good information is what increases the chances of a bet achieving a payoff. Most people approach accessing good information by conducting re…
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Getting triggered means someone experiences a strong emotional reaction to a particular stimulus or event. But there is a good side to being triggered. Getting triggered can compel us towards positive action. We can deliberately trigger ourselves to produce good work by putting in place things that compel us to write/speak/draw etc. in the best way…
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A lot of people try to be their hero. But not only can we not do what our heroes do, our heroes cannot do what we do. It is our unique abilities that make us bring value to the world. The same thing can be achieved in countless ways, and those different ways are what the world needs. We need to stop trying to be our heroes. We should use heroes as …
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Don’t Let Schooling Turn You Into an Idiot
23:43
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23:43Math education consists primarily of learning rules to arrive at results. But these tricks bypass what is really happening. They can lead to a superficial grasp of mathematical concepts and hinder deeper learning and problem-solving abilities. Many of the skills we learn in schooling, and after, are akin to the mindless rules we learn in math. We h…
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Important things see the light of day, not by some plan or deterministic outline, but by making changes en-route to the goal. It's adaptability that matters in the face of real world situations. Finding the right mix of people, places and things happens as you move. Suggested Reading Related to Intro Example The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and th…
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Some performances deliver deep authenticity, with standup comedy being a good example. Extremely authentic performances show us something we all should have; that ability to reach deep within us and share what we're really thinking, despite the risk this might pose to our normal, settled lives. Humans have evolved to filter for authenticity, as thi…
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History is loaded with "bad" / "dumb" ideas. And this includes those made by high-ranking officials and government agencies. Looking at the various schemes and plots left on the drawing board one wonders how anyone took them seruously. But most of today’s useful inventions were deemed absurd at the time. This tells us that we need to have a lot of …
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Our lives are adversely impacted when our interactions are purely transactional. We see this play out in devastating fashion in industry, where certain businesses can cause great harm to society due to their insulation and disconnection from the lives they sell to. But this isn't just for businesses. Our personal and professional lives depend criti…
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People look for stability in the labels we give ourselves. Our job, our title, our salary, the associations we join. But the only thing truly constant in life is its ever-changing nature. Those labels we take comfort in are in constant flux, getting reshaped and redefined by a changing economy, and the technologies that drive it. In this episode I …
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We do things for the mystery more than the facts. Scientists go on into the deepest parts of the ocean, yes to conduct research, but under highly uncertain and dangerous circumstances. What really drives deep sea exploration is the mystery. This is true of anything we create. If we are writing a book, yes there is structure, yes there are facts, bu…
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The Worst Time to Learn What You “Learned” in School Was When you Were in School
48:17
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48:17School shows us topics worth learning, but it does not, I would argue, impart genuine comprehension. And yet, everyone’s life contains the same patterns that lead to what we are shown in school. This means that the knowledge locked away in textbooks is actually most useful to us later in life. In this episode, I argue that we should look to embrace…
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The Detriment of Passion: Why the Best Time to Work is When We’re Not in the Mood
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33:05When we are not in the mood our energy is low. But when our energy is low our mind is better aligned to what matters when it comes to doing good work; contemplation, reflection, prioritization. Critically, not being in the mood means not going down too many wrong paths. In this episode I argue that the best time to work on a given task is when we'r…
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