Physical Attraction

Latest Episodes:

Technology, Inequality, and Global Catastrophic Risks I: The Great Leveller Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

N/B: This series of episodes was written before the coronavirus pandemic. I've decided the best thing to do is to present them as was and maybe have another episode reflecting on what the pandemic means for their conclusions later on. ====================================================== Walter Schiedel's book The Great Leveller posits that in societies, economic inequality tends to inexorably increase over time until some catastrophe comes along that levels the entire population. Is this our fate?

Coronavirus: The Next 18 Months Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

In this new episode, we do a deep dive into the Imperial College London paper that models the coronavirus epidemic in the UK and the effectiveness of mitigation and suppression measures, and we speculate wildly and prematurely on what the next 18 months might look like as we do battle with coronavirus globally. Also an update on the expected future of the show at the end.

Coronavirus: Serology, Misinformation, Uncertainty Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

A quick update on some news surrounding the coronavirus, including why some of the headlines you may have read recently are unlikely to be true, some public service announcements about what you can do to help, and a general urge to read scientific literature and pre-prints with a skeptical eye - especially when they've been digested by headline writers.

The Coronavirus Pandemic Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

For weeks I've been debating in my mind whether or not to do an episode on the coronavirus pandemic, since it's essentially been all I have been able to think about for the last few weeks as my friends and relatives, long-suffering as they are, will attest. For someone who spent so long thinking about existential risks and catastrophes, both in my day job as a doomy climate scientist and in researching the TEOTWAWKI specials for this show where it all kicked off a few years ago, it's absolutely no fun at all to see them unfold in reality. This podcast summarises what I understand of what's going on at the moment. I am not an expert and make no claim to expertise, but I try to source my information in the facts. It's not an easy listen, as you might expect given the subject matter. This was mostly something I made as therapy for myself. I'm hoping to resume normal service as soon as I can, preferably with things that are a little more distracting for you to listen to, but I had to get this one off my chest. I hope that you get some value out of it, but if you don't think you will, put yourself first and don't listen. I care deeply for you all for somehow finding this life-raft in a sea of content that meant a lot to me for several years and I'm hoping to return to more regular content production very soon. Thank you and take care of each other.

Hiatus until the New Year Dec 18, 2019

Show notes

Apologies everyone... a quick note to explain why (due to illness and general exhaustion) I am putting the show on hiatus until the New Year. Watch this show for updates on future releases - we will return. Thanks for understanding + enjoy the holidays if you've got them!

Interviewed by Richard Foster-Fletcher (Boundless AI) Nov 14, 2019

Show notes

Hi all - something a little different this week. I was recently interviewed by Richard Foster-Fletcher, of the Boundless AI podcast, on topics as varied as artificial intelligence, nuclear fusion, and self-driving cars. As a bonus for those that just can't get enough, this is the full, unedited interview, where you can hear just how good I am at responding to questions spontaneously...

Who Wants to Live Forever? Nov 07, 2019

Show notes

On this episode of Physical Attraction, we take a massively tangential dive into wild philosophical speculation. If I offered you the choice of immortality - but with no possibility of reversing the decision once you made it - would you? Answers on a postcard to www.physicspodcast.com

Bonus: Google Investigates Cold Fusion? Nov 02, 2019

Show notes

A recent review paper in Nature showed some Google-backed academic research, conducted across several institutions, which investigated the claims made by the Cold Fusion community. Agonisingly, it came out a day or two after I'd taped the Cold Fusion episode for our fusion series. But I decided to talk about it anyway. In this bonus episode, we'll discuss what they found (spoilers: not cold fusion) and describe the experiments in more detail.

Drexler and Xiaoice: Tales from AI Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, we discuss Eric Drexler's model of "Comprehensive AI Services" as an alternative route towards artificial general intelligence, and Xiaoice, Microsoft's incredibly popular chatbot software. www.physicspodcast.com @physicspod

Fusion Conclusion: Building Cathedrals Oct 12, 2019

Show notes

27 episodes, spanning a hundred years of history and many months of this show, some wonderful plasma physics, some truly amazing machines, and a dream that's captivated thousands across the world for decades. The fusion series is over. And while it's hard to conclude something this monumental, I tried my best. www.physicspodcast.com

@physicspod

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