Stay ConnectedIt’s a curiosity party, and you’re invited. Every Tuesday on SGDQ, Nayeema Raza asks simple Qs about big ideas trying to make sense of life. Some of our faves? Neil deGrasse Tyson on how we’d know if we’re in a simulation, Esther Perel on why love gets harder with age, Diplo on why every guy I date is a DJ, and two 11 year olds on what it’s like to grow up right now.
Send us your dumb (and smart) Qs: nayeema.raza101@gmail.com
In this extended cut of the very first SGDQ Nayeema asks Mark Cuban if America's love-hate relationship with billionaires is justified, if we can count on rich dudes to solve problems like universal healthcare, and what happens on the group chats of the rich + famous. Also new: what does he make of a Kamala Harris 2028 run?
They're pressing questions as the world’s wealth — and power — seems to be getting even more concentrated in our AI future, and candidates like Zohran Mamdani are willing big on an affordability agenda that focuses on those of us, um, NOT billionaires.
Also: If capitalism broke health care, can capitalism fix it? Why does buying life-saving medicine feel like getting mugged at CVS? And what actually changes when you go from your first million… to your first billion? And does Mark Cuban believe in UBI?
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This is Part II of The Godfather (of AI) trilogy — where we learn if we can survive what we’ve built with one of the men who actually helped build it: Turing Prize Winner and Nobel Laureate Dr. Geoffrey Hinton. If you missed Part I you can scroll down to how AI (and your brain) actually work.
Today, the “Godfather of AI” returns to map out the risks and the weird hope of finding “mama” in this machine. So is AI alive? And if so, is it alive like a weed, a bee, a baby, or something we don’t have words for yet? Can these systems really be conscious or sentient? What’s the real “p(doom)” number - 1%, 10–20%, or are we all just guessing into the fog? And if AI does take over, are we headed for extinction… or will we just be kept around as pets?
HIT FOLLOW OR SUBSCRIBE to get AI Godfather, Part III where we learn what the future will look like!. And please share this with your Mom, best friend or the “AI expert in your life” that may not get it at all.
If you have Qs for Part 3 - What Should We Do and How Should We Govern an AI World? call 1-855-MYDUMBQ or post a video on YouTube, IG or TikTok tagging @smartgirldumbquestions and we’ll select some to ask the Godfather!
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We all pretend to understand AI but Dr. Geoffrey Hinton actually does - he's the “Godfather of AI” who's spent a half-century of work on machine learning and neural networks.
So what does this Nobel Prize-winning Al Pacino make of our AI age? Is this an industrial revolution, or the start of something more alien? How does AI … even work? Is it more neuroplastic than a baby's brain? How far away is super intelligence? Can’t we just unplug the thing off like Jack Bauer in 24, or will it manipulate and blackmail us before we can do that? And, oh, are the Swedish meatballs served at the Nobel Prize reception actually tasty?
AI, says Hinton is a “know-it-all,” but Nayeema definitely isn’t: she asks the “dumb” questions we all have about this new weird world of AI to Geoffrey Hinton, the Turing Award winner, 2024 Physics Nobel Laureate and Professor Emeritus at University of Toronto. In the process, we all get a lot smarter.
HIT FOLLOW OR SUBSCRIBE to get Godfather, Part II where we learn if AI is alive like a weed or like a person .. and send in your questions for Godfather, Part III by calling 1-855-MY-DUMBQ and leaving us a voicemail, or tagging @smartgirldumbquestions in a video on TikTok, IG or YT
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What is Rhythm? Melody? Harmony? Do we all have these elements ingrained in us? Will AI make better music than humans can? What is a Weenus? And would Kendrick or Drake be a better collab? Five-time Grammy-winning musician Jacob Collier joins Nayeema to unpack the science and soul of sound.
From Collier's early viral videos to performances with legends like Herbie Hancock to Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Jacob reveals what he’s learned about emotion, math, and meaning along the way – and how he turns live audiences into one giant choir (available as a plug-in for any musician to play with).
Plus, Jacob breaks down why infinity plagues him and how low-fidelity and high-constraints can create unexpected magic. For more of this wiggly music, check out jacobcollier.com and his latest album, “Light for Days” music on Spotify or Apple.
Send us your secrets — or at least your “dumb questions" nayeema.raza101@gmail.com
Also the new season continues every week! Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Stay curious, stay hot!
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If someone pays for love, is it easier to find? Does it twist the power dynamic? Do professional matchmakers take a Hippocratic Oath? And how long do they think you should wait before….?
Fourth-generation matchmaker, Maria Avgitidis joins Nayeema to unpack the economics of love, from the 12 Date Rule to the $150,000 price tag of high-end matchmaking, and explore how dating has evolved from community introductions to algorithms and apps. Maria reveals why texting “doesn’t count,” why your mom is a better matchmaker than your best friend, and how your apartment may be keeping you single.
Plus, Maria shares the one “IKEA test” every couple should take before moving in together.
For more Matchmaker Maria, check out her book and her podcast: Ask a Matchmaker.
Send us your secrets — or at least your “dumb questions" - nayeema.raza101@gmail.com
Also the new season continues every week! Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Stay curious, stay hot!
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Olympian and author Alexi Pappas joins us this week to tackle one of Nayeema’s (and Neil deGrasse Tyson’s) pressing questions: Why are all these people running? What are they running from? Or where are they running toward? And do they just pee in their pants while running?
Together the two friends unpack the science of athletic “peaking,” the power of the marathon, practical tips for your running form, and why run clubs are the new dating apps. From the origins of the marathon to post-Olympic depression, Alexi opens up about her journey, her mental health, and what it means to live life as a verb, not a noun.
IMPORTANT: I want your “dumb questions" so please EMAIL ME: nayeema.raza101@gmail.com
New episodes every Tuesday! Please sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Stay curious, stay hot!
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New York’s 27,000 doormen see everything. These social anthropologists know more secrets than your therapist does. So what stories do they have? Can they tell if someone's having an affair? Or about to break up? What does how we tip say about us? And do they think the city is getting safer or more dangerous?
Nayeema talks to Daryl and Joe, two veterans in the front-of-building business who are masters at the "ocular patdown,” moodreading and secret-keeping to figure out what people are like when they get home, and *think* no one’s watching.
Send us your secrets — or at least your “dumb questions" - nayeema.raza101@gmail.com
Also the new season continues every week! Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Leave us a REVIEW and obvi: stay curious, stay hot!
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Bill Nye the Science Guy taught an entire generation to love science and the scientific method so … what went wrong? Is the debate around science just healthy skepticism or is it a clear and present danger? What’s the next major scientific discovery AI can unleash? And can space science undivide America?
Nayeema talks to Bill Nye, the engineer, comedian, “Science Guy” and CEO of the Planetary Society. On the agenda: other life in the cosmos, aircraft engineering and whether any one person’s actions matter in the face of big problems like climate change. Also: are Bill Nye and former SGDQ guest Neil deGrasse Tyson frenemies?
Make sure you follow this episode up with our deep dive with Bill's Planetary Society colleague Casey Dreier, findable below this one in your feed! And if you scroll down further, you can find our favourite 11 year olds there too.
PS: our new season continues every week! Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok to stay curious!
And send us your dumb Qs! Or help Bill Nye out with his burning question: Where did human life come from? Email nayeema.raza101@gmail.com or leave us a review!
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Hit “follow” on this show so you don't miss Bill Nye the Science Guy next week. Today, Nayeema ask Bill’s colleague Casey Dreier: do we really need to go to space? Is it worth billions of dollars? How does it make my life better? What's more important: space science or dudes on the moon? And can’t Elon Musk just do all the space science things for us?
Casey Dreier is the Chief of Space Policy at the Planetary Society — the independent nonprofit founded by Carl Sagan and now led by Bill Nye. From the Drake Equation to NASA budget wars, he explains to Nayeema how exploring the cosmos has been critical to everything from GPS to semiconductors, and he hints at the nuclear innovations that could come next. It’s a critical conversation at a time when the government is shut down and there is a looming threat to cut NASA’s ~$25 billion budget and move a lot of the money that's there to human space flight instead of space science.
If you’re cosmos-curious: The Planetary Society is made possible with the support of individuals across the globe. You can be part of it by heading to planetary.org/join and you can find more of Casey’s cosmic knowledge over on Planetary Radio’s The Space Policy Edition podcastor in his newsletter.
And be sure to check out Neil deGrasse Tyson's SGDQ episode on YouTube or scrolling down in this podcast feed. Hit follow/subscribe to not miss Bill Nye next week, like/comment/review and please share the show with your mom and other friends.
Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, as well as wherever you get your podcasts.
Also: help Casey out: do you have a theory on how kids learn time? Or have other dumb Qs? Email nayeema.raza101@gmail.com
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Do actually successful Grammy-winning DJs sleep? What do music producers do? Should they date the musicians they produce? And is Diplo ever getting back together with Skrillex for Jack U?
Nayeema turns her curiosity (and flirt) onto Diplo, aka Thomas Wesley Pentz, the Grammy-winning musician and DJ whose hits range from house to country and Bollywood to Brazilian favelas, and who has collaborated with everyone from Madonna to M.I.A. and Rihanna.
They discuss why he’s becoming obsessed with running and all things abs, how he balances his electronic and country personalities, why he’s over Burning Man and doubling down on Major Lazer and whether he is the Forrest Gump of music. Also: how Diplo approaches his craft, his kids and, yes, his dating life. Plus, he shares what dating famous people has taught him about relationships.
And fact checks: Brian Epstein (no relation) was the Beatles manager, George Martin was the Beatles producer, and Fidel Castro is not Justin Trudeau's dad.
Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, as well as wherever you get your podcasts.
Also: help Diplo out: do you know how manatees drink water? Or have other dumb Qs? Email nayeema.raza101@gmail.com or leave us a review!
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