MIND & MACHINE: Science & Tech of Maximizing Human Capability

My guest today is Akshay Kothari, the Chief Operating Officer at Notion. As COO, Akshay is one of the top people driving the ship at this next-generation software platform that's enabling everyday users to create their own software tools instead of settling for what's provided on the market.  Despite Notion being a young and small company of around 50 people, it has received a valuation of $2 billion dollars in its latest venture capital funding round — making it one of the fastest moving ventures in Silicon Valley. In today's discussion with Akshay we explore the future of Notion and this new movement of democratizing software development, enabling anyone to create their own software tools.  More at http://mindandmachine.io

My guest today is Dr. Bertalan Mesko, also known as The Medical Futurist. He's the Director of The Medical Futurist Institute, delivers keynote addresses all over the world, and runs a popular magazine and YouTube channel on the future of medicine with an emphasis on how technology will shape healthcare. Dr. Mesko is a physician with a PhD in genomics, and an Amazon Top 100 author. With the Coronavirus pandemic underway, we get into the nature of pandemics, what stages to look for in the evolution of the COVID-19 crisis, and what we can expect with future pandemics. Then we discuss how emerging technologies are being used to fight the virus, and how we can better prepare to fight future pandemics by leveraging Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Genomics, 3D Printing, and other advanced technologies.   Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE future-tech newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter    More on Bertalan Mesko:     - Website:  https://medicalfuturist.com/     - Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Berci     - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/medicalfuturist __________   MIND & MACHINE features interviews by August Bradley with bold thinkers and leaders.   Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter   MIND & MACHINE Website: https://www.MindAndMachine.io

My guest today is Nir Eyal, who writes and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. The MIT Technology Review dubbed Nir, "The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology." Nir has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Institute of Design at Stanford. He's the author of two bestselling books, "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" and "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life". We explore the the psychology of focus, and how to channel your mind to achieve more.   Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE future-tech newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter    More on Nir Eyal:     - Website:  https://www.nirandfar.com     - Book Website: http://www.indistractable.com     - Twitter:  https://twitter.com/nireyal __________   MIND & MACHINE Website: https://www.MindAndMachine.io

My guest today is Anders Ericsson, author of the renowned book "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise". He is among the world's leading authorities on how to new master skills. Anders is a Professor of Psychology and conducted much of the research on expertise and peak performance that Malcolm Gladwell famously referenced to develop the 10,000 hour rule in Gladwell's book Outliers. However, as we discuss today, Malcom Gladwell mis-interpreted much of the science behind the 10,000 hour rule. Anders demonstrates that talent is overrated and peak achievement is dependent on a specific type of learning called "deliberate practice", and that your skill in any area is a function of the quantity and quality of "mental representations" you have for that activity. We explore the science of learning and of skill mastery -- how it happens, and how to do it. Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE future-tech newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter    MIND & MACHINE Website: https://www.MindAndMachine.io

My guest today is Steven Kotler. Steven is one of the world's leading experts on achieving Ultimate Human Performance through Flow States. "Flow" is the cognitive state of full immersion and focus in which brain activity changes to enable peak human capability across an intellectual or physical activity. It's characterized by rapt attention so deep that one loses their sense of space and time, tapping into radically heightened performance, creativity, and learning.   Steven is the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, and a New York Times bestselling author. His books include The Rise of Superman, Tomorowland, and Stealing Fire. Along with Peter Diamandis, he co-authored the books Bold, Abundance, and most recently The Future is Faster than you Think. We go deep into the neurological causes of flow states, what it enables, and how to achieve it.   Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE future-tech newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter    https://www.MindAndMachine.io

My guest today is Douglas Rushkoff, who has been named one of the "world's ten most influential intellectuals" by MIT. He's an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in the digital age. He's written over twenty books include the recently-published "Team Human", and he hosts a popular podcast, also called "Team Human", focusing on the economic, technological, and social programs that determine how we live, work, and interact. His perspective challenges conventional thinking, often calling out both sides of polar debates. We explore modern life in the digital age, and how to come together as "Team Human". Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter More on Douglas Rushkoff:    - Twitter: https://twitter.com/rushkoff    - Website: https://rushkoff.com    - Podcast: https://teamhuman.fm _______ MIND & MACHINE Website: https://www.MindAndMachine.io

My guest today is Dr. Christof Koch, one of the worlds foremost experts on neuroscience and consciousness. Dr. Koch is the Chief Scientist and  President of the Allen Institute for Brain Science. He recently released his latest book, The Feeling of Life Itself – Why Consciousness is Everywhere But Can't be Computed. It explores new insights and perspectives into human consciousness, as well as ideas surrounding the potential of sentient machines. We explore a wide range of issues surrounding consciousness, what it means, and theories on how it works.   Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE future-tech newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter    The Allen Institute: https://bit.ly/2rNVEEj Personal Website: https://christofkoch.com   Book: The Feeling of Life Itself https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/feeling-life-itself __________   MIND & MACHINE features interviews by August Bradley with bold thinkers and leaders in transformational technologies.   Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter   MIND & MACHINE Website: https://www.MindAndMachine.io

My guest today is Paul Shapiro, author of the national bestseller "Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World". He's also the CEO and co-founder of The Better Meat Co., a four-time TEDx speaker, the co-host of the Business for Good Podcast.   In our conversation today we explore the future of food, with a particular focus on lab-grown meat that's identical to meat from animals. I came away from this conversation with enhanced hope for our ability to use this technology to create a better world by improving our environmental impact, enhancing human health, and greatly reducing suffering. We also explore plant-based meat-replacements and how that can be a stepping stone to the big Clean Meat technological breakthroughs.   Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE future-tech newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter    More On Paul Shapiro and his work: Website:  https://www.paul-shapiro.com Book:  https://cleanmeat.com The Better Meat Co.:  https://www.bettermeat.co Business for Good Podcast:  http://www.businessforgoodpodcast.com   __________   MIND & MACHINE features interviews by August Bradley with bold thinkers and leaders in transformational technologies.   Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter   MIND & MACHINE Website: https://www.MindAndMachine.io   Subscribe to the podcast on:      iTunes: https://www.mindandmachine.io/itunes      Overcast: https://www.mindandmachine.io/overcast      Android or Other Apps: https://www.mindandmachine.io/android

We explore Human Enhancement and Personal Performance Hacking with Matt Ward (@mattwardio), the host The Disruptors podcast, startup investor, adviser and business innovation consultant. Matt and I thought it would be fun to do two episodes, one here on MIND & MACHINE and the other on The Disruptors, where we explore what we've learned, the ideas we've formed and our takeaways across all these different fields that we cover. So with this episode here on MIND & MACHINE, we focus on human enhancement -- technologies that are extending lifespan and enhancing human capability. Then we get into what Matt and I are doing currently to maximize our own performance capabilities -- our ability to think more clearly, to live more energetic vibrant lives... which is all heavily informed by all these amazing guests across these different fields that we explore. In the other part of this discussion, on The Disruptors, we look at another set of subjects from space to AI to Augmented and Virtual reality. So I encourage you to check that out as well at The Disruptors... For the other part of the Conversation on The Disruptors: https://is.gd/mv1Vez MIND & MACHINE features interviews by August Bradley with bold thinkers and leaders in transformational technologies. Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter MIND & MACHINE Website: https://www.MindAndMachine.io YouTube Channel for video edition: https://www.mindandmachine.io/youtube Show Host August Bradley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/augustbradley

In a follow-up to our previous episode, my guest today is again cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman, author of the book "The Case Against Reality". In this addendum to the previous episode, we explore how Don's First Principles Thinking enabled his remarkably original theory on reality (covered fully in the previous episode). Then further into today's discussion we hear about the Secret Mastermind of Brain Scientists that Don was a part of for nearly two decades, Don has been making waves lately in a range of scientific fields with a theory of reality that splinters all of our preconceived notions. What if everything we thought was real -- the physical world around us and the notion of time -- are not reality but a vast surface-level operating system designed to guide our behaviors for evolutionary survival. What if understanding true objective reality were in fact counter to evolutionary success, and therefore the truth has been obscured from us. Donald Hoffman is a cognitive scientist at the University of California, Irvine. Subscribe to the MIND & MACHINE future-tech newsletter: https://www.mindandmachine.io/newsletter "The Case Against Reality" (Book) is at https://is.gd/thecaseagainstreality __________ More at: https://www.MindAndMachine.io