Infinite Loops Jim O'Shaughnessy

I’ve always tried to encourage curiosity in my three children and now six (!) grandchildren. My kids often reminisce about my default response to their childhood questions: pointing to the bookshelf that flanked our sofa and saying, “look it up in there!”
Luckily, natural curiosity was never lacking in our household. Over the years, however, I have become increasingly frustrated when I hear about the stultifying, rote, curiosity-killing nature of our education system.
It was a pleasure, therefore, to speak to Audrey Wisch, an impressive young founder who, after witnessing first-hand how kids’ curiosity was being crushed, decided to do something about it. She left Stanford University to build Curious Cardinals, a personalized service that matches children with university mentors. What started as a pandemic project has grown into something much bigger - Audrey and her co-founder were named to the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 List in education, and Curious Cardinals has now delivered over 20,000 hours of mentorship to over 2,000 kids.
As you’ll hear in our conversation, Audrey’s approach to education is a breath of fresh air, focusing on agency and empowerment, meeting kids where their interests lie, and harnessing the benefits of technology.
I hope you enjoy our conversation! For the full transcript alongside bucketloads of other stuff designed to make you go; “Hmm, that’s interesting!” check out our Substack.
Important Links:
Curious Cardinals LinkedIn Twitter Show Notes:
The Classroom: Disengaging, Uninspiring and Regurgitating The Chicken Nugget Strategy: Learning Through Interests Are Attention Spans Shortening? Why Mentors Matter Rose, Bud, Thorn: How to Design an Effective Mentorship Session The Perks of Proximity The RBG Approach to Disruption Against a One-Size-Fits-All Approach Curiosity, Lifelong Learning & Openness to Change Shakespeare on Snapchat The Changing Role of Memory Prompting via Socratic Iteration; Tapping into the Why How Audrey Became Interested in AI Why the College System Restrains K-12 Progress Hiring for the Output vs Hiring for the Input Audrey as Empress of the World MUCH more! Books Mentioned:
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness; by Jonathan Haidt Paper Belt on Fire: How Renegade Investors Sparked a Revolt Against the University; by Michael Gibson

Matthew Ball is the CEO of Epyllion, which makes angel investments, provides advisory services, and produces television, films, and video games.
He’s also a Venture Partner at Makers Fund, Senior Advisor to KKR, Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company, and sits on the board of numerous start-ups.
Matthew is one of the sharpest and most original thinkers on the future of media and the Internet (i.e. The Metaverse). The fully revised and updated edition of his bestselling book "The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet" releases next week.
Important Links:
Matthew’s website Matthew’s Twitter Show Notes:
Into The Metaverse AI and The Metaverse ‘AI Can Bend the Laws of Physics’ Human Engineering and the Human Brain Screens and Education The Reflexivity of AI Doomerism The Salvation of the ‘TV Species’ From Passive Media to Active Media ‘What’s An Appropriate Simulation?’ ‘We Don’t Outlaw Fire, We Train Firemen’ Applying the Precautionary Principle Media and the Metaverse: Three Stages of Competition The Enduring Value of Taste Hardware and AI: The Vergence-Accommodation Conflict The Emperor of the Metaverse MORE! Books Mentioned:
The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet; by Matthew Ball The Streaming Book; by Matthew Ball The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich

Nat Eliason is a writer with a keen interest in writing about challenging and revealing things. His debut book, Crypto Confidential: Winning and Losing Millions in the New Frontier of Finance (out July 9th, 2024), charts his personal odyssey into Crypto’s Get-Rich-Quick underbelly.
Nat joins the show to discuss the highs and lows of the cryptocurrency market, the lessons learned from his financial adventures, the psychological effects of bubbles, crypto’s cutting-edge developments, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Nat’s Website Nat’s Twitter Nat’s YouTube Show Notes:
Making A Lot of Money, As Fast as Possible The Peer Pressure of Crypto Markets The Psychological Effects of Diamond Hands Signs of Peak Speculation How Bitcoin Has Carried the Crypto Story Ethereum’s Innovations The Emergence of Stablecoins What Makes USD A Reserve Currency? The Crazy Anonymity of Crypto Projects The Two Options of Getting Into Crypto Imagining the Money Pile What Nat Couldn’t Keep in the Book Nat’s Next Career as a Novelist Nat as Emperor of the World MORE! Books Mentioned:
Influence; by Robert Cialdini

Noor Siddiqui is currently building Orchid, a reproductive technology company that measures genetic predisposition to disease and provides embryo screening for couples going through IVF.
Noor joins the show to discuss the ambitious culture of the West Coast, getting into the Thiel Fellowship, her personal reasons for starting Orchid, the sacred act of reproduction and why it must be made safe, her belief in children as the future, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Noor’s Personal Website Noor’s Twitter Noor’s Linkedin Orchid’s Website Show Notes:
The Ambitious Culture of San Francisco The East Coast Aversion to Risky Ambition The Intimate Origin Story of Orchid What Orchid Has Built The History and Controversy Around Reproductive Technology Surprising Aspects of Orchid’s Technology Benefits of Saliva Testing Making Our Own Genetic Luck Noor’s Predictions for the Field Advances in Embryonic Freezing Why Noor Values Clear Writing Noor as Empress of the World MORE! Books/Essays Mentioned:
What You Can't Say; by Paul Graham Secrets (from Zero To One); by Peter Thiel

The Fourth Way is a pseudonymously run Youtube channel and Twitter page dedicated to the path of psychological and spiritual growth and self-improvement. Built around the philosophy of two thinkers - George Gurdjieff and Peter Ouspensky - the ultimate aim of the Fourth Way is “to assist individuals in achieving a higher state of consciousness and self-awareness which can lead to a more fulfilling and meaningful existence.”
Tune in to this week’s episode to learn about the four ways of being; how to befriend your centers; the keys to the universe; and MUCH more!
Important Links:
The Fourth Way Youtube channel The Fourth Way on Twitter Show Notes:
Memetic Alchemy Introducing The Fourth Way The Best Time To Start Is Now The Four Ways of Being Waking Sleep Befriending Your Centers Keys To The Universe The Law of Octaves Indoctrination as Hypnosis The Fourth Way Curriculum The Search for Mystery Don’t Forget To Self-Remember Life Is Movement A Pitch for The Fourth Way Don’t Go With The Flow The Fourth…Emperor Of The World Books Mentioned:
The Fourth Way; by Peter Ouspensky In Search of the Miraculous; by Peter Ouspensky Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson; by ****George Gurdjieff In Search of Being: The Fourth Way to Consciousness; by George Gurdjieff The Struggle of the Magicians; by George Gurdjieff Siddhartha; by Herman Hesse The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean; by Thoth The Atlantean

Mona Sobhani, Ph.D. is a cognitive neuroscientist, researcher, and author. In 2022 she published her first book, Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist's Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe, which documents her “transformation from diehard materialist to open-minded spiritual seeker.”
Mona joins the show to discuss blowing open the box of materialism, why anecdotes are scientifically underrated, what she learned from studying decades of research into psi-phenomena, how quantum science is transforming the way we think about consciousness, and MUCH more!
Important Links:
Mona’s Twitter Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist's Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe; by Mona Sobhani Cosmos, Coffee & Consciousness (Mona’s Substack) Life Will Be the Death of Me Podcast with Chelsea Handler (Ep. 19): People on the Other Side with Laura Lynne Jackson Infinite Potential: The Life & Ideas of David Bohm Prophetic AI Show Notes:
Mona’s Journey Beyond Materialism Anecdotes are Scientifically Underrated; Research Into Psi Phenomena How Mona Deals With Her Colleagues’ Skepticism The Persuasiveness of Personal Experience Psychic Phenomena & the Scientific Method Blowing Open the Box of Materialism How Quantum Science is Transforming How We Think About Consciousness Transcendent Technology Psychedelics as a Bridge What’s Next for Mona Bringing Humanity Back Into Science Mona as Empress of the World MORE! Books & Articles Mentioned:
Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist's Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe; by Mona Sobhani The Radical Ideas of Psychedelic Research 2.0 (Pt.1; Pt.2); by Mona Sobhani Many Lives, Many Masters: The true story of a prominent psychiatrist, his young patient and the past-life therapy that changed both their lives; by Dr. Brian Weiss The New Inquisition: Irrational Rationalism and the Citadel of Science; by Robert Anton Wilson Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy; by Michael Polanyi The Two Cultures; by C. P. Snow The Fabric of Reality: Towards a Theory of Everything; by David Deutsch The work of Dean Radin The Common Basis of Memory and Consciousness: Understanding the Brain as a Write-Read Head Interacting With an Omnipresent Background Field’ by Joachim Keppler How To Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence; by Michael Pollan What the Tortoise Said to Achilles; by Lewis Carroll