Thinking On Paper: Technology, Considered

Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson

Conversations with founders, CEOs, writers and outliers on how AI and emerging technology are reshaping business, society and human life. Thinking On Paper is a weekly technology podcast hosted by writers and systems thinkers Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson. It covers the convergence of AI, quantum computing, robotics and space infrastructure. The show is for professionals, parents, creators and curious minds who want to think for themselves about AI and technology. All original. All human.

  1. NASA’s Moon Base User’s Guide Is A Bat Signal To The Space Industry

    Jun 2

    NASA’s Moon Base User’s Guide Is A Bat Signal To The Space Industry

    We read NASA’s Moon Base User’s Guide and ask whether NASA are bonkers for wanting to build a full time human presence on the Moon. You see, a Moon base needs more than rockets and astronauts. It needs power systems, communications, navigation, habitats, surface logistics, autonomous robotics, dust-tolerant hardware, interoperability standards, in-situ resource utilization and eventually... nuclear power. And right now NASA have about 3% of that (our figure). There is work to be done. This is the work. -- Chapters 00:00 Executive Summary and Vision 01:17 Phased Approach to Moon Base Development 07:21 Challenges of Lunar Environment 09:06 Interoperability and Coordination in Space 15:13 Economic Incentives and Future of Space Development 17:03 Identifying Gaps in Space Technology 20:23 Functional Gaps and Their Implications 24:01 Dust Challenges and Solutions 29:10 The Moon as a Launchpad for Mars 31:08 Human Factors in Lunar Missions -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping the future.  🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack 🎧 Take us with you on YouTube 🎧 Remember steve jobs on APPLE 📺 Get the clips and outtakes on Instagram

    34 min

  2. May 27

    Space-Based Solar To Power Music Festival In Portugal

    Sanjay Vijendran of TerraSpark explains how space based solar power could soon be a real alternative to fossil fuels... with a music festival in Portugal.TerraSpark is planning a ground-based wireless power transmission demo in Portugal, using power beaming to run a live music concert. The company is also preparing an in-orbit power-beaming payload for Dcube’s Arrakis mission, testing radio frequency power transfer across a spacecraft. The conversation covers TerraSpark’s plan to power a live music concert in Portugal using wireless power transmission, its in-orbit payload on Dcube’s Arrakis mission, radio frequency versus laser power beaming, near-infrared transmission and power-beaming efficiency. You'll learn about orbital data centers, energy security, ITU spectrum regulation, interference testing, and what it takes to make solar power from space credible to investors, regulators, and the energy sector. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping the future.  🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack 🎧Be With Us On YouTube 🎧 Remember steve jobs on APPLE 📺 Get the clips and outtakes on Instagram -- Chapters (00:00) Introduction to Space-Based Solar Power (01:37) Market Trends and Projections (03:52) Energy Crisis and Global Dependencies (06:26) The Threat to Power Structures (07:39) Innovative Demonstrations of Wireless Power (10:31) Future Plans and Space Missions (20:41) Scaling Power Transmission from Space (22:35) Technologies for Space-Based Solar Power (31:22) Governance and Regulation of Space-Based Solar Power (49:57) The Future of Space-Based Solar Power

    52 min

  3. May 23

    The Lithium Paradox: The Environmental Cost of the Energy Transition

    Lithium and copper mining are central to the energy transition. From EV batteries and grid storage to drones, solar power, wind turbines, and data centers, these minerals are essential. But the environmental costs of mining, especially water use, local pollution, biodiversity loss, and community impact, are still difficult to measure. In this episode, Jennifer Dunn, professor of chemical engineering at Northwestern University, joins us to explain how life cycle assessment can compare the environmental impact of different mines and supply chains.  The conversation covers lithium brine mining, hard rock lithium mining, copper demand, critical minerals, mine permitting, local water stress, recycling, mining waste, battery supply chains, and the central question behind clean technology: can decarbonization scale without shifting environmental costs onto local communities? -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping the future.  🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack 🎧 Take us with you on Spotify 🎧 Remember steve jobs on APPLE 📺 Get the clips and outtakes on Instagram -- Chapters (00:00) Disruptors & Curious Minds (02:10) The Demand for Copper and Lithium (02:57) Environmental Impact of Mining (05:59) Water Consumption and Mining Methods (08:30) Community Concerns and Local Impact (11:29) Recycling and Wastewater Mining (14:04) Life Cycle Assessments in Mining (27:06) Understanding Emissions in Mining (29:45) Life Cycle Assessment: A Comparative Approach (34:05) Stakeholder Perspectives on Mining Impacts (37:42) Technology and Transparency in Mining (42:42) Consumer Awareness and Ethical Sourcing (48:55) Challenges in Quantifying Social Impacts

    52 min
  4. Sorry Economists! AGI Would Run The World Economy Better Without You

    May 18

    Sorry Economists! AGI Would Run The World Economy Better Without You

    Anders Sandberg says AGI could manage the world economy better than humans. And he's probably right. The conversation covers superintelligence, global coordination, legal systems, markets, AI control, human decision-making, evolutionary pressures in software, and whether highly efficient AI systems could leave humans wealthy but less free.This is a short from a much longer conversation with Anders. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, quantum, space and their impacts on society, business and culture. It's very good. 🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack 🎧 Watch on YouTube 🎧 Remember Steve Jobs on APPLE 📺 Get the clips and outtakes on Instagram

    7 min
  5. Dust Could End NASA Moon Plans

    May 15

    Dust Could End NASA Moon Plans

    Philip Metzger explains why moon dust and rocket exhaust blasting out your Falcon-9 create a serious problem if you want to land on the moon. The conversation covers how lunar landers can blast high-speed dust across the Moon, damaging space hardware, telescopes, solar panels, antennas, sensors, thermal control systems, and future lunar infrastructure. Metzger also explains why Starship, Artemis, lunar bases, landing pads, and Moon governance all depend on answering one unresolved question: how close can spacecraft safely land to existing equipment on the lunar surface? Please enjoy the show. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping the future.  🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack: https://thinkingonpaperpodcast.substack.com/ 🎧 Take us with you on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00volKqMsQntToeho35W47 🎧 Remember steve jobs on APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-on-paper/id1713227258 📺 Get the clips and outtakes on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/toptechpodcast/

    5 min
  6. These Harvard Economists Are Taking Space Very Seriously... Time To Invest?

    May 13

    These Harvard Economists Are Taking Space Very Seriously... Time To Invest?

    Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau, authors of Space to Grow, explain the commercial space economy and the role of NASA, Artemis, commercial space stations, space-based data centers, Starlink, GPS, China’s space program, national security, and space governance. The conversation covers how governments, private companies, and investors build, fund, regulate, and compete in space, from microgravity research and launch markets to lunar exploration, space resources, and the economics of commercial space.We also try and re-write the Space Treaty and look at the politics of the space race. Please enjoy the show. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. Connect with us. 🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack 🎧 Watch us compete with Lex Fridman on YouTube 🎧 Remember Steve Jobs and listen on APPLE 📺 Watch the clips and shorts on Instagram Watch a random video from Rick Beato. Because we love him. -- Chapters (00:00) Government and Markets in Space (03:35) Microgravity (07:43) Economic Incentives (12:14) Political Cycles in Space Policy (17:09) International Collaboration (18:45) National Security in Space (21:36) Space Exploration (24:27) The Importance Of GPS (28:49) Space Investment (30:37) Space-Based Data Centers (33:40) Space Resources (38:26) Governance in Space (40:55) A New Space Treaty

    43 min

  7. May 6

    IBM And The Quantum Computer Isolated From The Universe

    Quantum computing escaped the lab. And to work properly, they need to escape the universe. Scott Crowder, Vice President of IBM Quantum Adoption, explains IBM Quantum’s approach to quantum-centric supercomputing, where QPUs, GPUs, CPUs, and HPC systems work together to solve problems that classical computers cannot handle alone. The conversation covers IBM’s 2029 fault-tolerant quantum roadmap, Starling, Qiskit, quantum algorithms, quantum chemistry, Cleveland Clinic’s protein simulation, RIKEN, superconducting qubits, data centers, Nvidia GPUs, and why quantum computing depends on accessibility, open-source software, and real-world adoption. Please enjoy the show. - Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. 🏠 HQ: www.thinkingonpaper.xyz 📺 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/ 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00volKqMsQntToeho35W47 🎧 APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-on-paper-technology-moves-fast-think-slower/id1713227258 -- Mark x: https://x.com/markfielding99 Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremygilbertson/ – Chapters (00:00) Trailer (01:20) Quantum computing (02:40) IBM Reference Architecture (05:05) Superconducting (06:47) Algorithmic Discovery (12:34) Cleveland Clinic (13:44) IBM's quantum-centric supercomputing architecture (16:07) Quantum computers today (17:58) Quantum and classical converge (22:28) Richard Feynman (25:25) Data centers (32:01) Quantum computers in space (42:19) Qiskit, NVIDIA, and open source

    44 min
  8. The Future Of Technology - Anders Sandberg

    Apr 28

    The Future Of Technology - Anders Sandberg

    Transhumanism, mind uploading, AGI, and human augmentation are not separate futures, Anders Sandberg argues. They are different ways humans extend themselves, first through memory, smartphones, LLMs, and AI agents, then through brain emulation, uploaded minds, and systems that may make decisions better than we do. The conversation follows that tension into agent accountability, AI safety, consciousness, personal identity, and the possibility of AI-run economies. It ends at civilizational scale, with space governance, asteroid mining, moon ownership, orbital slots, and the question of what humans become when we can copy, upload, redesign, or outsource parts of ourselves. Please enjoy having your mind expanded. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. Connect with us. 🎧 Listen to every podcast⁠ 📺 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ 🏠 Follow us on ⁠X⁠ 🏠 Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ To suggest guests or sponsor the show, please email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz -- Chapters (00:00) TRAILER (08:09) Mobile Technology on Humanity (11:51) Accountability in AI Agents (18:25) Empathy (25:35) AGI vs. Alien Life (27:36) Consciousness (35:52) Uploaded Minds (40:33) Parallel Realities (45:16) Human Collaboration (46:24) AGI (51:23) The Dual Economy (57:43) Space Ownership (01:05:18) Human Expansion (01:17:49) The Space Race (01:21:43) Space Exploration (01:24:22) New Forms of Governance (01:26:18) NASA (01:28:41) Breakaway Movements in Space (01:30:16) Space Governance (01:34:18) Fusion Energy (01:42:15) Time and Life Extension (01:48:06) Extended Lifespans (01:52:03) Technology

    1h 54m
See All (125)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Conversations with founders, CEOs, writers and outliers on how AI and emerging technology are reshaping business, society and human life. Thinking On Paper is a weekly technology podcast hosted by writers and systems thinkers Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson. It covers the convergence of AI, quantum computing, robotics and space infrastructure. The show is for professionals, parents, creators and curious minds who want to think for themselves about AI and technology. All original. All human.

Information

You Might Also Like