Episode

#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
Description
Brought to you by Tommy John premium underwear, Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and ButcherBox premium meats delivered to your door.Stephen Wolfram (@stephen_wolfram) is the creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha and the Wolfram Language; the author of A New Kind of Science; the originator of the Wolfram Physics Project; and the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research. Over the course of more than four decades, he has been a pioneer in the development and application of computational thinking and has been responsible for many discoveries, inventions, and innovations in science, technology, and business.Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by ButcherBox! ButcherBox makes it easy for you to get high-quality, humanely raised meat that you can trust. They deliver delicious, 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef; free-range organic chicken; heritage-breed pork, and wild-caught seafood directly to your door.This Black Friday, your search for amazing deals on high-quality protein ends with ButcherBox. ButcherBox is offering my listeners one of their best steak deals: Free Rib Eyes for a Year, plus $20 off. Get two, 10 oz rib eyes FREE in every box for a whole year when you join, plus an additional $20 off! Sign up today at butcherbox.com/Tim and use code TIM to get Free Rib Eyes for a Year, plus $20 off. *This episode is also brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover is the easiest and fastest way to sleep at the perfect temperature. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking to offer the most advanced (and user-friendly) solution on the market. Simply add the Pod Cover to your current mattress and start sleeping as cool as 55°F or as hot as 110°F. It also splits your bed in half, so your partner can choose a totally different temperature.For a limited time, Eight Sleep is offering my listeners up to $450 off their Sleep Fit Holiday Bundle, which includes my personal favorite, the Pod 3 Cover. Go to EightSleep.com/Tim to get the exclusive holiday savings. Eight Sleep currently ships within the USA, Canada, the UK, select countries in the EU, and Australia. That’s EightSleep.com/Tim*This episode is also brought to you by Tommy John premium underwear! For men, Tommy John offers six different styles so you can find the one that suits you best. Their line of men’s briefs and boxers is one of my top choices for all-day comfort. I tested their Second Skin Mid-Length Boxer Brief and the Cool Cotton Trunk.Shop Tommy John’s Black Friday sale going on right now, and get 30 percent off sitewide at TommyJohn.com/Tim. See the website for details.*[06:58] How Stephen collects information for his vast personal archives.[08:40] When a situation warrants building a matrix.[12:31] Science sometimes makes us look far back to move incrementally forward.[17:49] Befriending the computational.[22:59] How technology helps us navigate natural language.[32:30] How Stephen chose subjects for his book Idea Makers.[35:09] On spending time with Richard Feynman.[37:33] Thoughts on Srinivasa Ramanujan.[39:57] When Stephen started solving science problems with computers.[42:00] Heresies today, gospels tomorrow.[50:14] Ruminations on the ruliad.[1:03:46] What is time?[1:12:03] What constitutes consciousness?[1:15:56] Personal infrastructure and productivity.[1:23:25] Maintaining energy in the midst of a busy life.[1:29:37] Avoiding once-inevitable sickness after air travel.[1:31:50] Making time count — in sickness and in health.[1:32:45] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapters
Join ButcherBox and receive two 10 ounce rib eyes for free in every box for a full year, plus an additional $20 off.
00:00 - 01:53 (01:53)
Summary
Join ButcherBox and receive two 10 ounce rib eyes for free in every box for a full year, plus an additional $20 off. They offer grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, heritage-breed pork, and wild-caught seafood delivered directly to your doorstep.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim introduces his listeners to 8 Sleep, a tool that claims to reduce sleep interruptions and promote faster falling asleep.
01:53 - 07:32 (05:38)
Summary
Tim introduces his listeners to 8 Sleep, a tool that claims to reduce sleep interruptions and promote faster falling asleep. In addition, Tim's listeners are offered up to $450 off the Sleep Fit Holiday Bundle.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The process of digitizing old paper documents can be a daunting task, but with advances in technology it has become more manageable.
07:32 - 12:13 (04:40)
Summary
The process of digitizing old paper documents can be a daunting task, but with advances in technology it has become more manageable. This can be especially beneficial for individuals who have generated large amounts of paper documents, such as researchers and writers.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Getting stuck in the scientific process is an important indicator that a paradigmatic shift in thinking about the problem is needed.
12:13 - 18:01 (05:47)
Summary
Getting stuck in the scientific process is an important indicator that a paradigmatic shift in thinking about the problem is needed. The experience of being stuck provides the opportunity to analyze and reassess one's approach, leading to potential breakthroughs.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Stephen Wolfram discusses his mission to build a computational language that can precisely represent and structure descriptions of the world, similar to mathematical notation in mathematics.
18:01 - 24:25 (06:24)
Summary
Stephen Wolfram discusses his mission to build a computational language that can precisely represent and structure descriptions of the world, similar to mathematical notation in mathematics.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Language is one kind of representation of organized human thoughts and it is a societal construction.
24:25 - 33:10 (08:44)
Summary
Language is one kind of representation of organized human thoughts and it is a societal construction. The question arises on how to make a computational language to represent human thoughts in a computational way.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Stephen Wolfram talks about the vast potential of using computers in science, drawing from his personal experience when he first discovered the power of computing at a young age.
33:10 - 43:39 (10:28)
Summary
Stephen Wolfram talks about the vast potential of using computers in science, drawing from his personal experience when he first discovered the power of computing at a young age.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The universe and everything in it could be just eddies, or ripples, in a network.
43:39 - 53:10 (09:31)
Summary
The universe and everything in it could be just eddies, or ripples, in a network. General relativity, quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics are the three big theories of 20th century physics which help explain the limitations of the human mind and how we understand the universe.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The exploration of physical space through spacecrafts and the exploration of different ideas and ways of thinking represent traveling in ruleial space, which can affect our conception of the universe and how we interpret its different paths and rules.
53:10 - 1:03:56 (10:46)
Summary
The exploration of physical space through spacecrafts and the exploration of different ideas and ways of thinking represent traveling in ruleial space, which can affect our conception of the universe and how we interpret its different paths and rules.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The computations occurring in our minds and the computations that occur in the universe are aligned and lead to different forms of time.
1:03:56 - 1:16:22 (12:25)
Summary
The computations occurring in our minds and the computations that occur in the universe are aligned and lead to different forms of time. The big question about quantum mechanics is how to determine the answer since we have a persistent conflation of experiences in time, over a period from when a computer boots up to when the operating system crashes.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares his improved confidence level in explaining science concepts by answering questions on live streams, despite the possibility of making mistakes.
1:16:22 - 1:23:18 (06:55)
Summary
The speaker shares his improved confidence level in explaining science concepts by answering questions on live streams, despite the possibility of making mistakes. He finds this method helpful in sharpening his thought process and delivering answers in real-time.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This episode features a discussion about simplifying routine aspects of life to better focus and utilize energy on creative and important matters.
1:23:18 - 1:29:18 (06:00)
Summary
This episode features a discussion about simplifying routine aspects of life to better focus and utilize energy on creative and important matters. Additionally, the hosts talk about the energizing aspect of completing creative projects.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares how she keeps a to-do list of things to do when she is tired, as she finds that 2/3 of what she tries is successful.
1:29:18 - 1:36:13 (06:54)
Summary
The speaker shares how she keeps a to-do list of things to do when she is tired, as she finds that 2/3 of what she tries is successful. She also expresses the importance of taking care of one's immune system when flying on planes.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The impact of a product designer is manifested through the products used by millions of people, as well as the principled and systematic thinking that can be shared with people.
1:36:13 - 1:43:32 (07:19)
Summary
The impact of a product designer is manifested through the products used by millions of people, as well as the principled and systematic thinking that can be shared with people. A sleep technology called 8 Sleep is being offered to listeners for up to $450 off their SleepFit Holiday Bundle, including the Pod 3 cover.
Episode#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Get 2 free 10oz ribeyes in every box for a year and $20 off when you join ButcherBox today at butcherbox.com/Tim with code "Tim".
1:43:32 - 1:45:18 (01:46)
Summary
Get 2 free 10oz ribeyes in every box for a year and $20 off when you join ButcherBox today at butcherbox.com/Tim with code "Tim". They deliver grass-fed beef, organic chicken, heritage breed pork, and wild-caught seafood straight to your door.