In this week's episode, Christine and Casey dive into their recent adventures and intellectual pursuits. Christine shares highlights from Jeff Bezos' exclusive MARS conference (Machine learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space), including fascinating encounters with colossal mammoth revival efforts, fusion energy breakthroughs, and quantum consciousness theories. Casey discusses his explorations in creating custom watch faces for his new Garmin device. The conversation expands into thoughtful discussions on education systems around the world, examining Finland, South Korea, and America's approaches to gifted education, teacher quality, and standardized testing. They debate college admissions philosophies, curriculum rigor, and the value of challenging young minds with unsolved problems. The episode concludes with reflections on media consumption, journalism ethics, and the importance of truth-seeking in reporting.
MARS Conference - Jeff Bezos' invite-only event focusing on Machine learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space
Colossal - Company working on woolly mammoth de-extinction through genetic engineering
ZAP Energy - Fusion energy company using Z-pinch technology
Signal Messaging - Mentioned in context of recent news coverage
The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley - Examining education systems in Finland, South Korea, and Poland
Genius Denied by Jan and Bob Davidson - About education for gifted students
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller (not recommended by hosts)
Longitude by Dava Sobel - Historical account of the longitude problem
Sharing Space by Cady Coleman - Autobiography of NASA astronaut
The Voyage of the Southern Sun by Michael Smith - Account of recreating the historic flying boat route from Australia to England
The Tech God Complex: Why We Need to Be Skeptics - Podcast
Acquired Rolex Episode - Episode on Rolex
No, poor people aren’t funding your credit card rewards (Complex Systems Podcast) - Patrick Mackenzie's podcast on payment systems and complex systems
Off-Nominal and Main Engine Cut Off - Space industry podcasts
Tilt Parenting- TPP 178: The Davidson Institute on Supporting & Educating Profoundly Gifted Children - Podcast about raising neurodivergent kids
The Davidson Institute - Resources for gifted education
Magnus Carlsen Interview on Lex Fridman
Customizing Monkey C SDK for wearable devices
Beast Academy (from Art of Problem Solving) - Math curriculum for advanced students
The Collatz Conjecture - An unsolved mathematical problem discussed when talking about challenging gifted students