The island of Santorini has not only has breathtaking views but also a fascinating history. Traces of its first inhabitants have been linked back to 4500 BC. In 1613 BC the most powerful volcanic event in the last 10,000 years took place – completely destroying all the islands within a 60 km radius. It has been estimated that 90 billion tons of molten rock was injected into the air, the sea swallowed the volcano, and a massive tsunami swept across the Aegean Sea. Along with the obvious devastation of nature, it is believed that the eruption also sealed the deal for the most civilized nation on the island at the time, the Minoans. Thanks to the thick layer of ash cause by the event, the Bronze Age settlement of Akrotiri was so well preserved that we are able to see how prosperous the area had once been with an elaborate drainage systems, multi-storied buildings, incredible wall paintings, furniture and vessels. The site has as much of a significant importance as does Pompeii. The island’s main volcanic rock, its mineral rich soil, and the amazing climate, has produced some incredibly unique wines. Santorini is known for some of the oldest vineyards in the world. And we know that wine is one of my favourite topics. On today’s podcast I speak with Panayiota Kalogeropoulou about Santorini’s wines. Panayiota is the Director at the Domaine Sigalas vineyard. Paris Sigalas, a mathematician with a goal to make his Santorini vineyard a world heritage site, focuses on grapes that thrive in Santorini (these include the Aidani, Athiri, Plantana – and the prime Greek grape Assyrtiko).

Samuel Arbesman is a complexity scientist whose work focuses on the nature of scientific and technological change. Sam's also written two books that I love, The Half-Life of Facts and Overcomplicated.

In this episode, Sam and I discuss:

• Our relationship with technology and how it has shifted the way we consume and retain information
• What “mesofacts” are and how to keep our mental databases updated in a world that’s constantly changing
• Whether art or science is more fundamental to a thriving, successful society
• The metrics Sam uses to define success for himself
• The difference between physics thinking and biological thinking and why it matters
• The phrase Sam’s father repeated to him every time he left the house that helped shape who he is today
• The books that had the most profound impact on Sam’s life/li>
• How to prioritize our learning so we’re spending time on information with the highest return on our investment

And much, much more!

If you love learning, but feel like it’s impossible to keep up with the endless flow of information in the world, then Sam’s your guy.

Enjoy this fascinating interview below.

On this episode, I’m happy to have Morgan Housel (@morganhousel).

Morgan is a partner at the Collaborative Fund. He’s a former columnist at the Motley Fool and a former columnist of the Wall Street Journal. His work has also been published in Time, USA Today, World Affairs, and Business Insider. You name it, he’s been there. Simply put, he’s one of the shining lights of the business press.

More than that, though, he’s one of the few people that I read all the time. As I’ve gotten to know him over the years, I can also tell you he’s an exceptional person.

We cover a lot in this interview, including:

• What valets are really doing in your sports car once you hand over the keys
• Morgan’s shocking discovery that his dream of becoming an investment banker wasn’t a good fit
• The hilarious way Morgan was “not fired” from one of his earliest jobs
• The three types of financial writing and the one Morgan finds most useful for readers
• The brilliant method Morgan uses to keep his confirmation biases in check
• When it’s ok to change your mind and when it’s important to double down on what you know
• The teachers that most influenced Morgan’s life and what they did differently that made them so outstanding
• The process Morgan uses to generate fresh ideas even when he feels like he’s exhausted them all
• How he structures his daily routines around when he does his best thinking and writing

We even tackle a few of your questions, like what would he do if he knew there were no consequences, how life has changed since becoming a new father, and what’s on his bucket list.

You’re going to love getting to know Morgan. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

On this episode of The Knowledge Project Podcast, I am so happy to have Pedro Domingos (@pmddomingos) who is a professor at the University of Washington.

Domingos is the leading researcher in machine learning and recently wrote an amazing book calledThe Master Algorithm. I was fortunate enough to have a long and fascinating conversation with him over dinner one night that lead to the recording of this episode. I think you’re going to love it.

In this conversation we explore:

• The three sources from which all humans obtained their knowledge for thousands of years, and how a new fourth is changing everything.
• How AI is finding its way into every sector of our lives, and what that means for future jobs and future opportunities
• Why white collar jobs are easier to replace than blue collar jobs and what the workforce may look like in the near future
• How a hedge fund recently placed an algorithm as a full voting member of their board of directors
• The difference between traditional computer science and machine learning and how it will impact technology
• The five major schools of machine learning and how they’re revolutionizing the way computers analyze information
• How “robot scientists” could transform the way we make medical and scientific discoveries (one recently discovered a drug for malaria)
• How machines might compete in professional sports and serve more entertainment purposes
• The future of self-driving cars and how humans will learn to adapt to them as the technology improves
• Pedro’s vision of the future of AI and human’s daily interaction with AI
  

If you use technology in any way, you’re going to be floored by this interview. Enjoy!

On this episode of The Knowledge Project, I talk about one of my favorite subjects with one of the most respected sommeliers in the world: Véronique Rivest.

After placing twice in the top 12 in 2007 and 2010, Véronique became the first woman to make the podium by taking second place at the world's best sommelier competition in Tokyo in March 2013. She's also the owner of Soif in Hull, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite wine bars.

On this episode we learn:

• How Véronique self-directed her education in wine, and the steps she took to become one of the best in the world.
• The three traits of every sommelier (the most important one actually has nothing to do with their knowledge of wine)
• How to properly taste wine (including an on-air tasting where Véronique guides me through the three phases of wine tasting)
• Tips and tricks for serving wine to enhance the experience
• The twenty-minute rule that ensures you serve perfect wine, every time
• How to tell if a bottle has been corked and why it matters
• The first rule of a wine tasting, no matter how much or little you know about wine
• How to hone your sense of taste to appreciate the subtleties that each wine has to offer
• How to host a wine tasting party that will impress your guests

If you want to impress everyone at the table the next time you’re at a restaurant with friends, listen to what Véronique has to say in this episode. You’ll be a wine expert in no time.

Ryan Holiday is the author of a number of incredible books, including Trust Me I'm Lying, The Obstacle is the Way, and Ego is the Enemy. He also runs Brass Check, a premier book marketing agency responsible for dozens of New York Times bestsellers and tens of millions of books sold. In short, Ryan is the real deal.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What Stoicism is and how it differs from many of the mainstream “philosophies” you learn about in school
• How Dr. Drew is partially responsible for putting Ryan on the Stoic path
• How Stoicism has helped Ryan navigate some of the challenges he’s faced in his life
• How Ryan juggles everything he has to do as a writer, a business owner, and consultant
• The impact working with Robert Greene had on Ryan and how that experience influenced everything from his writing, how he does research, and even the kind of person he turned out to be
• How Ryan uses the famous Notecard System he learned as a researcher for Robert Greene
• Why Ryan insists on writing his thoughts longhand, and why copy and paste is almost a capital offense
• The process Ryan uses to write a book and what the ideation, writing and editing stages look like
• The brilliant way Ryan runs his consulting business, including how he charges clients and how he gracefully handles people looking for free advice

You're going to get so much out of this episode. Enjoy!

An inbetweenisode of sorts where Jeff Annello and I discuss whether we're too busy to pay attention to life - on whether we're too busy to live. If you want more of these let me know #tkp on twitter.

On this episode of The Knowledge Project, I talk about the architecture of music with conductor Alexander Shelley. Out of all the amazing conversations I've had, this might be my favorite.

Shelley is currently chief conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra and music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.

In this fascinating interview, we discuss:

• How Alexander prepares himself before stepping on stage (and how his process changes depending on the music the orchestra will play)
• Why live performances create a powerful and almost spiritual experience
• The delicate relationship between audience, orchestra, and conductor and how balancing them is like a beautiful dance
• How to manage the egos, personalities, and different playing styles of 80 world-class musicians on any given night
• How the structures of music have changed over the years, and how our ears still recognize shapes and patterns in any piece from any era
• Why Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is so popular (Alexander breaks down the DNA of the song and how all music has its own unique “cell structure.” This alone is worth listening to the interview)
• Why the sciences and the arts are inseparable and should be studied, practiced and revered hand in hand
• How familiarity with music history allows you to appreciate and enjoy any piece of music (even current pop hits) at a whole new level

Whether you’re someone who always has music playing, or just occasionally taps your fingers on the steering wheel when the occasional tune comes on, you’re going to absolutely love this episode. I can’t say enough about it.

Enjoy the interview!

On this episode of The Knowledge Project, I talk rationality, changing minds (our own and others), filtering information, the role of intuition, and a lot more with Julia Galef.

Galef is the President and co-founder of the Center for Applied Rationality, a non-profit organization based in Berkeley, California, devoted to developing, testing and training people in strategies for reasoning and decision making.

She also hosts the Rationally Speaking podcast, a biweekly show featuring conversations about science and philosophy.

This is a topic I could talk about for hours, so we wasted no time at all. In this discussion, we cover a lot of ground, including:

• What happened when Julia was 7 years old that first sparked a lifelong interest in good argument
• The one thing her parents did that helps her keep an open mind to new evidence even when she might be wrong
• The two types of rationality and how they both affect the way we view reality and the world we live in
• Why she co-founded the Center for Applied Rationality and how they are changing the way people think about problems and make decisions
• The role intuition plays in our decision-making process, (and when we can trust it to take over)
• What the strengths and weaknesses of the 2 systems of our brain are and how they interact to help us function
• The two-step process to changing minds (both your own and others’)
• Julia’s tips on how to process the daily deluge of available information with a more rational mind

And a lot more ...

Venkatesh Rao is the founder of the blog Ribbonfarm, the technology analysis site Breaking Smart, and the author of a book on decision making called Tempo.

We talk about a host of fascinating subjects, including:

• The dangers and the benefits of tribalistic and individualistic thinking
• The 3 types of decision makers and a brief overview of each (which are you?)
• The brilliant way he describes the power of mental models through Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings
• How mental models simplify the sheer volume of information our brains are forced to process every day
• Why it’s critical to continually update your mental models, and how most people are doing this wrong
• How Venkatesh processes the information he reads, and how he handles material he doesn’t enjoy reading
• How technology will impact the way we run businesses, manage people, and even interact with each other

On this episode, I'm happy to have Philip Tetlock, author, and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

He's the co-leader of The Good Judgement Project, which is a multi-year forecasting study. He also wrote the New York Times best-selling book,Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction and Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?

In this interview, we dive into the meat and potatoes of what we can do to get better at the art and science of prediction, including:

• What traits and characteristics make one person a more accurate forecaster than another
• The 15 minute exercise that radically improves the average forecaster’s accuracy
• How Philip’s mantra, “Start with the outside and work inside” can prevent you from making incorrect assumptions when making an important decision
• How we can foster open-mindedness in ourselves and other people in our organizations
• What the “Fermi method” is and how it can help flush out your ignorance when wrestling with a problem/li>
• How much of prediction is a learnable skill, and how much is just dumb luck
• How organizations can use Philip’s research to create a culture of creative problem solving (even if it means mistakes are more visible to others)

And much more.

On this episode, I have Chris Dixon.

Chris is a partner at perhaps the most famous venture capital firm in the world, Andreessen Horowitz or commonly known as a16z.

We talk about the history of venture capital, why companies fail, the future of artificial intelligence and the Idea Maze. I hope you like this interview as much as I did.

On this episode I have Jason Zweig. Jason writes The Intelligent Investor column for the Wall Street Journal. He has also written books like Your Money and Your Brain, The Little Book of Safe Money, and taken part in revised editions of the cult classic The Intelligent Investor. He’s got a new book coming out called The Devil’s Financial Dictionary, which we’ll talk about. Jason is an extraordinary person who offers historical perspectives on today’s seemingly important financial news.

We talk about a host of things, including what his day looks like; why he adds a philosophical and historical view to his columns; the relentless flow of news; his new book The Devil’s Financial Dictionary, what the average investor should do and so much more. 

In this episode of The Knowledge Project, I have on the show one of my favorite people: Sanjay Bakshi.

Sanjay is one of India’s most recognized finance professors. He teaches a course entitled Behavioural Finance and Business Valuation at the Management Development Institute. And while he probably doesn’t want me to mention this, not only is he an amazing teacher; he is also a skilled practitioner. He is one of the most successful investors you will ever meet.

In this interview, we talk about a host of things, including:

• Why Sanjay has built an impressive anti-library, yet prefers to read on a Kindle
• How to develop a multi-disciplinary approach to learning so you’re building breadth as well as depth in your knowledge
• The clever mental trick Sanjay uses to keep an open mind about problems he’s working on
• How he teaches his students to seek multiple perspectives when learning something new, and how it impacts their retention and understanding
• How mental models transformed Sanjay’s investing strategies and spilled into other areas of his life as well
• How Sanjay filters the deluge of information that’s coming at him every day to focus on the details that are most important.
• What the most sustainable business models look like and the characteristics they share
• Whether it’s advantageous to be more intuitive or data-driven in business, and how to develop those traits
• Which book Sanjay reads three times a year and finds new pearls of wisdom every time he cracks it open

***

For comprehensive show notes on this episode, including a full edited transcript, go to https://www.fs.blog/podcast/

My free weekly Brain Food digest helps you upgrade your thinking. Don't miss out, sign up at https://www.fs.blog/newsletter/

Follow Shane on Twitter (https://twitter.com/farnamstreet)

This episode features Michael Lombardi, former General Manager of the Cleveland Browns and current member of the coaching staff on the New England Patriots. He's widely regarded as one of the best evaluators of talent in the NFL and as we'll see, a lot more goes into that than measuring talent.

In this packed interview with Michael, you’ll learn:

• The four elements of leadership (that are just as applicable in the home and office as they are on the football field)
• The key differences between good coaches and bad coaches and how to see where you are on the spectrum
• How Michael evaluates a player’s ability to fit into the culture and system of a team (lots of carryover for recruiting into a company or other organization)
• The importance of divergent thinking in an organization to avoid “groupthink” and stagnant progress
• How to manage big egos and get players to cooperate to reach a team objective rather than compete for the spotlight
• Why focusing on processes and not outcomes is an overlooked strategy to reach lofty goals
• What coaching in the NFL has taught Michael about parenting

Whether you’re a fan of American football or not, there are lots of insights to be learned from this episode.

***

For comprehensive show notes on this episode, including a full edited transcript, go to https://www.fs.blog/podcast/

My free weekly Brain Food digest helps you upgrade your thinking. Don't miss out, sign up at https://www.fs.blog/newsletter/

Follow Shane on Twitter (https://twitter.com/farnamstreet)

The first episode of The Knowledge Project features Michael Mauboussin, the head of Global Financial Strategies at Credit Suisse. He's also written numerous books, including More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places,Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition, and most recentlyThe Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing.

More importantly, Mauboussin spends more time thinking about thinking than most people.

In this inaugural episode, we explore:

• How Michael structures his day (and which elements are absolutely essential to fit in no matter what’s on his plate)
• How “chunking” his time when performing tasks seems to result in a more productive day
• What role intuition plays in making big decisions and when it should be minimized
• How deliberate practice can help hone our intuition so we can lean on it when it matters
• How to audit your decision making process so you continually get better
• Effective ways to challenge the status quo in your organization, even if you’re at the bottom of the totem pole
• Tools and methods Michael uses with his children to encourage them to think for themselves
• How technology affects our decision making processes both positively and negatively
• The books that most influenced Michael’s life and why they mean so much to him

And much more.

I hope you enjoy this new format of learning the best of what others have already figured out.

***

For comprehensive show notes on this episode, including a full edited transcript, go to https://www.fs.blog/podcast/

My free weekly Brain Food digest helps you upgrade your thinking. Don't miss out, sign up at https://www.fs.blog/newsletter/

Follow Shane on Twitter (https://twitter.com/farnamstreet)