Wisdom in fragments

Whenever I write a new song with somebody, it feels like the first time. I sometimes feel embarrassed, humiliated, like I don't know what I'm doing until we find a spark. You have to dare to go to this place where, even though you've done it before, it feels like you don't know what you're looking for until you find it.

Grammy-nominated music producer and songwriter behind major pop hits

To me, writing a song is like a ball game. You bounce the ball back and forth until someone doesn't want to play anymore. When you make music, you want to make someone feel something. So if you write in collaboration, you can have a good reality check if you can make each other feel something with every new word, every new melody.

Grammy-nominated music producer and songwriter behind major pop hits

I usually start at the end. When you listen to a song for the first time, if there's something you remember from it the next day, that's where I can start writing the song. Whatever the takeaway is, that's the starting point for me.

Grammy-nominated music producer and songwriter behind major pop hits

As we continue to push the boundaries of what is computationally possible, we are not just developing a new technology, but fundamentally expanding our understanding of the universe and our place within it.

Theoretical computer scientist specializing in quantum computing and computational complexity

While a quantum computer could certainly cause significant economic and social disruption if used to break encryption, it does not pose the same kind of direct, physical threat to humanity as nuclear weapons. The situation is somewhat mitigated by the existence of quantum-resistant or post-quantum cryptographic schemes.

Theoretical computer scientist specializing in quantum computing and computational complexity

Having recently spent two years working on AI safety and ethics at OpenAI, I have been deeply engaged in examining the moral and societal implications of artificial intelligence. With AI, we face a profound civilizational question: as AI systems become increasingly capable of performing tasks previously done by humans, what role will humans play in an AI-driven world?

Theoretical computer scientist specializing in quantum computing and computational complexity

My initial motivation for studying quantum computing was a desire to understand the fundamental computational limits of the universe. Even in the absence of practical applications, I believed this pursuit was worthwhile as the most rigorous test of quantum mechanics to date. In fact, I often joke that disproving quantum computing sceptics is the primary application of a quantum computer, with everything else being a bonus.

Theoretical computer scientist specializing in quantum computing and computational complexity

The strangeness of reality was apparent long before the advent of quantum mechanics. The history of science is a sequence of revelations, each showing that the true nature of things is not what it seems to the casual observer. Quantum mechanics, however, takes this weirdness to a new level.

Theoretical computer scientist specializing in quantum computing and computational complexity

A quantum computer is very similar to a classical computer, with one key difference: it takes full advantage of the laws of quantum mechanics. The heart of quantum mechanics is the concept of amplitudes. An amplitude is a new kind of number, related to but distinct from an ordinary probability. Amplitudes can be positive, negative, or even complex numbers.

Theoretical computer scientist specializing in quantum computing and computational complexity

Start doing things not for the end product, but for the impact on your heart, your brain, your life, and your health. Recognize that you've been conditioned to hate yourself and your creativity for the sake of a culture that does not care about you.

Life Coach, Author & Sociologist Known for Self-Acceptance Work

Look at Jeff Bezos telling his 1.5 million employees to 'wake up every morning terrified and stay terrified all day.' They're not getting rich; they're barely scraping by. Yet he wants them living in terror so he can get even richer. That's crazy. That's a crazy society and a crazy life.

Life Coach, Author & Sociologist Known for Self-Acceptance Work

As far back as we know, humans have spent a lot of energy making what I call 'pointless, precious things.' Archaeologists recently uncovered a life-size sculpture of a bison, 14,000 years old, in a cave in France. That must have taken real effort by people likely living a Palaeolithic lifestyle. That's part of why we've been so dominant on this planet.

Life Coach, Author & Sociologist Known for Self-Acceptance Work

In the 1960s, NASA commissioned a study to identify creative geniuses for hiring, and found that 2% of the adults they tested fit the bill. A few years later, someone thought to give the same test to four- and five-year-olds—and 98% of them qualified as creative geniuses. The researchers blamed the school system.

Life Coach, Author & Sociologist Known for Self-Acceptance Work

Fear is like being shot out of a cannon. Imagine a car has fallen on someone I love—I get this clear, calm, intense bolt of energy. In that heightened state, I could lift the car off them (as has happened before in rare cases). Anxiety, on the other hand, is like being haunted. You never actually see what's scaring you—it's just a story in your head that never goes away.

Life Coach, Author & Sociologist Known for Self-Acceptance Work

Einstein famously said time is what a clock measures, which was a half-joke but also the best answer he could give. A clock measures the 'distance' it travels through spacetime between events. That's fascinating, but it still doesn't tell you what time actually is.

Theoretical Physicist & TV Science Communicator

Quantum mechanics is a consistent mathematical structure, not that difficult to understand in itself, which nature has chosen. The confusing thing is that nature chose something that doesn't feel intuitive to us. It has a reputation for being mystifying mainly because of its history rather than what it really is as a theory.

Theoretical Physicist & TV Science Communicator