Infinite Loops

Why has America become so bad at building housing, infrastructure, and major projects?

Brian Potter, author of The Origins of Efficiency and writer of Construction Physics, explains why prefab housing keeps failing and why there are no easy fixes to America's building problem. We discuss Katerra, California's anti-growth turn, and the deeper logic behind local opposition to growth: concentrated harms and diffuse benefits.

What can Aristotle, Plato, Prometheus, and the Greek city-states teach us about AI, innovation, and the future of human flourishing?
Alex Petkas joins the show to explore how old myths still matter in a world shaped by technology. We talk about Prometheus as the foundational myth of tech, Plato's fear that writing would become a tool for forgetting, the real lesson of Icarus, why decentralization creates cultural power, and what it means to remain fully human in the age of AI.

Important Links:

Learn More about The Cost of Glory: www.costofglory.com

Check out Alex's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@costofglory

Alex's Twitter: https://x.com/costofglory

The Cost of Glory Substack: https://costofglory.substack.com/

Scientist and writer Sam Arbesman joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, optimism, science, education, archives, science fiction, and why the history of computing still has so much to teach us.
 
We talk about why pessimism is often mistaken for sophistication, why AI may reward open-mindedness more than intelligence, why science works even though scientists are imperfect, and why the future may depend on revisiting forgotten ideas from the past.

Important Links:

Learn more about Sam here: https://arbesman.net/

Read Sam's latest book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/samuel-arbesman/the-magic-of-code

Sam's Substack: https://arbesman.substack.com/about

Neal Stephenson's Innovation Starvation: https://www.wired.com/2011/10/stephenson-innovation-starvation/

David Deutsch's The Beginning of Infinity: https://www.thebeginningofinfinity.com/

Johnathan Bi returns to Infinite Loops for a conversation about founders, delusion, America, religion, mysticism, and the strange tension between truth and action.
We explore why some of the most effective builders may be the least introspective, why societies often run on useful fictions, how America encourages megalomania, what happens when materialism starts to feel incomplete, and why the "seeker" may matter even more in the age of AI. The episode moves from Plato and Caesar to founders, mystics, near-death experiences, and the future of human creativity.

Important Links:

Johnathan's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@bi.johnathan

Johnathan's Substack: https://substack.com/@johnathanbi

Polina Pompliano studies some of the most successful people in the world—and what she's found challenges how we think about success, creativity, and human behavior.
In this episode of Infinite Loops, we explore the mental models behind high performers, why we misunderstand people (including ourselves), and what it really takes to see the world differently. From creativity and rationality to identity, media bias, and the hidden motivations driving success, this conversation is a deep dive into how great thinkers actually operate.

Important Links:

Check out Polina's new book: 
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Genius-Thinking-Successful-People/dp/0593715604


More from Polina Pompliano — The Profile: https://theprofile.substack.com