PodcastsBusinessThinking On Paper

Thinking On Paper

Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson
Thinking On Paper
Latest episode

218 episodes

  • Thinking On Paper

    IBM: Behind The Scenes Of Quantum-Centric Supercomputing - Scott Crowder

    06/05/2026 | 44 mins.
    Hello you quantum supercomputing, IBM intrigued disruptors and curious minds. Today we’re Thinking On Paper with Scott Crowder, VP of IBM Quantum Adoption. On the agenda? Yes, Quantum-centric supercomputing.

    This isn’t a quantum computer replacing a classical computer. It's both, working together, dancing around the qubits and solving the material science, chemistry and biology challenges an advanced civilization like ours needs to master. 

    Quantum handles the subroutines it does best. Classical handles everything else. Scott is here to explain IBM’s new reference architecture, why it matters, and what already runs on it today.

    You’ll learn why the "quantum vs. classical" framing fails, how Cleveland Clinic simulated a 303-atom protein that no classical machine can handle, why IBM picked superconducting qubits over trapped ions, how a state-of-the-art quantum computer draws less power than a single rack of AI GPUs and wonder just what Richard Feynman would make of quantum computing today.

    Please enjoy the show. And If you do, share it with one person you’d think would enjoy it as much as you.

    Then subscribe.

    🏠 HQ: www.thinkingonpaper.xyz
    📺 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/
    🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00volKqMsQntToeho35W47
    🎧 APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-on-paper-technology-moves-fast-think-slower/id1713227258
    --
    Mark x: https://x.com/markfielding99
    Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremygilbertson/


    Chapters
    (00:00) Trailer
    (01:20) Quantum computing: real, hyped, or both
    (02:40) Why reference architectures decide which technologies win
    (05:05) Superconducting vs. trapped ion vs. spin qubits
    (06:47) Why accessibility and algorithmic discovery are the real bottlenecks
    (12:34) Cleveland Clinic's 303-atom protein simulation
    (13:44) IBM's quantum-centric supercomputing architecture
    (16:07) What already runs on quantum computers today
    (17:58) The roadmap: how quantum and classical converge
    (22:28) What Richard Feynman would make of the field today
    (25:25) What quantum computing means for the future of data centers
    (32:01) Quantum computers in space, and why Crowder rejects Elon's pitch
    (34:10) What computing is actually for
    (42:19) Why Qiskit, NVIDIA, and open source matter for adoption
  • Thinking On Paper

    You'll Be Able To Upload Your Brain In 2054: Anders Sandberg

    28/04/2026 | 1h 54 mins.
    Hold on to your hats you beautiful curious minds, your brain is about to get a serious work out.
    Anders Sandberg, futurist, transhumanist and curiosity magpie joins us for one of the widest-ranging conversations we've ever recorded.This is a tour through the next thousand years. The good, the bad, the strange and the wonderful, Anders flicks between them with elegance, depth, insight and humour.You'll learn about brain emulation, the politics of space, AI run economies, NASA, transhumanism, longevity, maths, neuroscience, memory, middle age and aliens.
    We'll ask you why Dracula wouldn't be bored if he was around today, what drone warfare and AGI means for peace, prosperity and economics and whether Bryan Johnson really can live forever. Enjoy.

    🎧 Listen to every podcast⁠
    📺 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠
    🏠 Follow us on ⁠X⁠
    🏠 Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠

    To suggest guests or sponsor the show, please email: [email protected]

    --

    Chapters

    (00:00) Augmentation and Human Potential
    (08:09) The Impact of Mobile Technology on Humanity
    (11:51) Accountability in AI Agents
    (18:25) The Role of Empathy in Human-AI Interaction
    (25:35) AGI vs. Alien Life: A Comparative Analysis
    (27:36) Consciousness and Brain Emulation
    (35:52) The Future of Uploaded Minds
    (40:33) Exploring Parallel Realities and Memory Merging
    (45:16) The Future of Human Collaboration and Organizations
    (46:24) AI's Role in Managing Global Systems
    (51:23) The Dual Economy: Human vs AI Management
    (57:43) The Complexities of Space Ownership and Governance
    (01:05:18) The Future of Space Exploration and Human Expansion
    (01:17:49) The Impact of Space Race on Human Progress
    (01:21:43) The Role of Nations and Corporations in Space Exploration
    (01:24:22) Experimenting with New Forms of Governance
    (01:26:18) NASA's Future in the Age of Innovation
    (01:28:41) The Potential for Breakaway Movements in Space
    (01:30:16) Trust and Coordination in Space Governance
    (01:34:18) The Future of Fusion Energy
    (01:42:15) The Value of Time and Life Extension
    (01:48:06) Reinventing Identity in Extended Lifespans
    (01:52:03) The Future of Humanity and Technology
  • Thinking On Paper

    Carissa Véliz: Prophecy

    24/04/2026 | 59 mins.
    Carissa Véliz joins us to Think On Paper about her new book Prophecy.You'll learn about the history of prophecy, why Rasputin couldn't be trusted, why Polymarket needs to be regulated, and what CEOs and founders of the biggest tech companies in the world have to gain by predicting your future.On the way, you'll hear about Seinfeld, turkeys, stoicism, philosophy, books and a lot more.This conversation really is worth your time.Please enjoy it.
    --
    📺 Watch On YouTube:
    🎧 Listen to every podcast⁠
    📺 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠
    🏠 Follow us on ⁠X⁠
    🏠 Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠

    To suggest guests or sponsor the show, please email: [email protected]

    --

    CHAPTERS  

    (00:00) Intro
    (01:00) What is the good life? 
    (02:00) Why knowing yourself matters more than strategy 
    (04:44) The analog world vs the digital world 
    (06:45) How prophecies exploit our need for security 
    (08:47) Why ancient Rome banned predicting the emperor's death 
    (10:11) The illusion of safety that AI sells us 
    (12:27) When predictions work, and when they don't 
    (15:00) Altman, Amodei, Huang: predictions or sales pitches? 
    (28:29) How to resist prophecies as a busy person 
    (29:53) Prediction markets, Polymarket, and democracy 
    (31:49) TikTok, algorithms, and the Molly Russell case 
    (36:08) "Engagement algorithms are cocaine in food" 
    (40:54) Self-fulfilling prophecies as the perfect crime 
    (43:44) Why comedy is the enemy of prophecy 
    (46:59) What Seinfeld teaches us about predictive algorithms 
    (52:16) Karikó and the Nobel Prize we almost missed 
    (53:40) Increase your serendipity 
    (56:13) Why Epicurus beats the Stoics
  • Thinking On Paper

    Trump Lost The Meme War With Iran

    21/04/2026 | 15 mins.
    The AI meme war between the US and Iran has evolved into an absolute shit show. If you thought it was awful a few weeks ago, you ain't seen nothing yet.

    AI-generated Lego propaganda videos were a curiosity. Sometimes funny, often violent, always troublesome and never diplomatic, they quickly gained millions of views across social media... because social media.

    The White House Twitter (X) account was responsible for the US videos.

    An Iranian media company called Explosive Media, the Iranian. America, either put off by the global consensus that it was losing the war, or bored, switched their AI models to tax season (with equal ineptitude).

    Iran, losing the guns and missiles part of the war, has changed tact. Explosive Media turned up the heat. And was duly banned from YouTube. Which could of unleashed the beast. Now Iranian embassies are posting them on Twitter (X) and US creators are using the same format to mock it all with Lego.. Just watch it yourself. And let us know what you think.
    --
    🎧 Listen to every podcast⁠
    📺 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠
    🏠 Follow us on ⁠X⁠
    🏠 Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠

    To suggest guests or sponsor the show, please email: [email protected]

    --

    --
    TIMESTAMPS

    (00:00) Explosive Media
    (00:38) US Bowling Iran
    (01:52) Trump's Mask
    (03:20) Blockade, Blockade
    (06:28) Drunken Hegseth
    (08:00) Truth
  • Thinking On Paper

    Who Owns The Moon? You're Not Going To Like The Answer

    15/04/2026 | 27 mins.
    The romantic version of the space economy is about exploration. We say it's about war.
    A while ago we interviewed Mark Boggart, the CEO of Seraphim Space. One number he said has stuck with us ever since.80% of all space investment, right now, is defence.Not 80% of launches. Not 80% of contracts. 80% of investment. The money flowing into the industry — the venture rounds, the strategic capital, the government dollars — is overwhelmingly going to one thing. Tracking, watching and blowing up enemies. This is the final episode in our five-week book club on Space to Grow by Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau. Weinzierl is a professor at Harvard Business School and co-founder of the school's SPACE course. Rosseau, formerly an HBS teaching fellow and research associate, is now a Strategy Manager at Blue Origin. Its last two chapters ask who owns space and who actually runs it. The answers are different. You won't like either.
    --
    Chapters

    (00:00) Global Conflict and Space Resources
    (02:04) Human Nature and Space Exploration
    (03:28) The Economics of Asteroid Mining
    (05:53) Legal Frameworks for Space Mining
    (11:05) The Space Resource Exploration Act
    (13:01) International Reactions to Space Mining Legislation
    (17:19) Philosophical Perspectives on Space Ownership
    (20:14) The Role of National Security in Space
    (20:40) The Role of Government in Space Innovation
    (21:34) National Security and the Space Industry
    (23:10) Weaponization of Space: A New Era
    (24:47) The Prisoner's Dilemma in Space Cooperation
    (26:40) Humanity's Moral Compass in Space Exploration
    (27:03) The Future of Humanity in Space

More Business podcasts

About Thinking On Paper

We are a technological species. Thinking On Paper is an independent podcast that helps you keep track of all the moving pieces. Conversations about the human impact of artificial intelligence, quantum computers, NASA, asteroid mining, coordination, trust, books, robotics, space technology, web3, physics, chemistry, sustainability, music, art, science, neuroscience, work, rest and play. New episodes every Thursday. Tech book club every month.
Podcast website

Listen to Thinking On Paper, A Bit of Optimism and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features