𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆: 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒐 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 by China Miéville
This is the book you read when you want to see what happens when a Marxist PhD in International Relations decides to write a monster story and breaks the genre dial off at 11.
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
This is the book you read when you want to see what happens when a Marxist PhD in International Relations decides to write a monster story and breaks the genre dial off at 11.
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
Perdido Street Station Audiobook on Libro.fm
WINNER OF THE AUGUST DERLETH AND ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARDS • A masterpiece brimming with scientific splendor, magical intrigue, and fierce characters, from the author who “has reshaped modern fantasy” (...
libro.fm
November 28, 2025 at 4:32 PM
𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆: 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒐 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 by China Miéville
This is the book you read when you want to see what happens when a Marxist PhD in International Relations decides to write a monster story and breaks the genre dial off at 11.
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
This is the book you read when you want to see what happens when a Marxist PhD in International Relations decides to write a monster story and breaks the genre dial off at 11.
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐔𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 We like to think we have the willpower to ignore the supercomputer in our pocket. We don’t. And neither do students. The implications of that are…messy.
November 27, 2025 at 6:13 PM
𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐔𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 We like to think we have the willpower to ignore the supercomputer in our pocket. We don’t. And neither do students. The implications of that are…messy.
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 There is a creeping biological fatalism in education and throughout society—the idea that DNA is destiny. A groundbreaking study prunes back these lazy myths to reveal that high-quality schools can substitute for genetic luck.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
The genetic lottery goes to school: Better schools compensate for the effects of students’ genetic differences | PNAS
In this paper, we investigate whether better schools can compensate for the effects
of children’s genetic differences. To this end, we combine data...
www.pnas.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:12 PM
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 There is a creeping biological fatalism in education and throughout society—the idea that DNA is destiny. A groundbreaking study prunes back these lazy myths to reveal that high-quality schools can substitute for genetic luck.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
||Free-Range Humans||
We often treat early childhood education like a race to the bottom of a worksheet or a competition to pack a 5-year-old’s resume. But a new, rigorous lottery-based study on public Montessori schools suggests we should be playing a very different, much longer game.
We often treat early childhood education like a race to the bottom of a worksheet or a competition to pack a 5-year-old’s resume. But a new, rigorous lottery-based study on public Montessori schools suggests we should be playing a very different, much longer game.
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:39 PM
||Free-Range Humans||
We often treat early childhood education like a race to the bottom of a worksheet or a competition to pack a 5-year-old’s resume. But a new, rigorous lottery-based study on public Montessori schools suggests we should be playing a very different, much longer game.
We often treat early childhood education like a race to the bottom of a worksheet or a competition to pack a 5-year-old’s resume. But a new, rigorous lottery-based study on public Montessori schools suggests we should be playing a very different, much longer game.
Will AI make us smarter about money, or just faster fools? That was the core question I tackled a couple weeks ago on a panel for the @Financial Times in #NYC. We dissected the future of wealth planning and inheritance.
November 24, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Will AI make us smarter about money, or just faster fools? That was the core question I tackled a couple weeks ago on a panel for the @Financial Times in #NYC. We dissected the future of wealth planning and inheritance.
We say we want meritocracy, but new research shows we reward what's easy to measure, not what truly matters. Why do firms keep falling for the Peter Principle, and why do VCs who fund founders that look like them get worse returns? The answer reveals a deep, costly flaw in how we think about risk.
Tyranny of the Legible
Musing's professional mad scientist working to maximize human potential
academy.socos.org
November 23, 2025 at 4:37 PM
We say we want meritocracy, but new research shows we reward what's easy to measure, not what truly matters. Why do firms keep falling for the Peter Principle, and why do VCs who fund founders that look like them get worse returns? The answer reveals a deep, costly flaw in how we think about risk.
I watched the first episode of "Pluribus" this week. Go watch and wonder, as I am, whether this is meant to be gift or weapon?
I am reminder of "Babel-17" vs 'The Story of Your Life' (language is a weapon vs gift) and "Blindsight"* vs "Children of Time" (culture as cognitive weapon vs gift).
I am reminder of "Babel-17" vs 'The Story of Your Life' (language is a weapon vs gift) and "Blindsight"* vs "Children of Time" (culture as cognitive weapon vs gift).
‘Pluribus’ Review: From Many, What?
www.nytimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I watched the first episode of "Pluribus" this week. Go watch and wonder, as I am, whether this is meant to be gift or weapon?
I am reminder of "Babel-17" vs 'The Story of Your Life' (language is a weapon vs gift) and "Blindsight"* vs "Children of Time" (culture as cognitive weapon vs gift).
I am reminder of "Babel-17" vs 'The Story of Your Life' (language is a weapon vs gift) and "Blindsight"* vs "Children of Time" (culture as cognitive weapon vs gift).
VC Beer Goggles: Want to look into the face of your next bad investment? Look in the mirror.
November 20, 2025 at 3:27 PM
VC Beer Goggles: Want to look into the face of your next bad investment? Look in the mirror.
The Paradoxical Penalty for High-Achievers
How do high-net worth investors make decisions? With the same cognitive biases as the rest of us.
How do high-net worth investors make decisions? With the same cognitive biases as the rest of us.
November 19, 2025 at 2:39 PM
The Paradoxical Penalty for High-Achievers
How do high-net worth investors make decisions? With the same cognitive biases as the rest of us.
How do high-net worth investors make decisions? With the same cognitive biases as the rest of us.
"Rewarding the Past, Mortgaging the Future"
Is the Peter Principle real? New research “using microdata on the performance of sales workers at 214 firms” offers a rather resounding, “Hell, Yes!” And it is costly.
Is the Peter Principle real? New research “using microdata on the performance of sales workers at 214 firms” offers a rather resounding, “Hell, Yes!” And it is costly.
November 18, 2025 at 4:01 PM
"Rewarding the Past, Mortgaging the Future"
Is the Peter Principle real? New research “using microdata on the performance of sales workers at 214 firms” offers a rather resounding, “Hell, Yes!” And it is costly.
Is the Peter Principle real? New research “using microdata on the performance of sales workers at 214 firms” offers a rather resounding, “Hell, Yes!” And it is costly.
" Rewarding the Past, Mortgaging the Future"
Is the Peter Principle real? New research “using microdata on the performance of sales workers at 214 firms” offers a rather resounding, “Hell, Yes!” And it is costly.
Is the Peter Principle real? New research “using microdata on the performance of sales workers at 214 firms” offers a rather resounding, “Hell, Yes!” And it is costly.
November 18, 2025 at 4:00 PM
" Rewarding the Past, Mortgaging the Future"
Is the Peter Principle real? New research “using microdata on the performance of sales workers at 214 firms” offers a rather resounding, “Hell, Yes!” And it is costly.
Is the Peter Principle real? New research “using microdata on the performance of sales workers at 214 firms” offers a rather resounding, “Hell, Yes!” And it is costly.
@INvolve + @YouTube named 100 “Outstanding Role Models” list this year. I’m honored to be included.
bit.ly/478FXZe
bit.ly/478FXZe
November 17, 2025 at 3:36 PM
@INvolve + @YouTube named 100 “Outstanding Role Models” list this year. I’m honored to be included.
bit.ly/478FXZe
bit.ly/478FXZe
Our digital tools aren't just giving us information; they're building a profitable ignorance by exploiting our deepest psychological biases. In my latest piece, I connect three new studies to reveal the mechanics of this undeclared business model and what it means for the future of knowledge itself.
Engineering Ignorance is the New Business Model
Musing's professional mad scientist working to maximize human potential
academy.socos.org
November 16, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Our digital tools aren't just giving us information; they're building a profitable ignorance by exploiting our deepest psychological biases. In my latest piece, I connect three new studies to reveal the mechanics of this undeclared business model and what it means for the future of knowledge itself.
SciFriday: Want a little time travel in your life? How about 6 short stories by six SFF heavy hitters in the new collection The Time Traveler's Passport.
www.audible.com/series/The-T...
www.audible.com/series/The-T...
November 14, 2025 at 2:50 PM
SciFriday: Want a little time travel in your life? How about 6 short stories by six SFF heavy hitters in the new collection The Time Traveler's Passport.
www.audible.com/series/The-T...
www.audible.com/series/The-T...
Years ago, I gave a keynote for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh. It just happened to be during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This pure coincidence gave rise to the greatest compliment I've ever received:
"Vivienne Ming is the funniest act at the Fringe this year."
Infinite happiness :)
"Vivienne Ming is the funniest act at the Fringe this year."
Infinite happiness :)
November 13, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Years ago, I gave a keynote for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh. It just happened to be during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This pure coincidence gave rise to the greatest compliment I've ever received:
"Vivienne Ming is the funniest act at the Fringe this year."
Infinite happiness :)
"Vivienne Ming is the funniest act at the Fringe this year."
Infinite happiness :)
Have You Herd the Truth? We like to think of ourselves as independent rational thinkers, but the pull of social consensus is incredibly powerful. New research suggests consensus might even change “truth”.
November 13, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Have You Herd the Truth? We like to think of ourselves as independent rational thinkers, but the pull of social consensus is incredibly powerful. New research suggests consensus might even change “truth”.
The Sycophant in the Machine
Many worry about a malevolent AI bent on our destruction, but what about AI that's too…nice?
Many worry about a malevolent AI bent on our destruction, but what about AI that's too…nice?
November 12, 2025 at 3:56 PM
The Sycophant in the Machine
Many worry about a malevolent AI bent on our destruction, but what about AI that's too…nice?
Many worry about a malevolent AI bent on our destruction, but what about AI that's too…nice?
Look at that: I’m an “Outstanding Role Model”! Thanks so much to @INvolve.people and @YouTube for giving me this same terribly misjudged honor again this year! I do genuinely appreciate it :)
November 12, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Look at that: I’m an “Outstanding Role Model”! Thanks so much to @INvolve.people and @YouTube for giving me this same terribly misjudged honor again this year! I do genuinely appreciate it :)
Personalized Ignorance
Personalization algorithms are designed to give us exactly what we want. It turns out most of us “want” intellectual blind spots.
Personalization algorithms are designed to give us exactly what we want. It turns out most of us “want” intellectual blind spots.
November 11, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Personalized Ignorance
Personalization algorithms are designed to give us exactly what we want. It turns out most of us “want” intellectual blind spots.
Personalization algorithms are designed to give us exactly what we want. It turns out most of us “want” intellectual blind spots.
The journey from "mad science" to a real-world tool that changes lives is one of the most thrilling parts of my work. I'm incredibly proud that Smithsonian Magazine has featured Dionysus Health and our first-in-the-world blood test to predict a new mother's risk for postpartum depression.
A Blood Test Can Now Predict a Mother's Risk of Postpartum Depression
Scientists are learning more about this leading complication of childbirth, and treatments are improving
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
The journey from "mad science" to a real-world tool that changes lives is one of the most thrilling parts of my work. I'm incredibly proud that Smithsonian Magazine has featured Dionysus Health and our first-in-the-world blood test to predict a new mother's risk for postpartum depression.
SciFriday
Ever have a reading experience that felt like literary double exposure? I just finished Adrian Tchaikovsky's grimly charming "House of Open Wounds" while coincidentally re-listening to Terry Pratchett's "Small Gods" (way back when, my 1st Discworld novel).
Ever have a reading experience that felt like literary double exposure? I just finished Adrian Tchaikovsky's grimly charming "House of Open Wounds" while coincidentally re-listening to Terry Pratchett's "Small Gods" (way back when, my 1st Discworld novel).
House of Open Wounds Audiobook on Libro.fm
From the BSFA Award-Winning Author of City Of Last ChancesCity-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. As their legions scour t...
libro.fm
November 7, 2025 at 3:18 PM
SciFriday
Ever have a reading experience that felt like literary double exposure? I just finished Adrian Tchaikovsky's grimly charming "House of Open Wounds" while coincidentally re-listening to Terry Pratchett's "Small Gods" (way back when, my 1st Discworld novel).
Ever have a reading experience that felt like literary double exposure? I just finished Adrian Tchaikovsky's grimly charming "House of Open Wounds" while coincidentally re-listening to Terry Pratchett's "Small Gods" (way back when, my 1st Discworld novel).
Our Uncertain Future…by design
When is it better to be a flexible generalist, and when is it better to be an efficient specialist? The answer is uncertain…literally.
When is it better to be a flexible generalist, and when is it better to be an efficient specialist? The answer is uncertain…literally.
November 7, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Our Uncertain Future…by design
When is it better to be a flexible generalist, and when is it better to be an efficient specialist? The answer is uncertain…literally.
When is it better to be a flexible generalist, and when is it better to be an efficient specialist? The answer is uncertain…literally.
The Pivot Penalty
As a serial entrepreneur I’ve been "raised" on the advice to pivot: if your current business plan isn’t working, discover a new one quickly. It turns out that same advice may not hold for careers.
As a serial entrepreneur I’ve been "raised" on the advice to pivot: if your current business plan isn’t working, discover a new one quickly. It turns out that same advice may not hold for careers.
November 5, 2025 at 4:37 PM
The Pivot Penalty
As a serial entrepreneur I’ve been "raised" on the advice to pivot: if your current business plan isn’t working, discover a new one quickly. It turns out that same advice may not hold for careers.
As a serial entrepreneur I’ve been "raised" on the advice to pivot: if your current business plan isn’t working, discover a new one quickly. It turns out that same advice may not hold for careers.
Do you dream of your child being the next Messi or Einstein? Then forget any Tiggerish Battle Hymns or Whiplash-inducing obsession, and raise a generalist.
November 4, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Do you dream of your child being the next Messi or Einstein? Then forget any Tiggerish Battle Hymns or Whiplash-inducing obsession, and raise a generalist.
An Extemporaneous Keynote on an Impossible Subject? My Favorite!
academy.socos.org/extemporaneo...
Can AI create a better world? The answer from my research is a firm yes, but only if we explicitly design AI to augment our creativity, not replace it.
academy.socos.org/extemporaneo...
Can AI create a better world? The answer from my research is a firm yes, but only if we explicitly design AI to augment our creativity, not replace it.
An Extemporaneous Keynote on an Impossible Subject? My Favorite!
Can AI create a better world? The answer from my research is a firm yes, but only if we explicitly design AI to augment our creativity, not replace it.
I had a fantastic time in Mexico City discussi...
academy.socos.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:16 PM
An Extemporaneous Keynote on an Impossible Subject? My Favorite!
academy.socos.org/extemporaneo...
Can AI create a better world? The answer from my research is a firm yes, but only if we explicitly design AI to augment our creativity, not replace it.
academy.socos.org/extemporaneo...
Can AI create a better world? The answer from my research is a firm yes, but only if we explicitly design AI to augment our creativity, not replace it.