#782: Legendary Inventor Danny Hillis (Plus Kevin Kelly) — Unorthodox Lessons from 400+ Patents, Solving the Impossible, Real Al vs. “AI”, Hiring Richard Feynman, Working with Steve Jobs, Creating Parallel Computing, and Much More

Danny Hillis is an inventor, scientist, author,
and engineer. While completing his doctorate at MIT, he pioneered
the parallel computers that are the basis for the processors used
for AI and most high-performance computer chips. He is now a
founding partner with Applied Invention, working
on new ideas in cybersecurity, medicine, and agriculture.


Kevin Kelly is the founding executive editor of
WIRED magazine, the former editor and publisher of the Whole
Earth Review, and a bestselling author of books on technology and
culture, including Excellent Advice for Living. Subscribe to
Kevin’s newsletter, Recomendo, at recomendo.com.


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*


Timestamps:


[00:00] Who are Danny Hillis and Kevin Kelly? 


​​[07:56] How Danny and Kevin first met through Stewart Brand.


[09:58] The funniest person who ever opened Danny’s interview box
of unusual objects.


[14:01] Danny’s transition to Disney as a Disney Fellow and Vice
President of Imagineering.


[19:12] The contrast between engineering and artistic approaches
to problem-solving.


[28:56] The development of parallel computing and founding
Thinking Machines.


[37:15] The three criteria by which projects are chosen at
Applied Invention.


[40:36] Zero-trust packet routing (ZPR) and the future of
cybersecurity.


[46:46] Learning by “hanging out” with experts like Seymour
Papert, Marvin Minsky, and Richard Feynman.


[59:20] Danny’s work in biotechnology and cancer research with
David Agus.


[01:07:44] Staying sustainable with systems-oriented thinking in
agriculture — as nature intended.


[01:16:10] Danny’s superpower.


[01:17:48] Homeschooling, education on the move, and the
influence of Mrs. Wilner.


[01:22:00] The failure of Thinking Machines and other
regrets/surprises.


[01:26:00] The “Entanglement” that blurs natural and
technological boundaries.


[01:30:54] The current state of AI versus true intelligence.


[01:34:34] How AI may help humanity better understand its place
on the intelligence spectrum.


[01:39:42] What the future looks like to a short-term
pessimist/long-term optimist.


[01:50:50] The cone of silence we never heard from again.


[01:53:10] Debugging dementia and other diseases.


[01:58:05] The MRI alternative Danny’s tackling.


[02:00:51] We don’t we have a freezer version of the consumer
microwave oven?


[02:01:23] Danny’s place in pinch-to-zoom iPhone innovation
history.


[02:04:51] The pros and cons of patents for inventors and
society.


[02:08:01] Inventors Danny finds inspiring.


[02:10:04] Danny’s cause-and-effect heresy.


[02:14:47] Quantum computing and its implications.


[02:18:34] The scientific pursuit of understanding consciousness.


[02:23:00] The question Danny asks himself before investing time
in a project.


[02:25:26] Danny’s 10,000-year billboard.


[02:29:49] Parting thoughts.


*


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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss
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Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew
McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth
Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah
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Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de
Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly
Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard
Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael
Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan
Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit
Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim
Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval
Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth
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