#637: Stephen Wolfram — Personal Productivity Systems, Richard Feynman Stories, Computational Thinking as a Superpower, Perceiving a Branching Universe, and The Ruliad... The Biggest Object in Metascience

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Stephen Wolfram (@stephen_wolfram) is the
creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha and the Wolfram Language;
the author of A New Kind of Science; the originator of the
Wolfram Physics Project; and the founder and CEO of Wolfram
Research. Over the course of more than four decades, he has been
a pioneer in the development and application of computational
thinking and has been responsible for many discoveries,
inventions, and innovations in science, technology, and business.


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[06:58] How Stephen collects information for his vast personal
archives.


[08:40] When a situation warrants building a matrix.


[12:31] Science sometimes makes us look far back to move
incrementally forward.


[17:49] Befriending the computational.


[22:59] How technology helps us navigate natural language.


[32:30] How Stephen chose subjects for his book Idea Makers.


[35:09] On spending time with Richard Feynman.


[37:33] Thoughts on Srinivasa Ramanujan.


[39:57] When Stephen started solving science problems with
computers.


[42:00] Heresies today, gospels tomorrow.


[50:14] Ruminations on the ruliad.


[1:03:46] What is time?


[1:12:03] What constitutes consciousness?


[1:15:56] Personal infrastructure and productivity.


[1:23:25] Maintaining energy in the midst of a busy life.


[1:29:37] Avoiding once-inevitable sickness after air travel.


[1:31:50] Making time count — in sickness and in health.


[1:32:45] Parting thoughts.


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