x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Intellectually Curious

Intellectually Curious is a podcast by Mike Breault featuring over 1,600 AI-powered explorations across science, mathematics, philosophy, and personal growth. Each short-form episode is generated, refined, and published with the help of large language models—turning curiosity into an ongoing audio encyclopedia. Designed for anyone who loves learning, it offers quick dives into everything from combinatorics and cryptography to systems thinking and psychology.Inspiration for this podcast:"Muad"Dib

science mathematics

All Episodes

5:37

Fusing Time: The Math Behind Rope Puzzles

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/09

A classic rope puzzle that seems simple unlocks a doorway to the foundations of mathematics. We trace how lighting two ends and timing the second fuse reveals the fusible numbers, show they are all dyadic rationals, and explore the well-ordered structure whose gaps encode epsilon naught—the proof-theoretic strength of Peano arithmetic. Join us as we connect a playful parlor trick to the absolute limits of formal arithmetic, revealing how the simplest rules can hide immense logical depth. Not...

en-us

5:04

Claude Code and the Rise of the Personal AI Operating...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/09

We explore how a local AI agent becomes a chief of staff on your PC—granting direct file access, persistent rules via Claude.MD, and vibe coding that lets non-programmers design repeatable workflows. Learn about the Model Context Protocol, safety and permissions, and real-world ways to orchestrate Notion, Obsidian, Google Calendar, and more. Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information. Sponsored by Embersilk LLC

en-us

5:32

Cron: From Polling to Precision—the Quiet Engine of...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/08

A deep dive into Cron, the five-field scheduler that powers recurring tasks across multi-user systems. We trace its evolution from the brutal minute-by-minute polling of early Unix, through System V’s discrete-event scheduling, to modern standards like Vixie Cron and the OpenCron Patterns Specification—explaining how the leap from “is it time yet?” to “when is the next event?” made scalable, reliable infrastructure possible. Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mist...

en-us

5:16

Hanging by a Curve: The Catenary, Parabolas, and the...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/08

We explore the catenary—the true curve of a freely hanging chain and the mathematics it hides. Learn why it isn’t a parabola, how Galileo and Hooke unlocked its secrets, and why flipping the curve turns tension into compression for elegant, efficient arches. From the Gateway Arch to Gaudí’s mosaics, we’ll contrast true suspension curves with bridge loads, touch on the minimal-surface catanoid, and glimpse modern applications in micro‑optics and efficient filaments. A math-meets-architecture d...

en-us

5:00

Shark Teeth: Biology, Evolution, and Cultural History

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/08

We explore how sharks replace tens of thousands of teeth with a multi-row, multi-series conveyor system, how warmer waters speed turnover, and why fluorapatite enamel makes their teeth incredibly durable. From fossil megalodon teeth to modern biomaterials, we uncover the architecture of apex predation and how this self-renewing toolkit inspires durable, self-healing technology. Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical informati...

en-us

4:24

The 32-Bar Blueprint: How AABA Makes Great Songs Feel...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/07

A rigorous yet intimate tour of the 32‑bar song form (AABA) that underpins countless classics. We break down the four eight‑bar sections—three A sections with the same hook, a contrasting B bridge, and a triumphant return—and show how this tight structure creates emotional payoff. From Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm to early rock ’n’ roll and even Doctor Who themes, we trace how constraint breeds creativity, explain the old chorus/refrain terminology, and illuminate why composers keep returning to t...

en-us

5:07

Moist Sand, Mighty Structures: The Physics of...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/07

Why does dry sand crumble while a splash of water lets it stand tall? We dive into the granular physics behind sandcastles, exploring capillary bridges, surface tension, and the surprising power of tiny water fractions. Learn about the pendular and funicular regimes, why about 1% water is often optimal, and how compaction strengthens the structure. We’ll connect these beachside insights to civil engineering, geophysics, and the everyday engineering of stability in sands, landslides, and earth...

en-us

5:26

Hyaloclastite: Fire, Ice, and the Geological Time...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/07

On a black-sand beach, lava collides with ice or seawater to forge hyaloclastite —glass fragments instantly shattered by thermal shock and cemented into palagonite. In this episode we unravel how non-explosive quench fragmentation creates jigsaw-fit textures that freeze the exact moment of contact, how palagonitization turns loose debris into solid rock, and why these rocks preserve a record of past ice sheets. We’ll explore hyaloclastite layers under glaciers and at mid-ocean ridges, their r...

en-us

5:51

Dew Point Demystified: The Quiet Meter Behind...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/06

We break down the dew point—what it is, why it matters for your comfort, aviation, and building design—and how engineers estimate it with the Magnus–Tetens and Buck equations. Learn why sensor errors often dominate accuracy, how the gap between air temperature and dew point sets cloud base, and a look at extreme dew-point values. Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information. Sponsored by Embersilk LLC

en-us

4:51

NVIDIA Rubin: Extreme Co-Design and the Invisible AI...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/06

Join us as we unpack the NVIDIA Rubin platform—the next-gen AI supercomputer built around extreme co-design. We map the six-chip system (Vera CPU, Rubin GPU, NVLink 6, Connect X9, BlueField 4 DPU) and its groundbreaking bandwidth and efficiency gains, from 3.6 TB/s per GPU to 10x lower inference costs and MOE training with 4x fewer GPUs. We explore the Inference Context Memory Storage Platform, the rise of agentic AI, and what Rubin means for scaling confidential AI at the forefront of indust...

en-us

5:24

Hidden Markov Models Made Simple: From Trash Cans to...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/06

A friendly, intuitive tour of Hidden Markov Models (HMMs). Using the relatable 'full trash bin means he's home' metaphor, we explore how to infer unseen states from noisy observations, learn the model parameters with Baum–Welch, and decode the most likely state sequence with the Viterbi algorithm. You’ll see how forward–backward smoothing combines evidence from past and future, and how these ideas power real-world AI—from speech recognition to gene finding and beyond. Note: This podcast was ...

en-us

5:03

Threads as Code: Weaving, Recursion, and the Dawn of...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/05

Take a journey into how ancient textiles function as living programs. We examine Andean backstrap weaving and Japanese ikat not just as art, but as sophisticated algorithmic systems: from on-the-fly debugging as a weaver adjusts a row, to pre-dyed patterns that compile into the fabric. We connect motifs as macro-operations, recursion in repeating motifs, and the idea that pattern grammars underpin both cosmology and modern CAD-driven looms. A reminder that computation isn't just electronics—i...

en-us

4:42

Zermelo's Theorem: The First Formal Game Theory Result

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/05

We explore Ernst Zermelo's 1913 theorem for two-player, perfect-information, deterministic games. It guarantees that such games are solvable: one side can force a win, or both can force at least a draw. We unpack the non-repetition argument, why it's finite, and how this foundational insight underpins modern game theory, AI, and formal verification—long before backward induction became standard. Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any ...

en-us

5:23

Goodput, Not Just Throughput: Prefill, Decode, and...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/05

We unpack the core bottleneck in streaming AI: the split between heavy pre-fill computations and fast, memory-light decoding. From chunked prefill to physical separation (DissServe) and logical isolation (DuetServe), we explore how phase isolation eliminates interference, delivering 2x–4.5x better goodput and transforming cost efficiency. Join us as we translate GPU architecture ideas into scalable, user-friendly AI services, with practical takeaways for builders, operators, and decision-make...

en-us

4:52

Phantom Rivers: The Hidden Waterways that Built Our...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/04

We uncover phantom cities defined by riverine logic: buried systems (medieval rivers and culverted canals), drowned landscapes (post-glacial river basins now submerged), and canalized rivers forgotten in the city’s routine. From Perugia’s 13th-century aqueduct to London’s Lost Rivers and modern restoration efforts, archaeology, geophysics, and proactive urban design are reviving these invisible streams to inform resilient futures. Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can mak...

en-us

4:23

Grosswald's Sum of Five Squares Formula

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/04

Jacobi’s exact four-square formula makes r4(n) elegant, but five squares lead to deeper territory with half-integral weight forms and L-functions. In this episode we trace Emil Grosswald’s clever reduction of r5(n) to a sum of r4(n), bypassing the circle method to yield a sharp asymptotic, and we unpack the main term, the role of L-series, the cusp-form error, and what this reveals about the boundary between exact formulas and structured approximations in number theory. Note: This podcast wa...

en-us

4:41

Cymatics: The Visible Geometry of Sound Waves

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/04

A deep dive into cymatics—the study of visible patterns produced by vibration. We trace its history from Hooke's flour-drag experiments on a vibrating plate to Chladni's sand figures, then to Faraday's liquid waves and Hans Jenny's iconic imagery. We explore how a medium's geometry predetermines the possible patterns, how modern engineers use sound as an invisible mold for materials and microstructures, and how artists like Björk have brought these patterns to life on stage, including the sac...

en-us

4:58

Fusion's Midas Touch: Transmuting Mercury into Gold...

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/03

We explore a provocative claim that next‑generation fusion plants could use 14.1 MeV neutrons to transmute mercury-198 into gold while breeding tritium and funding clean energy. This episode breaks down the physics of neutron-induced transmutation, the engineering hurdles of isotope separation and materials compatibility, and the economics of a multi‑product fusion platform that could couple energy with resource cleanup and industrial element synthesis. Note: This podcast was AI-generated, a...

en-us

4:55

The Geometry and Engineering of Spider Webs

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/03

A deep dive into how an orb web’s radial spokes and logarithmic spiral create a resilient, damage-tolerant architecture. We explore the math of load distribution, the role of pre-stressing, and how this natural blueprint inspires biomimicry—from advanced fabrics and protective gear to nanoscale tubes and space-ready structures. Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information. Sponsored by Embersilk LLC

en-us

4:31

Recursive Language Models Beat Context Rot

Intellectually Curious ·

2026/01/03

A deep dive into recursive language models (RLMs) that avoid the context bottleneck by keeping massive context in an external symbolic workspace. The root LLM acts as an active researcher and manager, writing and running code in a REPL to interrogate the context, delegating subtasks to sub-LLMs, and using tools like searches and regex to prune data. We explore how this context-centric decomposition enables long-horizon reasoning, review dramatic gains on the OolongPairs benchmark (moving from...

en-us

608 results

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter