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Aiming for the Moon

Aiming for the Moon

Aiming for the Moon

We interview interesting people from a teenage perspective. Join us as we have fascinating discussions with successful authors, entrepreneurs, scientists, etc. (Oh, and adventurers!)
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Top 10 Aiming for the Moon Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Aiming for the Moon episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Aiming for the Moon for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Aiming for the Moon episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

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Ethical hacking is essential in the tech world as it exposes the holes and bugs in systems before bad people can use them. This same mindset can be applied to the legal system in order to “hack” it before "black hat" hackers exploit the problems. In this episode, Dr. Bruce Schneier (full bio below) explains this philosophy and the steps to apply it.
Topics:

  • What are public-interest technologists?
  • Hacking the legal system
  • Practical hacking
  • The Big Tech monopoly
  • Surveillance Capitalism
  • What can the next generation do?
  • What books have had an impact on Dr. Schneier
  • What advice Dr. Schneier has for teenagers

Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a "security guru" by the Economist. He is the New York Times best-selling author of 14 books -- including Click Here to Kill Everybody -- as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His influential newsletter, Crypto-Gram, and blog, Schneier on Security, are read by over 250,000 people. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AccessNow, and an advisory board member of EPIC and
VerifiedVoting.org. He is the Chief of Security Architecture at Inrupt, Inc.
Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

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In this episode, Professor James Salzman explains how ownership is the secret root of civilizations. From the time they can say "Mine!", people bump into ownership arguments. From traffic laws, to grocery store shopping, to whether or not you can lean your chair back on airplanes, ownership design confronts all of us throughout our lives.
Here are a few topics Prof. Salzman discusses-

  • What are common instances of ownership design?
  • What are the six stories of ownership?
  • What are examples of cultural ownership customs?
  • How do laws form to support ownership customs?
  • What are ancient creation stories that involve ownership?
  • Can big tech companies really use our data for free?

James Salzman is the Donald Bren Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law with joint appointments at the UCLA School of Law and at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara. He is the co-author of the bestselling book, "Mine!: How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control our Lives," and author of "Drinking Water: A History." In twelve books and more than 100 articles and book chapters, his broad-ranging scholarship has addressed topics spanning drinking water, trade and environment conflicts, ownership engineering, and creating markets for ecosystem services. There have been over 100,000 downloads of his articles. He frequently appears as a media commentator and has lectured on environmental policy on every continent.

Our Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

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A multifaceted understanding of wisdom is essential for a functioning society. Only with this broad understanding can we humbly dialogue with those who disagree with us and piece by piece build a culture of conversation. In this episode, I sit down with geneticist and physician Dr. Francis Collins to discuss his latest book, The Road to Wisdom. Dr. Collins argues that we must return to the four core sources of judgment and clear thinking: truth, science, faith, and trust.

A Quick Note:
Aiming for the Moon has a diverse audience. I strongly believe that developing your perspective comes from speaking with people who you both agree with and disagree with. Iron sharpens iron. That’s why this podcast is a platform that hosts interesting and successful people from a variety of worldviews. Gen. Z has the opportunity to trailblaze a culture of conversation. So, let’s go.
Topic:

  • Four Anchors of Knowledge: Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust
  • Cynicism and Nihilism in Public Discourse
  • The Importance of Humility in Dialogue
  • "How has being attacked by those 'on your side?' changed how you communicate?"
  • Harmonizing Faith and Science
  • Iron sharpens Iron: How going outside your bubble helps expand your perspective
  • Navigating Polarized Issues in a Multicultural Society
  • Practical Steps : So, how should we then live?
  • "What books have had an impact on you?"
  • "What advice do you have for teenagers?"

Bio:
Dr. Francis S. Collins
is a physician and geneticist. His groundbreaking work has led to the discovery of the cause of cystic fibrosis, among other diseases. In 1993 he was appointed director of the international Human Genome Project, which successfully sequenced all 3 billion letters of our DNA. He went on to serve three Presidents as the Director of the National Institutes of Health.

Resources mentioned:

Socials -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.

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One of the most anticipated technologies of the future is AI. What will it be? What will it do? How will we react? But, before we can anticipate sentiency, which we will discuss in this episode, we must train AI to do its jobs. However, that requires properly organized data sets, a new topic in the town square. If AI is to imitate the data it is given, how do we determine what data to give it? This is a looming question in the fog of the future as the data we train AI with today creates our relationship with this unknown tech tomorrow and, in many ways, shapes the future we will soon inherit. Join me as I examine this with my friend, Sarah Newman (Full bio below). (Check out my 100th episode special with Sarah Newman here)

Topics-

  • Data Sets and Data Nutrition - Why and How the data of today shapes the future of AI tomorrow
  • AI and Sentiencey- Will it happen?
  • Artificial General Intelligence
    • What is it?
    • The current state of AGI
    • The future of AGI
  • Value Alignment - Before we give AI our values, we must determine what our values are
    • Universal values - Are there such things?
    • Ultimate purpose - Does man have an ultimate purpose?
  • What books have had an impact on you?
  • What advice do you have for teenagers?

Sarah Newman is Director of Art & Education at metaLAB at Harvard, at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Working at the intersection of research and art, her work engages with technology’s role in human experience, and interrelations between complex systems. In addition to her art practice, she is also an educator, and leads creative workshops to address interdisciplinary research problems. Her research in artificial intelligence and related technologies investigates how emerging technologies embed and mirror historical social and ethical challenges. Newman is Co-Founder of the Data Nutrition Project, which designs tools and practices for responsible AI development. She holds a BA in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA in Imaging Arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Newman's work has been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Rome, and London, and she has held artist residencies in Germany, Sweden, and Italy. Newman has previously been an AI Grant Fellow, a Harvard Assembly Fellow, a Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, a Fellow at the Royal Society of Art, a Rockefeller AI Bellagio Resident, an artist-in-residence at Northeastern School of Law, and a grantee of the National Endowment for the Arts; with the Data Nutrition Project, she was awarded the 2022 Ars Electronica Award for Digital Humanity.
Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiming4moon
Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/
YouTube:

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In this episode, I talk to NYT bestselling author, Ryan Holiday (full bio below), about the disciplined life. His latest book, Discipline is Destiny, comes out September 27 (2022).
Topics:

  • The Three Types of Discipline
  • The Purpose of Discipline
  • Why should we have self-control?
  • Why to define a Primary Focus
  • How to structure skill-building around assignments
  • Practical habits for a disciplined day
  • What books have had an impact on Ryan Holiday
  • Ryan Holiday's advice for teenagers

When Ryan Holiday was 19 years old, he dropped out of college to apprentice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power. Mr. Holiday had a successful marketing career at American Apparel and went on to found a creative agency called Brass Check, which has advised clients like Google, TASER, and Complex, as well as many prominent bestselling authors, including Neil Strauss, Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss. He is the author of ten books, including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic, Conspiracy and Stillness is the Key which have sold more than 2 million copies in thirty languages and has a following among NFL coaches, world-class athletes, TV personalities, political leaders, and others around the world. Mr. Holiday spends much of his time on a ranch outside Austin, Texas where he does his writing and work in between raising cattle, donkeys, and goats.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiming4moon
Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

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In this episode, I talk with Dr. Carolyn Chen, author of Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley and associate professor of ethics at the University of California, Berkeley, (scroll down for full bio), about the “religion of work” in “techtopias.”
Topics:

  • Work as religion
  • Tech workers as believers
  • The cult of productivity
  • Should we let this happen?
  • The sacraments and saints of Work
  • The monkish lifestyle of workers
  • What books have had an impact on Dr. Chen
  • What advice Dr. Chen has for teenagers

Books Mentioned: (I get a cut)

Dr. Carolyn Chen, a sociologist, is an associate professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of Getting Saved in America (Princeton) and the co-editor of Sustaining Faith Traditions. She lives in Kensington, California.

Socials! -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

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Dr. Kate Darling, a Research Specialist at the MIT Media Lab and author of The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots, and I sit down to discuss the future of robots and the world. Are they replacements or are they a breed of their own?
Topics:

  • Thesis of the New Breed
  • What is a robot?
  • Do robots think?
  • How does this "new breed" fit into society?
  • Rights and robots
  • The origin of rights and how that relates to robots
  • When will AI and robots emerge into society?
  • What books have had an impact on Dr. Darling
  • What advice Dr. Darling has for teenagers

Resources:

Dr. Kate Darling is a Research Specialist at the MIT Media Lab and author of The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots. Kate’s work looks at the near-term effects of robotic technology, with a particular interest in law, social, and ethical issues. She runs experiments, holds workshops, writes, and speaks about some of the more interesting developments in the world of human-robot interaction, and where we might find ourselves in the future.
Socials! -
Substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk
All Amazon Affiliate links help financially support "Aiming for the Moon" while you get a great read or product

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Zarah Hussain and I sit down to discuss the intersection of tradition and tech in her field of art.
Topics:

  • Islamic art v.s. Western art
  • How geometry was used to represent divinity in Islamic culture
  • Zarah Hussain's art and the intersection of tradition and tech
  • Geometry as the rules of nature
  • How the "rules of nature" point to intelligent design
  • The books that had an impact on Zarah Hussain
  • Zarah Hussain's advice for teenagers
  • The negatives of a future-only mindset

Full bio on website - https://www.zarahhussain.co.uk/about
Socials! -
Substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk

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Jenny Odell, New York Times bestselling author of How to Do Nothing, and I sit down to discuss the importance of unproductive activities for personal growth.
Topics:

  • Managing stress and creative pursuits in the midst of busyness
  • The prism of personality
  • How and why to do nothing
  • The books that had an impact on Jenny Odell
  • Jenny Odell's advice for teenagers
  • The importance of journals

Resources:

Full bio on website - https://www.jennyodell.com/about-news.html
Socials! -
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon
Taylor's Blog: https://www.taylorgbledsoe.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-TwYdfPcWV-V1JvjBXk
All Amazon Affiliate links help financially support "Aiming for the Moon" while you get a great read or product.

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When we think of history of books, we often neglect the people who created them. We think of history as a figment of facts, connected together by time and advances in technology. But sometimes we overlook the humanity, the souls, the fingerprints in the ink-stained margins of long-forgotten tomes. In this episode, I sit down with Oxford's Prof. Adam Smyth to discuss his The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives. How a book was made tells us about the people who created it, as well as what the culture valued about books. The way a book was formed changes how we interact with it.
Topics:

  • Humanizing the history of the book - the forgotten lives of the book-makers
  • The book - a blend of prose and production
  • How culture influenced the design of books
  • How hand-printing influences your view of writing
  • Do you think the abstract nature and accessibility of text have changed how we view it?
  • "What books have had an impact on you?"
  • "What advice do you have for teenagers?

Bio:
Adam Smyth
is professor of English literature and the history of the book at Balliol College, University of Oxford. He is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books and the TLS. He also runs the 39 Steps Press, a small printing press, which he keeps in a barn in Oxfordshire, England.

Affiliate book links: (Support the show by buying through these links :D)

Socials -

Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/
Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

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FAQ

How many episodes does Aiming for the Moon have?

Aiming for the Moon currently has 133 episodes available.

What topics does Aiming for the Moon cover?

The podcast is about Society & Culture, Interview, Creative, Author, Podcasts, Books, Self-Improvement and Education.

What is the most popular episode on Aiming for the Moon?

The episode title '100th Episode Special- Taylor Bledsoe and Sarah Newman' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Aiming for the Moon?

The average episode length on Aiming for the Moon is 28 minutes.

How often are episodes of Aiming for the Moon released?

Episodes of Aiming for the Moon are typically released every 7 days, 4 hours.

When was the first episode of Aiming for the Moon?

The first episode of Aiming for the Moon was released on Jun 16, 2020.

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