Thinking On Paper

Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson

The human story of technology. Every week, technology writer and parent Mark Fielding and musician turned data centre builder Jeremy Gilbertson speak with the founders, CEOs, scientists, engineers, writers and philosophers building our collective future. From AI and space tech to quantum computing, they get angry, passionate, defensive and deep. The question underlying it all? What's the impact of technology on you, me and the rest of humanity. All human. No hype. No BS.

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28 episodes
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English

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May 27 · 52 min
Space Based Solar Power Starts In Portugal │ Sanjay Vijendran
Sanjay Vijendran of TerraSpark joins Thinking on Paper to explain how space-based solar power could become a practical source of clean energy. TerraSpark is developing wireless power-transmission systems that could eventually collect solar energy in orbit and beam it to receivers on Earth. The company plans to demonstrate the concept by powering a live music event in Portugal and by testing radio-frequency power transfer aboard Dcube’s Arrakis mission. In this episode, we discuss: How space-based solar power works How energy can be transmitted wirelessly TerraSpark’s plan to power a concert in Portugal What its in-orbit power-beaming experiment will test The differences between radio-frequency and laser power transmission How near-infrared power beaming works How much energy is lost during wireless transmission Whether orbital data centres could use the same infrastructure How space-based solar could improve energy security Why spectrum regulation and interference testing matter What investors and regulators need to see before the technology can scale Sanjay explains the engineering, regulatory and commercial challenges behind power beaming, including transmission efficiency, safety, spectrum allocation and the cost of placing energy infrastructure in orbit. This conversation examines whether space-based solar power can move beyond demonstration projects and become a credible alternative to terrestrial energy generation and fossil fuels. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. 🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack 🎧Be With Us On YouTube 🎧 Remember steve jobs on APPLE 📺 Get the clips and outtakes on Instagram -- Chapters (00:00) Introduction to Space-Based Solar Power (01:37) Market Trends and Projections (03:52) Energy Crisis and Global Dependencies (06:26) The Threat to Power Structures (07:39) Innovative Demonstrations of Wireless Power (10:31) Future Plans and Space Missions (20:41) Scaling Power Transmission from Space (22:35) Technologies for Space-Based Solar Power (31:22) Governance and Regulation of Space-Based Solar Power (49:57) The Future of Space-Based Solar Power
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May 23 · 54 min
Shock, Horror! Lithium Mining Isn't Great For The Environment │ Jennifer Dunn
Jennifer Dunn, professor of chemical engineering at Northwestern University, joins Thinking on Paper to explain how lithium and copper mining affect water, ecosystems, local communities and the wider energy transition. Lithium and copper are essential to electric vehicles, grid storage, renewable energy, drones and data centres. But the environmental consequences of extracting these minerals vary sharply depending on the mine, location, technology and supply chain. Life cycle assessment offers a way to compare those impacts across different forms of production, from lithium brines and hard-rock mining to copper extraction, refining and recycling. In this episode, we discuss: • The environmental impact of lithium mining • How lithium brine mining compares with hard-rock lithium mining • Why copper demand is rising • How mining affects water use and local water stress • The risks of pollution, biodiversity loss and mining waste • How life cycle assessment compares mines and supply chains • Why local conditions matter more than global averages • The role of mine permitting in the energy transition • Whether recycling can reduce demand for new mining • How battery supply chains shift environmental costs between regions • What responsible critical-mineral production should look like Jennifer explains why no single measure can capture the full impact of a mine. Carbon emissions matter, but so do water availability, land use, waste, local ecology and the distribution of costs and benefits. This conversation examines whether clean energy can scale without transferring environmental harm from fossil-fuel systems to the communities that supply lithium, copper and other critical minerals. Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. 🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack 🎧 Take us with you on Spotify 🎧 Remember steve jobs on APPLE 📺 Get the clips and outtakes on Instagram Chapters (00:00) Disruptors & Curious Minds (02:10) The Demand for Copper and Lithium (02:57) Environmental Impact of Mining (05:59) Water Consumption and Mining Methods (08:30) Community Concerns and Local Impact (11:29) Recycling and Wastewater Mining (14:04) Life Cycle Assessments in Mining (27:06) Understanding Emissions in Mining (29:45) Life Cycle Assessment: A Comparative Approach (34:05) Stakeholder Perspectives on Mining Impacts (37:42) Technology and Transparency in Mining (42:42) Consumer Awareness and Ethical
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May 18 · 7 min
No Humans In The Loop - AGI Will Run The World Economy Far Better Without Us
Anders Sandberg examines whether artificial general intelligence could manage the global economy more effectively than human institutions. A sufficiently capable AI system might coordinate markets, allocate resources, interpret legal rules and respond to complex global problems faster than governments or companies. Greater efficiency, however, wouldn’t necessarily mean greater freedom. In this short excerpt from a longer Thinking on Paper conversation, Anders discusses: Whether AGI could manage the global economy How superintelligence might improve global coordination Why markets and legal systems are difficult to optimise Whether AI could make better decisions than human institutions How highly efficient systems could concentrate power The challenge of keeping advanced AI under human control How evolutionary pressures could shape competing software systems Whether humans could become wealthier while losing political agency What role people would retain in an AI-managed economy The central question isn’t simply whether AGI could run economic systems better. It’s whether humans would still control the goals, rules and trade-offs behind those systems. This is a short from a much longer conversation with Anders Sandberg about superintelligence, governance and the future of human decision-making. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, quantum, space and their impacts on society, business and culture. It's very good. 🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack 🎧 Watch on YouTube 🎧 Remember Steve Jobs on APPLE 📺 Get the clips and outtakes on Instagram
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May 15 · 5 min
Lunar Landing Becomes Harder as the Moon Gets Busier │ Philip Metzger
NASA scientist Philip Metzger joins Thinking on Paper to explain why Moon dust and rocket exhaust create a major engineering problem for future lunar missions. When a spacecraft lands on the Moon, its engines can accelerate dust and rocks across the surface at high speed. That material can damage nearby equipment, including solar panels, telescopes, antennas, sensors and thermal-control systems. The problem becomes more serious as NASA, SpaceX and other organisations plan larger landers, permanent bases and more frequent missions. Every landing could threaten infrastructure already operating on the lunar surface. In this episode, we discuss: Why lunar landers throw dust and debris across the Moon How rocket exhaust interacts with lunar soil Why larger spacecraft such as Starship increase the risk How Moon dust can damage solar panels, antennas and scientific instruments What this means for NASA’s Artemis programme Why future lunar bases may require dedicated landing pads How far spacecraft should land from existing equipment Whether lunar infrastructure needs exclusion zones How landing rules could affect Moon governance What engineers still don’t know about repeated lunar landings Philip explains why lunar dust isn’t a minor operational inconvenience. It’s a systems-level problem that affects spacecraft design, base planning, scientific equipment and the rules governing activity on the Moon. This conversation examines one of the least visible challenges facing lunar exploration: how to land safely without damaging the infrastructure needed to remain there. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. 🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack: https://thinkingonpaperpodcast.substack.com/ 🎧 Take us with you on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00volKqMsQntToeho35W47 🎧 Remember steve jobs on APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-on-paper/id1713227258 📺 Get the clips and outtakes on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/toptechpodcast/
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May 13 · 42 min
How Do You Build an Economy in Space? │ Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau
Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau, authors of Space to Grow, explain the commercial space economy and the role of NASA, Artemis and commercial space stations. From space-based data centers, Starlink and GPS to China’s space program, national security, and space governance, we get into the economics, politics and human story of space.The conversation covers how governments, private companies, and investors build, fund, regulate, and compete in space. From microgravity research and launch markets to lunar exploration, space resources, and the economics of commercial space, we explore it all.We also try and re-write the Space Treaty and look at the politics of the space race. Please enjoy the show. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, Space, quantum computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. Connect with us. 🏠 Buy us a beer on Substack 🎧 Watch us compete with Lex Fridman on YouTube 🎧 Remember Steve Jobs and listen on APPLE 📺 Watch the clips and shorts on Instagram Watch a random video from Rick Beato. Because we love him. -- Chapters (00:00) Government and Markets in Space (03:35) Microgravity (07:43) Economic Incentives (12:14) Political Cycles in Space Policy (17:09) International Collaboration (18:45) National Security in Space (21:36) Space Exploration (24:27) The Importance Of GPS (28:49) Space Investment (30:37) Space-Based Data Centers (33:40) Space Resources (38:26) Governance in Space (40:55) A New Space Treaty
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May 6 · 44 min
More Qubits Won't Automatically Make Quantum Computers Useful │ IBM
Scott Crowder, Vice President of IBM Quantum Adoption, joins Thinking on Paper to explain IBM’s approach to quantum-centric supercomputing. Rather than replacing classical computers, IBM expects quantum processors to work alongside CPUs, GPUs and high-performance computing systems. Each type of hardware handles the parts of a problem it’s best suited to solve. In this episode, we discuss: What quantum-centric supercomputing means How quantum processors, GPUs, CPUs and HPC systems work together IBM’s roadmap towards fault-tolerant quantum computing What IBM Starling is designed to achieve by 2029 How superconducting qubits work Why quantum error correction is essential The role of Qiskit and open-source quantum software Which quantum algorithms could deliver practical value How quantum computing could support chemistry and materials research IBM and Cleveland Clinic’s work on protein simulation IBM’s collaboration with RIKEN How Nvidia GPUs fit into hybrid quantum systems Why accessibility and real-world adoption matter as much as hardware progress Scott explains why useful quantum computing will depend on more than increasing qubit counts. It will require reliable hardware, error correction, strong software tools, integration with existing data centres and developers who can apply quantum systems to real problems. This conversation examines IBM’s plan to move quantum computing from experimental hardware towards fault-tolerant systems that can contribute to scientific and industrial computing. - Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. 🏠 HQ: www.thinkingonpaper.xyz 📺 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/ 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00volKqMsQntToeho35W47 🎧 APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-on-paper-technology-moves-fast-think-slower/id1713227258 -- Mark x: https://x.com/markfielding99 Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremygilbertson/ – Chapters (00:00) Trailer (01:20) Quantum computing (02:40) IBM Reference Architecture (05:05) Superconducting (06:47) Algorithmic Discovery (12:34) Cleveland Clinic (13:44) IBM's quantum-centric supercomputing architecture (16:07) Quantum computers today (17:58) Quantum and classical converge (22:28) Richard Feynman (25:25) Data centers (32:01) Quantum computers in space (42:19) Qiskit, NVIDIA, and open source
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April 28 · 1 hr 54 min
AI Can't Escape Human Behaviour: An Interview With Anders Sandberg
World famous Oxford futurist and philosopher Anders Sandberg joins Thinking on Paper to discuss transhumanism, mind uploading, artificial general intelligence and the technologies humans use to extend their capabilities. Human augmentation doesn’t begin with brain implants or uploaded minds. Memory systems, smartphones, language models and AI agents already allow people to outsource parts of thinking, communication and decision-making. More advanced systems could extend that process into brain emulation, digital copies of human minds and AI-managed institutions. In this episode, we discuss: What transhumanism means How technology already extends human memory and intelligence Whether AI agents should be accountable for their decisions How AGI differs from existing artificial intelligence Whether machines can possess consciousness or empathy What mind uploading and whole-brain emulation would require Whether an uploaded mind would still be the same person How digital copies could affect identity, work and relationships Whether AGI could manage economies more effectively than humans How automation could make people wealthier while reducing their agency What longer lifespans would mean for society and personal identity How fusion energy could affect human expansion beyond Earth Who should own lunar resources, asteroids and orbital infrastructure Whether existing systems of space governance can manage permanent settlement Anders explains why transhumanism, AI and space expansion shouldn’t be treated as separate technological futures. Each raises the same underlying questions about agency, identity, power and the boundaries of the human individual. The conversation moves from personal augmentation to civilizational governance, asking what humans become when intelligence can be extended, copied, redesigned or delegated to machines. Please enjoy the show. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. Connect with us. 🎧 Listen to every podcast⁠ 📺 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ 🏠 Follow us on ⁠X⁠ 🏠 Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ To suggest guests or sponsor the show, please email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz -- Chapters (00:00) TRAILER (08:09) Mobile Technology on Humanity (11:51) Accountability in AI Agents (18:25) Empathy (25:35) AGI vs. Alien Life (27:36) Consciousness (35:52) Uploaded Minds (40:33) Parallel Realities (45:16) Human Collaboration (46:24) AGI (51:23) The Dual Economy (57:43) Space Ownership (01:05:18) Human Expansion (01:17:49) The Space Race (01:21:43) Space Exploration (01:24:22) New Forms of Governance (01:26:18) NASA (01:28:41) Breakaway Movements in Space (01:30:16) Space Governance (01:34:18) Fusion Energy (01:42:15) Time and Life Extension (01:48:06) Extended Lifespans (01:52:03) Technology
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April 24 · 59 min
Tech CEOs Are Selling You the Future
Carissa Véliz joins Thinking on Paper to examine how AI forecasts, platform algorithms and prediction markets can influence the future they claim only to predict. Predictions aren’t always neutral descriptions. When they come from powerful technology companies, executives, platforms or financial markets, they can change investment, policy and public behaviour. A forecast may become a self-fulfilling prophecy because people act as though its outcome is inevitable. The conversation begins with a broader question about the good life, curiosity and what the analogue world offers that digital systems often remove. It then turns to the institutions increasingly making predictions about people and society. In this episode, we discuss: How AI predictions influence human behaviour Why forecasts can become self-fulfilling prophecies How technology executives shape expectations about the future of AI Whether AI hiring tools reinforce existing assumptions about workers How TikTok and other recommendation systems direct attention Why engagement-maximising algorithms reward harmful content How prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket work Whether prediction markets measure beliefs or help create outcomes How platforms exploit the human desire for certainty and security What the Molly Russell case reveals about algorithmic recommendation Why comedy and serendipity resist predictive systems How citizens can make more deliberate choices about technology and belief What Epicureanism offers that digital optimisation cannot Carissa argues that people should treat influential predictions as interventions rather than passive forecasts. The more reach and authority a prediction has, the greater its ability to reorganise the world around itself. This conversation examines how to resist technological prophecy by preserving uncertainty, curiosity and the freedom to choose futures that algorithms haven’t already selected. Please enjoy the show. -- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. 📺 Watch On YouTube: 🎧 Listen to every podcast⁠ 📺 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ 🏠 Follow us on ⁠X⁠ 🏠 Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ To suggest guests or sponsor the show, please email: hello@thinkingonpaper.xyz -- CHAPTERS (00:00) Intro (01:00) What is the good life? (02:00) Why knowing yourself matters more than strategy (04:44) The analog world vs the digital world (06:45) How prophecies exploit our need for security (08:47) Ancient Rome (10:11) The illusion of safety (12:27) When predictions work (15:00) Altman, Amodei, Huang (28:29) How to resist prophecies (29:53) Prediction markets (31:49) TikTok, algorithms, and the Molly Russell case (36:08) Engagement algorithms (40:54) Self-fulfilling prophecies (43:44) Comedy (46:59) Seinfeld (52:16) Karikó (53:40) Serendipity (56:13) Why Epicurus beats the Stoics
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