Junto Club

On this episode, Shu introduces us to a new resource for hearing never-ending quotes in case music and white noise don’t work for you. Matt goes on a partisan rant. Our main topic of discussion was longevity. We talk about how we will die but how future generations may be able to avoid it through measurement. We close with a way to “immortality” for the modern man with a discussion of legacy.

We started with some excellent advice for living from Kevin Kelly, before we dived into the life of Robert Noyce, the founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel. 

In this episode, we reflect on why experience only matters if it leads to growth rather than defeat. The conversation ranges from the bankruptcy of iRobot to security concerns surrounding laptop maker Lenovo, before turning to the main topic: free will. Matt breaks down traditional determinism, the implications of quantum uncertainty, and what fMRI research reveals about human decision-making. There is a focus on compatibilism, the view held by many modern philosophers that seeks to reconcile free will with a determined universe.

In this meeting, Shu channels his inner David Ogilvy, pulling wisdom from the father of advertising as we unpack how bold individuals can often push progress faster than committees —while recognizing the moments when group consensus still matters. We pivot to the New York City mayoral race, and the strange new world of AI toys that occasionally say the wrong things to kids.  Our main discussion digs into foundation models in machine learning, the expanding economic frontier these models are creating, the staggering costs behind building them, and why thoughtful data collection matters more than ever. It’s a conversation about hype, hard realities, and the discipline needed to build the future responsibly.

In this meeting, we start with a quote about whether humans truly think or just pretend to. Matt shared a dangerous breakthrough in personal EV and taught Shu political lessons including the unintended consequences of rent freeze. Our main topic dives into the rise of BYD — the Chinese electric car giant challenging Tesla and reshaping the global EV market - with a focus on Wang Chuanfu, the founder of BYD.       

During this meeting, we started with a discussion on the acid test of a political system, and then Matt shared his admiration of the benevolent overlord Gabe Newell, the legendary founder of the legendary company Valve that Shu had never heard of. 

Welcome to meeting 59 of Junto Club, recorded June 8, 2025.  On this episode, we begin with a quote from Einstein about how to think when problem solving. Matt goes on a rant about energy and admits he may have been wrong on an episode from years ago. Shu covers Epic Systems for our main topic, focusing on the company's leader, Judy Faulkner.

Welcome to meeting 58 of the Junto Club (recorded March 16, 2025).  On this episode, we start by talking about the best way to give council. For our main topic, Shu teaches us all about the Jensen Huang and the Nvidia Way.  We wrap by discussing a highly controversial quote on time.

Welcome to meeting 57 of the Junto Club recorded on December 15, 2024. On this episode, Shu shares some wise words from a modern, up-and-coming philosopher. Then he teaches us all about the most important genius you may never have heard of, Claude Shannon. 

Welcome to meeting 56 of the Junto Club, recorded on November 3, 2024. Today is Election Day. On Sunday, we discussed the race, some background on how the U.S. elections work, and we guessed at who was going to win.

Welcome to meeting 55 of the Junto Club, recorded on July 14, 2024.  On this episode, we talk a lot about finding success in competitive situations. This begins with our quote discussion on how in some situations success can beget success, and it concludes with our main topic, the prisoner's dilemma game and game theory, where we discuss one-off situations as well as repeated games.

Welcome to Meeting 54 of the Junto Club recorded on April 21, 2024.  On this episode, we discuss how some of the shortest words we say require the most consideration, and Shu teaches all he can about the wisdom of Charlie Munger.

Welcome to meeting 53 of the Junto Club (recorded March 31, 2024).  On this episode, we begin by talking about the need for clear communication in any relationship and the tv show the Physical 100. Our main topic covers advancing green technologies. 

Welcome to Meeting 52 of Junto Club (recorded March 10, 2024). On this episode, we talk about when to go at things alone and when a team is needed. We also discuss recent news about humanoid robots and Reddit's IPO. Finally, our main topic is how live happier lives through mindfulness.  Email: [email protected]  

Welcome to Meeting 51 of the Junto Club. This was our first recording in over 8 months (recorded February 18, 2024). On this episode, we talk briefly about the Super Bowl, enhanced sporting, and generative AI. Shu leads the discussion on our main topic, generating wealth, based on a book by Eric Jorgenson

This is meeting 50 of the Junto Club. It was recorded June 19, 2023. On this episode, we talk about science vs. religion. We also talk about the book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Bill Gifford and Peter Attia. 

This is the 49th meeting of the Junto Club recorded April 9, 2023. On this episode, we discuss the generative large language AI model that took the world by storm ChatGPT.

This is meeting 48 of the Junto Club (recorded February 5, 2023). On this episode, we examine how people think. 

Recorded almost a year ago (January 8, 2023), Shu discusses L. David Marquet's book, Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders. This is the 47th meeting. Meetings 44-46 are unfortunately lost to time.

Welcome to the 43rd meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, we’re talking about how energy is the finite resource we need to use wisely. We discuss how the world is becoming increasingly chaotic: there’s claims of sentient AI, another crypto bust, the recent Supreme Court decisions, trash cans reaching a new level of dirty and an opportunity for near instantaneous delivery. We sort through the good, bad, frustrating and smutty. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 42nd meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, we’re all over the place. Michael sings. We talk about what it means to live in a fair world. We talk about the NBA finals and how literally contributing even more background noise to the world can help make you money. AI is becoming more and more artistic and creative, and Michael is trying to keep up.  For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 41st meeting of Junto Club.  Today’s meeting starts with discussing losing the forest in the trees. Now this is a Shu led meeting, so we’re going financial for a lot of it. The focus of the episode is “The Most Important Thing”, a book by Howard Marks that gives some good tips for new investors. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 40th meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, we learn why people may need to start focusing on envy instead of greed, and we discuss a hot topic of the day, inflation. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 39th meeting of Junto Club.  It’s been a bit because Michael has been bad about posting episodes, and this is an episode the world most definitely needed. In today’s meeting, we talk about printing your favorite drink, and a global phenomenon that everyone should be getting behind, K-Pop.  For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 38th meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, Shu teaches us the importance of understanding a decision before critiquing it and what needs to be in place to make the most out of any team. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 37th meeting of Junto Club.  This episode has two spirited discussions.  We start by taking up the conversation asking what is science and can science be trusted. We also dive into the Metaverse. What is it? What can it be? Are we excited for it? For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 36th meeting of Junto Club.  We’re back after an extended break due to holiday travel, illness and moving. I start out with a rusty introduction before we move on to talk about learning from someone who knows, the launch of the James Webb Telescope, Betty White, and making classic cars electric. Our main topic is on sports and society. We discuss how sports can have a profound role in shaping identity and invite you to worship at the alter of some of the country’s best franchises. We end on an unnecessarily depressing note to ring in the new year. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 35th meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, Si comes by to talk blockchain. We cover the Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana white papers. To start the episode, we discuss a Benji quote about doing you, a college experience that leaves you prepped for isolation in San Quentin, and how listening to a hamster could’ve made you rich. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 34th meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, Shu stumps us with a Benji quote that has something to do with friends, enemies, life and death. We talk about a how crypto and our government are both trying to fix our roads….or at least Miami’s roads. Finally, we dive into polarization in politics. We learn about how political parties were not a source of human tribalism in recent history, and we discuss how our political system might be able to function better even in the face of this relatively new found division. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 33rd meeting of Junto Club.  We return after over a month off thanks to Matt’s travel and Mike’s COVID On this episode, we talk about the Shu’s soon to be gambling addiction, the Dave Chappelle controversy, and Matt’s experience at the DARPA Subterranean Challenge. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 32nd meeting of Junto Club.  This episode was recorded over a month ago.  On this episode, Matt gave us the down low on the upcoming DARPA challenge and talked about Tesla’s humanoid robot. Michael talked about sleep.  When return with newly recorded content next week, Matt will talk about holding a million dollar check thanks to the DARPA challenge, and Michael will talk about sleeping thanks to a breakthrough case of COVID. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected]\ This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 31st meeting of Junto Club.  We begin this episode without a quote from Benji; instead, hearing what Charlie Munger has to say about Bitcoin.  This is in honor of our main topic, the practical applications of cryptocurrency.  Shu tries to convince us that crypto will democratize and fundamentally reshape numerous financial industries and that crypto will not simply remain a store of value or a hustle. We also get a little bit of a Matt rant on affordable housing in U.S. cities. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 30th meeting of Junto Club.  On this milestone episode, we start with Benji teaching us to be savers, and we wonder why more Olympic Games don’t force you to use your feet. For our main topic, Matt, after much research and consideration, discusses critical race theory.  For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 29th meeting of Junto Club.  Shu and Matt start this episode with their minds in the gutter with an overly simplistic take when discussing a Benji quote about how to ride a man. Mike elevates their thinking in an episode-long discussion of A to C thinking. A to C thinking is the notion that humor and the ability to keep people engaged lives not in the immediately obvious response to a prompt, setup, or question, but in something one step removed from that obvious response. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 28th meeting of Junto Club.  On this episodes, we talk about industries that can benefit from robots, businesses that are working to address those needs, and where Shu might be able to jump in with his own company. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 27th meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, we briefly talk about doing what you should, getting energy from fusion rather than fission, and the mental model of first principle thinking. Our main topic is aging, healing, and physical resiliency. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 26th meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, Benji tells us what we need to do to keep flies away, and we do some quick math to figure out how unique we are when ordering coffee at our local Starbucks. Our main topic is the future of transport in cities, personal electronic vehicles. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 25th meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, Shu starts rough. He claims it’s the 24th meeting and tries to reuse an old Benji quote before being called out.     He recovers nicely though to lead our main topic, which is startup investing, a legalized form of gambling. The episode devolves into us guessing at the likelihood of success for companies with products and services ranging from sex toys to software to milk. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 24th meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, we talk about a couple that’s spent the last four months a little too close together and celebrate the centennial of the Chinese Communist Party. Our main topic examines human tribalism, or the common “us vs. them” mentality people have. We discuss the evolutionary underpinnings of this type of thinking and consider what tribes we belong to. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 23rd meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, we talk a little about Benjamin Franklin’s perspective on pride and the Free Britney movement.  Our main topic is on the savior of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, and his principles of leadership. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 22nd meeting of Junto Club.  Yes. The episode title is a bad joke. On this episode, we talk briefly about pet rocks coming back around and getting kids back to work before diving into Karl Marx, communism and socialism.  For any questions, comments or if you’d like to tell us what we got wrong, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the 21st meeting of Junto Club.  On this episode, we talk about a marriage contract from Albert Einstein that aged poorly and aliens.  For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the twentieth meeting of Junto Club.  Meeting twenty is a milestone episode for a couple of reasons. It’s our first episode done in person with all three of us in the same room. Also, in the time since meeting nineteen, Matt and Shu defended their Ph.D.s.  This meeting focuses on the good, the bad and the ugly of doing a Ph.D.  For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the nineteenth episode of Junto Club. This is one of our more controversial episodes as we talk about depression, anxiety and the treatment of mental health conditions using hallucinogens. This includes diving into the neuroscience and behavioral science related to these conditions as well as the pharmacology of the legal and illegal treatments for these conditions. We discuss why these drugs may or may not work for certain people, and Jake provides insights based on first hand experiences. We’ll be putting out new episodes in May. Matt and Shu are defending their dissertations over the next couple of weeks. In the mean time, for any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the eighteenth episode of Junto Club. On this episode, Jake’s back; we think about the definition of the word “want”; Matt gives an update on the infrastructure bill, and we talk about Bruce Lee, his philosophy and different martial arts. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the seventeenth episode of Junto Club. On this episode, Shu brings some unique pickup lines and other writings, and we talk about the neo-liberal bible, Why Nations Fail. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the sixteenth episode of Junto Club. On this episode, Shu introduces a new and questionable segment, and we welcome back Jake to talk about non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and gaming. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the fifteenth episode of Junto Club. On this episode, we talk about how the work to start something doesn’t compare to work to keep it running and a couple news stories. Then Shu interviews our guest Si on computer hardware design and the future of computing. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the fourteenth episode of Junto Club. On this episode, we learn not to play it too safe from Benjamin Franklin, and Shu tells us how to get free books. We spend most of the episode talking universal basic income. There’s lots of Matt rants. For any questions, comments or if you’d like to rant on something important to you, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.

Welcome to the thirteenth episode of Junto Club. On this episode, we start with a quote from Benjamin Franklin taking aim at smart asses before spending most of the episode on energy and the energy crises. For any questions, comments or if you’re a high school science teacher, who can help Shu out, email: [email protected] This is the Junto Club.