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Also The Physics of the Future and The Future of the Mind.

I've read a lot of you know Books even Michio Kaku when I was young. I read a book of his I was talking about this Russian a scientist who has qualifications for Phase one society phase two society and I think it was your friend Carl Sagan who actually just made more distinct like Smaller distinctions between the phases, but that essentially if you survive a nuclear age Then you get to another phase of you know of a possible extinction threat, but then you can Eventually build a geodesic dome or something or a Dyson Dyson spear around the Sun and you get all this energy and then you can make wormholes and you can essentially populate the universe

Also The Physics of the Future and The Future of the Mind.

I've read a lot of you know books even Michio Kaku when I was young. I read a book of his I was talking about this Russian a scientist who has qualifications for Phase one society phase two society and I think it was your friend Carl Sagan who actually just made more distinct like smaller distinctions between the phases, but that essentially if you survive a nuclear age Then you get to another phase of you know of a possible extinction threat, but then you can Eventually build a geodesic dome or something or a Dyson Dyson spear around the Sun and you get all this energy and then you can make wormholes and you can essentially populate the universe.

Our mutual friend, the late great Carl Sagan, has a great chapter in the demon-hunted world on these kinds of experiments.

He wrote about that in The Demon Haunted World.

Carl made that point back in the 90s. I think it was a passage maybe from Demon Haunted World where he said something like, it's easy to be condescending to people. I feel the urge myself bubble up and I have to kind of suppress it. We should all suppress it.

And among those books, the one I remember most is from now six years ago, seven years ago, The Jazz of Physics. Let me get the right subtitle here. The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe.

Now it turns out there happens to be a guy out there who wrote an entire book on the connection between physics and music. An entire book. His name is Stefan Alexander and he's standing by right now live on video call. You guys, you have him? Oh there we go. Hey Stefan, hello. Hey Neil what's up? Hey, well welcome to Start Talk. Hey, good to be here. Thanks for helping me. So you wrote a book, The Jazz of Physics, Stefan Alexander, the secret link between music and the structure of the universe.

Stefan is a professional level jazz musician, although he is a physicist on faculty here at Brown University.

The Jazz of Physics is his work.

Now it turns out there happens to be a guy out there who wrote an entire book on the connection between physics and music. An entire book. His name is Stefan Alexander and he's standing by right now live on video call. You guys, you have him? Oh there we go. Hey Stefan, hello. Hey Neil what's up? Hey, well welcome to Start Talk. Hey, good to be here. Thanks for helping me. So you wrote a book, The Jazz of Physics, Stefan Alexander, the secret link between music and the structure of the universe.

You you you have a book from a few years ago.

SMARTER THAN YOU THINK. How technology is changing our minds for the better.

That is so counterintuitive. You are the only one.

You have a book, SMARTER THAN YOU THINK. You speak about ambient awareness as a kind of social sixth sense. Is that what this is?

Yeah, absolutely. It's the idea that you sort of build a mental picture of what's going on in someone's life. Someone else's life.

You have a book from a few years ago.

SMARTER THAN YOU THINK. How technology is changing our minds for the better.

That is so counterintuitive. You are the only one... The only one holding down an argument.

You have a book, SMARTER THAN YOU THINK. You speak about ambient awareness as a kind of social sixth sense. Is that what this is?

Yeah, absolutely. It's the idea that you sort of build a mental picture of what's going on in someone's life. Someone else's life.

In 1999, when I wrote The Age of Spiritual Machines, I predicted that we would pass the Turing Test by 2029, so in 30 years.

Going back to a book I wrote in the 1990s, The Age of Spiritual Machines.

You wrote a book in 1999 called The Age of Spiritual Machines.

Going back to a book I wrote in the 1990s, The Age of Spiritual Machines.

And teaching us to Fight Like a Physicist is Jason Falcon, author of, you guessed it, Fight Like a Physicist.

He is the author of Fight Like a Physicist.

And the incredible science behind martial arts.

So that's sort of the mindset I try to get at in the book is try to approach your training like you're a scientist.

Don't forget, author of Fight Like a Physicist. Yes, please go check that book out. It is splendid, covers an awful lot of subject matter.

And teaching us to Fight Like a Physicist will be Jason Falcon, author of - oh, fuck. Shit, let me do it again. Yeah. And teaching us to Fight Like a Physicist is Jason Falcon, author of, you guessed it, Fight Like a Physicist.

He is the author of Fight Like a Physicist. Of course. And the incredible science behind martial arts.

And that's sort of the mindset I try to get at in the book is, you know, try to approach your training like you're a scientist.

It is splendid. Covers an awful lot of subject matter.

And teaching us to Fight Like a Physicist is Jason Falcon, author of, you guessed it, Fight Like a Physicist.

He is the author of Fight Like a Physicist. Of course. And the incredible science behind martial arts.

And that's sort of the mindset I try to get at in the book is try to approach your training like you're a scientist.

Don't forget, author of Fight Like a Physicist. Yes, please go check that book out. It is splendid, covers an awful lot of subject matter.

And teaching us to Fight Like a Physicist will be Jason Falcon, author of - oh, fuck. Shit, let me do it again. Yeah. And teaching us to Fight Like a Physicist is Jason Falcon, author of, you guessed it, Fight Like a Physicist.

He is the author of Fight Like a Physicist. Of course. And the incredible science behind martial arts.

And that's sort of the mindset I try to get at in the book is, you know, try to approach your training like you're a scientist.

It is splendid. Covers an awful lot of subject matter.

And so one of the things I talk about in my novel Existence is how when we get out to the asteroid belt or the Kuiper belt, we may find an entire civilization or perhaps they fought of various types of space probes that were sent by previous cultures.

And so the uh one of the things I talk about in my novel Existence is How when we get out to the asteroid belt or the kuiper belt We may find an entire civilization or perhaps they fought of of various types of Space probes that were sent by previous cultures

And so one of the things I talk about in my novel Existence is how when we get out to the asteroid belt or the Kuiper belt, we may find an entire civilization or perhaps they fought of various types of space probes that were sent by previous cultures.

And so the uh one of the things I talk about in my novel Existence is How when we get out to the asteroid belt or the kuiper belt We may find an entire civilization or perhaps they fought of of various types of Space probes that were sent by previous cultures

They're 20 in a carton. They make great gifts. Pick up a carton today. Pick up some eggs.

Comes out November 10th. They're 20 in a carton. They make great gifts Pick up a car today

They're 20 in a carton. They make great gifts. Pick up a carton today.

If you want them autographed I know a guy.

They're 20 in a carton. They make great gifts Pick up a car today

Pick up some eggs if you want a autographed I know a guy there you go.

Comes out November 10th.

The smooth hops and bad bounces from inside the world of the acclaimed Los Angeles Dodgers

It's really about 20% memoir I had a kind of an interesting childhood growing up I lived in a garage until I was 5

It's not a revenge book or a kiss and tell book It's not a career like that It's just really how your mind works on a daily basis And the different challenges you have on the way

It's really it's about 20 percent memoir. I had a kind of an interesting childhood growing up.

And it's not a revenge book or a kiss and tell book. There's nothing in there like that.

It is just really how your mind works on a daily basis.

Let's do two things real quick Something people should want is The Big Chair The Big Chair Which of course is Ned Coletti's new book The smooth hops and bad bounces from inside the world of the acclaimed Los Angeles Dodgers

It's really about 20% memoir I had a kind of an interesting childhood growing up I lived in a garage until I was 5 First in my family to go to school to go to college My walk was not a typical walk perhaps So it's a little bit of an encouragement a little bit of a motivational story at the outset But it really gets into a little bit of the people you meet along the way

I was honored to be in the presence of Frank Sinatra a few times and I'll find it a little bit interesting as time goes on People know obviously who Frank Sinatra was but they'll hear a story or two in how it relates to baseball Frank and Tommy Lasorda were obviously tremendous friends a long, long time Hall of Fame manager

And then the rest of it is really the job and what you go through It's not a revenge book or a kiss and tell book It's not a career like that It's just really how your mind works on a daily basis And the different challenges you have on the way

If what Ned has told you has whetted your appetite I'm going to go find this book Please, by all means In October it's out there on the shelves Go grab it before it disappears completely

It's really it's about 20 percent memoir. I had a kind of an interesting childhood growing up.

It is just really how your mind works on a daily basis.

And then the rest of it is really the job and what you go through. And it's not a revenge book or a kiss and tell book. There's nothing in there like that.

In October it's out there on the shelves. Go grab it before it disappears completely.

And the thing that I loved is that, you know, space exploration is very slowly becoming more accessible but extremely slowly.

And the thing I loved the most was just getting to hear that not everyone has the same sort of experience in space.

Some people are talking about how, you know, they have to work on managing their mood a lot day to day and some people... Managing their mood.

And I think the more we can do that, the more we can really show how space exploration is for everyone and you don't have to fit into a certain mold.

It's the stories that are kind of more embarrassing and awkward and silly and fun but sometimes also awe-inspiring as well.

And what you did is interview a bunch of people who've flown in space, yeah?

So I interviewed a dozen astronauts for the book and then I also researched historical interviews with astronauts.

And the thing that I loved is that, you know, space exploration is very slowly becoming more accessible but extremely slowly.

Yeah, and those are some of the stories that I explore in this book.

It's the stories that are kind of more embarrassing and awkward and silly and fun but sometimes also awe-inspiring as well.

And the thing that I loved is that, you know, space exploration is very slowly becoming more accessible but extremely slowly.

And the thing I loved the most was just getting to hear that not everyone has the same sort of experience in space.

I mean, you know, I think the mundane stories are just kind of... I mean there's stories about how astronauts give each other privacy and you don't have doorknobs in space or anything like that so you can't really put a sock over a doorknob to say, you know, give me some privacy. I'm getting dressed.

And to me, I wanted to sort of cut past both the romanticism of space and the mundane side of space and go into sort of more the silly stories that you tell when you get back from space and are just hanging out with friends.

Yeah, and those are some of the stories that I explore in this book.

And the thing that I loved is that, you know, space exploration is very slowly becoming more accessible but extremely slowly.

And the thing I loved the most was just getting to hear that not everyone has the same sort of experience in space.

I'm saying that, you know, I talked to people who said, you know, when you're in space for a long time, that's really when you're at home and you're relaxed and it's great.

And then I talked to other people who said, you know, long duration spaceflight, I have to worry about, you know, really focusing on not letting my mood drop and not, you know, getting down and not getting frustrated.

And those are some of the stories that I explore in this book.

In your book, Game 7, 1986, Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life, what's your takeaway or what's the takeaway you want the reader to get from that?

Well, I think for most folks when they read a sports book, it's about some great accomplishment that happens. For a professional pitcher, being allowed to pitch Game 7 of World Series is the greatest thrill you could ever have. But the takeaway on this book is I had that and I failed. And why did I fail?

And I think what happened is after the game was done, and the Mets won, but after the game was done a couple of days later, I said, you know, I was at the top of my game, did not give up an earned run in that series, and I got knocked out in the fourth inning. How did that happen? I thought organically it would go away. 30 years later, it did not. You're still thinking about it. And that's why I wrote it.

And as soon as it was finished, I have not thought about that game once since. So it helped.

In your book, Game 7, 1986, Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life, what's your takeaway or what's the takeaway you want the reader to get from that?

Well, I think for most folks when they read a sports book, it's about some great accomplishment that happens. For a professional pitcher, being allowed to pitch Game 7 of World Series is the greatest thrill you could ever have.

But the takeaway on this book is I had that and I failed. And why did I fail? And I think what happened is after the game was done, and the Mets won, but after the game was done a couple of days later, I said, you know, I was at the top of my game, did not give up an earned run in that series, and I got knocked out in the fourth inning. How did that happen?

I thought organically it would go away. 30 years later, it did not. You're still thinking about it. And that's why I wrote it. And as soon as it was finished, I have not thought about that game once since.

So it was either $150 on someone's couch, write a book or bourbon, I guess. Only three choices I had.

In your book, Game 7, 1986, Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life, what's your takeaway or what's the takeaway you want the reader to get from that? What's the deepest thing you can share with us?

Well, I think for most folks when they read a sports book, it's about some great accomplishment that happens. For a professional pitcher, being allowed to pitch Game 7 of World Series is the greatest thrill you could ever have. But the takeaway on this book is I had that and I failed. And why did I fail?

And I think what happened is after the game was done, and the Mets won, but after the game was done a couple of days later, I said, you know, I was at the top of my game, did not give up an earned run in that series, and I got knocked out in the fourth inning. How did that happen? I thought organically it would go away.

30 years later, it did not. You're still thinking about it. And that's why I wrote it. And as soon as it was finished, I have not thought about that game once since. So it helped.

In your book, Game 7, 1986, Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life, what's your takeaway or what's the takeaway you want the reader to get from that?

For a professional pitcher, being allowed to pitch Game 7 of World Series is the greatest thrill you could ever have. But the takeaway on this book is I had that and I failed. And why did I fail?

I said, you know, I was at the top of my game, did not give up an earned run in that series, and I got knocked out in the fourth inning. How did that happen?

30 years later, it did not. You're still thinking about it. And that's why I wrote it.

So it was either $150 on someone's couch, write a book or bourbon, I guess.

In fact, Copernicus, who put the sun back in the middle of the known universe, turning our geocentric world into a heliocentric world, his book called De Revolutionibus, that book which is one of the most coveted books in the history of publishing that goes for millions of dollars at auction if you wanna pick up one from the original first...

His book called The Revolution Abyss.

That book which is one of the most coveted books in the history of publishing that goes for millions of dollars at auction if you want to pick up one from the original first.

his book called De Revolutionibus, that book which is one of the most coveted books in the history of publishing that goes for millions of dollars at auction if you wanna pick up one from the original first...

that idea was so heretical to put the sun in the middle and not the earth.

That book which is one of the most coveted books in the history of publishing that goes for millions of dollars at auction if you want to pick up one from the original first.

The original first edition that idea was so heretical to put the sun in the middle and not the earth.

I did just...unfortunately I probably shouldn't have but I read this book called Learning to Die in the Anthropocene which is by this guy Roy Scranton who is very smart.

I will recommend that book by Roy Scrandon called Learning to Die in the Anthropocene because ultimately he does have a sort of Zen view of You know how we have to be motivated to have families and you know be ambitious and work and be productive, you know in a sort of Zen sense and just live in the moment and be happy to you know exist despite You know the potential for a meteorite impact in a hundred years or something.

But I will say that it's it's beautifully written.

I did just...unfortunately I probably shouldn't have but I read this book called Learning to Die in the Anthropocene which is by this guy Roy Scranton who is very smart.

And I learned the word Anthropocene from him.

I will recommend that book by Roy Scrandon called Learning to Die in the Anthropocene because ultimately he does have a sort of Zen view of You know how we have to be motivated to have families and you know be ambitious and work and be productive, you know in a sort of Zen sense and just live in the moment and be happy to you know exist despite You know the potential for a meteorite impact in a hundred years or something.

But I will say that it's it's beautifully written.

There was a novel, a French novel in 1950 called You Shall Know Them by an author named Vercorz, V-E-R-C-O-R-S.

There was a novel A French novel in 1950 called You Shall Know Them by an author named Vercorz

And the story opens with this scientist Who kills his son Or something like that

Yeah, it kills his son

And then he calls the police I've murdered my son, the police show up

And he made it with a female chimp And had an offspring and killed it And now he's on trial For what? For murdering what? Is it a human or is it a...

There was a novel, a French novel in 1950 called You Shall Know Them by an author named Vercorz, V-E-R-C-O-R-S.

And the story opens with this scientist who kills his son or something like that.

Yeah, he kills his son.

And then he calls the police, I've murdered my son, the police show up.

And he's basically mated with a female chimp and had an offspring and killed it. And now he's on trial.

There was a novel A French novel in 1950 called You Shall Know Them by an author named Vercorz

I think I gave him A Mathematician's Apology which was a book written by G.H.R.D.

and I think that really resonated with him.

G.H.R.D. is the mathematician in Cambridge who discovered...

Yeah, it's a beautiful piece of writing.

I think I gave him A Mathematician's Apology which was a book written by G.H.R.D.

G.H.R.D. is the mathematician in Cambridge who discovered...

Yeah, it's a beautiful piece of writing.

He was writing this book called a mathematician's lament or just sorry mathematicians apology

He was sort of delighting in the fact that math will never be certain kinds of math and he was highlighting, you know, the theory of prime numbers and relativity will never be used as instruments of war

And you wrote a book, A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery. I like that.

But, you know, regarding the book, The Right Stuff, the movie, you mentioned the movie. I think I maybe saw it once. It's really The Right.

The book was much more significant part of my life, really was what's inspired me to become a better student and to go on and fly in the Navy and then later at NASA.

Scott Kelly's book is A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery. Definitely check it out.

Scott's got a book out here in space, A Lifetime of Discovery

And you wrote a book, A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery. I like that.

Scott Kelly's book is A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery. Definitely check it out.

Scott's got a book out, A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery,

He's published a photo book and a biography.

Scott wrote a best-selling memoir about that year-long mission and it's called Endurance, A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery.

So you were all grown up before you even had a thought of going into space?

So it was never something that I seriously considered or aspired to mostly because I didn't think it was possible for me because I could not pay attention in class. I couldn't do my homework. I wasn't a good student.

Now later, once I had this spark of inspiration that this book provided, it took me a while, but eventually I was able to figure out how to pay attention, to study, to do better.

So at some point you said to yourself, I have the right stuff.

And also How to Create a Mind in 2012.

My most recent book, How to Create a Mind talks about how that machine works.

My most recent book, How to Create a Mind talks about how that machine works.

And you're author of the book, I have to give this a shout out, The Future of Us, What the Dreams of Children Mean to 21st Century America.

And you're author of the book, I have to give this a shout out, The Future of Us, What the Dreams of Children Mean to 21st Century America.

So, Erwin, I want to talk to you about your book, which is The Future of Us. I want to get the full title, What the Dreams of Children Mean in 21st Century America.

Because it just came out in paperback now.

Yes. It's an updated version in paperback.

It looks like this.

It's the title of your book, The Future of Us.

You are a professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Purdue University. And you guys in Indiana, if I remember correctly, you don't have daylight savings time there. Is that still the case?

So you're author of the perfectly titled book for this episode, The Game Changer. Yes. Technoscientific revolution in sports.

And that book was titled The Game Changer, the Technoscientific Revolution in Sports. When was that published, Rayvon?

2017.

So it should still be out there. Excellent. And who published it? Johns Hopkins University Press.

And you are author of the perfectly titled book for this episode, The Game Changer.

the Technoscientific Revolution in Sports.

When was that published, Rayvon?

2017.

Johns Hopkins University Press.

And you're author of the perfectly titled book for this episode, The Game Changer. Yes. Technoscientific revolution in sports.

And that book was titled The Game Changer, the Technoscientific Revolution in Sports.

When was that published, Rayvon?

2017.

So it should still be out there. Excellent. And who published it? Johns Hopkins University Press.

And author of The Game Changer, a recent book. The Technoscientific Revolution in Sports came out in 2017.

Rayvon Foucher, author of The Game Changer, Technoscientific Revolution in Sports.

So what I did because of my episode dealing with the public in Pluto at the museum published a book called The Pluto Files, the rise and fall of America's favorite planet.

In my book The Pluto Files, chronicling the rise and decline of Pluto,

I had to make sure that every word of every lyric from her song Pluto X is an appendix of that book.

So what I did because of my episode dealing with the public in Pluto at the museum published a book called The Pluto Files, the rise and fall of America's favorite planet.

In my book The Pluto Files, chronicling the rise and decline of Pluto,

I had to make sure that every word of every lyric from her song Pluto X is an appendix of that book.