Welcome to The Art of The Impossible, a weekly newsletter where I unearth five pieces of content which I hope will both inspire and embolden you.
PODCAST
Today’s guest is theoretical computer scientist Leslie Valiant - currently the T. Jefferson Coolidge Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University. Among his many accolades, Leslie was awarded the Turing Award in 2010 for transformative contributions to the theory of computation, including the theory of PAC learning which stands for Probably Approximately Correct, as well as the complexity of enumeration and of algebraic computation, and the theory of parallel and distributed computing.
In this episode, Leslie and I discuss his life and career journey – from what problems he has looked to solve in his career to how his PAC theory was first received and his latest book, The Importance of Being Educable.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Also, worth listen to
interview with Zuck here - very good!QUOTE
It always seems impossible until it's done
Nelson Mandela
INTERVIEW
This is the incredible story of Noland Arbaugh - the first recipient of a Elon Musk-founded Neuralink’s brain chip.
Noland is a quadriplegic who was paralyzed after a "freak accident" in 2016. When Neuralink shared a video of Noland playing a video game with his mind last month, people couldn’t believe it but Neuralink is an absolute game changer - a cybernetic implant that aims to give people with paralysis the ability to use a computer or phone with their minds. Truly inspiring!
Watch an interview with Noland here.
BOOK
On Giving Up: What Must We Give Up to Feel More Alive? By Adam Phillips
This book was recommended last week on the podcast by my guest, Brett Martin. I think it is especially relevant to founders who invariably find it hard to find balance as they experience many ups and downs on their entrepreneurial journey.
Book blurb:
To give up or not to give up?
The question can feel inescapable but the answer is never simple.
Giving up our supposed vices is one thing; giving up on life itself is quite another. One form of self-sacrifice feels positive, something to admire and aspire to, while the other is profoundly unsettling, if not actively undesirable.
There are always, it turns out, both good and bad sacrifices, but it is not always clear beforehand which is which. We give something up because we believe we can no longer go on as we are. In this sense, giving up is a critical moment - an attempt to make a different future.
In On Giving Up, acclaimed psychoanalyst Adam Phillips illuminates both the gaps and the connections between the many ways of giving up, and helps us to address the central question: what must we give up in order to feel more alive?
Buy the book here. Listen to my full conversation with Brett here.
WATCH
STEVE!
Steve Martin is one of the most beloved and enigmatic figures in entertainment. STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces dives into his extraordinary story from two distinct points of view, with companion documentaries that feature never-before-seen footage and raw insights into Steve’s personal and professional trials and triumphs. “Then” chronicles Steve Martin’s early struggles and meteoric rise to revolutionize standup before walking away at 35. “Now” focuses on the present day, with Steve Martin in the golden years of his career, retracing the transformation that led to happiness in his art and personal life.
Watch on Apple TV for now. Also, worth reading his book, Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life - not to become a standup comedian but because it illuminates what it takes to become excellent at anything.
EVENT
If you are a founder, do keep a look out for upcoming events organised by
- they host regular dinners where 10 of you come together and discuss what issues are keeping you up at night. Check them out here and listen to my interview with co-founder and investor here.Thank you for reading the newsletter and for listening to the podcast, and if you enjoy them, please do share with your network - my goal is to have these stories reach as many as possible so that others can be inspired too. And if you have two minutes, please do leave a review for the podcast - it would mean the world to me and helps others to find it too.
Danielle
Thanks for the mention Danielle :-)