TRC #725: Infant Simulator Programs + Book Reviews: The Thinking Machine, The Philosopher in the Valley & Peak Human

TRC #725: Infant Simulator Programs + Book Reviews: The Thinking Machine, The Philosopher in the Valley & Peak Human

January 14, 2026 · 27 min · Episode 725

About this episode

The episode discusses the efficacy of Infant Simulator Programs and reviews three books related to technology and society.

For our first show of 2026 Adam looks at the efficacy of Infant Simulator Programs, which involves giving a fake baby to high school kids to discourage teen pregnancy. Darren gives us a review of three books, "The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip" by Stephen Witt, "The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir, and the Rise of the Surveillance State" by Michael Steinberger and "Peak Human: What We Can Learn From History's Greatest Civilizations" by Johan Norberg.

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