Episodes
Nov. 8, 2021
125. Elevating Climate Venture Capital
In Episode 125 , Quinn asks: How can venture capital offer solutions to two of the biggest problems of our time? His guests are Vida Asiegbu and Anthony Oni, two incredible climate venture capitalists with Elevate Future Fund...
Nov. 5, 2021
Issue #254: Delete Your (Face)Book
This week: Checking in on COP; How is this still happening?; An Impossible evaluation; Digitizing Medicade; Facebook is deleting your face; Did Big Oil lie in front of Congress? Find links from this newsletter and more at imp...
Nov. 1, 2021
Issue #253: Here’s The Deal
This Week: Biden's agreement, revealed; Why vaccinating kids matters for everyone; Plant-based meat emissions questioned; Public health's original sin; Fixing Facebook Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnoti...
Nov. 1, 2021
124. Birth Control 2.0
In Episode 124 , Quinn interviews Dr. Elizabeth Ruzzo , a brilliant human geneticist who left the world of academia to launch adyn , her effort to help women find the best birth control for their unique bodies. Family plannin...
Oct. 25, 2021
Newsletter #252: What Comes After Manchin
This Week, Summarized: Moving on from Manchin; Kids shots; Forever chemicals regulated (finally); Google vs. Iran Get Action Steps and more at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com Got feedback? Email us at questions@important...
Oct. 25, 2021
123. Snapchat Runs for Office
In Episode #123 , Quinn gets a masterclass on Snapchat AND running for office with RFS co-founder, returning guest, and our favorite human alive, Amanda Litman ! Amanda’s helped thousands of progressive young people run and g...
Oct. 15, 2021
Issue #251: Moderna Made How Much?
This week: climate finance exposed; Moderna’s COVID profits are… a lot; beef’s emissions problem examined; startups for aging, and who gets to write the AI Bill of Rights? Find links from this newsletter and more at important...
Oct. 8, 2021
Issue #250: Bye Malaria
This week: How to reduce methane; America’s out of diapers; COVID questions; A new day against malaria; Food systems examined; How you’re tracked Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newslette...
Oct. 4, 2021
The First Black Female Space Pilot
We’re bringing back one of our all-time most popular conversations, and not just because it kicks ass. When this interview was recorded back in 2018, Dr. Sian Proctor was almost an astronaut. Now, in 2021, Dr. Proctor has jus...
Oct. 1, 2021
Issue #249: It's Climate Day in America (I Hope)
This week: It’s Climate Day; How to defeat the next pandemic; Telehealth in red states; Is lab-grown meat a myth; Facebook’s very bad month continues Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsl...
Sept. 24, 2021
#248: How We Deal With Facebook
This week: Manchin wields a dirty pen; Our new COVID rules; Fighting for expanded telehealth; 200 million climate migrants; Even more trolls Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got...
Sept. 13, 2021
How We Deal With Drought: From NOVA Now
I’m very excited to share an awesome show with you today, from the fine folks at PBS! God, I love PBS. The show is called “NOVA Now” and I’m a longtime huge fan. This episode is near and dear to the moment we’re in. As the We...
Sept. 10, 2021
Issue #247: Close Your Rings
This week: Solar’s wilding out; $65 billion for the next pandemic; Better, cheaper, more inclusive clinical trials; Protecting farmworkers; Biden’s AI board Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.co...
Sept. 3, 2021
Issue #246: Is This The Metaverse?
This week: Climate tech billions; COVID goals; A new hope for neurodegenerative diseases; An IPCC for food; Facial recognition knows no bounds. Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter ...
Aug. 30, 2021
Mixtape Vol 2: "When was the first time you had the power of change?"
If we're going to make this world a better place, things have to change. That's why we talk with the changemakers who have the power – and the courage – to get things done. We wrap up every conversation with one question mean...
Aug. 27, 2021
Issue #245: Will The Levees Hold?
This week: Wind NIMBY’s; More nurses, stat; Diabetes on the rise; Evictions; Cybersecurity commitments. Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email us at questions@impo...
Aug. 23, 2021
Mixtape Vol 1: “Why are you vital to the survival of the species?”
Each week we kick off our conversations with the smartest people in the universe with one humble question: “ Why are you vital to the survival of the species?” The responses typically range from laughter, modest denial, to au...
Aug. 20, 2021
Issue #244: These Are The Easy Wins
This week: Operate from a place of self-awareness; God, we are so bad at math; A half-century later; Drive pediatric cancer research; What’s the future of meat work? TikTok misinformation enters the chat. Find links from this...
Aug. 16, 2021
122. We Are The Algorithm
In Episode 122 , Quinn has big questions about AI ethics and, like many other situations, is left wondering: was Dr. Ian Malcolm right all along? Our guest is Dr. Rumman Chowdury. She is the director of the Machine Ethics Tra...
Aug. 9, 2021
121. QueerBrownVegan
In Episode #121 , Quinn’s got a fantastic new guest to help answer his favorite question: “ What can I do? ” Isaias Hernandez – or, as he’s known pretty much everywhere on the internet, Queer Brown Vegan -- shares the mic tod...
Aug. 6, 2021
Issue #242: Facebook's Oil Ads Are Killing Us
This week: 50% isn’t good enough; Facebook fossil fuel ads; How to get shots to Africa; Oysters!?; Why has AI failed to help during COVID? Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got f...
Aug. 4, 2021
120. Welcome to the Discontinuity
In Episode 120 , Quinn discusses retraining our mind to understand and operate in the discontinuity we are in. Let’s get META. HIs guest is Alex Steffen, a longtime climate reporter and futurist, as well as writer of the fort...
Aug. 2, 2021
Issue #241: A Different Kind of Thirst Trap, Back to the Mask, Where’s Smokey the Bear when you need him?
This week: FDA got next?; Flooded subways; Delta's a game-changer; Epic (AI) fail; Fire predictions; Food stamp groceries delivered. Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedbac...
Aug. 2, 2021
119. How to Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke
In Episode 119 , Quinn asks: what’s in wildfire smoke, what does it do to your body, and how can you stay safe? Our guest is Dr. Mary Prunicki , the director of air pollution and health research at Stanford University under T...