In Episode 114, Quinn asks: What are carbon offsets, and do they even work? Our returning guest is Akshat Rathi, a reporter at Bloomberg Green. Carbon offsets -- like our planet -- are so hot right now. And like our planet -- they kind of don’t work! So fun. But…
Synopsis: We can time travel to the past to understand how we got to where we are today. But the past doesn’t dictate the future - not anymore. So we have to look forward. The decisions we make today will guarantee that the world of 2041 is cleaner, safer, and…
In Episode 113, Quinn asks: What can we learn from plants? The answer, it turns out, is: A whole heck of a lot. Our guest is the wonderful and way overqualified Dr. Beronda Montgomery -- PhD, writer, researcher, scholar, and author of “Lessons from Plants.” (https://www.berondamontgomery.com/lessonsfromplants/) Dr. Montgomery’s dedicated her…
This week: An electric truck for the masses; India’s vaccine production stays home; Better cancer screening; Beef emissions. • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not Important is produced by…
Oh, when we were young and so naive. In Episode #9 (!), Quinn and Brian got to know Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases physician, Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine, and the Medical Director of Special Pathogens Unit (SPU) at Boston Medical Center. TLDR of the…
In Episode 111, Quinn & Brian discuss the past, present, and future of government IT infrastructure. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??? Our guest is Aneesh Chopra, the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States. Twelve years after serving under President Obama, he’s the co-founder of CareJourney, whose mission is to…
This week: fossil fuel financing under the microscope, India’s COVID summer, MDMA to the rescue, how to fix our water pipes. • Psychedelics 101: Books, Documentaries, Podcasts, Science, and More – The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss (https://tim.blog/2021/03/31/psychedelics-101/) • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) •…
In Episode 110, Quinn’s talking about the end of the universe. His guest is Sarafina Nance, Ph.D. candidate at Berkeley, astrophysicist, author, and women’s health advocate. She also hosts Constellation, a TV show by Seeker. How the hell is the universe gonna end? Is it soon? What does it mean…
In Episode 109, Quinn & Brian try to help answer the eternal question: What can I do? Our guest is Frank Buncom IV, Head of Product Management at AIRx Health, a ground-breaking digital health and remote monitoring service for patients with chronic conditions and COVID-19. This episode is the first…
This week: Batteries 101; too many vaccines, not enough takers; new antibiotics, but are they the right ones?; water disputes grow; AI gets the crack down • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at…
In Episode 108, Quinn & Brian discuss: Data for progress. Our guest is Julian Brave NoiseCat, the Vice President of Policy & Strategy at Data for Progress, a progressive think tank that uses data science, public opinion research, policy analysis, and other research to develop and advocate for progressive policies.…
In Episode 107, Quinn & Brian discuss: How to buy clothing that lasts while not polluting the oceans or exploiting low-income workers. Our guest is Orsola de Castro, a fashion icon and the founder of Fashion Revolution, a collection of designers, producers, and consumers looking to heighten awareness of sustainability…
This week: Climate finance remains unregulated; God vs Vaccines; AI antibiotics are coming; New data on food waste since the 1960s • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not Important…
Synopsis: Starting over sucks. But, like in Contra, maybe starting over is just the thing that’ll save the world. Do Better Better essays help you build mental models and ask questions about our changing world — for yourself, your family, and your business. These essays compliment the audio version of…
In Episode 106, Quinn & Brian ask: Why is it so dangerous to have Black babies in America? Our guest is Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, the millenial Black nurse and former senior adviser to President Obama. Her “Momnibus Act” is a suite of 12 bills designed to improve Black maternal health…
This week: Biden’s plan, explained; financial climate risk, uncovered; at-home COVID tests, approved; pesticide poisonings, revealed • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (https://slack-redir.net/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimportantnotimportant.com%2Fnewsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media…
Hi. Hello. Americans are leaving their living rooms again, which means we’re shooting people again, too. As such, we’re re-running our conversation with Fred Guttenberg, father of Parkland victim, Jaime Guttenberg. We need to break the fucking gun lobby, so we’ll just keep replaying this must-listen episode until we do.…
This week: The Western drought grows; China’s vaccine exports; menthol cigarettes on the run; bacon and Alzheimer’s; croissants and cancer. • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (https://slack-redir.net/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimportantnotimportant.com%2Fnewsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not Important is…
In Episode 105, Quinn & Brian ask: How safe is your data (and can your wine fridge take down democracy)? Our guest is: Dr. Carissa Véliz, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Institute for Ethics in AI, and a Tutorial Fellow in Philosophy at Hertford College…
In brief: The most powerful Joe; when you’re really clear on COVID; Black maternal outcomes; how to understand the AI internal war • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (https://slack-redir.net/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimportantnotimportant.com%2Fnewsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not…
In Episode 104, Quinn & Brian discuss: the future of data and medicine. Our guests are: Robel Kassa & Dr. Sam Scarpino, two of the brilliant minds behind Global.Health, which is setting a new standard for epidemiological data. Global.Health (https://global.health/) is the first of its kind: an easy-to-use global data…
In brief: Batteries are cheaper and increasingly everywhere; the best COVID treatments; a possible opioid alternative; cabbage is off the menu • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (https://slack-redir.net/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimportantnotimportant.com%2Fnewsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not Important…
In Episode 103, Quinn & Brian ask: Why do so many more Black people die after heart transplants than everybody else? Our guests are: Dr. Hasina Maredia and Dr. Errol Bush, who recently published a paper in the American Heart Association’s journal, “Circulation: Heart Failure.” Their paper (https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.119.006107) concludes that…
This week: Miami kicks the can down the road, relief for farmworkers, poor Twitter, how not to waste food, how not to do ethical A.I. • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (https://slack-redir.net/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimportantnotimportant.com%2Fnewsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp…