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First Principles

First Principles

By: First-Principles Podcast
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 First Principles is the podcast that deconstructs the complex, invisible systems shaping our modern world. Ever wonder how a social media algorithm works, how AI really thinks, or how GPS knows your exact location? Each episode, we break down one concept from its fundamental truths, giving you clarity without the technical jargon. If you're curious about the tech you use every day and want to finally understand it, this is your starting point.First-Principles Podcast Nature & Ecology Science
Episodes
  • EP18 - The Smart Grid: A Nervous System for the Planet

    EP18 - The Smart Grid: A Nervous System for the Planet
    Oct 14 2025
    We flip a switch and the lights come on. It's the most reliable magic in modern life. But our 20th-century power grid, the largest machine on Earth, is groaning under the strain of a 21st-century world. What does it take to keep the lights on, and how is a quiet revolution turning our power lines into an internet of energy?
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    28 mins
  • EP17 - From Thought to Thunder: Deconstructing the Language of Code

    EP17 - From Thought to Thunder: Deconstructing the Language of Code
    Oct 12 2025
    We tap an icon, and a universe of information appears. We think of software as magic, but what is it, really? This episode travels into the heart of the machine to deconstruct the most fundamental "black box" of our time: code. We'll discover how simple text written by a human is translated into the electrical commands that power our entire digital world.
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    26 mins
  • EP16 - The Blockchain and the Unbreakable Promise: A Ledger Without a King

    EP16 - The Blockchain and the Unbreakable Promise: A Ledger Without a King
    Oct 11 2025
    We buy tickets and trade digital goods with the tap of a screen, assuming a bank or corporation is making it all happen. But the blockchain proposes a world without that middleman, a system of trust built not on people or power, but on pure mathematics. How can a group of total strangers create a single, unbreakable source of truth?
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    33 mins
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