Mysteries of the Scrolls — with Nat Friedman
An interview with Nat Friedman, former CEO of GitHub and creator of the Vesuvius Challenge, which aims to crack the riddles of the Herculaneum Papyri.
In this episode:
- The Genesis of the Vesuvius Challenge
- Early Attempts to Open the Scrolls
- Using a Particle Accelerator to Scan the Scrolls!
- Partnering with Daniel Gross and Brent Seales
- Nat’s Childhood experience with Open-source Communities
- How to Design Prize Incentives for a Complex Contest
- Doing Crazy, Strange and Risky Projects
- A Possible Resurgence of Epicureanism?
For the episode transcript, be sure to subscribe to my Substack!
This episode is sponsored by Ancient Language Institute. If you’re interested in actually reading the newly unlocked scrolls, you will need to know the languages of the ancient world. The Ancient Language Institute will help you do just that. Registration is now open (till August 10th) for their Fall term where you can take advanced classes in Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, and Old English.
The Cost Of Glory Episodes
105 - Breeding Future Statesmen: Interview w/ Kevin Dolan on the EXIT podcast
104 - Heroic Struggles in Vietnam — with Doyle Glass
A conversation with Doyle Glass, author of Swift Sword, The True Story of the Marines of MIKE 3/5 in Vietnam, 4 September 1967. Intro Story featuring BlackJack Mulligan. In this episode: Mastering Fear in Combat, A lawyer's journey to becoming an artist and an author, The ambush begins: "The tree line stood up", Clear headed leadership of Lieutenant Murray, The heroic Father Capodanno, Larry Peters' Sacrifice to Save His Squad, The powerful psychology of accepting death in combat
"With the Old Breed" war classic by Eugene Sledge
Man of Mystery Robert Benoist
103 - The Immortal Cato
History Contains Power
My name is Alex Petkas, and in The Cost of Glory, I present you with the best stories, analyses and takeaways, from the greatest and most influential figures from Greco-Roman antiquity.