Paco Nathan - Thinking in "graphs", a data and tech pioneer on living in a complex world

I have trouble wrapping any adequate labels around this episode’s guest, Paco Nathan. Paco is a technologist, data scientist and an evangelist of a brighter data and technology future. He has an uncommon ability to synthesize the gaps and trends in this complex and evolving space, and gives me hope that we can create a more flourishing future within it.

Show Notes:

• Origins of Artificial Intelligence and mentors (06:00)
  • Humberto Maturana ("What the frog's eye tells the frog's brain")
  • Fernando Flores
  • Francisco Varela
  • Terry Winograd
• Cybernetics by Norbert Weiner (06:30)
• Project Cybersyn (07:00)
• Autopoiesis and Cognition by Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela
• Expert systems (13:20)
• Bell Labs (16:30)
• Hopfield network (16:50)
• Systems thinking (22:30)
• What is data science? (22:45)
  • DJ Patil
  • John Tukey
• The complexities of today's world (29:50)
• Complexity and emergence (31:00)
• How Learning Works by Susan Ambrose (32:00)
• Panama papers (39:00)
• How to think in graphs daily (41:30)
  • Have a shape in mind, even if you don't have the labels yet
• Ambiguity aversion (47:40)
  • "Unknown unknowns"
• Dave Snowden and Cynefin Framework (47:45)
  • Complex areas: no deterministic approach will arrive at a 'right answer'
• Medium posts: Sense and Scalability and Graph thinking (51:00)
• derwen.ai (52:30)
• How he takes notes (58:00)
• Lightning Round (01:01:00):
  • Book: Ecotopia Emerging by Ernest Callenbach
  • Passion: cooking
  • Heart sing: sustainability and regenerative processes (open science)
  • Screwed up: book store
    • Recommender system
• Find guest online:
  • Twitter: @pacoid
  • Website: https://derwen.ai/paco
• 'Five-Cut Fridays’ five-song music playlist series  
  • Paco’s playlist