1391: Punish or Praise the Budding Hacker You Raised? | Feedback Friday

Jordan Harbinger (0:03)

Welcome to Feedback Friday, I'm your host, Jordan Harbinger. As always, I'm here with Feedback Friday producer, the chocolate flakes on this foamy Cortado of life advice, Gabriel Mizrahi. Do they actually, do they put chocolate flakes on a Cortado? I'm not even sure I know what a Cortado is.

Gabriel Mizrahi (0:17)

Me either. They do at Starbucks if you pay them enough, I'm sure.

Jordan Harbinger (0:20)

Ah, Starbucks, the true Italian experience.

Gabriel Mizrahi (0:22)

That's right. Also, I don't think Cortados are foamy.

I think you're thinking of a cappuccino.

Jordan Harbinger (0:27)

Yeah, but I wanted to say something more Italian-sounding than cappuccino since we've ridden that here.

Gabriel Mizrahi (0:32)

Tato, Chino.

Jordan Harbinger (0:33)

Tato, Chino. We have fancy coffee here on the show and you didn't flake, son.

Gabriel Mizrahi (0:37)

Old Cortado and cappuccino over here.

Jordan Harbinger (0:41)

You're pseudo-Italian drive-time shock jocks.

On The Jordan Harbinger Show, we decode the stories, secrets and skills of the world's most fascinating people, and our mission is to help you become a better-informed, more critical thinker. During the week, we have long-form conversations with a variety of amazing folks, neuroscientists, CEOs, rocket scientists, undercover former jihadi co-leaders. You get the idea. This week, we had Rob Reed, who's none of those things, on AI and synthetic biology and how AI could enable essentially amateurs to make super deadly, scary biological weapons. Super chill conversation, as you can imagine. And Gabriel, were you telling me this morning that you read in The New York Times that the clod or anthropic caught people doing this, actually, like the day we recorded the episode?

Gabriel Mizrahi (1:26)

Apparently, today it broke out.

Jordan Harbinger (1:27)

Yeah.

Gabriel Mizrahi (1:28)

Apparently, the story broke today, which is so crazy. Your interview with Rob Reed could not be coming at a better time.

Jordan Harbinger (1:33)

Yeah, because I did it yesterday.

We also had Jameson Firestone on his Crazy Tales, running a law firm in Russia in the early aughts. Really good storyteller, crazy upbringing, fun show for those who haven't heard it yet. And we did a Skeptical Sunday last Sunday on Family Court. On Fridays, though, we share stories, take listener letters, offer advice, play obnoxious sound bites, and compare ourselves to various artisanal international beverages. Gabe, where are you right now? Your background is even more insane than usual today. Looks like you're in some sort of cathedral.

Gabriel Mizrahi (2:03)

I'm at my friend Yvonne's house in a tiny town in Italy called Valtelleggio. It's like this stunning valley in Lombardy, maybe an hour from Bergamo. So beautiful.

Jordan Harbinger (2:13)

I need you to describe the room that you're in. Seeing these huge windows and a lush garden and spiral wood staircase leading up to some kind of library and of course multicolored throw pillows on a low couch. I mean it just appears, there's also like a bust of what I can only assume is a Greek god or something like that or maybe...

Gabriel Mizrahi (2:30)

Yes.

Jordan Harbinger (2:30)

What's going on there?

Gabriel Mizrahi (2:31)

On which our friend Lucia hangs her go with the flow of nature baseball cap when she enters the house, which is my favorite touch.

Jordan Harbinger (2:37)

Yeah, it's a weird mashup. The room is giving Agatha Christie Murder Mansion if Agatha Christie also wrote erotic novels during the 70s.

Gabriel Mizrahi (2:46)

It's hard to tell what's going to break out first, a homicide or a key party.

Jordan Harbinger (2:50)

Yeah, really walk in that line between closed room mystery and open room orgy.

Gabriel Mizrahi (2:55)

Yeah, and Victorian grandma, exactly.

Jordan Harbinger (2:57)

Hopefully, that one's in the mystery.

Gabriel Mizrahi (2:58)

This place is bananas. I love it here so much. It's in the middle of, I think they call it the pre-Alps.

You're not like Alps, Alps, but pre-Alps. You have these stunning Dolomite-like rock formations, like those steep cliff faces that are just amazing.

Jordan Harbinger (3:13)

Those limestone, huge limestone structures, is that what I'm to imagine?

Gabriel Mizrahi (3:19)

Yes. Right behind his house are these hiking trails that take you through them and past these lush alpine meadows, past old chapels that used to serve the town that used to exist here. It's just so beautiful. Next door, the neighbor keeps goats and they have bells around their necks. While they graze all day, you just hear this distant chime of the bells, like a chaotic wind chime symphony, which you might hear today a little bit.

Jordan Harbinger (3:41)

That might end up on the recording today, folks. Sorry about that. Sorry about the wind chime goats.