Media Coverage
09 August 2021
Technical Innovation in Art Photography
Scientist, inventor, and food photographer Nathan Myhrvold thrives at the intersection of technology and art. In this episode of Guests and Gusto, he shares his “New View of Food,” and the innovative custom cameras he builds to take some of his most iconic shots.
05 August 2021
Idea, invention, innovation, and failure. Life lessons from the master of all, Nathan Myhrvold
Polymath. Multitalented. It’s hard to capture our next guest’s triumphant accolades in one word. Nathan Myhrvold really is a master of all. This jam-packed episode explores a multitude of layers. Nathan claims that his success comes from not specializing in one thing (despite that this is what the modern world rewards). “Failure is always an option,” and we have to be better at bouncing back from it and looking towards the next opportunity.
01 February 2021
Nathan Myhrvold on NASA’s lies, Theories of Everything, working with Hawking, and COVID lockdowns
In this 2-1/2 hour-long interview, Nathan discusses Stephen Hawking and the quest to unify general relativity with quantum mechanics, string and supersymmetry theories, and the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in physics. Plus what's happening with COVID-19 evolution, herd immunity, and vaccinations. And lighter topics like: myths about nutrition, whether a fast-changing climate might make geoengineering necessary, and ways to judge the trustworthiness of new science. Also available in video form on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YUXHLTlx9DA
27 January 2021
These Are the Highest Resolution Photos Ever Taken of Snowflakes
Photographer and scientist Nathan Myhrvold has developed a camera that captures snowflakes at a microscopic level never seen before
01 November 2020
I’m Interested in Lots of Things, and That’s Actually a Bad Strategy
University of Chicago economist and Freakonomics author Steven Levitt interviewed Nathan for the podcast People I (Mostly) Admire. Among the topics they discussed in their wide-ranging conversation: how Nathan met Bill Gates and eventually became Microsoft's first chief technology officer despite never having taken a computer science class, what it was like working with Stephen Hawking and his contributions to physics, the strategies and frustrations of being a prolific inventor, the crucial role that advanced fission power can play in combatting climate change, education of highly gifted children, and Nathan's forthcoming three-volume book on pizza.
24 April 2020
How to barbecue perfectly according to a scientist (turned barbecue world champion)
Nathan Myhrvold is a barbecue world champion who studied physics under Stephen Hawking. In this exclusive extract from GQ’s book How To Win At Life, he explains why science is your secret ingredient...
07 November 2019
Nathan Myhrvold visits RIT; former Microsoft CTO is now an innovator of photography
Myhrvold has been able to combine two childhood passions
20 September 2019
How I Test Bold Ideas
Back in 2005, Nathan Myhrvold, a former Microsoft colleague, showed me a long scientific paper on an innovative nuclear reactor and introduced me to the lead author, an inventive physicist named Lowell Wood who would go on to beat Thomas Edison’s record for the most U.S. patents in history. Lowell claimed that this reactor could satisfy “much of humanity’s requirements for electricity in the 21st century.” I was skeptical, but also intrigued.
19 September 2019
Review: Netflix documentary on Bill Gates reveals chaos, determination and love ‘Inside Bill’s Brain’
“Nuclear reactors are not the thing you get into if you want to win popularity contests. Eliminating polio is a lot more popular.” — Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures Lab.
08 August 2019
Five big ideas from Nathan Myhrvold, the original ‘mad scientist’ from Microsoft
In a talk to Hacker News Seattle and Cofounders Connect, Myhrvold shared five big ideas on using AI to diagnose disease, quantum metamaterials, the challenges of robotic pizza, open-source furniture, and the future of television.