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Episode Link: https://share.snipd.com/episode/6fb82854-6b43-4c3e-94df-a06f474944a2 Episode publish date: August 31, 2025 12:40 PM (PDT) Last edit date: November 2, 2025 9:18 AM Last snip date: November 2, 2025 9:16 AM (PST) Last sync date: November 2, 2025 9:17 AM (PST) Show: The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann Snips: 5 Warning: ⚠ Any content within the episode information, snip blocks might be updated or overwritten by Snipd in a future sync. Add your edits or additional notes outside these blocks to keep them safe.

  • Episode show notes

    Part 5 of 10 of The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann

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[00:25] 1min Snip

[00:47] 1min Snip

[05:54] Von Neumann’s Computing Quest

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Von Neumann’s Computing Quest

  • Von Neumann persistently sought computing power across America after the war.

  • Mainframe installations often had someone working on a shockwave problem because of him.

  • 📚 Transcript

    Unknown Speaker (Narrator)

    Von Neumann continued to crisscross America for many years in an energetic hunt for computing power. In all the years after the war,

[18:42] Beyond Bomb Calculations

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Beyond Bomb Calculations

  • Von Neumann was interested in ENIAC for more than just bomb creation.

  • He was thinking about a radically different kind of computer from the moment he saw it.

  • 📚 Transcript

    Unknown Speaker (Narrator)

    Von Neumann’s interest in the ENIAC went far beyond its usefulness as a tool for creating better bombs. From the first moment he saw it, he was thinking of a radically different kind of computer altogether. Of the ENIAC’s drawbacks were recognized by its designers early on in the project. Of the 150 kilowatts of power it consumed, more than half was used to either heat or cool the tubes. Despite rigorous procedures for stress testing new batches and rejecting those that did not pass muster, a chew blew every couple of days. To minimize the disruption caused by malfunctioning parts and broken connections, the ENIAC’s components were arranged in standardized plug-in units that could quickly be removed

[33:37] Gödel’s Proof Checking

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Gödel’s Proof Checking

  • Gödel created a system to check any proof using math by assigning numbers to statements and logical operations.

  • This allows for the creation of a proof-checking machine.

  • 📚 Transcript

    Unknown Speaker (Narrator)

    With his coding system established, Gerdel was able to provide a process whereby any proof could be checked by simple maths. First, decompose the Gerdel number of the proof by following the decryption rules of G scheme. Eventually, this will reveal the Gödel numbers of the proof’s axioms. Then simply check that the Gödel numbers of the axioms are indeed those that are allowed by the system, i.e. The axioms of the Principia. The process is repetitive, so Gödel defined combination of primitive recursive functions, essentially mathematical loops, to do the decoding, producing an algorithm, a sort of Proof-checking machine that could test any theorem. The question of whether a theorem is valid becomes a question of doing sums, albeit quite complicated ones. Put the Gödel number of the theorem into the machine, turn the handle until the Gödel numbers of the axioms pop out, then consult the list