エピソード

  • Ep 7: Ammonia fertilizer that sells for hundreds of dollars a ton rests on raw inputs whose theoretical floor is a small fraction of that price.

    Ep 7: Ammonia fertilizer that sells for hundreds of dollars a ton rests on raw inputs whose theoretical floor is a small fraction of that price.
    2026/06/12
    Ammonia fertilizer that sells for hundreds of dollars a ton rests on raw inputs whose theoretical floor is a small fraction of that price. Segment 1 — The Cold Open Ammonia that ends up on farm fields today carries a delivered price that can exceed several hundred dollars per metric ton. The atoms themselves come from air and, ultimately, from water or natural gas. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.
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    10 分
  • Ep 1: A rocket engine once priced in the millions now approaches a fraction of that cost because its designers began with the raw metals and the physics of combustion instead of copying legacy engines.

    Ep 1: A rocket engine once priced in the millions now approaches a fraction of that cost because its designers began with the raw metals and the physics of combustion instead of copying legacy engines.
    2026/06/07
    A rocket engine once priced in the millions now approaches a fraction of that cost because its designers began with the raw metals and the physics of combustion instead of copying legacy engines. Segment 1 — The Cold Open Welcome to First Principles Daily, a show that examines how the biggest cost and performance leaps come from rebuilding problems from the ground up rather than tweaking what already exists. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.
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    10 分
  • Ep 2: Before Ford, a car cost a skilled worker years of wages; he cut the price by treating it as atoms in motion rather than a fitted craft object.

    Ep 2: Before Ford, a car cost a skilled worker years of wages; he cut the price by treating it as atoms in motion rather than a fitted craft object.
    2026/06/07
    Before Ford, a car cost a skilled worker years of wages; he cut the price by treating it as atoms in motion rather than a fitted craft object. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In 1908 a new Model T left the factory priced near $850. By the mid-1920s the same basic car sold for roughly $260. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.
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    6 分
  • Ep 3: Desalinated water sells for several dollars per cubic meter, yet the thermodynamic minimum energy needed to separate the salt is worth only a few cents — the rest is everything except the membranes.

    Ep 3: Desalinated water sells for several dollars per cubic meter, yet the thermodynamic minimum energy needed to separate the salt is worth only a few cents — the rest is everything except the membranes.
    2026/06/08
    Desalinated water sells for several dollars per cubic meter, yet the thermodynamic minimum energy needed to separate the salt is worth only a few cents — the rest is everything except the membranes. Segment 1 — The Cold Open Seawater contains roughly 35 kilograms of salt per cubic meter. Pulling that salt out to leave usable fresh water carries a hard physical price set by entropy and the free energy of mixing. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.
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    8 分
  • Ep 4: Steel that cost as much as silver per ton fell toward the price of its ore and fuel when air was blown through molten iron.

    Ep 4: Steel that cost as much as silver per ton fell toward the price of its ore and fuel when air was blown through molten iron.
    2026/06/09
    Steel that cost as much as silver per ton fell toward the price of its ore and fuel when air was blown through molten iron. Segment 1 — The Cold Open Before the 1850s a ton of steel typically required days of labor in small crucibles or puddling furnaces and sold for sums that made it rarer than many nonferrous metals. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.
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    6 分
  • Ep 5: Nuclear plants cost billions, yet their steel, concrete, and fuel are worth only a small fraction of that price.

    Ep 5: Nuclear plants cost billions, yet their steel, concrete, and fuel are worth only a small fraction of that price.
    2026/06/10
    Nuclear plants cost billions, yet their steel, concrete, and fuel are worth only a small fraction of that price. Segment 1 — The Cold Open A completed nuclear power station can carry a price tag measured in billions of dollars while the steel, concrete, and enriched fuel inside it represent only a modest slice of that total. The difference is not hidden in exotic materials; it sits in how the plant is planned, permitted, assembled, and financed. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.
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    8 分
  • Ep 6: Before containers, moving cargo cost many times the goods themselves because every item had to be handled by hand at each transfer.

    Ep 6: Before containers, moving cargo cost many times the goods themselves because every item had to be handled by hand at each transfer.
    2026/06/11
    Before containers, moving cargo cost many times the goods themselves because every item had to be handled by hand at each transfer. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In the 1950s a single cargo ship might spend a week or more in port while hundreds of longshoremen carried crates, barrels, and bales one by one from truck to hold and back again. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.
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    10 分