Intellectually Curious

Intellectually Curious is a podcast by Mike Breault featuring over 1,400 AI-powered explorations across science, mathematics, philosophy, and personal growth. Each short-form episode is generated, refined, and published with the help of large language models—turning curiosity into an ongoing audio encyclopedia. Designed for anyone who loves learning, it offers quick dives into everything from combinatorics and cryptography to systems thinking and psychology.

Inspiration for this podcast:

"Muad'Dib learned rapidly because his first training was in how to learn. And the first lesson of all was the basic trust that he could learn. It's shocking to find how many people do not believe they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult. Muad'Dib knew that every experience carries its lesson."

― Frank Herbert, Dune

Note: These podcasts were made with NotebookLM. AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information.

All Episodes

Intellectually Curious

The Design of the Century: Steiner Systems and the S(2,4,100) Challenge

October 19, 2025 • Mike Breault

We explore the world of Steiner systems, from the Fano plane to the infamous S(2,4,100) problem. Discover how blocks of fixed size cover every pair of points exactly once, why the 3–1 coloring constraint turned the problem into the so-called Design of the Century, and how a months-long, computation-driven search finally proved existence. We also uncover the surprising nested structure—a Steiner system S(2,3,45) hidden inside the 100-point design—and discuss what these abstract objects reveal about coding theory, experimental design, and the deeper architecture of mathematics.

Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information.