In this episode of The Quantum Podcast, Christopher Smith sits down with Jake Explains — a creator whose path is anything but ordinary. Jake went from becoming the #3 RuneScape player in the world, mastering systems and optimization at an early age, to building a career in optical engineering, teaching astronomy, and finally becoming one of the fastest-growing creators in global education and geopolitics.

Jake describes how years of obsessive gameplay developed the ability to model systems, analyze incentives, and think strategically — the same mental tools he now uses to engineer viral content. He discusses the transition from aerospace and optical engineering into media, and how mastering hooks, pacing, curiosity loops, and storytelling structure turned his short-form videos into a global learning channel.

The conversation expands into quantum computing platforms — from photonic systems to NMR and topological qubits — along with the fundamentals of laser technology and the intersections between physics, engineering, and future cryptography. Jake also explores the psychology of human attention, why 99% of people interact with your brand for under a second, why he moved from space content to geopolitics, and what he's learned from building intentional communities around the world.

They dive deep into the American diet crisis, Jake's move to Asia, how environment rewires health, and why real-life community is critical for mental wellbeing in an age of digital overstimulation. The episode ties together systems thinking, global trends, technical depth, and the art of storytelling — through the lens of someone who has mastered multiple domains.

Follow Jake

YouTube: @JakeExplains
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jake_explains?igsh=bmQwNXNqcmN5a3du

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Chapters

00:00 — RuneScape mastery & learning to think in systems
02:00 — From engineering to content creation
04:00 — How virality works & why attention is everything
06:00 — The shift from space content to geopolitics
08:00 — What five-hour production workflows taught him
12:00 — Lasers, optical engineering & the physics behind his career
16:00 — Quantum computing platforms explained
20:00 — The American diet crisis & moving to Asia
24:00 — Community living, mental health & the digital age
28:00 — The future of encryption & quantum-era security

From The Quantus Podcast – Network School Series (Oct 2025)

🎥 The Quantus Podcast — Network School Series (Sept 2025)
Network School brings together remote workers, digital nomads, creators, personal trainers, self-improvers, event organizers, and engineers — all collaborating to build themselves up while building the next generation of startup societies. Founded by Balaji Srinivasan — https://x.com/balajis

📍 Recorded Sept 2025 in the Quantus popup studio at Network School, Forest City.