Cognitive Engineering

Does being the first to market give you a competitive edge? Is first-mover advantage still the harbinger of success that economic theory suggests? When does being the first mean you might end up finishing last?

In this …

Why is it that public spaces, like petrol stations, shopping malls and airports, are depressing and boring? These spaces are extremely useful and …

Some fashions come and go quickly, but others move in slower cycles (e.g. the bowler hat). What drives the rate at which given fashions shift, and most importantly, what does this mean for the future of facial hair?

In …

As the UK continues its withdrawal from Afghanistan and the covid-19 pandemic lingers on, this week we revisit a podcast from March about the effectiveness of governments.

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The Covid pandemic has seen a sharp …

Identifying a friend or family member from a baby photo seems like a trivial task. Conversely, showing someone a photo of a child and asking them to …

When bad luck befalls us, we often say, “wrong place, wrong time.” Rather than accepting that our daily choices continually expose us to new and ever-changing risks, we tend to view life events in terms of good and bad …

What makes an idiot? Sometimes those who are meant to be the best and brightest among us say the most idiotic things. This suggests intelligence and idiocy are not mutually exclusive characteristics. Can we prevent our …

Traditionally newspapers are published daily or weekly, but what if they were only published every ten years or perhaps, even longer? How would you …

Opposites are one of the first things we teach children: big-small, short-long, happy-sad. But how universal is the idea of opposites? What's the opposite of a banana for example?

In our latest podcast, we take an …

The word 'cheugy' has become a key weapon on the battlefield of intergenerational conflict. We might be its user, its target or utterly oblivious to its meaning. Does our relationship with the word tell us anything …

In the apocryphal story of the Hartlepool monkey, the residents of the town hang a shipwrecked monkey for being a French spy. Why do we search for …

Is the internet becoming unusable? Does it have a life beyond the constant barrage of annoying pop-ups, cookies, self-playing video commercials, captchas, paywalls and requests to turn off your ad blocker?

In this week's …

Is administering a Covid-19 test on yourself difficult, or are the instructions just confusing? How should we explain complexity and is there a limit …

Spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations: do the ways people format these file types tell us something about the way they think, analyse or organise information? Or do they tell us more about ourselves, …

Are you a fan of League of Legends or a Fortnite feen? Or do you prefer to share and create content on social media? Either way, how much have you thought about your own online behaviour or the behaviour of others?

In …

The aborted attempt, by the world’s richest football clubs, to form a European Super League appears to be another salutary lesson in the self-defeating nature of greed. But, does greed always lead to the death of the …

How ready are you for whatever the world might throw at you?

Using the closure of the Suez Canal as a case study, this week's podcast explores the concepts of fragility and resilience. We discuss whether we can really …

Using the government’s 'Test and Trace' programme as a case study, this week’s podcast discusses decision-making and analysis in environments where …

As the Covid-19 vaccine rollout continues, there is an ongoing discussion in some parts of the world about the relative risks associated with various …

Are you allowed to choose the colour of your house, the height of your grass, or more importantly can you have a garden gnome?

In this podcast, we …

Have you ever tried to teach someone to whistle? Highly frustrating for both instructor and student. This week we examine what makes a skill …

We recently reached our five year anniversary of producing these podcasts, and (in true meta fashion) thought we would celebrate by analysing why we …

Ten years on from the Arab Spring uprisings, we look at whether revolutions constitute an effective way of improving a country’s governance, with Dr …

Which is more grating, constant punning or permanent snarkiness? We examine the hierarchy of humour in order to determine what is, indeed, no laughing matter.

In this podcast, we consider whether humour value can be …

What is more virtuous, delivering a pizza or administering a Covid test? As we begin to end lockdown, we discuss who was most helpful during this …

What3words provides its users with an easy way of referring to any geographic location, but nobody knows how the three word reference is generated. …

The Covid pandemic has seen a sharp rise in government spending, and large scale testing and vaccination programmes. Some of these have been …

Some government ministers seem to constantly court controversy, while others manage to fly smoothly under the incompetence radar. Is this down to luck or judgement, and what is it realistic to expect from our …

Quite aside from a pandemic, a brewing environmental catastrophe and a highly disruptive technological revolution, is the trend for protein shakes …

Nasty, brutish and short or the Garden of Eden? We explore the Return to Monke meme and ask whether we are right to yearn for a more primitive lifestyle.

In this podcast, we examine our origins as hunter-gatherers and …

Some art forms seem to have passed their creative peak, no longer acting as an outlet for human ingenuity and innovation. But how do we know that …

As Donald Trump’s impeachment trial continues, we take a dispassionate and analytical look at his personality, motivations and leadership model with …

What is a show-off and are we right to be irritated by those who display certain types of skills? Be warned, various swear words are analysed in this …

In the wake of a relatively successful British vaccination programme, we ask what it is to be proud and whether we have any right to bask in the …

A beginning is a very delicate time. The transition from one set of leaders to another can be fraught with difficulty. Talking before the US Capitol …

If you like wasting your time on pointless activities, join us as we talk to Chris Lear from the Magpie Crossword Magazine and discuss why humans …

We discuss whether rivalries spur us on to ever greater achievements or distract us with unnecessary competition. Is a nemesis necessary in order to define our success, or do they simply lure us to the edge of the …

What’s it like to celebrate Christmas in the southern hemisphere? Are there things about Christmas that don’t make sense in summer?
Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Was Jesus born on 25 December? …

Passwords have become an integral part of our everyday lives, keeping our money, our data and our secrets safe. But what makes a good one, or a bad one for that matter? Click, friend, and enter.

In this podcast we look …

In response to a world threatened by automation, we seem to be flocking to artisanal products. But how much human skill is actually involved in their …

We review our predictions about the US Presidential Election with the benefit of hindsight, and discover how it is that Fraser can now afford a double bass.

This podcast comprises two elements. The first part is our …

Time is defined by its measurement, and yet our system for counting something so fundamental has been allowed to develop haphazardly over the ages. We consider whether it’s time for a change.

In this podcast we discuss …

Which is better, urban splendour or bucolic majesty? Our guest this week, Mikey Lear, provides a passionate defence of country living in the face of …

Ever wondered how we measure the amount of terrorism? We talk to Jerry Smith from CHC Global, who explains how the Global Terrorism Database has been keeping track of terrorist events all around the world for 50 years.

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As the US is in the throes of a presidential election, we examine why the US electoral system seems so strange and complicated.

In this podcast we discuss the origins of the US electoral system, why it seems foreign and …

Can behaving irrationally ever be a rational thing to do? This week we are re-releasing a podcast based on the works of the late Derek Parfit, a philosopher who specialised in personal identity, rationality, and ethics, …

Many decisions are binary: should we wear a face mask or not? We discuss how this might affect our thinking more broadly and whether it drives …

We look at the YAM cryptocurrency bug and ask whether in a digital age our capacity to mess up has spiralled out of control.

In this podcast we …

With the recent discovery of phosphine gas on Venus, we debate whether Dan Dare has now been vindicated.

This podcast explores what we can infer from the small amounts of data we receive from space, and whether we have …

What is a fair way to decide an exam result in the absence of being able to sit the exam?

In this podcast we discuss the background to the …

Is procrastination a total waste of time or can it be productive? If you have something important to do, you should really spend the next 25 minutes …

What does it mean when we lose something and why are some of us better at finding things than others?

We define the concept of losing something and …

Recent research suggests there will be a significant reduction in the birth rate over the course of the next century. What would this mean if it were …

With a case of the bubonic plague being contracted in Mongolia after consumption of a wild marmot, we consider whether disgust at certain foodstuffs …

In the age of music streaming, does the idea of an album make sense any more?

In this podcast we discuss the conceptual origins of the album and talk …

“Advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise” - so definitely don’t listen to us, as we discuss what to do with others’ wisdom.

In this podcast we explore the value of intergenerational advice, whether age …

An American makes tea badly and suddenly the British are up in arms. What does the way you make tea tell someone about you?

This podcast addresses …

With our current pandemic related concerns, we seem to have forgotten about other scary things, like terrorism or environmental catastrophe. Should …

How bad or good is 2020 by historical comparison? Should we stop moaning and just be glad we weren’t living through 536 AD or 541 AD?

We mull over how …

Is it better to live one day as the comic singer of a novelty number one, than 100 years as a respected indie band with a cult following?

Nick, Chris …

Do pre-digital relics have a purpose in our technology-driven world? How have digital technologies changed our world and what pre-digital relics are …

Is there wisdom in crowds and is group decision-making effective? Fraser, Nick and Peter reach a swift and conclusive judgement.

Image: by Tia Dufour via the Whitehouse
https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/48937685671

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Does fame and an ability to pretend to be someone else qualify you to be an expert on other matters?

Image: Kurt Kulac via Wikimedia Commons

Things …

According to the adage, you can’t change the past, but can you or should you change the record of the past?

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Dominic …

It gets everywhere - but what is it and where does it come from?

Image: by Pattadis Walarput via Pixabay.

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Where does all this dust come from? …

Why is that some technologies are perennially about to transform our lives, but never really take off. Do they have something in common?

Image: …

Should we be suspicious of successful people? Is high performance related to dishonesty?

Image: justlego1O1 via Flickr

Things mentioned in this podcast:

Is there a wisdom in crowds, or are we all heading over the cliff like lemmings?

Image: Sérgio Valle Duarte via Wikicommons

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- The Great Battle of Fire and Light, Wait But Why …

Does the way different nations have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic tell us anything about the international balance of power?

Image: priyampatel4 via pixabay

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Correlates of War …

Heated argument or reasoned discussion? Is there an optimal way to frame debate?

Image: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Agreeableness and outcomes …

Explaining the situation or avoiding your responsibilities - are excuses valid and is there an art to them?

Image: Kārlis Dambrāns via Wikicommons

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- ‘Sorry about the speeding, I was having …

How would we know if the world was ending?

Image: Daniel Case via Wikicommons

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Ministerial reassurance over food …

Are there any positives to emerge from the global pandemic? How can we make the most of a bad situation?

Image: jamiemusialek via pixabay

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- The upside of Tube strikes: …

Penicillin, the printing press, and cheese and onion crisps - What makes an invention well known rather than merely successful?

Image: anaterate via …

Fraser, Nick and Peter discuss health data and measuring medical outcomes with special guest Neil Bacon.

Image: IWM via Wikicommons

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Neil Bacon’s web page https://neilbacon.wordpress.com/

Here lies Matt Goss: look on his works, ye mighty, and despair.

Image: Christian Lanegger via Flickr

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Tim Ferris - reasons to not become famous …

Does experience make us wiser or simply more boring? Three middle aged men will tackle the question with a total lack of bias.

Image: Republican Party via Wikicommons

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- ‘Young people tend …

Small doses, or all or nothing - what is the best way to live life?

Image: Moine buvant du vin dans une cave. Artist: Unknown via Wikicommons

Things …

Was it useful to label Extinction Rebellion as a terrorist organisation? How is terrorism different from extremism?

Image: Extinction Rebellion via …

We ask whether mental toughness is all in the mind.

Image: Mark Jones via Wikicommons

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Harry and Meghan’s statement https://sussexroyal.com/about/
- Susie Ballentyne’s research page at the …

Edged tools have been used by hominids for millions of years, but the elastoplast was only invented just over 100 years ago. Did we get our …

Emotion, recency and virtue signalling - does it matter what drives charitable behaviour?

Image: Cimon and Pero: "Roman Charity" by Jean-Baptiste Greuze via Wikicommons

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Amelia Roberts’ …

A dish best served cold, or not at all? We discuss revenge as a strategy.

Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- The …

Does our always on, instantly connected world mean that we’ve lost the job of serendipity? Can we engineer our environment to maximise the chance of good things happening to us?

Image: The Three Princes of Serendip

Things …

Does inequality actually matter? If it does, why? What problems does it cause? Is it self fulfilling? Is our objection to it a moral one, or is there …

Are you a cat or a dog person? Which is best?

Image: nguyen hoangnam via Flickr

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Moral Foundations Theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_foundations_theory
- PDSA Animal Wellbeing …

What’s it like to celebrate Christmas in the southern hemisphere? Are there things about Christmas that don’t make sense in summer?

Image: Milz via pixels.com

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Was Jesus born on 25 …

What does it mean to be out of touch? Why do we expect our leaders to be in tune with everyday people and their concerns?

Image: Ewan Munro via Wikimedia.org

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Influence of class on …

Is it wrong to do amoral things in computer games? Is it ok to bully people as a goose in Untitled Goose Game?

Image: House House

Things mentioned in …

Why do animal sounds vary between languages?

Image: Alex Andrews via Pexels.com

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Onomatopoeia in different languages https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-linguistic_onomatopoeias
- …

Assuming we can’t blame a virus for its own evolutionary success, just whose fault is it when we catch something?

Image: Robert E. Bates, USCDCP via …

Can you be forever young or wise beyond your years? Is age a justifiable way of categorising people?

Image: William Mulready RA via Wikipedia

Things …

Peter, Nick and Fraser mansplain the adoption of new vocabulary for any wordies out there - totes adorbs.

Image: artyangel via pixabay.com

Things …

Should we spend time worrying about the risk of freak accidents?

Image: Theo Campbell and Kaz Crossley by Theo Campbell

Things mentioned in this …

Can the call for divine intervention be a cause of harm? God only knows.

Image: wlox.com

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Willingness to pay for prayers https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/09/10/1908268116
- Hate …

Cowboys, 49ers and Patriots - can we determine anything about a culture based on the sports it plays?

Image: KeithJJ via pixabay

Things mentioned in …

Do fiery rhetoric and extreme policies help win elections?

Image: Bundesarchiv via Wikipedia

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Kaldor-Hicks criterion …

"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience." Was George Bernard Shaw right about the lessons of the past?

Image: Public domain via Wikicommons

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The internet provides a level of information resilience that mankind has never before possessed. But what happens if it breaks?

Image: Tekniska museet via flickr

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Getting deplatformed …

Do not listen to this podcast. When is it permissible to ignore the voice of authority?

Image: Danny Lawson via PA Images

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Whaley Bridge residents who refuse to move …

They're persistent, irritating and difficult to ignore. Yes, Frazer, Nick and Peter discuss midges.

Image: CSIRO via Wikipedia

Things mentioned in this …

Would it be wrong to take a set of instructional schematics to the barber? We discuss when vague requirements work, and importantly when they don't.

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While Aleph Insights is on a summer break from recording podcasts, here's an episode from our archive.

Why do some films age better than others?

Image: www.starwars.com/news/the-5-most-…s-visual-effects

While Aleph Insights is on a summer break from recording podcasts, here's an episode from our archive.

What does tastiness tell us about fruit choice? …

While Aleph Insights is on a summer break from recording podcasts, here's an episode from our archive.

Are personality tests any use? What can they tell us if anything? Or is it like a star-sign?

Take the test!

…

Is it meaningful to assign personalities to the decades?

Image: Ezekiel via Wikipedia

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- The thirty-year nostalgia …

GAME OF THRONES - SPOILER ALERT

Was the ending contrived? Were you satisfied by the way it ended? What makes a good ending?

Image: BagoGames via Flickr

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- ‘Creative Writing Now’ on endings …

Why did Jamie's Italian fail? What goes wrong when businesses try to scale.

Image: Scandic Hotels via Wikicommons

Things mentioned in this podcast:
- Problems in the casual dining sector …

How can we avoid the end of the world through nuclear and other cataclysmic accidents? Could Chernobyl happen again? How can we design our systems …

Grumpy Cat dies aged seven: 'Some days are grumpier than others'. A loss the meme world. Memes, what are they? Do they have some property that makes them reproduce more effectively than other ideas.

Image: Gage Skidmore …

The Perfect Chalk

Chalk has been used by humans as a communication tool for thousands of years. Are some technologies too good to be replaced?

Image: …

Does listening to The Grateful Dead make you yearn to meet your maker, or do you acknowledge the seminality of their music? Is the term ‘influential’ …

Crystal Palace goalkeeper, Wayne Hennessey, provides an unintentional insight into the links between ignorance and stupidity.

Image: Wayne Hennessey by Steindy via Wikimedia

Things mentioned in this podcast:
-Wayne …

Some things seem difficult to purchase in the right quantities. Why do we always end up with too much celery in our fridge?

Image: Peter Griffin via …

Following Gavin Williamson’s sacking from Theresa May’s cabinet, we discuss the indicators of whether or not someone is telling the truth.

Image: …

David Cameron famously promised ‘stability and strong Government’ if he won the 2015 general election. How can we minimise our chances of our statements being undermined by subsequent events?

Image:
Great Temple at Abu …

As London’s black cabs move inexorably towards extinction, we ponder whether the progress of civilisation is merely illusory.

Image: …

David Simoes-Brown, CEO of 100%Open, tells us why we should trust our feelings when it comes to important decisions.

Image: The Anger of Achilles, by …

When do you grow up? Is there a cut off age to childhood or are we constantly growing up?

Image: rawpixel.com

Things mentioned in this podcast
Commons’s Model of Hierarchical Complexity: …

What happens when algorithms learn to be biased? What does that even mean? We talk to special guest Dr Jess Whittlestone from the Leverhulme Centre …

Should transgender women be allowed to compete in women’s sports? Is it unfair on cis women if they do? Is it unfair on trans women if they can’t? Is …

Understanding how other people are going to behave is a key element of analysis and forecasting. But professional actors do this all the time. We talk to special guest Edmund Kingsley to find out what insights the …

What’s the point of tidying up? It’s just moving stuff from one place to another. But does it offer cognitive and health benefits, and if so why?

Image: My Bed by Tracey Emin. Photo: Karen Bryan via Flickr

Things …

Is the slow creep of Americanisms into the British vernacular a pernicious assault on our linguistic heritage, or should we just chill?

Things …

Where would we be without the likes of Da Vinci, Turing and Goethe?

Things mentioned in this podcast
Jordan Peterson on the ‘curse of creativity’: …

Smells like… something

Why is smell the oft forgotten sense, and where does following our nose take us?

Image: Barney Moss via Flickr

Things mentioned …

Russia after Putin - is history shaped by great men and women, or are they just in the right place at the right time?

Image: Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации via Wikipedia

Things mentioned in this podcast
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Is reality killing fiction?

Things mentioned in this podcast
Scripted dramas are not dying out: https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/2017-scripted-tv-series-fx-john-landgraf-1202653856/
Ranker article on the ‘Dumbest Reality …

What makes a good analogy? Is Tyrion Lannister a good comparison for Michael Gove?

Things mentioned in this podcast

Michael Gove is like Tyrion …

Is being polite better than being rude? Does civility really cost nothing and buy you everything? What are the costs of being polite?

Image by …

Are Preppers mad? Or are they wise to get ready for Britain to crash out the EU? Should we stock up on beans and UHT?

Image: Vaciando el supermercado …

Why do builders get such a bad rep? What makes us trust some trades people and not others?

What things do we take for granted? Will new riches make us happier?

Image: Daderot via Wikipedia

Things mentioned in this podcast

Great Expectations by Dickens: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1400/1400-h/1400-h.htm
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Were Dynasties camera crews right to rescue wild engines? Should we give iPhones to uncontracted peoples? What could possibly go wrong?

Image: …

Are personality tests any use? What can they tell us if anything? Or is it like a star-sign?

Take the test!

https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

What is Remembrance for? How long should it be observed?

Image: Philip Stevens via Wikipedia

Are we more polarised than ever before?

Things mentioned in this episode:
- Recent Pew Research on polarisation: …

Would you wear cycling shorts to the office?

Image: fourway333 via flickr

Lies damn lies and profiles! You're going to exaggerate, that's a given. So what's the best strategy?

Image: Carlo Chiostri via Wikimedia commons

Why do we have so many remakes? Why are some movies remade and others are not? Why are some so bad?

https://stephenfollows.com/

Image: Everett …

Why did it take 100 years to find the #49? In a world where everything is digitized, will we ever lose anything? If things don't have a digital record, will they may as well not exist?

Inverted Jenny: …

Can you be both interesting while being professional? Will humor always offend someone?

Signalling theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_(economics)
Countersignalling: …

Can big firms be innovative? Peter, Nick and Fraser are joined by a special guest Roland Hardwood.

Image: Carsten Ullrich via Wikipedia

What makes a hero?

Image: United States Congress

What is up with Elon Musk? Is he OK? How bad for a business is it if the CEO goes off the rails?

Image: JD Lasica via Flickr

See http://blog.alephinsights.com/ for shownotes more episodes and other interesting things.

What is fun? Is organised fun actually fun? Can fun be manufactured?

Image: Heather Cowper via Flickr

What is balance in media? Why is it important? How do we find it? Should we give air time to climate change deniers?

Image: Gridge via Wikipedia

Do you suffer from digital alzheimer's? Are young folk wired differently? Does instant communications on many platforms impact productivity?

Image: …

What are 'Gentlemen's agreements'? How binding are they? What happens if they are broken? Why do the hold sometimes, but not others?

Image: …

Flat Earthism, what is that all about? Why do people with strange beliefs bother us so much? Do they really mean it or are they joking?

Image: Orlando Ferguson via Wikipedia

What makes a cult? What makes a cult different from a religion? Are they damaging or dangerous?

Image: Scientology Media via Wikipedia

Are the British stuck in the past? Why do we keep going on about old victories and defeats? Do we look back more than other nations?

Image: National …

What is political capital? Can you touch it, measure it? How does it work?

Image: Number 10 via Wikipedia

Why do some films age better than others?

Image: https://www.starwars.com/news/the-5-most-grueling-star-wars-visual-effects

Which type of english is best? Why do we prefer the sound of some language over others?

Is ticket touting wrong? Why? Is there a better way of deciding ticket pricing?

Image: Mattia luigi Nappi via Wikipedia

Why is there a culture of cheating in some games and not others? Do some teams cheat more than other?

Image: Mahmood Hosseini via Wikipedia

Colour and meaning: Why do some colours seem to have some inherent meaning? How is it that we have cultural standards for colour to indicate meaning?

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Virtual Reality promises great things. Headline often read along the lines of "VR will make any world possible". Is this true?

Image: Maurizio Pesce via Flickr

Why are computer interfaces always so friendly?

Image: Loki, provided by Rhonda Oglesby via Flickr

How does use of language affect our attitude to immigration?

Image: cytis via pixabay

In light of the recent summit between North and South Korea, and the on-off bromance between President Trump and Kim Jong-Un, we ask the question whether democracies or dictatorships offer more certainty.

Image: Bjørn …

Future dread and hindsight relief. Why do we experience dread and relief for some events?

Men who change their surname when they get married are still unusual. Why is it important to some?

What's wrong with off-pitch referees? Do they make the game less beautiful? Do off-pitch refs make better or worse decisions? What effects does …

Why do we get so worked up about our territory? Where does the sense of what is ours come from? What is ownership anyway?

Image: irenne56 via Pixnio

Are older drivers less safe than younger drivers? Does just having a licence indicate you are more able to drive? What is the point of certification?

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What does tastiness tell us about fruit choice? Could we engineer the perfect fruit? Or are we just comparing apples and oranges?

Image: Malte …

In a world were everything is available on demand, will we miss out on the pleasure of nostalgia? What Is Nostalgia Good For? Quite a Bit, Research Shows …

What are the giveaways that tell you you're in another country? What is national identity?

Image: Jorge Royan via Wikipedia

What does the gun control debate tell us about ideology? Do peoples believes cluster into similar groups? If I tell you I'm pro-life, what can you …

The culture of condiments: Why don't we find wasabi in fish and chip shops? What do they tell you about national culture? Why salt and pepper and not …

Why do some animals like music, even though they don't make it? Why do we like music? Does it have a purpose?

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/watch-seal-pups-being-soothed-954976

Image: Howcheng via …

What does it mean? Is it a big step or a small one? How could we know?Is Artificial Intelligence becoming a massive anticlimax? Is it inevitable that …

What is the most universal science? What will be true where ever you go?

Philosophical reductionism: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-reduction

Image: ESO/M. Kornmesser via Wikipedia

Are animals sentient? How do we measure sentience? What is sentience anyway?

Image: http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com/Cow-Livestock-Nature-Head-Animal-Cow-Head-1715829

Are we better off than we were 10 years ago? What is all the free stuff worth to us?

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/sep/29/six-million-low-income-families-worse-off-than-10-years-ago

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In game purchases. Why do we hate them? Is the a moral repulsion to buying an advantage justified?

Gamer backlash against EA: …

Are we as unproductive as we feel with modern technology?

Image: Jeremy Keith via Wikipedia

How do you guarantee provenance? Why are evidence trails difficult?

Image: Lyntha Scott Eiler via Wikimedia Commons

Is TV getting more violent?Are we being desensitize to horror and violence? Does something need to be done?

How dangerous is it to swim with crocodiles? To do so would you be the idiot of the century? Is the notoriety worth it?

Image: Magnus Manske via …

Why do we ask questions when we don't really care about the answer? What information can you glean from polite questions? Wouldn't it be better if we …

Why is it so hard to choose presents?

Image: JD Hancock via Flickr

What makes a princess? Does looking the part make a difference? What does it mean to be the genuine article?

Image: Kevin Casper

How do you not look like a tourist? What stops street sellers badgering locals? What is the role of information in haggling?

Image: Wanderlane via …

What to parking meters tell us about user interfaces. Why is it so hard to use an unfamiliar keyboard? Why is the numpad on your keyboard the opposite way up than the one on your phone?

image: ehendel via pixabay

How do you know when you need a hair cut? How do you monitor gradual change so you know when to act?

Photo: Tom Diggers via flickr

Is planning always a good idea? Are there cases where it's best not to plan? Is winging it sometimes the best strategy?

Image: …

Chris, Nick and Fraser discuss the inheritance and ownership.

SPOILER ALERT - Chris, Nick and Fraser reveal what they think is so emotionally jarring about spoilers.

Chris, Nick and Fraser pass the time in hiding from a T-1000 by discussing automation of weaponry.

Chris, Nick and Fraser wonder if Switzerland is as boring as people say.

Nick, Chris and Fraser discuss whether one can reasonably expect a modern gentleman to own tan colored shoes. What can you tell about a person from …

Chris, Fraser and Peter discuss risk and outsourcing. Is it possible to reduce the risk through outsourcing?

Peter, Fraser and Nick discuss what macaque selfies tell us about the fundamentals of ownership.

Fraser, Nick, Peter and Chris discuss computer games and simulations. How are they useful to real life decision makers?

Nick, Fraser, Chris and Peter talk (soberly) about prohibition of harmful substances.

Fraser, Chris, Peter and Nick discuss what sibling rivalry. What's it for?

Chris, Peter and Fraser talk about being late and being early. Which is worse?

Peter, Fraser and Nick talk about the £2.42bn fine levied against Google by the European Commission for manipulating search results. Are monopolies …

Chris, Nick and Fraser explore why the humbling of important public figures is particularly satisfying.

Was Theresa May right to call the general election? When sound decision making does not necessarily guarantee the outcome you want.

Peter, Nick and Fraser lament about the amnesia of humanity. How do you communicate with people in the future? How do you makes sure that important things don't get forgotten?

How much can we trust online rating systems? What can we infer from them? Peter, Chris and Fraser discuss.

Following the exposure of Facebook's content filtering rules, Peter, Chris and Fraser discuss censorship and ethics in data science.

Chris, Fraser and Nick discuss the public perception of WannaCry and what it tells us about how people perceive risk.

What are the Heebie Jeebies? What purpose do they serve?

Fraser, Nick, Chris and Peter discuss the their certainty in general election results.

Nick, Fraser, Chris and Peter discuss whether Cold is worse than Hot.

Chris, Peter, Nick and Fraser talk about what the seemingly idiotic behavior of flies tells us about the choices that human make.

Nick, Fraser, Chris and Peter discuss what the removal of constraints means for behaviour.

Peter, Fraser, Chris and Nick discuss mass surveillance. Is it a good thing, allowing better analysis or is it a dangerous erosion of privacy.

Nick, Chris, Fraser and Peter discuss the trolley problem in relation to the terrorist attack in Stockholm.

Do you show your frustration by hammering the lift call button? Peter, Nick and Fraser discuss the urge.

Nick, Peter and Fraser speak with special guest Michael Story of Good Judgement Inc about the uptake of good analytical practice.

Fraser, Nick and Peter talk about interfaces. What does the Blackberry keyboard tell us about generalisation and specialisation?

Peter, Nick and Fraser scrutinize the infamous distribution of pie between Bert and Ernie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am1FSGV5wRg

Peter, Fraser and Nick discuss the thought experiments of Derek Parfit.

Chris, Fraser, Peter and Nick explore how social conventions make decisions for us.

Nick, Peter, Chris and Fraser discuss the point at which mysteries become unexplained and when should you stop looking for something lost.

Nick, Chris, Fraser and Peter discuss the purpose of BMI

Chris, Peter, Fraser and Nick ponder the nature of computer interfaces.

Chris, Peter, Fraser and Nick discuss Fake News. Can we believe a word of it?

Fraser, Nick and Chris consider why we remember things that didn't happen.

Chris, Fraser and Peter discuss the rates of change and life cycles in technology.

Chris, Peter and Fraser discuss the insurance industries use of social media data to assess risk in individuals.

Peter, Fraser, Nick speak with special guest Andres about what Funes's affliction tells us about thinking and perception.

Fraser, Nick and Peter experiment with their own biases, by comparing their pre-US election forecasts with their post-event beliefs.

What will automation and artificial intelligence mean for the future world of work?

Nick, Peter and Fraser disucss how much you can read into an election result.

Chris, Fraser, Nick and Peter talk about the technology of the Star Wars galaxy. Can you really have all that hardware but so little software? Why …

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss why you never see £50 notes but get lots of €50 notes.

Chris, Nick and Fraser discuss why pseudo science crops up in some areas of life but others.

Nick, Peter and Fraser look at the controversy surrounding 'No Man's Sky', and ask if the information revolution has killed marketing.

Chris, Peter and Fraser discuss the decisions that create problems in public services.

Fraser, Peter and Chris discuss how data is making entertainment even more entertaining

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss what the Great British Bake off tells us about intellectual property.

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss why it is hard to remember some important things, but easy to remember others.

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss whether lane changing gets you anywhere.

Nick, Peter and Fraser talk about what the presentation of shop fronts tells up about signalling and quality.

Fraser, Peter, and Nick discuss how machine learning can be used to fight online fraudsters, with special guest Mairtin O'Riada, CIO of Ravelin.

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss the value of playing games and whether they can help you learn.

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss why it is so hard to spot future potential in ideas.

Nick, Peter and Fraser ponder the length of podcasts and what that tells us about the size of an idea.

Peter, Nick and Fraser discuss the film Sunspring, written by an artificial intelligence. Is it a novelty or a sign of things to come?

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss what the Olympics show us about the the human pursuit to reach for the limits of performance.

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss mechanisms of government decision making in the wake of the Chilcot Report. http://www.iraqinquiry.org.uk

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss ad blocking and what it can tell us about messaging.

Peter, Nick and Fraser discuss what summer is, and how we know when it's started.

Fraser, Nick and Peter consider the use of Big Data for prediction of terrorist attacks.

New online ecology of adversarial aggregates: ISIS and …

Fraser, Nick and Peter wonder if they have had enough of experts.

In the wake of the Brexit vote, Peter, Nick and Fraser discuss what referendums can tell us, and what technology means for democracy.

Nick, Peter and Fraser return to the Library of Babel and discuss how to go about building one.

Peter, Nick and Fraser discuss what the point of averages is, and whether we will need them any more in a world of machine analysis.

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss why Leicester City winning the Premier League was perhaps not all that surprising.

Nick, Peter and Fraser make some irrational assertions about decision-making.

Peter, Nick, Fraser and special guest Andres get lost in the vastness of Jorge Luis Borges’s Library of Babel and discuss what it tells us about probability, information, language and meaning.

Peter, Nick and Fraser discuss the the hit 1980s movie, The Karate Kid, and what it suggests about learning and skills development.

Peter, Fraser and Nick discuss the threat posed by rare hamburgers, and ways of assessing risk in the absence of data.

Peter, Nick and Fraser discuss the 2016 spike in celebrity deaths, how the scientific method applies to analysing it, and some of the fundamental constraints of fame.

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss what Cuftsgate tells us about classification and categorisation.

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss what cosmopolitanism is, and how it affects our beliefs about the world.

The rise of Donald Trump prompts Nick, Peter and Fraser to discuss the limits of forecasting behaviour.

Nick, Peter and Fraser discuss what AlphaGo's triumph over Lee Sedol might mean for analysis and decision making.