Big Brain Channel

Why, when all the evidence points toward alien life, do we continue to err on the side of caution? Is admitting we have seen extraterrestrial technology too much for even astrophysicists to handle? While NASA insisted that 2017's phenomenon known as "Oumuamua" was a 'comet', Harvard Professor Avi Loeb who is famous for many pioneering discoveries, is correcting the leger. Tune in to Tim and David...

In this episode of STRATEGIKON, John, David, and special guest, Adelaide-based independent defense analyst Raspal Khosa , reflect on the "middle east" and the US operations throughout the region. With speculation of President Biden ending operations in Afghanistan throughout the media and the deadline to decide on May 1st, the Taliban has renewed relevance. President Biden has already shown his in...

Have you ever wondered about the Arab world and couldn't explain some of the seemingly strange things that happen there? Politically speaking, Iran is quite a foreign topic to most people, we might understand western interference and oil wars, but that's it. Derek Abbott who previously took the time to explain hydrogen to us, was curious about Iran one day and asked David to explain 'why they are...

Over 50 years ago the human race succeeded in landing on the moon, a mission that was achieved with political willpower and plenty of resources. Today we don't have the equivalent of the moon landing mission, we aren't oriented toward much at all, and we certainly aren't getting there fast. Mariana Mazzucato's Book "The Mission Economy" describes exactly this problem, and empowers us to chose our...

With mining magnates saying they'll convert their machinery to hydrogen , our governments are looking rather silly not realising the potential of hydrogen earlier. Especially when in 2010, one of David's dear friends from the University of Adelaide showed him an article that proved how a 'Hydrogen Economy' would work in Australia. With this information available and even private industry calling f...

In this episode of STRATEGIKON, John, David and Tim are inquiring into the intricacies of President Trump's second impeachment after he has left office, and the tides left in the Republican Party in 2021. Joining us from the United States to discuss these issues is Dr. Imad Harb, SIA’s Senior Non-Resident Fellow Greater Middle East & Director of Research and Analysis at the Arab Center W...

David and Tim have been working on this podcast for 2 years, and with over 100 episodes under their belt, they thought it was time to take stock and give listeners a guide as to what they're up to, whats the podcast is going to look like, and update the schedule a bit. If you have any thoughts, questions, or want to how to best manifest destiny and contribute to community, contact us and send us a...

The Word Docs bare their bruised egos this week and attempt to find a balming (is that a word?) salve. Alex drags Sean and Amy into the cobwebby corners of their psyches, seeking to learn whether ego is a help or a hindrance in an artist's life. This week we'll learn about the book that broke Sean; traverse the Dark Place and the Vague Place; confront mediocrity; and try to ignore the fact that Al...

Saqib Shaikh is a software engineer at Microsoft and project lead of Seeing AI, a mobile application that narrates the world. Through various technologies and 'channels' visually impaired users can navigate their surroundings or gain an augmented understanding of the world around them autonomously. David is an avid user of this application and of course a perfect test subject, and together with Ti...

Australia faces three intersecting crises: climate change, systemic unemployment and rising inequality. What will our aspiring leaders do to create an economy that supports people and the planet? On Thursday the 28th of January 2021in The Braggs lecture theatre at the University of Adelaide, David and Tim Moderated a discussion with Independent Senator Rex Patrick, Professor Barbara Pocock (Austra...

Have you ever thought that a job was so pointless that no one would notice if you stopped doing it? Have you ever felt that something you were working was bullshit? Welcome to the concept from a famous essay by David Graeber, later turned into a book, called Bullshit Jobs. Unfortunately, across the developed globe, three-quarters of all jobs are in the service and admin sector where this is no cle...

Mastery over an instrument, or any creative medium, brings great joy and satisfaction to those who dedicate the time and energy toward practise. David is in the unique position of learning guitar by ear and touch, where visual teaching dominates a lot of the resources out there, but don't feel bad, this is actually a great thing. Bill Brown is a world-renowned music teacher for multiple instrument...

In this episode of STRATEGIKON, we examine Britain one year after the decision to leave the European Union, and at the end of the time in which they could make a deal with the EU. Of course, we could not ignore the strategic goings-on in America and China with this discussion, so we also consider the UK and the EU in the context of the world economic and strategic orders. Our virtual studio is hos...

The Word Docs are stirring from their slumber and weaving their magic – both the whimsical technicolour kind and the wicked dystopian kind – on a raw 2021. How do writers recharge after an insane year? Is downtime part of the process? What do these people do when they're not abusing stationary? You may think the Word Docs simply fold up neatly into cupboards, but no...some of us jog! S...

Johann Hari 's book " Lost Connections " took on new relevancy in 2020, and still today in many places around the world. While social distancing and isolation have dominated much of human existence in recent memory, the essential elements of human life are disconnected from our way of living. Lost Connections is a book that details 9 main causes of depression and serves as a concise critique of mo...

Value is a vague word, what we value morally and socially can be different from what value we give something in economic terms. What we call productive work is that which creates the most value, and thus the most productive work is the most rewarded financially. Do banking CEOs with massive salaries do the most valuable work? Or at least, more valuable work than nurses? That may seem wrong to us m...

Have you ever wondered if humans are alone in the universe? It seems on the surface something that you may never be able to answer but there's plenty of people who try. Even if we are alone on the universe, is alien life staring up at their relative atmosphere and wondering the same thing as us? These questions have been pondered on for millennia, and though we don't profess to be experts in the a...

Well, that's it for the grand old dystopian wonderland of 2020. Bring on the New Year! This week, the Word Docs are reflecting on the year that's been: deadlines missed and goals hit, unexpected delights and inevitable tipsiness, real estate bought, sold and fantasised about, and the fact that Amy never delivered on the promised scones. We're making plans for 2021 and even 2022: New bathrooms! Sec...

John, David and Tim are joined by Ambassador of Colombia to Australia, H.E. Alberto José Mejia Ferrero & Prof. R. Evan Ellis, US Army War College, to discuss the complications Colombia faces with the Venezuela crises. This region is of utmost significance to Australia as our interests shift from rising tensions with the Chinese Communist Party. With the Colombian embassy being closed in...

"SAS Band of Brothers" is the latest novel from returning guest Damien Lewis . His works have been hailed as some of the most important books in uncovering secrets and insights from the special forces throughout history. David is an avid reader of Damien's books, and with his latest book, Tim and David had to talk with Damien about the details of another awesome story. Incidentally, this conversat...

This week we have a full pod of doctors and a bonus Word Dog, as the Word Docs are joined by playwrights Piri Eddy and Peter Beaglehole, and Piri's dog Murphy. We explore the experience of writing and producing plays, the life affirming joys of working with other humans, and the reasons why sometimes you just have to go a little nuts. There are power tools and secret ninjas, and Alex gets approxim...

From big structural issues to hooks and semicolons, and everything in-between ... the Word Docs are all over it. Together, Amy, Sean and Alex have edited a lot and been edited even more. In this episode the docs become surgeons, unpacking the editorial process in forensic detail.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With so many choices for what to eat from supermarkets or eateries, the impact of what we eat stretches thousands of kilometres and access decades. David and Tim invited Roman Davas-Fahey to give some insight into how what we choose to put on our plates makes a tangible difference for our health, for the planet, and for the community we live in. Roman's passion for food led him to create the Clima...

This high quality trial provides further evidence to shift us away from eccentric training for Patelar Tendinoapthy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted a doctored photo depicting an Australian soldier committing a heinous act. This has ramped up tensions in an already stressed relationship between Australia and the Chinese Communist Party administration. This situation has been commented on and reported on to the nth degree, but what we are hearing is largely lacking sophistication and isn't...