Cognitive Engineering

Autocorrect, spell check and 'smart compose' were ostensibly invented to make our writing lives easier. But are they taking over and making us redundant? In this week’s podcast, we discuss predictive text. Now that there are a slew of freely available AI text-based software applications, should we be disturbed by AI innovations that closely resemble human writing skills? Do they lead to the grave...

If you were able to time travel back into the past, how would you go about proving you were from the future? Is there a set of predictions you could offer that would improve your chances of being believed? In this week’s podcast, we discuss what it is that makes a person from the future different to those from the present day and what technology or innovation we might replicate to persuade the dis...

Are general tools more useful than specific tools? Is it better to have one thing that tries to do everything or many things that only attempt a single function? In a world awash with multifunctional tools and devices, in this week’s podcast, we discuss multifunctionality. How should we design tools to perform multiple tasks and does multifunctionality lie in the object or in the user? We discuss...

Whenever a new conflict emerges, the two sides seem to almost naturally fall into an underdog scenario. It’s a concept that looms large in our collective imagination, but is there any evidence the underdog does any better than the top dog? In this week's podcast, we discuss the underdog. What are the benefits of being an underdog and why is the concept more prevalent in sport and warfare than othe...

If there’s one thing that was made easier by the Covid-19 lockdowns, it was holding meetings online. Now that lockdowns are hopefully a thing of the past, are we once again condemned to the horrors of trying to arrange physical meetings? This week, we discuss the problems with booking meetings. How do you schedule meetings with people coming from different places and is there a way to do it proper...

The old adage that ‘violence is never the answer’ was put to the test when the actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at this year's Oscars ceremony. Are there instances where violence is acceptable? And if so, how much violence is proportional? In this week’s podcast, we unpack the infamous Oscars slap and apply an analytical lens to the concept of violence more broadly. We discuss the narr...

Are quizzes and puzzles dying in the era of the internet - where any answer is seemingly a click away - or can they be Google-proofed? This week, we ask our in-house crossword expert to tell us what types of questions create answers that are hard to search for, how a puzzle question should be structured, and what features make for a good puzzle. We also discuss what makes something un-Googleable a...

Brands often build loyal bands of acolytes who can verge on the fanatical. It's easy to find evidence of people professing their love for Apple, Google or HP Sauce, but untangling the reasons why they fall in love with particular brands is more difficult. The idea for this week's podcast comes from loyal listener, Helge. Based on his suggestion, we delve into what kind of brands inspire loyalty, w...

You won't believe the 10 ways that listening to this podcast could change your life!!! This week we discuss writing and whether it is the author's responsibility to engage their audience or the reader's responsibility to buckle down and concentrate. We look at whether the quality of writing affects the quality of the argument and if it is the case that some subject matter cannot be reduced to simp...

What constitutes a good question? In this week’s podcast, we examine one of the gripping questions of our time: are there more doors or wheels on planet Earth? We use the wheels vs doors debate as a gateway into the dynamics of questions and information exchange, considering how a question should be defined and whether it is the same as generating a hypothesis. In doing so, we discuss logical posi...

Do you ever wonder what happened to that kid at school? Are there classmates with whom you've lost touch, but would love to catch up with? Or does the whole thing fill you with dread? In this week’s podcast, we discuss school reunions. We start by probing the reasons behind the popularity of the school reunion film trope of the 1970s and 80s, ask whether school reunions are more than just a benchm...

If you applied for a job at a company that claimed it was merely years away from sending a robot to Mars would you be suspicious? What if the company was run by Elon Musk? In this week’s podcast, we discuss the difference between startups and scams. Do all companies need to pretend to be bigger than they are to generate early revenue and success? We outline the legal conditions required to commit...

We all know the recipe for a classic Disney film: animation, soppy morals, uplifting songs and inspiring plots. But what makes something quintessential or classic? Does defining the features of a brand tell you something about its identity? In this week’s podcast, we discuss Disney films. We ask what cinematic elements make for a classic Disney film? We discuss the Disney renaissance of the late 8...

Are borders real or imaginary? Do borders require a territory or area of land, or are there domains without physical space that still contain borders? In this week’s podcast, and in light of recent events, we discuss the complexity of borders and jurisdictions. We explore territorialism in the animal kingdom, the history and economics of borders, and how borders can shape national identity. Finall...

Do you know what servo or katana means? How about doula or damask? A recent study into word recognition among English speakers has found that how recognisable a word is to you may depend on contextual factors, such as nationality or gender. In this week's podcast, we discuss words and language. Is there a difference between understanding a word and understanding how it is used? Does our recognitio...

Does an adventure require facing danger and seeing the world, or can you simply go on an adventure around your living room? In this week’s podcast we discuss adventure. What exactly is an adventure and how do you do it properly? We attempt to unravel what makes an adventure interesting, why we undertake them in the first place and what their essential elements are. We analyse the structure of adve...

Why is work important? The pandemic has spawned new movements dedicated to fighting against the oppression of wage labour. So this week, we take a look at the burgeoning Anti-work movement. One that started off as a minor subreddit and has now grown into a popular idea. We discuss what makes the Anti-work movement influential and ask if it is a positive sign that people are questioning modern work...

Is Tracey Emin entitled to ask the current Government to take down artwork that she gave to the Government when David Cameron was in office or is that unreasonable? We look at whether it is ever permissible to ask for a gift back. In this week’s podcast, we discuss gifts and ask what rights you have when you give a gift to someone and whether these rights change depending on who the gift is for. W...

The human body is full of seemingly uncoordinated processes and sensations. Needing to pass and then drink water in quick succession, developing an insatiable hunger just before bedtime, getting an itchy nose when your hands are both full. It often feels like there are some inherent design flaws in the human species. In this week’s podcast, we discuss redesigning humans. Why are some biological pr...

What is a life without risk? From going outside to eating our lunch, we take dozens of risks every day without stopping to consider them, let alone attempt to quantify them. In this week’s podcast, we are joined by Jerry Smith, Head of Advisory at the risk analysis company, CHC Global. Jerry helps us to unpack how the insurance market operates, the idea of malicious versus benign risk, and why hig...

As the UK Government teeters on the edge of a precipice, we look back to a key moment in the genesis of the current crisis: the lobbying scandal that brought an end to Conservative MP Owen Paterson’s political career. We use these events to analyse the issue of politicians’ pay. In this week's podcast, we consider the issue of optimal remuneration for our political classes. We debate whether we wo...

It’s one of Britain’s most loved yet least considered products: the humble crisp. In this week’s podcast, we discuss the association between colour and crisp flavours. We ask all the burning questions: What does your favourite crisp flavour say about you? Have crisp packets always been the same colour? Is there really a definitive colour palette for each flavour? Along the way, we take you through...

Taking a walk through the woods with the family pet can sometimes unearth some unexpected surprises. Sticks, stones or even, buried treasure. In this week’s podcast, we discuss what counts as treasure and how you might distinguish it from trash. We survey the historical legal definitions of treasure, assess the likelihood of a detectorist striking gold and present examples of how finding treasure...

"If I could talk with the animals, just imagine it..." In this week's podcast, we discuss what it would be like if we could indeed talk with animals. We consider the ethics of such conversations and try to work out what our non-human friends might be able to teach us. We also dive into topics such as language processing, communication and intelligence. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: -...

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he "certainly broke no rules" as questions continue to plague the government over parties during lockdown last Christmas. In the wake of the Christmas party scandal, we think it is timely to revisit our podcast on ministerial accountability. Christmas parties row: Three gatherings to be investigated by top civil servant https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-...