Cognitive Engineering

Quite aside from a pandemic, a brewing environmental catastrophe and a highly disruptive technological revolution, is the trend for protein shakes the real sign that we have moved into a dystopian nightmare? We look at what constitutes a dystopia, how you can categorise different types of dystopia and why we conceive of them in the first place. We also attempt to measure how close we are to dystop...

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 explore whether things were better or worse before we became civilised. We look at food scarcity, environmental damage, child mortality rates and a whole host of other fun stuff. We...

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 they are truly moribund and not just having a bit of a rest? In this podcast we look at art forms that appear to have stopped generating genuinely novel work, and see if there are any broader lessons we can draw regarding their life cycles. We also consi...

As Donald Trump’s impeachment trial continues, we take a dispassionate and analytical look at his personality, motivations and leadership model with guest psychologist, Susie Ballentyne. In this podcast we try to deconstruct the leadership style and behaviour of Donald Trump, asking what made him so different from many of his predecessors. We look at Trump’s background and trajectory as a leader a...

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 podcast for their role in categorising annoying people. This podcast considers what constitutes a useful talent, and whether overtly displaying our abilities is necessarily pretentious or ostentatious, and therefore worthy of ire. We analyse both the...

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 glory of others’ achievements. In this podcast we try to define pride, characterise its emotional hue and determine whether it is good or bad. We look at the things we feel proud of (whether individual or group achievements) and try to understand what und...

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 riots brought this so sharply into focus, we discuss what makes for a smooth handover of power. In this podcast we discuss the factors that lead to turbulent power transitions and whether we can predict how they will go. We examine historical preceden...

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 enjoy puzzles. In this podcast, we explore the weird and wonderful world of the cryptic crossword community. We also try to solve the puzzle of why we willingly devote time and energy to tasks which are deliberately designed to be difficult and have no o...

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 Reichenbach Falls? Join us as we plunge headlong into the debate. In this podcast we examine the impact of national and ideological rivalries, attempting to determine whether fierce comp...

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? https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/when-was-jesus-born/ - Average monthly temperature of cities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_average_temperature - Things to do in Wichit...

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 at how hackers exploit passwords and analyse the common themes that make them easy to hack. We also consider whether having password restrictions (e.g. mandating password length or...

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 making, and do we really care? Sit back and listen to our sustainable, homemade podcast on the topic. In this podcast we look at the rise in sales of artisanal products and explore the extent to which they are true to the meaning of the term. We also...

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 pre-election forecasts made back in September. The second part is a discussion of those forecasts after the results were known, exploring our original beliefs at the time and how our p...

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 how our system for time-keeping evolved through history, what additional problems are generated by measuring time, and whether our current system is fit for purpose. We also conside...

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 sniping from our very own metropolitan elite. This podcast looks at the data relating to a range of outcomes for urban versus rural populations, considers why people move to the city and tries to methodically measure the relative benefits. It also exa...

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. This podcast covers the painstaking process of collecting structured information about terrorism and considers how you standardise the measurement of something so chaotic and destru...

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 the rationale underpinning its complexities. We delve into the difficulties of changing such a system and consider what an idealised electoral system would look like. A few things...

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, and who had just passed away when we recorded the episode in 2017. We focus on dynamic decision problems, specifically how we make or should make decisions that will have an impact...

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 polarisation. This podcast investigates binary thinking, looking at why and in what situations we have a tendency to think in absolute terms. We debate the advantages and pitfalls associated with binary thinking, and consider whether some of us are better a...

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 examine software bugs and other types of error, and discuss whether there is any connection between the size of an error and its consequence. We also attempt to classify types of errors and look at how they might be compounded by the complex systems humans...

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 sufficient data to develop meaningful models of what is happening on other planets. We also discuss the way theories and counter-theories develop and - of course - alien life itself...

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 controversial A-Level algorithm debacle. We also touch on the concept of fairness in examinations and consider the essence of what we are trying to measure through an exam. Finally, we look at the application of algorithms to other areas of performance assessme...

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 listening to us discuss the topic. In this podcast we discuss why we feel the urge to procrastinate, and whether it reduces or increases stress in the long run. We also consider the nature of tasks we like to avoid and what the potential benefits of t...

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 discuss different heuristics, strategies and technologies that have developed to help us find things. We also mention the psychological impact of losing something, how much time we spend looking for stuff and consider why some people may be better pred...

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 true? In this podcast we discuss the accuracy of population forecasts, the assumptions they are based on, and the relationship between the number of people and factors such as productivity and societal innovation. We also attempt to predict some of t...