Desperate and Appauling

Des and Paul talk about their own collaborations and how serendipitous connections can lead to remarkable results. Examples range from Gilbert and Sullivan to Jobs and Wozniak to Simon and Garfunkel. Books mentioned include the Art of Unexpected Solutions by Paul Sloane, 1234 Wacky, Witty and Wonderful Words by Paul Sloane and Des MacHal,e and the new book Beautiful Things in Mathematics by Des Ma...

What do you call a grumpy person with a PhD in Palindromes? How can you find the 3 fastest horses among 25 horses if all you can do is race five at a time? We also dive into some Irish and Latin words in use in English. Based on our book, 1234 Wacky, Witty and Wonderful Words. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Des received an AI assessment of one of his papers and was not pleased. We discuss AI, consciousness, humour, driverless cars and whether computers can really think.. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of our most popular books is Mathematical Lateral thinking Puzzles. Here we review some of our favourite puzzles from the book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We share our selections of favourite quotes from Mark Twain, William Shakepeare, Woody Allen, Oscar Wilde, Yogi Berra and many more. Prepare for some laughs and insights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Which country has the most pyramids? What is a mountweazel? How can you always have a beautiful girl on your arm? Some of the crazy questions that Paul and Des pose in this podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shay Grewal on BBC Radio London chats to Paul Sloane about 1001 Pieces of Absolutely Useless Advice (co-authored with Des MacHale) and lateral thinking topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk about our new book, 1001 Pieces of Absolutely Useless Advice. It is packed with atrocious advice, juvenile jokes and terrible tips. Listen to this short podcast to hear many, many examples. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We chat about things that annoy us from tattoos to cancel culture, onions to ballet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul is in Cork in Ireland visiting Des and they chat about words and language. There are some puzzles from their book, World's Best Word Puzzles . What word has a triple letter with no hyphens? What word has three double letters in a row? Answers in the episode Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul and Des meet in Cork and chat about why puzzles are so popular yet mathematics is not. They also cover; What games promote thinking? Questions of morality and ethics, Lateral thinking puzzles, Assumptions, Questions and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Des and Paul chew over some favourite words from their book, 1234 Wacky Witty and Wonderful Words. They discuss some remarkable numbers and go on a lateral wander around some fascinating trivia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss everyday examples of lateral thinking, set a lateral thinking puzzle, describe a clever idea to deter speeding in Estonia and review a proposal to increase fitness and generate electricity. Plus comments on Paul's new book, Lateral Thinking for Every Day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Des and Paul choose and recite some of their favourite poems - tragic, heroic and funny.. Do you agree with their selections? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul and Des select and discuss their favourite fiction and non-fiction books.  The choices range from John Buchan's 39 Steps to Tim Harford's Messy. Have you read these books and do you agree with the selections?  There are also a couple of lateral puzzles to chew over.                Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul reveals his selection of the greatest lateral thinkers in history. Some of the choices surprise Des.  All the stories are taken from the book, Think Like an Innovator, published by Pearson.  Also the solution to the previous puzzle and a new lateral thinking puzzle.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor of Mathematics Des MacHale chooses his six top mathematicians.  He tells why he chose them, their impact on the world and some human stories about them.  We set a puzzzle from Mathematical Lateral Thinking Puzzles - Can you list 100 consecutive integers, none of which is prime? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss the strange world of coincidences ranging from births and deaths to dreams and meetings.  Is it just chance or are there mysterious forces at work?  We give the answers to the puzzles in the last episode and we set a lovely new puzzle - If I have a bee in my hand, what do I have in my eye? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We examine some words of Irish origin in the English language including trousers, tory, kibosh and craic. Taken from 1234 Wacky, Witty and Wonderful Words. Also two puzzles. What is the only English word ending in MT? What word has six letters but if you take away one letter you are left with twelve? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Des introduces three recent books. 1001 Silly Questions features funny, provocative or silly questions.  The Official Boris Johnson Joke Book is hot off the press.  Number and Letter Puzzles includes many puzzles of the 26 L of the EA type.  There is a solution to the vanishing town puzzle. And a new puzzle; what is 59 B on an R? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss Paul's books, How to be a Brilliant Thinker, Think Like an Innovator and The Leader's Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills.  There are also solutions to previous puzzles, a joke and a new puzzle about a vanishing town. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Des and Paul share some super riddles from the book, Kick Yourself Puzzles, published by Sterling Publishing. A riddle for listeners: Moses was the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter, He was also the daughter of the Pharaoh’s son. How can this be? Answer in the next podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  Paul and Des discuss some wonderful words ranging from banshee to crepuscular.  They tell a couple of jokes and Des poses a new lateral thinking puzzle for Paul to chew over. Puzzle for listeners, find an anagram for THE CLASSROOM. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Des and Paul chat about unusual words, palindromes, anagrams, jokes and much more.  It features items from their book, World's Best Word Puzzles, which is a delight for word lovers everywhere.  The book has some 320 quiz questions and word puzzles. Puzzle for listeners. Which word starts with seven consonants and ends with nine? Answer in next podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Our two co-conspirators, Des and Paul, discuss some fiendish lateral puzzles.  Drawn from the book Remarkable Lateral Thinking Puzzles and from the website www.lateralpuzzles.com where you can set and solve such puzzles in a forum. Puzzle for listeners.  A couple bought something nice but looked at it only once or twice a year. Why? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.