Houston Public Media
Engines of Our Ingenuity
The story of technological progress is one of drama and intrigue, sudden insight and plain hard work. Let’s explore technology’s spectacular failures and many magnificent success stories. This content is in service of Houston Public Media’s education mission and is sponsored by the University of Houston. It is not a product of our news team.
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Episodes
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1564: The Second Law of Thermodynamics 26.04.2026 3:40
Episode: 1564 The Second Law of Thermodynamics and time's arrow. Today, we see why time goes only from then to now.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1562: Guido da Viegevano 25.04.2026 3:41
Episode: 1562 Guido da Vigevano uses war as an excuse to invent. Today, a medieval inventor goes to war -- almost.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1561: Herbert J. L. Hinkler 24.04.2026 3:43
Episode: 1561 'Hustling Hinkler, Up in the Sky' - an early Australian flier leaves his mark. Today, an odd hero of early aviation.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2585: Measuring Race Times 23.04.2026 3:48
Episode: 2585 The technology of timing races. Today, who won that race?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2942: Hilton Hotels in Space 22.04.2026 3:50
Episode: 2942 Hilton Hotels in Space. Today, we reach for the stars.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2638: Artificial Gravity 21.04.2026 3:49
Episode: 2638 Artificial Gravity for Human Spaceflight; What is Gained, What is Lost. Today, astronaut Michael Barratt discusses the pros and cons of artificial gravity.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1560: Narrow Perception 20.04.2026 3:40
Episode: 1560 In which we 'look' at the world through a narrow slit. Today, we look at the world through a narrow slit.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1559: The Oldest Technology 19.04.2026 3:41
Episode: 1559 Music-making: the first technology. Today, we look for the oldest technology.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1558: We O’ercome by Art 18.04.2026 3:41
Episode: 1558 Mastered by nature, we o'ercome by art - then as now. Today, an old debate in a new arena.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1556: The Manual Arts 17.04.2026 3:43
Episode: 1556 In which we run out of manual arts teachers for our schools. Today, let's work with our hands.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2583: Children and Their Goals 16.04.2026 3:49
Episode: 2583 Children and their Goals. Today, president, pope, astronaut.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3253: Machine Learning 15.04.2026 3:48
Episode: 3253 Teaching Computers to Think. Today, Teaching a Computer.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3166: Spoonerisms 14.04.2026 3:48
Episode: 3166 Spoonerisms and Their Unwilling Namesake. Today, spooning in speakerisms.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1554: Scientific Instruments 13.04.2026 3:44
Episode: 1554 In which new science yields new instruments: 1500 to 1950. Today, a new class of machines and new viewpoint.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1553: In Vacuo 12.04.2026 3:42
Episode: 1553 Galileo, Torricelli, von Guericke, and the idea of a vacuum. Today, we invent vacuum.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1552: Global Warming Again 11.04.2026 3:39
Episode: 1552 The ocean - the wild card in global warming. Today, we wonder how things are really heating up.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1551: Inventing the Piano 10.04.2026 3:41
Episode: 1551 In which Gary Larson tells us the piano was invented earlier than we thought. oday, a lesson in invention from the Far Side .
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2578: Water Towers 09.04.2026 3:48
Episode: 2578 The Wonders of Water Towers. Today, water flows downhill.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2864: Bayes’ Theorem 08.04.2026 3:51
Episode: 2864 The theorem of Reverend Bayes. Today, let's talk about uncertainty and an 18th century Presbyterian minister.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3247: The Prouste Questionnaire 07.04.2026 3:50
Episode: 3247 Proust, Turing, and the Measure of Humanity. Today, we go from Turing to Proust.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1550: Finding the Book 06.04.2026 3:40
Episode: 1550 Making a book of The Engines of Our Ingenuity. Today, we wonder how to make a book.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1549: Comptus Rendus, 1836 05.04.2026 3:43
Episode: 1549 Compte Rendus , 1836: a snapshot of science at high tide. Today, we read modern science when it was first being made.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1547: Ripe for Revolution 04.04.2026 3:44
Episode: 1547 Mystery at the threshhold of the Twentieth Century. Today, let's reclaim mystery.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1546: Max Jakob 03.04.2026 3:44
Episode: 1546 Max Jakob: a breath of fresh air in a new land. Today, a great engineer escapes the Holocaust.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2576: Screw Caps for Wine 02.04.2026 3:49
Episode: 2576 Are screw caps good for wine? Today, a turn of the screw.
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