Simblified

Ah, Consumer Electronics Show. The annual excuse for tech companies to create new products we didn't know we needed, and to put semiconductors into places they really don't need to be. Join Chuck and Naren as they talk about what went down at the world's most anticipated tech expo. Your hunt for a wifi-connected toilet seat ends here! Simblified is an Indian podcast brought to you by three fine yo...

Like Lord of the Rings & The Matrix, all good things must come to an ending in their third part. So we end our depressing trilogy of the 2017 rewind with a look at how artificial intelligence made some interesting leaps over the year. Then, we look at how a sleazeball named Harvey was the best thing to happen to feminism since it got the whole world talking. And then, we round up our talking about...

In 2017, palmistry became a legit thing in India, because one could tell how smart you were by checking how far your face was implanted into your face. Yeah, it wasn't a particularly pleasant 2017 if you were: 1. In India 2. Were not dispossessed to waving non-football orange flags 3. Reasonably smart Chuck, Naren and Srikeit look through a grim year in the country and discuss the effects of the t...

Happy new year folks! Before you leap into the chasm that is 2018, we have have a Simblified reminder trilogy of the WTF that was 2017. Join Chuck and Srikeit as we revisit the opening third of 2017 which included Trump's inauguration, Serena Williams' incredible Aus Open win, ISRO's launches, Dutch and British politics and many more milestones of the year. We know your new year's resolution is to...

We've finally asked it - what makes us happy? Turns out it's not a new Iron Maiden album, a Liverpool victory or favourable GST rates (respectively for hosts), but just a bunch of chemicals. That's right, everything that we think makes us happy boils down to 7 fluids sloshing around in our heads. Naren has taken the effort to do a crash course on said chemicals and tells you how you can elevate th...

Every year, thousands... Lakhs, actually, of people look forward to IIT Bombay's annual cultural festival in December, Mood Indigo. It's a massive show that sees engineering students (and then some) from all over briefly forgetting Fermat and Mass Transfer and focusing on rock shows, events and informals. As one can imagine, pulling off an event of such scale is a huge process that starts way back...

With the country's most anticipated music festival coming up in a couple of weeks (Dec 8-10), we thought now would be the perfect time to re-broadcast an episode we did this time last year: An interview with Vijay Nair of OML Entertainment, the company that runs the NH7 Weekender. It's a fascinating conversation that talks about what it takes to put together a music festival and the independent mu...

Suddenly, everyone seems excited about gravitational waves. Wait, wasn't this a fad a couple of years ago? Well, yes, but some more stuff has happened which warrants a re-look. G-Waves could fundamentally change the way we look at the universe. Or rather, hear it. What's more, we've got someone way smarter than ourselves (not a tall ask, actually) in the form of science writer, Sandhya Ramesh aka ...

We discuss the the crazy dictatorship that is North Korea, home to the Little Rocketman that could and a whole bunch of bizarre and scary laws. We delve into why Korea got this way, what's their beef with the US and why they're treating non-proliferation norms like Delhites treated the cracker. Tune in to hear why poop theft is a big deal in North Korea and why Kim Jong-Un's temper may be because...

On this episode of Simblified, Naren and Srikeit (minus an absconding Chuck) talk about cities. The ecosystems that develop within our cities, how city planning may actually be detrimental and what the cost of 'free' parking really is. Plus the usual terrible humour you've come to love. Follow Chuck (@chuck_gopal), Naren (@shenoyn) and Srikeit (@Srikeit) for a good 'ol English cuppa-whatever-was-i...

This week, we have a guest on the show (and Simblified listener!) Ashvala Vinay ( www.twitter.com/Ashvala ), who recently graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. He tells us what the school is all about, what type of courses happen there, what the prospects are like and totally geeks out on some music terms. The usual smattering of what we call 'humour' makes its way int...

There are two kinds of people - those who're nuts about poker and those who have no clue what it is. We're proud to announce that all three co-hosts of Simblified have absolutely no idea what it is - hence marking one of the two points of our common ignorance (the other being MBA-level marketing). To fix this, we have with us on this episode, Peter Abraham - a stalwart of the Indian Poker scene, a...

Recently, a certain someone looked up at the solar eclipse when that was literally the only thing he was told not to. We wouldn't normally worry, except this certain someone has access to nukes. But let's move away from such apocalyptic gloom and look at the bright (dark?) side of the phenomenon that is solar eclipses and how they occur. And why you should use special glasses while looking for the...

Over the last few years, the quality of AIB's video production and writing has gone through the roof (although, YouTube comments superstars will lead you to think otherwise). And that is in no small part thanks to one of their head writers, Girish Narayandass. He's been the brains behind several of their sketches (including the epic Honest Campus Placements trilogy). In this interview, we talk abo...

Are you bored (hopefully not after listening to this show)? Well, there's science for that. In this random episode which has nothing to do with global happenings, Chuck and Naren explore the psychology of being bored and why a little bit of that is probably good for you, creatively. Featuring some research and the usual dose of poor jokes. This episode sadly, does not feature Srikeit :-( Follow Ch...

Did you know the President of India has a function other than being the answer to a GK question for 4th standard schoolkids? In this episode, Chuck and Naren look at what the President of India actually does, and how he / she gets picked for the job. Also, who's your pick for worst president ever? What's the difference between the President and PM? Why do some countries have a president that does...

We know that American politics may be a lot more fun with the Trumpocalypse happening but that doesn't mean we forget about the original white oppressors - the British. The podders get together for a British election special. We talk about Theresa May's snap election blunder, Jeremy Corbyn's socialist manifesto and election oddities that require the British PM to receive her election results stand...

Have you ever wondered what makes perfectly sane people forward messages which claim that cows exhale oxygen? Have you observed how the canniest people seem to relish sending you messages of spectacular inanity? Well, you're in good company because Simblified hosts Naren, Chuck and Srikeit have been wondering about these things as well and try to analyze what makes this parallel universe go around...

Google had their annual developer conference recently and there were quite a few fun things that went down. They're going to start printing photo books. They're going to have a version of Android for low-end devices that doesn't suck. They're going to help you get even lazier using AI and Google Assistant. Technology correspondent Chuck has that (And sadly some sad jokes) and more for you, along w...

While 'market research' sounds vanilla and a career that not too many starry-eyed 3 year olds might have, it's one heck of a fascinating subject. Look around you - everything is the result of some sort of research. From the colour of clothes you wear, to the shape of the phone you're listening to this show on, to the price fixed by the Uber you're taking, to the lines in the horrible billboard ad...

While the film world has lights, camera, action... The advertising world has brief, PPT, ad (roughly). Some ads are better than others. Some of them are so well shot that you might actually stop in wonder and think how they were made (you know, a lot like films themselves). This week, we look at how exactly this is done. We chat with Dharam Valia, who's been running Hungry Films for the last 3 yea...

Ah, Facebook - our constant companion during early morning sojourns to the loo. Our rabbithole of useless links we didn't know we wanted to read. And of course, that place which makes it convenient to stalk office colleagues and your ex. But hey, they're onto something! Recently they held the f8 Developer Conference and there are some cool things that came out of there. Fun with Augmented Reality,...

On this episode, our troika of Wiki-pilfering stalwarts explains something that is inherent in all of us. No, not that sense of despair about Mondays, but our genetic code, DNA! We unravel what this thing that you forgot after 8th standard biology class is, and more importantly - look at its application in storage devices. Yes, that's right. Soon, you'll be able to store close to 200000 years' wor...

Celebrating the Indian cricket team’s recent (PETA approved) spanking of the Kangaroos in the test series, we get together to Simblify the new and controversial tech innovation in cricket – the uDRS – or Umpire Decision Review System. Chuck (@chuck_gopal), Naren (@shenoyn) and Srikeit (@Srikeit) talk about the DRS components, the innovative tech behind it and why someone would conspire to add wait...

The podders get together this time for a culinary special. But put away your MasterChef fantasies, this is about gourmet… bugs. Enter the fascinatingly terrifying world of entomophagy - the practice of using insects as food. Listen in to learn about the cultural practices of insect eating, why it can be more nutritious, necessary and even tasty. Find out what your favourite insects taste like and...