South Mimms U

Your team loses, perhaps badly, maybe to a hated rival, and what do you do? Drown your sorrows? Actually, research shows that many fans pig out on high calorie foods. Yes, academics have studied the phenomenon. SMU's Soccer Studies Faculty couldn't resist finding tasty morsels amongst the research numbers and are pleased to bring them to you in an easily digestible and high calorie discu...

Ten presidents have sought re-election and lost. It's an exclusive club of what some people call 'losers' - and some really ARE losers. Donald Trump's biggest fear is becoming the 11th member of that small club. We examine what being a one termer means, why it's seen as so ignominous, and speculate on whether the club (and our museum) will get a new name on the roster.  Th...

Our Professor of Irrelevant Studies wants you to think deeply about what is and isn't relevant. Perhaps nothing is irrelevant and that makes everything - whatever it is you're interested in or are doing - truly relevant. It sounds like the most irrelevant course of study available and perhaps it is, but why should that even matter? It's time to think differently about relevance. The...

Totalitarianism is back in fashion but it's nothing like the 20th century version. We've had sight of a breezy new book rumoured to have been backed by a certain American strongman and his chubby friend from North Korea (though we can't confirm that fact) and the pitchy 'tips' sound like Tweets but are horrifyingly familiar... and dangerous.  The only university that makes...

We all crave silence - sometimes. But finding it is hard in a world which never stops. In this simple, sometimes very quiet, meditation on the true nature of silence we discover that 'noise' isn't the problem; it's how you deal with it and how you respond to the sounds of the world around you.  The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

We all know that some people find clowns creepy – and funeral directors as well as taxidermists too. But why. What is ‘creepiness’ and can it be studied? And when we encounter robots that are almost human, but not quite, why do we feel as if we’re in what’s called ‘the uncanny valley’? Our Professor of Creepy Studies (who happens to be a robot) explains. And we interview Marc Abrahams from Improba...

In fiction and drama – and in reality too – tech companies have either become cults or try to be cults. Why is that? Are they any different from ordinary corporations? South Mimms U investigates the religious impulse that’s common in tech companies – from start-ups to multi-billion dollar multinationals – and uncovers a strange local company called Qamquat – that’s Kumquat with a ‘Q’ – where all t...

Forrest Gump said, ‘Stupid is as stupid does’ but does that mean it’s a bad thing? Might being ‘stupid’ be good for humanity? After all, stupidity (for most of us) is a great teacher. It’s how most of us learn how NOT to be an idiot. Though, of course, a minority never learn. Our expert in stupidity isn’t an idiot or a moron, just a little confused about practical things, but when we finally get h...

We were told that the office of the future would be digital, dispersed, and full of hotdesks. But myabe the truth is darker. Could the office of the future be like a series of hothouses for labour? That's what some people want and they're designing them now! The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

Struggling with endless diet plans? Still not the weight or dress size you want? Don’t worry, it may be all over. There’s no need to diet anymore. Why? This podcast reveals why. It’s good news for EVERYONE – in the short term at least. Ditch all those complicated diets which either demand you starve or exercise yourself to within an inch of your LIFE or live like a caveman and/or woman (or both)....

In a special documentary feature, South Mimms U, reveals a remarkable event: our physics department has punctured the quantum divide between our universe and one of its parallel universes. It’s a world which runs faster than ours and we hear snatches of events from Donald Trump’s THIRD term! A desperate man, wearing a Santa Claus outfit has travelled to Florida to stalk to President. Why? Because...

Strange times for all of us, and especially for a rising number of people are say they’re being abducted by aliens. Alien abductions were big news in the 1980s and 1990s, but they’ve declined in the last 20 years. Why? Have the aliens gotten bored of us? Don’t they exist? But weirdly the number of alien abduction accounts is rising again and perhaps the pandemic has something to do with it. That’s...

A thought experiment: Socrates is a US Government official and finds himself working for Trump on the Pandemic. Would he hold his tongue? Or would he denounce the President, especially after the disinfectant debacle? The experiment is run by our robot, Dai V8 who has a particularly nuanced view of humans, their philosophy, and the prospects of the species. This is thought-provoking audio which rev...

The Marie Kondo craze has seen millions tidy their homes (and lives) into what they hope is a clear, bright future. Throwing away or donating every object that doesn't 'spark joy' is a zero-sum game that could lead to a more boring, less colourful life. And some people are also looking at those they live with and asking 'do they spark joy?' - what do you do if they don&apo...

We're all social-distancing and self-isolating which, for most people, is actually quite hard to do. But for misanthropes - who dislike people anyway - it's the perfect excuse to avoid all contact with their fellow human beings. We speak to an experienced and committed misthantrope from our Philosophy Dept. about why this is the best time of his life!  The only university that makes you...

Our creative writing department has unearthed the writings of a local boomer to reveal that analogue technology is what Boomers really get nostalgic about. If you're from that generation does the sound of a cassette tape unlock deep, distant memories? Or perhaps the sleekness of a CD? Or using a phone box? Go back in time to the cosy memories of slipping coins into a slot in a cramped, smelly...

It's time to start hording podcasts! It turns out that a soothing voice and intellectual stimulation are the best defences against pandemic inspired anxiety and stress. Or, at least, that's what Lance Faubush Colt says from his home in South Carolina. Instead of running out to buy as much toilet roll and tinned goods as you can - and if you're an American, guns and ammo - stock up o...

We have all been asked to practice social distancing and, when we need to, self-isolation, but it's not a new concept. In fact, hermits and monks have done it for centuries. Some went to great extremes to achieve it. Like Saint Simeon Stylites who lived on top of a column for 37 years. We examine a modern adaptation of that technique which could get very popular in these uncertain times.  The...

Researchers at South Mimms U have come up with a revolutionary new way to cure baldness - digital hair. A simple implant delivers total coverage and flexibility. You can get haircuts online, change hair colour via an app on your phone, and boost your wi-fi coverage! Too good to be true? It probably is. Find out how it works.  The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

At the first hint of crisis, we run out and stock up on toilet roll. Is it because toilet paper has become a vital part of our modern - softer, more squeamish - civilization? Only a few generations ago all kinds of paper - and materials - were used to wipe our behinds. Our Reader in Scatalogical Studies has a unique and amusing perspective on the phenomenon.  The only university that makes you chu...

Religion is going digital, and at South Mimms U we're testing a new concept which matches Artificial Intelligence with the needs of the Roman Catholic Church. A shortage of priests means that maybe we need a new kind of digital assistant - Father Eamon - the Alexa of religion, only it has to be a male not a female voice. Find out how the idea plays out in beta testing. The only university tha...

Some of the world's richest people dropped out of education and one think tank things we should ALL do the same. There's no point in formal education at all so all kids should just go to work. South Mimms U has started a course to show you how to do it right. Beware - if you get through the academic year, you fail!  The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

Prison reform is a big subject across the world. What's the best way to incacerate vthose who have transgressed our laws? Do we put them to work or rehabilitate them? Can you do both? And is the labour we ask them to do 'free' labour? One proposal might see prisoners transformed into  galley slaves. Intriguing. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

In a special episode we talk to the leader of the new Luddite movement which sees unemployed accountants fight back against the robots that have taken their jobs, and the 9 year old boy who's been put in charge of a corporations entire financial department. Compelling, important, revolutionary. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

The 'right to bear arms' means 'arms' not just guns, so you might as well go Second Amendment to the max and wear a sword - a wonderful, ceremonial sword. The ladies will love it. And if you're a lady, the guys will love it. The Second Amendment is pronoun free. Our constitutional expert shows off his swords and explains why it's every American's right to carry s...