Cognitive Engineering
375 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★ - 7 ratingsWelcome to the Cognitive Engineering podcast. Occasionally coherent musings of Aleph Insights. We hope you like listening to them as much as we like recording them.
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Episodes
Going Home
November 30, 2022 11:23 - 35 minutes - 48.2 MBWe’ve all experienced that feeling after a long, perhaps arduous, journey of finally arriving back home. In fact, it may not even matter if it was a trip down to the local supermarket or halfway across the world, the feeling of arriving back at home safely and securely feels universal. But have we invented this idea of home? In this week’s podcast, we discuss going home. How does the feeling of home work for nomads and those without a home? Does our concept of home change depending on how fa...
Cultural References
November 23, 2022 11:09 - 40 minutes - 55.4 MBSome of our listeners will only know the late Robbie Coltrane from his performances as Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series, despite a long and varied career in film and television. But what happens when one of our cultural references dies? Is it our responsibility to find new ones, and if so, where do we start looking? In this week’s podcast, we discuss cultural references. We explore the measure of a good cultural reference and debate whether they can be mobilised for culture war debates...
Golden Ages
November 16, 2022 09:04 - 36 minutes - 50.7 MBHistorians often refer to the Renaissance, the Enlightenment period in England and 1960s pop music as golden ages. These are seen as periods of great advancement in the arts and scientific discovery. But how do you get one? In this week’s podcast, we discuss golden ages. How do you foster a golden age, what are the required conditions and can we predict one in advance? We explore the history of golden ages, put forward a model for determining a golden age lifecycle and finally, make predicti...
Big Budgets
November 09, 2022 10:24 - 44 minutes - 61.7 MBDo high budgets for films and television series lead to high-quality productions? Or does spending too much money actually make the end product worse? In this week’s podcast, we discuss big budgets. We use Amazon’s Rings of Power series to question whether a large budget is a necessary condition for success in film and television. We discuss the economic theory of resource scarcity, hubristic planning, white elephants, the Mythical Man-Month, and the Swedish warship Vasa. We widen the lens o...
The Art Of Conversation
November 02, 2022 11:34 - 44 minutes - 61.5 MBWhat are the ingredients of a good conversation? Does it require a balance between conversational givers and takers or is it simply down to taking an interest in what your interlocutor is saying? In this week’s podcast, we discuss conversations. We debate whether there is an optimal way to conduct a conversation and put forward a series of explanations based on our own idiosyncratic approaches. We discuss sideways conversations, the rationalist movement and share some of our most memorable c...
Future Nostalgia
October 26, 2022 11:05 - 34 minutes - 47.4 MBThere seems to be an ever-growing list of examples that reminds us we are living through an age of nostalgia for past media. Black and white photography, vinyl records and the iPod Classic are all experiencing renewed popularity, but what can we put this down to? In this week’s podcast, we discuss future nostalgia. What are the technologies and media we will feel nostalgic about in the future and are they simply a reflection of current limitations and imperfections? We discuss The Commitment...
What's a Sandwich?
October 19, 2022 14:13 - 38 minutes - 52.8 MBIt’s a question that has left many puzzled. What, in fact, is a sandwich? Is it the classic two slices of bread, Earl of Sandwich creation? Or is it simply anything in a similar arrangement? In this week’s podcast, we discuss sandwiches. Tom harks back to his Swedish heritage by posing the question, is an open-sandwich a sandwich? From here we discuss logical positivism, neural networks and Quine’s seminal work ‘Two Dogmas of Empiricism’. Finally, we share some of our favourite sandwich crea...
Deference
October 12, 2022 09:08 - 36 minutes - 50.6 MBAs King Charles III was proclaimed the new monarch of the UK and the Commonwealth realms, we were left questioning if the era of deference is a thing of the past or if it does still hold some meaning today. In this week’s podcast, we discuss deference. Do kings and queens deserve the level of deference they receive or is it an anachronism? We attempt to define the key components of deference, speculate on the differences between deference and respect, discuss the If-By-Whiskey fallacy, Rober...
Cool Criminals
October 05, 2022 14:19 - 40 minutes - 55.4 MBWhat makes certain types of crime cool and are there any rules? Why is it that the arts and media glorify different forms of criminality over others? In this week’s podcast, we delve into the world of cool criminals. We discuss the difference between pirates and privateers, the Byronic hero, the mafia, Baader Meinhof and Narco ballads. Nick presents his theory on how to make crimes cool and we speculate on the origins of coolness itself. Finally, we share some of our favourite crimes and cr...
Re-release: The Tartarian Empire
September 28, 2022 09:41 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MBAs Britain enters a new era with the passing of the Queen, we revisit a previous podcast on the past, tradition and nostalgia. We even make mention of the new King. ------------------------ Do you prefer Rembrandt or Rothko? The Vatican or The Shard? A Georgian terrace or a 1960s housing estate? Ever wondered why we stopped building beautiful old buildings and how architectural modernism came to dominate our skylines? This week we discuss the theory of the Tartarian civilization. It claims...
The Historical Present
September 21, 2022 09:30 - 35 minutes - 48.5 MBDo you remember the Suez Crisis, Soviet Union, using a phone box, smoking on planes or 9/11? In this week’s podcast, we discuss the historical present. When does our historical frame of reference start and when does it end? We look at why young people seem to overgeneralise from their experience and whether knowledge and values are generation-specific. We discuss the Beloit College Mindset Lists, the British sitcom Are you Being Served?, and Mini-discs, before finally testing our own subject...
In Good Taste
September 14, 2022 10:06 - 42 minutes - 58.9 MBSquare-rimmed glasses, skinny jeans and 1940s clothing are all subject to aesthetic considerations. Are these driven by the whims of fashion or are they part of a deeper and more obscure notion of ‘good’ taste? In this week’s podcast, we discuss taste. Are there objective elements to taste or is it purely subjective? We discuss the case of John Lewis, Hipsters, Donald Trump, and the Russian aristocracy. We explore the barber pole model for fashion and ask if there is a difference between soc...
Re-release: Rivalry
September 07, 2022 09:38 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBThe US and China, Manchester United and Liverpool, Truss and Sunak. It seems wherever you look, rivalry abounds. As the UK enters a new era of government, we take a look back at a podcast on rivals. Is rivalry just an extension of competition and is it actually good for us to have a rival? Why do we often need rivals to propel us into action? ------------- We discuss whether rivalries spur us on to ever greater achievements or distract us with unnecessary competition. Is a nemesis necessary...
Re-release: Power Transitions
August 24, 2022 11:45 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBAs the UK Conservative leadership race enters the final stretch, we take a look back at a previous podcast on power transitions where we discussed the United States' change in administration from Trump to Biden. What are the potential pitfalls when one government is replaced by another? Is there a recipe for success or can we always expect issues and uncertainty? - 2022 Conservative Party leadership election (UK) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Conservative_Party_leadership_election_(UK) ...
Annoying Insects
August 17, 2022 09:01 - 40 minutes - 55 MBSummer is here and in this week’s podcast we decided to weigh in on an age-old question: which is the most annoying insect? We discuss the different species of cricket, explore data on the most annoying sounds, the flight strategies of mosquitoes, psychological warfare and how transitive inference is used by wasps. Peter presents his framework for insect annoyingness, while Nick presents an alternative framework that drills down into the concept of annoyingness itself. Finally, we share our ...
Democracy in Business
August 10, 2022 08:45 - 33 minutes - 45.6 MBFor some time the consensus has been that democracy is the most desirable form of government. But if democracy is so great, why aren’t companies run like countries? In this week’s podcast, we discuss democracy in business. We explore the multitude of company arrangements and ownership structures, Peter explains his principles for benevolent governance and how they differ from running a business and we trace back the origins of democracy to test whether the analogy between democracy in govern...
Strike Action
August 03, 2022 08:28 - 39 minutes - 53.6 MBAs widespread strikes continue across the UK and around the world this summer, this week’s podcast delves into strike action. We discuss what makes a successful strike, whether they are an effective bargaining tool, and if they actually work. We recount the history of strikes in the UK and US, account for the steep decline in striking since the 1970s, and provide a few speculative reasons for why you don’t see as many strikes these days. We diagnose the problems facing the world economy and ...
Propaganda
July 27, 2022 08:39 - 44 minutes - 60.8 MBWhen we think of propaganda these days it’s hard not to conjure up images and posters from the Second World War, but was it always this way? This week we discuss propaganda. Does propaganda work anymore or have we, as a society, become immune to propaganda? We explain the concept of “rewired propaganda”, internet memes, clickbait and the differences between misinformation and disinformation. We debate the hypothesis that propaganda is more about style rather than substance and finally, share...
Predicting Russia
July 20, 2022 10:25 - 39 minutes - 53.6 MBDoes being a subject matter expert make you good at predicting events? This week, we delve into economist Tyler Cowen's blog on International Relations scholars and their views on Russia and Ukraine, and discuss international relations, analysis, and forecasting. We consider what makes for good analysis and the importance of having a sound methodology, diversity of thought, and understanding our own biases. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Tyler Cowen: How did the IR community g...
Train Timetables
July 13, 2022 09:38 - 41 minutes - 56.5 MBDo you ever arrive at a train station early only to gaze up at the timetable in utter confusion as you search for your train? As you stand there bewildered, do you ever wonder if there is a better way to present this kind of information? In this week’s episode, we discuss the exciting topic of train timetables. Why are there different train scheduling systems in different places and can technology help to cut through the complexity? We discuss London postcodes, the perils of standardisation ...
YouTube
July 06, 2022 08:00 - 40 minutes - 55.9 MBWhy is YouTube full of documentaries and Netflix packed with drama? Which comes first, the medium or the content? In this week’s podcast, we traverse the history of media consumption, examine YouTube consumer behaviour and explore the differences between traditional programming and the production of YouTube videos. We debate whether we are living in a golden age of series drama and speculate on where you might find the next media growth area. We end by sharing our concept ideas for YouTube c...
Predictive Text
June 29, 2022 08:58 - 36 minutes - 50.3 MBAutocorrect, spell check and 'smart compose' were ostensibly invented to make our writing lives easier. But are they taking over and making us redundant? In this week’s podcast, we discuss predictive text. Now that there are a slew of freely available AI text-based software applications, should we be disturbed by AI innovations that closely resemble human writing skills? Do they lead to the grave implications claimed by some or should they be seen as benign creations? We discuss GPT-3, AI Du...
Time Travellers
June 22, 2022 09:42 - 32 minutes - 44.1 MBIf you were able to time travel back into the past, how would you go about proving you were from the future? Is there a set of predictions you could offer that would improve your chances of being believed? In this week’s podcast, we discuss what it is that makes a person from the future different to those from the present day and what technology or innovation we might replicate to persuade the disbelieving. We also look at the illusion of explanatory depth, the concept of proof, rationality ...
Multifunctionality
June 15, 2022 08:50 - 33 minutes - 45.9 MBAre general tools more useful than specific tools? Is it better to have one thing that tries to do everything or many things that only attempt a single function? In a world awash with multifunctional tools and devices, in this week’s podcast, we discuss multifunctionality. How should we design tools to perform multiple tasks and does multifunctionality lie in the object or in the user? We discuss cobblers cutting keys, stores that sell both darts and televisions, and Swiss army knives. Final...
The Underdog
June 01, 2022 08:44 - 36 minutes - 49.9 MBWhenever a new conflict emerges, the two sides seem to almost naturally fall into an underdog scenario. It’s a concept that looms large in our collective imagination, but is there any evidence the underdog does any better than the top dog? In this week's podcast, we discuss the underdog. What are the benefits of being an underdog and why is the concept more prevalent in sport and warfare than other domains? We survey how the underdog effect operates in historical military campaigns, the Russ...
Scheduling
May 25, 2022 09:29 - 33 minutes - 46.2 MBIf there’s one thing that was made easier by the Covid-19 lockdowns, it was holding meetings online. Now that lockdowns are hopefully a thing of the past, are we once again condemned to the horrors of trying to arrange physical meetings? This week, we discuss the problems with booking meetings. How do you schedule meetings with people coming from different places and is there a way to do it properly? We discuss the set cover problem, information theory and ask if organising meetings solidifi...
Acceptable Violence?
May 18, 2022 15:46 - 37 minutes - 51.8 MBThe old adage that ‘violence is never the answer’ was put to the test when the actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at this year's Oscars ceremony. Are there instances where violence is acceptable? And if so, how much violence is proportional? In this week’s podcast, we unpack the infamous Oscars slap and apply an analytical lens to the concept of violence more broadly. We discuss the narrow legal conditions that apply to violence, the historical use of violence in Hollywood films an...
Google-proofing Quizzes
May 11, 2022 08:29 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBAre quizzes and puzzles dying in the era of the internet - where any answer is seemingly a click away - or can they be Google-proofed? This week, we ask our in-house crossword expert to tell us what types of questions create answers that are hard to search for, how a puzzle question should be structured, and what features make for a good puzzle. We also discuss what makes something un-Googleable and consider the implications for human knowledge sharing. If listening to this podcast doesn’t m...
Brand Loyalty
May 04, 2022 09:02 - 39 minutes - 54.3 MBBrands often build loyal bands of acolytes who can verge on the fanatical. It's easy to find evidence of people professing their love for Apple, Google or HP Sauce, but untangling the reasons why they fall in love with particular brands is more difficult. The idea for this week's podcast comes from loyal listener, Helge. Based on his suggestion, we delve into what kind of brands inspire loyalty, what it means to be loyal to a brand and why people emotionally attach themselves to brands in th...
Writers Vs Readers
April 27, 2022 08:48 - 41 minutes - 56.3 MBYou won't believe the 10 ways that listening to this podcast could change your life!!! This week we discuss writing and whether it is the author's responsibility to engage their audience or the reader's responsibility to buckle down and concentrate. We look at whether the quality of writing affects the quality of the argument and if it is the case that some subject matter cannot be reduced to simple language. We discuss the idea of irreducible complexity and Flesch–Kincaid readability tests....
Good Question
April 20, 2022 08:29 - 40 minutes - 55.7 MBWhat constitutes a good question? In this week’s podcast, we examine one of the gripping questions of our time: are there more doors or wheels on planet Earth? We use the wheels vs doors debate as a gateway into the dynamics of questions and information exchange, considering how a question should be defined and whether it is the same as generating a hypothesis. In doing so, we discuss logical positivism, value of information theory, Fermi analysis and the Zen Buddhist concept of Mu. Finally,...
School Reunions
April 13, 2022 08:00 - 37 minutes - 51.1 MBDo you ever wonder what happened to that kid at school? Are there classmates with whom you've lost touch, but would love to catch up with? Or does the whole thing fill you with dread? In this week’s podcast, we discuss school reunions. We start by probing the reasons behind the popularity of the school reunion film trope of the 1970s and 80s, ask whether school reunions are more than just a benchmarking exercise with our peers, and question the impact of social media on getting together with...
Startup or Scam?
April 06, 2022 08:52 - 30 minutes - 42.5 MBIf you applied for a job at a company that claimed it was merely years away from sending a robot to Mars would you be suspicious? What if the company was run by Elon Musk? In this week’s podcast, we discuss the difference between startups and scams. Do all companies need to pretend to be bigger than they are to generate early revenue and success? We outline the legal conditions required to commit fraud, the infamous Theranos case and set out some red flags for determining if a company meets ...
Disney
March 30, 2022 09:03 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBWe all know the recipe for a classic Disney film: animation, soppy morals, uplifting songs and inspiring plots. But what makes something quintessential or classic? Does defining the features of a brand tell you something about its identity? In this week’s podcast, we discuss Disney films. We ask what cinematic elements make for a classic Disney film? We discuss the Disney renaissance of the late 80s and early 90s, the Sporcle quiz and brand coherence vs brand consistency. Finally, we share o...
Borders
March 23, 2022 08:54 - 32 minutes - 45.3 MBAre borders real or imaginary? Do borders require a territory or area of land, or are there domains without physical space that still contain borders? In this week’s podcast, and in light of recent events, we discuss the complexity of borders and jurisdictions. We explore territorialism in the animal kingdom, the history and economics of borders, and how borders can shape national identity. Finally, we share some of our favourite borders. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Chimp ...
What's in a Word?
March 16, 2022 09:35 - 45 minutes - 62.3 MBDo you know what servo or katana means? How about doula or damask? A recent study into word recognition among English speakers has found that how recognisable a word is to you may depend on contextual factors, such as nationality or gender. In this week's podcast, we discuss words and language. Is there a difference between understanding a word and understanding how it is used? Does our recognition of certain words tell us something about where we fit into society? We discuss the Shy Tory ef...
Adventure
March 09, 2022 10:43 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBDoes an adventure require facing danger and seeing the world, or can you simply go on an adventure around your living room? In this week’s podcast we discuss adventure. What exactly is an adventure and how do you do it properly? We attempt to unravel what makes an adventure interesting, why we undertake them in the first place and what their essential elements are. We analyse the structure of adventure stories, debate Shannon entropy theory and share some of our own favourite adventures and ...
Anti-work Movement
March 02, 2022 10:46 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MBWhy is work important? The pandemic has spawned new movements dedicated to fighting against the oppression of wage labour. So this week, we take a look at the burgeoning Anti-work movement. One that started off as a minor subreddit and has now grown into a popular idea. We discuss what makes the Anti-work movement influential and ask if it is a positive sign that people are questioning modern work patterns. We also cover the concept of Bullshit Jobs, inefficiencies in the job market and tech...
Gift Giving
February 23, 2022 09:07 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBIs Tracey Emin entitled to ask the current Government to take down artwork that she gave to the Government when David Cameron was in office or is that unreasonable? We look at whether it is ever permissible to ask for a gift back. In this week’s podcast, we discuss gifts and ask what rights you have when you give a gift to someone and whether these rights change depending on who the gift is for. We explore the complex moral and legal implications of giving a gift, the curious case of engagem...
Redesigning Humans
February 16, 2022 11:01 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBThe human body is full of seemingly uncoordinated processes and sensations. Needing to pass and then drink water in quick succession, developing an insatiable hunger just before bedtime, getting an itchy nose when your hands are both full. It often feels like there are some inherent design flaws in the human species. In this week’s podcast, we discuss redesigning humans. Why are some biological processes seemingly so inefficient? How could we optimise the human species using physiology from ...
High Risk Insurance
February 09, 2022 09:17 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MBWhat is a life without risk? From going outside to eating our lunch, we take dozens of risks every day without stopping to consider them, let alone attempt to quantify them. In this week’s podcast, we are joined by Jerry Smith, Head of Advisory at the risk analysis company, CHC Global. Jerry helps us to unpack how the insurance market operates, the idea of malicious versus benign risk, and why high impact and low probability events are difficult to insure. We also discuss how data might be ...
Politicians' Pay
February 02, 2022 10:57 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBAs the UK Government teeters on the edge of a precipice, we look back to a key moment in the genesis of the current crisis: the lobbying scandal that brought an end to Conservative MP Owen Paterson’s political career. We use these events to analyse the issue of politicians’ pay. In this week's podcast, we consider the issue of optimal remuneration for our political classes. We debate whether we would get better politicians, with fewer vested interests, if they were paid more money. We also c...
Crisps
January 26, 2022 09:30 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBIt’s one of Britain’s most loved yet least considered products: the humble crisp. In this week’s podcast, we discuss the association between colour and crisp flavours. We ask all the burning questions: What does your favourite crisp flavour say about you? Have crisp packets always been the same colour? Is there really a definitive colour palette for each flavour? Along the way, we take you through the contentious history of crisps, differences in preference across countries and generations, ...
Finding Treasure
January 19, 2022 10:15 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBTaking a walk through the woods with the family pet can sometimes unearth some unexpected surprises. Sticks, stones or even, buried treasure. In this week’s podcast, we discuss what counts as treasure and how you might distinguish it from trash. We survey the historical legal definitions of treasure, assess the likelihood of a detectorist striking gold and present examples of how finding treasure can ignite our imagination and become a bridge to the past. Finally, we share the treasures we ...
Talking with Animals
January 12, 2022 12:46 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MB"If I could talk with the animals, just imagine it..." In this week's podcast, we discuss what it would be like if we could indeed talk with animals. We consider the ethics of such conversations and try to work out what our non-human friends might be able to teach us. We also dive into topics such as language processing, communication and intelligence. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Are We on the Verge of Chatting with Whales? https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/are-we-on-...
Re-release: Yes, Minister
December 15, 2021 09:28 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he "certainly broke no rules" as questions continue to plague the government over parties during lockdown last Christmas. In the wake of the Christmas party scandal, we think it is timely to revisit our podcast on ministerial accountability. Christmas parties row: Three gatherings to be investigated by top civil servant https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-59591610 --------- Some government ministers seem to constantly court controversy, while other...
Unemployed Wizards
December 08, 2021 11:05 - 24 minutes - 22.9 MBMagic, spells and wizardry aren’t things you normally associate with local government(unless you're in Environmental Services). But in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, a man employed as the ordained city wizard was let go after 23 years of toil and trouble. In this week’s podcast, we address the vital topic of unemployed wizards. We start by discussing if there might be more value in employing a wizard than a strict accounting metric would suggest, then ask if we should be placing an ...
Noise Pollution
December 01, 2021 06:00 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBIrritability, sleeplessness, muscle tension and fatigue are all potentially caused by too much noise. Was Schopenhauer right when he called noise the "most impertinent of interruptions"? This week, we discuss the issue of noise pollution... ...as quietly as we can. The European Environment Agency estimates there are 10,000 premature deaths from noise exposure each year. So why are our cities noisier than ever and what can we do about it? We debate whether susceptibility to noise correlates w...
New Punctuation
November 24, 2021 08:58 - 31 minutes - 29.5 MBHow often do you use the interrobang, asterism or SarcMark? Do you ever find yourself scrolling to find the perfect emoji? Or perhaps you might feel frustrated by the overuse of punctuation?!? In this week’s podcast, we discuss new punctuation. In a world awash with corporate-speak and scare quotes, what should we add or remove from conventional punctuation and how could it be optimised? We consider punctuation we would like to borrow from other languages, Nick coins a new term for an emoji...
Re-release: The Global Terrorism Database
November 17, 2021 10:03 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBWith the UK's terrorism threat level being raised from substantial to SEVERE, following the 14 November incident in Liverpool, we are revisiting our podcast with Jerry Smith from CHC Global. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-terrorism-threat-level-raised-to-severe ---- 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. ...