South Mimms U
195 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsThe university where the subjects other educational institutions won't touch are taught, debated, and laughed at. You'll laugh and learn at the same time. We're real but we're not real. We take thought to its logical limits in the service of stretching your mind and opening new ways of thinking. No subject is taboo, no conclusion too weird. Join us and 'think different'. Email: [email protected]
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Episodes
Do you eat more when your team loses?
June 16, 2020 17:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBYour 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 discussion. Enjoy. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
What is Trump's Biggest Fear? Joining our One Termer Club
June 10, 2020 16:00 - 20 minutes - 14.4 MBTen 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. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Is there anything at all that's completely irrelevant?
June 05, 2020 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBOur 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 only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Top tips for a new breed of totalitarians
May 22, 2020 15:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBTotalitarianism 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 you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
What is silence, and can you ever find it in a world of noise?
May 15, 2020 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBWe 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.
What makes people (and robots) creepy?
May 12, 2020 18:00 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBWe 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 ImprobableResearch.com (who’s also the organizer of the globally renowned Ig-Nobel Awards) to find out ...
Do tech companies want to become cults?
May 11, 2020 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MBIn 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 the board members have to be celibate as if they’re in a religious order. Nothing is quite as it ...
Is stupidity so bad, and can it be creative?
May 08, 2020 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBForrest 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 hold of him he has a few good words to the wise. The only university that makes you chuckle AND...
What will the office of the future really be like?
May 06, 2020 11:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBWe 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.
Is this the end for all diet plans?
May 03, 2020 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MBStruggling 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). Dr Bellie Trice has the best news you’ve heard since Ben & Jerry’s last high-calorie breakthroug...
What if Trump won again and then won a THIRD term!?
May 01, 2020 12:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBIn 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 back in 2018 Trump ruined his son’s belief in Santa. Strange? Yes, plausible? Definitely. Listen...
Are alien abductions rising in the time of the coronavirus?
April 28, 2020 11:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MBStrange 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 what our Faculty of Alien Contact Studies believes – and we have proof, right here in South Mim...
Would Socrates tell Trump the undisinfected truth?
April 26, 2020 16:00 - 14 minutes - 9.83 MBA 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 reveals the importance of speaking truth to power and having the courage of your convictions. The ...
Do you really need to have a tidy home, or is being tidy just boring?
April 15, 2020 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.4 MBThe 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't? Get someone to 'take them out'? The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Is this the best time ever for misanthropes?
April 13, 2020 17:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBWe'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!
Who is enjoying the lockdown the most?
April 13, 2020 17:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBWe'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 chuckle AND learn at the same time.
You know you're a boomer when you get nostalgic for old tech
April 04, 2020 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBOur 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 box. Lovely. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Can podcasts and ASMR help you get through the pandemic?
April 01, 2020 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBIt'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 on SMU podcasts and give your brain an 'orgasm' - it's the ASMR approach to surving the apocalypse.
Can podcasts and ASMR help you get through a global crisis?
April 01, 2020 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBIt'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 on SMU podcasts and give your brain an 'orgasm' - it's the ASMR approach to surving the apocalypse. The only u...
How far would you go to achieve social distancing?
March 30, 2020 10:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBWe 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 only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Finally, a DIGITAL cure for baldness!
March 26, 2020 12:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBResearchers 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.
Finally, a DIGITAL cure for baldness!
March 26, 2020 12:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBResearchers 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.
Why do we horde toilet paper during a crisis?
March 17, 2020 17:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBAt 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.
Why do we hoard toilet paper during a crisis?
March 17, 2020 17:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBAt 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 chuckle AND learn at the same time.
WTF! Is it possible to create a totally new swear word?
March 01, 2020 09:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBSwear words abound on TV and in movies and suddenly those bad words don't seem so bad anymore. Is it time we had a new swear word to replace what we thought were the worst of the old bunch? How can you create one and get people to start using it? At South Mimms U we're willing to try anything. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Proposals for a strange kind of prison reform
March 01, 2020 09:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBPrison 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.
Celebrate the 2nd amendment - wear a sword!
March 01, 2020 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBThe '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 small arms which range from knives to pistols to automatic weapons and grenade launchers and spears and bows and arrows... knock you...
Does it pay to drop out of education?
March 01, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 9.92 MBSome 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.
Accountants rise up to fight the Robots
March 01, 2020 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBIn 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.
If your priest was an app would you go to confession?
March 01, 2020 09:00 - 15 minutes - 11 MBReligion 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 that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
WTF! Is is possible to create a totally new swear word?
March 01, 2020 09:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBSwear words abound on TV and in movies and suddenly those bad words don't seem so bad anymore. Is it time we had a new swear word to replace what we thought were the worst of the old bunch? How can you create one and get people to start using it? At South Mimms U we're willing to try anything.
Is your phone your security blanket?
February 14, 2020 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.14 MBWe take it everywhere. We eat, sleep, work with it. It makes us feel safe. So, in truth, our phone is really a security blanket. So, why not turn it into a REAL one!? Designers and technologists at South Mimms U have produced a prototype of the Linus Phone - a Linus Blanket for the Digital Age. That's Linus from the Snoopy cartoons, of course.
Cows fart, we all fart, farts are funny! How about harnessing them to solve climate change?
February 14, 2020 12:00 - 12 minutes - 8.69 MBComedy and climate change collide in a weird dialogue about why farts are funny and how they just might the basis for all comedy and even drama - and a scientist who wants to harness the gaseous explosions of the world's billions of cows and sheep. He thinks it'll help solve the climate crisis, but might industrializing farts reduce their comic potential? The world might be a duller place if we do. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Have we found the REAL Satoshi Nakamoto?
February 14, 2020 12:00 - 20 minutes - 14.2 MBOne of the most enigmatic names of the Digital Age, many believe that the founder of the Blockchain and Bitcoin is a mythical figure. He's either a she or a they or an early AI program. But we believe we've found the truth - and it/he/she lives in the tiny UK village of South Mimms. Well, kind of. You'll have to listen to find out. The crypto mystery has been solved! The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
When you can't read to your kids at bedtime, would you use a hologram of yourself instead?
February 14, 2020 12:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBWe all lead busy lives and those pesky kids want a bedtime story - sometimes the same one over and over again! So, when you can't be there (or don't want to be) wouldn't it be great if you could upload a hologram of yourself to do it instead? Of course it would. But, what might the consequences be? Find out how South Mimms U's experiment went. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Is your phone your security blanket?
February 14, 2020 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.14 MBWe take it everywhere. We eat, sleep, work with it. It makes us feel safe. So, in truth, our phone is really a security blanket. So, why not turn it into a REAL one!? Designers and technologists at South Mimms U have produced a prototype of the Linus Phone - a Linus Blanket for the Digital Age. That's Linus from the Snoopy cartoons, of course. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
More of us feel lonely than ever before, is true solitude the answer?
February 14, 2020 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.3 MBOne of our staff at South Mimms U tries to become a digital hermit to understand the difference between loneliness and solitude. But is he just trying to escape a difficult personal choices he needs to make? The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
If you tax robots should we allow them to vote?
February 01, 2020 01:00 - 13 minutes - 9.39 MBThere's a growing movement to tax robots - mechanical and software robots alike. They are, after all, threatening to take away at least a third of all jobs, with more and more white collar workers under threat from Robot Process Automation. But, if you tax a worker, shouldn't they be allowed to vote whether they're human or man-made? The principle of 'no taxation without representation' is a fundamental one. Our legal studies scholar, working for a new 'think-tank' called Democracy for Robot...
If Karl Marx had tried to write a book for children, what would it be like?
January 23, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBKarl Marx is known for his political philosophy and critique of Capitalism but not for imaginative prose or parenting skills. He was, by all accounts, a loving and doting father and it wouldn't be a surprise if, at some point, he had tried to write a children's story. But could he steer clear of political analysis and stick to imaginative prose? New evidence shows that, yes, he did attempt to write a children's story, and, no, he could resist the temptation to use the story to explain his Th...
Why some people believe we should bring back child labour
January 15, 2020 01:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBChild labour wasn't so bad - was it? The Victorians thought it was very good for young children. Charles Dickens didn't think so after working when he was just 12. But perhaps he missed the point. A spokesperson for a new political think tank believes it would be better if we sent children out to work instead of to school. Her arguments seem weirdly logical. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Will autonomous cars have a mind their own - and even fall in love?
January 15, 2020 01:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBThe rise of the autonomous car is inevitable. All the big car companies and most of the big tech ones are working on them. But will the AI technology inside their 'brains' mean that their ideas and passions could rule their engines? At South Mimms U our team has discovered that their prototype autonomous car has developed the ability to fall in love and feel passion. It's not a route that we did not expect the tech to take. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same ti...
Should we say 'Ahoy!' instead of 'hello' when we answer the phone?
January 15, 2020 01:00 - 17 minutes - 11.7 MBThe inventor of the telephone - Alexander Graham Bell - thought the best way to answer it was to say 'Ahoy!'. But Thomas Edison believed that 'hello' was better and more modern. At South Mimms U we think that 'Ahoy' might be great for the digital age. Our lecturer in Technological Anthropology is campaigning to revive 'Ahoy!' - which is, by the way, how Mr Burns in The Simpsons always answers the phone. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Are humans controlled by... earthworms?
January 15, 2020 01:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBCharles Darwin called earthworms 'nature's ploughs' and wrote his final (and most popular) book about them. Our very own Dave Dave - musician and philosopher - has a radical theory about who's really calling the tune on Planet Earth, and it's not us humans. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
If you could, would you talk to your older self?
January 09, 2020 17:00 - 14 minutes - 9.9 MBStrange new software developed at South Mimms U allows us to speak to our older selves. But would you want to? And if you did, what would you say? One of our intrepid faculty tests the technology out with strange consequences. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
A new way to interpret the Second Amendment - send gun owners to fight wars!
January 09, 2020 17:00 - 14 minutes - 9.86 MBGun control is a huge issue in the USA, and the most fervent gun owners cite the Second Amendment to the Constitution. But does it really give them a right to own a firearm? Our Constitutional History expert has a new take on the amendment - which is onnly 27 words long - and a radical idea to link rights with obligations and save the lives of young soldiers in the process. His argument has real firepower! The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Why do you agree to be a data slave almost every day?
January 09, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBIt's natural, when we see a set of terms and conditions we click 'Accept' without thinking, but what are you accepting? Usually, it's horribly complex clauses in tangled legal verbiage that ties you up in obligations without giving you any rights. Our legal expert, Terence Prole, proves the point in a very unusual way. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
Could a fat man play the role of Jesus Christ?
January 09, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBWhen the South Mimms U reliligious studies department put on an Easter Passion Play, our head of religious studies cast an overweight actor to play the role. It caused outrage. But why? Can't a fat man play Jesus? what if Jesus himself had been... err portly? Would we worship him any less fervently? The controversy illuminates our prejudices and preconceptions. Fascinating.
Could an overweight man play the role of Jesus Christ?
January 09, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBWhen the South Mimms U religious studies department put on an Easter Passion Play, our Head of Religion cast an overweight actor to play the role. It caused outrage. But why? Can't a fat man play Jesus? what if Jesus himself had been... err portly? Would we worship him any less fervently? The controversy illuminates our prejudices and preconceptions. Fascinating. The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.
You might live in a democracy, but you work in a dictatorship!
January 09, 2020 16:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBMost of us believe that we live in democracies, but every time we arrive at our workplace we enter a dictatorship. That's the unplatable truth of modern day corporate life. Your rights are constrained by your employment contract, and most of us can't even do what we want on Facebook or Twitter just in case our employer doesn't like it. We explain what this means and show how it could get out of hand as modern offices get more and more technologically advanced. The only university that make...
Why do you agree to be a data slave almost every day?
January 09, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBIt's natural, when we see a set of terms and conditions we click 'Accept' without thinking, but what are you accepting? Usually, it's horribly complex clauses in tangled legal verbiage that ties you up in obligations without giving you any rights. Our legal expert, Terence Prole, proves the point in a very unusual way.