Latest Social improvement Podcast Episodes
#68 | How We Learn | Benjamin Keep, J.D., Ph.D.
Half A Thought - June 03, 2021 18:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1 ratingBenjamin Keep, J.D., Ph.D., is interested in how science and learning works to answer three questions: How we learn, how we teach, and how we engage with science. Ben and Abhi had a one-hour chat after Abhi read Ben’s posts on deliberate practice (here). In this episode, expect to learn about ...
#67 | Life Update
Half A Thought - May 26, 2021 15:00 - 43 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this episode, Ali and Abhi catch up with each other after a long time and share thoughts on life, productivity, lessons learned from college, and the way forward. Tune in for an exciting, casual chat.
#66 | Sleep in a Brainless Animal
Half A Thought - May 20, 2021 04:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingSleep-like states have been defined in a wide range of animal taxa yet its fundamental function and regulation remains a mystery. To answer this question, Ali has been doing research for the past 3 years attempting to find the origin of sleep through one of the most primitive organisms known: th...
#65｜What's Wrong with our Healthcare?
Half A Thought - April 12, 2021 06:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingThe United States Healthcare system is unlike that of any other. While you may think that the richest country would have the best quality of care for its citizens, think again. With inequities through all social determinants of health, hear about the current problems we face in healthcare and th...
#64 | Prioritizing without Deadlines
Half A Thought - March 21, 2021 03:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingMost of the time, we base our priorities on deadlines. What happens when we don't have deadlines, what method do we use to prioritize tasks? The answer is in dependencies. This episode describes why dependencies are important and how even when prioritization fails, what support system we have i...
#63 | Sherlock
Half A Thought - March 15, 2021 18:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this episode, Abhi talks about Sherlock and what we can learn from him. From A Study In Scarlet to why Sherlock is neither an expert nor a generalist to how Sherlock is guided by his gyroscope (and not compass), Abhi takes you through the journey of Sherlock's greatness.
#62 | Silicon Valley: A Home of Wealth and Poverty
Half A Thought - March 02, 2021 07:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingAli has grown up in Silicon Valley all his life. His schooling and upbringing have been surrounded by an environment of constant growth, innovation, and technological development. Yet it wasn't until 2 weeks ago that he began to recognize problems he didn't see. What is income inequality and why...
#61 | The Past, Present, and Future of Media
Half A Thought - February 22, 2021 18:00 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this longform episode, we talk all things media. With the rise of TikTok, the GameStop saga, the influencer economy, and Clubhouse, we begin with understanding how we got here. The publishing bubble, the old and physical media, and information asymmetries of the past. Then came the Interne...
#60 | Reliving the Past to Make the Future
Half A Thought - February 16, 2021 07:00 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingHistory, history, history. A classic joke amongst history students is that history repeats itself; I hope that makes sense now. But also similarly important is because of this fact is we can use history as an accurate predictor for the future. With Ali reliving some past experiences, he thinks a...
#59 | Don't 'Build In Public' with Sidhartha Jha
Half A Thought - February 10, 2021 18:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this chat, Sid and I talk about thinking in systems, reading, setting deadlines (with caffeine), using primitive note-taking systems, and advice you should not take. (Hint: Don't build in public.) Sidhartha Jha is the writer of the weekly newsletter 'Sid's Sunday Snapshots', that talks abou...
GameStock: The Rich Person's Game
Half A Thought - February 02, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingA short inbetween-isode in coming of something big, Ali briefly talks about what happened about GameStop and the large wealth gap between those at hedge funds and those on Reddit.
#58 | GameStock: The Rich Person's Game
Half A Thought - February 02, 2021 05:00 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingA short inbetween-isode in coming of something big, Ali briefly talks about what happened about GameStop and the large wealth gap between those at hedge funds and those on Reddit.
#57 | Working Flexibly
Half A Thought - January 27, 2021 04:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingWhat makes things work together? Why is it that code blocks must be made to work in sequence with each other or why making your FIFA team to have high chemistry is important? Because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But how is it that the parts work together to make something bett...
#56｜Building a Rocketship
Half A Thought - January 11, 2021 06:00 - 6 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingWe all grow older. But that doesn't mean we have to grow up. Ali recently completed a LEGO set of NASA's Saturn V and found it reminding him of his childhood building with LEGO's. Not often do you find an adult playing with a children's toy, however, it's one of the most pure of feelings to be ...
Goals for a New Year
Half A Thought - January 04, 2021 05:00 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIt's the start of a new year and most people make resolutions and goals. Some are definitive yet some are exploratory. Some are flexible and adjustable, some are rigid and have limits. Whether they are resolutions or life decisions, making plans is a very dynamic process. Here, Abhi and Ali appr...
#55｜Goals for a New Year
Half A Thought - January 04, 2021 05:00 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIt's the start of a new year and most people make resolutions and goals. Some are definitive yet some are exploratory. Some are flexible and adjustable, some are rigid and have limits. Whether they are resolutions or life decisions, making plans is a very dynamic process. Here, Abhi and Ali appr...
#54 | Dear 2020: A Year in Review
Half A Thought - December 31, 2020 17:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingTo finish off the year, Ali writes a letter to 2020, describing his experience, his lessons, and the things he found most valuable from a time like no other. From his academics, to entertainment, and most importantly, friendships, there is no better way to thank 2020 for the time it has spent wi...
#53 | Response to 'Auditory Adaptation'
Half A Thought - December 27, 2020 17:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingHow can we become better listeners? In this episode, Abhi answers Ali's questions with 3 simple strategies of precise listening, clean questions, and conscious listening. Tune in!
#51 | Audio Diaries: Thinking About Thinking
Half A Thought - December 14, 2020 17:00 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingWhy Computers Are Better Thinkers: Ali responds to Abhi’s question on how to think more effectively. Ali’s approach takes it a layer deeper than thinking; entering the realm of metacognition. The best way to think is to actively understand our thinking process, just as computers do. In discussin...
#52 | Auditory Adaptation
Half A Thought - December 14, 2020 17:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingOur world is filled with noise. Becoming a better listener is a grand task. Here, Ali takes just one component of it: Auditory adaptation. All sounds lose meaning because of their repetition. Each time they occur we take the same interpretation, and it’s part of the reason why many times, we fai...
#52 | Audio Diaries: Auditory Adaptation
Half A Thought - December 14, 2020 17:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingOur world is filled with noise. Becoming a better listener is a grand task. Here, Ali takes just one component of it: Auditory adaptation. All sounds lose meaning because of their repetition. Each time they occur we take the same interpretation, and it’s part of the reason why many times, we fai...
#51 | Audio Diaries: Response to 'How To Think Effectively'
Half A Thought - December 14, 2020 17:00 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingWhy Computers Are Better Thinkers: Ali responds to Abhi’s question on how to think more effectively. Ali’s approach takes it a layer deeper than thinking; entering the realm of metacognition. The best way to think is to actively understand our thinking process, just as computers do. In discussin...
#50 | How To Think Effectively (Audio Diaries)
Half A Thought - December 11, 2020 16:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this episode, Abhi poses a series of deep yet simple questions on how to think effectively, efficiently, and in a structured manner... how to think about problems... what frameworks to use to evaluate problems that matter and do 'great work'... and other such questions. Tune in to listen to t...
#50 | Audio Diaries: How To Think Effectively
Half A Thought - December 11, 2020 16:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this episode, Abhi poses a series of deep yet simple questions on how to think effectively, efficiently, and in a structured manner... how to think about problems... what frameworks to use to evaluate problems that matter and do 'great work'... and other such questions. Tune in to listen to t...
#49 | 'One Step Ahead': What makes Chess a brilliant game
Half A Thought - November 30, 2020 04:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingAli has started playing chess again. And he's addicted. He's been playing 6-8 games a day, solving puzzles in his free time, and spending hours watching videos on strategy. This new distraction of his however is not to no avail. His thinking is beginning to change and the way he makes decision a...
#48 | Tech, Poetry, and Education
Half A Thought - November 23, 2020 18:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this episode, Abhi catches up with his friend from UC Berkeley, Anjali Thakrar. They talk a lot about how a 'technical' mindset helps with humanities, how poems especially of Robert Frost add more to our lives, and what real Education is. Tune in for a great, casual chat!
#47 | Audio Diaries: Response to Non-Verbal Communication
Half A Thought - November 17, 2020 19:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this episode of Audio Diaries (the letter-version of podcasts), Abhi responds to Ali's questions on non-verbal communication and shares his thoughts on how we can think about NVC.
#47 | Audio Diaries: Non-Verbal Communication 2
Half A Thought - November 17, 2020 19:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this episode of Audio Diaries (the letter-version of podcasts), Abhi responds to Ali's questions on non-verbal communication and shares his thoughts on how we can think about NVC.
#47 | Audio Diaries: Non-Verbal Communication
Half A Thought - November 17, 2020 19:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this episode of Audio Diaries (the letter-version of podcasts), Abhi responds to Ali's questions on non-verbal communication and shares his thoughts on how we can think about NVC.
#46 | Audio Diaries: Non-Verbal Communication
Half A Thought - November 17, 2020 19:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this edition of 'Audio Diaries', Ali and Abhi write 'audio-letters' as they're in different countries, and continue to communicate meaningfully. This episode is the first part in this Audio Diaries section on 'non-verbal communication,' where Ali explores what NVC is, why it exists, and if we...
Related Social improvement Topics