Cognitive Engineering

What 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, we share the best and worst questions we’ve asked or been asked. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - More wheels or doors? https://twitter.com/newyorknixon/status/1500000428985286657 - Vienna Circle https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/vienna-circle/ - Fermi Estimate https://brilliant.org/wiki/fermi-estimate/ - Manhattan Project https://www.britannica.com/event/Manhattan-Project For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcas

Do 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 our schoolmates. Finally, we attempt to guess what our fellow podcast participants were like during their school days. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - The Impossibility of The Big Chill Today https://www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictures/the-impossibility-of-the-big-chill-today - Google Books Ngram for ‘School Reunion’ https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=school+reunion&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cschool%20reunion%3B%2Cc0#t1%3B%2Cschool%20reunion%3B%2Cc0

If 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 the scam test. Finally, we share some examples of where we may have stretched the truth ourselves. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Jobfished: the con that tricked dozens into working for a fake design agency https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60387324 - Theranos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theranos - 12% of corporate leaders are psychopaths https://fortune.com/2021/06/06/corporate-psychopaths-business-leadership-csr/#:~:text=My%20colleagues%20and%20I%20found,of%20psychopathy%20shows%20obvious%20signs For more

We 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 our favourite non-Disney Disney films. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Encanto trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaimKeDcudo - ‘Brand Coherence’ https://drivecreativeagency.com/brand-coherence-care/#:~:text=In%20a%20nutshell%2C%20brand%20coherence,interactions%2C%20to%20name%20a%20few - Samsung’s autonomous sentry gun https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SGR-A1 - Volkswagen currywurst https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_currywurst For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alep

Are 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 war https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/jun/21/chimpanzees-territory-killing-neighbours - The chitmahals of West Bengal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India%E2%80%93Bangladesh_enclaves - What exactly is the point of the border?https://theconversation.com/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-the-border-99990 - India–Bangladesh enclaves https://thecorrespondent.com/147/borders-dont-just-keep-people-out-they-define-their-worth/19459705650-bbf0f324 - List of territorial disputes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_territorial_

Do 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 effect, Urban Dictionary, and debate the differences between American and British English. Finally, we share a few words of our own to see how recognisable they are (or not). - Word prevalence norms for 62,000 English lemmas https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13428-018-1077-9#Tab1 - Words known better by males than by females and vice versa https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13428-018-1077-9/tables/2 - Words known much better in the US than in the UK and vice versa https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/

Does 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 most loved stories. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - The Hero’s Journey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey - The return trip effect https://www.vox.com/2015/6/10/8756765/return-trip-effect For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com Image: Thriol via Flickr

Why 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 techno-utopianism. Finally, we speculate about what we would be doing if work was no longer a necessity. Enjoy this podcast at your leisure. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Job Leavers in the US https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS13023705 - US Real Median Wages https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881600Q - Cognitive Engineering Podcast: Good Things Coming from Bad Things https://alephinsights.com/podcast/2020/04/good-things-coming-from-bad/ For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website

Is 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 engagement rings and discuss why ISIS fighters have a penchant for the Toyota Hilux. Finally, we share some of our best and worst gift experiences. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Tracey Emin requests No 10 take down her neon artwork https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60066844 - Joan Edwards – a curious case of a generous bequest https://www.gedye.co.uk/article/joan-edwards-a-curious-case-of-a-generous-bequest/ For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to g

The 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 different parts of the animal kingdom? We also discuss the brain stimulation concept known as "wireheading", provide a novel solution to the Prisoner’s dilemma and unpack the inner workings of human anatomy and DNA, to muse on questions of existence. - Urination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urination - Do Neurons Process Information Efficiently? https://jim-stone.staff.shef.ac.uk/BookNeuralInfo/lectureneuralinfoJVS.pdf - How would lives play out if humans only died from unnatural causes (like car accidents)? https://p

What 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 used to present and examine risk in new ways. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - CHC Global https://www.chcglobal.co.uk/ - Pool Re https://www.poolre.co.uk/ For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

As 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 chart the history of salaries in British politics and examine how the UK stacks up against other countries. Finally, we debate how to incentivise talented people to take up a career in politics and interrogate whether or not there is a correlation between the rates of pay among politicians and levels of corruption.

It’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, and search for an objective basis for the colour of crisp packets. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - So long, salt and vinegar: how crisp flavours went from simple to sensational https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/jan/14/so-long-salt-and-vinegar-how-crisp-flavours-went-from-simple-to-sensational - Generation ready salted https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2014/08/30/generation-ready-salted - Crisp packet colours should have an international flavour standard https://www.goodfood.com.au/

Taking 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 would most like to discover ourselves. - Detectorists jailed for stealing £12m Viking hoard of gold and silver https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/nov/22/detectorists-jailed-for-stealing-12m-viking-hoard-of-gold-and-silver - Buried treasure: record UK haul fuelled by rise in metal detectorists https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/feb/03/buried-treasure-record-uk-haul-fuelled-by-rise-in-metal-detectorists - A Survey of Metal-Detector Users in the UK https://tuhat.helsinki.fi/ws/files/120984316/Searching_for_An

"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-the-verge-of-chatting-with-whales/ - Philosophical Investigations by Wittgenstein https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54889e73e4b0a2c1f9891289/t/564b61a4e4b04eca59c4d232/1447780772744/Ludwig.Wittgenstein.-.Philosophical.Investigations.pdf - Wittgenstein and the Lion https://www.philosophy-foundation.org/blog/wittgenstein-and-the-lion - Arrival https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrival_(film) - Tardigrade Becomes First 'Quantum Entangled' Animal in History https://www.livescience.com/tardigrade-quantum-entangled-experime

UK 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 others manage to fly smoothly under the incompetence radar. Is this down to luck or judgement, and what is it realistic to expect from our politicians? In this podcast, we examine ministerial accountability using Gavin Williamson as a case study. We consider whether it is realistic to expect a government minister to be infallible, and if so what level of fallibility is acceptable. We also delve into concepts of ministerial responsibility and honour, and try to understand when something is a minister’s fault. A few things we

Magic, 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 'existence value' on oddities in public spending. Finally, we share the joys of placing importance on pointless luxuries and celebrate the superfluous. - Council to stop paying The Wizard $16,000 a year after 23 years on the payroll https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/126624095/council-to-stop-paying-the-wizard-16000-a-year-after-23-years-on-the-payroll?fbclid=IwAR2mxd3cUAKsNS6yC8I1dRucIZfFun0YDo2E_VmmZ7xt1irIKo2YEQ4dReM - Aleister Crowley’s concept of Magick https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magick_(Thelema) For more

Irritability, 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 with age, explore the idea of information overload and ask why we get drawn into the promise of stimulation even when it may be causing us harm. Finally, we share strategies for counteracting and coping with the noisy world around us. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Cities are reportedly noisier than ever https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/apr/25/cities-are-louder-than-ever-and-its-the-poor-who-suffer-most - European Environment Agency report: Noise in Europe 2014 https://www.eea.europa.eu/publication

How 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 and we discuss the history of proposed punctuation that didn’t quite stick. Finally, we reveal our favourite pieces of punctuation... A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - User Guidelines and Netiquette by Arlene H. Rinaldi https://web.augsburg.edu/~erickson/edc220/netiquette/rinaldi.html - Uncommon punctuation marks and how to use them https://www.proofreadnow.com/blog/uncommon-punctuation-marks-and-how-to-use-them - Emojipedia https://emojipedia.org/ - Punctuation that failed to make its mark https://www.bb

With 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. This podcast covers the painstaking process of collecting structured information about terrorism and considers how you standardise the measurement of something so chaotic and destructive. It explores how the Global Terrorism Database goes about collecting information, categorising events and maintaining data quality to create one of our favourite datasets. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - The Global Terrorism Database www.start.umd.edu/data-tools/globa…ism-database-gtd - CHC Global www.chcglobal.co.uk/ - Ana