With mining magnates saying they'll convert their machinery to hydrogen , our governments are looking rather silly not realising the potential of hydrogen earlier. Especially when in 2010, one of David's dear friends from the University of Adelaide showed him an article that proved how a 'Hydrogen Economy' would work in Australia. With this information available and even private industry calling for green hydrogen, David brought Derek Abbott, a professor of engineering, to talk about his concept...
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 106
David and Tim have been working on this podcast for 2 years, and with over 100 episodes under their belt, they thought it was time to take stock and give listeners a guide as to what they're up to, whats the podcast is going to look like, and update the schedule a bit. If you have any thoughts, questions, or want to how to best manifest destiny and contribute to community, contact us and send us an audio clip at timwhiffen@auscastnetwork.com Want to work with David? Get in contact on his website...
Feb 19, 2021•19 min
Saqib Shaikh is a software engineer at Microsoft and project lead of Seeing AI, a mobile application that narrates the world. Through various technologies and 'channels' visually impaired users can navigate their surroundings or gain an augmented understanding of the world around them autonomously. David is an avid user of this application and of course a perfect test subject, and together with Tim, talk to Saqib about the inspirations and challenges of creating software that is at the bleeding ...
Feb 06, 2021•44 min•Ep. 105
Australia faces three intersecting crises: climate change, systemic unemployment and rising inequality. What will our aspiring leaders do to create an economy that supports people and the planet? On Thursday the 28th of January 2021in The Braggs lecture theatre at the University of Adelaide, David and Tim Moderated a discussion with Independent Senator Rex Patrick, Professor Barbara Pocock (Australian Greens) and Susan Close MP of South Australian Labor. This episode is the recording of that eve...
Feb 03, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 104
Have you ever thought that a job was so pointless that no one would notice if you stopped doing it? Have you ever felt that something you were working was bullshit? Welcome to the concept from a famous essay by David Graeber, later turned into a book, called Bullshit Jobs. Unfortunately, across the developed globe, three-quarters of all jobs are in the service and admin sector where this is no clear link that any of it serves humanity in any way and a large portion of those workers are deeply di...
Jan 30, 2021•57 min•Ep. 103
Mastery over an instrument, or any creative medium, brings great joy and satisfaction to those who dedicate the time and energy toward practise. David is in the unique position of learning guitar by ear and touch, where visual teaching dominates a lot of the resources out there, but don't feel bad, this is actually a great thing. Bill Brown is a world-renowned music teacher for multiple instruments, and he insists learning by ear as he did, is the best way to gain mastery over an instrument. Joi...
Jan 20, 2021•41 min•Ep. 102
Johann Hari 's book " Lost Connections " took on new relevancy in 2020, and still today in many places around the world. While social distancing and isolation have dominated much of human existence in recent memory, the essential elements of human life are disconnected from our way of living. Lost Connections is a book that details 9 main causes of depression and serves as a concise critique of modern living. While isolating, Peter, David, and Tim get together to chat over these topics while rel...
Jan 16, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 101
Value is a vague word, what we value morally and socially can be different from what value we give something in economic terms. What we call productive work is that which creates the most value, and thus the most productive work is the most rewarded financially. Do banking CEOs with massive salaries do the most valuable work? Or at least, more valuable work than nurses? That may seem wrong to us morally, but it is how we value things economically. It turns out, that there are many theories of va...
Jan 05, 2021•51 min•Ep. 100
Have you ever wondered if humans are alone in the universe? It seems on the surface something that you may never be able to answer but there's plenty of people who try. Even if we are alone on the universe, is alien life staring up at their relative atmosphere and wondering the same thing as us? These questions have been pondered on for millennia, and though we don't profess to be experts in the area, David, Peter, and Tim provide some seemingly irrelevant insights that shed new light on the top...
Dec 31, 2020•53 min•Ep. 99
"SAS Band of Brothers" is the latest novel from returning guest Damien Lewis . His works have been hailed as some of the most important books in uncovering secrets and insights from the special forces throughout history. David is an avid reader of Damien's books, and with his latest book, Tim and David had to talk with Damien about the details of another awesome story. Incidentally, this conversation once again proved to draw direct comparisons and inspiration to deal with problems we face in th...
Dec 23, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 98
With so many choices for what to eat from supermarkets or eateries, the impact of what we eat stretches thousands of kilometres and access decades. David and Tim invited Roman Davas-Fahey to give some insight into how what we choose to put on our plates makes a tangible difference for our health, for the planet, and for the community we live in. Roman's passion for food led him to create the Climate Proof Food platform, dedicated to breaking down the issues of the current and past models of food...
Dec 12, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 97
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted a doctored photo depicting an Australian soldier committing a heinous act. This has ramped up tensions in an already stressed relationship between Australia and the Chinese Communist Party administration. This situation has been commented on and reported on to the nth degree, but what we are hearing is largely lacking sophistication and isn't particularly perceptive. David is here to give some insight into the crisis Australia faces and what...
Dec 04, 2020•19 min
Robert Putnam is an American Social Scientist who was awarded a National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama for "deepening our understanding of community in America" in 2013. Clearly being recognised for his outstanding work in social sciences for the benefit of democracy it would make sense to actively incorporate his studies into the American political system. So why was it after 4 years of President Trump someone who represented these views was not placed in Joe Biden's cabinet? In th...
Nov 24, 2020•25 min•Ep. 96
Albert Camus' 'The Plague' has regained significance in 2020 with very obvious parallels to the COVID-19 crises that have faced communities across the world. Perhaps less obvious is the relevance of Camus' commentary on how individuals and societies deal with the frailty of life and the attempts to control the chaos of human nature. Camus' fascination with the absurd brings with it wonderful imagery of people facing the waves in the ocean, working against them or being pushed by them. Joining Ti...
Nov 23, 2020•48 min•Ep. 95
Inspired by the birth of a new family member, Tim has been considering what it takes to raise a child that contributes to society in a meaningful way. David raises the challenges faced by modern parents and explains how spread out the responsibility is of raising children in western society. Neither David nor Tim are parents, but in continuing the discussion about making a good society, it is a logical step to ask what we all can do to contribute to the next generations. If you have any thoughts...
Nov 16, 2020•43 min•Ep. 94
Responding to a question from Bill Richardson, Tim and David discuss whether civilians could contribute to a discussion about veterans, or a man could contribute to a debate about abortion. Shrouded in the complexity we describe as identity politics lies age-old questions of human knowledge and commonality of experience. This fascinating conversation serves as a toolkit for people participating in democracy to navigate some of the most controversial issues of our time. If you have any thoughts, ...
Nov 03, 2020•46 min•Ep. 93
The 2020 Presidential election in the United States of America is as emotionally charged as any election before it, and a lot seems to be at stake, but what are your options? On one side you have someone who is so emotionally directed that they seem unpredictable and rash (among other descriptions. On the other side, you have someone who seems to follow a mould, with their strings being pulled by an establishment. What is the right decision when you have to make a choice between two outcomes you...
Oct 30, 2020•23 min•Ep. 92
Are you ever confronted by particularly obtuse or inept people in your life? Whether it be at work, in politic, or at the post office, sometimes you can use all of the swear words available to you to describe the frustrations of dealing with people and it still not encapsulate what they are. David has found some words to describe people and it profoundly explains a chunk of society. Though we're trying not to be rude, please know that anyone reading this, to our mind, is neither monkey nor muppe...
Oct 30, 2020•24 min•Ep. 91
Satirising war from a WWII Bombardier's perspective, Joseph Heller's most famous work Catch 22 is now synonymous with absurdity and bureaucracy. Like the main protagonist of the story, Joseph Heller served as a bombardier and had significant insight into war and the military which he satires, making the book all the more poignant. Like many works that precede this, Catch 22's "Tragicomdedy" narrative draws the reader in with relatable hilarity but leaves the reader on sour notes. Joining Tim and...
Oct 28, 2020•43 min•Ep. 90
Eddie Jaku is a German Jew who has lived a glorious 100 years and is still going strong. Born in 1920, by the time Eddie was 18, his homeland was a very different country than when he was born. On November 10th 1938 Eddie Jaku was arrested, beaten, and taken to a concentration camp before eventually being taken to Auschwitz, the deadliest camp of the Holocaust. By virtue of some miracles, Eddie managed to survive and escape, before getting married and moving to Australia where he has lived out m...
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 89
Why should you spend time going to the theatre, or listening to music when you could read a book or practice a physical discipline instead? Blind Insights has so far addressed how easy it is to get distracted from productive things by lounging with Netflix. While these habits are difficult to kick and we don't need any encouragement to relax with a movie, the cultural and personal significance of film, or music, or the broader arts is not to be scoffed at. Steve Davis the Arts Aficionado and off...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 88
Our brains are complex systems, ones that we don't always have as much control over as we like. We're especially less adaptable than we'd like and there's a good explanation for why, and good work being done on how to combat it. Britt Andreatta is the author of Wired to Resist, and after David read the book we knew we had to talk to her. Between her portfolio with places like LinkedIn and her Ted Talk , Britt is a proven communicator and this conversation is yet another example of excellent idea...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 87
We know that there's an existential problem with climate change and an uptick in environmentalism hitting products and advertising, but can we even articulate what our actions do for the environment? It's often too complicated and too detached from our everyday struggles to even justify trying to learn the massive literature out there, and climate activists shouting in the streets and in our online safe spaces might not be helping. Enter the Climate Communicator to ameliorate this situation. Tim...
Sep 25, 2020•51 min•Ep. 86
Trade economics is something we begrudgingly hear on the news as usually constraining or disrupting global relationships, where people win and lose and agreements are made and dismantled in the name of fairness. But the current paradigm is hardly fair. As it stands, $2 Trillion a year is extracted from the poorest countries and funnelled into the richest, and we don't know how to deal with that under the neoliberal agenda. Luckily, we have Fadhel Kaboub, who is a world-leading MMT economist with...
Sep 19, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 85
Albert Camus is a French 20th-century writer who has influenced much of existential philosophy, despite disliking being called a philosopher. One of his earliest works, titles " A Happy Death " was published post-humously and went on to heavily influence David's unfinished Ph.D. Joining Tim and David to discuss this book in a mini-book club, is Luke, who found us through David's Appearance on The Unforgiving60 podcast. This discussion introduces listeners to Camus' writing, and by no means requi...
Sep 12, 2020•39 min•Ep. 84
Also titled Blind Drunk - Celts, Creatives, and Chords , this special episode which started with some fine drinks supplied by Pirate Life and Bridge Road Brewery at the Oxford Hotel , gave some fantastic insights into the processes and lifestyles of creating. Joined by the talented Lucas Day (Liz and Lucas) & the skillful Pat Murray (Tig Junkie) , David and Tim discover the inner workings of the creative mind, the process, the struggles, the good, and the bad of passions people can make a li...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 83
In this episode of Blind Insights, David and Tim are joined by James Nestor, author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art . Joining the podcast for a second time , James Nestor brings his new research and insights after expanding his understanding of breathing in freediving to examining the fields of anthropology and archaeology. James has done fascinating work involving many experts and some obscure studies to weave together a holistic narrative of human evolution and the significance of bre...
Sep 01, 2020•40 min•Ep. 82
The boys from the Auscast Network are back! Joining Tim and David as they explore some of the many fine beers on tap at the wonderful Crafers Hotel . Between the Lobethal Bierhaus Chocolate Oatmeal Stout , the Little Bang Brewing Brown Flacon IPA , and the Mismatch Brewing Hazy IPA , our hosts were already pretty sloshed before starting this one. Featured in the episode is also the Mountain Goat 2018 Aged Stout , and Tim splashes out on a can of whisky-barrel-aged Deeds Brewing Once More Into Th...
Aug 29, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 6
Knifemaking is a special interest of David's, as a collector of fine handmade knives, he is especially interested in the tactile qualities of a well-made knife. Our guest Karim Haddad heads one of Australia's most creative and constructive workshops, Tharwa Valley Forge . The intricacies and details of the knifemaking world make it one deep hobby to get into and give plenty of options for collectors to admire and spend significant sums of money on. Tharwa Valley is more than just a place to make...
Aug 28, 2020•56 min•Ep. 81
Social media sometimes gets a bad rap; well, what if we used it more constructively? Chloe Grayling is the perfect example of using social media constructively and positively, as a means of enhancing her own life and the lives of others. David and Tim talk to Chloe (@lovechloejane) about her work as an influencer and as a consultant with small businesses to uncover methods of improving social media spaces for all kinds of users. Find Chloe's socials here: Instagram - @lovechloejane TikTok - @lov...
Aug 21, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 80
