What happens when algorithms learn to be biased? What does that even mean? We talk to special guest Dr Jess Whittlestone from the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence about whether algorithmic bias is something to worry about, and whether anything can be done about it? Image: CBS Television via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast Danks and London (2017): A taxonomy of types and sources of algorithmic bias - https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/philosophy/docs/london/IJCAI17-Algorithmi...
Apr 12, 2019•40 min
Should transgender women be allowed to compete in women’s sports? Is it unfair on cis women if they do? Is it unfair on trans women if they can’t? Is there a coherent logic to the partitioning of sporting events? Image: by Michael Steele via Getty Images Things mentioned in this podcast - Martina Navratilova’s criticism of transgender women in sport https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/martina-navratilova-transgender-women-sport-cheating-rachel-mckinnon-a8783671.html - Sharron Davies’ critic...
Mar 29, 2019•25 min
Understanding how other people are going to behave is a key element of analysis and forecasting. But professional actors do this all the time. We talk to special guest Edmund Kingsley to find out what insights the acting trade can offer for analysts. Image: Carole Raddato via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast -A summary of attribution biases. https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapter/biases-in-attribution/ -Acting Emotions by Elly Konjin https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acting-Emotions-E...
Mar 22, 2019•35 min
What’s the point of tidying up? It’s just moving stuff from one place to another. But does it offer cognitive and health benefits, and if so why? Image: My Bed by Tracey Emin. Photo: Karen Bryan via Flickr Things mentioned in this podcast Tidiness guru Marie Kondo https://konmari.com/ McMains and Kastner (2011): clutter makes concentration harder https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21228167 Sitton (1984): we are more positive about people whose desks are messy https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1985...
Mar 15, 2019•25 min
Is the slow creep of Americanisms into the British vernacular a pernicious assault on our linguistic heritage, or should we just chill? Things mentioned in this podcast Goncalves etc al (2018) on the Americanisation of English: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1707.00781.pdf Britishisms in US English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19929249 Differences in US and English Harry Potter editions: https://www.hp-lexicon.org/differences-changes-text/
Mar 01, 2019•26 min
Where would we be without the likes of Da Vinci, Turing and Goethe? Things mentioned in this podcast Jordan Peterson on the ‘curse of creativity’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocDli45faiw Wallas’ ‘The Art of Thought’: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Thought-Graham-Wallas-ebook/dp/B00MBPCBQ8 Kaufman and Beghetto on types of creativity: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228345133_Beyond_Big_and_Little_The_Four_C_Model_of_Creativity Guilford (1950) in an early attempt to characterise and measu...
Feb 22, 2019•28 min
Smells like… something Why is smell the oft forgotten sense, and where does following our nose take us? Image: Barney Moss via Flickr Things mentioned in this podcast Wired article on why smells are hard to describe: https://www.wired.com/2014/11/whats-up-with-that-smells-language/ Smell and the reminiscence bump: https://academic.oup.com/chemse/article/37/2/179/273246
Feb 15, 2019•28 min
Russia after Putin - is history shaped by great men and women, or are they just in the right place at the right time? Image: Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast Hoffman et al (2011) - a study of the drivers of good leadership https://psyc.franklin.uga.edu/sites/default/files/CVs/Great%20man%20or%20great%20myth_-2%20(1).pdf The most influential people in history according to Wikipedia: https://www.businessinsider.com/wikipedias-most-influent...
Feb 08, 2019•28 min
Is reality killing fiction? Things mentioned in this podcast Scripted dramas are not dying out: https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/2017-scripted-tv-series-fx-john-landgraf-1202653856/ Ranker article on the ‘Dumbest Reality Shows of All Time’: https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-dumbest-reality-shows-of-all-time Vox on the rise of reality TV: https://www.vox.com/2016/1/7/10728206/reality-shows-how-many-peak-tv Image: Anton Mak via Wikipedia
Feb 01, 2019•28 min
What makes a good analogy? Is Tyrion Lannister a good comparison for Michael Gove? Things mentioned in this podcast Michael Gove is like Tyrion Lannister: https://news.sky.com/story/is-environment-secretary-michael-gove-really-like-his-game-of-thrones-soulmate-tyrion-lannister-11559555 Funes, the Memorious by Borges: https://marom.net.technion.ac.il/files/2016/07/Funes-the-Memorious.pdf Cartesian geometry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartesian_coordinate_system#History Sarah Palin - debt is li...
Jan 25, 2019•29 min
Is being polite better than being rude? Does civility really cost nothing and buy you everything? What are the costs of being polite? Image by Jean-Étienne Liotard via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast: Links between agreeableness and outcomes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3845351/ Punshing people who are too nice: http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-14719-007 Psychology Today - ‘likeability is overrated’: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wander-woman/201101/quit-b...
Jan 18, 2019•31 min
Are Preppers mad? Or are they wise to get ready for Britain to crash out the EU? Should we stock up on beans and UHT? Image: Vaciando el supermercado via Wikimedia Commons
Jan 11, 2019•24 min
Why do builders get such a bad rep? What makes us trust some trades people and not others?
Jan 04, 2019•27 min
What things do we take for granted? Will new riches make us happier? Image: Daderot via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast Great Expectations by Dickens: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1400/1400-h/1400-h.htm Brickman and Campbell (1971) on the hedonic treadmill: http://faculty.som.yale.edu/ShaneFrederick/HedonicTreadmill.pdf Kahneman and Tversky (1981) on framing effects: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/211/4481/453 Fujita and Deiner (2005) on life satisfaction set-points: https:/...
Dec 28, 2018•24 min
Were Dynasties camera crews right to rescue wild engines? Should we give iPhones to uncontracted peoples? What could possibly go wrong? Image: Christopher Michel via Wikipedia
Dec 14, 2018•29 min
Are personality tests any use? What can they tell us if anything? Or is it like a star-sign? Take the test! https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
Dec 07, 2018•31 min
What is Remembrance for? How long should it be observed? Image: Philip Stevens via Wikipedia
Dec 02, 2018•24 min
Are we more polarised than ever before? Things mentioned in this episode: - Recent Pew Research on polarisation: http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/political-polarization/2018/ - Jonathan Wheatley on voter clustering: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/the-polarisation-of-party-supporters-since-2015/ - Poole and Rosenthal’s original paper proposing metrics for polarisation in the US legislature: http://k7moa.com/pdf/Upside_Down-A_Spatial_Model_for_Legislative_Roll_Call_Analysis_1983.pdf - A...
Nov 23, 2018•35 min
Would you wear cycling shorts to the office? Image: fourway333 via flickr
Nov 18, 2018•21 min
Lies damn lies and profiles! You're going to exaggerate, that's a given. So what's the best strategy? Image: Carlo Chiostri via Wikimedia commons
Nov 09, 2018•28 min
Why do we have so many remakes? Why are some movies remade and others are not? Why are some so bad? https://stephenfollows.com/ Image: Everett Collection
Nov 03, 2018•26 min
Why did it take 100 years to find the #49? In a world where everything is digitized, will we ever lose anything? If things don't have a digital record, will they may as well not exist? Inverted Jenny: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_Jenny Data created per day: https://blog.microfocus.com/how-much-data-is-created-on-the-internet-each-day/ How does the Wayback Machine work?: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2015/11/16/how-much-of-the-internet-does-the-wayback-machine-really-archive...
Oct 26, 2018•23 min
Can you be both interesting while being professional? Will humor always offend someone? Signalling theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_(economics) Countersignalling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersignaling Image: Chris McAndrew via Wikipedia
Oct 19, 2018•26 min
Can big firms be innovative? Peter, Nick and Fraser are joined by a special guest Roland Hardwood. Image: Carsten Ullrich via Wikipedia
Oct 12, 2018•36 min
What makes a hero? Image: United States Congress
Oct 05, 2018•26 min
What is up with Elon Musk? Is he OK? How bad for a business is it if the CEO goes off the rails? Image: JD Lasica via Flickr See http://blog.alephinsights.com/ for shownotes more episodes and other interesting things.
Sep 29, 2018•22 min
What is fun? Is organised fun actually fun? Can fun be manufactured? Image: Heather Cowper via Flickr
Sep 22, 2018•23 min
What is balance in media? Why is it important? How do we find it? Should we give air time to climate change deniers? Image: Gridge via Wikipedia
Sep 14, 2018•26 min
Do you suffer from digital alzheimer's? Are young folk wired differently? Does instant communications on many platforms impact productivity? Image: The People Speak! via Flickr
Sep 07, 2018•28 min
What are 'Gentlemen's agreements'? How binding are they? What happens if they are broken? Why do the hold sometimes, but not others? Image: MachoCarionca via Wikipedia
Aug 31, 2018•27 min
