Is it better to live one day as the comic singer of a novelty number one, than 100 years as a respected indie band with a cult following? Nick, Chris and Fraser discuss what constitutes a one-hit wonder, how it applies to other art forms and areas of human endeavour, and whether we should aim for sustained mediocrity or concentrated brilliance. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - UK one-hit wonders https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_one-hit_wonders_on_the_UK_Singles_Chart - ‘One Hit ...
Jul 22, 2020•32 min
Do pre-digital relics have a purpose in our technology-driven world? How have digital technologies changed our world and what pre-digital relics are worth hanging on to. And for the sake of nostalgia, here are some things that we grew up with that are unknown today because of the evolution of digital technology: writing a letter, calling someone on the phone for a chat, reading the papers, looking stuff up in reference books, reading maps, surprise visits, being uncontactable, remembering things...
Jul 15, 2020•26 min
Is there wisdom in crowds and is group decision-making effective? Fraser, Nick and Peter reach a swift and conclusive judgement. Image: by Tia Dufour via the Whitehouse https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/48937685671 Things mentioned in this podcast: - How group dynamics affect decisions https://news.stanford.edu/features/2015/decisions/group-dynamics.html - ‘Officially official’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85fx0LrSMsE - Group decision-making https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapt...
Jul 08, 2020•31 min
Does fame and an ability to pretend to be someone else qualify you to be an expert on other matters? Image: Kurt Kulac via Wikimedia Commons Things mentioned in this podcast: - Hugh Grant’s views on the government’s reaction to COVID-19 https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/hugh-grant-this-morning-matt-hancock-coronavirus-lockdown-phillip-schofield-twitter-a9511531.html - Cognitive skills and their transfer: https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/26983/0000...
Jul 01, 2020•33 min
According to the adage, you can’t change the past, but can you or should you change the record of the past? Things mentioned in this podcast: - Dominic Cummings changed his blog https://fullfact.org/health/cummings-blog-coronavirus/ - Historical Negationism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_negationism - Our World in Data, ‘Books’ https://ourworldindata.org/books - List of pages removed from Google’s search results: https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/entries/1d765aa8-600b-4f32-b110-d02f...
Jun 24, 2020•29 min
It gets everywhere - but what is it and where does it come from? Image: by Pattadis Walarput via Pixabay. Things mentioned in this podcast: - Where does all this dust come from? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028114023.htm - Sand crisis https://www.businessinsider.com/world-running-out-sand-resources-concrete-2018-6?r=US&IR=T - Space dust https://www.universetoday.com/94392/getting-a-handle-on-how-much-cosmic-dust-hits-earth/ Find more Cognitive Engineering episodes here ht...
Jun 18, 2020•28 min
Why is that some technologies are perennially about to transform our lives, but never really take off. Do they have something in common? Image: Antonio Zugaldia via Wikicommons. Things mentioned in this podcast: - When corporate innovation goes bad https://www.cbinsights.com/research/corporate-innovation-product-fails/ - The Death of the E-Reader https://justpublishingadvice.com/the-e-reader-device-is-dying-a-rapid-death/ Find more Cognitive Engineering episodes here https://link.chtbl.com/SQeIg...
Jun 12, 2020•34 min
Should we be suspicious of successful people? Is high performance related to dishonesty? Image: justlego1O1 via Flickr Things mentioned in this podcast: - My Mother Thinks Bill Gates is Trying to Kill Us All https://medium.com/honestly-yours/my-mother-thinks-bill-gates-is-trying-to-kill-us-all-bfd47e483e9a - ‘Corrupt Corporate Executive’ on TV Tropes https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CorruptCorporateExecutive - ‘Snakes in Suits’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakes_in_Suits - One in Fi...
Jun 05, 2020•29 min
Is there a wisdom in crowds, or are we all heading over the cliff like lemmings? Image: Sérgio Valle Duarte via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast: - The Great Battle of Fire and Light, Wait But Why https://waitbutwhy.com/2019/08/fire-light.html - ‘Sourdough’, xkcd https://m.xkcd.com/2296/ - Mass panics of 2016 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/29/panic-at-los-angeles-airport-lax-after-noise-mistaken-for-gunfire - Measuring the collective unconscious http://people.tamu.edu/~...
May 29, 2020•26 min
Does the way different nations have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic tell us anything about the international balance of power? Image: priyampatel4 via pixabay Things mentioned in this podcast: - Correlates of War dataset https://correlatesofwar.org/data-sets/national-material-capabilities - Thomas Cole, the Course of Empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Course_of_Empire_(paintings) - Harari on the cycle of empire https://erenow.net/common/sapiensbriefhistory/55.php Find more Cognitive Eng...
May 22, 2020•30 min
Heated argument or reasoned discussion? Is there an optimal way to frame debate? Image: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor Things mentioned in this podcast: - Agreeableness and outcomes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3845351/ - Marital conflict behaviours https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777640/ - Relational models theory https://www.iep.utm.edu/r-models/ - Is it bad to bottle up anger? https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20140729-is-it-bad-to-bottle-up-anger - The benefits o...
May 15, 2020•24 min
Explaining the situation or avoiding your responsibilities - are excuses valid and is there an art to them? Image: Kārlis Dambrāns via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast: - ‘Sorry about the speeding, I was having sex’ https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11143817/businessman-fled-police-rolls-royce/ - Dr Paulina Sliwa on the philosophy of excuses https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/what-makes-a-good-excuse-a-cambridge-philosopher-may-have-the-answer Find more Cognitive Engineering episodes he...
May 08, 2020•29 min
How would we know if the world was ending? Image: Daniel Case via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast: - Ministerial reassurance over food supplies? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51775980 - A Journey to the End of Time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD4izuDMUQA - Fifteen Signs before Doomsday https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifteen_Signs_before_Doomsday - Timelapse of the future https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD4izuDMUQA&feature=emb_logo For more Cognitive Engineering episodes find ...
May 01, 2020•27 min
Are there any positives to emerge from the global pandemic? How can we make the most of a bad situation? Image: jamiemusialek via pixabay Things mentioned in this podcast: - The upside of Tube strikes: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/cp455.pdf For more Cognitive Engineering episodes find us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts, or add this RSS feed to your preferred player https://link.chtbl.com/SQeIgc44
Apr 24, 2020•29 min
Penicillin, the printing press, and cheese and onion crisps - What makes an invention well known rather than merely successful? Image: anaterate via Pixabay Things mentioned in this podcast: - ‘TRIZ’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ - BBC poll on the ‘best invention’ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4513929.stm - Top inventions of the last 25 years https://www.productfocus.com/top-25-inventions-of-the-last-25-years/ - ‘The most important inventor you’ve never heard of’ https://blogs.scien...
Apr 17, 2020•26 min
Fraser, Nick and Peter discuss health data and measuring medical outcomes with special guest Neil Bacon. Image: IWM via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast: - Neil Bacon’s web page https://neilbacon.wordpress.com/ - Doctor’s Net UK https://www.doctors.net.uk/ - iWantGreatCare https://www.iwantgreatcare.org/ - Asthma facts and statistics https://www.asthma.org.uk/about/media/facts-and-statistics/ - Sir Muir Gray https://www.phc.ox.ac.uk/team/muir-gray - AI 'outperforms' doctors diagnosin...
Apr 10, 2020•39 min
Here lies Matt Goss: look on his works, ye mighty, and despair. Image: Christian Lanegger via Flickr Things mentioned in this podcast: - Tim Ferris - reasons to not become famous https://tim.blog/2020/02/02/reasons-to-not-become-famous/ - ‘One in four millennials would quit their job to become famous’ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jmaureenhenderson/2017/01/24/one-in-four-millennials-would-quit-their-job-to-be-famous/#404883e52c43 - What percentage of people are famous? https://www.theatlantic.com...
Apr 03, 2020•35 min
Does experience make us wiser or simply more boring? Three middle aged men will tackle the question with a total lack of bias. Image: Republican Party via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast: - ‘Young people tend to be more liberal than older people.’ https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3501174 - The politics of ageing https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-darkness/201806/the-politics-ageing - The origin of ‘that’ quote https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/02/24/...
Mar 27, 2020•23 min
Small doses, or all or nothing - what is the best way to live life? Image: Moine buvant du vin dans une cave. Artist: Unknown via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast: - ‘Moderation is the Key to Life’ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201707/moderation-is-the-key-life - Bill Hicks, ‘Smoking’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOdXA5GrGhs - Personality traits of binge drinkers https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00134/full - Personality types and happiness http...
Mar 20, 2020•25 min
Was it useful to label Extinction Rebellion as a terrorist organisation? How is terrorism different from extremism? Image: Extinction Rebellion via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast: - Extinction Rebellion are included in a list of extremist groups https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/13/priti-patel-defends-inclusion-of-extinction-rebellion-on-terror-list - Global Terrorism Database https://www.start.umd.edu/research-projects/global-terrorism-database-gtd - Proscribed terr...
Mar 13, 2020•32 min
We ask whether mental toughness is all in the mind. Image: Mark Jones via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast: - Harry and Meghan’s statement https://sussexroyal.com/about/ - Susie Ballentyne’s research page at the University of Sussex http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/476810 For more Cognitive Engineering episodes find us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts, or add this RSS feed to your preferred player https://link.chtbl.com/SQeIgc44
Mar 06, 2020•40 min
Edged tools have been used by hominids for millions of years, but the elastoplast was only invented just over 100 years ago. Did we get our priorities right? Image: DMC-FZ18 via Pixhere Things mentioned in this podcast: - Sudesh Amman attack https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51389884 - Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the discontinuation of the dataset https://www.rospa.com/Resources/Statistics - CPSC’s injury statistics https://www.cpsc.gov/Research--Statistics/Injury-Statistics Fo...
Feb 28, 2020•23 min
Emotion, recency and virtue signalling - does it matter what drives charitable behaviour? Image: Cimon and Pero: "Roman Charity" by Jean-Baptiste Greuze via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast: - Amelia Roberts’ charity appeal https://news.sky.com/story/charity-donations-pour-in-after-woman-finds-order-of-service-in-desk-11911407 - Givewell’s top charities https://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities - Forbes’ list of charities with the highest overheads https://www.forbes.com/sites...
Feb 21, 2020•26 min
A dish best served cold, or not at all? We discuss revenge as a strategy. Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Things mentioned in this podcast: - The ProRevenge subreddit https://www.reddit.com/r/ProRevenge/ - William Miller, In Defense of Revenge https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1130&context=book_chapters - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Retributive Justice https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/justice-retributive/ - Richard Nisbett, Culture of Honor https:...
Feb 15, 2020•28 min
Does our always on, instantly connected world mean that we’ve lost the job of serendipity? Can we engineer our environment to maximise the chance of good things happening to us? Image: The Three Princes of Serendip Things mentioned in this podcast: - Red Dwarf - ‘Future Echoes’ https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x41k0sb - Doing the same thing twice is more fun than you think https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/04/rereading-books-rewatching-movies-decisions/587416/ - The Secretary Prob...
Jan 19, 2020•27 min
Does inequality actually matter? If it does, why? What problems does it cause? Is it self fulfilling? Is our objection to it a moral one, or is there there rational economic issues with it? Image: Wellcome Collection ref ICV No 12015 V0011749 Things mentioned in this podcast: - Is there really more inequality? https://www.economist.com/briefing/2019/11/28/economists-are-rethinking-the-numbers-on-inequality - Political freedom and inequality https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/5/2/18/pdf - Is inequali...
Jan 10, 2020•29 min
Are you a cat or a dog person? Which is best? Image: nguyen hoangnam via Flickr Things mentioned in this podcast: - Moral Foundations Theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_foundations_theory - PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report https://www.pdsa.org.uk/get-involved/our-campaigns/pdsa-animal-wellbeing-report - Who’s Smarter: Cats or Dogs? Psychology Today - https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/valley-girl-brain/201812/who-s-smarter-cats-or-dogs - Cats are just as loyal as dogs https://www.indepe...
Jan 05, 2020•29 min
What’s it like to celebrate Christmas in the southern hemisphere? Are there things about Christmas that don’t make sense in summer? Image: Milz via pixels.com Things mentioned in this podcast: - Was Jesus born on 25 December? https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/when-was-jesus-born/ - Average monthly temperature of cities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_average_temperature - Things to do in Wichita at Christmas https://www.google.com/search?q=wichita+christmas+events&a...
Dec 21, 2019•26 min
What does it mean to be out of touch? Why do we expect our leaders to be in tune with everyday people and their concerns? Image: Ewan Munro via Wikimedia.org Things mentioned in this podcast: - Influence of class on attitudes https://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/media/38459/bsa30_social_class_final.pdf - Effect of poverty on decision-making http://www.lse.ac.uk/business-and-consultancy/consulting/assets/documents/how-poverty-affects-peoples-decision-making-processes.pdf - Principle Skinner AmI Out Of To...
Dec 16, 2019•30 min
Is it wrong to do amoral things in computer games? Is it ok to bully people as a goose in Untitled Goose Game? Image: House House Things mentioned in this podcast: - Untitled Goose Game https://goose.game/ - Ethics in the Virtual World by Garry Young https://philpapers.org/rec/YOUEIT-2 For more Cognitive Engineering episodes find us on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts, or add this RSS feed to your preferred player: feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:219479129/sounds...
Dec 06, 2019•26 min
