Cognitive Engineering

Nov 26 2024 384 ep. 30 mins 1.1k
Cognitive Engineering Podcast artwork

Welcome to the Cognitive Engineering podcast. Occasionally coherent musings of Aleph Insights. We hope you like listening to them as much as we like recording them.

  Science
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Crap Internet

Nov 26 2024 32 mins  
Click bait and switch: has the internet swapped out knowledge for monetisation? Search engine optimisation, advertising run amok, users as customers: has the internet become a little bit crap and, if so, how do we fix it? In this podcast, we discuss the problem with the internet's funding model, whether it could learn a thing or two from the BBC, and continue a seemingly futile qu

Big Companies

Nov 19 2024 38 mins  
Is bigger really better? Does a company's product suffer the larger its owner gets? And if so, why? In this podcast, we discuss all things 'enshittification' - the perceived process of service and platform decay - and ask what is responsible: from growing beyond core competencies to ignorance of novel solutions.

Am I Old?

Nov 05 2024 41 mins  
In this podcast, we're discussing old age and when, exactly, it befalls us. Do we simply wake up one day absent of youth? Or can we estimate its proximity by certain metrics, such as daily medication or number of grandchildren? We take a look at how old age has been historically codified, and reason why it might not be just a number. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - T

Hobbies

Oct 08 2024 47 mins  
Leisure bound: what exactly makes a hobby a 'hobby'? In this podcast, we discuss all things structured fun. From train spotting to Morris dancing, board games to beach-going, we consider what actually constitutes a hobby - an activity for its own sake? Or are other metrics, like regularity, important? - and how their nature has changed through the decades. A few things we mention

National Treasures

Sep 18 2024 42 mins  
On the hunt: what does it take to be a National Treasure? In this podcast, we discuss what it takes to be awarded National Treasure status: from niceness metrics and longevity to likeability and media endorsement. We reason why David Attenborough most definitely is a National Treasure while Bradley Walsh—alas—probably isn't, and predict who might be bestowed the honorific in d

Why History?

Aug 28 2024 37 mins  
Buff or bust: why do we study history? In this podcast, we explore the value of studying history and discuss why it's more than a pastime meandering through past times. From crucial analogies and timeless lessons to methodologies for ensuring hindsight is always 20/20, we take a look at why history matters. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Why Study History? https:/

Bearded Soldiers

Aug 14 2024 45 mins  
Preposterous protocols, nonsensical norms, and peculiar policies: what makes a rule weird? In this podcast, Nick, Ben, Leon, and Fraser discuss the British army's recent dropping of the ban against beards: the history behind the ban, what motivated the recent change, and what the whole affair can tell us about 'weird' rules more generally. A few things we mentioned in this podcas

Agree to Disagree

Jul 31 2024 39 mins  
The taming of the shrewd: how do we rationally agree to disagree? In this podcast, Nick, Peter, Chris, and Fraser discuss the finer details of polite polemics, courteous clashes, and respectful repartees. Whether a code of conduct or dangerous hand-washing, they delve into the fundamentals of agreeing to disagree: from group identity and global significance to cultural pressure an

Daniel Kahneman

Jul 18 2024 33 mins  
Think fast! But ideally don't. In this podcast, Nick, Peter, and Fraser discuss Daniel Kahneman, the Nobel-prize-winning psychologist whose scholarship challenged economists' presumed rationality of human decision-making. From coining the term 'cognitive bias' and the development of prospect theory with Amos Tversky in 1979 to articulating the frequent errors which affect our deci

Legacy Issues

Jul 04 2024 41 mins  
Cremated, buried or donated to science? How much have you thought about what happens to you or your body after you die? Who owns your body after you die? And is having a legacy truly important? In this podcast, Nick, Peter and Fraser revisit the Hull funeral investigation, touch on how different cultures, religions and the animal kingdom deal with death and grief, and ask if what