Better Known

Ivan Wise
  • 4.9 (38)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Better Known Podcast

Each week, a guest makes a series of recommendations of things which they think should be better known. Our recommendations include interesting people, places, objects, stories, experiences and ideas which our guest feels haven't had the exposure that they deserve.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Stop the war

    Ivan Wise discusses four anti-war plays which should be better known. Post Mortem by Noel Coward http://www.ww1plays.com/2015/07/noel-cowards-serious-war-play.html The White Disease by Karel Capek https://artsfuse.org/198970/arts-commentary-pestilence-on-stage-part-one-karel-capeksthe-white-plague/ O’Flaherty VC by George Bernard Shaw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Flaherty_V.C. Last Days of Mankind by Karl Kraus https://www.theguardian.com/culture/1999/dec/13/artsfeatures4 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

    26 min

  2. 8 SEPT

    Marieke Bigg

    Marieke Bigg discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Marieke Bigg is the author of Waiting for Ted, and This Won’t Hurt. Writing across fiction and non-fiction, she deconstructs the cultural givens around bodies, minds and identity. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Cambridge, where she studied the technological transformation of human reproduction. In addition to her books, Marieke speaks about the sociology of medicine and psychiatry, and collaborates with biologists and artists to explore the social potential of science. She is also a training psychotherapist. She now lives in London. Her new book is A Scarab Where The Heart Should Be, available at https://deadinkbooks.com/product/a-scarab-where-the-heart-should-be/. In Vitro Fertilisation - while most people know what it is, knowing more about this process and its history opens up new ways of thinking about the role of reproduction in society and will have us questioning what we currently regard as natural truths Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, Peter Zumthor - a chapel mentioned in my book, shaped by pouring concrete over 112 tree trunks that were burnt away. Taxonomy - how when we learn the names of natural things, we look more closely, and experience our place in nature. In Praise of Shadows, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki - the ideas in this essay are often around for me, and also guided my thinking about my prtoagonist. The essay on traditional Japanese astheatics is a warning against an incessant pursuit of light (perfection, stimulation, happiness) in Western culture. Anne Mclaren - an embryologist who I wrote my PhD on. Fascinating scientist who worked on IVF, sending mice to space with NASA, worked with Russian scientists during the cold war, and starred in an HG Wells film as a child. The Way Out is In - podcast by followers of the Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thit Naht Tahn. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

    30 min

  3. 1 SEPT

    Kathy Willis

    Kathy Willis discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Katherine Willis CBE is Professor of Biodiversity in the department of Biology and the Principal of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. She is also a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. Previous roles include Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and a member of the UK Government’s Natural Capital Committee. In 2015, Kathy was awarded the Michael Faraday Medal for public communication of science from the Royal Society. Her new book is Good Nature: The New Science of How Nature Improves Our Health. Staring out of a window onto greenery instead of a brick wall or a general urban scene. Having a vase of yellow or roses or houseplant with green-white leaves on your desk. Even if you only have 20 minutes for your walk or run, always head for the park/urban green space. Why? Because experiments show that there is a much greater reduction in our stress hormones (salivary amylase, cortisol and adrenaline) if we exercise in green space rather than on the streets. Garden without your gloves. Why? Because experiments show when we do so the environmental microbiota (good bacteria) found in biodiverse environments, including organic soils, is transferred onto our skin and into our gut. Visit the Mediterranean garden at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. Why? Because this hidden gem at Kew has a whole host of health benefits associated with it due to the smells (volatile organic compounds) given off by the mediterranean herbs lavender, rosemary, and mint. Buy a diffuser and diffuse the scents of cypress trees in your home or office. Why? Because clinical experiments and field trials are showing that when we do so, not only are stress hormones reduced, but also it can trigger a significant increase of natural killer cells in our blood. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

    31 min

  4. 25 AUG

    Bruce Omar Yates

    Bruce Omar Yates discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Bruce Omar Yates was born in London to an English father and an Indian mother. Bruce grew up in the South of France before returning to London to study Literature and Film at King’s College London. Bruce is principal songwriter for the cult rock groups Famy, who released their album We Fam Econo in 2014, and Los Porcos, who released their album Porco Mio in 2016. The Muslim Cowboy is his first novel and is out now from Dead Ink Books at https://deadinkbooks.com/product/the-muslim-cowboy/. English Milk Punch: a delicious low-ABV punch made from brandy, tea, spices and milk. It was popular in Victorian times - Dickens would drink it - as it is shelf stable. After refrigeration came along it lost popularity. I Cantautori Genovesi: Fabrizio De Andre, Gino Paoli, Luigi Tenco (and others) - a group of arty, literary songwriters from Genoa in the 1960s. They would enter songs to compete against each other in the Sanremo Music Festival. Deep romance. Luigi Tenco shot himself after losing the competition one year. Martin Maloney: A lesser celebrated but wildly influential painter from the YBA generation. His painting style is deliberately crude but makes deeply educated references to the canon. Sickle Cell Disease: One of the most common inherited diseases in the world, very cruel and life threatening, and particularly rife in West Africa and India. The Gulag Archipelago: Not exactly unknown, but not enough people have read it. The subject of Soviet war crimes is neglected relative to their scale, the book had a big historical impact, and Solzhenitsyn was a really great writer. Parenting: Discussion in the culture might make you think that parenting is exhausting, stressful, financially burdensome, and so on, but it's not, it's just wonderful. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

    29 min

  5. 18 AUG

    Pedro Domingos

    Pedro Domingos discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Pedro Domingos is a renowned AI researcher, tech industry insider, and Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. He is the author of the best-selling book The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World (Basic Books, 2015), which has been translated into over twelve languages and sold over 300,000 copies. His new book is 2040: A Silicon Valley Satire at https://2040novel.com/. Moravec's paradox: what seems hard for AI is easy and vice-versa. https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/what-is-moravecs-paradox-definition.html Automation creates more jobs than it destroys, and AI is no exception. https://www.paltron.com/insights-en/does-ai-create-more-jobs-than-it-destroys John von Neumann was the greatest genius of the 20th century. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/books/review-man-from-future-john-von-neumann-ananyo-bhattacharya.html Olaf Stapledon's "Star Maker" is the greatest science fiction novel of all time. https://yardsaleofthemind.wordpress.com/2021/08/25/olaf-stapledons-star-maker-book-review/ "Her" is that rare thing: a realistic depiction of AI in a movie. https://www.wired.com/story/spike-jonze-her-10-year-anniversary-artificial-intelligence/ Portugal's discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries started the age of globalization. https://www.history.com/news/portugal-age-exploration This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

    30 min

  6. 11 AUG

    Harriet Constable

    Harriet Constable is a journalist and filmmaker based in London. Her journalism and documentary work has featured in outlets including the BBC, Economist and New York Times. She is a graduate of Colombia University’s School of Journalism summer school, is a Pulitzer Center grantee and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Her first novel is The Instrumentalist. Anna Maria della Pietà: the greatest violinist of 18th century, possibly a composer in her own right, fundamental to Vivaldi's music, grew up in the extraordinary Ospedale della Pietà - the original conservatoire of music Synaesthesia: people think it's seeing music through colour - which it is in The Instrumentalist - but it's more than that. Words can have smells and taste, one sense can trigger another in profound ways. Bach’s Cello Suite in G minor while standing on a mountain: anyone can enjoy classical music, it's supposed to be listened to LOUDLY, it's supposed to be magnificent. Go somewhere epic, ideally in nature, and play this piece. Track the mountain with your eyes. The Foundling Museum: the UK’s first children’s charity, a heartfelt ode to the orphans and their parents. Female musicians: Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schulman, Nannerl Mozart, Francesca Caccini - listen to Nocturne in G minor. Spaghetti Aglio Olio This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

    28 min

  7. 5 AUG

    C. Michelle Lindley

    C. Michelle Lindley discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. C. Michelle Lindley’s writing has been featured in The Georgia Review, Conjunctions, and more. She has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University and a BA from the University of Berkeley in English and Art History. The Nude is her first novel. Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha https://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/dictee-by-theresa-hak-kyung-cha/ 2022 Irma Vep remake https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/irma-vep-tv-review-1235151952/ The Island of Naxos https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g189431-Naxos_Cyclades_South_Aegean-Vacations.html The Pie Scene from David Lowery’s A Ghost Story https://www.thewrap.com/rooney-mara-devoured-pie-9-minute-ghost-story-scene/ Ana Mendieta's Ocean Bird Washup https://www.ft.com/content/a6c4090e-2cda-11e3-8281-00144feab7de Kate Braverman https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet-books/2019/10/rip-kate-braverman-1949-2019 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

    27 min

  8. 28 JUL

    Richard Davenport-Hines

    Richard Davenport-Hines discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Richard Davenport-Hines is a British historian and literary biographer. His history of the Profumo scandal, An English Affair, was published in 2013. His book on espionage scandals, Enemies Within: Communists, the Cambridge Spies and the Making of Modern Britain was published in January. His other books include biographies of W. H. Auden, Marcel Proust and John Maynard Keynes. He was a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford in 2016. His new book is History in the House: Some Remarkable Dons and the Teaching of Politics, Character and Statecraft. Anthony Quayle's novel Eight Hours from England https://thelastwordbookreview.com/2019/09/22/eight-hours-from-england-by-anthony-quayle/ Wrest Park in Bedfordshire https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wrest-park/ The Merlin app that can identify birdsong https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ Christopher Spence, founder of London Lighthouse hospice https://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/may/23/publicservicesawards29 Raccoons https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/13-astounding-facts-didnt-know-raccoon-dogs/ Feedback, the global campaign against food-waste & the ecological damage done by bad agricultural practices https://feedbackglobal.org/about-us/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

    29 min
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4.9
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About

Each week, a guest makes a series of recommendations of things which they think should be better known. Our recommendations include interesting people, places, objects, stories, experiences and ideas which our guest feels haven't had the exposure that they deserve.

Information

  • Creator
    Ivan Wise
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2024
  • Episodes
    346
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2017
  • Show Website
    Better Known

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