Sketchplanations - The Podcast

Bell Boy Productions
  • 4.0 (5)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Big Ideas explored through Little Pictures. We offer up great conversations about ideas based on simple and insightful sketches in the Sketchplanations online collection, with the aim of giving listeners something fun and interesting to have their own conversations about. This is an explainer podcast for the curious-minded. Topics covered include science, behavioural economics, wellbeing, nature, psychology frameworks, business models, cognitive biases, and even domestic life-hacks.  It's certainly not a self-help podcast, but you might take something away that helps you notice or even enjoy the world around you a little more. Sketchplanations illustrator and author Jono Hey joins lifelong friends Tom Pellereau (2011 Apprentice Winner) and Rob Bell (Engineer & Broadcaster) to share ideas and stories catalysed by each week's sketch. The 3 of us have been friends for over 20 years and have always enjoyed delving into all sorts of conversation topics - usually with some silliness along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Is Your Country Double Landlocked? It's Highly Unlikely!

    10H AGO

    Is Your Country Double Landlocked? It's Highly Unlikely!

    Double Landlocked countries are places you must cross at least two national borders to reach a coastline connected to the world’s oceans. In this episode we talk about the nuances of landlocked definitions (including why the Caspian Sea doesn’t count) and identify the only two double landlocked countries: Liechtenstein, surrounded by Switzerland and Austria, and Uzbekistan, surrounded by landlocked “stans.” The conversation expands into why ports and sea access matter for trade and geopolitics. We also explore controversial definitions for landlocked US states (including Nebraska as “triple landlocked”), distances from the sea in Britain and China, disputed borders, recursive islands, and a Google Maps oddity between the Shetlands and Faroe Islands. It's definitely one for maps and geography nerds! References: Tom mentions Tim Marshall's book, Prisoners of Geography Jono also references some of his other sketches: Recursive Islands and Triple Landlocked States We also reference the previous podcast episode on Antipodes for how so much of the Earth is water. Episode Summary: 00:00 What Double Landlocked Means 04:17 The Only Two Countries 05:45 Caspian Sea and Definitions 06:53 Recursive Borders in UAE 08:33 Why Ports Matter 12:13 Bolivia and Africa Surprise 13:52 Distance From the Sea 18:02 Landlocked US States Debate 25:23 More Geography Oddities 28:48 Shetlands to Faroes Map Quirk 30:06 Closing Thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  2. How To Become An Overnight Success.

    MAY 5

    How To Become An Overnight Success.

    This discussion centres on “overnight success” as an illusion; prompted by Jono’s sketch of Twitter Cofounder, Biz Stone’s quote: “Timing, perseverance, and 10 years of trying will eventually make you seem like an overnight success.” Using an iceberg metaphor (most work hidden below the surface), we explore how Twitter, Uber, Airbnb, GoPro, Pinterest and other “sudden” hits were built through long periods of effort, failed attempts, near-bankruptcies and luck-driven timing. Tom shares his own journey from inventing the curved nail file in 2004 to major success after winning The Apprentice, plus later product launches, illustrating visible turning points built on years of groundwork. We also look at creative fields and sport, survivorship bias, and belief, persistence, readiness, and timing. External Links In the conversation, we referenced these items which you can find more information on here: Our Listener SurveyBiz Stone's book: Things A little Bird Told MeJono's sketches on Iceberg Orientation & Survivorship BiasOur previous episode on Optimism Bias Episode Summary 00:00 Introduction 01:13 Biz Stone Quote 03:10 Iceberg Metaphor 04:09 Biz Stone Backstory 04:36 From Blogger to Twitter 07:37 Myth of Viral Success 09:59 Tom's Real World Examples 12:31 Sketchplanations Slow Burn 16:06 Perseverance and Belief 18:52 Timing and Viral Moments 20:59 The Turning Point 21:35 Apprentice Timing Advantage 24:43 Jono on Luck and Timing 26:34 Sports Overnight Success 28:42 Survivorship Bias Reality 29:47 Do Overnight Successes Exist 32:15 Advice Perseverance Mindset 34:29 Wrap Up and Credits Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min
  3. Play Until Something Gets Broken

    APR 21

    Play Until Something Gets Broken

    In this fun and nostalgic conversation, we discuss Jono's observation that with indoor games especially, as the momentum builds, you keep playing until something gets broken! There's a cheeky inevitability to it. It's a situation we've almost all certainly been in - whether you were the protagonist or not! We share our childhood and adult stories of hallway ball games, broken lamps and mirrors, a university corridor culture of improvised sports, Nerf-gun firing ranges ending with a foam dart to the eye, and a school-trip pillow fight that took out a light fitting. The conversation expands to similar “stop conditions” in outdoor games and with sports injuries, and connects the idea to the Generalised Peter Principle: anything that works is pushed into progressively more challenging situations until it fails.  What are you experiences with this? Links to items we discussed: Jono's impossible "lamp thru TV" sketch has connotations of Escher's Impossible Staircase Jono's sketch and our past podcast episode about The Peter Principle Jono's sketch on The Generalised Peter Principle Rob referenced a visit to the Belleek Pottery factory whilst filming in Northern Ireland. Episode Summary: 00:00 Podcast popularity in USA 01:12 The Indoor Games Rule 02:48 Ball Games Banned 04:40 Injuries End The Game 08:09 Uni Corridor Games 08:58 Sketch Breakdown 10:37 Why Indoor Play Matters 11:00 Messy Space Dreams 14:02 Adult Injuries End Games 14:58 Pillow Fight Lamp Smash 16:05 Hide Underwater Tactic 16:40 Generalized Peter Principle 17:32 Sacrificial Breakables 21:11 Anger Smashing Question 21:44 Closing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    23 min
  4. Submarine Lessons for Business Leadership

    APR 7

    Submarine Lessons for Business Leadership

    US Navy submarine captain and author David Marquet discusses leadership lessons from turning the USS Santa Fe from worst to best, focusing on “pushing authority to information” rather than pushing information up a hierarchy. Marquet critiques industrial-age leadership language that seeks obedience and creates “bobblehead” agreement, arguing that real engagement comes from giving people decision-making authority, He also explains “distancing,” as a leadership and decision-making tool: viewing oneself from a third-person, from a different time, and/or from a different place to reduce ego and defensiveness over previous decisions.  A thoroughly fascinating chat with a very talented and fun individual.  External Links for items referenced in the conversation: David’s 3 books can be found here: Turn the Ship Around (+ workbook), Leadership is Language, and DistancingHere are two of many of David's talks to be found on YouTube: What is leadership? and Turn the Ship Around at the World Web ForumHere's the YouTube video of David rating submarine movies for how realistic they portray life under the waves.David talks about advice given to him by Simon SinekSome of Jono's other skecthes references in this podcast include: Solvitor Ambulando (it is solved by walking); 9 windows (problem solving tool); Anchors and Tugboats (self-talk)David talks about ultra-runner extraordinaire Courtney Dauwalter Summary 00:00 From Cold War Kid to Submariner 03:02 Life Aboard a High-Performing Sub 03:53 The Arbitrary Officer Divide 04:40 Student Not "Expert" 05:51 Words That Kill Curiosity 08:44 What Leadership Was Taught 12:37 Pushing Authority to Information 16:03 Submarine Leave Approval Hack 20:02 Authority in Everyday Workplaces 21:59 Bias for Action and Excellence 22:46 Distancing to Decide Better 25:41 Put Them In Your Chair 26:12 Distancing In Space & Time 27:45 Inviting Feedback Culture 28:52 Nine Windows Thinking Tool 30:25 You Can Do It Self Talk 32:28 Regret Proof Decisions 38:04 Journaling Into A Book 39:41 Be Your Own Coach 45:50 Team Reviews Without Defensiveness 47:19 Live Big Bold Lives 48:14 Submarine Movies And Ambiguity 50:55 Wrap Up Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min
  5. Hitting the Target: Accuracy vs. Precision

    MAR 24

    Hitting the Target: Accuracy vs. Precision

    Using Jono’s sketch of four archery targets, we discuss why and how accuracy and precision differ. Using many different examples, we frame the distinction as “accuracy being true to intention and precision being true to itself,” also phrased as doing the right thing versus doing it right. The sketch is inspired by Simon Winchester's book, Exactly, where precision and accuracy are connected to the industrial revolution via Henry Maudsley’s innovative screw-cutting lathe, micrometer, and the concept of interchangeable parts. The conversation broadens to explore examples in food (McDonald’s vs artisan meals), recipes, recruiting, IQ tests (validity vs reliability), indoctrinated beliefs, gut feelings, culture’s return to individual craftsmanship, AI’s variable answers, LED mask wavelength tolerances, and targeting weapons. External links Also referenced in this episode: Jono's sketch that describes the difference between Reliability and Validity.Jono's sketch inspired by Roger Martin's Knowledge Funnel.Jono's sketch outlining The Beard Cycle. Episode Outline 00:00 Accuracy vs Precision: the Four Target Sketch 03:23 True to Intention 04:11 Ball Through Window 05:44 Precision Built World 09:45 Food and Recipes 13:27 Calibration and Scales 14:47 Manufacturing Tolerances 16:51 Hiring and Testing 19:16 Beliefs and Education 23:01 Culture and Craft 26:09 Doctors Robots and AI 29:03 Wrap Up and Credits All music on this podcast series is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli and you can find more tracks at franccinelli.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min
  6. Do you Know Your Dashes?

    MAR 10

    Do you Know Your Dashes?

    If you like the finer details of grammar and punctuation, then you're gonna love this episode. We geek out on the subtle, but incredibly important and occasionally crucial differences between three little horizontal lines: the hyphen - the En Dash – and the Em Dash — Jono explains hyphens for line breaks and compound terms, how usage can evolve into single words (e.g., wildlife, wellbeing), and why hyphen placement can change meaning (e.g., five-dollar bills). The en dash is described as linking ranges and relationships (pages, dates, times, scores, routes, debates, partnerships, negotiations), with notes on how to type it. The em dash is framed as a stronger-than-comma interruption for added thoughts, with style cautions and typing methods. They discuss underscore origins from typewriters, punctuation differences across countries, and how AI popularized em dashes as a telltale sign of machine-written text. Most importantly though, we discuss why this matters and that if used correctly, they can help avoid misunderstandings. Episode Summary 00:00 Welcome to Sketchplanations 00:40 What Are Dashes 03:09 Hyphen Basics 04:32 Hyphenated Words 05:35 Language Evolves 07:00 Hyphen Pitfalls 07:31 Tom on Hyphens 10:38 Meet the En Dash 11:41 Typing En Dashes 12:32 En Dash Use Cases 14:47 Spacing and Style 15:30 Introducing Em Dash 15:33 Em Dash Basics 16:15 Style Guide Rules 18:08 Brackets vs Speech 18:57 Where Names Come From 20:32 Underscore Origins 22:05 Reading Dashes Aloud 24:39 Does It Matter 26:04 Oxford Comma Stakes 28:36 AI Em Dash Tell 29:59 Typing Em Dashes 30:32 Punctuation By Country 31:41 Morse Code And Minus 32:43 Final Sign Off External Link There's only one link this week: Jono referenced the book Strunk and White : The Elements of Style All music on this podcast is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
  7. Digging Through the Planet: The Geography of Antipodes

    FEB 24

    Digging Through the Planet: The Geography of Antipodes

    Have you ever wondered what's happening on the exact opposite side of the world to you? Wherever you are on our planet, there's a good chance you'd need a snorkel. In this episode, we explore the concept of antipodes—the exact point on the opposite side of Earth from wherever you're standing. We discover why most antipodes end up in the ocean rather than on land and cover a whole host of fascinating geographic facts, including how the Northern Hemisphere contains the vast majority of Earth's land and population, how map projections distort our view of the planet, and why Earth's oblate spheroid shape means some antipode distances are longer than others. Along the way, we also raise the big questions like how deep have humans ever dug into Earth and how long it would take to fall through a frictionless tunnel to your antipode. External Links and mentions on the show: Jono's sketch that explains the Mercator Map Projection Jono references the Antipodal Map in the book Marvellous Maps by  Simon KuestenmacherThe 7.6 mile deep hole Jono talks about is the Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia, initiated by Soviet scientists in 1970, primarily to better understand the earth’s crust. Here's Jono's sketch about the thickness of the earth's crust being proportionally similar to the thickness of an apple's skin. And finally, if you want to know your exact antipode, you can look here on AntipodeMap.com Episode Summary 00:00 What Are Antipodes 03:23 Land Distribution on Earth 04:14 Map Projections and Perspectives 07:19 Antipodal Map Overlay 08:56 Cultural References Worldwide 10:15 Etymology of Antipode 10:41 Digging Through Earth 12:44 UK Antipodes 13:29 Great Circle Routes 14:20 Earth's Oblate Shape 15:25 Tunnel Through Earth 16:34 Closing Remarks All music on this podcast series is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    17 min
  8. The closer you look, the longer it gets: The Coastline Paradox

    FEB 10

    The closer you look, the longer it gets: The Coastline Paradox

    When you want to measure something you take your ruler or tape measure and read off the length right? But when it comes to measuring the length of a coastline, things get a bit tricky and totally counter intuitive. 🌊 The science and maths of measuring wiggly coastlines reveal that the smaller the unit of measure, the longer the coastline becomes. Jono recounts the origins of this phenomenon from polymath, Lewis Fry Richardson and its further exploration by Benoit B. Mandelbrot. The trio also relate the concept to various other real-world examples, including the surfaces of the brain and lungs, Romanesco cauliflower, and stock market patterns. Additionally, they touch on the philosophical implications of measurement and delve into the concept of infinity. Episode Summary: 00:00 Introduction the Coastline Paradox 04:12 Historical Context and Discovery 14:10 Fractals and Natural World Applications 17:26 Modern Implications and Analogies 24:36 Conclusion and Final Thoughts External Links and mentions on the show: Jono refers to and leans heavily on the writing of Geoffrey West in his book "Scale" to tell the story of how this was discovered.Rob's half-baked fact about The Standardised Meter can be expanded on here.This is what the self-similarity of a Romanesco Cauliflower looks likeHere is the avenue of trees in Bushy Park, in Southwest London that Jono slalomed.Here are more facts on who originally defined the number 'zero' as we know it today. All music on this podcast series is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Big Ideas explored through Little Pictures. We offer up great conversations about ideas based on simple and insightful sketches in the Sketchplanations online collection, with the aim of giving listeners something fun and interesting to have their own conversations about. This is an explainer podcast for the curious-minded. Topics covered include science, behavioural economics, wellbeing, nature, psychology frameworks, business models, cognitive biases, and even domestic life-hacks.  It's certainly not a self-help podcast, but you might take something away that helps you notice or even enjoy the world around you a little more. Sketchplanations illustrator and author Jono Hey joins lifelong friends Tom Pellereau (2011 Apprentice Winner) and Rob Bell (Engineer & Broadcaster) to share ideas and stories catalysed by each week's sketch. The 3 of us have been friends for over 20 years and have always enjoyed delving into all sorts of conversation topics - usually with some silliness along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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