Cognitive Engineering

Aleph Insights
  • 4.1 (7)
  • SCIENCE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Cognitive Engineering

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.

  1. OCT 9

    Hobbies

    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 mentioned in this podcast: - A history of trainspotting https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/what-was-on/trainspotting#:~:text=1942%3A%20Ian%20Allan's%20ABC,of%20Britain%20through%20their%20hobby. - Dwayne Dibbley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU6Skc4yZKQ - Geeks, MOPs, and Sociopaths https://meaningness.com/geeks-mops-sociopaths For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    48 min
  2. National Treasures

    SEP 18

    National Treasures

    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 decades to come.

    43 min
  3. Why History?

    AUG 28

    Why History?

    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://www.lse.ac.uk/International-History/Degrees/why-study-history - Banking Act of 1933 (Glass-Steagall) https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/glass-steagall-act For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    37 min
  4. Bearded Soldiers

    AUG 14

    Bearded Soldiers

    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 podcast: - British Army May Lift Beards Ban After 300-plus Years https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/04/hair-today-why-british-army-may-lift-beards-ban-after-300-plus-years - Crimean Heroes https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/34493/ - 130 Years of Facial Hair Trends, in One Chart https://www.vox.com/2015/3/1/8123457/beard-history-chart - Did Van Halen's Concert Contract Require the Removal of Brown M&Ms? https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/brown-out/ For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    45 min
  5. Daniel Kahneman

    JUL 18

    Daniel Kahneman

    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 decision-making heuristics, they reflect on his lasting contributions to economic science. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate who upended economics https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/03/27/daniel-kahneman-dead/ - Dual Process Theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_process_theory - Living, and thinking about it: Two perspectives on life https://kahneman.scholar.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf3831/files/kahneman/files/living_dk_jr_2005.pdf - Peak-end Rule https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak%E2%80%93end_rule For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com Image: Andreas Weigand via Flickr

    33 min
  6. Plagiarism

    MAY 8

    Plagiarism

    Plagiarism is a complex concept that spans a spectrum from inspiration to theft. But is plagiarism strictly black and white? Can it occur unintentionally and can it be considered permissible under certain circumstances? As the rise of generative AI continues, are users inadvertently plagiarising when they use these tools? In this week’s episode, we discuss plagiarism. We speak about the recent Claudine Gay case, definitions and historical examples of plagiarism, the entropy of plagiarising exact wording, legal concepts that relate to plagiarism such as copyright law, patents and trademark infringement and how generative AI could create new forms of plagiarism. Finally, we share our favourite plagiarism examples. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Harvard’s Claudine Gay was ousted for ‘plagiarism’. How serious was it really https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/jan/06/harvard-claudine-gay-plagiarism - Harvard retains President Claudine Gay despite alleged plagiarism on her part https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2023/12/12/harvard-retains-its-president-despite-allegations-of-plagiarism-on-her-part/ -Entropy and Redundancy in English https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/soco/projects/1999-00/information-theory/entropy_of_english_9.html - George Harrison Guilty of Plagiarism https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/08/archives/george-harrison-guilty-of-plagiarizing-subconsciously-a-62-tune-for.html - LLMs are definitionally plagiaristic https://nickfthilton.medium.com/llms-are-definitionally-plagiaristic-fc8c00299ae3 - Why ChatGPT can't Plagiarise https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-chatgpt-cant-plagiarize-mike-mcaulay/ For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    43 min
  7. Eternal Youth

    APR 10

    Eternal Youth

    The pursuit of immortality is a tantalising idea that appears in science and technology as well as works of art and literature. But who actually wants to live forever? What does it mean to ‘cure’ ageing? And what might be some unforeseen consequences of perpetual longevity? In this week’s episode, we discuss the age-old problem of ageing. We discuss the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents dataset, demographics, education, governance, resource allocation, economics, intergenerational social interactions, family life, monogamy and cultural stagnation vs innovation. Finally, we share our best examples of the elderly. For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    39 min
  8. Change vs Rest

    FEB 7

    Change vs Rest

    When we go on holiday or experience an interruption to our daily lives, we are often reminded that a change can be as good as a rest. But is doing something different actually better than doing nothing? If true, what kind of implications would this have for our society? In this week’s episode, we discuss change vs rest. We discuss the origins of the proverb, models of fatigue, data on industrial productivity, psychology of rest, and ego depletion. Finally, we share the best and most recent change we’ve experienced. For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    32 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.1
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Aleph Insights
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2024
  • Episodes
    225
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Cognitive Engineering

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