Cognitive Engineering

Cognitive Engineering
  • 4.1 (7)
  • SCIENCE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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. MAR 18

    Inventions

    Where did all the eccentric inventors go? The men (and women) in sheds, the gadgets with flashing lights, the sense that the future was arriving one bizarre prototype at a time. In this episode of the Cognitive Engineering Podcast, the panel ask whether invention has become boring — or whether our idea of invention is simply out of date. Starting with Tomorrow’s World, the Innovations catalogue and the golden age of gadgetry, the conversation moves into patents, capital intensity, incremental progress and the shift from lone inventors to teams, firms and platforms. Along the way, the hosts explore whether innovation has moved from atoms to bits, whether low-hanging fruit has already been picked, and why we might be surrounded by astonishing technology while feeling less excited than ever. The episode closes with personal “inventions”, disappointing gadgets, and a reminder that creativity may be more democratised now than at any point in history — even if it no longer looks like a bearded professor wheeling something dangerous into a TV studio. Topics coveredTomorrow’s World, gadgets and the romance of inventionThe myth of the lone inventorAtoms vs bits: physical invention and softwareWhat patent data actually shows about innovationCapital intensity and “low-hanging fruit”Incremental vs breakthrough innovationWhy batteries and concrete are more exciting than they soundDemocratisation of invention: GitHub, maker spaces and 3D printingFalling costs and the invisibility of progressWhy technology might feel boring despite being extraordinary Key ideas & momentsThe heyday of individual inventors may have been the 19th century, not the 1980sMost inventions today are still physical — just less visibleIncremental progress can be transformative without being dramaticCheap, abundant technology dulls our sense of wonderWhy invention may be everywhere, but invention stories are disappearingFraser’s dual-glasses “optical breakthrough” (and its controversial reception) ContributorsFraser McGruerNick HarePeter Coghill About the podcastThe Cognitive Engineering Podcast explores decision-making, technology, creativity and complex systems through thoughtful, wide-ranging conversations. New episodes are released every week or two. LinksFor more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - The Innovations Catalogue http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2957409.stm - Decline of the Independent Inventor https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w11654/w11654.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com - The ‘bungling inventor’ trope https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BunglingInventor

    33 min

  2. MAR 4

    Destroying the World

    A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Mirror life https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/17/science/mirror-cell-life-dangers For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    41 min

  3. FEB 18

    Worst President Ever

    A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Trump ranked as worst president https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/20/presidents-ranking-trump-biden-list? - George W Bush the worst president ever https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/george-w-bush-the-worst-president-in-history-192899/ - The Secretary Problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_problem For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    34 min
  4. Lost Media

    11/27/2024

    Lost Media

    The missing link: why are we fascinated by lost media? From Celebrity Number Six to the original Backrooms photo, Love's Labours Won to absent Doctor Who episodes: what is it about lost media that intrigues and inspires us? In this podcast, we discuss the neurological itch that solving such mysteries can scratch, and how any media - in the age of the internet - is at risk of vanishing. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: Reddit: Celebrity Six https://www.reddit.com/r/CelebrityNumberSix/comments/1dr71l4/celebrity_six_mega_post/ - Information about the finding of Celebrity Number Six https://www.reddit.com/r/CelebrityNumberSix/comments/1fc1rci/information_about_the_finding_of_celebrity_number/ - The location of the Backrooms photo https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G5rA1PseLZozA6oUYjdVN6Rn8GNdEVY7bTXV4SmVp7E/edit# - The Lost Media Wiki https://lostmediawiki.com/Home - Kidd and Hayden (2015), The Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4635443/ For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    28 min
  5. Best Technology

    11/27/2024

    Best Technology

    Tech it or leave it: what is the best technology? The bed, writing, antibiotics? In this podcast we ask: how do we define technology, and can we objectively measure the best of it? We take a look at potential metrics - from the number of people who benefit to quantifying the overall happiness created - and wonder whether the best is yet to come. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: Estimates of historical world population https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimates_of_historical_world_populationTimeline of inventions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_historic_inventions The philosophy of intellectual property https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/intellectual-property/ For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    33 min
  6. Crap Internet

    11/27/2024

    Crap Internet

    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 quest for a decent cheese-ranking website. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Is Google Getting Worse? https://downloads.webis.de/publications/papers/bevendorff_2024a.pdf - Hacker News forum says ‘yes’ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39013497 - How Google is killing independent websites https://housefresh.com/david-vs-digital-goliaths/ - Dead Internet Theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Internet_theory - The Eternal September https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September 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
  7. Big Companies

    11/20/2024

    Big Companies

    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.

    39 min
  8. Am I Old?

    11/06/2024

    Am I Old?

    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: - The Sorites Paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorites_paradox - Mortality in England and Wales: past and projected trends in average lifespan https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/lifeexpectancies/articles/mortalityinenglandandwales/pastandprojectedtrendsinaveragelifespan - Perception of when old age starts has increased over time https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/22/when-old-age-starts-perception-study - Cognitive Engineering: Seven Ages: First Puking and Mewling https://soundcloud.com/aleph-insights/seven-ages-first-puking-and-mewling For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

    41 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
    Cognitive Engineering
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    389
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Cognitive Engineering

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