Doreen Cunningham is an Irish-British writer born in Wales. After studying engineering she worked briefly in climate related research at NERC and in storm modelling at Newcastle University, before turning to journalism. She worked for the BBC World Service as a international news presenter, editor, producer and reporter, for twenty years. She won the RSL Giles St Aubyn Award 2020, was shortlisted for the Eccles Centre and Hay Festival Writers Award 2021, and longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for writing on Global Conservation, for Soundings, her first book.

Composting toilets https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/dec/09/no-flush-movement-composting-toilet-clean-water-waste-fertiliser-eco-revolution

Earhart the grey whale https://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/10-gray-whale-sounders-have-returned/

Indigenous languages https://en.unesco.org/courier/2019-1/indigenous-languages-knowledge-and-hope

Travel-sickness remedy https://www.rivieratravel.co.uk/blog/12-ways-banish-seasickness

Regrowing spring onions https://www.allrecipes.com/article/save-money-diy-fresh-green-onions/

Take Me To Church by Sinéad O'Connor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMzY_KQIKjU&pp=ygUlVGFrZSBNZSBUbyBDaHVyY2ggYnkgU2luw6lhZCBPJ0Nvbm5vcg%3D%3D

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Becky Smethurst discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Dr Becky Smethurst is a Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. She is the star of astronomy-themed You Tube channel Dr Becky. Her current research is trying to answer the question, “How do galaxies and black holes evolve together?” Her latest book is A Brief History of Black Holes.

Black holes are neither “black” nor “holes” https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/dr-becky-smethurst/a-brief-history-of-black-holes/9781529086706

Annie Jump Cannon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Jump_Cannon

The same algorithm that identifies stars also identifies individual whale sharks

The dark sky sights of the UK https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/best-dark-sky-sites-uk

You can measure the speed of light with a microwave https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/science/physics-and-astronomy/physics/measure-the-speed-light-your-microwave

The "black hole of Calcutta" prison is where black holes get their name from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_of_Calcutta

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

DanRam discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

DanRam travels the globe as an Event MC & Speaker at over 100 events a year. Hosting changemakers like President Barack Obama, billionaire founders Sir Richard Branson and Reid Hoffman, F1 champion Nico Rosberg, Grammy-winning artists and celebrities, he works on 4 continents from college campuses to parliaments to in-house corporate innovation days for Fortune 500 companies to the biggest tech conferences in the world. His passion is to inspire people with his motto “Start Now Start Simple” in building a future we all want to live in.

How to survive a charging wild lion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=829YuVH1dg8

Why introverts make better professional speakers https://www.givepowerfulpresentations.com/blog/3-reasons-why-introverts-make-great-public-speakers-pt-1

A superpower I can give you – adaptability https://blog.lumen.com/adaptability-embracing-the-new-superpower/

My 5G morning routine https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/18/psychologists-morning-habits-to-help-you-be-happier-more-productive.html

Why MCs are more important to an event than speakers https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-reasons-hire-professional-emcee-mc-event-host-amy-mcwhirter/

The soul stirring music of Gospel Music legend Kirk Franklin https://www.star-telegram.com/entertainment/article272178398.html

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Helen Batten discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Helen Batten is an author and psychotherapist. Her non-fiction books delve into the historical worlds of circuses, nuns, a family of redheaded sisters and Victorian music hall and opera. After reading history at Cambridge, she trained as a journalist, and worked in television producing and directing documentaries for the BBC. She now works as an integrative psychotherapist and couples counsellor in private practice in London. Helen is currently working on a book about a murder, magic and sacred music in Renaissance Italy. Her books are Confessions of a Showman, Sisters of the East End, The Scarlet Sisters, and The Improbable Adventures of Miss Emily Soldene.

Carlo Gesualdo https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/12/19/prince-of-darkness

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Relationships https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-four-horsemen-recognizing-criticism-contempt-defensiveness-and-stonewalling/

Emily Soldene https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/emily-soldene-who-was-life-facts-actress-writer-rebel/

How to have a good death https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sisters-East-End-Helen-Batten

Homing by Jon Day https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/07/homing-jon-day-review-pigeons

The Gladstone Arms https://www.thegladpub.co.uk/

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Andrew Pontzen discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Andrew Pontzen is a cosmologist and a Professor at University College London. He is currently principal investigator on the ERC-funded GMGalaxies project, and co-director of UCL's Cosmoparticle Initiative. Previously he held a Royal Society University Research fellowship and, before that, junior fellowships in Oxford and Cambridge. His latest book is The Universe in a Box.

Simulations and the role they play in science and society https://original.newsbreak.com/@massachusetts-updates-1665615/3107758662878-decoding-the-universe-the-role-of-computer-simulations-in-cosmology

Beatrice Hill Tinsley https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/obituaries/overlooked-beatrice-tinsley-astronomer.html

Hugh Everett https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hugh-everett-biography/

There are in the order of 200 billion terrestrial planets in our galaxy https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/what-is-an-exoplanet/planet-types/terrestrial/

Bayesian probability https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2016/06/bayesian-statistics-beginners-simple-english/

Sierpinski triangle https://fractalfoundation.org/OFC/OFC-2-1.html

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Jonathan Sayer discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Jonathan Sayer is an award-winning comedy playwright and screenwriter; he is the co-author of The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, and many more. He is a writer, performer and Creative Director of Mischief Comedy. His work has been performed internationally in forty-six territories including The West End and Broadway. His new book is Nowhere to Run: The ridiculous life of a semi-professional football club chairman. More information is at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455269/nowhere-to-run-by-sayer-jonathan/9781787636897

Ashton United and non-league football https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/10/non-league-football-season-ticket-sales-ashton-united-jonathan-sayer

The virtues of growing your own veg https://urbanrootsgardenmarket.ca/the-top-5-benefits-of-growing-your-own-vegetables/

JG Farrell https://www.bookforum.com/print/1203/at-his-death-1979-j-g-farrell-was-called-his-generation-s-greatest-historical-novelist-does-the-claim-hold-up-2017

Dunning Kruger effect https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/dunning-kruger-effect

Twisted Wheel https://www.fredperry.com/subculture/articles/twisted-wheel-pl

Al Lubel https://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/a/34098/al_lubel/review

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Thomas Curran discsses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Thomas Curran is a professor of psychology at the London School of Economics and author of a landmark study that the BBC hailed as “the first to compare perfectionism across generations.” His TED Talk on perfectionism has received more than three million views. His research has been featured in media ranging from the Harvard Business Review to New Scientist to CNN and he has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. His new book is The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough, which is available at https://www.amazon.com/Perfection-Trap-Embracing-Power-Enough/dp/1982149531/.

Perfectionism is not high standards https://www.thementalfitnesscompany.com/perfectionism-or-high-standards/

It does not make us more successful https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-successful-people-rarely-perfectionists-john-mclachlan-2f

Perfectionism has many faces https://www.apa.org/monitor/nov03/manyfaces

It is rising rapidly among young people https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/01/perfectionism-young-people

Perfectionism is nature and nurture https://thedaily.case.edu/perfectionism-is-a-mix-of-nature-nurture-says-psychologys-amy-przeworski/

The antidote to perfectionism is self-acceptance https://www.kindfulbody.com/blog/self-compassion-antidote-perfectionism

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Anna Katharina Schaffner discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Anna Katharina Schaffner is a cultural historian and professional burnout coach. Her books include The Art of Self-Improvement: Ten Timeless Truths, Exhaustion: A History and the novel The Truth about Julia. Anna writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement and Psychology Today.

Feelings of exhaustion are nothing new https://aeon.co/ideas/why-exhaustion-is-not-unique-to-our-overstimulated-age

We are not our thoughts https://www.the-exhaustion-coach.com/post/what-s-so-great-about-acceptance-and-commitment-therapy

Mind metaphors matter https://psyche.co/ideas/youre-not-a-computer-youre-a-tiny-stone-in-a-beautiful-mosaic

We are profoundly shaped by stories about ourselves https://ideas.ted.com/the-two-kinds-of-stories-we-tell-about-ourselves/

‘Dead man’s goals’ are not enough for creating sustainable behavioural change https://joshuanhook.com/2018/02/04/turn-around-your-dead-mans-goals/

Only Lovers Left Alive https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/feb/20/only-lovers-left-alive-review

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Ivan Wise adopts six quiz show formats and asks himself some searching questions. He uses Family Friends to try and work out if we all think of the same extinct bird, American prison and canyon, He adopts Uiversity Challenge to try and answer the text of Padgett Powell's The Interrogative Mood - A Novel? in which every sentence is a question. He employs Who Wants to be a Millionaire to consider the exact wording of King Henry II's request about Thomas Beckett.

Wilhelm Gustloff https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deadliest-disaster-sea-happened-75-years-ago-yet-its-barely-known-why-180974077/

Charlton Athletic v Huddersfield, 1957 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Athletic_F.C._7%E2%80%936_Huddersfield_Town_A.F.C.

Ignaz Semmelweis https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/01/12/375663920/the-doctor-who-championed-hand-washing-and-saved-women-s-lives

Manuscripts destroyed by fire https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/ralph-ellisons-slow-burning-art

Spanish flu https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/1918-flu-pandemic

Charborough Wall http://www.charborough.co.uk/

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

David Robson discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

David Robson is an award-winning science writer based in London. His latest book, The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life (Canongate/Henry Holt), was a Financial Times Best Book of 2022 and won the British Psychological Society Book Award in 2023. His was previously a features editor at New Scientist and a senior journalist at the BBC, and he writes regularly for the Guardian, the Observer, and the Psychologist. Find out more at www.davidrobson.me.

How the nocebo effect makes us sick https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150210-can-you-think-yourself-to-death

Why speaking in the third person makes us smarter https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230411-illeism-the-ancient-trick-to-help-you-think-more-wisely

How to escape the illusion of knowledge: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220812-the-illusion-of-knowledge-that-makes-people-overconfident

Reframing fatigue can boost your workouts: https://psyche.co/ideas/physical-fatigue-is-in-the-brain-as-much-as-in-the-body

Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/hiding-in-plain-sight-natalia-ginzburgs-masterpiece

Love Soup https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/12/love-soup-box-set-review

This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm