Book Talk Today with Aun Abdi

On Episode #33 of the Book Talk Today podcast we are joined by Roger Crowley.  

Roger is a best-selling narrative historian with deep interests in the Mediterranean world and its surrounding area. Today we will be discussing his book, 'Constantinople: The Last Great Siege'.   

We discussed how Constantinople came to be the epicentre of different cultures, its significance and the events of the Great Siege in 1453. 👌📚  

Timestamps:

[0:00] - Intro. 

[1:48] - Roger's background with Constantinople. 

[4:01] - Why was Constantinople so significant? 

[8:37] - A battle between two individuals? 

[12:03] - How influential was Mehmet's childhood? 

[16:48] - The technological advancements during that time. 

[23:54] - The lost history of 'Greek Fire'. 

[26:45] - The loss of information as history unfolds. 

[27:45] - How was Mehmet able to control the morale of his troops better than Constantine XI? 

[39:27] - How close was a voluntary surrender during the siege? 

[46:21] - How accurate are the sources of the siege? 

[59:06] - Outro and Roger's next book.   

You can find more information about Roger here - http://www.rogercrowley.co.uk/author.html

Visit our website - https://www.booktalktoday.com

On Episode #32 of the Book Talk Today podcast we're joined by Todd Herman. 

Todd is an author, speaker and coach and has Been Entrenched In The World Of Elite Performers Working With The Highest Achievers In Sports And Business For Over Two Decades. Today we will be discussing his book, 'The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life.'

We discussed what an ‘Alter Ego’ is, how we can create our own alter ego and many other things. 👌📚

Timestamps

[0:00] - Intro

[1:38] - What was the origins of 'The Alter Ego'?

[7:50} - Is an 'Alter Ego' necessary?

[11:08] - What role does self-awareness play in the pursuit of an 'Alter Ego'?

[16:38] - How has 'The Alter Ego' changed since its conception?

[26:25] - How do you create an 'Alter Ego'?

[27:47] - A little tangent...

[31:35] - Continuing on creating an 'Alter Ego'.

[32:32] - Can you create multiple 'Alter Egos'?

[42:59] - The importance of being on the field of play with leadership.

[50:45] - David Goggins and creating 'Goggins'.

[54:55] - Outro

On Episode #31 of the Book Talk Today podcast we are joined by Louai Al Roumani. Louai was the head of finance and planning at Banque Bemo Saudi Fransi (BBSF), the largest privately-owned bank in Syria when the conflict broke out in 2011. He has over 14 years of experience in various finance and strategic planning roles across the Middle East and the UK. Today we will be discussing his book, 'Lessons from a Warzone: How to be a resilient leader in times of crisis.'  

Timestamps  

[0:00] - Intro 

[1:51] - Louai’s reasons behind writing the book. 

[6:04] - What was the experience like leading a bank through a war? 

[12:54] - Mistakes made during Louai's time leading.  

[16:17] - Dealing with someone turning their back on you during bad times.  

[21:19] - Misinformation during a time of crisis.  

[27:35] - How to manage a stressful job and family life.  

[31:32] - Louai's personal life lessons during that time.  

[33:21] - The difference between being passive and still.  

[34:23] - Should we actively seek out crisis? 

[36:45] - Louai’s transition to moving to London. 

[39:31] - Feedback from the book and Louai's story.  

[43:57] - The importance of talking honestly.  

[47:29] - Louai’s experience as a first-time writer. 

[51:58] - Some book recommendations.  

[54:15] - Outro  

*At times the audio and video may be out of sync. Apologies.   

Find Louai here - www.louaialroumani.com  

Visit our website - https://www.booktalktoday.com

On Episode #29 of the Book Talk Today podcast we're joined by Theo Priestley and Bronwyn Williams. Theo is a globally recognised futurist. He has delivered keynotes internationally and articles have been featured in Forbes and Wired to name a few. Brownyn is a leading futurist and trend analyst. She has presented and consulted to businesses and governments across Africa. 👌📚  

We discussed their book ‘The Future Starts Now’, AI and the future of technology and how we will live alongside it. 📚 

Timestamps:  

0:00 - Intro 

1:16 - What was the intention with writing this book? 

7:32 - A change from a Utopian to Dystopian view of the future. 

6:16 - The issues surrounding privacy. 

22:03 - The negative conversations surrounding rise in AI. 

31:14 - Deriving meaning from AI.  

33:49 - Elitism surrounding the AI discussion. 

39:17 - There's no future thinking beyond the next term. 

42:34 - The issue of replicating human systems interplanetary.  

48:52 - Agressor vs. Victim mindset.  

49:46 - The Luddite's view of technology.  

56:57 - The importance of the 'long-now'. 

1:01:50 - Outro   

Visit our website - https://www.booktalktoday.com

On Episode #28 of the Book Talk Today podcast we're joined by Nick Velasquez.   

Nick is a passionate learner and devoted student of mastery. He’s the founder of the popular blog UnlimitedMastery.com, where he writes about learning science, peak performance, creativity, and mastering skills. We discussed his book 'Learn Improve Master', the creative writing process and the difference between passion and purpose, among many other things.   

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro 

2:23 - The Psychology of Money 

6:05 - Fiction vs Non-Fiction 

13:31 - Appreciating the content that you consume 

18:26 - The philosophy of attachment 

26:29 - The Map of Knowledge  

34:07 - Books as a vessel of knowledge 

38:56 - Passion vs. Purpose 

46:06 - The routine and habits of creatives 

48:32 - Aun's book idea  

49:56 - The creative writing process 

1:02:40 - Learning is memorising. Application is understanding.  

1:05:53 - The problem of over reading 

1:10:52 - Re-reading and the allure of new books 

1:21:10 - The issue with book summaries 

1:25:14 - Are audiobooks good? 

1:30:21 - Travelling to Japan 

1:36:11 - Outro  

Visit our website - https://www.booktalktoday.com

On Episode #27 of Book Talk Today we're joined by Tom Bergin. Tom is an investigative financial journalist for Reuters. His work has prompted parliamentary inquiries and won numerous awards in Britain, the United States and Asia, including a Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism and the Orwell Prize for Journalism.   

Today we will be discussing his new book, 'Free Lunch Thinking: How Economics Ruins The Economy.'  

Timestamps:  

0:00 - Intro 

1:37 - What is 'Free Lunch Thinking'? 

8:35 - The politicisation of economics. 

13:14 - Is there a flaw in economics? 

17:42 - Why does economics still value the 'rational actor'?  

23:05 - What is 'The Income Effect'?  

34:18 - The Principal Agent Problem.  

41:29 - What's the future of executive pay? 

50:51 - Equality in economics.  

56:35 - The ethical and diversity issues in economics.  

1:02:05 - Price vs. Non-price factors in economics. 

1:07:12 - What's the one takeaway from this book? 

1:09:05 - Outro  

Visit our website - https://www.booktalktoday.com

Episode #26 is now live with Hector Garcia. Hector is a bestselling author and an aspiring philosopher. He best known for his books 'A Geek In Japan' and 'Ichigo Ichie' as well as his international bestseller, 'Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.' 

We discussed how Hector became fascinated by Japanese culture, what he’s learnt being in Japan for over 18 years, and what it means to be a philosopher.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:56 - How Hector was introduced to Japanese culture.

6:35 - What has Hector learnt being in Japan?

14:24 - Japanese culture's relationship with nature.

17:02 - Hector's journey with photography.

18:22 - The creative energy of big cities.

19:02 - The energy of Tokyo.

29:07 - Ikigai and Japanese Culture

33:02 - Where did the idea of 'Ikigai' come from?

34:21 - What's the difference between passion and purpose?

42:32 - When should you give up on something?

45:35 - How does Hector manage his creative pursuits?

49:41 - The secret to creative production.

54:20 - Hector's routine.

57:58 - What's Hector's writing process?

1:08:44 - Where does artistic creativity come from?

1:18:56 - Outro

Visit our website - https://www.booktalktoday.com/

On Episode #25 of Book Talk Today podcast we are joined by Dr Grace Lordan. Grace is the Founding Director of The Inclusion Initiative, Director of the MSc in Behavioural Science and an Associate Professor in Behavioural Science at London School of Economics and Political Science. Today we will be discussing her new book, 'Think Big: Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want.'

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro

1:47 - What is 'Behavioural Science'?

2:55 - System 1 vs. System 2 brain.

4:29 - What's the concept of 'Think Big'?

5:39 - The Intent-Action Gap

7:15 - The importance of having a medium to long-term view.

8:46 - Outcome vs. Identity level change.

11:16 - 'Growth' mindset vs. 'Fixed' mindset

12:39 - How do students view goal-setting?

14:01 - The impact of personal responsibility on a person.

16:58 - Grace's experiences.

19:20 - The importance of taking good advice.

21:48 - What's the best way that we can approach receiving critical feedback?

24:41 - What's the relationship between 'Think Big' and time-management?

29:53 - What's the importance of delayed gratification?

34:38 - The Pomodoro Technique

38:15 - Evaluate your life based on your own circumstances.

39:53 - Having a strong action bias.

51:15 - How does someone go about making a career change?

53:46 - Outro

~ Visit our website https://www.booktalktoday.com/

On Episode #24 of Book Talk Today podcast we are joined by Tracey Follows. Tracey is the CEO of Futuremade, a futures consultancy advising global brands and specialising in the application of foresight to boost business. She is a futurist and author of the book 'The Future of You: Can Your Identity Survive 21st-Century Technology?, which we will be discussing today.   

Timestamps:  

0:00 - Intro 

1:26 - Why is it important to talk about the future of 'you'? 

4:46 - What were some of the key concerns that Tracey had in order to explore this topic further? 

7:54 - How we change our identity to suit the platform. 

9:42 - Is it a question of what's good and bad? 

12:41 - The ethics of technology. 

14:43 - Does a regulatory framework around technology need to be established? 

16:53 - How does collection of data change between social media and medical? 

21:23 - What happens when we're chipped as babies? 

22:36 - Would Aun use neurolink? 

24:52 - Are large tech companies now countries? 

26:28 - What's blockchain, and what's the impact that it can have? 

31:04 - Concerns over technological growth and job displacement. 

36:53 - Orwellian vs. Huxley view of the future. 

40:32 - Should technology be judged based on context rather than being objectively good or bad? 

42:40 - The relationship between science and philosophy. 

43:29 - The importance of intellectual curiosity.  

44:27 - A discussion on philosophy. 

47:03 - A move towards individualism.  

50:29 - What are some of the better questions we need to be asking ourselves about technology? 

55:59 - The state and technology. 

59:14 - Outro  

Visit our website - https://www.booktalktoday.com