Cognitive Engineering

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.

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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.

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

The taming of the shrewd: how do we rationally agree to disagree?

In this podcast, Nick, Peter, Chris, and Fraser discuss the finer details of polite polemics, courteous clashes, and respectful repartees. Whether a code of conduct or dangerous hand-washing, they delve into the fundamentals of agreeing to disagree: from group identity and global significance to cultural pressure and mutual benefit.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

- Aumann’s Agreement Theorem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aumann%27s_agreement_theorem

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email [email protected]

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 [email protected]

Image: Andreas Weigand via Flickr

Cremated, buried or donated to science? How much have you thought about what happens to you or your body after you die? Who owns your body after you die? And is having a legacy truly important?

In this podcast, Nick, Peter and Fraser revisit the Hull funeral investigation, touch on how different cultures, religions and the animal kingdom deal with death and grief, and ask if what happens to us after we die really matters.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

- Legacy funeral pair were arrested at Heathrow - police https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-68631122

- Blackstone on Property https://oll.libertyfund.org/pages/blackstone-on-property-1753

- Law Regarding Who Has the Right to Deal with an Adult’s Body after Death https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/english-legal-system/law-regarding-who-has-the-right-to-deal-with-an-adults-body-after-death-3419.php

- R. v Bentham (2005) - A hand cannot be an imitation firearm https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/firearms#:~:text=Putting%20a%20hand%20inside%20a,Bentham%20%5B2005%5D%20UKHL%2018.

- The Depths of Animal Grief https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/animal-grief/

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email [email protected]

In this podcast, we explore user interfaces. Specifically, we discuss the development, integration, progress and limitations of interfaces, and consider what could be next. ChatGPT with a brain? Neuralink? Tom Cruise's desk in Minority Report?

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

- Smartphone typing speeds catching up with keyboards https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/smartphone-typing-speeds-catching-up-with-keyboards

- The rate of inner speech https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pms.1990.71.3.1043

-Content Agility 2013 - Minority Report UI [Congility] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SFeCgoep1c

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email [email protected]