Cognitive Engineering

The US and China, Manchester United and Liverpool, Truss and Sunak. It seems wherever you look, rivalry abounds. As the UK enters a new era of government, we take a look back at a podcast on rivals. Is rivalry just an extension of competition and is it actually good for us to have a rival? Why do we often need rivals to propel us into action?

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We discuss whether rivalries spur us on to ever greater achievements or distract us with unnecessary competition. Is a nemesis necessary in order to define our success, or do they simply lure us to the edge of the Reichenbach Falls? Join us as we plunge headlong into the debate.

In this podcast we examine the impact of national and ideological rivalries, attempting to determine whether fierce competition with an outside agency makes societies more or less productive. We look at historical case studies such as the Cold War, but also investigate the influence of personal rivalries on individual achievements, asking whether bearing a grudge really makes a difference.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Gallup’s favourability ratings
• ‘Rivalries can improve individual athletic performance’
• Measuring political rivalry and estimating its effect on economic growth
• Melman: ‘The United States has been transformed into a second-rate industrial economy’ by the arms race.

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

As the UK Conservative leadership race enters the final stretch, we take a look back at a previous podcast on power transitions where we discussed the United States' change in administration from Trump to Biden. What are the potential pitfalls when one government is replaced by another? Is there a recipe for success or can we always expect issues and uncertainty?

• 2022 Conservative Party leadership election (UK)
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A beginning is a very delicate time. The transition from one set of leaders to another can be fraught with difficulty. Talking before the US Capitol riots brought this so sharply into focus, we discuss what makes for a smooth handover of power.

In this podcast we discuss the factors that lead to turbulent power transitions and whether we can predict how they will go. We examine historical precedents from monarchical successions, enforced regime changes and democratic handovers, and question whether leaders are more or less vulnerable just after they have ascended to the throne. This podcast was recorded prior to the unruly invasion of the US Capitol Building - how accurate were our predictions regarding whether Donald Trump would attend Joe Biden's inauguration?

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• List of UK Prime Ministers
• List of Italian Prime Ministers
• No evidence of a significant 4-year cycle in US crime

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

Summer is here and in this week’s podcast we decided to weigh in on an age-old question: which is the most annoying insect?

We discuss the different species of cricket, explore data on the most annoying sounds, the flight strategies of mosquitoes, psychological warfare and how transitive inference is used by wasps. Peter presents his framework for insect annoyingness, while Nick presents an alternative framework that drills down into the concept of annoyingness itself. Finally, we share our findings and reveal our favourite insects.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Noise Nuisances of the Nation
• 7 Of The Loudest Insects In The World Ranked By Decibels
• The 10 Most Annoying Sounds and Why They Bother Us
• You Bug Me. Now Science Explains Why

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

For some time the consensus has been that democracy is the most desirable form of government. But if democracy is so great, why aren’t companies run like countries?

In this week’s podcast, we discuss democracy in business. We explore the multitude of company arrangements and ownership structures, Peter explains his principles for benevolent governance and how they differ from running a business and we trace back the origins of democracy to test whether the analogy between democracy in government and in business holds. Finally, we share the system of government we would most like to live in.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Workplace Democracy
• Why Companies are not Democracies and That’s (Probably) a Good Thing

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

As widespread strikes continue across the UK and around the world this summer, this week’s podcast delves into strike action. We discuss what makes a successful strike, whether they are an effective bargaining tool, and if they actually work.

We recount the history of strikes in the UK and US, account for the steep decline in striking since the 1970s, and provide a few speculative reasons for why you don’t see as many strikes these days. We diagnose the problems facing the world economy and disclose some of our worst-ever jobs.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Working days lost due to strike action in the public sector - monthly (UK)
• Bargaining Power, Strike Durations, and Wage Outcomes: An Analysis of Strikes

in the 1880s

• https://davidcard.berkeley.edu/papers/bargain-strikes.pdf
• Rubinstein bargaining model

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

When we think of propaganda these days it’s hard not to conjure up images and posters from the Second World War, but was it always this way?

This week we discuss propaganda. Does propaganda work anymore or have we, as a society, become immune to propaganda? We explain the concept of “rewired propaganda”, internet memes, clickbait and the differences between misinformation and disinformation. We debate the hypothesis that propaganda is more about style rather than substance and finally, share some of our all-time favourite pieces of propaganda.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• The Influenza of Evil
• Overview of 21st Century Propaganda
• Propaganda as Signalling
• The Psychology of Fake News
• ‘The Lambeth Walk’
• Modern Political Propaganda: Definition, Examples and How to Spot it
• The Propaganda Model: Still Relevant Today?
• Rewired Propaganda

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

Does being a subject matter expert make you good at predicting events? This week, we delve into economist Tyler Cowen's blog on International Relations scholars and their views on Russia and Ukraine, and discuss international relations, analysis, and forecasting. We consider what makes for good analysis and the importance of having a sound methodology, diversity of thought, and understanding our own biases.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Tyler Cowen: How did the IR community get Russia/Ukraine so wrong?
• Conversations with Tyler
• The Good Judgement Project
• Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know? By Philip E Tetlock
• No True Scotman fallacy
• Cognitive Engineering: Hindsight Bias
• Poll: Will Russia Invade Ukraine

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

Do you ever arrive at a train station early only to gaze up at the timetable in utter confusion as you search for your train? As you stand there bewildered, do you ever wonder if there is a better way to present this kind of information?

In this week’s episode, we discuss the exciting topic of train timetables. Why are there different train scheduling systems in different places and can technology help to cut through the complexity? We discuss London postcodes, the perils of standardisation and Shannon entropy. We also reveal the most complicated line on the London Underground network and offer a suite of our own solutions for optimising train travel. Sit back and enjoy the journey.

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

Why is YouTube full of documentaries and Netflix packed with drama? Which comes first, the medium or the content?

In this week’s podcast, we traverse the history of media consumption, examine YouTube consumer behaviour and explore the differences between traditional programming and the production of YouTube videos. We debate whether we are living in a golden age of series drama and speculate on where you might find the next media growth area. We end by sharing our concept ideas for YouTube channels of the future.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• State of the YouTube Address – an overview of YouTube usage and growth
• List of Most-Subscribed YouTube Channels
• How Much Does Animated Video Cost?

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

Autocorrect, spell check and 'smart compose' were ostensibly invented to make our writing lives easier. But are they taking over and making us redundant?

In this week’s podcast, we discuss predictive text. Now that there are a slew of freely available AI text-based software applications, should we be disturbed by AI innovations that closely resemble human writing skills? Do they lead to the grave implications claimed by some or should they be seen as benign creations? We discuss GPT-3, AI Dungeon and the implications for children, communications professionals and authors. Finally, we play out a predictive text scenario live in the studio.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• GPT-3, Bloviator: OpenAI’s language generator has no idea what it’s talking about
• A Complete Overview of GPT-3 — The Largest Neural Network Ever Created
• Broca's area

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