Cognitive Engineering

If you applied for a job at a company that claimed it was merely years away from sending a robot to Mars would you be suspicious? What if the company was run by Elon Musk?

In this week’s podcast, we discuss the difference between startups and scams. Do all companies need to pretend to be bigger than they are to generate early revenue and success? We outline the legal conditions required to commit fraud, the infamous Theranos case and set out some red flags for determining if a company meets the scam test. Finally, we share some examples of where we may have stretched the truth ourselves.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Jobfished: the con that tricked dozens into working for a fake design agency
• Theranos
• 12% of corporate leaders are psychopaths

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

We all know the recipe for a classic Disney film: animation, soppy morals, uplifting songs and inspiring plots. But what makes something quintessential or classic? Does defining the features of a brand tell you something about its identity?

In this week’s podcast, we discuss Disney films. We ask what cinematic elements make for a classic Disney film? We discuss the Disney renaissance of the late 80s and early 90s, the Sporcle quiz and brand coherence vs brand consistency. Finally, we share our favourite non-Disney Disney films.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Encanto trailer
• ‘Brand Coherence’
• Samsung’s autonomous sentry gun
• Volkswagen currywurst

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

Are borders real or imaginary? Do borders require a territory or area of land, or are there domains without physical space that still contain borders?

In this week’s podcast, and in light of recent events, we discuss the complexity of borders and jurisdictions. We explore territorialism in the animal kingdom, the history and economics of borders, and how borders can shape national identity. Finally, we share some of our favourite borders.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Chimp war
• The chitmahals of West Bengal
• What exactly is the point of the border?
• India–Bangladesh enclaves
• List of territorial disputes

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 know what servo or katana means? How about doula or damask? A recent study into word recognition among English speakers has found that how recognisable a word is to you may depend on contextual factors, such as nationality or gender.

In this week's podcast, we discuss words and language. Is there a difference between understanding a word and understanding how it is used? Does our recognition of certain words tell us something about where we fit into society? We discuss the Shy Tory effect, Urban Dictionary, and debate the differences between American and British English. Finally, we share a few words of our own to see how recognisable they are (or not).

• Word prevalence norms for 62,000 English lemmas
• Words known better by males than by females and vice versa
• Words known much better in the US than in the UK and vice versa
• Urban Dictionary
• Shy Tory Factor

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

Does an adventure require facing danger and seeing the world, or can you simply go on an adventure around your living room?

In this week’s podcast we discuss adventure. What exactly is an adventure and how do you do it properly? We attempt to unravel what makes an adventure interesting, why we undertake them in the first place and what their essential elements are. We analyse the structure of adventure stories, debate Shannon entropy theory and share some of our own favourite adventures and most loved stories.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• The Hero’s Journey
• The return trip effect

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 work important? The pandemic has spawned new movements dedicated to fighting against the oppression of wage labour. So this week, we take a look at the burgeoning Anti-work movement. One that started off as a minor subreddit and has now grown into a popular idea.

We discuss what makes the Anti-work movement influential and ask if it is a positive sign that people are questioning modern work patterns. We also cover the concept of Bullshit Jobs, inefficiencies in the job market and techno-utopianism. Finally, we speculate about what we would be doing if work was no longer a necessity. Enjoy this podcast at your leisure.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Job Leavers in the US
• US Real Median Wages
• Cognitive Engineering Podcast: Good Things Coming from Bad Things

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

Is Tracey Emin entitled to ask the current Government to take down artwork that she gave to the Government when David Cameron was in office or is that unreasonable? We look at whether it is ever permissible to ask for a gift back.

In this week’s podcast, we discuss gifts and ask what rights you have when you give a gift to someone and whether these rights change depending on who the gift is for. We explore the complex moral and legal implications of giving a gift, the curious case of engagement rings and discuss why ISIS fighters have a penchant for the Toyota Hilux. Finally, we share some of our best and worst gift experiences.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• Tracey Emin requests No 10 take down her neon artwork
• Joan Edwards – a curious case of a generous bequest

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

The human body is full of seemingly uncoordinated processes and sensations. Needing to pass and then drink water in quick succession, developing an insatiable hunger just before bedtime, getting an itchy nose when your hands are both full. It often feels like there are some inherent design flaws in the human species.

In this week’s podcast, we discuss redesigning humans. Why are some biological processes seemingly so inefficient? How could we optimise the human species using physiology from different parts of the animal kingdom? We also discuss the brain stimulation concept known as "wireheading", provide a novel solution to the Prisoner’s dilemma and unpack the inner workings of human anatomy and DNA, to muse on questions of existence.

• Urination
• Do Neurons Process Information Efficiently?
• How would lives play out if humans only died from unnatural causes (like car accidents)?

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

What is a life without risk? From going outside to eating our lunch, we take dozens of risks every day without stopping to consider them, let alone attempt to quantify them.

In this week’s podcast, we are joined by Jerry Smith, Head of Advisory at the risk analysis company, CHC Global. Jerry helps us to unpack how the insurance market operates, the idea of malicious versus benign risk, and why high impact and low probability events are difficult to insure. We also discuss how data might be used to present and examine risk in new ways.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

• CHC Global
• Pool Re

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 Government teeters on the edge of a precipice, we look back to a key moment in the genesis of the current crisis: the lobbying scandal that brought an end to Conservative MP Owen Paterson’s political career. We use these events to analyse the issue of politicians’ pay.

In this week's podcast, we consider the issue of optimal remuneration for our political classes. We debate whether we would get better politicians, with fewer vested interests, if they were paid more money. We also chart the history of salaries in British politics and examine how the UK stacks up against other countries. Finally, we debate how to incentivise talented people to take up a career in politics and interrogate whether or not there is a correlation between the rates of pay among politicians and levels of corruption.

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