We live in a world that is increasingly being dictated by data. But the models that govern different outcomes need a lot of work. Dr Erica Thompson's fascinating book, "Escape from Model Land: How mathematical models can lead us astray and what we can do about it" is all about it. For all their vaunted prowess, models can often mislead. In this podcast Dr Thompson offers her thoughts on the head scratcher of a subject.

Tamal Bandyopadhyay is a prolific journalist who has covered the world of finance for many decades. He has authored several books. In this podcast he gives us a glimpse into his latest book, "Roller Coaster: An Affair with Banking" which is an absolute joy to read. The book as well as this conversation is peppered with anecdotes that are both amusing and intriguing in equal measure. It’s less about monetary and fiscal policy or inflation and more about the quirks of the banking industry and his experience as a journalist.

Games have shaped humanity for thousands of years. The premise of Kelly Clancy's book is that games play us. In this podcast Dr Clancy, a neuroscientist talks about games people or companies play to our benefit and detriment. How have games shaped geopolitics? Why do gamblers continue to bet despite losing? How does uncertainty trigger dopamine even while playing board games with kids? And much much more.

India beat South Africa to lift the T20 World Cup. The finals, at Barbados, was a closely fought affair with both sides being on top of the other throughout the match. In India 67 students scored a perfect score in the recent NEET-UG exam to gain entry into medical colleges. Vladamir Putin and Kim Jong Un get chummy. What does this mean to the world order? And a study shows that fish punish their offspring to cooperate in brood care.

Gold prices touched a record high last month. We talk about India's fascination with gold. Jim Simons, arguably the world's most successful investor died in May. We talk about his legacy. And in sports, the T20 World Cup has sprung up some upsets. In personal news, Aditya launches a new outfit for those planning to move to Canada. It's called Beacom. Listen to know more and visit mybeacon.ca to know more.

Maryanne Wolf is a cognitive neuroscientist who conducts research on “what the brain does when it reads and why some children and adults have greater difficulty learning how to read than others”. She has written some fascinating books including “Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain” and “Reader come home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World”. In this podcast Prof Wolf speaks passionately on reading and why, among other things, it needs to be introduced to kids early in their lives. And as adults, what can we do to rewire our brain circuits that may have been frayed with the advent of digital media.

India delivers a shock verdict to the Bharatiya Janata Party during the general elections. Narendra Modi’s BJP has done remarkably well and only lost out on the vote by 0.8 per cent as compared to the previous elections. It’s just that the votes were less effectively distributed. But by not winning the elections with a thumping majority means that the opposition will have a voice in the parliament, always a good sign for a healthy democracy. In sports Sunil Chhetri, the legendary Indian footballer retires. And in the animal kingdom, dice snakes pretend to play dead to detract predators.

Gregory Zukerman writes for the Wall Street Journal. Over the last few decades he has written several books. In 2019 he wrote "The Man Who solved the market: How Jim Simons Launched The Quant Revolution" which became a runaway hit. It tells the story of a genius mathematician who used modern quantitative techniques to make money for himself and his investors. Since 1988 one of the fund’s operated by Mr Simons generated average annual returns of 66%. Legendary investors like Warren Buffet, George Soros and Peter Lynch, too, cannot claim to have made these outsized profits with such consistency. How did Mr Simons go about his business? How did he manage a stellar team while keeping them movitated? How did he use machine learning, artificial intelligence, data and analytics in an era when these terms were unheard of in the industry? Gregory Zukerman explains it all in this podcast.

Alex Duff talks about how Brentford football club used data and analytics to improve and retain its spot in the English Premier League. His book, "Smart Money: The Fall and Rise of Brentford" is a fascinating account of how the club instilled new values and respected number crunching to make key decisions on deciding plays on the field and in the transfer market.

Ananyo Bhattacharya's "The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John Von Neumann" is a fascinating book about the Hungarian-American mathematician. It's a shame that most of us know little about the man. Dr Bhattacharya digs deep into the mathematician's early days and how he went on to have a lasting impact in different fields including nanotechnology, game theory, artificial intelligence and quantum physics.