Cryptic? Confusing? Exclusive? Annoying? Every industry uses acronyms, like it or not. To save you having to ask or look them up every few minutes, Kevin Drayton explains some of those you might encounter in the world of design, architecture and construction.

If you enjoy this there will be another one with more alphabet soup coming soon.

By the way, the little feller in the picture has nothing to do with the subject.

There's a saying that knowledge is power. So if you want to emulate the Duracell bunny and keep going longer, keep on filling your fuel cells with knowledge.

Knowledge is also food for thought. Unlike food for eating, knowledge does not diminish or go off. So you can - and should - be generous with your knowledge. And the older you are, the longer your knowledge has proved itself in your real life experience. It's good, vintage, extra-mature stuff. Very very valuable.

Spread it around. You'll always have plenty.

The medical profession manages to present both the serious and the not so serious faces of the job without losing respect or dignity in the process.

Something similar could be said of some other professions, but not architects and designers. Why is this? 

In this episode Kevin Drayton looks into the conundrum and attempts to come up with some answers.

If you were blindfolded and not allowed to touch anything, would you be able to tell what building you were in? 

Adding earplugs might be straying into uncomfortable territory, but you would still be left with your sense of smell.

And smell, in relation to design and the part it can play in making life better, is the subject of this podcast.

Local authorities would appear to be well placed to make life better for citizens. However, their opportunities and constraints are often misunderstood by the public.

In this episode I've invited someone with first-hand knowledge of local politics to talk to me about their aspirations and frustrations as a councillor trying to make life better for residents of the authority.

My guest for this episode believes that people are the important ingredient in successful enterprises. He also happens to be a chemistry graduate and vociferous advocate for making things i.e. manufacturing.

Dean Morgan talks us through his road to believing that people and how you treat them is the key to making life better. His life in chemistry, manufacturing and rugby (yes, rugby!) is the story of a life where design, perhaps unknowingly, has underpinned success.

Maps and diagrams: representations of reality that can make life better. Strangely, the greatest accuracy or truth to life does not necessarily make life better.

In this episode we look at how our perception affects our interpretation of maps and diagrams using the iconic London Underground Map as an example. And you don't have to hold an Oyster card to get in.

The aim of many designers is to create timeless work.  Whilst aiming for a long design life is admirable, we shouldn't get hooked up on trying to avoid the time in which we live and work.

This episode explains that good design can be timeless yet still reflect the times in which it is designed.   Indeed understanding and learning from the past is just as important as familiarity with new developments in materials, technology and thinking.  

To talk of sustainability without a timeframe is meaningless. But nowadays things are labelled sustainable without any reference to duration.

Sustainable forever applies to a very select catalogue. The best we can do is aim for as long a lifespan as possible. This must of corse vary depending on the subject.

The key to long life is maintenance. Not sexy but capable of giving great satisfaction.

Knowledge, Learning and Better Choices was the title for this issue suggested by the AI elves.  Perhaps I should listen to then next time.

Making life better by design is about making choices and taking decisions. The more you know about a subject, the better your choices should be.

This episode looks in more depth at that premise and emphasises the benefits of involving both head and heart in the process.