ReThink Podcast

SWITCH is a short story written by Kirk Grech as part of TEXT's Eternal Pyre Writing Competition. The short story was also printed in Issue 36 of THINK Magazine. Narrated by Ian Farrugia

Notes: Episode contains mild profanity, local politics and frank opinions.

99.9% of humans’ DNA is the same.

Skinner’s pigeon experiment in which subjects are rewarded with food and as a result, keep getting the dopamine hit

Coercive Design and Social Media

How much of the population is addicted to social media?

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016/12/28/14088992/brain-study-change-minds

 Stoicism and Buddhism

The internet and social media are a hallmark of modern society. A plethora of tools exists to help us consume, create, edit and curate the swathes of data available at our fingertips. But how has this renaissance of information affected younger generations? Are children more adept at navigating cyberspace? Or are we the ones who need to reTHINK cyberculture?

In this episode, we meet up with Gareth Mitchell from the BBC's Digital Planet Podcast. We discuss the impact the Internet Shutdowns in Kashmir have had on democracy, what the internet actually is and who owns it, we also touch upon the Splinternet and how related it is to the global political theatre. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-50819905

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51620158

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splinternet

If you want to share your passion with the world, your first step should be understanding your audience. This is where human-centred design comes in - its about understanding the context of your work and figuring out people's needs. Daniela Quacinella joins us for this weeks ReTHINK podcast to tell us more!

The humble bee is responsible for 80% of all pollination worldwide, according to Greenpeace. These industrious, little insects transfer pollen between flowering plants, helping them to grow, breed and produce food. However, the loss of habitat and food sources, exposure to pesticides and climate breakdown have begun to take their toll on bee populations across the globe. 

Depression and Anxiety are the most common mental disorders in Europe. Just as exercising and eating well help our physical health, we need to find ways to help our mental wellbeing. Dr Paulann Grech will be joining us for this week's episode. We'll be discussing mental health, psychology and her recent book, "Dealing with Coronus" - as well as a variety of ways we can improve our mental wellbeing.

Mental Health: Fact Sheet, published by the World Health Organization - https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/404851/MNH_FactSheet_ENG.pdf

When speaking of jellyfishes, we usually think of painful stings. Because of this, jellyfish blooms can affect tourism, but they also have impacts in aquaculture and, in the past, even caused shutdowns of power stations. But not every jellyfish is born the same: different species require different approaches, either in the healing of a sting or the amount of caution needed when encountered. At the same time, observing seasonal trends of jellyfish spotting is a good way to access environmental problems, like climate change and water quality variation. When it comes to jellyfishes, there is more than what meets the eye. Today we welcome Professor Alan Deidun to unravel the hidden mysteries of these curious creatures and the importance of citizens’ contributions to his work.

Journalists allow for a democratic society which holds its politicians accountable. In exchange, reporters and editors must maintain a high standard of professional behaviour. But what does the future hold in store for journalism?

Maltese drivers spend an average of 52 hours in traffic each year. Taming the traffic beast is no mean feat. We ask Dr Odette Lewis about her Master Plan for traffic management and what can be done to help address the situation.