Small Differences

By Knut Melvær & Chris Atherton

Chris A. has recently immigrated (or *brexited) from the UK to Norway and finds herself in the process of acquiring a new language and culture. Knut M. is a native Norwegian who never has a good answe... more

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FAQs about Small Differences:

How many episodes does Small Differences have?

The podcast currently has 53 episodes available.

Small Differences episodes:

February 11, 2018Episode 42: Rolling Your Eyes While Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants
Knut and Chris welcome 2018 — and technically their third consecutive calendar year of recording Small Differences — by discussing Big History, Vikings, and Jesus.
Links:
Karmøy - Wikipedia
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Wikipedia
Guns, Germs, and Steel - Wikipedia
Big History - Wikipedia
It's a Wonderful Life - Wikipedia
Happy 2018 from Norwegian Moron - YouTube — «goes well with Dinner for One» Knut says. Hm.
Dinner for one - YouTube
Education in Norway - Wikipedia
Christianity in Japan - Wikipedia
Majority of Norwegians 'do not believe in God' for first time in country's history | The Independent
What to do with Davie’s ‘Vicarious Religion’? > The Religious Studies Project
Virtue signalling - Wikipedia
Penguin Blog
Kash Ahmed on Twitter: "How to walk on ice...… "
Royal Variety Performance - Wikipedia
The Crown (TV Series 2016– ) - IMDb
Émile Durkheim - Wikipedia — Knut: «He was French»
King Harald of Norway's New Year speech — (run through google translate. Sorry, Your Majesty)
Jack Dorsey’s Resignation Letter to Twitter – Mike Monteiro – Medium
Norwegian Possessives. ARGHHHH!!! D: - Duolingo
The The - Wikipedia
Public holidays in Norway - Wikipedia
Skaði - Wikipedia — The poster Chris saw used the spelling «Skade» — which is Norwegian for «injury». Not really the kind of influence you want for women's skiing.
Rolig Sang Av Odd Børretzen "Vi Drømte Om Amerika" - YouTube
Odd Børretzen - Wikipedia
100 Viser — Knut's friend makes music :)
...more
1h 11min
December 31, 2017 Episode 41: Internal Class Struggle
To celebrate a year of co-hosting, Knut and Chris discuss what it was like to grow up alongside people with more money, and one seminally Norwegian solution for evening out financial inequality. Chris also celebrates making Knut uncomfortable for the second episode in a row. Skype is a
...more
1h 4min
December 24, 2017Episode 40: How Do You Make A Scottish Cringe?
Knut and Chris discuss chips on shoulders, and what it's like to have a crushing sense of inferiority while simultaneously feeling superior. The official Small Differences drink is invented, and Knut considers whether to use the small or large fake.
Links:
Garfield Minus Garfield — Existential comic strip
Twelve dates which shaped Scotland's relationship with England - BBC News
Bokmål - Wikipedia — "Conservative" bokmål stands in contrast to radical bokmål: "The 1938 reform in Bokmål introduced more elements from dialects and Nynorsk, and more importantly, many traditional Dano-Norwegian forms were excluded. This so-called radical Bokmål or Samnorsk (no) (Common Norwegian) met even stiffer resistance from the Riksmål movement"
Chip on shoulder - Wikipedia — To have a chip on one's shoulder refers to the act of holding a grudge or grievance that readily provokes disputation.
Explain Like I'm Five | Don't Panic!
Scottish Cringe ? - Scotland Discussion Forum
Battle of Sark - Wikipedia
Battle of Roslin - Wikipedia
Battle of Bannockburn - Wikipedia
Battle of Stirling Bridge - Wikipedia
Andy Stewart - Donald Wheres Your Troosers - YouTube
Urban Dictionary: punch down
Who vs Whom | Lawless English
Stormkast 2017
Boknafjord - Wikipedia — There are serious plans to build the Rogfast sub-sea tunnel under the Boknafjord and the Kvitsøyfjord connecting the cities of Stavanger and Haugesund and ultimately becoming part of a ferry-free highway system along the western coast of Norway. #alwaysbedrilling
How the sandwich consumed Britain | The long read | News | The Guardian
Sandwich for Lunch | Mr. Bean Official - YouTube
How to bake your 6 favourite things from Greggs - BT — Greggs' cheese and onion pasties 4EVA
Snøhetta
...more
58min
December 19, 2017Episode 39: Denmark 2.0
It's Chris's turn to visit Copenhagen, this time as a pseudo-Norwegian. Notes on football, mayonnaise, and the behaviour of Norwegians and the English abroad is compared. Knut hires a chatbot; Chris does culture.
Links:
Comparison of Norwegian Bokmål and Standard Danish - Wikipedia
Danish pastry - Wikipedia — In Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, the term for Danish pastry is wienerbrød/wienerbröd, "Viennese bread".
Bicycle rentals in Copenhagen | VisitCopenhagen — So many options.
Danish Mayo - A Cupboard Essential - ScandiKitchen — Ugh, you know?
Sandwich for Lunch | Mr. Bean Official - YouTube
Stiff upper lip - Wikipedia — Knut's is actually frozen
Sport in Glasgow - Wikipedia
Roller skiing - Wikipedia — aka road skiing
BBC - Can festive cheer boost your language skills? — The BBC's version of that Danish news story about how drinking makes you less anxious about your second language skills
Quotation mark - Wikipedia
Hygge - Wikipedia
The Last Samurai (2003) - IMDb
Piggsko herre - Herresko - Sko | XXL — Piggsko! For when you need pigs in your decks.
www.best-grip.no – Den beste skrupigg — Skrupigg! For when you want to screw pigs into your decks.
Yaktrax — Yaktrax! I just like saying the word. Yaktrax!
Tapperiet Brus – Brewery, bar, shop and eatery in Nørrebro, Copenhagen by craft brewery To Øl
Danish Bacon - Wikipedia
Pork rind - Wikipedia — or pork scratchings, as we say in the UK
Jennifer Lawrence backstage after 2013 Oscar win - YouTube — The whole 6-minute press conference is great, but the clip links right to that bit.
Paris syndrome - Wikipedia
The Moon Opera, kinesisk dansedrama
The Bridgewater Hall — Chris's gold standard for contemporary auditoria
How the sandwich consumed Britain | The long read | News | The Guardian
...more
59min
December 03, 2017Episode 38: A Byproduct of Mastery
Knut and Chris discuss why learning a new language doesn't get any easier, and the costs of pursuing mastery. Knut also gives an important tractor update.
Links:
It does not get easier – Chris Atherton – Medium — The thing Chris wrote, which is kind of the topic of today's show.
Cognitive biases are not the same as mental models – Netlife – Medium — This is the other thing which Chris wrote about, but which is not today's topic.
Americans (TV Series 2013– ) - IMDb
Språkrådet
Karl Popper - Wikipedia
Steven Pinker - Wikipedia
Critical period - Wikipedia — "older learners of a second language rarely achieve the native-like fluency that younger learners display, despite often progressing faster than children in the initial stages." — that sound you're hearing now is Chris sobbing.
Astroturfing - Wikipedia
The Low Frequency In Stereo - Astro kopp - YouTube
...more
56min
November 20, 2017Episode 37: A Crack in the Facade
A slightly-the-worse-for-wear Knut and Chris record from Webdagene 2017. Discussed this week are retro sexism, cultural appropriation, and whether Norway is less ‘woke’ than expected. Knut’s Gruberesque pauses are left in, mostly just to troll listener Even.
Links:
DeLorean time machine - Wikipedia
Webdagene 2017 — Scandinavia’s biggest digital customer experience conference!
Welcome to GOV.UK
Making digital government better: An interview with Mike Bracken | McKinsey & Company
Interaction design - Wikipedia
Scaling service design and the challenge of problem-caring (en) - Webdagene 2017 — Shoutout to Sanjay!
Lamb and cabbage stew (fårikål) I recipe with nutritionvalues.
Norske Grønnsaker - YouTube - YouTube — "Norwegian Vegetables" YouTube channel. Because it was there.
Trond-Viggo Torgersen og kroppen - om befruktning av eggcelle - YouTube
Intersectionality - Wikipedia
Me Too (hashtag) - Wikipedia
Quote by Margaret Atwood: “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. W...” — So not really a comedian then.
That story about Norwegian professors wanting to ban the niqab — … the way this headline is translated shows that Google Translate has a way to go yet …
Siv’s ‘Pocahontas’ stunt backfired — Ouch
Sámi heritage is not a “cute” fashion statement - The Norwegian American
The Very Best of Cannon & Ball - YouTube — No, 1980s UK light entertainment was not all that.
The Krankies - YouTube — More horrors from Scotland's 1980s light entertainment scene. This is actually a married couple. No, really.
Operation Yewtree - Wikipedia — Or, why it's no longer possible to talk about UK entertainment stars of the early 1980s without googling first to see if they've since been arrested :/
...more
50min
October 27, 2017Episode 36: That's Fine For Chris
Knut and Chris discuss Norwegian privilege in the world, and how Norway treats its own disadvantaged people. Knut attempts Scottish candy.
Links:
The Religious Studies Project > Podcasts and Resources on the Contemporary Social-Scientific Study of Religion
Tablet (confectionery) - Wikipedia
Monolith (Space Odyssey) - Wikipedia
Crieff - Wikipedia
Jaggery - Wikipedia
Freia (chocolate) - Wikipedia
Norway’s engagement in peace processes since 1993 - regjeringen.no
Oslo I Accord - Wikipedia
Peace Corps - Wikipedia
Olympics welcome does not extend to all in London as police flex muscles | UK news | The Guardian
Oslo, 31. august (2011) - IMDb
99% Invisible — We love you, Roman!
Grandiosa - Wikipedia
Kraftkar - Wikipedia
Fårepølse — lamb salami (via Google Translate)
Vigeland Sculpture Park
Kaffebrenneriet AS
Stockfleths – Kaffebarer i Oslo
Home | Tim Wendelboe |
A Traditional Cup of Coffee - Nordic Coffee CultureNordic Coffee Culture
Oslo | Scandic Hotels
Hotels in Oslo | Thon Hotels
Bunad - Wikipedia
ulempe - Wiktionary
Drøbak - Wikipedia
Urban Dictionary: middle-class guilt
Fortnight - Wikipedia
A Game of Thrones - Wikipedia
SCANDI MINIMALIST FASHION— Pinterest
10 Standout Staples Of Scandinavian Style
...more
1h 8min
September 29, 2017Episode 35: Reds!
Knut and Chris discuss the recent parliamentary election in Norway, tinfoil hat products, and the Labour Party's secret plan to improve Norway's landscape.
Links:
Netlife — (why Knut is tired)
No, you do not need sketches. – Netlife – Medium — (why Chris was ranting)
Why did the Emmys help Sean Spicer rebrand? - Sep. 18, 2017
Oslo Housing Prices Soar 24% Amid ‘Social Engineering’ Debate - Bloomberg
List of political parties in Norway - Wikipedia
Red Party (Norway) - Wikipedia
Metacognition - Wikipedia
Rødt - Fordi fellesskap fungerer — "Red — because community works" [Norway's Communist Party]
"We are fighting for a society with Small Differences" ❤️
How to tell Norway's political parties apart
Sanity – The fully customizable, headless CMS — Shoutout to Bengler!
Norway's Labour party sent half a million texts to voters ahead of nail-biter election - and it’s causing an uproar - Business Insider Nordic
Record numbers vote in advance
"Such was the photograph the photographer took of Jonas Gahr Støre" — Google translate version of the story about how the leader of the Norwegian Labour Party was depicted in their election poster, which not everyone thought was a good choice.
Property is theft! - Wikipedia
React (JavaScript library) - Wikipedia
MICRO Tyvek Thin Wallet - SlimFold Wallet
George's Exploding Wallet - YouTube
"The oil land that leaves the oil, Stordalen and a country police officer quoted in the Washington Post" — Google Translate version of what overseas news organs said about the Norwegian election
(in Norwegian: piece about the recent London bombing attempt) — Contains the translatation «Hold deg rolig og fortsett som normalt»
aka «Keep Calm And Carry On"
About the UCI Road World Championships - Bergen 2017 — Knut's Cultural Pick of the Week
"Fredrik had to help breathe for three years. Now he loses his breath on purpose" — Google translate of a piece on dødsing: the *other* world championship happening in Norway this autumn
Ap spør medlemmene om hvem de skal regjere sammen med - Aftenposten — Arbeiderpartiet show off their new model of how Norway will work. And look on the map.
Cover art image credit: Ingar Storfjell, Aftenposten
Map of Scotland – Lonely Planet — Here we see Scotland's plans for the quarantining (and geographical relocation) of Shetland
Svalbard - Wikipedia
...more
1h 12min
September 18, 2017Episode 34: Box Intolerance
Chris relates adventures in apartment-bidding; Knut considers modding his bike. Some of Norway's many hundred Norwegian birthday songs are recommended. Bonus topics: hugging at work, tile paint, and dumping your landlord.
Links:
"It's not the years, honey — it's the mileage" — YouTube: Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Handlebar Field Guide - Inked Iron
Aluminum Rest Handlebar
a-ha - Take On Me (Official Video) - YouTube
List of countries by life expectancy - Wikipedia
Birthday Customs and Traditions in Germany
Taking 'Treats' to the office, on your birthday — Digital Spy
Hurra for deg - norwegian birthday song - YouTube
Ja må han leva! - YouTube — This one is Swedish, according to the internet.
Gratulere med dagen - YouTube — Norwegians just can't get enough of birthday songs.
Slim Dusty - Waltzing Matilda - YouTube
Dethklok - Birthday Dethday - YouTube
The Wadsworth Constant | Know Your Meme
Russian children Birthday song 1973 - Песня крокодила Гены - YouTube
Happy Birthday by Ivan Fischer - YouTube — This is the version of Happy Birthday that Knut eventually chose for Chris. Chris laughed a lot. Bullseye.
Americans (TV Series 2013– ) - IMDb
These Go To 11 (Spinal Tap) - YouTube
Funny or Die - The Landlord on Vimeo
John Lennon - Imagine HD - YouTube
Banana For Scale | Know Your Meme
Guitar For Temperature | Banana For Scale | Know Your Meme
In Japan Moving is More of an Art - YouTube
Building storey numbering - Wikipedia
Gå Besseggen fra sofaen - NRK Hedmark og Oppland - Lokale nyheter, TV og radio — "Walk Besseggen from your sofa"
...more
1h 3min
September 10, 2017Episode 33: What Do You Call The Outside of a House?
Knut restarts his doctoral thesis; Chris contemplates buying a house. Knut tells jokes.
Links:
Mamma Mia! (2008) - IMDb
Agatha Christie - Wikipedia
Pierce Brosnan - IMDb
Meryl Streep - IMDb
Colin Firth - IMDb
ABBA - Wikipedia
Thesis by publications: you’re joking, right? | The Thesis Whisperer
Planning permission and building regulations - GOV.UK
Planning in Norway - regjeringen.no
Build on flood plains despite the risks, say UK government advisers | Environment | The Guardian
Monty Pythons - Meaning of Life - The Crimson Permanent Assurance - YouTube
TEK17 (no longer TEK10) — Google Translate goes to work on Norwegian building regulations. Enjoy :)
Lien - Wikipedia
Foreclosure - Wikipedia
What is a 'skambud'? — Google translate version: how making a very low first bid (skambud = shame offer) on a house in Norway can backfire.
Transfer Money Online | Send Money Abroad with TransferWise
Game theory - Wikipedia
Hermione Granger - Wikipedia
Love it or hate it: Marmite may affect brain function -- ScienceDaily
`When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea' | The Independent — Thank you David McNeill :)
Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies eBook: Nick Bostrom: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Marine biology: gone fishin’ – how birds follow boats
We've Been Looking at Ant Intelligence the Wrong Way - Scientific American
PM - Super colony of ants invades Melbourne
...more
1h 24min

FAQs about Small Differences:

How many episodes does Small Differences have?

The podcast currently has 53 episodes available.