THEM'S THE RULES

How will sheepdogs save the world?

In this episode, Bronwen explores the pastoral pastime of sheepdog trials (think Babe) and inadvertently stumbles into the complicated world of "swarm robotics." 

Long  baffled by the sheepdog’s amazing ability to herd large flocks of unwilling sheep,  scientists have finally discovered the "two rules" the sheepdog follows in this impressive, and age-old,  practice of shepherding. Engineers, biologists, and physicists are now utilizing a model of this behavior to create very complex systems of organized robots. 

But, don’t worry---these robots aren’t being designed to replace the dynamic duo of dog and shepherd; instead, researchers expect them to play a much larger and more significant role in society! 

#robotuprising

Key Points From This Episode:

• The ancient roots of shepherding, and why the practice still continues today.
• What type of dog makes the best sheepdog.
• Why the sheep flock together. 
• Where in Ireland a tourist can go to see a sheepdog trials demonstration.
• What the basic skills of a sheepdog are, and why they aren’t so “basic.” 
• What makes the Border Collie so unique and effective in herding sheep.
• Why science wants to replicate the relationships between sheepdog and shepherd, and how they have failed to do so.
• What the differences between sheepdogs and cattle dogs are, and why it matters.
• A groundbreaking study that finally identified the two behavioral rules the sheepdog follows. 
• What those two deceptively simple rules are. 
• What movement rules the sheep follow, and why neurobiologists are excited. 
• What an algorithm is. 
• What “selfish herd theory” is, and how it is relevant to human populations. 
• The impressive intelligence of the average sheep. 
• What a biological swarm is, and how engineers are using this to program robots.
• How the shepherding algorithm will be used to address the major problems facing us today. 
• What rules are set by the International Sheep Dog Society, and how they are ready-made for translation to artificial intelligence.
• Why human stampedes are one of Bronwen’s top three scariest ways to die.

LINKS

Solving the shepherding problem: heuristics for herding autonomous, interacting agents

Aerial views of sheepherding

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When is it “appropriate” to move out of your parents’ house? Are you “behind” in life if you haven’t gotten married by the time you hit thirty? Why is it so hard to balance career and family, and what does it say about us if we can’t? 

In Part 2 of Clock-Blocked, Bronwen continues to examine how social rules are impacted by cultural orientation to time. Tackling a variety of time-related issues, like birthday depression, social clocks, motherhood, and how silence can be a useful “tool” to manipulate time in conversations, Bronwen points out how dangerous certain social rules can be to our collective mental health. 

Elicia and Rayan offer further insight into the cultural differences between France and America, how to manage a transatlantic relationship, and  what, if not “money,” time is in France.


Key Points From This Episode:

• What are the “birthday blues,” and why they are so common in Western society. 
• What the symptoms of birthday depression are.
• How future-orientation takes the fun out of growing older.
• Why birthdays have different significance as we grow older, and how our temporal orientations shift by age. 
• What some important milestones on the American social clock are.
• Attitudes toward aging and their impact on health and wellbeing. 
• The threat to mental health presented by the pressure to conform to social clocks. 
• Changes in marriage trends across the decades.
• Who Edward Hall was. 
• What the definition of “chronemics” is. 
• Why the tempo of life is different in industrialized countries. 
• How the pace of life is determined by economic health, geographical location, and temperature. 
• What the AAQ is and why it is important for evaluating mental health in older adults.
• Why America is afraid of aging. 
• What the difference is between a birth cohort and a generation.
• The different meanings of silence and why it makes us so uncomfortable. 
• Insight into why and how we “wait.” 

LINKS
Envy on Facebook Study

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Are you always working “against the clock?”

Do you prefer to “go with the flow?”

Every society around the world has a unique perception of time —  in some, “time is money,” life moves fast,  and productivity is given priority over leisure. In others, time has no value beyond the present moment, so you should seize the day and enjoy it! 

Cultural orientation to the past, present, or future informs the way a society structures and organizes itself, laying the groundwork for the social rules that individual members follow to maintain order. The differences between cultures can make our transactions — social, economic, political, and personal — A LOT  more complicated. 

 Bronwen is joined by Elicia and Rayan, a married couple from two very different cultures, to examine how the rules of human interaction are impacted by these cross-cultural conundrums of time. 

(Part one of two!)

Key Points From This Episode:

• How time is perceived differently in every culture around the world.
• What social rules are and how they are constructed in any given culture.
• What “primary socialization” is and why it is important in our maturation.
• Bronwen attempts to conceptualize the abstract notion of time, but leaves the physics to the pros.
• There is no global standard for what constitutes a week! 
• The differences between the three major time orientation: past, present, and future.
• The Piraha tribe and how certain native tribes don’t even have a past tense in their language. 
• How America’s individualism impacts the collective use of time, with attention to how the comparative lack of social protection encourages hustle and bustle.
• How the American dream is the perfect example of the future-orientation to time. 
• Why France is able to relax and “chill’ without worrying as much about the future.
• Why transactions across cultures are made difficult
• The differences between polychronic and monochronic time systems and the people who utilize them. 
• The infrastructure of America and how it reflects the need to prioritize productivity.
• How the industrial revolution synchronized American culture and turned time into a precious commodity. 
• Eli shares how the American culture and orientation toward productivity caused a lot of stress and anxiety. 
• The art of conversation in France.
• What the differences are between “clock” and “social” time. 
• Opposing perceptions (and moral implications) of “idle time” in France and America.
• How Sundays in France are sacred, plus how that strengthens the family.
• What is really meant by “time is money,” and how it is damaging to our psyche.
• The differences between work and leisure balance in America.
• What the implications of “the right to disconnect” are in French culture and how it wouldn’t fly in America.
• How French legislation works to protect the private life while also promoting worker efficiency.  
• What the relative importance of punctuality is in France and America. 

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The Golden Rule is widely accepted as the standard for ethical conduct. In Western society, it is often linked to Christianity, but its principle of treating one another with  kindness is a tenet found in every religion and culture around the world. You’ve probably heard, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” or “Do not do unto others as you don't want them to do unto you.” These two versions may seem like they’re saying the same thing, but the subtle difference in wording reveals two very opposite lines of philosophy. The Golden Rule is an easy way to teach kids right from wrong, but when broken down to its core components, it reveals itself to be an impractical and impossible rule to follow. Still, this principle of treating others as you would like to be treated has made its mark upon history and social justice, such as in President John F. Kennedy’s speech to the American public following the desegregation of the University of Alabama. While the Golden Rule continues to influence domestic and foreign politics, it has created an ethical dilemma of how to balance economics, autonomy, and collective good during the global coronavirus pandemic. 

Key Points from This Episode:

• Living in an apartment building comes with certain sacrifices and the expectation of common courtesy.
• How the Golden Rule is found in nearly all religions and cultures all over the world. 
• Why Bronwen thinks it isn’t so “golden” after all. 
• How all societies had to face issues that challenge both ethnocentrism and egocentrism. 
• The ways in which the Golden Rule is used for social control.
• The subtle differences in the Golden Rule significantly change its meaning and use.
• How different versions of the rule can be used to teach morality to children.
• The loophole in the rule that could promote violence.  
• How hard it is for us to know what we really want or need, and how our tendency to want what is bad for us makes application of the Golden Rule even harder. 
• Why Freud dislikes the Golden Rule 
• Why we should never make assumptions about others’ needs and wants.
• How despite the Golden Rule appearing in international treaties, religious and ethnic conflicts still exist .
• How Kant’s “categorical imperative” improves upon the Golden Rule. 
• How empathy can help and hurt our survival.
• What a harm-based morality is.
• The working definition of “heuristics,” or, “a rule of thumb,” and how the Golden Rule oversimplifies complex problems.  
• JFK and other pivotal moments in history that called upon the Golden Rule.
• How Utilitarianism offers a practical guideline for morality, but still has a fatal flaw.

LINKS

The Golden Rule and Society

Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents

JFK’s Report to the People 

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Have you ever had the experience where the worst possible thing happened at the worst possible moment and tried to find some solace in the words 'Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong?'. In today’s episode, our host Bronwen discusses Murphy’s Law, one of the most well-known and oft-quoted eponymous universal truths in popular culture. We explore the various origins of its central thesis and how it was popularized in the 1950s during a press conference. We examine how the Law’s prominence continued to be fueled by its inclusion in works such as The Making of a Scientist, and Men, Rockets and Space Rats, and how the release of the book Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong, which included various laws and aphorisms, was particularly successful at popularizing the expression on a global scale. Later we reflect on how Murphy’s law is intertwined with the concept of fatalism and why it has survived and thrived for decades in the public imagination. For all this and more, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• What research into the topic of Murphy’s Law revealed to Bronwen. 
• Bronwen lists eponymous laws like Fulton’s law and Parkinson’s law.
• Many of these adages like ‘Work expands to time allowed’ are considered universal truths but aren’t commonly known to have official names.
• Eponymous laws like Occham’s razor that many of us are familiar with.
• The most well-known of these laws is Murphy’s Law ‘Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.’
• We explore the origins of Murphy’s Law and the figure it’s attributed to.
• The various high-stakes technical activities that the concept of Murphy’s Law originated in like sailing, mountaineering, and engineering.
• The story of Dr. Stapp and how his commitment drastically improved car safety.
• How the term Murphy’s Law was popularized at a press conference by Dr. Stapp.
• George Nichols disputes over the origin of Murphy’s Law.
• The various offshoots of Murphy’s Law like ‘nothing is as easy as it looks.'
• How these various offshoots apply to specific scenarios in life like relationships and productivity.
• Murphy’s frustration with the colloquial application of Murphy’s Law in everyday scenarios.
• Why Murphy’s law continues to remain a popular part of our collective knowledge.
• How Murphy’s Law relates to fatalism.
• Why Murphy’s law is correct and why it can’t be proven.

LINKS

The Making of a Scientist

Men, Rockets and Space Rats

Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong

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One of the most controversial topics over the past few years has been immigration. The U.S immigration system is riddled with complexities, biases, blind spots, confusing criteria, and conflicts of morality. Rather than just sharing dull facts and figures, which don’t shed any light on the lived experience of what it is like to navigate this overwhelming system, we thought it best to humanize the topic. As an immigrant himself, today’s guest, Javier S., has in-depth knowledge on what it takes to immigrate to the United States. In this episode, we hear about Javier’s journey, the different times he has lived in the U.S, and the various visas he has held. Each visa comes with strict criteria, and many have limits, which Javier has experienced all too well. We also talk about hiring a lawyer to help you with your immigration process, the uncertainties that immigrants faced during the Trump era, and the intersection of immigration and identity. Tune in to hear it all!

Key Points From This Episode:

• What research into the topic of immigration revealed to Bronwen. 
• Insights into a very recent change in the “immigration rulebook.” 
• Javier’s take on the label “illegal alien” and why it is such a complicated term. 
• The story of how Javier came to the U.S. and the complexity of gaining citizenship. 
• Some of the notable immigration policies that have been implemented since the U.S independence from Britain. 
• A look at the H1B Visa Javier got when he came back to the U.S and the caveats that come with it. 
• Some of the limitations that come with the U.S student visa. 
• Facts and figures about the Immigration and Nationality Act. 
• The difference between family and work-based immigration. 
• The long wait times that are synonymous with family-based sponsorship visas. 
• Details about the O-1 visa and the criteria. 
• Why the visa process is so dehumanizing, according to Javier. 
• What the term ‘anchor baby’ means, and the U.S’s unique birthright citizenship process. 
• Although the U.S immigration system is tough, it is still easier than in a lot of other countries. 
• The uncertainties that immigrants faced during the Trump administration. 
• There are so many subjectivities in the immigration process. 
• Why Javier decided to hire a lawyer to guide him through the immigration process. 
• The crossroads Javier faced deciding to pursue his relationship or his visa. 
• Immigration also calls your identity into question. 
• It is so important to humanize the issues in the immigration system going forward.  

LINKS
US Visa Bulletin

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Today, we are talking feng shui and its perplexing rulebook of metaphysical measurements, methods, and machinations.  Based on Western tendencies to commodify objects, practices, and philosophies from other cultures, we’re all pretty misinformed about what feng shui actually is. The internet, with its DIYs and clickbait, spins this ancient Chinese practice as either magic or superstition, which it is not, or a kind of interior design, which it also is not. In this episode, Bronwen dives into what feng shui actually means, how to maximize your access to beneficial chi and disperse negative chi in your home, and the basics of some of the various traditional schools of feng shui and how the western world has appropriated and bastardized elements of this ancient spiritual practice.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Feng shui, meaning ‘wind’ and ‘water’, conveys a sense of invisible, flowing energy.
• How feng shui has been used in architecture for thousands of years in China.
• Learn about good chi and bad chi using the well-known yin yang symbol.
• Some of the things that can cause negative chi in your home, including geopathic stress.
• How to maximize your access to beneficial chi and disperse negative chi using feng shui.
• The basics of some of the various schools of feng shui, starting with the compass school.
• Find out how Donald Trump, of all people, first brought feng shui to the US.
• How the western interior design world appropriated and bastardized feng shui practice.
• Why decluttering and feng shui are not synonymous.
• Modern interpretations, like “wallet feng shui” or “fashion feng shui”, that have nothing to do with the traditional practice of feng shui.
• Bronwen shares a tip: be wary of useless commercial feng shui items.
• The five natural elements that feng shui relies on; fire, earth, metal, water, and wood.
• How the bagua energy map helps you enhance favorable flows of chi in your home.
• The symbolic significance of the bedroom, office, and kitchen in your home.
• How furniture with rounded edges can help with the flow of chi in your home. 
• The importance of keeping areas of work and rest separate, being intentional about color palette, and keeping your windows uncovered.
• Feng shui rules for your kitchen, which is said to represent health, wealth, and abundance.
• How a wrongly positioned toilet can cause infertility and other feng shui rules for bathrooms.
• Why your front door and your back door should never be aligned.
• Learn about auspicious directions according to what is know as your kua number.
• How to deflect bad chi using mirrors, sound, and the presence of living things.
• Find out how feng shui consultant Kartar Diamond uses feng shui to predict crime.
• The surprising fact that feng shui has been outlawed in China since the mid-20th century.
• Why feng shui might be more beneficial than ever during the pandemic, when the concept of ‘home’ has faced a crisis of identity.

LINKS

Feng Shui Nexus

Traditional Feng Shui Solutions by Kartar Diamond

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Coming at you from the forward operating base that is her home office, Bronwen is joined today by the highly decorated Major General Allen Harrell. Now retired, he is an experienced commander, officer of intelligence, skilled infantryman, field artillerist, disposer of explosive ordinances, trained parachutist, and US Army Ranger School alum or, as Bronwen knows him best, her Uncle Allen. In the US Army, following the rules can be a matter of life and death, though some may strike the average civilian as downright arbitrary. The rules and regulations that soldiers follow are laid out in more than 100,000 Army documents that include everything from how to organize a pickup game of basketball to how to stay alive. Join us for a surface-scratching chat on a few rules of military life, including why soldiers should never walk on the grass, the origins of the buzz cut, and who the Jody is in what is known as a “Jody call,” as well as the requirement to follow orders cheerfully, why Allen ate rather than drank his coffee rations at Ranger School, and whether or not there is such a thing a silent Velcro. Tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Find out what the term “self-licking ice cream cone” means.
• An introduction to Allen Harrell and his career trajectory in the military.
• Allen explains the significance of the salute; rendering mutual respect between soldiers.
• Why soldiers shouldn’t walk while talking on a cellphone and never walk on the grass.
• Some unique punishments doled out by superior officers for small infractions.
• Hear about some of the ways that Allen has pranked rookie officers.
• The origins of the buzz cut and other military appearance regulations.
• Why the Army is so strict with uniformity in what outwardly appear to be minor details.
• How this uniformity has carried over into Allen’s daily life now that he is retired.
• Learn what a “Jody call” is and what the character of Jody represents.
• Discover the different types of bugle calls on an Army base.
• Behaving in a manner unbecoming of “an officer and a gentlemen” according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
• Allen explains why the soldier’s handbook necessitates following orders “cheerfully.”
• Why Allen ate his coffee rations while he was at the US Army Ranger School.
• Hear about the first time he jumped out of a helicopter.
• Rule number one in the 28 Rules of Ranging: don’t forget nothing!
• Where the element of surprise fits into MOOSEMUSS, a military acronym for the nine principles of war.
• Allen responds to some fascinating trivia, including whether or not silent Velcro exists.
• Why a chihuahua will not follow Allen’s orders.

**Major General (Retired) Allen Harrell is a retired member of the U.S. Army.  The contents of the podcast are based on his own personal experiences and the views expressed are not intended to reflect the official position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Army."

LINKS

Allen Harrell on LinkedIn

US Army Rangers

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The “five-second rule” of food hygiene states that any food dropped on the floor is still safe to eat, provided that it is picked up within five seconds. Maybe you’re thinking that this common piece of playground wisdom is just a silly line of inquiry, but food safety is a major health burden in the United States. And this is a rule that people actually follow so, from a public health standpoint, it is important to know whether or not it holds any truth! In today’s episode, dedicated to all her fellow germaphobes out there, Bronwen looks at what the science has to say on the matter, whether the length of time, the wetness of the foodstuff dropped, and the nature of the floor surface influence the outcome, and contemplates what this rule says about our human nature. Tune in for a slightly icky but thoroughly illuminating investigation into the five-second rule and find out why you should definitely think twice before eating off the floor!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Hear the statistics about food-borne illness in the US, according the the CDC.
• The difference between harmful bacteria and good bacteria
• Some fast, fun, and freaky facts about bacteria, including how much bacteria is on your desk.
• The relationship between saying “five-second rule” out loud and its effectiveness.
• The origins of the rule, which trace back to Genghis Khan in the 14th century.
• How the much-loved Julia Child perpetuated the idea that food that looks okay is okay to eat.
• What science has to say about the five-second rule, according to a U. of Illinois study.
• A study by Clemson University that concluded that length of time does, in fact, matter.
• The Connecticut College finding that the five-second rule was more like the 30-second rule.
• How a Rutgers University study debunked the five-second rule, also highlighting the relevance of the structure of the floor surface.
• What influences the microbiological composition of your floors
• What food psychologist, Thomas Shipley, has to say about your ability to assess food risk.
• Find out why it’s known as the five-second rule, not the seven or 15-second rule.
• Discover why beer pong is so disgusting, thanks to the authors of Did You Just Eat That?
• Why the five-second rule isn’t bound by the constraints of practicality or public interest.
• What it has to say about human desire and the reckless pursuit of something forbidden.
• Examining the five-second rule through the lens of the law of scarcity and human psychology.

LINKS

‘If You Drop It, Should You Eat It? Scientists Weigh In on the 5-Second Rule’

‘Residence time and food contact time effects on transfer of Salmonella Typhimurium from tile, wood and carpet: testing the five-second rule’

‘Longer Contact Times Increase Cross-Contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from Surfaces to Food’

Did You Just Eat That?

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As open conversations around the topic of mental health become less stigmatized, it is also important to hear therapists’ points of view. In today’s episode, Madeline, Bronwen’s close friend who happens to be a therapist-in-training, joins us to talk about ethics and therapy. We hear about how Madeline’s own experience being in a treatment facility for an eating disorder inspired her to become a therapist. We then get into some of the ethics in the space, like having dual relationships, confidentiality, and boundaries. While some of these areas, like confidentiality, have more concrete rules than others, there are still so many gray areas that can be subjectively interpreted. Madeline talks about the value of having an experienced supervisor and mentors to help you navigate these ethical conundrums. Our conversation also covers topics like boundaries, physical touch, along with guidelines on what to do if you are starting therapy. This was a great conversation that only scratched the surface of this fascinating topic, so tune in to hear it all!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Elements of Madeline’s treatment experience which led her to become a therapist herself.
• Madeline's experience giving online therapy, and the challenges, particularly with eating disorders.
• The fear that many therapists feel around the myriad of rules and ethics in the field.
• What a dual relationship is and why it is a big no-no in therapy.
• How therapists, who are in rural areas with high chances of dual relationships, can deal with this issue.
• Some of the things that therapists are not supposed to do.
• While confidentiality is central to therapy, there are some instances when it has to be broken.
• The importance of having a supervisor or mentor to navigate the ethical challenges.
• A look at the Tarasoff Case and the implications of this ruling.
• What boundaries mean in the context of therapy.
• Sometimes, the relationship with the therapist, rather than the intervention, is what sparks change.
• It is important to understand that all clients are different and have different needs.
• The rules around physical touch in therapeutic relationships and the importance of consent.
• Touch can be healing for people with trauma.
• Physical touch is also very culturally specific and related to the context.
• Pointers around what you should and should not do when you go to a therapist.
• The different levels of ethics in therapy and how they apply to clients not being able to pay.
• Differentiating between abandonment and termination.

LINKS

The Body Keeps Score

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