Why We Do What We Do Podcast
1) Mini: Colored Noise
You have probably heard of white noise, but there are a variety of noise patterns that have been assigned a color. Some have proposed hypothetical benefits of these various sound patterns ranging from...Show More
2) Propaganda: How You Are Being Tricked pt. 2
In the last episode, we outlined several specific propaganda strategies. We conclude this discussion by explaining some ways we can attempt to combat propaganda. Although propaganda can be a tool for ...Show More
3) Mini: Kintsugi
Kinsugi is a Japanese tradition of repairing broken things rather than retiring them, and in doing so making them stronger. It has a nice metaphor for personal, social, and economic issues. We discuss...Show More
4) Propaganda: How You are Being Tricked pt. 1
Propaganda is remarkably effective at influencing your behavior, even if you don't recognize that it is happening. Being aware of its strategies can help prevent you from falling victim as much. But n...Show More
5) Mini: How Many Faces Can You Remember?
A lot. Unless you have face blindness, you can remember a lot of faces. Is this all in the brian? We do our best to explain the research behind our ability to recognize a very large number of faces. S...Show More
6) Understanding Chiropractic
Once again, we have an idea that has mostly been bogged down in the septic tank of pseudoscience. There seems to be some therapeutic benefit to chiropractic care, but there's so much crap spread on to...Show More
7) Mini: That Time Humans Loved Radiation
This is another exploration of bad idea history. At one point, humans got really into consuming and surrounding themselves with irradiated materials. This idea stands out because the origins can be tr...Show More
8) Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is a business model that emphasizes extremely high volume, cheap clothing designed to only last a short amount of time. This strategy produces an staggering amount of waste, consumes mlli...Show More
9) Mini: Do Our Pets Understand Us?
We have very special relationships with our pets. We usually try to talk to them. Do they understand what we are saying? Do they know their names? We quickly explore what it means for our pets to "und...Show More
10) The Importance of Peer Review
One could argue there are two ways of aggregating knowledge: by guessing or by verifying information. The current system for verifying is by checking one another's work through peer review, a process ...Show More