THUNK

In the new year, many will try to develop habits of keeping their homes & workspaces tidy, but maybe their longing for uncluttered space is driven more by a set of cultural biases than any sort of practical advantage. Video: http://youtu.be/V3VoO7Xr2TQ Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2023/01/05/234.-Tidiness.html

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Q is a bit of a puzzle - on the one hand, he’s an incomprehensibly intelligent being from outside time and space. On the other hand, he’s incredibly aggravating and petty. One might say that, with such phenomenal insight, he should be more objective…but what does that mean, exactly? Video: http://youtu.be/gmJYsgGUAm4 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/12/14/233.-The-View-from-Nowhere-and-Aliens.html

Apple has built their brand on a fanatical commitment to design, but their devices can be straight-up hostile when it comes to repair & maintenance. Maybe one leads to the other. Video: http://youtu.be/8PfDRgEud2s Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/11/24/232.-Repair-vs.-Design.html

Have you ever watched in horror as someone systematically, deliberately makes every wrong decision necessary for disaster? Philosopher Leslie Howe advances a theory that may help to explain the phenomenon: it’s easy to ignore warning signs if you buy your own bullshit. Video: http://youtu.be/8CrbNNwirkI Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/11/12/231.-Self-Bullshit.html

Ads are everywhere, & find their way into more places every day. Companies spend hundreds of billions of dollars shilling for their products. But theres a question we havent answered conclusively: do they work? Video: http://youtu.be/iln8PuiQ8kk Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/10/12/230.-Advertising.html

When you think of “being productive,” you probably imagine some variation of rise-and-grind. But Cal Newport’s theory of Deep Work suggests, if we want to maximize productivity, maybe we should try to cultivate some room for quiet, uninterrupted thinking. Video: http://youtu.be/uUMl5KtHh4E Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/09/19/229.-Deep-Work.html

We often look to intelligent individuals to provide us with insight and guidance, but if you ask science writer David Robson, intelligence isnt just the wrong barometer for good decision-making, it may lead to worse decisions! Video: http://youtu.be/1K23sO-G0uE Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/09/04/228.-The-Intelligence-Trap-and-Evidence-Based-Wisdom.html

Mechanical engineering has its own, mathematically-defined version of “less is more,” & once you know about it, you’ll see it everywhere. Video: http://youtu.be/Akarqe17hFM Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/07/25/227.-Minimum-Constraint-Design.html

The logic of the ultimatum game is simple - something is better than nothing, so you ought to accept any deal where you come out ahead, no matter how unfair that deal is. Why, then, does almost everyone reject unfair deals, even if it means sacrifice? Video: http://youtu.be/o0MyC54j-SM Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/07/03/226.-The-Ultimatum-Game.html

Every generation invents its own lingo - language naturally evolves & develops over time. But quietly re-inventing terminology for stuff thats already named (relexicalization) can be a move with far-reaching political & epistemic consequences. Video: http://youtu.be/F2_m2JVkBY0 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2022/06/10/225.-Relexicalization-Extraneous-Renaming.html