Having just listened to Melvyn Bragg‘s In Our Time (In Our Time, 29th March 2012: The Measurement of Time) – discussing the history of the measurement of time, appropriately enough – here I am posting about the ultimate time-devouring black hole, an evening waiting in A&E. It was nothing major, just a bad wrench ofContinue reading “An evening in A and E: a stitch in space-time”
Tag Archives: Radio 4
Katy Brand, John Gray and the folly of pinning all our hopes on science
Here’s a quote and a half – from the brilliant Straw Dogs by John Gray (Professor of European Thought at LSE), written ten years ago now: Modern humanism is the faith that through science humankind can know the truth – and so be free. But if Darwin’s theory of natural selection is true this isContinue reading “Katy Brand, John Gray and the folly of pinning all our hopes on science”
From Behavioural Insights To Chris Moyles
Required listening for anyone in research, I think: All In The Mind Special: The Behavioural Insights Team. Interesting contributions to Claudia Hammond‘s Radio 4 documentary from the likes of Prof. Richard Thaler, Dr. David Halpern and Warwick University psychologist Neil Stewart as well as the more sceptical Nick Pearce of the IPPR. It’s all aboutContinue reading “From Behavioural Insights To Chris Moyles”
Man of Aran: A Story For Our Times
I started off thinking I’d post on this because it was a thing of beauty, even though it’s not very current – and then I realised, it sort of is current, in a funny kind of way. (And anyway, why need we always privilege novelty over substance? Shore isn’t the News of the World.) There’sContinue reading “Man of Aran: A Story For Our Times”
Organ Freeman: Thaler on Nudge
Professor Richard Thaler, co-author of Nudge, is one of the most sought-after people in the world at the moment. His behavioural economics (BE) snowball is now well down the hill, has taken out some skiiers and is about to roll along the valley, chasing people around like that giant bubble thing from The Prisoner. HisContinue reading “Organ Freeman: Thaler on Nudge”
Edgelands, wastelands and The Fall
Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts‘ book Edgelands – about the aesthetics and psycho-geography of forgotten interzones of “waste” land on the edges of our towns and cities – has been an inspiring and thought-provoking book of the week on Radio 4: Edgelands – R4 Book of the Week Anyone who watched Coast a coupleContinue reading “Edgelands, wastelands and The Fall”
Qual’s harder than it looks … no kidding, girlfriend
Interesting discussion on Today this morning about the “alternative census” done by the champion of numerical literacy the More Or Less programme, among their listeners. More or Less on Radio 4 – alternative census. Unusual to hear the nature of qualitative data discussed half-decently in the media, albeit for 30 seconds. As a qual practitionerContinue reading “Qual’s harder than it looks … no kidding, girlfriend”
Consumerism: same old values, slower pace?
Mark Littlewood and Roger Scruton with Evan Davies on Radio 4\’s \’Today\’ Some perspective on our sufferings from Mark Littlewood (“Even after the recession and the cuts, we are about as affluent today as we were in around 2006”) and Roger Scruton (“What we are calling ‘austerity‘ now is nothing compared with austerity in theContinue reading “Consumerism: same old values, slower pace?”
The North Will Rise Again
Thinking Allowed on the future of the north Interesting piece of futurology in Thinking Allowed on Radio 4 this week, about the possible impact of global warming on the fortunes and demography of the most northerly areas of the world, hitherto languishing under ice and forbidding weather conditions. One factoid that grabbed me was theContinue reading “The North Will Rise Again”
Strangers on the Shore 