From the Vault: Cupid's Leaden Arrow
It’s Valentine’s Day again, which summons images of mythic Cupid and his bow. But we often forget that Cupid has TWO arrows in his quiver: the golden arrow of desire and the leaden arrow of aversion. ...
8 Feb 202049min
Lessons of Vesuvius, Part 1
In the year 79 CE, the Italian volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted with with the thermal energy of 100,000 atomic bombs. Ashen destruction rained down on Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. In this...
6 Feb 202045min
Facial Recognition Machinery, Part 3
Chances are, your face is already part of the database -- and AI is getting better and better at reading one face and finding it in the vast sea of digital images. What does this mean for the future o...
4 Feb 20201h 10min
From the Vault: Motivated Numeracy and the Politics-ridden Brain
If science were a candle in the dark, we’d need only spread its light to combat climate change denial and vaccine conspiracy theories. But what if the problem is more complex than that? What if a quir...
1 Feb 20201h 5min
Invention: The Turnspit Dog
In this episode of Invention, Robert and Joe continue the month’s journey through human CULINARY techno-history -- this time with the story of the turnspit dog. This now-extinct breed of dog turned th...
31 Jan 20201h 6min
Facial Recognition Machinery, Part 2
Chances are, your face is already part of the database -- and AI is getting better and better at reading one face and finding it in the vast sea of digital images. What does this mean for the future o...
30 Jan 20201h 5min
Facial Recognition Machinery, Part 1
Chances are, your face is already part of the database -- and AI is getting better and better at reading one face and finding it in the vast sea of digital images. What does this mean for the future o...
28 Jan 202050min
From the Vault: The Electric Ark
What if the Ark of the Covenant was actually a bronze-age machine capable of storing an electrostatic charge? It almost certainly wasn't, but the idea is a great excuse to explore the understanding of...
25 Jan 202052min
