Episodes

  • Ben Yagoda on the British invasion of American English

    Ben Yagoda on the British invasion of American English
    Dec 21 2024
    Ben Yagoda is the emeritus professor of English at the University of Delaware. Relying on his rich experience of having lived both in the US and the UK, Ben's new book, "Gobsmacked! The British Invasion of American English" talks about how language can travel across the two countries. Many words and phrases that originated in the UK have made themselves more at home in America. What is their history? Ben's blog https://notoneoffbritishisms.com/ which covers many of these topics is a super-hit.

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    44 mins
  • Truth and lies with Alex Edmans

    Truth and lies with Alex Edmans
    Dec 7 2024

    In his book “May Contain Lies: How stories, statistics and studies exploit our biases - and what we can do about it”, Dr Alex Edmans urges us to pause and reflect before we trust any article or a “fact” stated in a book or in a newspaper. It doesn’t matter who wrote it. And it isn’t such a tedious process to work it out.


    In this podcast Alex shares his views on confirmation bias, what is wrong with our interpretation of the 10,000 hour rule (among others), how social media is playing an outsized role in disseminating information, how JFK possibly averted the third world war during the Cuban missle crisis and why some leaders encourage their teams to challenge authority and are better off for it.


    Picture credit: https://alexedmans.com/about/

    Get the book on Amazon.in: https://tinyurl.com/MayContainLies


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    33 mins
  • Dr Duvvuri Subbarao, former RBI governor on his life and career

    Dr Duvvuri Subbarao, former RBI governor on his life and career
    Nov 30 2024

    In “Just a Mercenary? Notes from My Life and Career”, Dr Subbarao describes his eventful journey as a kid from Sainik School in Korukonda, some 50 km from Visakhapatnam to becoming the 22nd governor of the Reserve Bank of India.


    Armed with awareness, discipline, commitment and a quirky sense of humour, Dr Subbarao worked relentlessly within and outside the country across various postings. In 2008 he took office at the RBI amidst the global financial meltdown. For five years he led by example and enjoyed the pressure that came with the job. Today, he teaches at Yale. His post-retirement interests include learning how to Salsa. “That’s still on my bucket list. I hope I’ll get to do it sometime”.


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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Gray Matters: Exploring the Brain with Dr. Theodore Schwartz

    Gray Matters: Exploring the Brain with Dr. Theodore Schwartz
    Nov 23 2024
    The human brain is a marvel of mysteries, holding answers that we are still uncovering. Dr Theodore Schwartz's book “Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery” is filled with anecdotes to help us relate to the organ that sits silently in a dark cell inside our skull. Dr Schwartz has performed over 10,000 operations working in an area as small as a one rupee coin. He reflects on the meditative state he gets into during surgery, the role of empathy in connecting with patients and the exhilarating breakthroughs that makes it all worthwhile. It is said that it takes 20 years to become an overnight success. Dr Schwartz recounts his punishing schedule when he was a student and the physical endurance coupled with mental fortitude needed to operate for hours on end. It's a life of sacrifice, brilliance and endless curiosity.

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    55 mins
  • Lawrence Booth on Bazball

    Lawrence Booth on Bazball
    Nov 23 2024

    Bazball is a term that describes England cricket team’s aggressive brand of Test cricket championed by Brendon “Baz” McCullum. Lawrence Booth who writes for the Daily Mail has co-authored a brilliant account of this new phenomenon in “Bazball: The Inside Story of a Test Cricket Revolution” with Nick Hoult.


    In this podcast Lawrence clarifies that Bazball is not mindless slogging or fast scoring. It’s also about absorbing pressure. Whereas the team cares about winning, if they can entertain the crowds along the way and put more seats in the stadiums, all the better. Lawrence is also the youngest editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in over seven decades. He talks about what it takes to put out a massive edition year after year and also explains the thrill of filing match reports at the end of last-minute twists.


    Image source: Bloomsbury


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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Paul Seabright on religion, wealth and economics

    Paul Seabright on religion, wealth and economics
    Nov 22 2024
    What is religion? How is it intertwined with economics? Why do people who are below the poverty line feel the need to contribute some portion of their meagre income to temples or churches? What is in it for them? How big is the industry? Paul Seabright, a British economist and professor at the University of Toulouse in France, joins us to talk about his book “The Divine Economy: How religions compete for wealth, power and people”. His opinions, backed by data and research over many years, seek to answer some of these fascinating questions.

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    54 mins
  • Marcia Bjornerud on how rocks share secrets of our planet’s past

    Marcia Bjornerud on how rocks share secrets of our planet’s past
    Nov 8 2024
    In “Turning to Stone: Discovering The subtle wisdom of rocks”, Dr Marcia Bjornerud brings us the fascinating story of how rocks and stones “speak” to us if we’re willing to listen. Rocks are alert, responsive and communicative, writes Dr Bjornerud. They tell us about our own past and how the Earth has evolved over centuries and millenia. What can a single crystal tell us about ancient tectonic shifts? Why are earthquakes so hard to predict? How is a day in the life of a geologist who is on the field? Do they have fun? How is technology changing geology? Tune in to know more.

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    39 mins
  • Andrew Leigh on economics and why it matters

    Andrew Leigh on economics and why it matters
    Nov 5 2024

    In this podcast Andrew Leigh talks about economics to someone unfamiliar with the subject, all drawn from his book, "How Economics Explains the World: A Short History of Humanity".


    Andrew touches upon the impact of the industrial revolution, the balance between Keynesian and Hayekian ideas, why interest rates are important, where the gender gap came from and much much more. He also covers how technology drives societal change, the role of government in managing economic stability and the importance of storytelling in making complex ideas accessible given that he has managed to do exactly that.


    When he isn't writing or working as a member of the Australian Parliament, Andrew is a keen ultra-marathoner and an Ironman triathlete.


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    43 mins