Better Known

Nigel Planer discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Nigel Planer is an actor, writer and musician. He played Neil in the BBC comedy The Young Ones and Ralph Filthy in Filthy Rich & Catflap. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including original casts of Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. His play, It’s Headed Straight Towards Us, is co-written with Adrian Edmondson, stars Samuel West and Rufus Hound, and is on at the Park Theatre, London. His latest book is Jeremiah Bourne in Time. Myths of 20th century leftist icons https://www.theguardian.com/politics/from-the-archive-blog/2019/may/01/eugenics-founding-fathers-british-socialism-archive-1997 Ambedkar and Mulk Raj Anand https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2023/02/27/book-review-ambedkar-in-london-by-william-gould-santosh-dass-and-christophe-jaffrelot/ Jane Jacobs https://www.nybooks.com/online/2012/03/30/jane-jacobs-neocons-health-care/ Anselm Keifer https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/03/anselm-kiefers-beautiful-ruins Nenda Neururer https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10130242/ Learning languages https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2022/04/29/learning-language-changes-your-brain/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Danell Jones discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Danell Jones is a writer with a PhD in literature from Columbia University. She is the author of The Virginia Woolf Writers Workshop; the poetry collection Desert Elegy; and An African in Imperial London, which won the High Plains Book Award for Nonfiction. Her newest book is The Girl Prince: Virginia Woolf, Race, and the Dreadnought Hoax. Julia Margaret Cameron’s Photographs of Alamayou, Prince of Abyssinia https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1394113/d%C3%A8jatch-al%C3%A1mayou--b%C3%A1sha-f%C3%A9lika-photograph-cameron-julia-margaret/ Britons Through Negro Spectacles, by A.B.C. Merriman-Labor https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/447069/britons-through-negro-spectacles-by-merriman-labor-abc/9780241559741 Public libraries https://www.neh.gov/article/complicated-role-modern-public-library Sophie Stone performing All the World’s A Stage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbIOZZy54EM California Highway 395 https://californiathroughmylens.com/highway-395-roadtrip/ London Calling by Una Marson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6xyJxC_yl4 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Angus Jackson discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Angus Jackson is a screen and stage director and writer. For the screen he has directed the feature length film Elmina’s Kitchen for the BBC for which he was nominated for a BAFTA as best new director. For The Royal Shakespeare Company he has directed Oppenheimer, Don Quixote, Coriolanus and Julius Caesar. He wrote and directed Secret Cinema Presents Casino Royale in London and Shanghai in collaboration with Eon Productions. Changing Lanes https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/changing-lanes-2002 Shostakovich’s 2nd piano concerto https://www.bso.org/works/piano-concerto-no-2-shostakovich Coriolanus https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/sep/22/politicians-people-coriolanus-rsc-shakespeare Special v general relativity http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-general-relativity-and-special-relativity/ Movies based on ancient myths https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2003/aug/31/features.review87 Drawing on the right side of the brain by Betty Edwards https://www.drawright.com/theory This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Cathi Unsworth discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Cathi Unsworth is a novelist, writer and editor who lives and works in London. She began her career on the legendary music weekly Sounds at the age of 19. Her novels include The Not Knowing, Weirdo and That Old Black Magic. She is currently teaching novel writing for Curtis Brown Creative's online platform. Her latest book is Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-fortean-times.htmlhttps://www.london-walking-tours.co.uk/secret-london/introduction.htmhttps://lareviewofbooks.org/article/doors-closing-slowly-derek-raymonds-factory-novels/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/obituaries/pauline-boty-overlooked.htmlhttps://www.london-books.co.uk/https://thequietus.com/articles/31719-tim-smith-cardiacs-strange-world This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Doreen Cunningham is an Irish-British writer born in Wales. After studying engineering she worked briefly in climate related research at NERC and in storm modelling at Newcastle University, before turning to journalism. She worked for the BBC World Service as a international news presenter, editor, producer and reporter, for twenty years. She won the RSL Giles St Aubyn Award 2020, was shortlisted for the Eccles Centre and Hay Festival Writers Award 2021, and longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for writing on Global Conservation, for Soundings, her first book. Composting toilets https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/dec/09/no-flush-movement-composting-toilet-clean-water-waste-fertiliser-eco-revolution Earhart the grey whale https://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/10-gray-whale-sounders-have-returned/ Indigenous languages https://en.unesco.org/courier/2019-1/indigenous-languages-knowledge-and-hope Travel-sickness remedy https://www.rivieratravel.co.uk/blog/12-ways-banish-seasickness Regrowing spring onions https://www.allrecipes.com/article/save-money-diy-fresh-green-onions/ Take Me To Church by Sinéad O'Connor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMzY_KQIKjU&pp=ygUlVGFrZSBNZSBUbyBDaHVyY2ggYnkgU2luw6lhZCBPJ0Nvbm5vcg%3D%3D This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Becky Smethurst discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Dr Becky Smethurst is a Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. She is the star of astronomy-themed You Tube channel Dr Becky. Her current research is trying to answer the question, “How do galaxies and black holes evolve together?” Her latest book is A Brief History of Black Holes. Black holes are neither “black” nor “holes” https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/dr-becky-smethurst/a-brief-history-of-black-holes/9781529086706 Annie Jump Cannon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Jump_Cannon The same algorithm that identifies stars also identifies individual whale sharks https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/star-mapping-algorithms-track-endangered-animals The dark sky sights of the UK https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/best-dark-sky-sites-uk You can measure the speed of light with a microwave https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/science/physics-and-astronomy/physics/measure-the-speed-light-your-microwave The "black hole of Calcutta" prison is where black holes get their name from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_of_Calcutta This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

DanRam discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. DanRam travels the globe as an Event MC & Speaker at over 100 events a year. Hosting changemakers like President Barack Obama, billionaire founders Sir Richard Branson and Reid Hoffman, F1 champion Nico Rosberg, Grammy-winning artists and celebrities, he works on 4 continents from college campuses to parliaments to in-house corporate innovation days for Fortune 500 companies to the biggest tech conferences in the world. His passion is to inspire people with his motto “Start Now Start Simple” in building a future we all want to live in. How to survive a charging wild lion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=829YuVH1dg8 Why introverts make better professional speakers https://www.givepowerfulpresentations.com/blog/3-reasons-why-introverts-make-great-public-speakers-pt-1 A superpower I can give you – adaptability https://blog.lumen.com/adaptability-embracing-the-new-superpower/ My 5G morning routine https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/18/psychologists-morning-habits-to-help-you-be-happier-more-productive.html Why MCs are more important to an event than speakers https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-reasons-hire-professional-emcee-mc-event-host-amy-mcwhirter/ The soul stirring music of Gospel Music legend Kirk Franklin https://www.star-telegram.com/entertainment/article272178398.html This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Helen Batten discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Helen Batten is an author and psychotherapist. Her non-fiction books delve into the historical worlds of circuses, nuns, a family of redheaded sisters and Victorian music hall and opera. After reading history at Cambridge, she trained as a journalist, and worked in television producing and directing documentaries for the BBC. She now works as an integrative psychotherapist and couples counsellor in private practice in London. Helen is currently working on a book about a murder, magic and sacred music in Renaissance Italy. Her books are Confessions of a Showman, Sisters of the East End, The Scarlet Sisters, and The Improbable Adventures of Miss Emily Soldene. Carlo Gesualdo https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/12/19/prince-of-darkness The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Relationships https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-four-horsemen-recognizing-criticism-contempt-defensiveness-and-stonewalling/ Emily Soldene https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/emily-soldene-who-was-life-facts-actress-writer-rebel/ How to have a good death https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sisters-East-End-Helen-Batten Homing by Jon Day https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/07/homing-jon-day-review-pigeons The Gladstone Arms https://www.thegladpub.co.uk/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Andrew Pontzen discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Andrew Pontzen is a cosmologist and a Professor at University College London. He is currently principal investigator on the ERC-funded GMGalaxies project, and co-director of UCL's Cosmoparticle Initiative. Previously he held a Royal Society University Research fellowship and, before that, junior fellowships in Oxford and Cambridge. His latest book is The Universe in a Box. Simulations and the role they play in science and society https://original.newsbreak.com/@massachusetts-updates-1665615/3107758662878-decoding-the-universe-the-role-of-computer-simulations-in-cosmology Beatrice Hill Tinsley https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/obituaries/overlooked-beatrice-tinsley-astronomer.html Hugh Everett https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hugh-everett-biography/ There are in the order of 200 billion terrestrial planets in our galaxy https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/what-is-an-exoplanet/planet-types/terrestrial/ Bayesian probability https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2016/06/bayesian-statistics-beginners-simple-english/ Sierpinski triangle https://fractalfoundation.org/OFC/OFC-2-1.html This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Jonathan Sayer discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Jonathan Sayer is an award-winning comedy playwright and screenwriter; he is the co-author of The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, and many more. He is a writer, performer and Creative Director of Mischief Comedy. His work has been performed internationally in forty-six territories including The West End and Broadway. His new book is Nowhere to Run: The ridiculous life of a semi-professional football club chairman. More information is at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455269/nowhere-to-run-by-sayer-jonathan/9781787636897 Ashton United and non-league football https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/10/non-league-football-season-ticket-sales-ashton-united-jonathan-sayer The virtues of growing your own veg https://urbanrootsgardenmarket.ca/the-top-5-benefits-of-growing-your-own-vegetables/ JG Farrell https://www.bookforum.com/print/1203/at-his-death-1979-j-g-farrell-was-called-his-generation-s-greatest-historical-novelist-does-the-claim-hold-up-2017 Dunning Kruger effect https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/dunning-kruger-effect Twisted Wheel https://www.fredperry.com/subculture/articles/twisted-wheel-pl Al Lubel https://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/a/34098/al_lubel/review This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Thomas Curran discsses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Thomas Curran is a professor of psychology at the London School of Economics and author of a landmark study that the BBC hailed as “the first to compare perfectionism across generations.” His TED Talk on perfectionism has received more than three million views. His research has been featured in media ranging from the Harvard Business Review to New Scientist to CNN and he has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. His new book is The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough, which is available at https://www.amazon.com/Perfection-Trap-Embracing-Power-Enough/dp/1982149531/. Perfectionism is not high standards https://www.thementalfitnesscompany.com/perfectionism-or-high-standards/ It does not make us more successful https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-successful-people-rarely-perfectionists-john-mclachlan-2f Perfectionism has many faces https://www.apa.org/monitor/nov03/manyfaces It is rising rapidly among young people https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/01/perfectionism-young-people Perfectionism is nature and nurture https://thedaily.case.edu/perfectionism-is-a-mix-of-nature-nurture-says-psychologys-amy-przeworski/ The antidote to perfectionism is self-acceptance https://www.kindfulbody.com/blog/self-compassion-antidote-perfectionism This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Anna Katharina Schaffner discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Anna Katharina Schaffner is a cultural historian and professional burnout coach. Her books include The Art of Self-Improvement: Ten Timeless Truths, Exhaustion: A History and the novel The Truth about Julia. Anna writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement and Psychology Today. Feelings of exhaustion are nothing new https://aeon.co/ideas/why-exhaustion-is-not-unique-to-our-overstimulated-age We are not our thoughts https://www.the-exhaustion-coach.com/post/what-s-so-great-about-acceptance-and-commitment-therapy Mind metaphors matter https://psyche.co/ideas/youre-not-a-computer-youre-a-tiny-stone-in-a-beautiful-mosaic We are profoundly shaped by stories about ourselves https://ideas.ted.com/the-two-kinds-of-stories-we-tell-about-ourselves/ ‘Dead man’s goals’ are not enough for creating sustainable behavioural change https://joshuanhook.com/2018/02/04/turn-around-your-dead-mans-goals/ Only Lovers Left Alive https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/feb/20/only-lovers-left-alive-review This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Ivan Wise adopts six quiz show formats and asks himself some searching questions. He uses Family Friends to try and work out if we all think of the same extinct bird, American prison and canyon, He adopts Uiversity Challenge to try and answer the text of Padgett Powell's The Interrogative Mood - A Novel? in which every sentence is a question. He employs Who Wants to be a Millionaire to consider the exact wording of King Henry II's request about Thomas Beckett. Wilhelm Gustloff https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deadliest-disaster-sea-happened-75-years-ago-yet-its-barely-known-why-180974077/ Charlton Athletic v Huddersfield, 1957 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Athletic_F.C._7%E2%80%936_Huddersfield_Town_A.F.C. Ignaz Semmelweis https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/01/12/375663920/the-doctor-who-championed-hand-washing-and-saved-women-s-lives Manuscripts destroyed by fire https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/ralph-ellisons-slow-burning-art Spanish flu https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/1918-flu-pandemic Charborough Wall http://www.charborough.co.uk/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

David Robson discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. David Robson is an award-winning science writer based in London. His latest book, The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life (Canongate/Henry Holt), was a Financial Times Best Book of 2022 and won the British Psychological Society Book Award in 2023. His was previously a features editor at New Scientist and a senior journalist at the BBC, and he writes regularly for the Guardian, the Observer, and the Psychologist. Find out more at www.davidrobson.me. How the nocebo effect makes us sick https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150210-can-you-think-yourself-to-death Why speaking in the third person makes us smarter https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230411-illeism-the-ancient-trick-to-help-you-think-more-wisely How to escape the illusion of knowledge: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220812-the-illusion-of-knowledge-that-makes-people-overconfident Reframing fatigue can boost your workouts: https://psyche.co/ideas/physical-fatigue-is-in-the-brain-as-much-as-in-the-body Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/hiding-in-plain-sight-natalia-ginzburgs-masterpiece Love Soup https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/feb/12/love-soup-box-set-review This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Hana Ayoob discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Hana Ayoob is a science communicator and illustrator using art and events to explore the world around us. She speaks at a range of events from science festivals to comedy nights, produces illustrations for books and other projects, and provides training and consulting for universities and other organisations. Honey badgers https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63407/11-fierce-facts-about-honey-badger Leonardo Da Vinci (the man rather than the myth) https://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/08/world/europe/leonardo-da-vinci-life/index.html Singapore https://www.timeout.com/singapore/things-to-do/9-hidden-gems-you-never-knew-existed-in-singapore How to draw anything by Scriberia https://info.scriberia.com/free-chapter-howtodrawanything How useless the human sinuses are https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-sinuses-the-mysterious-holes-in-our-heads-2006jul16-story.html Henna https://stepfeed.com/8-things-you-didn-t-know-about-henna-4526 This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Lewis Dartnell discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Professor Lewis Dartnell is a research scientist, presenter and author based in London. He graduated from Oxford University with a First Class degree in Biological Sciences and completed his PhD at University College London in 2007. He now holds the Professorship in Science Communication at the University of Westminster. His research is in the field of astrobiology and the search for microbial life on Mars. He has also held a STFC Science in Society Fellowship and is very active in delivering live events at schools and science festivals, working as a scientific consultant for the media, and have appeared in numerous TV documentaries and radio shows. He has won several awards for his science writing and outreach work and regularly freelances for newspapers and magazine articles. He has also published five books: The Knowledge was the Sunday Times ‘New Thinking’ Book of the Year and international bestseller, and Origins: How the Earth Made Us is a Sunday Times top History book of 2019. Being Human: How our Biology shaped World History is now out. Dave Gingery and his lathe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._Gingery SODIS https://www.sodis.ch/methode/index_EN.html How voting in the US southern states follows a 75-million-year-old seafloor https://www.history.co.uk/article/how-earth-shaped-human-history-interview-with-lewis-dartnell-about-origins Link between a defunct gene in human DNA and the emergence of the Mafia https://www.newscientist.com/podcasts/199-being-human-lewis-dartnell-on-how-our-biology-shapes-our-actions/ How tropical diseases helped bring about the union between England and Scotland https://www.nls.uk/exhibitions/scotland-and-darien/ Titan and possibility of two biospheres https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/28jun_titanocean This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Oliver Burkeman discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Oliver Burkeman is the author of the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks, about embracing limitation and finally getting round to what counts, along with The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking and Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done. For many years he wrote a popular column for the Guardian, 'This Column Will Change Your Life'. In his email newsletter The Imperfectionist, he writes about productivity, mortality, the power of limits and building a meaningful life in an age of distraction. He lives in the North York Moors. The Zettelkasten https://zenkit.com/en/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-zettelkasten-method/ Death: The End of Self-Improvement by Joan Tollifson https://www.joantollifson.com/book-death-the-end-of-self-improvement.html The fact that everyone is just winging it https://www.theguardian.com/news/oliver-burkeman-s-blog/2014/may/21/everyone-is-totally-just-winging-it Rosedale Chimney Bank and Spaunton Moor https://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walk-1921-description "Ought implies can" https://platofootnote.wordpress.com/2016/06/13/ought-implies-can-or-does-it/ This Jungian Life https://thisjungianlife.com/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Rachel Nuwer discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Rachel Nuwer is an award-winning freelance science journalist and author who regularly contributes to the New York Times, Scientific American and National Geographic. Her first book, Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking, took her to a dozen countries to investigate the multi-billion dollar illegal wildlife trade. Her new book, I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World, delves into the history, science, politics and culture of MDMA. She lives in Brooklyn. MDMA has been used by therapists since the 1970s https://www.amazon.com/Feel-Love-Quest-Connection-Fractured/dp/1635579570/ Most health problems and deaths attributed to MDMA are the result of prohibition https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-61734334 Composting is a really easy way to support the environment https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/compost-new-york-city-zero-waste/ Trophy hunting contributes to conservation in Africa https://www.biographic.com/africas-conservation-conundrum/ Arresting poachers won't solve the problem of illegal wildlife trade https://www.amazon.com/Poached-Inside-World-Wildlife-Trafficking/dp/0306825503 Rabbits are incredible pets and should be kept indoors http://allaboutrabbitsrescue.org/rabbits-101/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Jack Ashby discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Jack Ashby is the Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. His zoological focus is on the mammals of Australia, but his work more broadly centres on engaging people with the natural world, chiefly through museums, and exploring the colonial biases that museums often exhibit. His books, Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals and Animal Kingdon: A Natural History in 100 Objects combine these scientific and social stories. From 2022-23 he was an Art Fund Headley Fellow. He is a trustee of the Natural Sciences Collections Association, an Honorary Research Fellow in UCL Science and Technology Studies, and formerly sat on the Council of the Society for the History of Natural History. Platypuses https://www.amazon.co.uk/Platypus-Matters-Extraordinary-Australian-Mammals/dp/0008431477/ Ali from Sarawak https://theconversation.com/i-am-ali-wallace-the-malay-assistant-of-alfred-russel-wallace-an-excerpt-85738 Biases in natural history museum displays https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/october/more-male-than-female-specimens-in-natural-history-collections.html Stockholm’s Biologiskamuseet https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/biologiska-museet Tasmanian devils https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/tasmanian-devil Gran Paradiso National Park https://www.cicerone.co.uk/five-ways-to-enjoy-italys-gran-paradiso-national-park This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Christian Donlan discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Chris Donlan is a writer and journalist. He was born in Los Angeles and now lives in Brighton with his family. His first book, The Unmapped Mind, was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley prize. https://www.eurogamer.net/something-solid-in-a-world-of-liars-the-tattooed-potato-and-the-most-haunted-address-in-new-york-cityhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/minds-behind-the-brain-stanley-finger/1101398997https://artuk.org/discover/artists/marlow-william-17401813https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2694/2694-h/2694-h.htmhttps://waterandpower.org/museum/Construction_of_the_GOB.htmlhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/the-black-eagle-of-harlem-95208344/ This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm