Let's Know Things

On this episode, we talk about great big events, the interconnectedness of everything, and why it’s so difficult for us to perceive outsized happenings — or in some cases even believe they exist.We also take a look at cyanobacteria, riff on Mount Tambora, and learn the amazing name of a proto-bicycle. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we talk about population, and why we drown in think pieces every time it goes up or down worldwide or in a given locale.We also address why it is that when we talk about population, we’re usually not just talking about population. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On this week’s episode, we talk about words: their use, overuse, the watering-down of their meaning over time, and how they eventually acquire definition-baggage.We also talk a bit about swearing and Pig Latin. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On today’s episode, we talk about the increasing number of ways the real world and the online world overlap, and what that means for how we exist and interact in these spaces. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of Let’s Know Things, we talk about how perception can influence our decisions, whether we’re choosing a wine or a presidential candidate.We’ll also talk about how negative biases about some groups can color our impressions of potentially beneficial advances, and discuss how this knowledge might allow us to make better decisions for ourselves. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On this week’s episode of Let’s Know Things, we touch on the idea of shunning, then deep-dive into empiricism versus faith, trust and journalism, and how politicians are like magicians.We also discuss why diluting the influence of journalism and journalists is a wonderful short-term tactic, but potentially very harmful in the long-term. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On today’s episode we discuss intelligence, and in particular the types of intelligence we find outside of our own species.We’ll also address the questions we’ll need to answer as we learn more about these non-human minds, and how our interactions with them might change our perception of society. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Today we’ll talk about tourism, what it means and where it started, and how it’s being usurped by companies like Airbnb. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On today’s episode, we’ll talk about the history of remote controls, before segueing into an exploration of the history of modern advertising.From there, we discuss about the development of the internet, and how the current click-based economy grew out of that soil. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Today's episode isn't a standard show — instead I'll answer some questions, talk about how the show's been doing and where it's going, and discuss sponsorships and how they'll be integrated into the podcast.Let's Know Things is produced and hosted by Colin Wright.For more information about the podcast, to sign up for the LKT newsletter, or to learn how best to support the show, visit letsknowthings.com. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Today we talk about beliefs, the increased polarity of them in recent years, and some of the causes of that polarization. We’ll discuss how this applies to politics, religion, and UFOs.We’ll also talk about the benefits of tribalism, how those benefits become liabilities under the wrong leader and on scale, and how to puncture the filter bubble. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode is about the seemingly ceaseless surge of the new against the ostensibly sturdy walls of the established.We’ll talk about the Ottoman Turks and Attila, Scotch whisky, sushi, and even touch for a moment on the publishing industry. But this larger discussion stems primarily from an article about basketball. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On today’s episode, we talk about privilege in its many different shapes and forms and contexts.We’ll also dive into the benefits of being aware of one’s privilege: for society, and for oneself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, we’ll start with a discussion about ego depletion, segue into a rivalry between a tech billionaire and the online news behemoth who outed him, and then pull Hulk Hogan into the mix.From there, we’ll pivot to a conversation about actions and consequences, internet neutrality, political sightedness, and the gulf between here and where we could be. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’ll talk about end of the world scenarios from around the world. We’ll also talk about Big Data: what it is, how it’s collected, how it’s used and by whom, and why it’s worth understanding.We’ll also chat a bit about heuristics, filter bubbles, and priorities. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we talk about suburbia: what it is, how it came to be, its impact throughout many different time periods, and why it tends to suck.We’ll also touch on what’s happening now that we’ve fallen out of love with suburbs, at least compared to our many centuries of obsession with them. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On this week’s episode of Let’s Know Things, we talk about artificial intelligence and automation: the differences between them, why they matter, and how they inform what happens in pretty much every sphere of life.We’ll also dive into topics like post-scarcity economics and end-of-world scenarios. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of Let’s Know Things, we talk about free speech: what it means, where it’s going, and why we can’t seem to agree about how to apply and enforce it.There’s a particular focus on how it applies within schools, as that’s been a hot-button topic, but is also an excellent microcosmic means of understanding the larger picture. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

In this, the first episode of the Let’s Know Things podcast, we start by talking about the concept of contextualism, followed by an introduction to the format of the show.From there, we dive into a conversation about China, what it means to be a superpower in the 21st Century, what that status means and what’s required to achieve it, and why the way we talk about other nations is important. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe