Month: September 2015

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Queuing Backwards

Queuing backwards Britons love to queue, but have we been getting it wrong? Lars Peter Osterdal from the University of Southern Denmark discusses his theory of how to make queuing more efficient. Thinking Like an Engineer Engineer Guru Madhavan tells the story of the development of the barcode and argues that those making policy should ask engineers as well as economists about solving social problems. Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Wesley Stephenson

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Serious Inquiries Only - AS169: Parenting as an Atheist: Sex and Porn Edition

What happens when you catch your 8 year old looking at porn? Well, when you are religious, you can freak out and give a very distraught lecture to your child. But what about when you’re an atheist? Does the same moral outrage apply? Joining me this week are 3 secular parents to discuss this very … Continue reading AS169: Parenting as an Atheist: Sex and Porn Edition →

The post AS169: Parenting as an Atheist: Sex and Porn Edition appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.

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African Tech Roundup - Evolution Of Mobile Phones, What’s Next?

You probably remember how popular Nokia's 3310 device was when it launched back in 2000. Affectionately known as “Die Hard” by ardent fans, it was for many the possession that would make them truly feel a part of 21st Century civilisation. It’s pretty incredible how far mobile telephony has come in the 15 years since Nokia launched the record-breaking 3310 handset. Who could have guessed that in 2015, Nokia would be a faltering giant, Africa would be at the forefront of the world’s mobile-first/mobile-only revolution, and that much of the continent’s “connected” population would be almost exclusively reliant on mobile devices to access the world-wide-web? In this week’s discussion, Tefo Mohapi and Andile Masuku chat about some of what’s changed (or hasn’t) in the mobile phone technology space over the last decade and a half, and ponder what innovations we should expect to see emerge as we sail into a future which promises ever more technological advancement. Also in this week's African Tech Round-up, all the week's biggest digital tech and innovation news: -- Suspects nabbed in illegal South African government order scam, -- A University of Pretoria post-graduate student wins a prize for a clever asthma attack predictor, and -- Nigeria plans to deploy aerial drones in effort to combat oil theft at its ports. This episode was brought to you by e-magination.co.za, an information management and business intellegence solutions company. Music Credits: Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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World Book Club - Andrey Kurkov – Death and the Penguin

Andrey Kurkov discusses his darkly comic novel Death and the Penguin with Harriett Gilbert, and responds to listeners' questions from around the world. The book is set in the grey and deeply surreal world of the former Soviet republic, in which aspiring writer Viktor, who lives with his pet penguin Misha, is asked to write obituaries for Ukrainian VIPs. But the VIPs are still alive - for now. His pride turns to terror as he realises that both he and Misha have been drawn into a trap, from which there seems to be no escape.

The programme is recorded live in his native Ukraine, at the historic Mikhail Bulgakov Museum in Kiev.*

*(Bulgagov was a Kiev-born Russian writer and playwright from the first half of the 20th Century)

(Photo: Andrey Kurkov sitting next to his literary hero, Mikhail Bulgakov, in Kiev. Credit: Daniel Simons)

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Petrodollar 101

When oil is traded in US cash, the currency is called a petrodollar. It's a fundamental part of international trade -- but it's also a continual source of conspiratorial allegations. Join Matt and Ben as they explore the fact and fiction surrounding the petrodollar.

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They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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