Podcast - Cautionary Tales - Tim Harford - anyone else impressed with this?

ToneControl

This has to be my favourite podcast, so good that I wanted to share it 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gwq3ky1

here are some of the episodes

Episodes (24 Available)

Buried Evil: V2 Rocket (Part 3)The evil heart of the V2 manufacturing program is uncovered in a concentration camp.39 mins01 Mar 2024

Into the Black Lair: V2 Rocket (Part 2)How Nazi Germany was convinced that they couldn’t afford to ignore rocket technology.39 mins16 Feb 2024

Supersonic Nazi Vengeance: V2 Rocket (Part 1)

In WW2, British intelligence began to hear that the enemy was developing a rocket weapon.

• 36 mins
• 02 Feb 2024

The Dunning Kruger Hijack (and Other Criminally Stupid Acts)The height of stupidity is being too stupid to know you are stupid...35 mins08 Dec 2023

Catching a KiIler DoctorA doctor who killed hundreds of patients left us clues... but why couldn't we see them?35 mins08 Dec 2023

The Art Forger, the Nazi, and "The Pope"Being clever doesn't protect us from scams...35 mins08 Dec 2023

Florence Nightingale and Her Geeks Declare War on Death

How the famed nurse battled to save lives...using statistics, graphs and colored pens.

• 35 mins
• 08 Dec 2023

Martin Luther King Jr, the Jewellery Genius, and the Art of Public SpeakingSome speeches help us dream of a better world…while others become the stuff of nightmares35 mins08 Dec 2023

Bowie, Jazz and the Unplayable Piano

At times we do our best work not when things are going well, but outside our comfort zone

• 30 mins
• 08 Dec 2023

How Britain Invented, Then Ignored, BlitzkriegWhy organizations can't always see a brilliant idea that's staring them in the face.36 mins08 Dec 2023

Buried by the Wall Street CrashTwo men faced ruin due to thinking they could predict financial futures…one bounced back.36 mins08 Dec 2023

bacchanalian

Very high production values like all of the Pushkin podcasts. 
Check out Revisionist History and Broken Record as well.

ToneControl

I relistened to this one yesterday:
Buried by the Wall Street CrashTwo men faced ruin due to thinking they could predict financial futures…one bounced back.36 mins08 Dec 2023

I wanted to make sure I remembered it properly

It covers "Active open mindedness".
this was the characteristic of the (rare) super-forecasters that Tetlow discovered in his experiment.

Basically, when provided with new information, they found it easy to change their mind, rather than clinging on to their original opinion.
I now realise why arguing about politics on internet forums is an unrewarding experience for many people. ;-)

I like to think I change my mind when new data appears, not sure if that was from my scientific training or what, but I enjoy having my opinions refined and revised as a result of civil discussions. Sadly some people get very emotionally attached to their opinions, and get aggressive and even rude when new data is presented.

I have a mate who just has opinions, and rarely even has any background knowledge on subjects. that seems weird to me, but I now realise it's commonplace

exocet

Licence fee covered with that series alone. (Runs for cover)

JEM

Thanks, I like Tim Harford and hadn't heard of this. I'll check it out.

hywelg

JEM said:

Thanks, I like Tim Harford and hadn't heard of this. I'll check it out.

Ditto, thanks @ToneControl ;

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

I'll definitely give the episodes about the V2 rockets a go. Recently read and enjoyed Robert Harris's novel V2*, and have to say I knew naff all about them before hand.

*Wasn't his best by any means, but still a good little page turner, like all his novels.

ToneControl

bacchanalian said:

Very high production values like all of the Pushkin podcasts. 
Check out Revisionist History and Broken Record as well.

ah, Malcolm Gladwell was on my list to find next after his guest appearances in Tim Harford's one.