Episode 6: Uncommon Sense
4 01 2008
This episode explores two cases when we have realized that what we thought was common sense - well - wasn’t.
Guest essay - Scott Lough, “The Weirdness of Time” (part 1)
- for further reading:
- Anthony Aveni, Empires of Time: Calendars, Clocks, and Cultures (UP of Colorado, 2002).
- Scott Lough is a husband, father, Montessori teacher trainer, educational consultant, science writer, lay preacher and resident of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, in Canada.
Host essay - “Quantity vs. Quality”
- for further reading:
- Michael Adas, Machines as the Measure of Men: Science, Technology, and Ideologies of Western Dominance (Cornell UP, 1992).
- Marcia Ascher, Mathematics Elsewhere: An Exploration of Ideas across Cultures (Princeton UP, 2002).
- Zakes Mda, The Heart of Redness: A Novel (Picador, 2003).
- Marguerite Poland, David Hammond-Tooke, and Leigh Voigt, The Abundant Herds: A Celebration of the Cattle of the Zulu People (Fernwood Press, 2003).
- Keith Thomas, Man and the Natural World: Changing Attitudes in England, 1500-1800 (Oxford UP, 1983).
On the Shelf:
- Roberta Bivins, Alternative Medicine?: A History (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007).
Audio credits:
All music on this program courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network, except where noted.
- Sunburn in Cyprus, History (intro & outro)
- Happy Gemini 3, Pondering the 10th Planet (transitions)
- Ichiro Nakagawa, Slightly Different Flow of Time (during first segment)
- nurse, Daylight Savings Time Again (following first segment)
- Daniel Berkman, Heartstrings 2004 (during second segment; courtesy of Magnatune)
- Thee Phantom 5ive, Cattle Swagger (following second segment)
- Sound effects courtesy of the FreeSound Project:
Hi Elizabeth,
I just finished episodes 5 & 6 while I’m in San Diego for Armchair Astronomy talks. Nice job on both of them.
I’m eagerly looking forward to hearing you do an issue on astronomical legends, myths, and achievements in South African cultures from your time in South Africa. It’s an area I really would like to know more about for my interests.
For your book shelf reccommendations, I highly recommend A Brief History of Almost Everythng by Timothy Ferrris. I don’t have it with me, but as I recall it’s about 2 years old, and considering the wide breadth he covers, has very few errors. It’s extremely readable for general populations with delightful anecdotes about many famous scientists. (I would imagine Liam has already read it and written his review!)
Best wishes,
Ken VanLew