November 2021 Roundup: What I am Reading, Watching and Listening To
What I Am Reading
This is how your brain makes your mind
“Your mind is in fact an ongoing construction of your brain, your body, and the surrounding world.”
The New Science of Clocks Prompts Questions About the Nature of Time
“Studies of the simplest possible clocks have revealed their fundamental limitations — as well as insights into the nature of time itself.”
You'll Never Login the Same Way Again
“Wallet-based authentication will dominate in the next decade because it puts the user in control, where we want to be. The wallet replaces the username, the password, and the cookie.”
What I am Watching:
A monkey economy as irrational as ours
Laurie Santos looks for the roots of human irrationality by watching the way our primate relatives make decisions. A clever series of experiments in "monkeynomics" shows that some of the silly choices we make, monkeys make too.
How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas
Do you sometimes have your most creative ideas while folding laundry, washing dishes or doing nothing in particular? It's because when your body goes on autopilot, your brain gets busy forming new neural connections that connect ideas and solve problems. Learn to love being bored as Manoush Zomorodi explains the connection between spacing out and creativity
Why the universe seems so strange
Biologist Richard Dawkins makes a case for "thinking the improbable" by looking at how the human frame of reference limits our understanding of the universe.
What I am Listening To:
Not only do they look good, but surprising research is revealing the health benefits of houseplants. In this episode, Michael Mosley explores the science, discovers which houseplants have the biggest impact, and reveals just how many you need in a room to feel the effects. Michael speaks to Dr Tijana Blanusa of the Royal Horticultural Society, to explore the science behind how houseplants can not only improve productivity and cognition at work, they can also improve air quality, helping you literally breathe easier.