Do you really know?

Latest Episodes:

What is Kairos? Aug 24, 2020

Show notes

What is Kairos? Thanks for asking!

The ancient Greeks had two words for “time”. The first, Chronos, refers to chronological time which can be clearly measured. Meanwhile Kairos is more about quality. It is used when talking about an “opportune moment”. As the saying goes, timing is everything! It was originally used in science by Hippocrates, who is seen as the father of medicine. He and his students suggested that there were two ways of failing when treating an illness: either taking action too early or too late. Of course in between the two, you have the opportune moment to carry out treatment. In rhetoric, kairos is a strategy based on the timeliness of a line of argument. Aristotle connected it to his rhetorical triangle of ethos, pathos and logos, teaching that in each situation, the right moment will come to use one over the others. So it wasn’t enough to simply express a correct idea. It was considered just as important to state it at the right time. Kairos is therefore also considered a mode of persuasion in rhetoric. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle introduces the notion of kairos to analyse human actions. Taking advantage of kairos is to seize the rare moment when our desires and fate coincide.

So how can I make sure I don’t miss out on kairos?!

In so far as many of the circumstances which define kairos are external, there are no strict rules on how to benefit from it. Seizing an opportunity isn’t an exact science after all. It requires finesse, flair, intuition and various other qualities. You can sometimes create a situation which allows you to communicate at the opportune time. Some observers have suggested making time for kairos moments on a daily basis, especially in the world of work. Kairos time may help us achieve objectives, reduce burnout and keep us passionate about what we do.

Do you have any concrete examples then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a caffè sospeso?

What is a leap year?

What is nudge theory?

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a sebum cure? Aug 22, 2020

Show notes

What is a sebum cure? Thanks for asking!

The sebum cure is a natural hair care method, which consists in avoiding shampoo for a given period of time. Certain internet users have taken advantage of self-isolation to try the sebum cure without having to put up with greasy hair in public.

So how does it work and is it really effective?

Shampoo addicts know for a fact: greasy hair is a true vicious cycle. The greasier it is, the more you wash it, the faster it becomes greasy again. That might have to do with the aggressive nature of some shampoos which irritate the scalp, stimulate sebaceous glands and strip your hair off the sebum that protects the scalp from aggressive factors. So as a way of breaking the cycle of “it gets greasy, I attack it, it gets greasy again” certain influencers promote the sebum cure. The point is quite simple: forget about shampoo for about a month and let your hair get greasy! As you proceed with the cure, it is recommended however to brush your hair daily to remove dust and distribute the sebum evenly along the hair shaft. If you have long hair, in a few weeks the sebum will reach the hair ends and its secretion will self-regulate in a natural way. The hair coated with sebum will be just as well-groomed as if treated with vegetable oils, for example.

Proponents of the sebum cure stress the multiple advantages it offers: it facilitates hair growth, makes your hair more voluminous, softer and shinier. Self-isolation comes in handy. Although under different circumstances it’s also possible to go through with the cure by wearing your hair in a bun or putting on an accessory, like a headscarf. And don't forget to brush off the first jerk that comes your way: “Yup, my hair is greasy, do you have a problem with that?” Thirty days later, despite the joy going back to shampoo might bring, it is recommended to opt for a softer kind and take it slow!

But is it just a youtuber's trick or does it actually work? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a caffè sospeso?

What is a leap year?

What is nudge theory?

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a caffè sospeso? Aug 20, 2020

Show notes

What is a caffè sospeso? Thanks for asking!

Caffè sospeso literally translates to English as a ‘suspended coffee’. It’s an Italian tradition whereby cafe customers pay for an extra coffee that will be put aside, for a poor person to claim at a later time. The caffè sospeso idea can be extended to other types of food, and it’s seen a revival in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s believed the caffè sospeso tradition was born in Naples’ historic Gambrinus café, around the start of the 20th century. The idea was simple: if a person felt like they had had a lucky day, they would pay for two coffees instead of one. The second ‘suspended’ coffee would later be given to the first poor person who asked for one. And by the way, you can suspend other items too, the concept is not just limited to coffee. It could be a sandwich, bottle of water or pastry for example.

Nice idea! Is it only the Italians who are big on solidarity then?

A similar principle has existed in Turkish bakeries for centuries, relating to bread. A customer asks for two loaves of bread, and tells the baker the second one is askida ekmek, translating to “bread on a hanger”, or “suspended bread”. Back in Naples and Italy, the tradition slowly became less common, perhaps due to the postwar economic boom, globalisation and ever-expanding tourism. That was the case at least until 2011, when the Mayor of Naples called for a return of the tradition, by creating a dedicated day called the Giornata del caffè sospeso. This development created a buzz on social media, and the practice of ‘paying it forward’ became known in other countries. Many appreciated this show of solidarity. From then onwards, other types of businesses picked up on this in Europe, North America and Asia.

So how do we know for sure that what we pay forward actually gets given out to a person in need? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a leap year?

What is nudge theory?

What is a showrunner?

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a leap year? Aug 19, 2020

Show notes

What is a leap year?

2008, 2012, 2016, 2020... a leap year comes along every four years, lasting 366 days instead of 365 as you probably know. In a leap year, the shortest month of the year, February, has 29 days instead of 28. So if you’re born on February 29th, you only get to celebrate on that exact date when a leap year occurs. Every other year, you’ll need to decide on which date to celebrate: February 28th or March 1st. Most people opt for the latter out of superstition. People born on February 29th are sometimes known as ‘leaplings’, ‘leapers’ or ‘leap year babies’. Some famous leaplings include rapper Ja Rule, actress Caitlin E.J. Meyer and motivational speaker Tony Robbins. Leaplings should beware the leap year bug, which affects computer systems that are programmed with the rule that a year always has 365 days. Similar issues can affect administrative paperwork.

So where did the weird idea of adding an extra calendar day every four years come from?

We actually measure time based on planet Earth’s rotations on its own axis and orbits around the sun. The planet takes one day to fully rotate around itself, like a spinning top! It takes a lot longer to complete one full orbit of the sun however, adding up to one year or slightly over 365 days. This is known as a tropical or solar year. That’s right, the duration is over 365 days because a tropical year is never made up of an exact number of days. When the Earth gets back to its starting position after a full orbit, it has rotated 365 times on its own axis, plus an additional quarter-rotation which makes all the difference. If you want to be really precise, you should know that the exact length of a tropical year can vary by up to 30 minutes. We could simply delay the start of every year by a quarter of a day to compensate for the difference. But that would end up affecting the time of day, as well as our system of seasons in a year. So we stick to 365 days, and add an extra day every leap year to best synchronize with our calendar.

So how far back was this system created and who decided on it? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen the last episodes, you can click here:

What is nudge theory?

What is a showrunner?

What is the anti-mask movement?

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is nudge theory? Aug 17, 2020

Show notes

What is nudge theory? Thanks for asking!

Nudge theory was developed back in 2008 by future Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler, along with legal scholar Cass Sunstein. The concept is part of behavioural economics, and uses positive reinforcement to influence groups and individuals. Nudges are small changes to an environment which are simple and inexpensive to put in place. Some of the most well-known examples of nudge theory are rather amusing. The image of a housefly is etched onto each of the urinals in the men’s restrooms at Amsterdam Schiphol airport.

But, what happened in Amsterdam?

It’s not always easy to aim without a target right?! Well, with this in mind, the housefly experiment was carried out at Amsterdam Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest airports. Back in the 1990s, the image of a fly was etched on urinals in the airport’s toilets. Simply due to having some form of target caused men to instinctively concentrate on their aim. This in turn reduced unwanted splashes from the urinals. Restroom users rejoiced, as did the Dutch airport’s management, who saw their clean-up costs reduced by 80%! In this specific case, the goal was to use a game to encourage greater cleanliness, without encroaching on users’ freedom of choice. It’s a kind of hidden paternalism, which turned out to be more effective than forceful measures like punishment or guilt-tripping. As it turns out, humans are often less rational creatures than we might think. Another nudge technique involves using painted illusions of speed bumps on pedestrian crossing markings, causing approaching drivers to slow down. These techniques are inspired by behavioural science, a field in which public authorities have only invested fairly recently. Meanwhile marketers have been testing out such ideas for a long time.

Are we saying nudges are a form of manipulation? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen the last episodes, you can click here:

What is the anti-mask movement?

What is ammonium nitrate?

What is a meme?

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a showrunner? Aug 15, 2020

Show notes

What is a showrunner?

The whole world is streaming TV shows and series more than ever before. And yet many of these shows wouldn’t even exist without the role of the showrunner. This person is seen as top of the food chain, and contributes to almost every aspect of production, from the writing room to the filming studio.

The all-encompassing showrunner role has been compared to that of an orchestra conductor. It’s best known in the United States, but it’s gaining in popularity elsewhere too.

You can't really compare the role of the showrunner to that of a director? Although the showrunner is generally present during filming to exercise creative authority, they often rely on one or more directors. TV shows have a lot of moving parts, with a large team effort needed.

The showrunner position is therefore really a mix of creative and managerial responsibilities. They have to make sure everything runs as intended, all the while adhering to the creative vision.

Furthermore, the showrunner has the greatest accountability of anyone working on a series. Martin Gero, showrunner for NBC drama Blindspot, has gone on record saying: “The buck stops here...If anything is wrong with the show, the showrunner is to be blamed. We're involved in every creative and financial decision..."

Typically, showrunners are credited as “executive producers”. But the role differs from that of a traditional TV producer role, which is more linked with a show’s physical aspects, like cast negotiations and crew hiring.

Interestingly, showrunners usually come from a writing background. A typical career path involves working their way up through the writer’s room, from assistant to staff writer to editor and so forth.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the anti-mask movement? Aug 13, 2020

Show notes

What is the anti-mask movement? Thanks for asking!

Since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, wearing a face covering has become normalised in many places. But an increasing number of people have come out in opposition of making face masks compulsory. Their main argument is that it’s a breach of individual freedom. Some believe that masks aren’t actually effective, and even question the need for other public health measures like social distancing.

Are there really that many anti-maskers out there?

There have been protests across many countries, including the USA, Canada, the UK and Germany. The common message is that forcing citizens to wear face masks is oppressive and anti-democratic. On the 2nd of August, 15,000 protesters gathered in Berlin, brandishing placards and wearing T-shirts with slogans such as: “My health, my choice” and “Resistance”. Some conspiracy theorists believe that the coronavirus was simply invented by the media, or blown out of all proportion. Journalists at the scene reported that many participants were anti-vaccine militants, and members of a far-right group were also present. Germany has so far seen a relatively low total of coronavirus deaths, under 10,000 at the time of recording. But citizens from other harder hit countries are also at the forefront of the anti-mask movement. It all started in the United States, taking on political and ideological connotations. Anti-mask messages sprung up and spread quickly on social media, leading to a number of small protests. Similar scenes were seen in the United Kingdom and Canada over the following summer months.

And we’ve also seen heads of state criticise the use of face masks? And regardless of people’s views, face coverings have been made compulsory in many places. So how are anti-maskers reacting? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a meme?

What is philanthropy ?

What is Globish?

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is ammonium nitrate? Aug 12, 2020

Show notes

What is ammonium nitrate? Thanks for asking!

The city of Beirut was struck by a violent explosion last week, causing over 150 deaths and injuring thousands. The cause of the disaster in the Lebanese capital was ammonium nitrate. Nearly 3000 tonnes of the substance exploded in a warehouse in the city’s port area. This chemical compound, otherwise known as NH4 N03, is mostly used as an agricultural fertilizer, improving productivity. It’s made by reacting ammonia with nitric acid. Its appearance is similar to that of salt; it’s a crystal-like, odourless white solid. While ammonium nitrate is not flammable itself, it is combustive. It’s mixed with TNT to create explosions in the construction and mining industries.

So how did the Beirut explosion come about?

Ammonium nitrate doesn’t combust easily, but it has to be stored in the right conditions nevertheless. At a temperature of over 210° C, it decomposes into different gases. This reaction releases a very high quantity of energy, creating a shock wave. So isolating the compound from other flammable products is highly important. Depending on storage conditions, the ammonium nitrate in Beirut may have come into contact with other substances, causing the explosion. Since the incident occurred, a number of shocking videos have surfaced on social media and been picked up by news outlets. They show an orange mushroom cloud, which may be toxic gas nitrogen dioxide. It is particularly harmful for humans, irritating airways in the respiratory system. But it’s still difficult to be sure about the exact circumstances. An investigation should shed light on the security flaws which brought about the catastrophe.

How did such a high quantity of ammonium nitrate come to be stored in one location? Has ammonium nitrate caused explosions elsewhere in the past? If the substance is so dangerous, why hasn’t it been banned? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen the last episodes, you can click here:

What is a meme?

What is philanthropy ?

What is Globish?

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a meme? Aug 10, 2020

Show notes

What is a meme? Thanks for asking!

An internet meme is a viral piece of content which spreads online and is transformed by web users. Memes often grow rapidly, being shared on social media, blogs and by email. Some go viral and become well-known all over the world. Many are somewhat absurd, with no particular meaning or purpose, other than to make people laugh! The word meme first appeared in the 1970s. It was created by British ethologist Richard Dawkins, to explain how ideas replicate, mutate and evolve. The term was reappropriated in the internet age, and even Dawkins himself became a meme, in the new sense of the word! One of the first well-known internet memes dates back to 1996. It’s a video of a 3D dancing baby in a nappy.

OK so internet weirdness is nothing new then!

These days, a meme is an expression of internet culture. Just log in to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and you can find the same original image transformed in tens of different ways. It grows and evolves for months, then disappears gradually. And memes aren’t just visual, some well-known audio examples include: the Nyan Cat music, the Simpsons laugh, a Hitler film line, the epic sax guy or the Trololo singer. If most of these sounds mean something to us, it’s because we’ve heard them plenty of times. They’ve been transformed by many creative web users, and are now part of popular culture, especially among millennials.

So what causes an idea to become a meme? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen the last episodes, you can click here:

What is Globish?

What is the P-Spot?

What is a heatwave?

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is philanthropy? Aug 08, 2020

Show notes

What is philanthropy? Thanks for asking!

Philanthropy is the feeling which pushes people to help those in need. Most often, it’s manifested by the rich giving to the poor. In times of crisis, like the Covid-19 pandemic, calls for philanthropy are commonplace. It’s almost as if private donations can take on the responsibilities of a state and its public institutions. The concept of charity has existed for a long time, and its philosophies are often associated with religion. While there is somewhat of an overlap, philanthropy is not entirely the same thing. Charity seeks to ease the impact of a social problem, whereas philanthropy looks to address the root cause. Some cite the birth of philanthropy as being during the Age of Enlightenment in Europe. But it really developed in late 19th century America, inspired by newly rich businessmen. The premise is simple: if you have a lot of money and you’re a good person, you should share it; give back to society a little of what it has given you.

Let's be real, it's also to have a clean conscience and good reputation, right?

It’s also to have a clean conscience and good reputation. By giving, philanthropists can also receive...even more money! A lot of governments support philanthropy by granting tax reductions. In the United States, this figure is 35% of the donation, while in France it goes as high as 60% for companies. Without a doubt, the most well-renowned philanthropists are Bill and Melinda Gates, who donate 2 billion dollars a year through their foundation. Historically they have been the second largest funder of the World Health Organization, just behind the United States of America. Many other philanthropists create their own nonprofit foundations, to donate to causes like healthcare, education and extreme poverty.

So is it the rich who are going to help us beat Covid-19? And are the rich taking the place of governments then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen the last episodes, you can click here:

What is Globish?

What is the P-Spot?

What is a heatwave?

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices