Physical Attraction

Latest Episodes:

TEOTWAWKI 9: It Came From Outer Space Aug 26, 2017

Show notes

It's easy to forget that we are on a pale, blue dot - the one habitable place we know of in the whole, wide, Universe. Fragile. Perhaps too fragile. It's not that the Universe wants to kill us; it's just that astrophysics doesn't care too much whether a planet is inhabited, or whether the inhabitants have feelings - or not. Asteroid strikes. Impact from a giant comet. Gamma ray bursts, supernovae, and black holes. Any one of these has the potential to destroy our civilisation. But how likely is that to happen? And what is there that anyone can do about it? If you enjoyed this episode, Death From Above - by Phil Plait - is an excellent resource. Join me as we talk about the potential for an apocalypse... from outer space!

TEOTWAWKI 10: Earthquakes Aug 19, 2017

Show notes

Let's talk about earthquakes. As we know, the Earth's crust is made up of tectonic plates – vast plates of rock that shift around due to convection and the motion of fluid in Earth's mantle. They, roughly speaking "join together" at fault-lines. But in reality, the plates can't slide past each other frictionlessly; what tends to happen is that they "catch" on each other, stick for a while – with pressure building, because whatever predominant force is pushing them along is building up pressure and elastic strain energy. Then, eventually, it all becomes too much, and they slip dramatically, releasing all that built-up energy quickly and causing vibrational waves to propagate, which we feel as Earthquakes. For this reason, they occur predominantly around faultlines, like the San Andreas fault that runs through California, and others in Japan, South America, and the middle east. But do earthquakes have the power to destroy the world or even wreak major damage on human civilization as a whole? Let's find out.

Get Ready for the Apocalypse Aug 16, 2017

Show notes

We're going to be presenting a very special series of episodes over the next few months. The end of the world. Is it going to end in fire, or ice? And is there anything we can do about it? Get ready for the apocalypse.

Fermi and Drake Aug 12, 2017

Show notes

Are we alone in the Universe? Or are there alien civilisations out there? And if there are, where are they, and why aren't they talking to us? We'll explore the Fermi paradox, the Drake equation, and, of course... the simple fact that we're all living in a computer simulation. Don't miss it. "Hope that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space, 'cause there's bugger all down here on Earth" - The Galaxy Song, Monty Python

Bonus: AI Shakespeare vs. AI Trump, call for Listener Questions Aug 08, 2017

Show notes

Bonus midweek edition, coming to you as close to LIVE as is humanly possible... Inspired by last week's episode, Seduced By A Robot, I downloaded a neural network and started to play around with it. See what happens when I feed it:

The works of Shakespeare
My Facebook conversation history
A biography of Stalin
and, of course, the twitter feed of President Trump

The neural network I used was the tensorflow char-rnn - an open-source framework by Chen Liang - and I got the idea from Janelle Shane, who you can find at www.lewisandquark.tumblr.com. Also: an appeal for listener questions! I want to do a listener questions episode, but to do that, I need... listener questions. Tweet us @physicspod, email us at physicspod@outlook.com. Any question will be considered, no matter how outlandish, and the ones that work out will be featured on a future episode. Here are some ideas:

Something you wanted to know about physics
Something you wanted to know about seduction (which I achieve masterfully in 100% of cases)
Something that's been bothering you in your personal life or in the world at large
Hateful abuse phrased as a question

Send them in! And see you Saturday for a regular episode.

Seduced By A Robot Aug 05, 2017

Show notes

OK Computer, seduce me. What happens when Japanese scientists try to programme an AI to give love advice? Are we going to be able to talk to robots in our lifetimes and have them say anything that makes an earthly lick of sense? Should you stop dating and learn how to programme instead? On this episode of physical attraction, we'll dive into the world of chatterbots and ask the question: can you be seduced by a robot?

Unusually Hot: The Radiation Episode Jul 29, 2017

Show notes

What is radiation, and why won't it give you superpowers? How can we shield future generations from nuclear waste? What's the Oh-My-God particle? And, most crucially of all, how many bananas does it take to crush a person to death?

Physical Attraction takes a brief dive into the world of the electromagnetic spectrum and other forms of radiation. This week's chat-up line: Are you emitting light in the visible spectrum, because you're... unusually hot

Good Vibrations Jul 22, 2017

Show notes

Can you really explain a huge chunk of what we know about physics with a single equation? What does this equation look like, and how does it behave? And - most importantly - what happens when a platoon of soldiers try to flirt with a bridge? This episode of physical attraction, we're picking up good vibrations. Come oscillate with us. Hopefully some of what we say is going to resonate with you.

Physics Gets Hot and Heavy II Jul 15, 2017

Show notes

Physics gets hot and heavy, part two. This episode we'll be looking at what happens to stars after they join the main sequence - one of the most beautiful theories in astrophysics. Neutron stars, black holes, supernovae... Things are only going to get hotter and heavier. Explaining physics, one chat-up line at a time. Tweet me your questions @physicspod for a shout-out on the show.

Physics Gets Hot and Heavy I Jul 08, 2017

Show notes

Our inaugural episode! Explaining physics, one chat-up line at a time. This episode, I'm going to explain some of my motivations behind creating the show, and then we're going to be looking at how stars are born, how they're formed, and how they die. And, of course, this show's chat-up line: "Are you in the early stages of stellar formation? Because things are about to get... hot and heavy."

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