Engines of Our Ingenuity
Episodes
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3379: Gestalt
08 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3379 A look at the overarching meaning of the word “Gestalt.” Today, a curious word: Gestalt.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1585: Dissonance
07 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1585 In which the elephant Prathida teaches me about dissonance and Christmas. Today, dissonance, elephants, and the holiday season.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1584: Hugo Distler
06 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1584 Hugo Distler: Beleaguered pioneer of twentieth century music. Today, the brief moment of a musical genius.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1583: Glide Bombs
05 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1583 Glide Bombs and the unrevealed Rohna disaster. Today, the weapon we didn't know about.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2599: Strange Attractors and Imagery
04 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2599 The Art of Attraction: Imagery from Strange Attractors. Today, the art of attraction.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2670: Expanding the Human Environment
03 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2670 The Expanded Human Habitat: Our Solar System as a Defining Environment. Today, we expand the notion of environment.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3378: Hrotsvitha
02 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3378 Tenth century author, Hrotsvitha, brought back to life in the sixteenth century. Today, meet Hrotsvitha.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1582: Llewellen M. K. Boelter
01 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1582 L. M. K. Boelter and engineering education at its best. Today, a great teacher.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1581: One Good Turn
31 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1581 The screwdriver: Thoughts on greatness and invisibility. Today, the screwdriver.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1580: Su-Sung’s Clock
30 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1580 Su-Sung's wonderful eleventh-century water clock. Today, Su-Sung's wonderful clock.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1579: The Hidden Wright Brothers
29 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1579 Five years before we found out about the Wright Brothers! Today, we gradually learn about the Wright Brothers' flight.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2598: The Three Body Problem
28 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2598 Henri Poincaré, the three body problem, and chaos. Today, three bodies.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3377: Burning Zinc
27 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3377 An 1880 article seeks to anticipate the creation of electric power, beginning with Zinc. Today, we burn Zinc.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3376: Staples
26 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3376 In which our common desk stapler earns its name. Today, Let’s talk about staples.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3298: Optic Yellow
25 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3298 Gender, Color, and Dichotomy in Tennis. Today, we take sides in tennis.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1578: Seaplanes
24 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1578 The brief day of the great flying boats. Today, we ask what ever became of flying boats.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1577: The Monte Hall Problem
23 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1577 The Monty Hall Problem and the unexpected value of information. Today, we learn not to turn our back on information.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1576: The Wind
22 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1576 The wind and its technologies in the ancient mind. Today, wind and the medieval mind.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2596: Golf Club Grooves
21 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2596 Golf Club Grooves: How small changes in technology can cause controversy. Today's episode is brought to you by the letters U and V.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3375: Poetry
20 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3375 The complex relationship among language, speech, music, and poetry. Today, what is Poetry?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3374: Board Game Design
19 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 3374: Monte Carlo simulations and board game design. Today, Monte Carlo simulations and board games.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1575: Fields and Continua
18 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1575 Fields and continua: A secret art of engineering. Today, a look at a secret abstraction.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1573: Donatello in Time
17 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1573 Donatello: Of his age or for all time? Today, we ask: Of an age, or of all time?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1572: High-Pressure Steam Engines
16 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1572 High-pressure steam engines and transportation. Today, the first locomotive.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1571: Oz and Electricity
15 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1571 In which the author of Oz contemplates electricity. Today, Dorothy, Kansas, and the new forces of electricity.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2594: Ptolemy’s Geographia
14 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2594 Mapping the World: Ptolemy's Geographia. Today, a man and a map.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3029: Model Citizen
13 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3029 Model Citizen. Today, lets talk about models.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2081: A Monstrosity and a Skeptic
12 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2081 A Monstrosity, a Skeptic, and a new view of the 16th century. Today, guest historian Cathy Patterson gives birth to a cat.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3373: Thomas Campion
11 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3373 Today we meet Thomas Campion: medical doctor, and a great poet and composer. Today, let’s meet Thomas Campion.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1570: A New Light Bulb
10 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1570 GE, light bulbs, and the product-driven innovation cycle. Today, we talk about light bulbs and product innovation.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1569: Alkahest
09 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1569 Alkahest, the universal solvent. Today, we look for the universal solvent.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1568: The Age of the Earth
08 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1568 Lord Kelvin's miscalculation of the age of the earth. Today, a Victorian scientist miscalculates the age of the earth.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2591: Instant Runoff Voting
07 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2591 Instant runoff voting and the Academy Awards. Today, what's best?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2885: Big Numbers
06 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2885 Very Large Numbers. Today, let's talk about very large numbers.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3372: Gaslighting
05 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3372 Rhetoric, Objectivity, and Gaslighting. Today, we flip the switch on “gaslight.”
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3371: Mary Colter
04 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3371 The creative work and relative anonymity of Mary Coulter, and her Native American architecturally themed designs. Today, meet Mary Col...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1567: Christopher Wren, Physician
03 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1567 Christopher Wren: a great architect first learns medicine. Today, an unexpected student of medicine.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1566: Glottochronology
02 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1566 Glottochronology: In which language decays like carbon-14. Today, a new word for you: glottochronology.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1565: Hysplex
01 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1565 Using the hysplex to start an ancient Greek foot race. Today, we learn how to start a foot race.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2588: Synthetic Sound Waves
30 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2588 Synthetic Sound Waves. Today, the sound of music.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3370: Poetic Meter
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3370 A Look at Poetry and the Importance of Rhythmic Metre. Today, the rhythm of poetry.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3369: Tiny Living Factories
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3369 Small cells and microorganism that behave like living factories. Today, tiny living factories.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3368: Reality
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3368 The possibility that there exists a reality out of reach of any human science. Today, we wonder what’s real.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1564: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1564 The Second Law of Thermodynamics and time's arrow. Today, we see why time goes only from then to now.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1562: Guido da Viegevano
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1562 Guido da Vigevano uses war as an excuse to invent. Today, a medieval inventor goes to war -- almost.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1561: Herbert J. L. Hinkler
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1561 'Hustling Hinkler, Up in the Sky' - an early Australian flier leaves his mark. Today, an odd hero of early aviation.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2585: Measuring Race Times
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2585 The technology of timing races. Today, who won that race?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2942: Hilton Hotels in Space
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2942 Hilton Hotels in Space. Today, we reach for the stars.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2638: Artificial Gravity
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2638 Artificial Gravity for Human Spaceflight; What is Gained, What is Lost. Today, astronaut Michael Barratt discusses the pros and cons o...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1560: Narrow Perception
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1560 In which we 'look' at the world through a narrow slit. Today, we look at the world through a narrow slit.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1559: The Oldest Technology
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1559 Music-making: the first technology. Today, we look for the oldest technology.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1558: We O’ercome by Art
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1558 Mastered by nature, we o'ercome by art - then as now. Today, an old debate in a new arena.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1556: The Manual Arts
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1556 In which we run out of manual arts teachers for our schools. Today, let's work with our hands.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2583: Children and Their Goals
16 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2583 Children and their Goals. Today, president, pope, astronaut.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3253: Machine Learning
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3253 Teaching Computers to Think. Today, Teaching a Computer.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3166: Spoonerisms
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3166 Spoonerisms and Their Unwilling Namesake. Today, spooning in speakerisms.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1554: Scientific Instruments
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1554 In which new science yields new instruments: 1500 to 1950. Today, a new class of machines and new viewpoint.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1553: In Vacuo
12 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1553 Galileo, Torricelli, von Guericke, and the idea of a vacuum. Today, we invent vacuum.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1552: Global Warming Again
11 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1552 The ocean - the wild card in global warming. Today, we wonder how things are really heating up.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1551: Inventing the Piano
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1551 In which Gary Larson tells us the piano was invented earlier than we thought. oday, a lesson in invention from the Far Side.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2578: Water Towers
09 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2578 The Wonders of Water Towers. Today, water flows downhill.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2864: Bayes’ Theorem
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2864 The theorem of Reverend Bayes. Today, let's talk about uncertainty and an 18th century Presbyterian minister.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3247: The Prouste Questionnaire
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3247 Proust, Turing, and the Measure of Humanity. Today, we go from Turing to Proust.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1550: Finding the Book
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1550 Making a book of The Engines of Our Ingenuity. Today, we wonder how to make a book.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1549: Comptus Rendus, 1836
05 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1549 Compte Rendus, 1836: a snapshot of science at high tide. Today, we read modern science when it was first being made.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1547: Ripe for Revolution
04 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1547 Mystery at the threshhold of the Twentieth Century. Today, let's reclaim mystery.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1546: Max Jakob
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1546 Max Jakob: a breath of fresh air in a new land. Today, a great engineer escapes the Holocaust.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2576: Screw Caps for Wine
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2576 Are screw caps good for wine? Today, a turn of the screw.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2687: What Lives Within Us
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2687 Getting to know the organisms that live on and in the human body. Today, what lives within us.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3367: Scientific American’s Blunder
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3367 In which Scientific American Magazine gets wrong, the airflow during singing. Today, Scientific American gets it wrong.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3366: Bottle Cap
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3366 The throw-away bottle cap: More than it seems to be. Today, we invent the bottle cap.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1545: English Balloons
29 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1545 The English and 18th century ballooning. Today, we ride the first hot-air balloons in England.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1544: Electric Light Opera
28 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1544 An operetta about electric lights, written before Edison's light bulb. Today, an electric-light opera.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1543: Ceredi’s Pump
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1543 Archimedes' pump, rediscovered by Ceredi, heralds the new science. Today, meet the person who reinvented Archimedes' pump.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2575: Prime Numbers
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2575 The illustrious history of Prime Numbers. Today, some numbers for the ages.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3228: Computer Safety
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3228 Designing safe computer controls. Today, flying by computer.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3365: 1906 Shop Notes
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3365 A 1906 set of Shop Notes offers a lesson in technological change. Today, a manual tells us more than it means to.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1542: Francis Bacon
22 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1542 In which Francis Bacon pushes a strict Aristotelian Agenda. Today, science tries to find its way.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1541: History and Horseshoe Nails
21 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1541 Do 'Horseshoe Nails' really alter human history? Today, we ask if horseshoe nails are real.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1540: The Ironclad Turtle
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1540 The Korean Turtle Boat - the first ironclad. Today, we meet a turtle with an iron shell.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2572: Melville and Anna Bissell
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2572 Melville and Anna Bissell and the Carpet Sweeper. Today, a husband and wife engineer success.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3363: Reinforcement Learning
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3363 Richard Sutton and reinforcement learning. Today, reinforcement learning.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3362: The Engineering Magazine
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3362 A 1914 Engineering Magazine teaches us much about the evolution of our technology. Today, a revealing old magazine.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3361: Ravens in Thin Air
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3361 The versatile, intelligent, Raven has much to teach us. Today, ravens in thin air.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1539: Boundary Layers
15 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1539 In which a thin layer of fluid determines whether an airplane flies. Today, a wind blows by us.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1538: The Face of a Century
14 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1538 In which the various centuries show their faces. Today, we ask what a century looks like.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1537: Life on the Moon
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1537 John Wilkins talks about life on the Moon, in 1638. Today, life on the moon.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2570: Celebrating Human Ingenuity
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2570 Celebrating Human Ingenuity. Today, a story in two parts.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3360: Fender Rhodes
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3360 The incomparable sound of the legendary Fender Rhodes. Today we consider "The legendary Fender Rhodes".
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3359: Darwin-Wedgwood
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3359 An very special lineage: Charles Darwin: Grandson of Josiah Wedgwood and Erasmus Darwin. Today, Charles Darwin’s grandparents.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3358: Onesiphore Pecqueur
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3358 Onesiphore Pecqueur and the invention of your car’s differential gears. Today, let us meet Onesiphore Pecqueur.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1535: Inventing the Clock
07 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1535 The mechanical clock as tactile philosophy. Today, we invent the mechanical clock.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1534: Acceleration
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1534 Making sense of the slippery concept of acceleration. Today, let's think about falling.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2563: Isaac Asimov
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2563 The Prolific Isaac Asimov. Today, science or fiction?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3357: Backpropagation
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3357 Backpropagation: The idea that powers modern AI. Today, backpropagation, the trick behind modern AI.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3356: Calligraphic Art
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3356 A form of decorative calligraphic art emerges from penmanship instruction at 19th century business colleges. Today, when handwriting b...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3355: Tin Cans
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3355 The rise of the lowly and ubiquitous Tin Can, and its various openers. Today, let us make tin cans.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1533: The Triple Nickel
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1533 The Triple Nickel: the first Black paratroopers become smoke jumpers. Today, a secret WW-II battle.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1532: Typewriters
28 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1532 The invention and selling of the typewriter. Today, the typewriter teaches us its purpose.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1531: Only a Theory
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1531 On restoring the word theory. Today, let's theorize.