Simblified

Ep. 121: Extradition - what exactly does it mean?

11 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Eating very less? No. That's extra diet. Ooh, more parliament in Japan? No, that's extra Diet. Something a factory worker says about aluminium going t...

Ep. 19 (Rebroadcast): With @MohanK. Holy wow, we have a PhD in Maths on the show!

04 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We were too lazy to record this week, so here's a rebroadcast of an old episode - one of our favourite interviews, with someone who, for some reason, ...

Ep. 120: We are all about VR today! Ft. Vyaas Shenoy

28 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Virtual Reality is big - and that's, well, reality. Don't take our word for it, take CES' - look at the sheer number of products being revealed each y...

Ep. 119: New Horizons: A look at that thing that visited Pluto (And more)

21 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In 2006, NASA sent a space probe with the ambitious idea of photographing Pluto. Not just did it do that, it also crossed something called Ultima Thul...

Ep. 118: What are New Year celebrations about?

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Happy new year! Unless, of course, you're one of those cultures that celebrates your new year in March, April, August, October... Yes, the "Jan 1" thi...

Ep. 117: Simblified Year-End "Chit-Chat" with Tony - Part 3

07 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hey! It's the first Simblified episode of the new year - but it's the same format as the last two. We pick topics out of a hat, and talk about what ha...

Ep. 116: Simblified Year-End "Chit-Chat" with Tony - Part 2

31 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Enjoyed our last episode? You'd better, because you're getting more of the same. The Simblified recap of a tumultuous year continues with part 2 of......

Ep. 115: Simblified Year-End "Chit-Chat" with Tony - Part 1

24 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Well, that's been a fun year, hasn't it? Who can say bad things about a year where we had rising populism, climate change neglect, growing legitimacy ...

Ep. 114: The RBI-Government tug of war

17 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The past weeks saw an uncharacteristically public spat between the Government and the RBI over who calls the shots over banking and money supply. The ...

Ep. 113: Why are the California wildfires so enormous?

10 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

For a fire that had the most innocuous sounding name - its official name is Campfire - the recent forest fire that hit northern California was devasta...

Ep. 112: The most isolated tribe in the world

03 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

No this episode is not about Simblified listeners. Rather it's about a bunch of Indians who live in the North Sentinel island in the Andamans. They've...

Ep. 71: (Rebroadcast) What Goes Behind Mood Indigo?

26 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, thousands... Lakhs, actually, of people look forward to IIT Bombay's annual cultural festival in December, Mood Indigo. It's a massive sho...

Ep. 111: Everything you wanted to know about Indipop - with Atul Churamani

19 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone remembers the Golden Indipop era fondly. Starting with Baba Seghal & Alisha, through to its peak of Silk Route & Sonu Nigam's pre-Bollywood e...

Ep. 110: Can we really suck Carbon (and other bad things) out of the air?

12 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In the last episode, we Simblified climate change (spoiler alert if you haven't heard it: It's real. Climate change, not our episode. Though... That's...

Ep. 109: Yep, we're all screwed: The UN Report on Climate Change says so

05 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Enjoy yourselves, we've got till about 2040 for that. After that, says the most comprehensive climate change study yet, we're pretty dang screwed if w...

Ep. 108: This is Snot - a Shortie

29 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The humble booger has been the theme of juvenile jokes (some of which we crack as well), but nasal mucus is quite a fascinating thing. Join your Simbl...

Ep. 107: How China is (kinda) taking over the world

22 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

While Trump is being a bit of an arse trying to alienate everyone, China is busy making friends. Specifically, it's going out and building ports and r...

Ep. 106: Firehose of Falsehoods

15 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wonder why JNU is such a big issue when there is never any proof? Or why so much conversation about Trump's inauguration crowd sizes when obvious...

Ep. 105: Wounds and Healing

08 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

in this shortie, your hosts simblify the magical processes by which wounds heal themselves. Excepting of course the wounds that your brain might suffe...

Ep. 104: Oil's Well that Doesn't End Well: What Determines Petrol Prices?

01 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As the petrol price is about to raise its bat to the pavilion as it nears its much-awaited century, Indians must be wondering... Hey, if oil around th...

Ep. 103: (Visarjan Special Shortie!) Eco-Friendly Ganeshas: What's that all about?

24 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It's submerjan time! The annual festival celebrated in the name of the Hindu pachyderm-headed God, Ganesha involves dunking decorated idols into water...

Ep. 102: Pride, Simblified - A Look at Section 377 Which is now History

17 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On 6 September, India took a massive step forward when the regressive Section 377 (a law that has its roots in the 14th century!) was scrapped, giving...

Ep. 101: Window Shopping: European Football Transfer Windows Explained

10 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Football (or Soccer as the ingrates across the Atlantic call it) sees some ridiculous amounts of money thrown around. Like PSG paid €198 million (ov...

Ep. 100: #Simblified100 the Live Recording feat. Amit Varma and Varun Duggirala

03 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Woohooo! We collectively raise our podcasting bats towards the crowd, who we affectionately call the MBA of Simblified listeners (to recall the collec...

Ep. 99: How Many Calories Do We Burn Staying Alive?

13 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A surprising amount of energy is spent just keeping the engine of life inside you going. And a fair bit of that is used up just digesting food. Your S...

Ep. 53 (Rebroadcast): Grubs Can Be Grub

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The podders get together this time for a culinary special. But put away your MasterChef fantasies, this is about gourmet… bugs. Enter the fascinatin...

Ep. 78 (Rebroadcast): The Russian Moscow-rade that was the US Elections!

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Hey there! We couldn't make it to the studio this week, so here's an old episode again! Given what L'Orange did in Finland, it's worth re-looking at h...

Ep. 98: Simblifying Mental Health with Zain and Avanti

23 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On this special Simblified episode, Naren and Srikeit talk to Zain Calcuttawala and Avanti Malhotra about their the very relevant and equally misunder...

Ep. 97: Assassins and Hasheesh - What's the Connection?

16 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Join your admittedly ninety pound weakling Simblified hosts as they display some courage and look at Assassins and Hasheesh, and into the legend that ...

Ep. 96: Near Death Experiences - What ARE they?

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us would have seen death depicted in movies as your spirit leaving your body and going towards a light. Many people who have had near death ex...

Ep. 95: The FIFA World Cup: History, Trivia and Bad Jokes

02 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this World Cup special episode, our trio dig into the annals of the tournament's past: Its origins, where it began, why we have the Chinese to than...

Ep. 94: What's the Procedure to Qualify for the FIFA World Cup?

25 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The FIFA World Cup is here! As everyone transforms into armchair football fans, we want to give you an edge by Simblifying the complex qualification p...

Ep. 93: About that Yanny-Laurel thing that went viral (aural)?

18 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Audio illusions are an interesting thing. It's when you think your boss said "Wow, amazing job, here's a 15% hike" when what she actually said was, "H...

Ep. 92: Schizophrenia and Split personality - are they the same thing?

11 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks mostly to Hollywood, most people think that Multiple Personality Disorder is the most common manifestation of schizophrenia. But are these two ...

Ep. 91: All You Need to Know about the Flipkart Walmart Deal (Almost)

04 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Walmart bought Flipkart in a 20 billion dollar deal, recently, dividing thinkers into three groups: one, the people who think it's a brilliant, farsig...

Ep. 90: Why Do We Still Have a British Royal Family?

28 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Someone from the British Royal Family got married and the world celebrated for some reason. But nobody really knows why - after all, nobody knows what...

Ep. 89: How Facebook Targets You (And Other Creepy Tales)

21 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone's suddenly talking about how Facebook used Facebook targeting sneakily and possibly illegally to 'hack' the American Elections. So here's the...

Ep. 88: Do Inuit Really Have a 100 Words for Snow?

14 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Popular myth has it that Inuit have hundreds of words for snow, because that's pretty much all their life. But do they, really? Your Simblified hosts ...

Ep. 87: Swinging Either Way

07 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, some people brought the glorious game of cricket into disrepute, but enough of the IPL commentary. There was an incident where some silly Au...

Ep. 86: How Google Maps Works

30 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It's an incredible software, if you think about it, and how it works is even more ingenious. Chuck finds out how, and in 15 minutes tells you all you ...

Ep. 85: Sabbaticalling

23 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A 3-month break from work sounds amazing! Or does it? Why do you need a 'vacation' that long? How do you plan for it? How do you get leave? Won't it c...

Ep. 84: Sona Kitna Sona Hai

16 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Angry, disgruntled, troublesome teenagers need more discipline, right? Wrong! Your Simblified hosts find that the culprit is, simbly, lack of sleep. J...

Ep. 83: Everything about Hawking (Except the science!)

09 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The world lost a brilliant scientist - Dr Stephen Hawking - recently. More than that, the world lost a wonderful personality, someone with a wicked se...

Ep. 82: She Smells Sea Smells

02 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Did you, like us, believe that the bracing smell of the sea was Ozone? It turns out that it's not. What it is is interesting though, join Naren as he ...

Ep. 25: Rebroadcast: All you need(ed) to know about the Brexit

26 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Brexit finally looked like it would happen. This comes after a couple of years of it being the sitcom of global politics aided by Bam-Bam l...

Ep. 81: On the matter of Tamatar (juice)

19 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There are many things synonymous with air travel - long security checks, the wonder of flight, praying you don't get a baby next to you, and of course...

Ep. 80: Simblifying the Indian Comedy Scene: With Daniel Fernandes & Abish Mathew

12 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

From a niche art form struggling to fill seats a few years ago, to now, where everyone who's heard of George Carlin rushes to open mics. It's been one...

Ep. 79: Yawn. How interesting!

05 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

'tis the return of Simblified Shorties - where we look to answer a random question in around 10 minutes. (yay, more Simblified!) This week: There is m...

Ep. 78: The Russian Moscow-rade that was the US Elections!

26 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Even if you haven't been following global politics in the last couple of years, you will know two things: 1. Trump is president (yes, sorry, that was ...

Ep. 77: The Tea Totaller: Ajit Bhaskar tells us all about being a 'Tea scientist'

12 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when three Pun lovers who run a podcast meet their spiritual Punning guru? That's right, a conversation on how to make tea. Ajit Bhaskar,...

Ep. 76: A CES-spool of Gadgets, Technology and Needless IOT Things

29 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ah, Consumer Electronics Show. The annual excuse for tech companies to create new products we didn't know we needed, and to put semiconductors into pl...

Ep. 75: A look back at 2017 - Part 3: A.I, #metoo and Climate Change

22 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Like Lord of the Rings & The Matrix, all good things must come to an ending in their third part. So we end our depressing trilogy of the 2017 rewind w...

Ep. 74: A look back at 2017 Part 2: Of Covfefes and Cows

15 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017, palmistry became a legit thing in India, because one could tell how smart you were by checking how far your face was implanted into your face...

Ep. 73: A look back at 2017, Part 1: What's left when the world went right (and how India's doing)

08 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Happy new year folks! Before you leap into the chasm that is 2018, we have have a Simblified reminder trilogy of the WTF that was 2017. Join Chuck and...

Ep. 72: Being Happy (no really)

25 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

We've finally asked it - what makes us happy? Turns out it's not a new Iron Maiden album, a Liverpool victory or favourable GST rates (respectively fo...

Ep. 71: What goes behind Mood Indigo?

11 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, thousands... Lakhs, actually, of people look forward to IIT Bombay's annual cultural festival in December, Mood Indigo. It's a massive sho...

Ep. 45: Rebroadcast: A Chat About NH7 Weekender with OML's Vijay Nair

27 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

With the country's most anticipated music festival coming up in a couple of weeks (Dec 8-10), we thought now would be the perfect time to re-broadcast...

Ep. 70:Exploring LIGO Land (And Gravitational Waves) with @SandyGrains

13 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Suddenly, everyone seems excited about gravitational waves. Wait, wasn't this a fad a couple of years ago? Well, yes, but some more stuff has happened...

Ep. 69: The World is (North) Korea-lly screwed!

30 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the the crazy dictatorship that is North Korea, home to the Little Rocketman that could and a whole bunch of bizarre and scary laws. We del...

Ep. 68: Living Cities

16 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Simblified, Naren and Srikeit (minus an absconding Chuck) talk about cities. The ecosystems that develop within our cities, how cit...

Ep. 67: Everything You Wanted to Know About Berklee School of Music but Didn't Know Whom to Ask

02 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we have a guest on the show (and Simblified listener!) Ashvala Vinay (www.twitter.com/Ashvala), who recently graduated from the prestigious...

Ep. 66: A Full House with Poker Maven, Peter Abraham

18 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There are two kinds of people - those who're nuts about poker and those who have no clue what it is. We're proud to announce that all three co-hosts o...

Ep. 65: Simblifying Solar Eclipses

04 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, a certain someone looked up at the solar eclipse when that was literally the only thing he was told not to. We wouldn't normally worry, exce...

Ep. 64: A Chat with Girish, the Guy Behind Your Favourite AIB Sketches

21 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few years, the quality of AIB's video production and writing has gone through the roof (although, YouTube comments superstars will lead ...

Ep. 63: Are you bored?

07 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Are you bored (hopefully not after listening to this show)? Well, there's science for that. In this random episode which has nothing to do with global...

Ep. 62: Yes, President

24 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know the President of India has a function other than being the answer to a GK question for 4th standard schoolkids? In this episode, Chuck an...

Ep. 61: Corbyn May be PM

10 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

We know that American politics may be a lot more fun with the Trumpocalypse happening but that doesn't mean we forget about the original white oppress...

Ep. 60: The Science of WhatsApp Fakeology

26 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered what makes perfectly sane people forward messages which claim that cows exhale oxygen? Have you observed how the canniest peopl...

Ep. 59: I/O! Ayayyo!

12 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Google had their annual developer conference recently and there were quite a few fun things that went down. They're going to start printing photo book...

Ep. 58: Market Research Can Be Fun: A chat with Utsav Mamoria

29 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

While 'market research' sounds vanilla and a career that not too many starry-eyed 3 year olds might have, it's one heck of a fascinating subject. Look...

Ep. 57: How Ad Films Work: A Chat with Dharam Valia

15 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

While the film world has lights, camera, action... The advertising world has brief, PPT, ad (roughly). Some ads are better than others. Some of them a...

Ep. 56: It's Your F8 Only!

01 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Ah, Facebook - our constant companion during early morning sojourns to the loo. Our rabbithole of useless links we didn't know we wanted to read. And ...

Ep. 55: Done DNA Done

17 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, our troika of Wiki-pilfering stalwarts explains something that is inherent in all of us. No, not that sense of despair about Mondays,...

Ep. 54: DRS Who?

03 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrating the Indian cricket team’s recent (PETA approved) spanking of the Kangaroos in the test series, we get together to Simblify the new and c...

Ep. 53: Grubs Can Be Grub

20 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The podders get together this time for a culinary special. But put away your MasterChef fantasies, this is about gourmet… bugs. Enter the fascinatin...

Ep. 52: ISRO, Ro, Ro, Your Boat, Gently up to Space...

06 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Our space agency has given us lots to be proud about recently! ISRO's stupendous achievement of launching 100+ satellites is remarkable, and has broug...

Ep. 51: Solar, so good

20 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, our trinity of babblers talk about solar energy in the light (hehe) of Tesla announcing the Gigafactory will be powered by the sun. W...

Ep. 50: Bud-Jaitley Speaking

06 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week, in a special Chuck-free Simblified we demystify the process of the bureaucratic behemoth, that is the Union Budget of India. From the impac...

Ep. 49: A CESspool of Gadgets and Nonsense

23 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

https://goo.gl/7P7UecThis week, Chuck and Srikeit (minus Naren) talk about the Consumer Electronics Show and what shiny new gadgets have graced us. Wi...

Ep. 48: Simblifying the Year, Part 2

09 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Happy new year and all that! What better way to ditch the annus horriblis of 2016 by recapping it with plenty of poor jokes? Join Chuck, Naren and Sri...

Ep. 47: Simblifying the year 2016, Part 1

26 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Now that was a fairly horrible year, wasn't it? From all those folks dying, to a wackjob becoming president of the Philippines (oh, and another one of...

Ep. 46: When pigs, er, cars fly!

12 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Stuck at Western Express Highway or Silk Board junction? Wishing there was a better way to commute? Well, thanks to Uber, that might just happen! The ...

Ep. 45: Behind the NH7 Weekender: A chat with Vijay Nair

28 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

For seven years, music fans across the country have been looking forward to the Bacardi NH7 Weekender. This is more than a music festival, it's come t...

Ep. 44: The Wiki Quickie

21 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If there's one website that all MBA and Engineering college hostelites are indebted... OK, let us rephrase that, one which is legally allowed to be se...

Ep. 43: Comedy of the year: US Elections

07 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a morose year, what with terrorist attacks and beloved personalities conking off. Good thing then, that we've been treated to the longest ru...

Ep. 42: The Chemistry Nobel Demystified

31 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Ever woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night because you suddenly realized you knew nothing about the 2016 Nobel Chemistry prize? Well, us...

Ep. 41: The comedy show that is BCCI vs Lodha

17 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Few standup shows in the country have matched up to the hilarity provided by the BCCI vs Justice Lodha Committee. Some of the court's official stateme...

Ep. 40: Chips to Kill for (no, really)

10 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this month's episode of not-from-Faking-News, US prisoners fall in love with in-jail chips so much they're willing to risk re-incarceration for a b...

Ep. 39: A Very Explosive Episode

03 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, a certain phone company has been in the news for the wrong reasons - their products are literally setting the market on fire. So why is this...

Ep. 38: Writers Of/On Substance

26 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Artists have always been a troubled lot and many have turned to drugs or alcohol to douse the same flame that fanned their art. Writers are no differe...

Ep. 37: A Conversation with the Iron Men

19 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

What's the most you've worked out in a day? Whatever the answer, it doesn't matter - these folks have done more. Imagine swimming the minor matter of ...

Ep. 36: Simblified: Can Potatoes Possibly be Poisonous?

12 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It's one of the commonest foods around. The humble potato has, in the brief four centuries since it was introduced into the western world from South A...

Ep. 35: Simblifying the Olympics - Part 2

05 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A couple of weeks ago, we started Simblifying the Olympics for you - we spoke about the ancient games. This week we take things a notch up and talk mo...

Ep. 34: Why is India so bad at the Olympics?

29 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It's been another disappointing outing for India in the Olympics : Given the size of the contingent (and heck, the size of the country!) and hype... I...

Ep. 33: Simblifying the Olympics - Part 1

22 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The world's biggest sporting extravaganza has just ended (sorry cricket fans, we're not talking about the IPL). It's the quadrennial showcase of athle...

Simblified #32: Why do we get drunk?

15 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Come on, we've all had that unfortunate moment of realisation when we've had a bit too much tipple. Perfect vocabulary and punctuation descends into s...

Ep. 31: Chatting up the Craft Brewsters: Ansh and Shailly

08 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If, like Chuck and Naren, you like your tipple - you will love this episode. Oh, we're not talking mass-manufactured swill here - we're talking about ...

Ep. 30: Discussing advertising and entrepreneurship with Shormishta!

01 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Want to know all about advertising, and a bit of how to start a business? You've come to the right place. Director of Flying Cursor, the effervescent ...

Ep. 29: Simblified Shorties : What on earth are those geeky new glasses?!

25 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Chuck got these new glasses that cancels out blue light. Why, you ask? Well it's better for the eyes, apparently. He tells you all about them and make...

Ep. 28: A taxing episode that's good(s and services)

18 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

You've been hearing a lot about the GST in the last few weeks, and have made attempts to know what it means. At best, you hope it won't inflate your c...