Episodes
Friday Jul 02, 2021
The Basics of Riddles
Friday Jul 02, 2021
Friday Jul 02, 2021
We discuss riddles and how to solve them. How do you solve a riddle? What information do you need? What is algorithmic thinking? We help you develop your riddle skills while we walk through 5 specific riddles: The nuts and bolts buckets, the cue balls, the bridge at night, the Othello pieces, and the horse race riddles. Join and us and see if you can solve these riddles.
Friday Jun 18, 2021
The Basics of Language
Friday Jun 18, 2021
Friday Jun 18, 2021
Come learn about the scientific study of language or linguistics. What is etymology? What is a minimal pair? What is the difference between phonetics on phonics? What's a morpheme? What's syntax and how could a lawyer use it? What's a garden path sentence? What is a semantic prime and how does it help us understand semantics? What is WordNet? Where does humor come from? What influence on language does society have? Does the font affect how quickly someone can read? How does Google read your mind? How do you turn a linguistics degree into marketable skills and money?
Friday Jun 04, 2021
The Basics of Lasers
Friday Jun 04, 2021
Friday Jun 04, 2021
We discuss the basics of lasers. What are the physics of lasers? What is a gain medium? What does collimated mean and how does it apply to lasers? How do lasers work for barcodes and DVD players? What is the cat distraction application of lasers and is it relevant to way the military uses lasers? Can lasers be used to create light sabers or a death star? What is a femtosecond? Should you fire lasers at people's eyes? Come learn about lasers with us.
Friday May 21, 2021
Terraforming
Friday May 21, 2021
Friday May 21, 2021
We discuss terraforming. What makes Earth habitable? How do you keep an atmosphere around a planet? What roles do gravity and the magnetosphere play? How would we get people to mars or another planet safely? What is a Hohmann transfer? How could we add a significant amount of mass to Mars or Venus? Should we bomb Mars? Come learn with us.
Friday May 07, 2021
The Spanish Language
Friday May 07, 2021
Friday May 07, 2021
Tim walks us through the Spanish language. Where did Spanish come from? What is Proto-Indo-European? How did Arabic influence Spanish? How many speakers of Spanish are there? What business usages are there for Spanish? What are the best ways to learn Spanish? Which languages are easy to learn if you already know Spanish? Come learn about one of the world's most important languages.
Friday Apr 23, 2021
The Basics of Probability
Friday Apr 23, 2021
Friday Apr 23, 2021
How likely are you to get in a car accident? What effect does a past event have on the probability of a future event? What is the Monty Hall problem and can we make any sense of it? Did Disney have it right about sports teams and feel-good moments all along? What is a random event vs a deterministic event? Come learn about probability theory with us.
Friday Apr 09, 2021
The Basics of Astronomy
Friday Apr 09, 2021
Friday Apr 09, 2021
We tackle the basics of astronomy. How many planets are there really? How big is the sun in relation to other stars? How big is our galaxy? How fast is the earth moving? Where is the nearest planet out of our solar system and how likely is it that we'll be able to travel there? Come learn all about our place in the universe.
Friday Mar 26, 2021
Medical School
Friday Mar 26, 2021
Friday Mar 26, 2021
We discuss all things medical school related with Dr. Jonny Neilson. How do you prepare for the MCAT? How do you raise your score on a standardized test? What can set your medical school application apart? What's the difference between a DO and an MD? How can you get medical school paid for? Can you become a doctor later in life? Come find out with us.
About Us
We bring an eclectic group together: a linguist turned computer scientist, a mechanical engineer, a hospitality manager, a teacher, and a doctor. And that doesn't include our guests. Some would say, "Hey, you're not 'laymen'!" To that we would respond, "Shh..." In reality, we take on various subjects in which we are certainly laymen. Additionally, from a philosophical perspective, we think everyone is a layman sometimes, and that's ok. We should embrace that and learn. So join us in learning. We try to keep it fun and interesting, but mostly we try to bring you along with us as you learn it from a layman.