Learn It from a Layman
The educational podcast where you learn about a topic from or with a layman.
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Episodes
Tuesday Dec 08, 2020
Tuesday Dec 08, 2020
Come find out what phonetics is all about. What is the IPA? What is an allophone and could it hurt me? How does speech recognition software work? We discuss the basics of machine learning and why masks make listening hard.
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
What are some American holiday traditions and their origins? Where did Thanksgiving come from? Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th? What is the Miracle on 31st street? Is The Man Who Knew Too Little a Christmas movie? What is the best Christmas music and other traditions?
Tuesday Nov 24, 2020
Tuesday Nov 24, 2020
We discuss Suriname, one of the least known countries in the Western Hemisphere. What is the culture of Suriname? What languages do they speak there? What's a creole language vs. a pidgin language? How many times can Carl say "by and large" in one podcast? What do grubs taste like? We give you the highlights and some of the lesser-known facts about Suriname.
Monday Nov 02, 2020
Monday Nov 02, 2020
We have former physics teacher and soon-to-be dentist Peter Vogel on to discuss quantum physics. What does quantum mean? What are the different types of quarks? What is the Higgs Boson? How much energy does it take to split a proton? What does Schrödinger's cat actually teach us about quantum mechanics? Are there multiple universes and is Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse a documentary? Is Mars bigger than a boson?
Monday Oct 26, 2020
Monday Oct 26, 2020
We talk the science and the business of solar panels. What makes up a solar cell? What are all the elements necessary to generate usable electricity? How do you store additional power? What is net metering? How much of a difference does it make to the environment? What is the future of solar panels?
Monday Oct 19, 2020
Monday Oct 19, 2020
We discuss the roaring twenties. Who invented the TV? Did wars take a break after The Great War? Why was a flapper called a flapper? What countries have tried prohibition and for how long? Plus a friend stops by to talk about solar energy.
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
We walk you through the basics of hardware, discuss computer encoding and language, and attempt to explain the internet. What is binary? What does hexadecimal mean? Is Mac OS better than Microsoft Windows? Come find out with us.
Monday Sep 28, 2020
Monday Sep 28, 2020
The 1910s are known as the WWI decade, but what else happened? What is superconductivity? How did politics shape the decade? What is the Armenian genocide? When and why was the house of Windsor founded? What was the Halifax explosion? How many people were killed by the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918? Come learn about a transformative and relevant decade in world history 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.