Learn It from a Layman

The Basics of Philosophical Razors

We discuss some basic philosophical or logical razors. What is a razor? What is Hanlon's razor? When someone calls you stupid are they just cutting you some slack? What does the Sagan Standard have to do with cold fusion? What is Popper's falsifiability principle? Should scientists be passionate? What name is better than Newton's Flaming Laser Sword? What is Grice's razor and is it related to the Mines of Moria? How many blades should a razor have?

Thermodynamics Part II

We revisit thermodynamics and discuss 6 thermodynamics processes. What is an ideal gas? What's the difference between hyperbaric, isobaric, and hypobaric? What are the uses of idealized thermodynamics processes in the real world? We describe what happens to a piston in thermodynamic terms. What is the scientific definition of work? Should you call your refrigerator an isothermal system in front of friends? Is David Bowie exempt from the laws of physics?

The Science of Goals

We discuss the science of goals. What's the difference between intentions and goals? Who is Edwin Locke? What is goal theory? What are the five key principles of goal setting? What are the three types of goals? Are goals necessary and do they really make a difference? Is disambiguate a real word?

The Basics of Machine Learning and AI

We talk the basics of machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics. What is the difference between machine learning and AI? What is machine learning used for? What are the models and algorithms used? What is a deep neural network? What's the difference between supervised and unsupervised learning? Is machine learning improving? How does cognitive modeling work? Are robots going to take over the world?

The Basics of Biology

We talk about the basics of biology. What are amino acids? What are organic compounds and why are they important for living things? How do the various components of a cell work? What is osmosis? How does the same DNA create various types of cells? Why do identical twins express different traits? How does evolution work? Why do viruses mutate so quickly? Did Darwin have a better publicist? 

The Basics of Satellites

What's it take to build a satellite and get it into space? What are the six major factors to consider when building a satellite? How does a satellite get into orbit? What about space dust and space junk? Are solar storms likely to take down our satellites? Can satellites shoot lasers at the earth? What do you call people from the Yukon Territory? 

Second Language Acquisition

What language should you learn? What are the best ways to learn a language? What is a cognate? Is language emersion the only way to learn? What is L1 transfer? How do you test a language learner for proficiency? We discuss all the things you need to know about learning a second language and how to succeed and what succeeding means. Join us.

The Basics of Economics

We take on economics. What does GDP mean and why is it important? What are the principles of a free market? How can a natural disaster cause economic problems? How does economic inequality happen and does it cause problems? How much gold is there in the world? What is the Federal Reserve? What is a command or planned economy? How does communism work? What is the difference between socialism and communism? What is bitcoin? Come find out with us.