Engines of Our Ingenuity
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Engines of Our Ingenuity
The story of technological progress is one of drama and intrigue, sudden insight and plain hard work. Let’s explore technology’s spectacular failures and many magnificent success stories. This content is in service of Houston Public Media’s education mission and is sponsored by th...
Recent Episodes
264 episodes
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3384: Alien Life Forms
Episode: 3384 Further thoughts about the search for extra-terrestrial life. Today, Alien life forms.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1595: Alfred Stieglitz
Episode: 1595 In which Alfred Stieglitz and 291 anticipate Modern. Today, Stieglitz and photography, art and reality.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1594: The Mad Scientist
Episode: 1594 The Mad Scientist -- he keeps coming back. Today, the mad scientist.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1593: LST-325
Episode: 1593 The LST-325: Thirty old men and an old ship become young again. Today, the LST-325.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2608: Maria Telkes
Episode: 2608 Maria Telkes: Solar Energy Pioneer. Today, here comes the sun.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3383: Mr. Herschel’s Millstone
Episode: 3383 Mr. Herschel’s Milky Way “millstone”. Today, an early Milky Way model.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3382: Disorder
Episode: 3382 Thoughts about coping with the disorder in our lives and the disorder in our world. Today, disorder.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3381: Shuttle-Carrier N905NA
Episode: 3381 The last ride of NASA’s Shuttle carrier, N905NA. Today, the last Shuttle-carrier.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1592: Specialized Language
Episode: 1592 In which we use fancy words instead of simple ones. Today, the quotidian denominator.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1591: Completed Technologies
Episode: 1591 Baroque violins and the notion of a completed technology. Today, let's talk about complete technologies.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1590: The Great Wall of China
Episode: 1590 The Great Wall of China -- a long and checquered history. Today, a 2300-year-old wall.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2606 More Beautiful Books
Episode: 2606 More Beautiful Books: revisiting books by the foot. Today, the measure of a book.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2888: Strength Through Joy Car
Episode: 2888 The Strength Through Joy Car: Hitler's Volkswagen and American Consumer Culture. Today, the "strength through joy" car.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1589: Pluto (The Planet)
Episode: 1589 Pluto: We finally reach the outer fringe of the Solar System. Today, we discover Pluto.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1588: Nieuport 17
Episode: 1588 The Nieuport 17, early harbinger of the finished WW-I fighter. Today, a case history of technological change.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1587: Early Warplanes
Episode: 1587 In which airplanes gradually learn to wage war. Today, we turn plowshares into swords.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1586: Topsell’s Beasts
Episode: 1586 Topsell's history of four-footed beasts and serpents. Today, a zoology book.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2603: Correlation
Episode: 2603 Correlation and Risk: When more egg baskets don't help. Today, eggs and baskets.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2893: The Magic on Batteries
Episode: 2893 How the batteries work; The electrodes and electrolytes; The Wonders of Electrochemistry. Today, the magic of batteries.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3380: Ergodicity
Episode: 3380 What underlies a term from physics: Ergodic (or Ergodicity). Today, let us steal a word from physics.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1585: Dissonance
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Episode: 1581 The screwdriver: Thoughts on greatness and invisibility. Today, the screwdriver.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1580: Su-Sung’s Clock
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
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
Episode: 2598 Henri Poincaré, the three body problem, and chaos. Today, three bodies.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3377: Burning Zinc
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
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
Episode: 3298 Gender, Color, and Dichotomy in Tennis. Today, we take sides in tennis.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1578: Seaplanes
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
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
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
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
Episode: 3375 The complex relationship among language, speech, music, and poetry. Today, what is Poetry?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3374: Board Game Design
Episode 3374: Monte Carlo simulations and board game design. Today, Monte Carlo simulations and board games.