The Big Questions With Adam Spencer

Barbara Arrowsmith Young spent years being told there was something wrong wth her ability to learn, until she figured out she just learns differently to everyone else - and she's not alone. Adam finds out the fascinating story of the woman who changed her brain  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's two podcasts in one, as comedian Wil Anderson and Adam interview each other to look at how we may take a more mathematical approach to everything we do in a post pandemic world - dating, working and even boarding planes.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Big Questions, hosted by author and broadcaster Adam Spencer is a place to talk to smart interesting people about smart interesting stuff that they're passionate about. We speak to writers, scientists, comedians and just thinkers who really know their craft and hear about the way they shape the amazing world in which we live. The idea is pretty simple - we ask some big questions and find some big experts to help answer them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How long does it take to perfect a joke? Matt Okine goes through his comedic journey both in life and in developing his creative process.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Founder of the website 'Have I Been Pwned' takes you through the hacks on how not to get hacked.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whats the secret to saving the planet? Film maker Damon Gameau talks about his film 'What's you're 2040?' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While he is best known as an academy award winning director of the two greatest grossing films of all time, in this conversation recorded at the Vivid Festival in 2018, James Cameron would much rather speak about the engineering challenges involved in designing, building and piloting a vessel to the lowest point at the bottom of the sea. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Australia’s best known and most controversial artists Ben Quilty speaks to Adam about his life, his motivation, art meeting politics and how even children in regions devastated by war can find expression in art. Follow Adam Spencer on Twitter Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the world’s most famous and respected dj’s Neil Armstrong (no not THAT Neil Armstrong, the other one) opens up about the realities of life on the road and on the decks. Follow Adam Spencer on Twitter Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Toby Walsh is one of the world’s leading experts on Artificial Intelligence and has surveyed a lot of experts in the field in his book 2062: The world that AI made. What do they say about the future of humanity? Professor Walsh is an advisor to the Federal Government on the impact of AI on all industries, and is considered one of the most important digital innovators in Australia. Follow Adam Spencer on Twitter Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam speaks with former Baltimore Ravens Centre John Urschel who is even more at home creating “eigensolvers for minimal Laplacian eigenvectors” than he is crashing into players in the NFL! Follow Adam Spencer on Twitter Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Big Questions, we talk big … big, big, bigger than big … how about about infinitely big! Dr Eugenia Cheng is Scientist In Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, has tenure in Pure Mathematics at the University of Sheffield, UK. She holds a PhD in pure mathematics from the University of Cambridge, is a concert pianist, pioneer of math on YouTube and author of math books, “How to Bake Pi” and “Thinking Better: The Art of Logic in an Illogic World”. Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in a complex, interconnected globalised world - but how interconnected and how complex and what are the impacts of how connected our world is? A new study and paper outlines the work of Australian scientists, and their attempts to truly measure the environmental and social footprints of international trade. This is a big topic and such fascinating research that we couldn’t resist the chance to ask Professor Manfred Lanzen some Big Questions.  Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Maskalyk is an emergency doctor, an ER doctor with a difference. He splits his time between the first world emergency rooms in Toronto, Canada and working in emergency rooms in southern Africa. He is also the author of a couple of highly celebrated books on the topic of being a doctor in ER, the most recent of which is called ‘Life on the Ground Floor’. This interview was recorded when James was in Australia for the Sydney Writers Festival in 2018.  Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does applying technology to biology, genetics, medicine and agriculture effect every one of us? Adam speaks to Raymond McCauley, a thinker & do-er, bioninformaticist, computer scientist, engineer and entrepreneur working at the forefront of biotechnology. Raymond is co-founder and Chief Architect for BioCurious, the hackerspace for biotech, where professional scientists, DIYbio hobbyists and entrepreneurs come together to design the next big thing to come out of a Silicon Valley garage. Raymond is one interesting cat ... Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Louise Mercer is the Director of Innovation for Everledger, an emerging technology enterprise that tracks the provenance of authenticated high-value assets on a global digital ledger. Everledger has been well-recognised as a leader in the real-world application of blockchain technology, winning many innovative technology awards. Lisa is a creative thinker & leader who helps translate strategic business risk into innovation and opportunity Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mandy Simpson is a professional director, consultant and speaker, with a particular focus on the human and business impacts of changing financial technologies. Mandy has held roles as CFO at technology consultancy Fronde, COO at the New Zealand Stock Exchange, where she was an advocate for the use of blockchain technology. Mandy is the Singularity University speaker on information security and blockchain technology. Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia film director Leigh Whannell, is probably best known for being one of the co-creators of the SAW franchise and the visionary behind the horror film, INSIDIOUS. His new film UPGRADE first premiered at SXSW, winning the festival's Midnighters Audience Award. It’s the first feature length film Whannell’s directed in his hometown, Melbourne. The film is set in a believable near future, where technology controls nearly everything from cars to crime-surveillance. It poses the question on society’s dependence on technology and the moral implications of AI, which I thought might be an interesting perspective to discuss with Whannell. Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for priva

Dr Daniel Kraft is a Stanford and Harvard trained physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and innovator. With over 20 years of experience in clinical practice, biomedical research and healthcare innovation, he has chaired the Medicine Track for Singularity University since SU's inception, and founded and is Executive Director of Exponential Medicine, a program that explores convergent, rapidly developing technologies and their potential in biomedicine and healthcare. Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2011 Michael Hull survived a life-threatening grass fire while competing in an ultramarathon in the Kimberley, WA. He has since gone on to become the only Australian to ever complete the 566 km non stop footrace through the Yukon, Canada. His next challenges are taking him to the South Pole and Nepal (Mt Everest). Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find LiSTNR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiSTNRau/ Follow LiSTNR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listnrau/ Follow LiSTNR Australia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/listnrau Download the LiSTNR app from the Apple and Google Play app stores. Or go to listnr.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.