#human-factors
54 episodes
#4472: How to Become Uncle Colm McCool
Five specific techniques to master the art of the impossibly long-winded story, using Derry Girls' most memorable character as your textbook.
#4354: The Hidden Cost of a Loaded Belt
Your hips are amazing load-bearing structures—but they're not designed for asymmetric, sustained loading.
#4337: The Belt as Brain: Externalizing Memory with EDC
How to carry daily essentials without looking tactical — and why it works as a cognitive prosthetic for ADHD.
#4308: Inside the Secret World of Pyrotechnicians
Only 4,000 licensed pyrotechnicians exist in the US. What do they actually do the other 300 days a year?
#4304: Rhetoric for Interviews and Pitches
Three persuasion techniques from political speech, applied ethically to job interviews and client pitches.
#4262: The Belt Principle: Eliminating Micro-Interruptions for Deep Focus
How a tactical belt with MOLLE pouches reveals the hidden cost of tiny interruptions — and what that means for knowledge work.
#4259: Breaking the Social Script: Garfinkel to Fielder
What happens when you deliberately break everyday social norms — and why we feel threatened when the script goes off the rails.
#4212: Why Ground Control at JFK Is Harder Than Flying
Taxiing at JFK is more stressful than flying—here’s why Kennedy Steve’s job is aviation’s hidden pressure cooker.
#4189: Why Lift 47 Breaks Your Back
Why a half-empty cardboard box can take you out when heavy lifting didn't. The hidden mechanics of back injury.
#4125: How to Kill a Conversation on Purpose
The art of weaponizing social awkwardness at high-achiever gatherings.
#4045: Playing Dumb on Purpose: Strategic Incompetence
Playing dumb to win against landlords and powerful people? It's a real psychological strategy with a name.
#4044: How to Sound Like a Bot on Purpose
When AI detectors flag clean human writing as machine-made, sounding like a bot becomes a survival skill.
#3973: How Autoland Guides Planes Through Zero Visibility
The engineering behind aircraft autoland systems that guide planes to the runway when pilots can't see anything.
#3967: What F1 Pit Stops Teach Us About Smarter Procedures
Two elite operations, one surprising set of principles. What airlines and F1 teams know about coordination that most teams don't.
#3938: Why Defensive Driving Is About Observation, Not Stunts
What defensive driving actually teaches — and why it's 70% about scanning, not skid-pad heroics.
#3932: How Pro Movers Carry 4 Boxes at Once Without Injury
The biomechanics, equipment engineering, and psychology behind safer DIY moving.
#3931: How Your Body Adapts to Brutal Physical Labor
The science of how manual workers get stronger, then slowly break down over decades.
#3930: Why Movers Are Stronger Than They Look
How movers and Olympic lifters build elite strength without big muscles — it's all in the nervous system.
#3909: What to Do When a Stranger Yells at You
A practical protocol for handling aggressive strangers on the street — based on real research.
#3722: Mapping Humanity's Biggest Unmet Need
Beyond Maslow's pyramid: what do humans actually need to flourish, and where is the global gap widest right now?
#3719: The 39-Millisecond Judgment: Resting Face Explained
Why a still photo can make anyone look hostile, and what sloths teach us about facial misreading.
#3663: Warm Absurdism: The Genre Daniel Actually Loves
What connects Nathan for You, Waiting for Godot, and The Matrix? It's not sci-fi — it's absurdist humanism.
#3627: What Your Comedy Taste Says About You
Do you love *Nathan for You* and *Trigger Happy TV*? We diagnose your sense of humor.
#3597: Building a Dream Guest Roster: Animals as Archetypes
What animals would make the best podcast guests? We map personalities to ravens, badgers, octopuses, and more.