Ben Yeoh Chats Benjamin Yeoh
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- Arts
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Ben Yeoh chats to a variety of thinkers and doers about their curiosities, ideas and passions.
If you are curious about the world this show is for you.
I have extended conversations across humanities and science with artists, philosophers, writers, theatre makers, activists, economists and all walks of life.
Disclaimer: Personal podcast, no organisational affiliation or endorsement.
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Henry Oliver: Late Bloomers, Second Act, Hidden Talent, Biography, John Stuart Mill
A conversation with Henry Oliver, author of 'A Second Act', exploring the concept of late bloomers. Transcript here.
Oliver elaborates on societal pressures, hidden talents, and how these impact individual successes at various life stages, advocating for a broader recognition of potential beyond conventional timelines.
The dialogue includes themes such as the significance of networks, the role of luck, and the historical context of late blooming, challenging prevailing notions of talent and achievement.
Following this, the conversation delves into the philosophical contributions of John Stuart Mill, particularly focusing on his expansion of utilitarianism and its inadvertent influence on contemporary moral behaviors like vegetarianism. It contrasts Mill’s stance on liberty and value measurement with other philosophers and highlights the importance of engaging with diverse perspectives for personal growth. The chat connects Mill’s philosophies to present-day issues.
We end on Henry’s advice: the importance of personalized approaches to absorbing content, seeking expertise, the application of tailored advice over generic guidance; and to ignore those who do not have recent advice experience.
On Hidden Talents and Societal Barriers:
"So in the case of someone just happens to emerge later, and in the case of someone has been held back, I would call that hidden both times. Because very often when you've been held back by your circumstances, people like actually cannot see your talents. And so they are hidden, not in the sense that you've kept them in, or you were scared, or whatever, but in the sense that, you could have put it on your t-shirt and people wouldn't have realized."
On Overcoming Historical Bias and Recognizing Talent:
"And obviously historically, very often that was to do with if you were a woman, if you were a person of color people just aren't going to, people literally aren't going to take that seriously. But that, to me, is interesting, it's an interesting demonstration of the fact that, You can be very confident that you know how to find talent, and that you know who's a good chap and who would be good at this job, and be completely blind to what is right in front of you."
Contents:
00:13 Learning from Henry’s mother
01:01 Exploring Hidden Talents and Societal Constraints
03:34 The Nuances of Midlife Crises and Opportunities for Growth
07:45 The Power of Networks and Circumstances in Shaping Late Bloomers
10:23 Margaret Thatcher: A Case Study in Late Blooming
16:20 Seizing Luck and the Importance of Being Prepared
21:32 The Role of Networks in Realizing Potential
30:20 Addressing Societal Biases and Embracing Equality of Opportunity
34:29 Rethinking Talent: Early Bloomers vs. Late Bloomers
42:55 The Fluidity of Intelligence and the Potential for Growth
45:29 Exploring Misunderstood Characters in Literature
45:56 Audrey Sutherland: The Unrecognized Kayaking Legend
47:09 Malcolm X: A Misunderstood Figure in History
48:46 The Ones That Didn't Make the Cut: Missed Profiles
51:28 The Writing Process: Insights and Personal Habits
54:51 The Fascinating World of London's Churches
59:36 Underrated and Overrated: A Deep Dive into Mindsets and Philosophies
01:18:23 Current Projects and Life Advice -
Alyssa Gilbert: Climate Tech Innovation, Policy, Technology
Alyssa Gilbert, the director of the Center for Climate Change Innovation at the Grantham Institute, talks about the current gaps in climate technology investments. She discusses her research into areas that are currently underfunded, including transport and energy. She also covers the importance of energy efficiency, especially in relation to the built environment. Alyssa emphasizes the necessity of various models in the fight against climate change, including private sector initiatives, philanthropy, and governmental grants - and highlights the need for a diverse range of solutions. She also speaks about the innovation within the London climate tech ecosystem and shares her perspective on various topics including carbon offsets, behavior change, and geoengineering.
Transcript/Video here: https://www.thendobetter.com/investing/2024/3/1/alyssa-gilbert-climate-tech-innovation-policy-technology-podcast
00:15 Discussion on Climate Technology Investment
01:15 Exploring Areas of Underinvestment in Climate Change
01:54 Climate Change Adaptation and Innovation
02:23 The Role of Heavy Industry in Climate Change
03:15 Climate Change Policies and Energy Efficiency
05:10 Challenges in Implementing Energy Efficiency
08:09 Debate on Degrowth vs Techno-optimism
11:34 Role of Venture Capital and Philanthropy in Climate Change
16:11 London's Climate Tech Ecosystem
21:58 Pitching Climate Change Ideas
24:17 Role of Big Companies in Climate Change Innovation
25:49 The Importance of Corporate Involvement in Innovation
26:26 A Glimpse into a Day in the Life of a Climate Innovator
29:13 Overrated or Underrated: A Discussion on Climate Solutions
40:48 Exciting Projects on the Horizon
44:02 Advice for Those Interested in Climate Action -
Garrett Graff: Aliens, Mysteries Of UFOs, Watergate, 9/11, Government Trust
Garrett Graff, a writer and historian who specializes in 'near history', discusses his book, 'UFO', about the US government's search for alien life. He touches upon how we often misunderstand UFO sightings, suggesting they could be due to a mix of physical anomalies and governmental or adversary secret flight technologies. Graff also shares his belief in the possibility of alien civilizations, arguing probabilities suggest the existence of life outside Earth. He then relates UFO conspiracies to a societal mistrust in government and institutions, tying it back to events like the Watergate scandal. Graff finally introduces his forthcoming oral history book on D-Day, emphasizing how his work emphasizes explaining and organizing complex events in an understandable and comprehensive way.
"When people ask 'do UFOs?'...That's not actually the question that they mean. The question that they really mean is, 'are we alone?' Because the truth of the matter is of course UFOs exist. All a UFO is an unidentified flying object, and there are things out there that we don't know what they are. Whether those are extraterrestrial is a very different question and potentially unrelated to the question of, are there extraterrestrials."
Transcript and video available here: https://www.thendobetter.com/arts/2024/2/14/garrett-graff-aliens-mysteries-of-ufos-watergate-911-government-trust-podcast
Contents:
00:31 Exploring the Mysteries of UFOs
03:05 The Probability of Alien Life
06:21 The Government's Role in UFO Research
19:03 The Impact of Conspiracy Theories
29:40 The Connection Between UFOs and Politics
33:28 The Importance of Trust in Government
47:21 The Writing Process and Future Projects -
Hannah Ritchie: Not the End of the World, sustainability, climate, progress
In this in-depth conversation, data scientist and researcher Hannah Ritchie delves into key insights from her new book 'Not The End of The World', which challenges the pervasive idea that human society is doomed due to environmental degradation. She explores various environmental problems, including climate change and plastic pollution, and emphasizes the potential for progress in tackling these critical issues. Hannah also discusses the essential role of technology and outlines the importance of lifting people out of poverty as a measure against climate change. Her argument centers around the balance of environmental change and human impact in achieving a sustainable planet. Furthermore, she provides advice on dealing with climate anxiety, career progression, and essential work ethics. Link to transcript, video and more here: www.thendobetter.com/arts/2024/1/26/hannah-ritchie-sustainability-progress-not-the-end-of-the-world-podcast
Approach: Hannah's work is primarily driven by data, focusing on the interplay between sustainability, climate change, and patterns of global development. Her new book, "Not the End of the World," addresses one of the most significant challenges of our time - environmental sustainability.
In the book, Hannah dispels a range of myths associated with environmental issues. She counters the prevailing narrative which claims we are doomed and there's nothing left to do about our environmental crisis. Instead, she believes we can change the narrative and become the first generation to build a sustainable planet.
Tackling Climate Change:
Hannah's optimism for combating climate change stems from the significant strides made in technology, especially renewable energy technologies. These technologies are no longer mere futuristic imaginings. They are realistic, economical, and deployable on a large scale.
However, she acknowledges the difficulty of the task at hand. The world is on track for 2 and a half to 3 degrees of warming which puts us in challenging terrain. We need rapid technological change coupled with significant societal transformation to alter our trajectory.
Addressing Biodiversity Loss:
Biodiversity loss, according to Hannah, is among the most challenging problems explored in her book. The manifestation of this crisis is nuanced as it involves intricate geo-political and economic dynamics. While technology can help, solving the biodiversity crisis will require simultaneous action on many fronts, from controlling deforestation to addressing climate change and overfishing. -
Hana Loftus: Architecture, Regeneration, Planning, Resilience, Design, Jaywick Sands
Hana Loftus is a co-founder of HAT Projects. HAT are award winning architects, planners and enablers for the built environment. Projects include: London’s Science Museum Smith Centre, transformation of Trinity Works (a disused church), Ely Museum, Jerwood gallery and Jaywick Sands’ Sunspot. As well as practising planning and design, she writes on the subject and plays a great fiddle and violin.
Transcript and Video here: https://www.thendobetter.com/arts/2024/1/10/hana-loftus-architecture-regeneration-planning-resilience-design-podcast
The discussion is around the challenges and opportunities in architecture and urban planning. The topics range from finding systemic housing solutions for poverty-stricken communities in Alabama, exploring the importance of practical real-world experiences for architecture students,
"I think as a young architect, firstly learning how a building is actually put together; nailing bits of wood together, wiring a house, plumbing a house, pouring foundations, all of that practical stuff is critical... And anybody can do that. Anybody can get tools and learn how to build something."
and discussing the Sunspot project that addresses affordable business units in Jaywick Sands, a poor area of east England. Hana talks about the lifespan and adaptability of buildings. She highlights the critical aspect of maintaining quality in construction and the risks in cost-cutting, referencing the Grenfell tragedy.
We discuss the political challenges of the Green Belt policy, proposing a 'finger model' for development, and the importance of exploring rural domains. Hana emphasises acquiring practical experience and making a concrete impact in the world.
Transcript and summary bullet points below.
Building Houses and Rural Studio Experience
Understanding the Realities of Rural Alabama
The Impact of Building with Your Own Hands
Working with the Community: The Story of Miss Phillips
The Importance of the Front Porch in Southern Homes
Reflections on Building Experience
Transition from Alabama to East of England: Jaywick Sands
Understanding the History and Challenges of Jaywick Sands
The Regeneration Strategy for Jaywick Sands
The Complexities of Place-Based Regeneration
The Role of Consultation in Community Development
The Sunspot Project: A Case Study in Localised Economic Stimulation
Reflections on the Success of the Sunspot Project
The Balance Between Planning and Unplanning in Community Development. The role of beauty.
Nationwide Economic and Climate Perspective
Local Agency and Development Opposition, Challenges in the Planning System
Inequality and Climate Resilience
Design Codes and Pattern Books: A Debate
The Aesthetics of Development and Cultural Relevance
The Lifespan of Buildings:
The Future of Building Design and Sustainability
The Role of Transport in Sustainable Planning
The Impact of Construction Industry Structure
Rethinking Greenbelt Policy for Sustainable Development
Current and Future Projects: A Glimpse
Life Advice: Making a Mark in the World -
Lucy Easthope: Disaster Recovery, Risk, Hope, Planning, Memoir, When The Dust Settles
Lucy Easthope is a professor, lecturer and leading authority on emergency planning and recovering from disaster. Lucy has advised on major disasters over the last decades including the 2004 tsunami, 9/11, the Salisbury poisonings, Grenfell, and the Covid pandemic and most recently the war in Ukraine. She challenges others to think differently about what comes next after tragic events, and how to plan for future ones.
Her book When the Dust Settles is both memoir of her life in disaster recovery and a personal journey through life, love and loss.
I ask Lucy about what she is hopeful about looking to the future.
"I think one of the things is this ability to be able to back, back and forth between really terrible thoughts and risks which we have to do in emergency planning, and then just take incredible joy from a moment in the day... My work is one of the greatest privileges of it; is just seeing people being great a lot. So that gives me a lot of hope."
We talk about how many disasters I’ve been a by-stander to (Thailand tsunami, 9/11, Grenfell, 7/7, mortar bomb attack) and how disaster is recurring.
We chat about Lucy’s activism from young and growing up around Liverpool.
Lucy has been very involved around personal items, and the belongings of people in disasters.
I ask about why it's such an important part of Lucy’s work. We chat about the interdisciplinary nature of here work.
We talk about the Welsh notion of hiraeth /ˈhɪərʌɪθ/. This longing for a place to which there is no return.
I ask about Lucy’s writing process and how she writes. We talk about themes in her life and writing such as working class roots and feminism. We discuss the importance of humour and why Lucy is pranked a lot.
We touch on Lucy’s personal losses of miscarriage.
I ask about what is misunderstood about disaster management and what organisations and people can do. How to think about balancing risk and opportunity. We talk about the problems of systemic and structural challenges.
We end on Lucy’s current projects and her life advice.
“Don't go to work on a row. I was reflecting with a friend recently and she said, "A lot of people say that they live life as if it's precious and you might not be here tomorrow, or the people you love might not be here tomorrow. But you Lucy, really do." And what does that look like? Everybody I love knows that I love them. Every time I say goodbye to my children, every time I go to work, it's always on the premise of how fragile this is. I think if we remember that, it sets us up to perhaps be kinder to each other. I also think that one of the most important things to me is to go back to those basics about particularly as we go into yet another difficult winter or difficult times, is think about just that couple of things that can make a difference. I think people are very anxious about trying to save the whole world. You don't need to save the whole world, just make somebody a cup of tea. Just make that tiny little kind of chaos theory difference, and that's enough.
Transcript and video: https://www.thendobetter.com/arts/2023/12/10/lucy-easthope-disaster-recovery-risk-hope-planning-memoir-when-the-dust-settles-podcast
Customer Reviews
Love it !
keep up the good work!❤️
Benjamin Yeoh🎙🎙
It was a joy having Benjamin Yeoh host such a gentle conversation.He is a sunburst of joy and an enthusiast for understanding, tolerance and love for mankind.Here we always get great educational topic with lots of inspireation.
A great women ''Bec Hill''
This episode basically captures Bec Hill's bio-ghaphy.Really this is so inspireing and educative epissode . I really very happy to about Bec Hill❤❤.