Sleep and ASMR by The French Whisperer

Where does money come from, and what is it, exactly? Depending on how we look at it, it is at the same time a means of exchange, an unit of account, a language (the language of economic value), or a synonym for wealth. The term is also loaded with aspirations and emotions: having enough or a lot of money is connected to freedom, security, status, power, or peace of mind. We will explore these various layers tonight, as we travel along the centuries since Prehistory and the first monetary tokens, to Antiquity and the beginnings of coinage, and finally to modern times with paper money, dematerialized money and fiat currencies.
Timestamps:
0:00 What is Money?
3:38 From Gift & Debt Economies to Tokens
16:39 Introduction of Coins
26:21 Money as Symbol and Metaphor
32:35 Late Antiquity and Middle Ages
50:31 Religious Bans
56:50 Toward Modern Banking Systems Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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Let's explore scientific topics tonight, with this compilation of four episodes:
- part 1 is about the shapes and patterns in nature. Why do certain shapes come back, rather than others, what are these favoured shapes, and what is the golden ratio?
- part 2 is a presentation about bees: species, anatomy and social life.
- part 3 deals with the decay of structures and artifacts built by civilizations, and what traces they could live behind; this is at the heart of the Silurian Hypothesis.
- part 4 tells you all about cats: their evolutionary history, their species, and what distinguishes them from other mammals.
Timestamps:
0:00 Shapes of Nature
1:08:58 Bees
2:04:39 Silurian Hypothesis
3:15:52 Cats Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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"Gamification" describes a strategy: introducing gaming elements and mechanics into everyday activities - like learning, consuming, or producing - to make them more engaging, or even mildly addictive. It is also a phenomenon. From loyalty programs and budgeting apps to social media and ride-sharing, we play more games than we realize.
In this episode, I examine this situation, starting from my own experience as a content creator. We will explore the psychological mechanisms and neuroscience that make games so appealing, the blurred boundaries between play and work, and the benefits of gamification like fun, productivity, and motivation. We will also look at the downsides - specifically, how reality and subjective experiences may become standardized and flattened when they serve to feed a numbers game that we confuse with reality.
Timestamps:
0:00 Is your Life Gamified?
6:15 The Creator's Numbers Game
15:50 How Gamification Flattens Reality
28:58 A Bit of History
37:39 Psychology of Play and Work
47:12 What Happens in the Brain Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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What could space colonization in the next few decades look like, if it ever happens? Is it possible and does it make sense to establish bases on the Moon, mine asteroids, or build a "star bridge", also known as a space elevator? These are some of the questions I will tell you about in this episode. We will talk about the limitations of rockets, high-performance materials such as carbon nanotubes, what asteroids and the Moon are made of, why helium-3 could be a strategic resource, and many more things.
Timestamps:
0:00 Near-Space Colonization
1:04 Limitations of Rockets
9:50 Space Elevator
19:19 High-Performance Materials and Construction
32:43 Space Mining
42:40 Colonization of the Moon
49:22 Helium-3
59:19 Lunar Base Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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Bestiaries were medieval compendiums that contained information and illustrations of real and legendary animals. Following this ancient tradition, I have put together talks about the origins of different legendary and fantasy creatures. Make yourself comfortable, this will be a long historical, anthropological and mythological journey around the world.
Timestamps:
0:00 Bestiaries
1:37 Elf
27:37 Dwarf
41:12 Ork
47:32 Goblin
55:25 Troll
1:05:45 Phoenix
1:33:45 Unicorn
1:53:25 Mermaid
2:15:00 Werewolf
2:54:38 Dragon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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