Philip Ball discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Philip Ball is a freelance writer and broadcaster and worked previously for over 20 years as an editor for Nature. He writes regularly in the scientific and popular media and has authored many books on the interactions of the sciences, the arts, and the wider culture, including H₂O: A Biography of Water, Bright Earth: The Invention of Colour, The Music Instinct and Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything. His book Critical Mass won the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books. Philip is a presenter of Science Stories, the BBC Radio 4 series on the history of science, and is the 2022 recipient of the Royal Society’s Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal for contributions to the history, philosophy or social functions of science. He trained as a chemist at the University of Oxford, and as a physicist at the University of Bristol. His latest book is The Book of Minds (2022), a survey of the varieties of mind that do and might exist.

1. Our genome is not a blueprint for us https://aeon.co/essays/our-genome-is-not-a-blueprint-for-making-humans-at-all

2. Emmy Noether https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxmDphojQUU

3. Glenn Branca https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/14/glenn-branca-dead-guitarist-composer

4. The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1997/07/17/paradise-in-a-dream/

5. What mercury feels like https://www.quora.com/What-does-mercury-feel-like

6. The deceptive cadence https://www.aaronkrerowicz.com/beatles-blog/the-beatles-use-of-deceptive-cadences

Travel writer Tharik Hussain discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Tharik Hussain in an author and travel writer whose work often serves to counter popular and authorised narratives. His debut book, Minarets in the Mountains; A Journey into Muslim Europe, was nominated for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Yearaward and the Baillie Gifford Prize in Non Fiction, and named a Book of the Year in the New Statesman, Prospect Magazine and the Times Literary Supplement. Hussain is also a Lonely Planet author who has written for the BBC, National Geographic and The Guardian. He developed Britain’s first Muslim heritage trails in Woking, Surrey and is a Fellow at the University of Groningen’s Centre for Religion and Heritage.

You can find out more at https://linktr.ee/TharikHussain and www.tharikhussain.co.uk

Links to the Muslim heritage trails: The Woking Trail and The Muslim Cemetery Walk.

1. Offa’s Dinar https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/gold-dinar-of-king-offa

2. The Shah Jahan Mosque https://shahjahanmosque.org.uk/

3. Twelve centuries of European Jewish-Muslim co existence https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2019/1105/Where-an-ancient-Jewish-Muslim-coexistence-endures

4. Indigenous European Muslim culture https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/forgotten-muslims-southeastern-europe

5. There is an official ‘Arabic’ EU language https://airmalta.com/en-gb/blog/malta/the-fascinating-history-of-the-maltese-language

6. The oldest mosque in the US https://www.salaamgateway.com/story/five-historic-mosques-of-america-you-shouldnt-miss

Rebecca Struthers discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Dr Rebecca Struthers is an independent watchmaker and time historian.

The co-founder of multi-award-winning workshop Struthers Watchmakers, in her practice, she specialises in the continuation of historic watchmaking techniques to restore old and craft new artisan timepieces.

A real time doctor, Rebecca is the first watchmaker in British history to earn a PhD in horology.

Rebecca is a Trustee of the Museum of Timekeeping (UK), a Fellow of British Horological Institute, a Sustainable Skills Ambassador for the Association of Heritage Engineers, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and an Academy Member of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – considered the Oscars of the watchmaking world.

Her book, Hands of Time, explores the human history of time told through the objects we’ve invented to measure. It will be published in May 2023.

1. John Wilter https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/196974

2. Benjamin Banneker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Banneker

3. The Museum of Timekeeping https://www.museumoftimekeeping.org.uk/

4. Staffordshire Moorlands https://www.visitpeakdistrict.com/visitor-information/staffordshire-moorlands-tourist-information-centre-p677411

5. The Radium Girls https://www.kate-moore.com/the-radium-girls

6. Dogs can tell the time https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/canine-corner/201911/can-dogs-smell-time

Rebeca Ramos is a Venezuela-born architect and designer. Her international body of work includes of multi-disciplinary projects recognised for their design quality, cultural relevance and technological innovation. She led the design and delivery of the multi-award winning Maggie’s Leeds; as well as the strategic definition of Google’s largest urban Campus based in California.
Rebeca founded Studio RARE inn 2021 as the culmination of 16+ years of international practice in architecture, media and the arts. Blending creative disciplines, RARE leverages emerging technologies to re-imagine how we create, develop and experience places, environments and cultural artefacts. The aim is to create meaningful projects with lasting impact, using international thought leadership and innovation to enhance the unique spirit of local contexts and cultures.

She was the first and youngest appointed female Project Leader at Heatherwick Studio, and first Latin-American woman to fill the position in 2015. She has been featured in Bloomberg UK and Business Insider, with  projects reviewed and acclaimed in the international design press.

1. Home television series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_(2020_TV_series)

2. Tribal storytelling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_in_Venezuela

3. The art of repair https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/aug/22/back-for-good-the-fine-art-of-repairing-broken-things

4. The artistic, cultural and architectural history of Venezuela https://www.admiddleeast.com/architecture-interiors/homes/gio-pontis-planchart-villa-in-venuzuala-is-an-icon-of-mid-century-modern-design

5. Emotional language https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/learn-nonviolent-communication/feelings/

6. The Timeless Way of Building https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/rtf-architectural-reviews/a4713-book-in-focus-the-timeless-way-of-building-by-christopher-alexander/

Subhadra Das discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Subhadra Das is a researcher and storyteller who looks at the relationship between science and society. She specialises in the history and philosophy of science, particularly the history of scientific racism and eugenics, and what those histories mean for our lives today. For nine years, she was Curator of the Science Collections at University College London, and also Researcher in Critical Eugenics at the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation. She has written and presented podcasts, curated museum exhibitions, done stand-up comedy and regularly appears on radio and tv. Her first book, (Un)Civilised: 10 Lies That Made The West comes out in May 2023.

1. Francis Galton https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/museums/2015/10/22/francis-galton-and-the-history-of-eugenics-at-ucl/

2. Alok Vaid Menon https://www.instagram.com/alokvmenon

3. Alabama 3 https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/apr/04/artsfeatures.popandrock

4. Gaudy Night https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/an-overlooked-novel-from-1935-by-the-godmother-of-feminist-detective-fiction

5. Pocket https://getpocket.com/

6. The Muppet Movie https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-muppet-movie-1979

Historian David O Stewart discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

A recovering lawyer and proud graduate of Curtis High School on Staten Island, David Stewart has published five books of history and four historical novels. His most recent nonfiction work, George Washington: The Political Rise of America’s Founding Father, has won several awards and was a finalist for Mount Vernon’s George Washington Prize.  His most recent novel, The New Land, was inspired by family stories his mother told, and is the first of a trilogy. He lives in Maryland with his wife of 48 years, Nancy; they have three children and five grandchildren. His website is www.davidostewart.com.

His non-fiction books include The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution, Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy, Madison’s Gift:  Five Partnerships that Built America, and American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America.

His fiction books include The Lincoln Deception, The Paris Deception and The Babe Ruth Deception.

1. George Washington’s political skills https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington%27s_political_evolution

2. Philip Noel-Baker https://www.quakersintheworld.org/quakers-in-action/231/Philip-Noel-Baker

3. The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey https://chandlersfordtoday.co.uk/allison-symes-book-review-the-daughter-of-time-by-josephine-tey/

4. The Valle de los Caidos monument https://makespain.com/listing/valle-de-los-caidos/

5. The battles of Louisbourg in 1745 and 1758 https://www.thoughtco.com/french-indian-war-siege-of-louisbourg-2360795

6. The 1868 impeachment trial of U.S. President Andrew Johnson https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/impeachment/impeachment-johnson.htm

Novelist Lavie Tidhar discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Lavie Tidhar was born just ten miles from Armageddon and grew up on a kibbutz in northern Israel. He has since made his home in London, where he is currently a Visiting Professor and Writer in Residence at Richmond University. He won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize for Best British Fiction, was twice longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award and was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger Award and the Rome Prize. He co-wrote Art and War: Poetry, Pulp and Politics in Israeli Fiction, and is a columnist for the Washington Post. His latest novel is Maror, published by Head of Zeus.

1. Joseph Grimaldi’s grave https://londonist.com/london/videos/grimaldi-s-cave

2. Bislama http://www.pentecostisland.net/languages/bislama/guide.htm

3. Marek Hlasko http://cosmopolitanreview.com/killing-the-second-dog/

4. Rarg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EGIG-Sq5-c

5. Castro Mojito https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/beer-mojito

6. The Israeli Mafia https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/a-field-guide-to-israeli-organized-crime

Roma Agrawal discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Roma Agrawal MBE is a structural engineer and author with a physics degree.

She has designed bridges, skyscrapers and sculptures with signature architects. She spent six years working on The Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe, and designed the foundations and the ‘Spire’.

In addition to winning industry awards, she has been featured on BBC World News, BBC Daily Politics, TEDx, The Evening Standard, The Sunday Times, Guardian, The Telegraph, Independent, Cosmopolitan and Stylist Magazines. She was the only woman featured on Channel 4’s documentary on the Shard, The Tallest Tower. Her books include Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures and How Was That Built?

1. Bharata Natyam https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-dance/classical/bharatnatyam.html
2. Emily Warren Roebling https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2014/06/emily-warren-roebling.html
3. Foundations of structures https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-01-mn-55439-story.html
4. ICSI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intracytoplasmic_sperm_injection
5. Chaat https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/chaat/
6. The science of knitting and crochet https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/science/math-physics-knitting-matsumoto.html

Tim Lott discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Tim Lott was born in Southall, West London in 1956. After a career in journalism, his first book, The Scent of Dried Roses, a memoir, was published in 1996 and won the PEN/JR Ackerley Prize for Autobiography.  His first novel, White City Blue, (1999) a contemporary portrait of friendship and rivalry between a group of young single men, won the Whitbread First Novel Award. It was followed by Rumours of a Hurricane (2002), a portrait of working class life in Britain in the 1980’s, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award.

Tim has been teaching writing for the last ten years, as a lecturer, teacher and individual mentor. He taught for three years at the Faber Academy, then moved to Guardian Masterclasses where he teaches individually and lectures with his partners John Yorke and Will Storr, collectively known as The Story Board. He has also taught creative writing at Brunel University and lectured at the University of East Anglia, the How To Academy, the Idler Academy, and the School of Life. His online mentoring course on Memoir is at TheNovelry.com.

1. Alan Watts https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/alan-watts-on-the-5-most-important-lessons-of-the-21st-century-6d1734aa6cf

2. The Game of the Goose http://ursuladubosarsky.squarespace.com/the-game-of-the-goose

3. Come and See https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-come-and-see-1985

4. Canelés https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/caneles

5. Hampstead Mixed Pond https://www.mixedpondassociation.org.uk/

6. The Fryer’s Delight https://www.timeout.com/london/news/step-back-in-time-at-this-old-school-fish-and-chip-shop-022522

Emma Smith discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Emma Smith is Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, Oxford: her most recent book is Portable Magic: A History of Books and their Readers.

1. The plays of Thomas Middleton https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v30/n23/michael-neill/old-dad-dead
2. New Lanark https://www.newlanark.org/
3. Abel Gance’s film Napoleon https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/10/napoleon-review-silent-era-epic-more-thrilling-than-ever
4. French 75s https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/french-75-cocktail
5. The Scrivener app https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview
6. The jazz pianist Jan Johannson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Johansson_(jazz_musician)