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Science

Physical Attraction

Thomas

Physical Attraction is the show that explores topics in science, technology, and the future - from a physicist's perspective. From the birth of stars to the end of the world, from interviews with experts to meticulously-researched deep dives, we'll explore the topics that shape our world.

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  • 247 episodes
  • Updated Mar 9, 2022

Episodes247

Newest first
  • Aug 8, 2017 · 15 min

    Bonus: AI Shakespeare vs. AI Trump, call for Listener Questions

    Bonus midweek edition, coming to you as close to LIVE as is humanly possible... Inspired by last week's episode, Seduced By A Robot, I downloaded a neural network and started to play around with it. See what happens when I feed it: The works of Shakespeare My Facebook conversation history A biography of Stalin and, of course, the twitter feed of President Trump The neural network I used was the tensorflow char-rnn - an open-source framework by Chen Liang - and I got the idea from Janelle Shane, who you can find at www.lewisandquark.tumblr.com. Also: an appeal for listener questions! I want to do a listener questions episode, but to do that, I need... listener questions. Tweet us @physicspod, email us at physicspod@outlook.com. Any question will be considered, no matter how outlandish, and the ones that work out will be featured on a future episode. Here are some ideas: Something you wanted to know about physics Something you wanted to know about seduction (which I achieve masterfully in 100% of cases) Something that's been bothering you in your personal life or in the world at large Hateful abuse phrased as a question Send them in! And see you Saturday for a regular episode.

  • Aug 5, 2017 · 31 min

    Seduced By A Robot

    OK Computer, seduce me. What happens when Japanese scientists try to programme an AI to give love advice? Are we going to be able to talk to robots in our lifetimes and have them say anything that makes an earthly lick of sense? Should you stop dating and learn how to programme instead? On this episode of physical attraction, we'll dive into the world of chatterbots and ask the question: can you be seduced by a robot?

  • Jul 29, 2017 · 23 min

    Unusually Hot: The Radiation Episode

    What is radiation, and why won't it give you superpowers? How can we shield future generations from nuclear waste? What's the Oh-My-God particle? And, most crucially of all, how many bananas does it take to crush a person to death? Physical Attraction takes a brief dive into the world of the electromagnetic spectrum and other forms of radiation. This week's chat-up line: Are you emitting light in the visible spectrum, because you're... unusually hot

  • Jul 22, 2017 · 19 min

    Good Vibrations

    Can you really explain a huge chunk of what we know about physics with a single equation? What does this equation look like, and how does it behave? And - most importantly - what happens when a platoon of soldiers try to flirt with a bridge? This episode of physical attraction, we're picking up good vibrations. Come oscillate with us. Hopefully some of what we say is going to resonate with you.

  • Jul 15, 2017 · 19 min

    Physics Gets Hot and Heavy II

    Physics gets hot and heavy, part two. This episode we'll be looking at what happens to stars after they join the main sequence - one of the most beautiful theories in astrophysics. Neutron stars, black holes, supernovae... Things are only going to get hotter and heavier. Explaining physics, one chat-up line at a time. Tweet me your questions @physicspod for a shout-out on the show.

  • Jul 8, 2017 · 23 min

    Physics Gets Hot and Heavy I

    Our inaugural episode! Explaining physics, one chat-up line at a time. This episode, I'm going to explain some of my motivations behind creating the show, and then we're going to be looking at how stars are born, how they're formed, and how they die. And, of course, this show's chat-up line: "Are you in the early stages of stellar formation? Because things are about to get... hot and heavy."

  • Jun 28, 2017 · 58 sec

    Physical Attraction: Trailer

    The show that explains physics, one chat-up line at a time. Coming soon to an internet near you.