

Better Known
Ivan Wise
Each week, a guest makes a series of recommendations of things which they think should be better known. Our recommendations include interesting people, places, objects, stories, experiences and ideas which our guest feels haven't had the exposure that they deserve.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 11, 2018 • 29min
Maria Donovan and Anna Carlisle
This week, Maria Donovan and Anna Carlisle discuss with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Edmund Dene Morel: political activist and reformer of the slave trade in the Belgian Congo - www.bouncing-balls.com/timeline/people/nr_leopoldmorel.htm
Ben Bulben Mountain: historic mountain range in Sligo - www.adventurous-travels.com/posts/ben-bulben-mountain-and-glencar-waterfall-and-lake-county-sligo-ireland
“What’s the lowlight of your holiday?”: sometimes the negative holiday stories are the best - www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/worst-holidays-from-hell/
Monopoly Deal: card game variation on board game classic - www.boardgamereviewsbyjosh.com/2013/01/monopoly-deal-review.html
Lady Denman: strong independent woman and originator of pronunciation of Canberra - www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-02/lord-and-lady-denman-in-australia-exhibition/7677874
Cell Workout: LJ Flanders' exercise regime for prisoners - www.russellwebster.com/lj-flanders-story-beyond-cell-workout/
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Feb 4, 2018 • 29min
Ivan Wise
This week, Ivan Wise discusses six things which he thinks should be better known
Nothing Sacred: one of the finest film comedies, starring Carole Lombarde - http://sensesofcinema.com/2011/cteq/nothing-sacred/
Charles Lamb: essayist and author of Tales from Shakespeare - www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44519/the-old-familiar-faces
Rosewood Thieves: American folk-rock band - www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ARPHwygl8A
Takin’ Home the Asylum: BBC drama about mental health, and David Tennant's first starring role - www.theguardian.com/society/2008/jun/04/mentalhealth
Parkinson’s Law of Triviality: how committees spend most of their time on trivia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality
Cyrus Field: the man behind the transatlantic cable - http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/11/books/the-cable-guy.html
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Jan 28, 2018 • 29min
Ezekiel Jacob
This week, Ezekiel Jacob discusses with Ivan Wise six things which he thinks should be better known:
The evolution of powered flight in birds: why some birds learnt to fly and why others did not - www2.gwu.edu/~darwin/BiSc151/Birds/Birds.HTML
The Varangian Guard: an elite unit of the Byzantine army, featuring Harold Hardrada -www.realmofhistory.com/2016/04/20/10-fascinating-facts-varangian-guard/
Chaser’s War on Everything: an Australian satirical sketch show - www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X3aqifX66E
Kublai Khan’s failed invasions of South East Asia: Genghis’ grandson takes China but fails to take Japan, Java or Vietnam - www.thoughtco.com/the-mongol-invasions-of-japan-195559
Molesworth: books written by Geoffrey Willans and illustrated by Ronald Searle - www.lrb.co.uk/v22/n04/thomas-jones/swete-lavender
Caledonian Orogeny: a geologist’s explanation for the 2014 Scottish referendum - www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap4-Plate-Tectonics-of-the-UK/Caledonian-Orogeney
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Jan 21, 2018 • 28min
David Singleton
This week, David Singleton talks to Ivan Wise about six things which he thinks should be better known.
Tardigrades www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20150313-the-toughest-animals-on-earth
Fractals https://mathigon.org/world/Fractals
William Shockley www.pbs.org/transistor/album1/shockley/shockley3.html
Strangford Lough www.visitstrangfordlough.co.uk
Kottke.org https://kottke.org/
Super 8 www.straight8.net/
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Jan 14, 2018 • 28min
Jonny Forbes
This week, Jonny Forbes talks to Ivan Wise about six things which he thinks should be better known.
Extreme heavy metal of the past thirty years - an overview of death metal, thrash metal and other key developments: www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00272/full
Benefits to mental health of juggling - throwing balls in the air is good for you in lots of ways: www.jugglingworld.biz/more-juggling-resources/benefits-of-juggling-and-circus-skills/
Slovenia as tourist destination – Ljubljana is just the tip of the iceberg: www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/slovenia/articles/slovenia-attractions/
Medical benefits of psychedelic drugs - David Nutt and the research into how drugs can help those with depression: https://sapiensoup.com/medical-benefits-of-psychedelic-drugs
I’m a Cyborg but that’s OK - South Korean romantic comedy film from the director of the Vengeance trilogy: www.denofgeek.com/movies/6572/eiff-im-a-cyborg-but-thats-ok-review
British invasion in comics - Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and how superheroes became flawed: www.gizmodo.co.uk/2016/03/how-the-british-invasion-changed-the-world-of-comics/
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Jan 7, 2018 • 28min
Gregory Platten
This week, Gregory Platten discusses with Ivan Wise six things which he thinks should be better known.
Harris Gin: www.harrisdistillery.com/harris-gin
Still Game: Scottish sitcom - http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a810193/still-game-returns-after-9-years-on-friday-and-its-the-best-sitcom-youve-never-watched-unless-youre-from-scotland/
Life as a vicar: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/3297407/High-pressure-long-hours-and-low-pay-the-life-of-a-vicar-is-no-longer-a-tea-party.html
Chequers: Oxford pub - www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/food/reviews/10813297.REVIEW__The_ChequersOxfordChequeredhistory/
Nicholas Berdyaev: Russian philosopher - www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Sui-Generis/Berdyaev/essays/index.htm
Berwick upon Tweed: most northerly town in England - www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/berwick/berwickupontweed/index.html
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Dec 21, 2017 • 16min
Christmas Special
Ivan Wise talks to Edward Cook, Jonny Forbes, Will Ward, Alexis Meech, Rachel Slade, Duncan Baldwin, Katie Kitney, Ezekiel Jacob, Colin Cliff and Rick Miles about one thing which they think should be better known about Christmas.
New Zealand Christmas http://media.newzealand.com/en/story-ideas/kirihimete-new-zealand-christmas-experience/
Krampus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus
St Nicholas www.whychristmas.com/customs/fatherchristmas.shtml
Wassailing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Wassail
Cornish Christmas www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-19th-century-taming-of-the-christmas-carol-from-st-erth-to-truro
Operation Christmas www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHWt_EWWfx0
Elf on a shelf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elf_on_the_Shelf
Mithras https://jerome23.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/the-myth-of-the-pagan-christmas-or-why-stephen-fry-was-wrong-on-mythmas/
Christmas roast https://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i40/Maillard-Reaction-Turns-100.html
Operation Christmas Child www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/
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Dec 17, 2017 • 29min
Andy Smith
This week, Andy Smith discusses with Ivan Wise six things which he thinks should be better known.
Spikeball: a sport with a trampoline-like net. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spikeball
Directors Commentary: a comedy series with Rob Brydon as fictional director Peter de Lane. www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Df03uATMM
Speed running: the curious art of completing games very quickly and thus removing all enjoyment. https://kotaku.com/how-to-start-speedrunning-video-games-1796984207
Pandemic Legacy: a board game in which players attempt to save the world. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-season-1
Marmite porridge: Andy Smith’s breakfast. https://madebyluci.co.uk/marmite-porridge/
Marilyn vos Savant: the Monty Hall problem discussed https://priceonomics.com/the-time-everyone-corrected-the-worlds-smartest/
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Dec 10, 2017 • 28min
Matthew Brown
This week, Matthew Brown discusses with Ivan Wise six things which he thinks should be better known.
The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin: a science-fiction novel and political allegory www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2011/mar/29/hugo-award-ursula-le-guin
Memorial to Thomas Clarkson: a monument in Hertfordshire recognising a prominent opponent to the slave trade http://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/content/herts-history/places/monuments-and-memorials/thundridge-primary-school-and-the-thomas-clarkson-monument
Richard Feynman: a physicist http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2011/07/14/dramatic-picture-richard-feynman/
Whalesong by Sophie Stephenson-Wright: a Poem from the Underground http://commonplaced.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/whalesong-sophie-stephenson-wright.html
Obscure Christmas music: Backdoor Santa by BB King, Louis Armstrong and more www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3TXwWANFbM
The Secret of Monkey Island: a computer game about pirates http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/why-the-secret-of-monkey-island-was-the-pc-s-greatest-adventure-1288213
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Dec 3, 2017 • 27min
Katie Kitney
Katie Kitney discusses with Ivan Wise six things which she thinks should be better known.
Flowers for Algernon: science fiction novel by Daniel Keyes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowers_for_Algernon
Knot Coffee: a cafe chain in London notable for their pretzel range www.knot-pretzels.com
Crème de la crème: spin-off of the Great British Bake-Off www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/bake-off-creme-de-la-creme-final
Karen Rose: crime mystery writer www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Af4rneywIk
Sara Bareilles: American singer-songwriter www.youtube.com/user/SaraBareillesVEVO
Taskmaster: Dave TV comedy show hosted by Greg Davies https://dave.uktv.co.uk/shows/taskmaster/
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