Sjoerd Kooistra - Simek 's Nachts

Recentelijk werd hij dood gevonden. Omgekomen vanwege een misdrijf? Of was het toch zelfmoord. Hier is een kans om hem in leven te horen. In 2004 was hij, Sjoerd Kooistra, op bezoek bij Simek 's Nachts.

We horen van hem hoe hij in de horeca is gerold. Hoe het was om als homoseksueel te functioneren, eerst in Groningen en later in Amsterdam. De magnaat komt vooral naar voren als een horeca man in hart en nieren. Een die als het moet zelf achter de tap gaat staan. Je blijft je afvragen hoe dat te rijmen valt met de criminele sferen die rondom zijn verscheiden gesuggereerd werden. Of wordt hier een vooroordeel over de branche bevestigd?

Natuurlijk is de oude Simek podcast (zowel de RVU podcast als de Elsevier podcast) onvindbaar geworden, maar waar mogelijk breng ik de oude afleveringen in mijn simek huffduffer feed.

Meer Martin Simek:
Ik ben een geraffineerde vrouw - Naema Tahir,
Fabienne - dochter van Lucia de B (RVU),
Mohammed Jabri (RVU),
Nico Frijda (RVU),
Aaf Brandt Corstius (Elsevier).

War in Human Civilization - NBIH

I am amazed at New Books in History. Marshall Poe manages to produce new chapters every week. He reads the book and he interviews the author for about an hour. He must be reading more than just those books. He has got his position as a history professor at the University of Iowa, he has to write and he has to teach. In addition he must have got all those would be interviewees, but he won't pick each and every book only those whom he deems good enough.

What a selection we therefore get every week. Still it is one thing Poe gives an implicit recommendation of the book, it means even more if he explicitly does so. When he speaks with Azar Gat about War in Human Civilization, he recommends with special enthusiasm. And he adds he is going to use Gat's book for a course he wants to give. That kind of endorsement we have not yet witnessed often in NBIH.

Sure enough, Gat and Poe are off to a very spirited discussion. The subject is huge: how does war feature in human civilization? Has it always been there? Has it become worse, or perhaps better? Should we go with Rousseau and assume that war comes with civilization and man is deep down a noble savage. Or should we lean towards Hobbes and agree that man is a wolf to man and war is the state of nature, which civilization so feebly attempts to restrain? And what about nationalism and globalization? Poe and Gat are not done in the end. They will continue with Gat's next book.

More NBIH:
Always recommended: New Books in History,
The best varied history podcast,
The Caucasus,
The genocide and the trial,
Nation and Culture.

The Royal Navy vs. Napoleon and post-Napoleon -- BTHP

Since I last wrote about Tony Cocks's Binge Thinking History Podcast, he has proceeded with two more episodes on his current subject, the history of the Royal Navy. The Reign of Terror to Trafalgar and The demise of Bonaparte to the introduction of steam power. (feed)

Tony Cocks is an engaging and detailed narrator of history. Just as with his previous subject, The battle of Britain, he takes no short cuts to tell his history. And also similarly, this history is filled with technical details. Where we had extensive mention of aircraft and flight technology when he discussed the Battle of Britain, now that he displays the history of the Royal Navy, he makes a point of getting across a lot of shipping technology. It may be tough on the passing listener, it is splendid for the seriously involved.

Much of the history acquires a deeper logic when you get into the technical details of the ships involved. It is the technology, very frequently, that marks the difference in power between British ships and those of its competitors. Or where no such advantage existed, you get to appreciate much more the sheer seamanship that made the day. Britons make the day eventually in BTHP because, just as with the Battle of Britain, Tony Cocks has yet again chosen a subject that culminates in British success, however challenged all through the narrative.

More BTHP:
James Cook and a famous mutiny,
The Royal Navy and the Seven Year War,
Britannia Rules the Waves,
Royal Navy,
Win, lose or draw.

Dan Carlin and SFF Audio

Dan Carlin has started a new multi chapter subject at Hardcore History: Death Throes of the Republic. In this series he will extensively analyze how the Roman Republic dwindled from a formidable Mediterranean power to a decadent and deteriorating empire. (feed)

Carlin is a very successful and popular podcaster in addition to his Hardcore History (which is the most popular podcast among readers of this blog) Carlin also makes the more frequently appearing political opinion podcast Common Sense (feed). Personally I find Common Sense too much focussed on US politics, but also here Carlin can pride himself with reaching a large, international audience.

Common Sense features also dominantly in the interview Carlin gave at the SFF Audio podcast (feed). It is a dynamic and lively interview and one of the highlights is Dan's comparison of making radio with making podcast. We have already widely discussed how listening to podcast is different to listening to radio. But by the same token, Carlin demonstrates, making a podcast is different. You have no time constraints, less worries about losing the audience and a wider reach.

More Dan Carlin's Hardcore History:
Dan Carlin's history musings,
The end of the war,
Stalingrad,
Ghosts of the Ostfront,
Dan Carlin about the East Front.

More SFF:
Anne is a Man on SFF Audio,
Jesse Willis's five free favorites.

Malcolm Gladwell - Big Ideas

TVO's Big Ideas recently reran a lecture from 2005 by Malcolm Gladwell. (feed)

Gladwell wrote a book (Blink) about the problem that people take many important decisions quickly, in a matter of seconds, in the blink of an eye as it were. This is maybe not a problem from the point of view of economy, but it surely should make us feel uncomfortable about the validity of our decisions, especially on important issues, such as for example, the decision to hire one candidate from a range of applicants to an important job.

Gladwell's example, exactly about hiring: a musician for an orchestra, shows the rapid decision to be fault prone. However, this is not for its speed, which would demand slower deliberation and the viewing of more facts. Gladwell argues that split second decisions are rather reliable and pretty useful and where they go wrong, they do not go wrong for lack of facts, for missing deliberation, but rather too much input. Food for thought, a good podcast to listen to.

More Big Ideas:
The Age of Inequality,
Disappearing cultures,
Waiting for Godot,
Religion as culture - Camille Paglia,
Christopher Hitchens on the Ten Commandments.

The history of Anesthetics - Making History

My favorite Hebrew podcast is Making History with Ran Levi (עושים היסטוריה! עם רן לוי). I would like to draw your attention to one of the latest episodes. Here Ran Levi discusses the history of Anesthetics.

Three years ago BBC's In Our Time had a great program about Anesthetics as well and it is great to compare with Ran Levi's excellent work. Despite overlap, there are some good new insights to be had with him as well. In Our Time pays more attention to the assumed religious problem with anesthetics: pain was supposed to be a meaningful gift of god - how could we attempt to take it away?

This is pointed out by Levi as well, but with Levi we learn more about the finer techniques of the various narcotics that have been in use. And this gives great insight in the technical development. And as usual with histories of human discovery, frequently the wrong people are credited for the invention.

More Making History with Ran Levi:
Social Engineering for hackers,
Ran Levi, then, now and about the Long Now,
Of nightmares and sleepwalking,
Mass Extinctions,
Making History with Ran Levi - עושים היסטוריה! עם רן לוי.