50 Things That Made the Modern Economy BBC Podcasts
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- Business
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Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.
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Introducing: Season 2 of 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter
How animals make us smarter – we thought you might like to hear our brand new episode. It’s about a robotic arm inspired by an elephant’s trunk.
For more, search for 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter wherever you get your podcasts.
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Introducing 13 Minutes to the Moon Season 2
Jump on-board a doomed mission to the Moon. Apollo 13: the extraordinary story, told by the people who flew it and saved it.
Search for 13 Minutes to the Moon wherever you get your podcasts.
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Gutenberg press
Johannes Gutenberg's printing press changed the course of human history. It created a new way of doing business, drastically reduced the cost and speed of making books, and enabled texts, ideas and arguments to spread further and faster than ever before. So why did he struggle to make money from it?
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Slot machines
First developed by a toy company in the 1890s, slot machines have become one of the most profitable tools of the gambling trade - but many who play them say winning isn't the point. So why can't people pull themselves away? Tim Harford looks under the spinning wheels and flashing lights to see what these devices reveal about the business of addiction.
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Chess algorithms
In 1997, Garry Kasparov, widely regarded as the world's greatest chess player, was defeated by Deep Blue, a computer. But how much did that reveal about the 'brainpower' of machines? Tim Harford explains by delving into the history of algorithms. They've been used by mathematicians and scientists for millennia, but have acquired a new level of power and importance in the digital age.
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Auctions
Are things only worth what people are willing to pay for them? Tim Harford explains why a method of buying and selling that originated in ancient times has endured to the present day, and is now underpinning the success of some of the internet's most powerful brands.
Customer Reviews
Great Service
Amazing service. More episodes would be awesome!
Really enjoying this series
I have one change I’d like to see. It would be great if we could get some of the people who are working on implementing these technologies on the show. I’d be very curious to learn their thoughts, too.
Mind expanding
Please make 50 more episodes.
I love this podcast. It is fun and humorous. It takes fascinating ideas of our modern times and turns them into entertaining stories. It explores how these things came to be. It has opened my mind to the important idea that by studying the flow of wealth, we can explain how many things developed in the modern world.
Highly recommended.