<p>What's your life expectancy trade-off for enjoying a crispy bacon sandwich? 🥓</p><br><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Spiegelhalter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sir David Spiegelhalter</a><strong> </strong>is a celebrated Professor of Statistics at the University of Cambridge; widely accepted as one of the UK's foremost statisticians. He explains the concepts of '<a href="https://sketchplanations.com/micromort-the-unit-of-death" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">micromorts</a>' and '<a href="https://sketchplanations.com/microlife-the-unit-of-life" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">microlives</a><strong>'</strong>, which quantify risk and the impact of lifestyle choices on life expectancy. The discussion delves into acute vs. chronic risks, with practical examples such as the dangers of skydiving or how regular smoking affects longevity of life. The conversation also covers the application of statistics in medicine, the importance of randomisation in clinical trials, and the philosophical underpinnings of uncertainty. Additionally, David highlights the human capacity to judge risks, the pitfalls of intuition, and offers practical advice on dealing with uncertainty in everyday life. Lively anecdotes, insightful explanations, and practical takeaways make this episode a compelling listen for anyone interested in the intersection of statistics, risk, and daily decision-making.</p><br><p>David's latest book, <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/458199/the-art-of-uncertainty-by-spiegelhalter-david/9780241658628" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Art of Uncertainty</a><strong> </strong>is available in all good bookshops and <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-art-of-uncertainty/david-spiegelhalter/9780241658635" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">online</a>.</p><br><p>Here are some useful links to further explore some topics raised:</p><ul><li>The work of <a href="https://msande.stanford.edu/people/ronald-howard" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ron Howard</a> at Stanford University</li><li>Jono's sketch on <a href="http://sketchplanations.com/word-spectrum" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Word Spectrums</a></li><li>David's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1126543.David_Spiegelhalter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">many other books</a> - including <a href="https://www.coffeeandbooks.co.uk/sex-by-numbers-by-david-spiegelhalter/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sex by Numbers</a></li><li><a href="https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/statistics-definitions/probability-distribution/poisson-distribution/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Poisson Distribution</a> explained</li><li>David tells the tale of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persi_Diaconis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Persi Diaconis</a> - the Mathemagician.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Summary:</strong></p><p>00:00&nbsp;Introduction, David's Background &amp; Achievements</p><p>01:43&nbsp;The Wipeout Experience</p><p>03:13&nbsp;Understanding Micro-Morts</p><p>04:27&nbsp;Acute vs. Chronic Risks</p><p>05:29&nbsp;Micro-Morts in Everyday Activities</p><p>12:05&nbsp;Introduction to Micro-Lives</p><p>18:03&nbsp;Medical Applications of Data and Statistics</p><p>21:27&nbsp;The Role of Uncertainty in Life</p><p>27:52&nbsp;Building Resilience Over Robustness</p><p>29:18&nbsp;Embracing Uncertainty in Life</p><p>33:35&nbsp;Misuse of Statistics in Media and Politics</p><p>40:30&nbsp;The Gamblers Fallacy and Intuition</p><p>42:29&nbsp;The Uniqueness of Card Shuffles</p><p>45:43&nbsp;Common Misconceptions About Probability</p><p>48:02&nbsp;Practical Tips for Dealing with Uncertainty</p><p>51:33&nbsp;Final Thoughts and Reflections</p><br><p>All music is provided by <a href="https://www.franccinelli.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Franc Cinelli</a>.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Sketchplanations - The Podcast

Bell Boy Productions

Microlives & The Art of Uncertainty with Sir David Spiegelhalter

DEC 2, 202553 MIN
Sketchplanations - The Podcast

Microlives & The Art of Uncertainty with Sir David Spiegelhalter

DEC 2, 202553 MIN

Description

<p>What's your life expectancy trade-off for enjoying a crispy bacon sandwich? 🥓</p><br><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Spiegelhalter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sir David Spiegelhalter</a><strong> </strong>is a celebrated Professor of Statistics at the University of Cambridge; widely accepted as one of the UK's foremost statisticians. He explains the concepts of '<a href="https://sketchplanations.com/micromort-the-unit-of-death" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">micromorts</a>' and '<a href="https://sketchplanations.com/microlife-the-unit-of-life" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">microlives</a><strong>'</strong>, which quantify risk and the impact of lifestyle choices on life expectancy. The discussion delves into acute vs. chronic risks, with practical examples such as the dangers of skydiving or how regular smoking affects longevity of life. The conversation also covers the application of statistics in medicine, the importance of randomisation in clinical trials, and the philosophical underpinnings of uncertainty. Additionally, David highlights the human capacity to judge risks, the pitfalls of intuition, and offers practical advice on dealing with uncertainty in everyday life. Lively anecdotes, insightful explanations, and practical takeaways make this episode a compelling listen for anyone interested in the intersection of statistics, risk, and daily decision-making.</p><br><p>David's latest book, <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/458199/the-art-of-uncertainty-by-spiegelhalter-david/9780241658628" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Art of Uncertainty</a><strong> </strong>is available in all good bookshops and <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-art-of-uncertainty/david-spiegelhalter/9780241658635" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">online</a>.</p><br><p>Here are some useful links to further explore some topics raised:</p><ul><li>The work of <a href="https://msande.stanford.edu/people/ronald-howard" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ron Howard</a> at Stanford University</li><li>Jono's sketch on <a href="http://sketchplanations.com/word-spectrum" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Word Spectrums</a></li><li>David's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1126543.David_Spiegelhalter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">many other books</a> - including <a href="https://www.coffeeandbooks.co.uk/sex-by-numbers-by-david-spiegelhalter/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sex by Numbers</a></li><li><a href="https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/statistics-definitions/probability-distribution/poisson-distribution/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Poisson Distribution</a> explained</li><li>David tells the tale of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persi_Diaconis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Persi Diaconis</a> - the Mathemagician.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Summary:</strong></p><p>00:00&nbsp;Introduction, David's Background &amp; Achievements</p><p>01:43&nbsp;The Wipeout Experience</p><p>03:13&nbsp;Understanding Micro-Morts</p><p>04:27&nbsp;Acute vs. Chronic Risks</p><p>05:29&nbsp;Micro-Morts in Everyday Activities</p><p>12:05&nbsp;Introduction to Micro-Lives</p><p>18:03&nbsp;Medical Applications of Data and Statistics</p><p>21:27&nbsp;The Role of Uncertainty in Life</p><p>27:52&nbsp;Building Resilience Over Robustness</p><p>29:18&nbsp;Embracing Uncertainty in Life</p><p>33:35&nbsp;Misuse of Statistics in Media and Politics</p><p>40:30&nbsp;The Gamblers Fallacy and Intuition</p><p>42:29&nbsp;The Uniqueness of Card Shuffles</p><p>45:43&nbsp;Common Misconceptions About Probability</p><p>48:02&nbsp;Practical Tips for Dealing with Uncertainty</p><p>51:33&nbsp;Final Thoughts and Reflections</p><br><p>All music is provided by <a href="https://www.franccinelli.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Franc Cinelli</a>.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>