Braggoscope
February 21, 2023 1:57 PM Subscribe
Braggoscope Nearly 1,000 episodes of Melvyn Bragg's fascinating In Our Time radio programme, categorised according to the Dewey decimal system.
Topics include history, culture, science. All episodes are available to listen to online. Don't forget to always talk about the actions of historical figures in the present tense for some reason. Via Kottke.org.
Topics include history, culture, science. All episodes are available to listen to online. Don't forget to always talk about the actions of historical figures in the present tense for some reason. Via Kottke.org.
The "About" page is fascinating. Developer uses LLMs (GPT-3, in particular) in a couple of different ways to simplify their job of categorizing and summarizing the 25 years of the podcast. Very cool. Thanks for the post!
posted by gofordays at 2:21 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by gofordays at 2:21 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
In Our Time is the one program that keeps me interested in podcasts, generally speaking. I have still not found anything nearly as good elsewhere. Not on BBC, CBC, not anywhere. Some foreign language radio programs / interview programs (e. g., NDR) seem good, but TBH, my language skills aren’t so good that I could tell.
posted by nothing.especially.clever at 2:51 PM on February 21, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by nothing.especially.clever at 2:51 PM on February 21, 2023 [4 favorites]
OH MY GOD
OH MY GOD
OH MY GOD
OH MY GOD
THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER
I love In Our Time and I am delighted beyond words that this exists.
Reading about how he did it is fascinating (I was surprised by "Converting the scraped pages into machine-readable JSON doesn’t require programmatic use of an AI… but it’s considerably more straightforward than writing lots of fiddly code to do the equivalent job.")
I had not realized the BBC posted a reading list for each episode, and I'm delighted to know that now.
One major shortcoming is that there doesn't seem to be a search feature. I couldn't remember which episodes my favorite guest, Janna Levin, had been on (nor my second favorite guest, Jocelyn Bell Burnell), and I had to poke around Astronomy until I found one of their episodes. (The search feature on the BBC Sounds site doesn't find Janna Levin's In Our Time episodes, either, but a site-limited Google search like "janna levin site:genmon.github.io/braggoscope" does work.)
This is just the best thing I've seen in eons, and I am SO GLAD to know it exists. Thank you so much for posting it, mokey! (And thanks to Matt Webb for creating it!)
posted by kristi at 2:57 PM on February 21, 2023 [9 favorites]
OH MY GOD
OH MY GOD
OH MY GOD
THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER
I love In Our Time and I am delighted beyond words that this exists.
Reading about how he did it is fascinating (I was surprised by "Converting the scraped pages into machine-readable JSON doesn’t require programmatic use of an AI… but it’s considerably more straightforward than writing lots of fiddly code to do the equivalent job.")
I had not realized the BBC posted a reading list for each episode, and I'm delighted to know that now.
One major shortcoming is that there doesn't seem to be a search feature. I couldn't remember which episodes my favorite guest, Janna Levin, had been on (nor my second favorite guest, Jocelyn Bell Burnell), and I had to poke around Astronomy until I found one of their episodes. (The search feature on the BBC Sounds site doesn't find Janna Levin's In Our Time episodes, either, but a site-limited Google search like "janna levin site:genmon.github.io/braggoscope" does work.)
This is just the best thing I've seen in eons, and I am SO GLAD to know it exists. Thank you so much for posting it, mokey! (And thanks to Matt Webb for creating it!)
posted by kristi at 2:57 PM on February 21, 2023 [9 favorites]
Also: there are so many depressing and worrying stories about AI lately, and it's very nice indeed to find AI being put to such excellent use.
posted by kristi at 2:58 PM on February 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by kristi at 2:58 PM on February 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
MetaFilter introduced me to Literature and History (thanks Kattullus!) and the History of Philosophy series (forget who/when, but def. shared in MeFi)
this is another fantastic find
this is my bedtime, so happy to learn of this series (from a quick listen to the opening of the episode on Time, I don't hear a lot of noise/thematic music, just voices speaking.. my jam!)
Thank you!!
posted by elkevelvet at 3:12 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
this is another fantastic find
this is my bedtime, so happy to learn of this series (from a quick listen to the opening of the episode on Time, I don't hear a lot of noise/thematic music, just voices speaking.. my jam!)
Thank you!!
posted by elkevelvet at 3:12 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm a big fan of In Our Time: Science. They're always great and always exceed my expectations. I'm very well read in the sciences but I always learn a lot.
posted by neuron at 3:31 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by neuron at 3:31 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I always enjoy the after show segment when a BBC staffer takes orders for tea from the guests.
posted by chrchr at 3:37 PM on February 21, 2023 [15 favorites]
posted by chrchr at 3:37 PM on February 21, 2023 [15 favorites]
Melvyn's a distant cousin of the crystallographer Braggs.
I look forward to exploring these.
posted by jamjam at 3:39 PM on February 21, 2023
I look forward to exploring these.
posted by jamjam at 3:39 PM on February 21, 2023
I posted this on projects but I did the same thing with the NYRB and LRB archives:
https://weekendcollection.substack.com/p/catalog
Here's the output (as of now, I'm always updating):
https://weekend-collection.s3.amazonaws.com/Catalog+-+Feb+17.html
Kind of surprising I arrived at a similar approach to the Dewey Decimal thing.
posted by web5.0 at 3:59 PM on February 21, 2023 [7 favorites]
https://weekendcollection.substack.com/p/catalog
Here's the output (as of now, I'm always updating):
https://weekend-collection.s3.amazonaws.com/Catalog+-+Feb+17.html
Kind of surprising I arrived at a similar approach to the Dewey Decimal thing.
posted by web5.0 at 3:59 PM on February 21, 2023 [7 favorites]
I remember listening to In Our Time for the first time, and after the podcast padding, the actual program's introduction was: "Hello--" and then immediately launched into the topic. It was breathtaking. Bragg doesn't even bother with the name of the program. It's a dense listen, but I like that in a podcast.
The format is really interesting as a podcast; the broadcast is clearly very tightly controlled, and Bragg is not shy about steering the guests, and then the last ten minutes or so as the tea is prepared allows the guests to talk about whatever didn't get covered. This strikes me as a particularly clever move, because if you know a lot about a topic there's always stuff that you realise you should have mentioned after the fact, and they were smart enough to get it recorded. This is also where a lot of the historical correction will take place, like adding women back into the narrative (which is, these days, also something they explicitly try to do in the program itself).
posted by Merus at 3:59 PM on February 21, 2023 [8 favorites]
The format is really interesting as a podcast; the broadcast is clearly very tightly controlled, and Bragg is not shy about steering the guests, and then the last ten minutes or so as the tea is prepared allows the guests to talk about whatever didn't get covered. This strikes me as a particularly clever move, because if you know a lot about a topic there's always stuff that you realise you should have mentioned after the fact, and they were smart enough to get it recorded. This is also where a lot of the historical correction will take place, like adding women back into the narrative (which is, these days, also something they explicitly try to do in the program itself).
posted by Merus at 3:59 PM on February 21, 2023 [8 favorites]
"Melvyn's a distant cousin of the crystallographer Braggs."
Third cousin thrice removed. Yep - distant...
Excellent post - thank you!
posted by speug at 4:11 PM on February 21, 2023
Third cousin thrice removed. Yep - distant...
Excellent post - thank you!
posted by speug at 4:11 PM on February 21, 2023
The nicest thing Metafilter ever did for me was introduce me to "In Our Time". I will use this index, thank you.
posted by acrasis at 4:31 PM on February 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by acrasis at 4:31 PM on February 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
I can vouch that the philosophers know their stuff. So, I assume, do all the other guests.
“ That present tense thing always irritates me. It seems to be the habit in academia and history broadcasting these days. Some spurious attempt to make it all sound more dynamic and relevant to the present day, I guess.”
I can only speak to the use of present tense in the history of philosophy, but I don’t recall a time when it wasn’t done that way. I could guess as to reasons why, but I assure you that an attempt at dynamism is no where near the top of the list. I mean, we eschew using any contractions.
posted by oddman at 4:44 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
“ That present tense thing always irritates me. It seems to be the habit in academia and history broadcasting these days. Some spurious attempt to make it all sound more dynamic and relevant to the present day, I guess.”
I can only speak to the use of present tense in the history of philosophy, but I don’t recall a time when it wasn’t done that way. I could guess as to reasons why, but I assure you that an attempt at dynamism is no where near the top of the list. I mean, we eschew using any contractions.
posted by oddman at 4:44 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Great resource for a great podcast
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 4:51 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 4:51 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also is it just me or does Bragg seem to be consistently less patient with female guests? E.g., cutting them off more quickly and frequently, contradicting them, etc.
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 5:13 PM on February 21, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 5:13 PM on February 21, 2023 [6 favorites]
Just another reason I hit the Blue first thing every day. This is priceless.
posted by charlesminus at 5:17 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by charlesminus at 5:17 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I always enjoy the after show segment when a BBC staffer takes orders for tea from the guests.
I've never quite got round to listening to this, as I'd always suspected it would be just everyone discussing where to go for lunch, so I'm slightly pleased to hear that I was almost right.
posted by Fuchsoid at 5:47 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I've never quite got round to listening to this, as I'd always suspected it would be just everyone discussing where to go for lunch, so I'm slightly pleased to hear that I was almost right.
posted by Fuchsoid at 5:47 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I agree with Merus about the unusual formatting. No big theme music, no flashy intro, no sound effects - just Bragg diving right into discussion.
I play a sample to my students during a podcasting class and they are usually surprised.
Great resource, this index.
posted by doctornemo at 6:16 PM on February 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
I play a sample to my students during a podcasting class and they are usually surprised.
Great resource, this index.
posted by doctornemo at 6:16 PM on February 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
In Our Time is the only podcast I've listened to regularly.
A few years ago, I felt I couldn't keep up- to much pressure!
So I stopped listening to almost any podcast.
So this was a reminder to me how much I enjoy this show.
I appreciate Melvyn more when the subject is technical, and I feel a little bit more in tune with the subject than he. He's more of a humanities guy.
posted by MtDewd at 6:16 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
A few years ago, I felt I couldn't keep up- to much pressure!
So I stopped listening to almost any podcast.
So this was a reminder to me how much I enjoy this show.
I appreciate Melvyn more when the subject is technical, and I feel a little bit more in tune with the subject than he. He's more of a humanities guy.
posted by MtDewd at 6:16 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I've fallen out of listening to this, but it's a good podcast although not one to have on in the background. I'm always impressed with the quality of the guests, and how well Bragg sort of leads the conversation through the topic (perhaps more quickly than some scholars would wish).
The top 6 categories illustrate the focus of the show:
940 History of Europe (90)
820 English and Old English literatures (79)
930 History of ancient world (50)
530 Physics (41)
100 Philosophy (37)
320 Political science (37)
(They also illustrate some of the limitations of the Dewey system; there are more than 37 on Christianity, but they're split amongst the four Dewey groups for Christianity. As well as some of the limitations of machine classification; a handful of the "Religion" episodes are IMO better classified under Christianity.)
posted by Superilla at 7:31 PM on February 21, 2023
The top 6 categories illustrate the focus of the show:
940 History of Europe (90)
820 English and Old English literatures (79)
930 History of ancient world (50)
530 Physics (41)
100 Philosophy (37)
320 Political science (37)
(They also illustrate some of the limitations of the Dewey system; there are more than 37 on Christianity, but they're split amongst the four Dewey groups for Christianity. As well as some of the limitations of machine classification; a handful of the "Religion" episodes are IMO better classified under Christianity.)
posted by Superilla at 7:31 PM on February 21, 2023
The Dewey system does seem apropos to Bragg's subjects.
posted by Panjandrum at 9:48 PM on February 21, 2023
posted by Panjandrum at 9:48 PM on February 21, 2023
Also is it just me or does Bragg seem to be consistently less patient with female guests? E.g., cutting them off more quickly and frequently, contradicting them, etc.
He's a pretty bossy host in general, but you are not the only person to notice this.
OTOH, he always has a female expert on the show (although usually just one), which is better than a lot of people manage (my recollection is that he was criticized early on for not always having a female expert and he took it to heart).
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 9:52 PM on February 21, 2023 [4 favorites]
He's a pretty bossy host in general, but you are not the only person to notice this.
OTOH, he always has a female expert on the show (although usually just one), which is better than a lot of people manage (my recollection is that he was criticized early on for not always having a female expert and he took it to heart).
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 9:52 PM on February 21, 2023 [4 favorites]
I always enjoy the after show segment when a BBC staffer takes orders for tea from the guests.
I like it when he includes a little episode-relevant pun in how he phrases his "tea or coffee?" question.
He's a pretty bossy host in general
Yeah, but that's a good thing. He wants to make maximum possible use of the limited time available, and that means keeping the guests focussed and the discussion moving along. Another thing I love about Bragg here is that he never bluffs. If there's a point he's having trouble grasping, he'll freely admit that and press the guests till they make it more clearly.
It's worth searching YouTube for his speeches at various book festivals and such. His presentations on the literary history of both the Tyndale and King James Bibles are particularly good.
Finally, Bragg once got noticeably drunk while interviewing the painter Francis Bacon on camera - and was honest enough to let the footage go out anyway. Here's a clip.
posted by Paul Slade at 11:27 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I like it when he includes a little episode-relevant pun in how he phrases his "tea or coffee?" question.
He's a pretty bossy host in general
Yeah, but that's a good thing. He wants to make maximum possible use of the limited time available, and that means keeping the guests focussed and the discussion moving along. Another thing I love about Bragg here is that he never bluffs. If there's a point he's having trouble grasping, he'll freely admit that and press the guests till they make it more clearly.
It's worth searching YouTube for his speeches at various book festivals and such. His presentations on the literary history of both the Tyndale and King James Bibles are particularly good.
Finally, Bragg once got noticeably drunk while interviewing the painter Francis Bacon on camera - and was honest enough to let the footage go out anyway. Here's a clip.
posted by Paul Slade at 11:27 PM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
In Our Time was my favourite podcast for years. Bragg is excellent, the format is great, come out with your head spinning but - I fell off because it's so unbelievably Western-centric. Yes understandably and tbh considering how white British public school Bragg is, probably for the best, but was a 'ah, so this is very much our time'
But just, European History - 90 episodes. African history - 3
posted by litleozy at 1:25 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
But just, European History - 90 episodes. African history - 3
posted by litleozy at 1:25 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
how white British public school Bragg is
Bragg didn't go to public school (which, in the UK, means a private fee-paying school), but to a state grammar school. His parents (both of whom came from families of agricultural labourers) ran a pub in Cumbria. He got to Oxford only with the help of a scholarship. His Wikipedia page and this New Yorker profile both have more details.
posted by Paul Slade at 2:01 AM on February 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
Bragg didn't go to public school (which, in the UK, means a private fee-paying school), but to a state grammar school. His parents (both of whom came from families of agricultural labourers) ran a pub in Cumbria. He got to Oxford only with the help of a scholarship. His Wikipedia page and this New Yorker profile both have more details.
posted by Paul Slade at 2:01 AM on February 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
litleozy, I think you're right, however, to be fair I'd say there are around 10 episodes on African history (some are listed under "History" and some under "History of Ancient World").
posted by mokey at 2:15 AM on February 22, 2023
posted by mokey at 2:15 AM on February 22, 2023
Hello. CAN MACHINES THINK?
(A previous thread on Melvyn's abrupt openings).
posted by mokey at 4:48 AM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
(A previous thread on Melvyn's abrupt openings).
posted by mokey at 4:48 AM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
I have fallen asleep to this show for years. It is absolutely ideal for it; interesting and dynamic enough that if you can't sleep you are happy to listen, but quiet enough that it absolutely will not wake you up after you drift off.
And of course it's usually something interesting, and I do eventually listen to each episode all the way through.
posted by BungaDunga at 6:43 AM on February 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
And of course it's usually something interesting, and I do eventually listen to each episode all the way through.
posted by BungaDunga at 6:43 AM on February 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
> That present tense thing always irritates me
The historical present tense: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_present
I also find it very irritating. But...
> Don't let this stop you investigating In Our Time, because it's wonderful
Very much this.
This index is an excellent resource. Thank you for posting it here.
posted by merlynkline at 9:19 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
The historical present tense: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_present
I also find it very irritating. But...
> Don't let this stop you investigating In Our Time, because it's wonderful
Very much this.
This index is an excellent resource. Thank you for posting it here.
posted by merlynkline at 9:19 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Much as a I love In Our Time, I think this parody nailed some of its foibles
posted by Luddite at 9:45 AM on February 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Luddite at 9:45 AM on February 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
He's a pretty bossy host in general
Interestingly, he's much more deferential to the scientists.
posted by GeorgeBickham at 12:58 PM on February 22, 2023
Interestingly, he's much more deferential to the scientists.
posted by GeorgeBickham at 12:58 PM on February 22, 2023
OTOH, he always has a female expert on the show (although usually just one), which is better than a lot of people manage (my recollection is that he was criticized early on for not always having a female expert and he took it to heart).
He's had episodes with three female experts, depending on the topic.
My favourite guest is Jane Francis (now Dame Jane Francis), who has done 8 episodes; Richard Corfield has done 10.
A pattern I've noticed is that they will often bring on one experienced guest to help with getting things started, even if it's not their particular expertise, but then they'll also bring in people working closely on the topic of that episode.
posted by jb at 1:21 PM on February 22, 2023
He's had episodes with three female experts, depending on the topic.
My favourite guest is Jane Francis (now Dame Jane Francis), who has done 8 episodes; Richard Corfield has done 10.
A pattern I've noticed is that they will often bring on one experienced guest to help with getting things started, even if it's not their particular expertise, but then they'll also bring in people working closely on the topic of that episode.
posted by jb at 1:21 PM on February 22, 2023
(looking at the cataloguing of the episodes, I have some quibbles - why are "Feathered Dinosaurs", "Homo erectus", "Human Evolution", "Human Origins", "The Fish-Tetrapod Transition", or "The Neanderthals" under "590 Animals (Zoology)" instead of "560 Fossils and prehistoric life"? These episodes are entirely about prehistoric development.)
posted by jb at 1:24 PM on February 22, 2023
posted by jb at 1:24 PM on February 22, 2023
+1 to all the praise here. In Our Time is so consistently good. Thanks for the post and heads-up.
posted by drowsy at 7:52 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by drowsy at 7:52 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
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[Don't let this stop you investigating In Our Time, because it's wonderful. This is one of my very favourite episodes. And here's Bragg at a book festival explaining how the programme is made.]
posted by Paul Slade at 2:21 PM on February 21, 2023 [5 favorites]