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Recent Episodes
S2E11 Irish Words, Latin Words and the 25 Horses Puzzle
What do you call a grumpy person with a PhD in Palindromes? How can you find the 3 fastest horses among 25 horses if all you can do is race five at a time? We also dive into some Irish and Latin…
S2E10 AI - Friend or Foe?
Des received an AI assessment of one of his papers and was not pleased. We discuss AI, consciousness, humour, driverless cars and whether computers can really think.. Hosted on Acast. See…
S2E9 Mathematical Lateral Thinking Puzzles
One of our most popular books is Mathematical Lateral thinking Puzzles. Here we review some of our favourite puzzles from the book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2E8 Favourite Quotes
We share our selections of favourite quotes from Mark Twain, William Shakepeare, Woody Allen, Oscar Wilde, Yogi Berra and many more. Prepare for some laughs and insights. Hosted on Acast. See…
S2E7 Fiendish Facts and Querolous Questions
Which country has the most pyramids? What is a mountweazel? How can you always have a beautiful girl on your arm? Some of the crazy questions that Paul and Des pose in this podcast. Hosted on…
S2E6 Paul Sloane Interview on BBC Radio London 23 April 2024
Shay Grewal on BBC Radio London chats to Paul Sloane about 1001 Pieces of Absolutely Useless Advice (co-authored with Des MacHale) and lateral thinking topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy…
S2E5 1001 Pieces of Absolutely Useless Advice
We talk about our new book, 1001 Pieces of Absolutely Useless Advice. It is packed with atrocious advice, juvenile jokes and terrible tips. Listen to this short podcast to hear many, many examples.…
S2E4 Things that annoy us
We chat about things that annoy us from tattoos to cancel culture, onions to ballet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2E3 What word has 6 letters but if you take away 1 you are left with 12?
Paul is in Cork in Ireland visiting Des and they chat about words and language. There are some puzzles from their book, World's Best Word Puzzles.What word has a triple letter with no hyphens? What…
S2E2 Why do People Love Puzzles but Hate Mathematics?
Paul and Des meet in Cork and chat about why puzzles are so popular yet mathematics is not. They also cover; What games promote thinking? Questions of morality and ethics, Lateral thinking puzzles,…
S2E1 Wonderful Words and Notable Numbers
Des and Paul chew over some favourite words from their book, 1234 Wacky Witty and Wonderful Words. They discuss some remarkable numbers and go on a lateral wander around some fascinating trivia.…
S1E16 Lateral Thinking for Every Day
We discuss everyday examples of lateral thinking, set a lateral thinking puzzle, describe a clever idea to deter speeding in Estonia and review a proposal to increase fitness and generate…
S1E15 Favourite Poems
Des and Paul choose and recite some of their favourite poems - tragic, heroic and funny.. Do you agree with their selections? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Recommended Reading for Lateral Listeners
Paul and Des select and discuss their favourite fiction and non-fiction books. The choices range from John Buchan's 39 Steps to Tim Harford's Messy. Have you read these books and do you agree with…
Six Great Lateral Thinkers
Paul reveals his selection of the greatest lateral thinkers in history. Some of the choices surprise Des. All the stories are taken from the book, Think Like an Innovator, published by Pearson. …
The Six Most Outstanding Mathematicians
Professor of Mathematics Des MacHale chooses his six top mathematicians. He tells why he chose them, their impact on the world and some human stories about them. We set a puzzzle from Mathematical…
Coincidences
We discuss the strange world of coincidences ranging from births and deaths to dreams and meetings. Is it just chance or are there mysterious forces at work? We give the answers to the puzzles in…
Language and Words of Irish Origin
We examine some words of Irish origin in the English language including trousers, tory, kibosh and craic. Taken from 1234 Wacky, Witty and Wonderful Words. Also two puzzles. What is the only English…
1001 Silly Questions, Boris Johnson Jokes and More Puzzles
Des introduces three recent books. 1001 Silly Questions features funny, provocative or silly questions. The Official Boris Johnson Joke Book is hot off the press. Number and Letter Puzzles includes…
How to be a Brilliant Thinker
We discuss Paul's books, How to be a Brilliant Thinker, Think Like an Innovator and The Leader's Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills. There are also solutions to previous puzzles, a joke and a new…
Frequently Asked Questions
Desperate and Appauling has published 26 episodes since March 2021, covering topics in Comedy, Education.
Desperate and Appauling is currently highly active with new episodes quarterly. Average episode length is 20m.
Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Desperate and Appauling, including email and social media links.
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