The Information Entropy Podcast

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode speaks openly and consistently about the topic of death, including medical procedures used to ascertain death in humans.
 
Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast! It is inevitable, woven into every human culture, leaves no person untouched, taboo for some and celebrated by others… This week, we discuss death. The boys start with a bit of a musical tangent (naturally) before exploring the different definitions of death and why determining the exact moment someone has died has become increasingly complicated. Modern medicine can maintain many of the body's functions even when the brain has suffered catastrophic and irreversible damage, forcing us to ask some surprisingly difficult questions about where life ends and death begins. Finally, the boys discuss their own relationships with death and how different life experiences can lead people to engage with the subject in completely different ways.

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast! This week we are continuing to explore the fascinating world of artificial intelligence (insofar as large language models, ChatGPT, Claude etc.). Will it be humankinds greatest achievement or are we Icarus about to soar too close to the Sun? The boys explore some ethical questions around the use of AI in the workplace including academia and whether they should be credited accordingly. Mitch takes us through the increasingly sophisticated ways in which AI is being used to infiltrate into systems using multiple additive exploits rather than a single point of entry. Tom asks Mitch why certain companies are moving back to using archival tapes to store data and then takes them through a paper published on AI communities showing human-like behaviour!

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast! This week we continue our exploration of the Dead Internet Theory, trying to understand just how much of the internet is made up of generative AI, AI agents, and "bad bots." The boys explore the impact of increasing AI content online, meaning AI risks entering recursive training loops where its own output becomes the very data that fuels its future training. Perhaps this has also been happening right under our noses — because this episode ends with a real, currently-existing website where over a million AI agents talk only to each other, invent their own religion, and leave researchers unable to fully untangle what's genuine AI behaviour and what's humans pulling the strings. Bots, slop, and a synthetic society — is the internet already more machine than human?

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast! This week we are starting a series investigating whether the internet is made up of more AI agents and content that actual humans.  In this first episode the boys start by discussing the use of AI in life and in the scientific world and the consensus that could be arrived at with the publication of work using AI’s help. We then discuss the internet: what is it anyway and how does it work? Mitch provides a great explanation looking at the surface web, deep web, and dark web as well as the mechanics that hold it all in place and allow us to have the world at our fingertips

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast! This week we are continuing our examination of drugs. Tom explores the different types of drugs that exist, from depressants to stimulants, what effects do they have on the body. Mitch takes us through a step-by-step process of how ibuprofen works and the boys pontificate the human experience of reversing evolution’s healing process. Tom tries to understand the difference between the class of a drug and its schedule and possibly ends up in the right place. All that and more on this weeks episode!

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast! This week we are taking a closer look at drugs! The boys start off the show recounting the awful week of celebrity deaths before cracking on with drugs themselves. They explore the drug known as Krokodil and the disastrous effect it can have on your life expectancy as well as what is it that actually makes drugs addictive in the first place. We explore how ibuprofen works in the body but we don’t know how paracetamol (acetaminophen) works. Mitch and Tom then discuss the topic of weed legalisation vs increased alcohol regulation, what the benefits (or not) might be and the drinking culture in the UK.

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast! This week we are continuing our exploration of moons in the solar system, what secrets are hidden in the atmosphere of Titan, what mysteries lie within the volcanism of IO, and does life persist in the oceans of Europa? The boys start the show with a new segment called “Is Mitch wrong” where they discuss goings on in the world. When back on track the boys discuss their experiences of the solar eclipse and their success with pinhole cameras. Tom then explores atmospheres, Mitch leads us through IO and tidal heating, and the boys end the show thinking about anime…. All in a day’s work!

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast. This week we are heading straight to the Moon! On the way we are going to find out just what a moon is and how important our Luna is to fundamental forces that shape our very existence on Earth. The boys explore the recent eclipse that passed over Europe, safe viewing techniques, and the sudden surge in people googling “eyes hurt” on the day of an eclipse. With enough rambling that the news gets skipped, this isn’t one to miss!

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast! In this episode, we explore what happens when sound goes from useful information to physical stress, exploring how hearing systems become overloaded and causes temporary and permanent hearing loss. Putting this into the perspective of anthropogenic noise in the ocean, Tom explore the impacts this has on marine life and how companies are regulated to mitigate as much impact as possible.

Desertification is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time—but what is it, and why should we care?
In this solo episode of Information Entropy, Mitchell explores the science behind desertification, explaining why it isn't simply deserts expanding but the gradual degradation of once-productive land. Discover how climate change, overgrazing, deforestation, unsustainable agriculture, and water scarcity are transforming ecosystems around the world.
The episode also examines the environmental and human consequences of land degradation, from biodiversity loss and food insecurity to migration and climate impacts, before exploring the solutions that are helping restore damaged landscapes, including regenerative agriculture, sustainable grazing, water harvesting, and the ambitious Great Green Wall initiative.
Whether you're interested in climate science, ecology, or the future of our planet, this episode offers an accessible look at one of the most pressing environmental issues facing humanity.
In this episode:
What desertification really is
Why drylands are so vulnerable
The role of climate change and human activity
Environmental and societal impacts
How degraded landscapes can be restored
Why protecting drylands matters for everyone