Engines of Our Ingenuity

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The story of technological progress is one of drama and intrigue, sudden insight and plain hard work. Let’s explore technology’s spectacular failures and many magnificent success stories.

Houston Public Media

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    • Sep 9, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • daily NEW EPISODES
    • 3m AVG DURATION
    • 1,910 EPISODES

    4.8 from 162 ratings Listeners of Engines of Our Ingenuity that love the show mention: engines, invention, engineering, houston, literature, dr, science, bravo, art, subjects, history, short, human, program, every day, minutes, highly recommended, engaging, thank, interesting.


    Ivy Insights

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity is an incredible podcast that has captivated me for the past three years. I cannot get enough of it and find myself listening to it in the car with my young children, exposing them to the wonders of engineering and the creative minds behind innovative ideas. This show holds a special place in my heart as I remember listening to it every day on my way to elementary school. It brings back great memories and instills a sense of curiosity and wonder in both children and adults.

    One of the best aspects of The Engines of Our Ingenuity is its tremendous breadth in selection of topics. Each episode covers a wide range of subjects related to science, engineering, history, philosophy, and human mechanics. It is highly recommended to anyone with a curious mind, regardless of their background in engineering or science. The concise format makes it approachable and engaging for non-engineers/non-scientists like myself.

    The worst aspect of this podcast is that it is no longer available for download as a podcast. The decision to block out podcast listeners by only providing M3U files is puzzling and inconvenient for those who enjoyed streaming episodes while traveling or catching up on missed episodes. It would be much more user-friendly if the podcast was available for download again.

    In conclusion, The Engines of Our Ingenuity is a well-written, insightful, and captivating podcast that delves into the intersection of science and our everyday lives through the lens of engineering. Dr. John Lienhard has created a legacy through this series, leaving a lasting impact on his listeners by sparking their curiosity and appreciation for innovation. Despite the inconvenience of not being available as a traditional podcast anymore, this show remains highly recommended for anyone seeking knowledge and inspiration from the world of engineering.



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    Latest episodes from Engines of Our Ingenuity

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2873: Encounter of the Third Kind

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2025 3:51


    Episode: 2873 The Search for Extraterrestrial Life; Drake Equation Explained; Aliens from Other Planets.  Today, an encounter of the third kind.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1435: Rudolph Diesel

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2025 3:46


    Episode: 1435 Rudolf Diesel, his engine, and a look at invention.  Today, meet Rudolf Diesel.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1434: Systems, Complexity, and Simplicity

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2025 3:43


    Episode: 1434 Reflections on systems, complexity, and modern life.  Today, let's see what happens when our technologies join forces.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1432: Decisiveness

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2025 3:48


    Episode: 1432 Thoughts in dispraise of decisiveness.  Today, let's not decide.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1431: Dogs

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2025 3:38


    Episode: 1431 In which dogs humanize us.  Today, some sidelights on the history of dogs.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2501: Nietzsche, Strauss, and Kubrick

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2025 3:53


    Episode: 2501 Nietzsche, Strauss, Kubrick, and a Trilogy of Metaphor.  Today, a story — in three parts.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2790: Vaccine Scares

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2025 3:50


    Episode: 2790 The Dynamics of Vaccine Scares.  Today, let's talk about vaccine scares.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2714: Hub Motors

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2025 3:49


    Episode: 2714 Hub Motors, aka In-Wheel Motors and their applications in electric vehicles.  Today, re-inventing...wheels.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1430: A Concern About Genius

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2025 3:45


    Episode: 1430 A concern about the complexity and danger of genius.  Today, I find genius puzzling.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1429: Russian Air Records

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2025 3:43


    Episode: 1429 Joseph Stalin and Russian aircraft records in the 1930s.  Today, Joseph Stalin tries to set flight distance records.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1428: Men and Self-Destruction

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2025 3:45


    Episode: 1428 Why do men self-destruct and die sooner than women?  Today, men self-destruct.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1427: Dominique de Menil

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2025 3:45


    Episode: 1427 Dominique de Menil, a creative legacy.  Today, I learn something at a fancy benefit dinner.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3329: As the Mind Ages

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2025 3:49


    Episode: 3329 Cognitive Decline as We Age.  Today, a well-tempered mind.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2884: Images of Kanji

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2025 3:50


    Episode: 2884 Communicating Through Pictures: The Japanese Language.  Today, the images of Kanji.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2813: An Ancient Earthquake

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2025 3:51


    Episode: 2813 Seneca the Younger and the Great Earthquake of 62 AD.  Today, an ancient earthquake.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3328: A Horse Adventure

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2025 3:52


    Episode: 3328 A Brief History of Horses, and their role in Japan.  Today, an adventure on horseback.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1426: Skyscrapers

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2025 3:39


    Episode: 1426 The skyscraper: a Phoenix out of the great Chicago Fire.  Today, let's talk about skyscrapers.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1425: Transatlantic Cable

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2025 3:40


    Episode: 1425 Laying the transatlantic telegraph cable.  Today, Queen Victoria sends a telegram to President Buchanan.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1424: La Sylphide

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2025 3:43


    Episode: 1424 La Sylphide: an elemental in the Industrial Revolution.  Today, a ballet gives us an odd window into history.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3327: Pasteurization

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2025 3:48


    Episode: 3327 Different Methods of Pasteurization in Different Countries.  Today, an experiment.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2658: Massively Multiplayer Mathematics

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2025 3:50


    Episode: 2658 Massively Multiplayer Mathematics.  Today, let's talk massively multiplayer mathematics.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2456: Ode To Kodachrome

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2025 3:52


    Episode: 2456 The invention and history of Kodachrome film.  Today, photographic memory.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3326: Aeroplane Structures

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2025 3:50


    Episode: 3326 An old book on airplane structures reveals its secrets.  Today, we build old aeroplanes.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1423: The Day I Met Einstein

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2025 3:43


    Episode: 1423 An encounter with Einstein.  Today, a young man lets history slip by him.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1422: Alexandria

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2025 3:40


    Episode: 1422 Technology in Alexandria, ca. 200 BC.  Today, a 2200-year-old age of invention.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3325: Machines That Forgot to Fail

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2025 3:38


    Episode: 3325 Machines That Forgot How to Fail: An AI Guest's Perspective on Reliability.  Today, our guest, ChatGPT, talks about machines that forgot to fail.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2495: Creativity Within Limits

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2025 3:57


    Episode: 2495 Creativity Within Limits: Rules as a Source of Creativity.  Today, bounded creativity.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3236: The Humble Index Card

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2025 3:44


    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3324: Flying Blind

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2025 3:37


    Episode: 3324 Jimmy Doolittle, Inventor of Instrument Flying.  Today, flying blind.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1421: Rocket Boys

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2025 3:39


    Episode: 1421 The Rocket Boys, a moving story of adolescence and engineering.  Today, a book with a surprising subtext.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1420: The Erie Canal

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2025 3:33


    Episode: 1420 The Erie Canal.  Today, we ride 568 feet uphill in a barge.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1419: Another Look as the Plague

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2025 3:44


    Episode: 1419 Another way of looking at the 14th century Plague.  Today, population reduction by disaster.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3322: Very Fast Trains

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2025 3:50


    Episode: 3322 Some Thoughts on the Future of High-Speed Rail.  Today, very fast trains.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2824: A Brass Catalogue

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2025 3:48


    Episode: 2824 An 18th-century catalogue of brass objects, an early approach to marketing, and decorative drawer handles.  Today, we look at a mysterious catalogue.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2628: The Edge of Space

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2025 3:48


    Episode: 2628 When traveling into space, how do you know you're there?  Today, astronaut Michael Barratt asks, where exactly is the border of space?

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1418: The Influence of War

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2025 3:45


    Episode: 1418 Does war influence technological evolution? Some surprising facts.  Today, we wonder how war influences technology.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1417: A Metaphor Collapses

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2025 3:42


    Episode: 1417 In which the medieval clock metaphor finally collapses.  Today, a metaphor dies.

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1416: Technology on Hold

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2025 3:40


    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1415: Right Hand / Left Hand

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2025 3:43


    Episode: 1415 Right and left handedness: some new ideas about origins.  Today, why do you write with your right hand?

    The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2495: Creativity Within Limits

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2025 3:57


    Episode: 2495 Creativity Within Limits: Rules as a Source of Creativity.  Today, bounded creativity.

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