Small Differences

In Knut's first white Christmas for a while, baking vocabulary is tested, the LD50 of sugar is explored, and crispy vs. soggy biscuits are debated. Chris struggles to defend British Christmas desserts' heavy dependence on dried fruit.

In an episode inspired by listener emails, Knut and Chris talk about driving behaviour in Norway vs. the UK, and why Norwegian sheep prefer to be on the road. This week’s episode is presented in SurroundLingo™.

Knut has a puppy. Chris has a new language to learn.

Knut learns how to be a train commuter; Chris hides from the sun; nobody grills. The Small Differences Social Club gets a very exclusive carpet.

Knut and Chris pack in Norwegian national day, contrasts between Norway, the UK and Estonia, how to make digital government non-creepy, and strange flavours of UK snack food. Nobody makes any announcements.

Knut and Chris chew over the whole Facebook thing. Knut has another announcement.

Knut mulls Scandinavian conformity. Chris has an insect problem.

The problem: Norway is too good at winter sports.

Chris has a new hobby; Knut has an announcement.

Chris has inadvertently stumbled on a ground truth about the difference between the UK and Norway, and it's making her uncomfortable.

Knut and Chris welcome 2018 — and technically their third consecutive calendar year of recording Small Differences — by discussing Big History, Vikings, and Jesus.

To celebrate a year of co-hosting, Knut and Chris discuss what it was like to grow up alongside people with more money, and one seminally Norwegian solution for evening out financial inequality. Chris also celebrates making Knut uncomfortable for the second episode in a row. Skype is a

Knut and Chris discuss chips on shoulders, and what it's like to have a crushing sense of inferiority while simultaneously feeling superior. The official Small Differences drink is invented, and Knut considers whether to use the small or large fake.

It's Chris's turn to visit Copenhagen, this time as a pseudo-Norwegian. Notes on football, mayonnaise, and the behaviour of Norwegians and the English abroad is compared. Knut hires a chatbot; Chris does culture.

Knut and Chris discuss why learning a new language doesn't get any easier, and the costs of pursuing mastery. Knut also gives an important tractor update.

A slightly-the-worse-for-wear Knut and Chris record from Webdagene 2017. Discussed this week are retro sexism, cultural appropriation, and whether Norway is less ‘woke’ than expected. Knut’s Gruberesque pauses are left in, mostly just to troll listener Even.

Knut and Chris discuss Norwegian privilege in the world, and how Norway treats its own disadvantaged people. Knut attempts Scottish candy.

Knut and Chris discuss the recent parliamentary election in Norway, tinfoil hat products, and the Labour Party's secret plan to improve Norway's landscape.

Chris relates adventures in apartment-bidding; Knut considers modding his bike. Some of Norway's many hundred Norwegian birthday songs are recommended. Bonus topics: hugging at work, tile paint, and dumping your landlord.

Knut restarts his doctoral thesis; Chris contemplates buying a house. Knut tells jokes.

As Knut and Chris struggle to get back on the work bandwagon after the summer, they are invigorated by machine learning, Javascript, idiots, and Michael Cera.

As Knut and Chris brace themselves for an implausibly long summer holiday, Knut conducts a crucial A/B test, Chris laments how nobody fixes anything anymore, and holiday plans — and reading — are discussed. Knut proposes a novel way of sending listener feedback.

In the fifth (of three, and definitely final) episode in our academy miniseries, it's Chris's turn to explain why she ditched the academy, and why she's probably not going back.

How and why Knut got out of the academy.

In the third episode about what it's like to be former academics, Knut and Chris go deep: statistics, uncertainty, why science is wrong, Guinness, having animals thrown at you, and Sisyphus Cliff's Notes.

In the second episode covering Small Differences' tales from the academy, Chris and Knut chat about nerding out on your study subject, PowerPoint, and Liam Neeson.

In the first of three related episodes, Knut and Chris explore how they came to be former academics, and what exactly is wrong with the academy in their respective countries. This week: where it all started.

Chris and Knut celebrate Norwegian National Day with bunads, songs for small boys, parades, choirs, and the right to celebrate however one damn well pleases. Detours include punctuation pedantry, terrorism, and how to be more Scandinavian. Bonus 'After Dark' session: Knut and Chris chat about learning Norwegian, in Norwegian.

Knut and Chris report back after a week in Berlin that featured design sprints, trees, bicycles, burritos, cigarette smoke, and plenty of ballroom. Also covered: cash, privacy, and big government. And Knut finally mentions the war.

In an episode that deals — more or less — with folklore, Knut and Chris tackle traditional Norwegian fairytales and Scottish mythical creatures. Chris resolves only to communicate using emoji; Knut is oppressed.

This week Knut and Chris discuss cheese-slicer injuries, bagpipes, drinking outdoors, unparliamentary speech, school leavers going nuts, Norwegian conformity (or lack thereof), reindeer migration, and basement trolls.

Knut and Chris go large for Påske. Obviously there is some food talk, but the real meat is discussing foreigners who don't know how to behave on the traditional Easter cabin trip, or dress for mountain weather. Advisory: this episode contains New Testament rapping (though mercifully not by us. Although Chris does sing.)

Knut reads from a Norwegian book of spells. Chris questions the bare necessities of cabin life. John Siracusa’s Follow-up is named checked for citation purposes. The Pixar movie Brave is discussed (here be spoilers).

Knut and Chris discuss the little-known Norwegian animated movie/musical Frost. Chris cannot grasp the idea of people actually speaking Nynorsk, a written language; Knut has an identity crisis. (Bonus cover art: Knut singing while wearing a traditional sweater by Norwegian knitwear company Devold.)

This week, Chris and Knut discuss dugnad inefficiency, the annoyingness of feedback you have actually asked for, and FINN.no. Knut gets published; Chris just wants to eat breakfast.

In which Chris travels around Norway a lot using as many different kinds of public transport as possible, and Knut and Norwegians everywhere preen as the latest figures are released showing that Norway is the best at yet another thing.

This week Chris and Knut tackle carrot peeling (and end up putting instructional videos on YouTube), Marmite, a surprising twist on the British National Anthem, and what to do about that awkward last slice of cake. Chris ducks the opportunity to have a two-minute hate; Knut gets wet feet.

Knut explores Copenhagen the city; Chris deplores Copenhagen the tobacco product. Also discussed this week: meat, coffee, Scandinavian interoperability, Lilyhammer (not Lillehammer), and which of Norway's many uncanny valleys Chris might actually be from.

Knut and Chris compare Norwegian and British TV comedy, with a side-order of national anthems and personal space. Chris has a theory about why Americans love British television; it's Knut's turn to spill the coffee.

This week, Knut and Chris talk about the movie Arrival, and what learning a new language might or might not do to your brain. Also under the microscope are doors, Janteloven, and Norwegians' unfavourable assessment of their own rudeness.

In which Knut and Chris make a lot of sounds, especially vowels. This week's episode includes intra-Norwegian racism, the bleak post-coffee podcasting future, and bonus Liv Tyler shivers. Under no circumstances fiddle with the wiring.

Knut and Chris talk about school trips, dødsing, the company hyttetur, Norway's Gore-Tex™-based class system and why Norwegians may be well-placed come the zombie apocalypse. Chris has issues with David Tennant, while Knut tries not to Hulk out over quote marks.

In this short, sweet episode, Knut and Chris tie up a bunch of loose ends — including a deep dive into the toilet, or at least English and Norwegian euphemisms for using it. Other topics include the socialist slant to Norwegian work lunches, and ordering reindeer meat on Amazon.

Knut and Chris get out of bed utrolig tidlig to try and add a different flavour (coffee) to the podcast. This week: language. Topics include the appropriateness of choosing one's own accent or dialect in Norwegian and English, and why spoken Norwegian sounds like someone trying to put on their other shoe.

Knut and Chris talk about body idealism, when it's okay to touch your colleagues, and why Norwegians can't quite bring themselves to mix up their social circles. Knut wonders if Norwegians are lonely; Chris can't pronounce 'operationalise'.

Chris and Knut attempt to bottom out the difference between drizzle and rain, and whether it's really necessary to cover your shoes at the fitness center. Knut recommends Max Weber in the original German.

Knut and Chris discuss Norway's obsession with spending time outdoors, including road skiing and kappgang. Knut has pigs in his decks; Chris is excited about Skam.

After Christmas storm Urd blows through Norway, Knut finds himself wedged in a horizontal position. Knut and Chris discuss Norwegian rap music, and how in Norway, Christmas gifts are brought by something or someone not entirely human.

It's hailing in Bergen, there's Norwegian dialects and posh vowels everywhere, and Chris has a new microphone setup. Knut won't tell you where the cloudberries grow.