Pete Brown discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Pete Brown (https://petebrown.net/) is a British author, journalist, broadcaster and consultant specialising in food and drink. Since February 2025, he has been the Sunday Times Magazine’s weekly beer columnist – the only regular broadsheet newspaper or magazine beer columnist in the UK.

He is currently Chair of Judges for the World Beer Awards. He was named British Beer Writer of the Year in 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2021, has won three Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards, been shortlisted twice for the André Simon Awards, and in 2020 was named an “Industry Legend” at the Imbibe Hospitality Awards. His books include Tasting Notes and Clubland.

1. Burton-on-Trent (the most important beer town in world history) https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/food-drink/article/burton-upon-trent-beer-town-zctn9787n

2. Perry (what some people refer to as pear cider) https://cideruk.com/what-is-cider-and-perry/

3. How working men’s clubs shaped modern Britain https://www.petebrown.net/book/clubland-how-the-working-mens-club-shaped-britain/

4. Norwich https://www.number82theunthank.co.uk/10-surprising-facts-about-norwich/

5. How music changes your perception of flavour https://www.petebrown.net/book/tasting-notes-the-art-of-science-of-pairing-beer-with-music/

6. It’s possible to disagree with someone politically and still have a civil, enriching conversation https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/smarter-living/learn-to-argue-productively.html

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Sandy Pentland discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Alex Pentland is a Stanford HAI Fellow and MIT Toshiba Professor. Named one of the “100 People to Watch This Century” by Newsweek and “one of the seven most powerful data scientists in the world” by Forbes, he is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, an advisor to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Lab, and an advisor to the UN Secretary General’s office. His work has helped manage privacy and security for the world’s digital networks by establishing authentication standards, protect personal privacy by contributing to the pioneering EU privacy law, and provide healthcare support for hundreds of millions of people worldwide through both for-profit and not-for-profit companies. His new book is Shared Wisdom, which is available at https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262050999/shared-wisdom/.

1. Casual conversation is typically what leads to wisdom and culture
2. Polarization comes from influencers and other loud voices
3. AI-aided search can really help weaken echo chambers
4. Given a conversation platform that is safe space and given participants with shared interests people naturally generate good decisions
5. Hierarchical organizations are inflexible and poor performing by design
6. Uniform rules are bad for the majority of people

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Jaime Davila discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Jaime Dávila earned an engineering degree in the United States. Choosing a career in the creative industries, he worked primarily in broadcasting and eventually led operations at Mexico’s largest media company. He became intrigued by the creation of the first mechanised sawmill by Cornelis Corneliszoon in 1593. This invention, whose significance has been overlooked, inspired his new book. Find out more at https://thebestpodcastguest.co.uk/jaime-davila/.

1. Mankind’s first industrial machine was Dutch.

2. The Dutch invented participatory capitalism.

3. The Dutch were early pioneers of liberal governance in a world of monarchies.

4. The Dutch laid the foundations of industrialization.

5. New Amsterdam’s influence on American identity is underappreciated.

6. The world we inhabit was not inevitable.

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