Sketchplanations - The Podcast

If you like the finer details of grammar and punctuation, then you're gonna love this episode.We geek out on the subtle, but incredibly important and occasionally crucial differences between three little horizontal lines: the hyphen - the En Dash – and the Em Dash —Jono explains hyphens for line breaks and compound terms, how usage can evolve into single words (e.g., wildlife, wellbeing), and why hyphen placement can change meaning (e.g., five-dollar bills). The en dash is described as linking ranges and relationships (pages, dates, times, scores, routes, debates, partnerships, negotiations), with notes on how to type it. The em dash is framed as a stronger-than-comma interruption for added thoughts, with style cautions and typing methods. They discuss underscore origins from typewriters, punctuation differences across countries, and how AI popularized em dashes as a telltale sign of machine-written text.Most importantly though, we discuss why this matters and that if used correctly, they can help avoid misunderstandings.Episode Summary00:00 Welcome to Sketchplanations00:40 What Are Dashes03:09 Hyphen Basics04:32 Hyphenated Words05:35 Language Evolves07:00 Hyphen Pitfalls07:31 Tom on Hyphens10:38 Meet the En Dash11:41 Typing En Dashes12:32 En Dash Use Cases14:47 Spacing and Style15:30 Introducing Em Dash15:33 Em Dash Basics16:15 Style Guide Rules18:08 Brackets vs Speech18:57 Where Names Come From20:32 Underscore Origins22:05 Reading Dashes Aloud24:39 Does It Matter26:04 Oxford Comma Stakes28:36 AI Em Dash Tell29:59 Typing Em Dashes30:32 Punctuation By Country31:41 Morse Code And Minus32:43 Final Sign OffExternal LinkThere's only one link this week:Jono referenced the book Strunk and White : The Elements of StyleAll music on this podcast is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli.

Have you ever wondered what's happening on the exact opposite side of the world to you?Wherever you are on our planet, there's a good chance you'd need a snorkel.In this episode, we explore the concept of antipodes—the exact point on the opposite side of Earth from wherever you're standing. We discover why most antipodes end up in the ocean rather than on land and cover a whole host of fascinating geographic facts, including how the Northern Hemisphere contains the vast majority of Earth's land and population, how map projections distort our view of the planet, and why Earth's oblate spheroid shape means some antipode distances are longer than others.Along the way, we also raise the big questions like how deep have humans ever dug into Earth and how long it would take to fall through a frictionless tunnel to your antipode.External Links and mentions on the show:Jono's sketch that explains the Mercator Map Projection Jono references the Antipodal Map in the book Marvellous Maps by  Simon KuestenmacherThe 7.6 mile deep hole Jono talks about is the Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia, initiated by Soviet scientists in 1970, primarily to better understand the earth’s crust. Here's Jono's sketch about the thickness of the earth's crust being proportionally similar to the thickness of an apple's skin. And finally, if you want to know your exact antipode, you can look here on AntipodeMap.comEpisode Summary00:00 What Are Antipodes03:23 Land Distribution on Earth04:14 Map Projections and Perspectives07:19 Antipodal Map Overlay08:56 Cultural References Worldwide10:15 Etymology of Antipode10:41 Digging Through Earth12:44 UK Antipodes13:29 Great Circle Routes14:20 Earth's Oblate Shape15:25 Tunnel Through Earth16:34 Closing RemarksAll music on this podcast series is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli

When you want to measure something you take your ruler or tape measure and read off the length right?But when it comes to measuring the length of a coastline, things get a bit tricky and totally counter intuitive. 🌊The science and maths of measuring wiggly coastlines reveal that the smaller the unit of measure, the longer the coastline becomes. Jono recounts the origins of this phenomenon from polymath, Lewis Fry Richardson and its further exploration by Benoit B. Mandelbrot. The trio also relate the concept to various other real-world examples, including the surfaces of the brain and lungs, Romanesco cauliflower, and stock market patterns. Additionally, they touch on the philosophical implications of measurement and delve into the concept of infinity.Episode Summary:00:00 Introduction the Coastline Paradox04:12 Historical Context and Discovery14:10 Fractals and Natural World Applications17:26 Modern Implications and Analogies24:36 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsExternal Links and mentions on the show:Jono refers to and leans heavily on the writing of Geoffrey West in his book "Scale" to tell the story of how this was discovered.Rob's half-baked fact about The Standardised Meter can be expanded on here.This is what the self-similarity of a Romanesco Cauliflower looks likeHere is the avenue of trees in Bushy Park, in Southwest London that Jono slalomed.Here are more facts on who originally defined the number 'zero' as we know it today.All music on this podcast series is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli

Have you ever wondered what the colours on the Olympic flag represent?The Olympic logo is a globally recognised brand and remarkably, it was designed over 100 years ago by the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin.This time, we discuss the history and symbolism of this design icon ahead of the Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy. We find out about its representation of unity among the five (?) continents (one for each ring), and the careful selection of the flag's colours. The episode also delves into fascinating Olympic trivia, including the evolution of the games, historical moments, and the development of the Olympic motto. Rob also shares insights from filming at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, for his series 'The Vault,' which explores Olympic history through artefacts found in their archives.You can watch all 10 episodes of The Vault for free here on the Olympics Channel.Episode Summary00:00 Introduction and Excitement for the Winter Olympics01:42 The Genesis of the Olympic Flag02:50 Symbolism and Design of the Olympic Flag05:06 Pierre de Coubertin: The Visionary Behind the Olympics05:21 Exploring Olympic History and Artifacts09:35 Evolution of the Olympic Games and Flag22:28 Conclusion and FarewellAll music on this podcast series is by the very talented Franc Cinelli.

How big is that pile of books next to your bed?Tsundoku is a Japanese word for buying books and letting them pile up unread. It’s a familiar habit to book lovers everywhere — that growing stack of books you intend to read but haven’t yet. In this episode of Sketchplanations The Podcast, we explore why we buy books we don’t read, why unread books don’t always feel like a bad thing, and what this habit says about curiosity, identity, and our relationship with reading.In this episode we embrace Tsundoku and our conversation ranges from buying too many books to the joy and guilt of collecting unread books, and how tsundoku can extend to audiobooks, hobbies, and other unread things. If you’ve ever wondered why you buy books faster than you can read them — or felt conflicted about your own unread pile — this episode is for you.Links to items (mainly books) that we discussed:The book that changed Tom's life: Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark WintersThe book from Jono's pile he next wants to start: A few short sentences about writing by Verlyn KlinkenborgRobbie is most looking forward to getting started on: Whatever will be will be by Felix WhiteJono recommends cartoons about books and reading by Tom GauldBig Ideas, Little Pictures is the Sketchplanations book by Jono HeySummary: 00:00 Introduction to Tsundoku: The Act of Collecting Unread Books02:52 Personal Stories and Reflections on Tsundoku05:20 The Broader Implications of Tsundoku07:49 Books as Gifts and Their Value10:03 The Joy and Guilt of Collecting Books17:14 Final Thoughts and Reflections19:34 Conclusion and FarewellAll music on this podcast series is by the very talented Franc Cinelli

Do you know who your second cousins are or if you even have any? And what does "once removed" mean anyway?Tune in to this episode as we unravel the mysteries of family relations—which we figured would be particularly helpful at the festive time of year.We explore the subtleties of family trees, making our way to 'Second Cousins Once Removed'. We dig into the confusion around generational terms and the importance of knowing your extended family. We share a few family-related anecdotes and cultural differences, such as the Chinese family tree and Icelandic naming conventions. We strongly encourage you to follow along with the sketch at Sketchplanations.com to better understand your own family connections.Here are the Chinese family tree names mentioned.Episode Summary 00:00 Welcome to Sketchplanations00:47 Understanding Family Relations02:13 Exploring Second Cousins06:06 Generational Differences Explained11:48 Cultural Perspectives on Family Trees14:57 Famous Families and Their Connections15:08 The Mayflower Ancestor Story15:55 Family Trees and Their Complexity16:43 The Importance of Family Connections18:01 Tracing Family History21:07 Unique Family Names and Their Origins22:28 Surname Origins and Commonality25:58 Gender-Neutral Family Terms27:07 Concluding ThoughtsAll music on this podcast series is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli