Cautionary Tales is another podcast that I found out after an episode of it was shared on 99% Invisible. I instantly loved the idea.
As the name suggest, it’s about learning from mistakes. Often the stories presented there are about how people had an idea, or good intentions about something they built, but then learning that they didn’t have the whole picture, and their idea might be a bad one. This is valid, especially in science and engineering, when while doing research you don’t have all the facts, and you learn more as you follow your instincts.
Most of the episodes are pretty interesting, even when know how some inventions (sigh, leaded gasoline) were harmful, you’ll still find some new context, and things you didn’t know. The episodes are nicely produced and a superb listen. I recommend the podcast very much.