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 Summary

00:00 Introduction and Excitement for the Winter Olympics

01:42 The Genesis of the Olympic Flag

02:50 Symbolism and Design of the Olympic Flag

05:06 Pierre de Coubertin: The Visionary Behind the Olympics

05:21 Exploring Olympic History and Artifacts

09:35 Evolution of the Olympic Games and Flag

22:28 Conclusion and Farewell

All music on this podcast series is by the very talented Franc Cinelli.

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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 Winters
• The book from Jono's pile he next wants to start: A few short sentences about writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg
• Robbie is most looking forward to getting started on: Whatever will be will be by Felix White
• Jono recommends cartoons about books and reading by Tom Gauld
• Big Ideas, Little Pictures is the Sketchplanations book by Jono Hey

Summary:

00:00 Introduction to Tsundoku: The Act of Collecting Unread Books

02:52 Personal Stories and Reflections on Tsundoku

05:20 The Broader Implications of Tsundoku

07:49 Books as Gifts and Their Value

10:03 The Joy and Guilt of Collecting Books

17:14 Final Thoughts and Reflections

19:34 Conclusion and Farewell

All music on this podcast series is by the very talented Franc Cinelli

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Sketchplanations

00:47 Understanding Family Relations

02:13 Exploring Second Cousins

06:06 Generational Differences Explained

11:48 Cultural Perspectives on Family Trees

14:57 Famous Families and Their Connections

15:08 The Mayflower Ancestor Story

15:55 Family Trees and Their Complexity

16:43 The Importance of Family Connections

18:01 Tracing Family History

21:07 Unique Family Names and Their Origins

22:28 Surname Origins and Commonality

25:58 Gender-Neutral Family Terms

27:07 Concluding Thoughts

All music on this podcast series is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.