The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas

Take three top academics, some dangerous ideas, add one comedian and it’s the force of nature that is the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas (CODI). Hosted by comedian Susan Morrison, and now in its eleventh year, CODI is ninety minutes of rapid-fire research from some of the finest minds in the country.

My neighbour hacked my toothbrush!

Every day schools, hospitals, and businesses are under attack. But as we connect our devices to the internet, criminals have moved the dark web into our homes. Who are the cybercriminals, and what do they want? Is your fridge spying on you? What is your kettle up to? Are those wireless headphones listening to your thoughts? Find out how and why you, your home and your gadgets are under attack. Cyber security expert Garry Scobie (The University of Edinburgh) reveals the scale of the online battle for your house and how to fight back!

Toilet graffiti – poetry, philosophy or pornography?

Do men rate their poo; women their pee? Do men draw penises; women, hearts?  There are significant differences in toilet graffiti between the sexes. But have you ever wondered what it is about toilet stalls that compel people to draw, write poetry or express their deepest desires while urinating or defecating? Why profess love, ‘come out’ or connect with strangers by writing in the stalls.  Mabel Victoria (Edinburgh Napier University) shares her toilet musings from more than a year of trawling our public loos.

No Copyright, No Problem?

Is copyright necessary? Does it hinder or does it help? What would happen if there was no copyright? Without it, who benefits and who loses? Is copyright just for large corporations? Or does copyright also serve the interests of individual creators (artists, writers, musicians) more effectively than we might think?  Join Smita Kheria, intellectual property law expert (The University of Edinburgh), to find out whether copyright has a positive role to play, or whether we could live without it in today’s post-digital society. Creators and consumers, professionals and amateurs, rights holders and pirates, are all welcome!

CODI is curated by the University of Edinburgh as part of Beltane Public Engagement Network and produced by Fair Pley.