Can everything be made easier with two questions and four boxes? Fraser, Nick and Peter explore the undying appeal of 2×2 matrices, and ask how they can help us prioritise tasks, classify information and choose an analytical approach.

From the Eisenhower matrix to known unknowns, the team discusses what makes a useful matrix, how to choose its axes and why an empty quadrant can prompt an unexpected insight. They also consider when matrices go wrong, the risks of oversimplification, and why you should never trust a man with a cube. Finally, Nick shares some of his most illustrious matrix moments.

Quote Investigator on the 'Eisenhower Matrix': https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/05/09/urgent/

Cognitive Engineering episode about personality tests: https://podcast.alephinsights.com/episode/personality-tests/

Why can a deadline weeks away cast a shadow over today, while a threat such as climate change can feel distant? Fraser, Nick and Peter explore how we detect approaching danger and how that response drives anxiety, fear and procrastination.

The conversation begins with locusts watching Star Wars, then moves from collision avoidance to the way humans judge threats. Along the way, the team discusses why diaries can make future obligations feel closer, the time-as-distance metaphor, whether making a deadline feel urgent actually helps and how an endlessly rising sound can create a sense that something is about to happen.

Rind and Simmons describe what happens when locusts watch Star Wars: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1479436/

Sharp Edge Eye Syndrome: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9675685/

Threat imminence and the periaqueductal grey: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17717184/

Threatening students seem closer than repulsive students: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23160204/

Did Mark Zuckerberg build one of the world's greatest companies through extraordinary skill, or was he simply in the right place at the right time? Using Meta's $77 billion Metaverse gamble as a starting point, Fraser, Nick, and Peter explore one of the most important questions in business, sport and life: how do we distinguish luck from skill?

The conversation ranges from chess and noughts-and-crosses, to Napoleon, David Bowie, Kubrick, Elon Musk and Einstein, examining whether repeated success is the strongest evidence of genuine ability. Along the way, the hosts discuss probability, decision-making under uncertainty, why outcomes alone can be misleading and whether "business genius" is often just survivorship bias in disguise.