Talks

It’s 100 years since public service broadcasting got under way with the BBC’s transmissions from 2LO in London. Prof. Tom Stevenson tells the story of early radio with its powerful transmitters sending signals for reception on crystal sets with cat’s whiskers and early thermionic valve wireless sets, and shows some of them in action.

Youngeens fae the primary schools in North Ronaldsay and Papay have been working together to explore and celebrate their island culture. Exploring both land and sea, on foot and tall ship (the Swan), the pupils have worked with local musicians (Jen Austin and Eric Linklater).

Compartmentalisation and institutional thinking is blocking fresh land use solutions, say two Scottish biologists. They build instead on ideas of earlier Scottish ecologists and from the Nordic countries. One of them, Derek Pretswell, describes their approach to regenerating the whole ecosystem of land and wildlife and people.

It happens so often in social work and in mental health and many other areas. The professionals say the people don’t understand, and the people say they’re not being understood. A new strategy seeks to bring everyone together to tackle problems. It's described by Prof. Carole Norris-Shortle and Susan Affleck.

Three cases of Highland malt whisky were discovered, frozen into the ice beneath Shackleton's base camp. Through careful analysis, its exact constituents were worked out, and the whisky recreated. Master brewer Ken Duncan tells the story, with polar historian Dr Maria Pia Casarini setting the scene.