Lauren Beukes is the author of award-winning novels like Afterland and Zoo City, with her book Shining Girls was adapted to an Apple TV+ show. She has asked us about how to poison AI and whether there are methods to get it to stop stealing everyone's work.

Some of our potential ideas: Fill books full of ads, destroy technology and go back to town criers, or put every book in your house into one big book.

Thank you Lauren for getting in touch with us. How would you solve their problem? Email us at: brainsontheoutside@gmail.com

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Thank you to Rich Endersby-Marsh for our theme music: https://soundcloud.com/rich-marsh

Keep your brains on the outside! xo

July make luggage. Beautiful, useful, perfect luggage. They've got a big problem though - they decided to name themselves after the month of July and now, well, they've got all sorts of SEO and searchability problems. When their customers tell their friends about July their friends think they're talking about the month. When you're standing in the airport having lost your luggage and the airport official asks what brand it is and you say "July" and they say "no, I didn't ask when you're travelling, I asked what brand your luggage is" it's inconvenient. It's an issue. They've written to ask us whether we can help them out.

Some of our ideas: Defeat Julius Caesar, rename the month to Bluey, gaslight everyone into thinking that the month is pronounced Julie, change the names of ALL the months.

Thank you Athan (pronounced like Nathan), who is the CEO at July, for getting in touch with us. Dear listener, how would you solve her problem? Email us at: brainsontheoutside@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainsontheoutside/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsontheoutside

Thank you to Rich Endersby-Marsh for our theme music: https://soundcloud.com/rich-marsh

Keep your brains on the outside! xo

Naked Sprout make toilet rolls out of bamboo. They're super sustainable and the company prides themselves on using no fossil fuels in 99% of their process. That remaining 1%, that's what they wanted us to help with. They currently have to use one gigantic diesel forklift truck to lift the enormous mother rolls of toilet paper that come off their manufacturing process. These huge tonne and a half rolls are later cut down to the bog rolls you know and love and use but until then Naked Sprout has to cart them about their factory. Can we help them? Can we make them even greener? Of course we can.

Some of our ideas: What if we only had one toilet between us all? What if you could cut your own toilet paper? What if Naked Sprout was also a housing company?

Thank you Rosie, who works in Content and Community at Naked Sprout, for getting in touch with us. Dear listener, how would you solve her problem? Email us at: brainsontheoutside@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainsontheoutside/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsontheoutside

Thank you to Rich Endersby-Marsh for our theme music: https://soundcloud.com/rich-marsh

Keep your brains on the outside! xo

AutoTrader is the UK's largest digital automotive marketplace. You can buy cars. You can sell cars. You can swap cars. (Maybe? Does it work like that? Like football stickers or Pokemon cards? I don't drive. I don't know about car stuff.)
AutoTrader are on a mission to make the world a better place by getting people to buy second hand cars, especially electric ones! They've asked us how to get drivers to buy EVs over gas guzzling petrol monsters.

Some of our ideas:

• Pushing the benefits like being able to steal electricity from work,
• Selling a simple kit to make any EV instantly much cooler and more desirable,
• Pointing out how you can lord it over your Earth hating friends.

Thank you Michael Grande, PR Manager of AutoTrader, for getting in touch with us. Dear listener, how would you solve Michael's problem? Email us at: brainsontheoutside@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainsontheoutside/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsontheoutside

Thank you to Rich Endersby-Marsh for our theme music: https://soundcloud.com/rich-marsh

Keep your brains on the outside! xo

Toucan make really nice table tennis equipment. In Germany, where they are based, you can find table tennis tables outside in parks and public spaces. However, how can Toucan make sure they can help you find one that is free? What about in winter? How can they convince you to play out in the cold?

Some of our ideas: a table tennis battle pass, a drone to attack people playing at a table you want to be at, make a law stating you can only get married if you are good at the game, put tables in trees

Thank you Dan Zell, the founder of Toucan, for getting in touch with us. Dear listener, how would you solve Dan's problem? Email us at: brainsontheoutside@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainsontheoutside/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsontheoutside

Thank you to Rich Endersby-Marsh for our theme music: https://soundcloud.com/rich-marsh

Keep your brains on the outside! xo

Water and Wines make jigsaws designed to teach you about wine. Designed by sommeliers and their passion for oenology, each jigsaw transports you to a wine region around the world. However, just like many of us, they are haunted by an existential question: what is the best way to solve a jigsaw?

Some ideas: an AR app to help you find a piece, a jigsaw you put together based on taste, a wine flight in a hat

Thank you Amy Renyu Jin, Water and Wine’s Head of Marketing, for getting in touch with us. Dear listener, how would you solve Amy's problem? Email us at: brainsontheoutside@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainsontheoutside/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsontheoutside

Thank you to Rich Endersby-Marsh for our theme music: https://soundcloud.com/rich-marsh

Keep your brains on the outside! xo

Wave is an ecologically focused phone case manufacturer, coincidentally based near us in the North East of England. They need help though: why do Apple keep releasing so many iPhones, each needing a unique case?

Some of our ideas: springs, goo, and strict government regulation.

Thank you Ross Longhorn, Wave Case's Co-Founder, for getting in touch. How would you solve his problem? Email us at: brainsontheoutside@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainsontheoutside/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsontheoutside

Thank you to Rich Endersby-Marsh for our theme music: https://soundcloud.com/rich-marsh

Keep your brains on the outside! xo

Allbirds design and make shoes and footwear with a focus on nature and the environment. They have got in touch wondering how to convince people to shop more sustainably.

Some of our potential ideas: try to save all the birds, mad max VR experience, make a living seed bank using CRISPR

Thank you Lee Price, Allbirds' Director of Global Communications for getting in touch with us. How would you solve his problem? Email us at: brainsontheoutside@gmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainsontheoutside/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsontheoutside

Thank you to Rich Endersby-Marsh for our theme music: https://soundcloud.com/rich-marsh

Keep your brains on the outside! xo