Realities

Arielle Dundas and Joana Ponder are at the kitchen table today to discuss standup comedy, knowing what you're doing with your life, the connection between sex and art, American dogs, bike fights, and waiting for packages. You can see Arielle at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam on October 21st! You can listen to Joana on the Ponder Cast!

Could you survive in the wilderness for 48 hours? How much or little do you need for a 5 day hike? Can you build a fire without matches? Today at the kitchen table -- the Online Caveman himself, Marc Smeehuijzen joins us to talk Bushcraft and tell some fantastic stories of the fascinating and sometimes hilarious situations he has gotten himself into.

We live mediated lives. It is easy to say but far more complex to really examine and understand. Today at the kitchen table we examine this media life of ours with help from Mark Deuze, Mitch Altman and Katie Stephenson.

A few years ago Merel Rumping was working with street children in Colombia when she began learning more and more about the impact of war on the lives of individuals. Spefically the number of people who had lost a limb and were in need of a prosthesis. Fastforward to 2017 and she is now part of the team at The Leg Bank, which helps low income people in Colombia get real access to affordable prosthetics. Today at the kitchen table, joined by her colleague/designer Susana Herrera, Merel joins us to talk about her experience and the latest news from the Leg Bank. Also at the table today is the wonderful research journalist Marieke Buijs. It is a story of dedication, innovation, and above all — heart.

What will the world of work look like in 20 to 30 years? Will the concept of school as we know it still exist? Should it exist? Matthew Dons joins me to talk about his experience home schooling his children and what he sees for their future in a world where very little will look like what we know today as work, education and above all "career". Matthew Dons is fighting cancer in an effort to have more time with his family and welcomes anyone willing to help him fund his treatment. Click the link and donate to the GoFundMe campaign.

As Matthew Dons fights for his life he is also taking stock of lessons learned and what matters most to him. One tradition in his Tokyo household is education his children at home. From the process of starting home schooling in Japan to the day-to-day activities of his children, it is an insightful and inspiring story that looks at what education could and should be for the kind of future that is already here.

Impression management; your image on social media; online dating - everywhere you go in your internet life, you're projecting an image of yourself. Today at the kitchen table, we're speaking with researcher, writer and communications consultant Janelle Ward about what is going on when it comes to these online selves we've created and what impact this has on how our society functions. Also joining me at the kitchen table, reknowned legal and cultural scholar Aamna Chaudhry. Subscribe by finding Realities Podcast in any podcast directory or watch the livestream on the Realities FB page.

Gabe Mac has been making media and teaching game design for over a decade and in the time he has come to see the long list of inconsistencies between the world that exists (and will exist in the future) and the way way formal education prepares people for that future. The writing is very much on the wall for what needs to happen with the concept of school and Gabe is here to read the beautiful graphitti and tell us about the tools and the tricks to set our children free, to get "us" out of the way of their education. Follow along at home, listen to this season of Kitchen Table Conversations, this time feature Carine Middeldorp and Gabe Mac talking education and the future of learning.

After immigrating to the United States in the 1970's my mom's life journey took a challenging and rewarding turn when she pursued a career as a school social worker in one of the most troubled school systems in the country. At home, I grew up with her stories and always noticed the combination of great satisfaction and frequent frustration; the system was a machine and that machine placed very little value on the humans that worked within it or the humans that it was established to serve. But my mother, who values helping others above all else, would not be deterred. On today's program, the kickoff episode for a new season of Realities where the conversations will take place around the dinner table, you will hear from my mother as she and I look back at her career and eventually retirement, and how she sees it all now. The setting is her temporary kitchen table in Jensen Beach, Florida... an appropriate place to evaluate a magnificient career.

A run down of what is going on, what has been going on and more importantly -- what Im listening to and loving these days that I really think others would enjoy.

Tom Brosseau makes the kind of music you rarely find in the world today. Though Tom himself would probably say - you just need to look around. While on his European tour this fall, he played at StudioBar in Amsterdam and the following day came to the kitchen-studio to talk about music, his return to North Dakota, things he is working on and learning and much more. Tom is a great observer of people and the world around him, this is normally expressed through his music, but the next best thing has got to be through a podcast conversation.

Whomever you are, wherever you are, chances are your life has been affected by cancer. In some cases we hear from those battling the illness, their triumphs, their tragedies, and all the wisdom and observations that are shared along the way. Other times people turn inward, they go quiet and get private in an effort to do what must be done. A few short months ago Matthew Dons and his family got the news that he has cancer already in an advanced stage. Ever since then he has three major priorities in his life. Today on the podcast we are joined by Matthew to talk about what he is going through that many others out there may also be able to relate to. He will also talk about his funding campaign that needs your participation, to help him afford treatment that will give him more time to live.

Over the past decades Mitch Altman's work hasnt been about just making things, but about making a difference, by teaching others the power of making things long before it became the hot topic for conferences, magazines, and governments around the world. Despite the fact that nowadays all of the above are eager to get him to come share his wisdom, hoping to spread the spirit and knowledge that comes with making things, Mitch has remained true to his life mission: to do what he loves while making the world a better (not worse) place. You might know him for the TV-B-Gone, but well beyond the device are the ideas and values that make him one of the great teachers of our time.

As I walk down a mountain path between trees and fields of green and the constant sound of streams and small water falls, decided to do this Reality Check to say hello and describe what the experience has been like.

More than 6 years ago I met Massoud Hossaini in Kabul just before parliamentary elections and at the start of Ramadan. Back then, just like today, he taught me about the ups and downs of life in Afghanistan. From culture, to economics, to politics, to the basics of how humans treat one another, Massoud is never shy to state what he sees going on. His photographs have earned him critical acclaim from all over the world, a fact that has helped ensure we continue to see each other over the years even if I can't make it to Afghanistan. Today on the Realities Podcast, I'm very happy to bring you a conversation with Massoud Hossaini on topics like education, corruption, work, and global insecurity. Sit back and listen to a very passionate human being with insight and experiences that few on this planet can say they have.

The first mini episode, or as they will be known from now on - Reality Check - on the way to Lake Como, Italy for Wikimania. Talking microphones, feedback on the most recent episode of Realities, latest writing on medium, Source Code Berlin and more. It's brief. It's unedited. It's a Reality Check!

Today we’re talking with renowned International Ultimate Frisbee player and observer of human communication and behavior.. my friend Erik Doesburg.. about his changing relationship with a unique sport, and beyond that, questions we all ask ourselves about identity, purpose, and how we communicate or pursue those goals. It is a show about much more than ultimate frisbee but it happens to start there...

For over a decade now documentarian Shafiur Rahman has been bring us images and voices of people who even in an era of hyper media, are rarely noticed. They are the undocumented, the untouchable, the imprisoned, and oppressed; and they live in rich and poor countries throughout this world. For this second episode of our new podcast adventure, Shafiur joins us to present his work with refugees in the infamous "Calais Jungle", River People in Bangladesh, and migrants trapped in Libya.. to name just a few of his powerful projects. How do we begin to understand so much of this human made suffering, and what is or can be done to alleviate it? How does Shafiur approach each topic and accomplish such difficult work? These questions and more on today's edition of the Realities Podcast.

As the inaugeral episode of the Realities Podcast, we hear from CY Chong about his life's work and his new book Life on Planet WWF; a personal journey of struggle, adventure, comedy, and self discovery.