Podcasts about Exploratorium

Explore the magic monuments of Black Rock City 2025.Katie Hazard, Director of Art, leads the selection, placement, and installation of artwork,  and she leads Burning Man's art grant selection committees. The ARTery is in the center of Black Rock City, slightly offset like the human heart. It's the epicenter of art support for nearly 400 art pieces, from towering sculptures to immersive environments.Before these art projects are sourced, crafted, and assembled with everything from hot glue to heavy equipment, they are first conceptualized by artists and engineers. Burning Man's Honoraria project grants 76 of these art projects about half of the funding they need, a total of $1.3 million.  Katie and Stuart explore how to foster accessibility and agency in artist groups. They describe some of the installations coming this summer, from interactive Sphinxes to a sphere of sinks, from a lost troll of sustainability to a fire-spinning pigeon. Some of the experiences include:an inflatable black cloud from Ukrainean Indigenous deer destined for ceremonial landan Afrofuturist pillar with an ancient modern secreta screaming booth that displays visual reactions to sounda woman with a merry-go-round crown, jump rope dreadlocks, and swing earringsListen in on this sonic journey of how Burner art is co-created and curated, and how BRC's surreal skyline is taking shape.Introducing 2025 BRC Honoraria Art (Burning Man Journal)Black Rock City Honoraria ProgramARTery (Art Services)The ARTery Volunteer TeamsKatie Hazard (Burning Man Journal)2025 Art Theme: Tomorrow TodayBurning Man Art Installation Archive LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

 "Tinkering is a fun way to learn about the world around you," says Ryan in his new book, 'The Tinkering Workshop,' which promotes creativity and playful experimentation with everyday materials for families, children, and educators. I've known Ryan for many years from when he worked at The Exploratorium's Tinkering Studio.  Ryan will be at Maker Faire Bay Area this weekend where he will organize hands-on workshops and talk about his book. https://make.co/make-cast/

What happens when you combine the whimsy of a child's imagination with the rigor of science? Ryan Jenkins, co-founder of the Wonderful Idea Company and an influential personality at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, shares his unexpected journey from working with children to becoming a pioneer in the fusion of art and science. Inspired by mentors like Bob Miller and Mitchell Resnick, Ryan discusses the transformative effects of playful learning and why he champions a "Lifelong Kindergarten" mindset. Discover how this approach not only transcends traditional educational structures but also fosters a culture of creativity and exploration at every age.Picture a workshop where creativity flows as freely as ideas are shared, a place where participants of all ages engage in collaborative projects that balance freedom with guidance. Drawing on experiences from the Ars Electronica Festival, Ryan explores how educational workshops can be both structured and liberating, offering participants autonomy while encouraging meaningful outcomes. We delve into the art of crafting environments that invite curiosity and engagement, where asking the right questions can make the difference between mere participation and genuine personal growth. Achieving early success in these workshops is key, building confidence and nurturing the spirit along with the mind.Excitement builds as we anticipate the release of Ryan's new book, "The Tinkering Workshop: Explore, Invent, and Build with Everyday Materials." Launching on October 15th, this book is designed to ignite the creative spark in children, parents, and teachers alike. Instead of following rigid step-by-step instructions, readers are encouraged to think outside the box with 20 different materials, making creativity accessible even to tinkering novices. This groundbreaking work aims to inspire personalized outcomes and innovative thinking, inviting everyone to embrace the joy of hands-on learning and explore the endless possibilities of open-ended projects in educational settings.

When the most important exams in our lives tend to be meticulously crafted instruments based research, statistics, and standards, a sloppy and spontaneous approach just won't cut it. Amy and Mike invited educator Russ Hanush to outline a scientific approach to test-taking. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is general knowledge an irreplaceable foundation for test takers?  What's the best way to create study aids? What test-taking strategies do most students fail on?  How can you leverage the odds on multiple choice?  What physical preparation is necessary for a successful testing experience?  MEET OUR GUEST Inspired by the rings of Saturn at 8 years old, fascinated by San Francisco's Exploratorium at 14, and motivated to make a difference in education when he witnessed a mother unable to help her child with their homework, Russ Hanush has always been about learning. After a research career in nuclear physics and chemical kinetics spanning decades at America's national laboratories and inventing The Periodic Table of Dimensions, Russ opened Physics Phor Phun Tutoring in 2007.  Over the years the name has changed, Physics Phor Phun Tutoring is now Acclaimed Tutoring, and they've grown from a single tutor driving around the dusty vineyards of Templeton and Paso Robles, CA to helping students from Beverly Hills to Portland, OR, and Honolulu to Paris, France. Acclaimed Tutoring has helped hundreds of students become successful scientists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, vets, teachers, professional athletes, and entertainers.  Besides inventing The Periodic Table of Dimensions, Russ is also the author of over a dozen technical publications as well as two books: The Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Tutor and Harnessing Your Seven Senses.  Helping students navigate their education, and their life after high school is Russ' passion. With one-on-one tutoring available for most math and science classes from middle school through college, college, and career counseling, and standardized test preparation, Russ' promise is to help students become happier, more confident, and more successful, guaranteed. Russ can be reached at 805-610-1725 or russ@acclaimedtutoring.com. LINKS Harnessing Your Seven Senses: Help Your Child Become A Happier, More Confident, More Successful Student by Harnessing Their Seven Senses (A Scientific Approach to Study Skills) The Periodic Table of Dimensions PhysicsPhorPhun AP Resources RELATED EPISODES EFFECTIVE STUDY SKILLS FOR TEST PREPARATION MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU HOW TO BECOME A RIDICULOUSLY EFFECTIVE STUDENT ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

In this episode, I sit down with Julian Drucker, a seasoned music supervisor sharing his journey and insights into the world of music synchronization. Coming from a family of musicians and composers, Julian naturally gravitated towards a career in music supervision. We discuss the vital role of one-stop representation, the challenges of music licensing, and the importance of creating authentic music that resonates with artists rather than merely chasing synchronization trends. We also delved into the complexities of exclusivity and retitling in music licensing. Julian highlights the conflicts that can arise when the same song is pitched by multiple companies and the ethical considerations involved. He emphasized the need for more artist-friendly practices and expressed hope that retitling is becoming a thing of the past. Additionally, Julian shares his personal musical projects, including writing three musicals and composing electronic music for a dance production in San Francisco, as well as an upcoming indie pop release. Julian offers valuable advice for aspiring artists: learn about all aspects of the music industry, from streaming and distribution to touring and licensing, and stay true to your artistic vision.  This episode is packed with knowledge and inspiration for anyone in the music industry. Guest Bio: Julian Drucker is an independent music supervisor who has worked on a wide array of film and television productions. His recent supervision work includes the prison docuseries Justice, USA (HBO Max), the procedural drama 9-1-1 Lone Star (FOX), the reality hit Love Island (CBS), The Great Muslim American Road Trip (PBS), The Sundance Film Festival trailer, Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World (ABC) and various independent films. In 2023, Julian was nominated by the Guild of Music Supervisors for the drum ‘n' bass drama Purple Beatz. Julian works with fellow music supervisor Christine Greene Roe on a variety of projects, including the award-winning miniseries Lessons in Chemistry (Apple), the screwball sci-fi satire Made for Love (HBO Max), and the upcoming family comedy The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh (Amazon). Julian began his music supervision career at Deep Cut Music under the wing of veteran supervisor Maggie Phillips, with whom he worked closely on numerous critically acclaimed TV shows and films, including The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), Shrill (Hulu), Homecoming (Amazon), Snowfall (FX) and Juliet, Naked (Lionsgate). He later went on to become the first hire at Yay Team Productions, working alongside music supervisor Amanda Krieg Thomas on hit series such as Big Mouth (Netflix) and The Shrink Next Door (Apple), in addition to a full slate of projects from executive producer Ryan Murphy, including American Horror Story (FX), Pose (FX) and movie musical The Prom (Netflix). Two of his musicals have been given workshops and performances in theaters across the country and he has a third in development. Most recently, he released an album of experimental electronic music – Here. Now. by Charivari – written for a contemporary dance production that went up at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. About the Hosts: We're Sonnet Simmons and John Clinebell, 2 indie artists who have found success and creative fulfillment through licensing our music for ads, TV shows and films.  We were once so disheartened and discouraged that our music wasn't being noticed or valued through traditional methods. So we both started on a journey to find another way. For us, that “third door” was sync! And what we discovered is a lot better than we could have ever even imagined…[Find out more here] Resources From This Episode: 2Indie - Visit our website for more resources and information on how to get YOUR music signed The Sync Society - Want to join our exclusive online sync community, with weekly LIVE networking and coaching calls? @2indieofficial - Follow us on Instagram Sync It! Music Licensing Community - Follow us on Facebook

An early study found that electrical stimulation could improve hand and arm function in people with spinal cord injuries. Also, for thousands of years, Indigenous communities in Guatemala have used observations and mathematics to track astronomical events.Zapping Nerves Into RegrowthResults of an early trial published this week in the journal Nature Medicine found that people with cervical spinal cord damage showed some improvements both in strength and movement in arm and hand function after they received electrical stimulation near the site of their injury. The improved function persisted even after the stimulation stopped, indicating that the treatment may be inducing nerve cells to regrow in the damaged area.Sophie Bushwick, senior news editor at New Scientist, joins Ira to talk about the work and what it could mean for people with severe spinal cord injuries. They also talk about other stories from the week in science, including creating the most powerful X-ray pulse ever reported, investigations into the microbiome of the scalp, and some epic cosplay—testing out the practicality of some ancient Greek armor in combat scenarios.Celebrating the Maya Calendar In Guatemala's HighlandsEvery 260 days, Indigenous communities in the highlands of Guatemala celebrate a new cycle of the Maya calendar. This ceremony has persisted for thousands of years, from pre-Columbian times to today. The latest of these ceremonies happened in early May.Joining Ira to talk about the importance of astronomical ceremony is Willy Barreno, a Maya calendar keeper based in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, and Dr. Isabel Hawkins, astronomer and senior scientist at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California.Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

On Monday, a total eclipse will cut its way across a swath of North America. Millions are expected to flock to states along the eclipse's path, from Texas to Maine in hopes of capturing a glimpse (through eclipse glasses) of this celestial event. The last total solar eclipse in the U.S. was in 2017. The next one won't be until 2044. Although the Bay Area will not experience a total eclipse, there will still be opportunities to see part of one. We'll talk to experts about what to expect, hear from folks in the path of the totality, and answer your questions. Guests: Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer and professor, Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and the OLLI Program at SF State; author of many textbooks and popular books about astronomy Anna Huntsman, reporter, Ideastream Public Media, Cleveland's public radio station Polly Martin, resident of Buffalo, NY Rob Semper, chief learning officer, Exploratorium; member, National STEM Education Advisory Panel

Math lovers celebrate Pi Day on March 14, or 3/14. Around the world, many people even mark the day by eating a tasty piece of pie. 数学爱好者会在 3 月 14 日（即 3 月 14 日）庆祝圆周率日。 在世界各地，许多人甚至通过吃一块美味的馅饼来纪念这一天。 For those who do not know, pi is a mathematical constant, a value that never changes. It expresses the ratio of a circle's circumference (the distance around the circle) to its diameter (the distance across the circle, passing through its center.) 对于那些不知道的人来说，圆周率是一个数学常数，一个永远不会改变的值。 它表示圆的周长（围绕圆的距离）与其直径（穿过圆的距离，穿过圆心的距离）的比率。 The approximate value of this mathematical constant is 3.1415926535. But those are just the first 10 digits of pi. The numbers go on infinitely, or forever. 该数学常数的近似值为3.1415926535。 但这些只是 pi 的前 10 位数字。 这些数字无限地持续下去，或者永远持续下去。 Pi can calculate the circumference of a circle by measuring the diameter and multiplying that by the 3.14-plus number. The formula has been used in physics, astronomy, engineering and other fields, dating back thousands of years. Pi 可以通过测量直径并将其乘以 3.14+ 的数字来计算圆的周长。 该公式已被应用于物理学、天文学、工程学等领域，其历史可以追溯到数千年前。 Long before computers, scientists such as Isaac Newton spent many hours calculating decimal places by hand. But today, researchers use computers to come up with trillions of digits for pi. But there is no end. 早在计算机出现之前，艾萨克·牛顿等科学家就花了很多时间手工计算小数位。 但今天，研究人员使用计算机计算出数万亿位的圆周率。 但没有尽头。There are many uses for pi. pi 有很多用途。 The number helps calculate the size of paper rolls used in printers. And it helps decide the necessary size of a container that serves heating and air conditioning systems in buildings of different sizes. 该数字有助于计算打印机中使用的纸卷的尺寸。 它有助于确定为不同规模的建筑物中的供暖和空调系统提供服务的容器的必要尺寸。 Scientists use the number to point an antenna toward a satellite and calculate the orbits and positions of planets and other space bodies. 科学家利用这个数字将天线指向卫星，并计算行星和其他空间物体的轨道和位置。 Scientists with the American space agency NASA use pi to calculate when parachutes should open as a vehicle splashes down on Earth or lands on Mars. 美国航天局 NASA 的科学家使用 pi 来计算当飞行器降落在地球或登陆火星时降落伞应该打开的时间。In 1706, British mathematician William Jones began using the Greek letter pi for the number 3.14… It is the first Greek letter in the words “periphery” and “perimeter.” Both words have similar meanings as circumference. 1706年，英国数学家威廉·琼斯开始使用希腊字母pi来表示数字3.14……它是“外围”和“周长”一词中的第一个希腊字母。 这两个词与周长具有相似的含义。 Pi Day itself dates back to the year 1988. That was when physicist Larry Shaw began celebrations at the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco, California. 圆周率日本身可以追溯到 1988 年。当时物理学家拉里·肖 (Larry Shaw) 在加利福尼亚州旧金山的科学博物馆探索博物馆 (Exploratorium) 开始庆祝活动。 The so-called holiday did not gain national recognition until more than 20 years later. In 2009, the U.S. Congress declared every March 14 to be Pi Day as a way to bring more interest in math and science. 这个所谓的节日直到20多年后才得到全国的认可。 2009 年，美国国会宣布每年 3 月 14 日为圆周率日，以提高人们对数学和科学的兴趣。 The San Francisco museum that started the holiday organizes events, including a walk around a circular sign, called the Pi Shrine, 3.14 times. Of course, there is also plenty of pie to eat. 节日开始的旧金山博物馆组织了一些活动，包括绕着一个名为“Pi 神社”的圆形标志散步 3.14 次。 当然，还有很多馅饼可以吃。Many Pi Day events take place at colleges in the United States. For example, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Florida holds the “Mental Math Bingo” game with free pizza pies. 许多圆周率日活动在美国的大学举行。 例如，佛罗里达州诺瓦东南大学（NSU）举办“心理数学宾果”游戏，并提供免费披萨饼。 Jason Gershman oversees NSU's math department. He said, “Every year, Pi Day provides us with a way to celebrate math, have some fun and recognize how important math is in all our lives.” 贾森·格什曼 (Jason Gershman) 负责管理新西伯利亚州立大学 (NSU) 的数学系。 他说：“每年，圆周率日都为我们提供了一种庆祝数学、享受乐趣并认识到数学在我们生活中的重要性的方式。” NASA has its yearly “Pi Day Challenge” online. The space agency offers games and puzzles, such as calculating the orbit of an asteroid or the distance a moon rover would need to travel each day to study a certain lunar area. 美国宇航局 (NASA) 在网上举办了一年一度的“圆周率日挑战”。 该航天局提供游戏和谜题，例如计算小行星的轨道或月球车每天需要行驶以研究月球某个区域的距离。 If you still wonder why Pi Day is such an important day for math lovers, here are two more reasons: Albert Einstein, possibly the world's best-known scientist, was born on March 14, 1879. And famed physicist Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018, at age 76. 如果您仍然想知道为什么圆周率日对数学爱好者来说如此重要，这里还有两个原因：阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦，可能是世界上最著名的科学家，出生于 1879 年 3 月 14 日。著名物理学家斯蒂芬·霍金于 3 月 14 日去世 ，2018年，76岁。 Although pi is not a perfect number. Hawking once had this to say: “One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn't exist. Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.” 虽然 pi 不是一个完美数。 霍金曾经说过：“宇宙的基本规则之一就是没有什么是完美的。 完美根本不存在。 如果没有不完美，你和我都不会存在。”

Happy Pi Day! In honor of upcoming Pi Day on March 14, this week's episode features two stories about the nerdy celebration. Both of our storytellers will whisk you away on a journey filled with equal parts math and pastry, proving that whether you're calculating circumference or slicing into a sweet treat, there's always a story to be savored. Part 1: After her colleagues make fun of the pie she brings on Pi Day, Desiré Whitmore decides she will never again celebrate Pi Day. Part 2: Math teacher Theodore Chao goes all out for Pi Day at his school. A Blaxican American and Southern California native, Dr. Desiré Whitmore, aka “LASERchick”, began her education in Community College and holds degrees in Physical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, and Chemical and Material Physics. Formerly, she has worked as a scientist in a national lab, a K-8 science curriculum developer, and a community college professor. She now works as the Exploratorium's Staff Physicist Educator, where she bridges the gap between hands-on science, teacher education, and science communication.  Theodore Chao is an associate professor of mathematics education at The Ohio State University. He loves using video and storytelling to get kids to share about how they really do math, not what someone told them they need to do. He is a former filmmaker, startup founder, and middle school teacher who now spends his time supporting teachers, writing articles, and using research funds to show that kids hold tremendous math power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Museum's Creativity Series continues with a conversation on the importance of connection, collaboration, and community. Through a grant from LEGO, called the LEGO Playful Learning Museum Network, institutions across the country were tasked with creating a community of practice that focused on playful learning Joining us today are three representatives from LEGO's community of practice who connected over a shared interest in Tinkering Inventive Playsets, Nick Villagra from the Connecticut Science Center, Michael Wong from the Exploratorium, and Brendan Takenaga from Boston Children's Museum. Tune in to learn about how a community of practice operates, where creativity exists in our work, the power of inspiration, half-baked ideas, open communication between peers, and more! Learn more about this partnership on the Exploratorium Blog. Or connect with our guests by emailing Nick at nvillagra@ctsciencecenter.org, Michael at mwong@exploratorium.edu, or Brendan at Takenaga@bostonchildrensmuseum.org.

Transdisciplinary artist and biohacker Heather Dewey-Hagborg shares her latest work on future pigs and hybrids.Keep up with Heather Dewey-HagborgWebsite | InstagramAbout Heather Dewey-HagborgDr. Heather Dewey-Hagborg is a New York-based artist and biohacker who is interested in art as research and technological critique. Her controversial biopolitical art practice includes the project Stranger Visions in which she created portrait sculptures from analyses of genetic material (hair, cigarette butts, chewed up gum) collected in public places.Heather has shown work internationally at events and venues including the World Economic Forum, the Daejeon Biennale, the Guangzhou Triennial, and the Shenzhen Urbanism and Architecture Biennale, Transmediale, the Walker Center for Contemporary Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and PS1 MoMA. Her work is held in public collections of the Centre Pompidou, the Victoria and Albert Museum, SFMoMA, among others, and has been widely discussed in the media, from the New York Times and the BBC to Art Forum and Wired.Heather has a PhD in Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is an Artist-in-Residence at the Exploratorium, and is an affiliate of Data & Society. She is a founding board member of Digital DNA, a European Research Council funded project investigating the changing relationships between digital technologies, DNA and evidence.

In Part 1, we get to know Tenderloin Museum's executive director, Katie Conry. She's originally from Oceanside, California, just outside of LA, where her parents are from. They were both teachers but were priced out of the big city, a situation all too familiar around here.     Katie left home as soon as she could—when she was 18 and it was time to go to college. She had felt lonely and alienated in her hometown. But almost from the moment she arrived in Berkeley, she loved it and felt connected. In the 20-plus years since, she hasn't left the Bay Area.     She moved across the Bay to San Francisco after graduation in the mid-2000s, settling in the Mission, the neighborhood she's lived in ever since. Katie and Jeff reminisce about several Mission spots they both frequented around that time.     In the early 2010s, Katie got a job at Adobe Books, helping the bookstore raise money to make the move from 16th Street to its current spot on 24th Street. In that fundraising process, the store was turned into a co-op and its art gallery a non-profit.     This experience is how Katie started in events and working with artists. She later worked part-time at museums like the California Academy of Sciences, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and The Exploratorium, working on private events for those institutions.     Katie was originally hired at the Tenderloin Museum as their program manager when the museum opened in 2015. The next year, she became its executive director (Alex Spoto does a lot of public programming now).     From here, we dive into the history of TLM. It was the brainchild of journalist and activist  Randy Shaw, who was inspired by what he saw at New York City's Tenement Museum. The non-profit that runs TLM was formed in 2009 and they opened their museum doors to the public in 2015. The permanent collection in their gallery spotlights stories of working-class resistance movements and marginalized communities. The museum was successful early, largely because of its public programming. They sponsored showings of the film Drugs in the Tenderloin (1967), which turned out to be very popular.      From here, our discussion pivots to the history of the Tenderloin itself. Katie shares that it (not the Castro) was the first gay hood in San Francisco. It was a high-density neighborhood filled with affordable housing, a liminal space in an urban setting. Then we hear the story of the neighborhood after the 1906 earthquake, which destroyed just about everything except the Hibernia Bank building.     The Tenderloin was rebuilt quickly, though. The Cadillac Hotel, where the museum is located today, opened in 1908 and was meant to house folks who were working to rebuild The City. The single room occupancies (SROs) left people hungry for entertainment, of which there was soon plenty.     Women were living on their own in the Tenderloin, and in response, moral crusaders came after them. These high-and-mighty types had successfully shut down the sex-worker presence in San Francisco's Barbary Coast in 1913, forcing members of that industry to the Tenderloin. And so, perhaps naturally, those same crusaders came after sex-industry women in the Tenderloin.     The first sex-worker protest in the US happened in the TL after Reggie Gamble stormed a church and gave an impromptu speech. But it wasn't enough. Those same self-righteous white men effectively shut down the Tenderloin in 1917, an occasion for which TLM did  a centennial celebration in 2017.     Check back next week for more Tenderloin History in Part 2 of this episode.   We recorded this podcast at the Tenderloin Museum in November 2023.   Photography by Jeff Hunt

Join Pat Murphy for lunch at "the single best restaurant in the world" in Episode 215 of Eating the Fantastic as we discuss the part of Robert A. Heinlein's famed rules of writing with which she disagrees, why she felt the need to attend the Clarion writing workshop even after having made several sales to major pro markets, the occasional difficulties in decoding what an editor is truly trying to tell you, the importance of never giving up your day jobs, why she can't read Dylan Thomas when she's working on a novel, the differences between the infighting we've seen in the science fiction vs. literary fields, what we perceive as our personal writing flaws, a Clarion critiquing mystery I've been attempting to solve since 1979, the science fiction connection which launched her career at the Exploratorium, and much more.

If you missed the first episode with thoughtbot Incubator Program partcipants and founders Mike Rosenthal and Chris Cerrito of Goodz, you can go here first (https://www.giantrobots.fm/s3e2incubatorgoodz) to catch up! Startup founders Mike Rosenthal and Chris Cerrito are participating in thoughtbot's eight-week incubator program. Mike, with a background in the music industry, and Chris, experienced in physical computing and exhibit development, are collaborating on a startup that creates physical objects linked to digital content, primarily in music. Their goal is to enhance the connection between tangible and digital experiences, starting with a product that resembles a mixtape, using NFC technology for easy access to digital playlists. This project is unique within the thoughtbot incubator as it's the first pure consumer product and involves both physical and digital elements. The team is engaged in user interviews and market validation, with the aim of launching a physical product with a digital backend. They are exploring various marketing strategies for the product and are in the process of building its technical backend. Transcript: LINDSEY: All right. I'm going to kick us off here. Thanks, everyone, for tuning in. We're doing our first update with two founders that are now going through the Startup incubator at thoughtbot. thoughtbot, if you're not familiar, product design and development consultancy. We'll help you on your product and make your team a success. One of the very fun ways we do that is through the startup thoughtbot incubator, which is an eight-week program. So, with us today, I myself am Lindsey Christensen, marketing for thoughtbot. We also have Jordyn Bonds, who is our Director of Product Strategy and runs the thoughtbot incubator. And then, as I mentioned, we've got two new founders who are going to tell us a little bit about themselves and what they're working on. Mike Rosenthal, let's kick off with you. Can you tell us a little bit about maybe your background and what brings you to present day? MIKE: Sure. First of, thanks for having us. It's been a lot of fun doing this over the last [inaudible 01:03]; it's only two weeks, two and a half weeks, something like that. It feels like a lot more. I come from a music industry background, so worked in sort of marketing and strategy for artists for a long time; worked with a band called OK Go back, sort of starting in 2009 or so. I did a lot of early kind of viral music video stuff. And we were sort of early to the idea of sort of leveraging fan engagement and revenue, honestly, kind of beyond sort of just selling their music and touring, so sort of exploring other ways that artists can make money and connect with their fans and was with those guys for five years. And then, I went on and worked at an artist management company in Brooklyn called Mick Management and ran the marketing department there, so doing similar type of work but for a roster of 2025 major label bands. And so, really got to see fan engagement on all different levels, from really large bands down to baby bands who were just getting started. And then, yeah, started my first startup in 2018, so doing sort of fan engagement work, and NFTs, and blockchain-type stuff working with bands, but then also sports and entertainment properties. Yeah, that kind of brings me here. So, always been sort of on the music side of things, which ties into a lot of what Chris and I are working on now, but more generally, sort of fan engagement and how to, you know, drive revenue and engagement for artists and deliver value for fans. LINDSEY: Very interesting. All right, Chris, going to head over to you. Chris Cerrito, can you tell us a bit about your background? And it sounds like yours and Mike's paths; this isn't the first time you've crossed. CHRIS: No. Mike and I have been working together since 2007, I believe. Yeah, that's a great place to start. I've always been kind of a maker and a tinkerer, always been interested in art materials, how things are put together. And that kind of culminated at grad school, where Mike and I met at NYU, where we both studied physical computing and human-computer interaction, making weird things that kind of changed the way that people interact and play with technology in their day-to-day lives. I think the first project he and I worked on together was a solar robotic band that we played with light in front of a bunch of people. It was very wonderful and confusing at the same time. After grad school, I was lucky enough to become a resident artist and then an exhibit developer at a museum in San Francisco called the Exploratorium, which is a museum of science, art, and human perception. I spent ten years there working on exhibits teaching people things ranging from, let's see, I built a dueling water fountain to teach visitors and users about the prisoner's dilemma. I built a photo booth that used computer vision to teach people about the microbiome that lives on their face, like, just all kinds of weird things like that that fuse the digital and the physical worlds. I loved my time there. And then kind of COVID hit and I realized that everything I had been working on for ten years was locked up in a museum that I no longer had access to. And it really gave me a desire to kind of bring my ideas into the physical world. I wanted to make things that people interact with and use in their lives on a day-to-day basis. And I would say that's really what brought me here to this point. LINDSEY: Very cool. Very interesting backgrounds, in my opinion. What is the new idea? What is the thing that you're bringing into the incubator? Mike, I'll start with you. Tell us a bit about what you're working on. MIKE: Chris and I are working on physical objects that connect to digital content is sort of the broadest way that I could describe it. I think, you know, as Chris kind of mentioned, you know, we've both been working on sort of physical things that have interactivity for a lot of our careers. I think we both come from an era of a lot more physical objects in your life, whether that's, you know, VHS cassettes at your parent's house growing up, or records and tape cassettes, and just sort of physical things that remind you of the things that you love. And I think that, you know, cell phones are great, and the sort of the smartphone era is amazing and having, you know, every single song, and movie, and television show and podcasts, et cetera, in a black box in my pocket is great. But I think we've sort of gotten to a point where it's more of an organizational problem now than anything else. And we sort of forget the actual things that we love in this world. And so, we're working on basically making physical objects to tie to digital content, and we're starting with music. And that's what we've been working on at thoughtbot is sort of how we can create physical things that basically you can tap, and that will take you to streaming content. One of the first things we're working on literally looks like sort of a little mixtape on a piece of wood, and you can just load that up with any sort of playlist that you might have on Spotify, or Apple Music, or YouTube, or whatever, and tap it, and it will take you there. And so, it's just sort of that idea of like, oh, we used to be able to sort of flip through a friend's music collection and judge them ruthlessly, or become even better friends with them based on kind of what you saw there. And we think that the time is ripe for, I don't know, a blend of that nostalgia with actual sort of, like, real-world utility that people could be into this right now. Chris, what am I missing there? CHRIS: I'd say just to expand on that a little bit, it's, you know, we spend so much time in the digital world, but we still exist in the physical. And a lot of the things, like, you might spend a really long time editing a photo for your parents or making a playlist for a friend, and there's, like, a value there that might not translate because it's digital. It's ephemeral. And I think tying these digital assets to a physical thing makes them special. It gives them, like, a permanent place in your life, something to respect, to hold on to, and maybe even pass down at some point. LINDSEY: Yeah, and I think before we logged on, we actually had Jordyn and Mike grabbing cassette tapes from the room there and to show us -- MIKE: [inaudible 06:49] LINDSEY: What [laughs] was some of their collection and to prove some of the power of these physical –- MIKE: Nothing, like, just old mixtapes. LINDSEY: Mementos. MIKE: Yeah. We were just talking about this on our sync with the thoughtbot crew. They're, like, there's sort of two levels of nostalgia. There's nostalgia for people like us who, yeah, [crosstalk 07:09] mixtapes, right? For people who actually grew up with this stuff and still have it lying around or don't but, like, look at something like that that gives you, like, instant flashbacks, right? You're like, oh my God, I remember scrolling on that little j-card or, like, getting a mixtape for my first, you know, boyfriend or girlfriend, and having it just mean everything. So, there's people for whom that was a thing. And there's, you know, generations of people for whom that is, like, their only connection to that is, you know, Stranger Things or, like, you know, the mixtape exists in pop culture as a reference. So, there's still, like, a very strong attachment there, but it's not a personal one, right? It's a cultural one. But I think everybody has that connection. So, that's kind of why we're starting with the mixtape, just because I think everyone can kind of relate to that in some way. LINDSEY: Yeah, no, yeah. When I hear mixtape, it goes immediately to crushes. You make a mixtape for your crush. CHRIS: Exactly. LINDSEY: It's a huge, powerful market, powerful. MIKE: Oh my God, so powerful. I mean, yeah, I don't know anybody -- LINDSEY: What's more motivating? MIKE: [laughs] Yeah, exactly. CHRIS: Or even just I have a really good friend who I don't get to see as often as I'd like. And he and I are constantly sending each other, you know, Spotify links and text messages. And it's great. I love that interaction. But at the same time, you know, I might forget to add that to a playlist, and then it's kind of lost. If I had taken the time to make something and send it to him physically or vice versa, it just becomes so much more special and so much more real. MIKE: Yeah. I mean, honestly, I first made these...I mean, we can go to this origin if we want. But, like, I literally just went on moo.com, right? The business card company. And they let you upload, you know, 50 different images, and they'll send you all of those as business cards. And so, I literally went on and just made business cards of all the album covers of, like, albums that I loved growing up, right? And their cheapest is this little piece of cardboard. But I had 50 of these, and I'd put them all out on my coffee table, just as something I wanted to have around. And people kept coming, you know, friends would come over, and you would just have these conversations that I haven't had in 10 or 15 years, right? Because no one's going to come to my house and pick up my phone and look at my Spotify collection. But if these things are all just sitting out, they're like, "Oh shit, you're into that? Like, I haven't thought about that album in 15 years." Or like, "Oh, I didn't know you were into that. I'm, like, a crazy super fan of that artist as well." And all of a sudden, we're having these conversations that we just weren't having. Yeah, there's something there where it's all been nostalgia coupled with the kind of prompting of conversation and connection that we've kind of lost, I think. CHRIS: And I think just to clarify a little bit on what Mike's saying, is, you know, this mixtape will be our first product launch, and then we're hoping to move into collectibles for artists and labels. So, shortly after we launch this tape, we're hoping to launch some kind of pilot with a label where you will be able to buy a version of this for your favorite music artist at a merch table in a concert, possibly online. Our dream is to have these sitting there on the table with T-shirts, and records, and other things that artists sell so you can express for the artists that you love. This is a way of expressing your fandom. LINDSEY: Jordyn, heading over to you, this feels like maybe the first consumer product that has gone through the incubator, would you say? Or how do you think about it? JORDYN: Yeah, if you're a consumer -- LINDSEY: Or is it different than other types of products? JORDYN: Yeah, the first incubator project we did with Senga was, I think, what you would call prosumer. So, it was sort of a consumer thing but directed at folks who had kind of freelancing in sort of a business context. It's got a lot of dynamics of the consumer. But this one, for sure, is the first pure consumer play. Though now that I'm thinking about it, you know, AvidFirst had some consumer elements to it, but it was, you know, it was, like, more complex tech [laughs] [inaudible 10:46] totally different thing -- LINDSEY: But definitely the first of the physical, physical [inaudible 10:52] JORDYN: Oh, sure, the first of the physical thing. Right. Absolutely. LINDSEY: Does that change any of, like, the approach of the programming, or it's kind of -- JORDYN: I mean, no, not fundamentally, though it does add this layer of operations that you don't have with a pure software play. So, we have to be, there is a thing that needs to get shipped to people in the world, and that takes timelines, and it takes -- LINDSEY: Supply chain. JORDYN: Yeah, exactly. And Chris is doing most of that stuff. I don't want to, you know, this is not, like, the main focus of our team necessarily, but it intersects, right? So, this isn't the first one of these types of products I've worked on personally in my career. But there's something, like, really, for me, very fulfilling about, like, there's software. There's a big component of software. There's also this physical object that needs to exist in the world. And partly, what's so compelling about Goodz is that it gives you the promise of a physical, like, the sort of good aspects of a physical product, a thing you can hold in your hand and look at and really connect with in that physical way. But it has this dynamic digital, like, essential quality as well. So, it's very compelling as a product because it sort of marries the things that we like about both the physical world and the digital world, which is partly why the team was really excited about working on it [laughs]. LINDSEY: Well, that was going to be my next question is, you know, what stood out to you about the Goodz application for the incubator and the interview process that made you and the team feel like this was going to be a great project to work on? JORDYN: Yeah. So, I think just the team really resonated with the sort of idea in general, and it seemed fun. There was, like, it's a very positive thing, right? It isn't so much about solving problems and pain points. And, sometimes the, you know, when you're very focused on solving problems, it can feel a little doomy because you actually have to, like, immerse yourself in the problems of the people that you're making software for. And sometimes, you start to feel like the world is just full of problems. What Goodz is doing is sort of it is solving a problem in a sense, but not in that kind of way. It's really, like, a fun upside kind of thing, which I think a lot of the folks on the team were very excited about. But, like, the software component, actually, is very interesting to us from a technological standpoint as well. There's a lot of opportunity here to do interesting things on the backend with an object that's essentially functioning as a bookmark out in the world. What all can you do with that? There's something super compelling and technically interesting about it. And I think, also, the team was just sort of excited by Chris and Mike, you know, the energy and the kind of background they were bringing to the table was also super interesting. And then, above all else, what I say every time you ask me this question, which is stage fit, y'all, good stage fit. They're right at the beginning. They haven't built the product yet [laughs]. Gotta say it. It's a good stage fit. They know who they're building for broadly but not super specifically. Got a good vision but, like, haven't made that first step with the software. Perfect stage fit for us [laughs]. LINDSEY: Great. So, Chris, we were talking a bit before about how you two have been collaborators in the past, worked on business ideas before. Why bring this idea into the thoughtbot incubator? What are you hoping to, you know, achieve? CHRIS: One of the main reasons why we wanted to bring this into the incubator was just for support, momentum, and then, also, I would say validation for our idea. I mean, we came to the incubator with a very, yeah, I would say it was a fairly developed idea that needed to be proved, and we, quite frankly, needed help with that. You know, Mike and I have our own expertises, but we don't know how to do everything. We're more than willing to jump in where we need to go. But having people with expertise to work with has proven to be incredibly helpful and just having kind of fresh faces to bat ideas around with after he and I have been staring at each other for months now on Zoom calls and meetings. And just, you know, being able to talk about these ideas with fresh faces and new people and get new perspectives has been so very, very helpful. I think something that's also great from the momentum standpoint is that because there's a time limit to this experience, we've got the time that we have with you guys, and we've been able to set goals that I think are very achievable for things we want to occur in the next couple of months, and it feels like we're going to get there. And I think by the end of this, I mean, our hope, and I think we're on track, is to have a functioning physical product that we're going to offer to consumers with a digital backend to support it, which is, in my mind, amazing. That'll totally validate this idea and prove if we have something or not. LINDSEY: I was going to ask if you're open to sharing what those goals specifically are. Is that it? Is it that by the end, you have -- MIKE: Is that it? Lindsey, that's a lot. [laughter] CHRIS: It's a lot. I mean, yeah. I mean, we're going to have a physical object in the world that you can buy via an e-commerce site -- JORDYN: Sounds like we need Lindsey on the team if Lindsey feels like this is so achievable. [laughter] CHRIS: Yeah, yeah. Lindsey...yeah. We're in the beginning [crosstalk 15:47] LINDSEY: I meant, is that the goal? CHRIS: That is the goal. LINDSEY: Is that all? CHRIS: I was going to –- LINDSEY: Is that all you got? CHRIS: Mike, do you agree? MIKE: Yeah. Is that the goal? Yes, that is the goal. I mean, you know, when we sat down with the thoughtbot team kind of week one, you know, they're sort of like, "All right, let's define kind of the experiment." So, we refer to them as experiments, which I think is helpful because, like, what are the experiments that we want to be doing during our time here? And, you know, we talked about it a lot. And yeah, I think it's, you know, having a physical product out in the world, having a website in which to sell it. But also, it's really, like Chris was saying, it's like, it's market validation, and just making sure we actually have something that people want. It's like, you know, running a startup takes so long and, like [laughs], you know, you'll do it for so many years. It's like bands when people say, like, "Oh, that's an overnight sensation." It's like, you know, that band has been slogging it out in tiny, little venues for four years before you ever heard of them. It's like, that's what so much of the startup world feels like to me, too. It's like, "Oh, you're just getting started as a startup?" It's like, "Well, we've been working on this forever." And I know how long this can take. And so, I think we want to learn as early as possible, like, is this something people actually want? Because if they don't, like, we'll just go do something else. I don't want to spend years making something that people don't want. So, I think the biggest goal, for me, is just validation, and then that is sort of how we get there is like, okay, how do we validate this? Cool. Let's identify some, you know, assumptions of personas that we think are people who do actually want this and then try to go sell it to them. And all the implications from that are, okay, well, you need a website where somebody can buy it. You need a physical product that somebody can actually buy. So, all those things sort of come out of that, but, for me, it's like, proving that assumption, is this thing real? Do people actually want this? And everything else is like, okay, how do we prove that? LINDSEY: Jordyn, what does that look like in these first few weeks here? User interviews, I assume, how are the user interviews going? JORDYN: Always. Always. So, you know, we kick it off by just, like, doing the exercise where we list everybody who might want this. And the team, you know, it's a fun product. Everybody brought their own assumptions and ideas to the table on that. You know, we had a lot of different scenarios we were imagining. It's super fun getting that stuff out of people's heads, just, like, what are we all thinking? And then, you know, we get to negotiate, like, okay...I always encourage everyone to think, like, if everyone else on the team was on the moon, you had to make a decision about a market segment to pick; which one would you pick? And then we kind of argue about it in a productive way. It really helps us get at, like, what are the dynamics that we think matter upfront? And then we pick one, or, in this case, we have a few. We have a handful. And we're running interview projects where we just recruit people to talk about people that meet this persona, talk about a specific problem. We're in the middle of that right now. And it's fun, fantastic. These conversations are super interesting. We're validating a lot of the things that Mike and Chris, you know, walked into this with, but we're learning a bunch of new things as well. And, like, really, part of the aim there is to validate that there's a hole in the market that we might fill but also to hear the language people are using to describe this stuff. So, when people talk about buying music, merch, you know, making playlists, et cetera, like, what language do they use to talk about that? So that we make sure we're speaking the language that our customer uses to describe this stuff. And we're, you know, we're right in the pocket of doing that, learning stuff all the time. And it helps us kind of hone the messaging. It helps us know where to go talk to people about it, how to talk about it, but it's, you know, it all kind of fits together. And it's just this, really...the early stages. It's just a bunch of us in a room, a virtual room, in this case, sort of, like, tossing ideas around. But out of it crystallizes this sense of alignment about who this is for, how to talk to them about it, and with a goal. And, you know, Mike and Chris walked in with the exact right mindset about this, which is, yes, it's experiments. We need to validate it. Let's make sure there's a there-there. If there's a there-there, let's figure out where it is [laughs], like, all those things. And we're running these experiments, and it was really [inaudible 19:36]. We got down to business quite quickly here. It was really great. LINDSEY: Like you said, it's not necessarily a problem or, you know, the typical framing of a problem. How do you start those user interview questions around this? Do you feel a gap between the physical and the digital sound? [laughter] JORDYN: No, no. LINDSEY: It's maybe not it [laughs]. JORDYN: Yeah, no. Well, I can tell you what our startup questions are. One of them is, tell me about the last time you bought music merch. Go for it, Lindsey. Tell us. LINDSEY: The last time I bought music merch I went to a Tegan and Sara concert a few weeks ago, and I bought a T-shirt. JORDYN: Tell me about buying that T-shirt. Why'd you buy it? LINDSEY: Because I wanted to remember the show and my time with my friends, and I wanted to support the artists. I know that buying merch is the best way to support your favorite touring artists. JORDYN: So, it's just, you know, we could spend the rest of this time talking [laughter] [crosstalk 20:34], and it would be awesome. So, it's really a lot of things like that. LINDSEY: Gotcha. JORDYN: You don't ask, "What problem are you trying to solve by buying this t-shirt?" Right? Like, that's not, you know, but we ask you to tell us a bunch of stories about when you did this recently. You know, and if you make playlists for friends, you know, that's a different persona. But we would have asked, you know, like, "Tell me about the last playlist you made. You know, who did you share it with? You know, what happened after that? What happened after that? What happened after that?" It's a lot of questions like that. And there's just nothing better. People love to tell you what's going on with them. And it's great [laughs]. LINDSEY: Yeah. As you all have been doing these interviews, Mike and Chris, have you been surprised by anything? Any interesting insights that you're seeing already? CHRIS: I mean, I haven't done really much in the way of user interviews in the past. This is a really new experience for me. And then we're, obviously, not on the calls because that would be weird and probably intimidating for people. But we're getting lots of highlights from folks who are doing them, you know, in our daily sync. And I'm surprised at how many, like, really intense, like, playlist nerds we have found even just in, like, the few people we've talked to, like, in the best possible way. Like, people who are like, "I make playlists all the time." Like, you're talking about, like, a vinyl fan or, like, a...Jordyn, what's the story? It's, like, the guy who there was so much out-of-print vinyl that he started a vinyl label just to get the albums in vinyl. [crosstalk 21:56] JORDYN: Yeah. There were a bunch of releases that he feels really passionately about that were never released on vinyl that he knew would never be released on vinyl. And so, he started a vinyl record label. And we just found this guy [laughter]. CHRIS: Is that indicative that that's, like, an entire persona we're going to, like, target? Absolutely not. But it's just, like, it's amazing that even just in the few user interviews we've done, that we've found so many very passionate people. And it's sent me down, like, a TikTok rabbit hole of, like, TikTok, like, music nerd influencer-type folks who are posting playlists. And they, like, hundreds of thousands of likes on these videos that are literally just, like, screen with text on it that you're supposed to, like, pause the video [laughs] and, like, look at, like, the songs that they're recommending. And it's like, who does that? And it was like, these people do that. And it's like, so there are...it's been very encouraging to me, actually. I was worried that we were going to find not as much passion as we had suspected, and I think the opposite has proven to be true. So, it's exciting. CHRIS: Yeah, I completely agree with Mike. It's been so encouraging. I think, for me, what we're doing is an idea that I'm very excited about and have been very excited about for a long time. But hearing the responses that we're getting makes me confident in the idea, too. That's great. I mean, I think that is everything that a founder needs, you know, is excitement and confidence. MIKE: Well, and just the whole user interview experience has, like, made a lot of my other conversations sort of I've tried to frame parts of them as user interviews because I'm talking to a lot of, like, label folks now, and artists, merch people. And, you know, I ended up just sort of, like, asking them, I mean, yes, trying to explain the product and work on kind of partnership stuff, but a lot of it is really just geeking out with them. And just, like, hearing their thoughts about, like, what they love about merch because these are people that clearly think about this stuff all the time. So, it's definitely kind of, like, tuned my other conversations into trying to get unbiased feedback. LINDSEY: Yeah. Everything is a little user interview now. MIKE: Yeah, exactly. LINDSEY: Get that angle in there. All right, so some early validation and excitement. That's really cool to hear. Any challenges or, you know, other kinds of learnings early on? Anything that's been invalidated? MIKE: I don't know that we're there yet. [inaudible 24:02] Chris, I don't know. I'm happy to find that some things are invalidated, but I don't really feel...you know, some of the personas that we decided or maybe just one of the personas we decided to pursue, I think we're having a hard time having those user interviews kind of really bear fruit, but that's helpful, too, actually. I mean, it's like, okay, well, maybe that's not a group that we target. JORDYN: Yeah. It's about, like [inaudible 24:24]. I encourage folks not to think about this like a 'no, not that,' and instead think of it as like a 'not yet.' And that's, I think, the dynamic here with a couple of the personas we were interested in. It's just been turned into kind of, like, a not yet for reasons that we very quickly figured out, but we'll get there. It's just a matter of figuring out we had some other personas take precedence because they're more sort of red, hot in a way, right? It's just easier to get in contact with these people, or it's, like, clear what they're going for or what they need from the market. So, you know, we have this whole list, and it was not clear at first who was going to kind of stand out. But we've kind of found some focus there, which means, invariably, that there's things that are falling out of the frame for now, and you're kind of de-prioritizing them. But it really is, like, a we'll get to that [laughs]. We'll eventually get to that. LINDSEY: Yeah. And part of the process, who's going to rise to the top right now? JORDYN: Yeah, exactly. LINDSEY: Do you have anything you can show and tell with us today or not yet? MIKE: So, Chris has been hard at work on all the physical side of this stuff and going back and forth with our manufacturing partner and all that good stuff. But we have a final version of the mixtape product. LINDSEY: For when this gets pulled into the podcast, Mike's showing us a physical card. CHRIS: It's a small card, and we call them Goodz. And it's printed on three-millimeter plywood using a UV printing process, super durable. And this is something you can put in your pocket. You're not going to wreck it. I think you could actually (Don't quote me on this.), but I think you can even, like, put it through a washing machine, and it would be fine. Embedded in this card is a chip that can be read by your phone, and that's pretty much what we're working with. MIKE: Yeah, so the idea is you just sort of tap this, and it'll take you to a streaming version of a playlist. And then Chris has also been making these adorable crates. And [crosstalk 26:10] LINDSEY: The little crates I love. MIKE: And we actually have some wooden ones, too, in the testing that's [crosstalk 26:15] LINDSEY: And then the mixtapes get stored in the little crates [crosstalk 26:19] MIKE: Yeah. So, you could have -- LINDSEY: Throw it on your desk. CHRIS: Each crate can hold about, I think, 15 of these things. What's really cool about this product on the physical side is we are using a tried-and-true technology, which is NFC chips. These are things that make Apple Pay work, make Google Pay work. They are in your E-ZPass when you drive through a toll booth. This is stuff that's been around for years. So, we're just kind of leveraging this technology that's been around for so long in a new way. MIKE: Yeah, I think it's similar to kind of the evolution of QR codes, right? It's like they were sort of around forever, and then it was, like, COVID and restaurant menus kind of kicked those into mainstream. Like, NFC has been around for a long time. It's very tried and true. It's affordable. But I want to say Apple only turned it on by default, like, the NFC reader in the iPhone in the last, like, 18 to 24 months, right? Like, it started...like, it's been around for a while, but they're sort of slowly kind of...and now you just sort of see it everywhere. People are using it on the subways in New York to scan for tickets or for accessing stuff. I was also just showing Chris has been prototyping with the ability to sort of keep these on a key ring. So, we have, like, a little chain hole on them. It is [inaudible 27:22] to sort of have this on your backpack or, you know, on a key ring, or something like that. And friends could kind of, like, come up to you and just, like, scan one that looks interesting. CHRIS: And yeah, something that's awesome about this is you don't need an app. You don't need to download anything. As long as your NFC reader is on when you scan this, it will bring you to the music that it's linked to, which I think is awesome. So, I mean, my dream is to have these, like, hanging off of people's backpacks so I can, like, scan them in the subway or, you know, it's such, like, an easy thing to do. And it requires so little technical time on the user's end to be able to do it. LINDSEY: Oh, we got a question here. "So, Moo used to offer NFC cards. What made you decide to do the thicker plywood model?" CHRIS: Durability is really what it comes down to. We wanted something that felt like an object that you can have and treasure. Like, these have weight, you know, these feel like something, not just a piece of paper. This is something that you can have and [inaudible 28:22] your desk, and it's not going to fade in the sunlight. It's not going to disintegrate over time. This is something that's going to last. MIKE: Yeah, the cards would definitely, like, as I would sort of carry them around and show them to people and stuff, the cards would start, you know, breaking. It's like having a business card in your pocket, right? Eventually, it's going to kind of wear out. And plus, we had, like, the stickers were visible on the back of them. And we were, like, having the sticker just completely disappear inside the wood it just feels a little bit more like magic. LINDSEY: Well, thanks for demoing there. I put you on the spot a little bit. But they are...I had seen them in the Slack, and they're very cool [laughs]. So, I had to ask if we could show them off a bit. MIKE: Of course. CHRIS: I think another thing to think about, too, is we've been talking a lot about the user experience. But if and when we get to the point of making these for artists, artists will be able to collect so much data off of the way that people buy and collect and use these things over time, which is something that we're really, really excited about. And also, you know, we're working on a way to make the link in the object updatable over time. So, artists will be able to change what a card points do to inform their users about the latest and greatest thing. LINDSEY: Very cool. Jordyn, what's next on the programming agenda for Chris and Mike? JORDYN: It's really sort of we're in this, like, iterative cycle. So, we're talking to folks. We're working on the website. The conversations we're having with people are informing how we're framing this first experiment with the mixtape, how we're marketing it, who we're marketing it to. I think next up is probably a Google Ad experiment to really see if we can piggyback on some stuff or at least figure out a new consumer product. It's so tough, right? It's also not a thing people are searching for. So, we have to come up with some experiments for how we get people to that website [laughs]. So, you know, Google Ads funnels is just something you kind of have to do because it's very interesting to figure out what people are responding to, what people are searching for. But we're going to have a bunch of other experiments as well and non-experiments. Outbound experiments: can we go to people? Can we get listed in a gift-buying guide for the holidays? Or, like, we don't know. There's a bunch of experiments we need to do around that, which is really just this iteration. We won't stop talking to users but, you know, everything we're hearing from them will inform where we go and how we talk to the folks in those places where we end up. And really, it's just about starting...once this is up and, you know, there's, like, an orderable thing, there's, like, a whole data cycle where we start to learn from the stuff we're testing; we actually have some real data for it, and we can start to tweak, iterate and change our strategy. But the bigger thing, also, is this bigger platform. So, the next thing really, the big next thing, is to sort of start to scope and create an architecture idea. What's it going to take to build the actual backend thing? And it's the thing that thoughtbot really [laughs] excels at, which is software. So, you know, that's the big next kind of project. Once the mixtape experiment is sort of out and in flight and we're getting data, we really need to turn our attention to the technical backend. LINDSEY: Exciting. Another comment/question from Jeff, who maybe needs a user interview. "Love the crate more than the actual albums. Maybe offer collections of artists." MIKE: Yeah, that's the plan. CHRIS: Yeah, definitely. It's a good idea. Yeah, it's, I mean, and labels get to, especially, like, small indie labels get really excited about doing, like, crates worth of collections of different artists or, like, you know, digging through their back catalog, their subscription services. There's a lot of different angles for sure about that idea. LINDSEY: [inaudible 31:55] Chris and Mike, going into this next section of the programming, for anyone watching right now, or watching the recording, or listening to the recording, any action items from them? You know, are you looking for any user interviews or have any survey or any destinations you'd like to send people yet? CHRIS: Not quite yet, but soon, I would say. Well -- MIKE: I mean, [inaudible 32:19] plug the website, I mean, you know, I think we've got, like, an email to sign up from there, right? The URL is getthegoodz.com and I [crosstalk 32:27] LINDSEY: Goodz with a Z. MIKE: Goodz with a Z. CHRIS: With Z. MIKE: So yeah, if you want to go there, you can sign up. I think there's an email signup on there to learn more. LINDSEY: Perfect. All right. getthegoodz.com email sign up. To stay up to date on Goodz and the incubator, you can follow along on the thoughtbot blog. You know, as always, send us any questions you might have, and we're happy to get to those. But otherwise, thanks for listening. And thank you all — Jordyn, Chris, and Mike. Thanks so much for joining today and sharing and being open about your stories so far. MIKE: Thank you. CHRIS: Yeah, thank you, Lindsey. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions.

This episode introduces the second participants of the season's thoughtbot's Incubator Program, Mike Rosenthal and Chris Cerrito. Mike has a background in music industry marketing, and Chris is a maker and tinkerer with experience in exhibit development. They're developing a product combining physical objects with digital content, starting with music. Their concept involves creating physical items like wooden mixtapes with NFC chips linking to digital playlists. This blend of physical and digital aims to revive the tangible aspects of fan engagement in a digital era. Their project, named Goodz, is the first pure consumer product in the Incubator program, adding complexities like supply chain and manufacturing considerations. The team is conducting user interviews to validate market interest and refine their messaging. They aim to have a functioning physical product and a supporting digital backend by the end of the program. Challenges include defining the target market and understanding how to attract customers to a new product type. The thoughtbot team is excited about the project due to its fun nature and technical aspects, offering a fresh perspective compared to problem-focused startups. The conversation also explores the broader implications of bridging the digital and physical worlds in fan engagement, with the potential to collect valuable data for artists and create lasting, meaningful connections for fans. Follow Josh Herzig-Marx on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaherzigmarx/) or X (https://twitter.com/herzigma). Visit his website at joshua.herzig-marx.com (https://joshua.herzig-marx.com/). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Become a Sponsor (https://thoughtbot.com/sponsorship) of Giant Robots! Transcript: LINDSEY: All right. I'm going to kick us off here. Thanks, everyone, for tuning in. We're doing our first update with two founders that are now going through the Startup incubator at thoughtbot. thoughtbot, if you're not familiar, product design and development consultancy. We'll help you on your product and make your team a success. One of the very fun ways we do that is through the startup thoughtbot incubator, which is an eight-week program. So, with us today, I myself am Lindsey Christensen, marketing for thoughtbot. We also have Jordyn Bonds, who is our Director of Product Strategy and runs the thoughtbot incubator. And then, as I mentioned, we've got two new founders who are going to tell us a little bit about themselves and what they're working on. Mike Rosenthal, let's kick off with you. Can you tell us a little bit about maybe your background and what brings you to present day? MIKE: Sure. First of, thanks for having us. It's been a lot of fun doing this over the last [inaudible 01:03]; it's only two weeks, two and a half weeks, something like that. It feels like a lot more. I come from a music industry background, so worked in sort of marketing and strategy for artists for a long time; worked with a band called OK Go back, sort of starting in 2009 or so. I did a lot of early kind of viral music video stuff. And we were sort of early to the idea of sort of leveraging fan engagement and revenue, honestly, kind of beyond sort of just selling their music and touring, so sort of exploring other ways that artists can make money and connect with their fans and was with those guys for five years. And then, I went on and worked at an artist management company in Brooklyn called Mick Management and ran the marketing department there, so doing similar type of work but for a roster of 2025 major label bands. And so, really got to see fan engagement on all different levels, from really large bands down to baby bands who were just getting started. And then, yeah, started my first startup in 2018, so doing sort of fan engagement work, and NFTs, and blockchain-type stuff working with bands, but then also sports and entertainment properties. Yeah, that kind of brings me here. So, always been sort of on the music side of things, which ties into a lot of what Chris and I are working on now, but more generally, sort of fan engagement and how to, you know, drive revenue and engagement for artists and deliver value for fans. LINDSEY: Very interesting. All right, Chris, going to head over to you. Chris Cerrito, can you tell us a bit about your background? And it sounds like yours and Mike's paths; this isn't the first time you've crossed. CHRIS: No. Mike and I have been working together since 2007, I believe. Yeah, that's a great place to start. I've always been kind of a maker and a tinkerer, always been interested in art materials, how things are put together. And that kind of culminated at grad school, where Mike and I met at NYU, where we both studied physical computing and human-computer interaction, making weird things that kind of changed the way that people interact and play with technology in their day-to-day lives. I think the first project he and I worked on together was a solar robotic band that we played with light in front of a bunch of people. It was very wonderful and confusing at the same time. After grad school, I was lucky enough to become a resident artist and then an exhibit developer at a museum in San Francisco called the Exploratorium, which is a museum of science, art, and human perception. I spent ten years there working on exhibits, teaching people things ranging from, let's see; I built a dueling water fountain to teach visitors and users about the prisoner's dilemma. I built a photo booth that used computer vision to teach people about the microbiome that lives on their face, like, just all kinds of weird things like that that fuse the digital and the physical worlds. I loved my time there. And then kind of COVID hit, and I realized that everything I had been working on for ten years was locked up in a museum that I no longer had access to. And it really gave me a desire to kind of bring my ideas into the physical world. I wanted to make things that people interact with and use in their lives on a day-to-day basis. And I would say that's really what brought me here to this point. LINDSEY: Very cool. Very interesting backgrounds, in my opinion. What is the new idea? What is the thing that you're bringing into the incubator? Mike, I'll start with you. Tell us a bit about what you're working on. MIKE: Chris and I are working on physical objects that connect to digital content is sort of the broadest way that I could describe it. I think, you know, as Chris kind of mentioned, you know, we've both been working on sort of physical things that have interactivity for a lot of our careers. I think we both come from an era of a lot more physical objects in your life, whether that's, you know, VHS cassettes at your parent's house growing up, or records and tape cassettes, and just sort of physical things that remind you of the things that you love. And I think that, you know, cell phones are great, and the sort of the smartphone era is amazing and having, you know, every single song, and movie, and television show and podcasts, et cetera, in a black box in my pocket is great. But I think we've sort of gotten to a point where it's more of an organizational problem now than anything else. And we sort of forget the actual things that we love in this world. And so, we're working on basically making physical objects to tie to digital content, and we're starting with music. And that's what we've been working on at thoughtbot is sort of how we can create physical things that basically you can tap, and that will take you to streaming content. One of the first things we're working on literally looks like sort of a little mixtape on a piece of wood, and you can just load that up with any sort of playlist that you might have on Spotify, or Apple Music, or YouTube, or whatever, and tap it, and it will take you there. And so, it's just sort of that idea of like, oh, we used to be able to sort of flip through a friend's music collection and judge them ruthlessly, or become even better friends with them based on kind of what you saw there. And we think that the time is ripe for, I don't know, a blend of that nostalgia with actual sort of, like, real-world utility that people could be into this right now. Chris, what am I missing there? CHRIS: I'd say just to expand on that a little bit, it's, you know, we spend so much time in the digital world, but we still exist in the physical. And a lot of the things, like, you might spend a really long time editing a photo for your parents or making a playlist for a friend, and there's, like, a value there that might not translate because it's digital. It's ephemeral. And I think tying these digital assets to a physical thing makes them special. It gives them, like, a permanent place in your life, something to respect, to hold on to, and maybe even pass down at some point. LINDSEY: Yeah, and I think before we logged on, we actually had Jordyn and Mike grabbing cassette tapes from the room there and to show us -- MIKE: [inaudible 06:49] LINDSEY: What [laughs] was some of their collection and to prove some of the power of these physical –- MIKE: Nothing, like, just old mixtapes. LINDSEY: Mementos. MIKE: Yeah. We were just talking about this on our sync with the thoughtbot crew. They're, like, there's sort of two levels of nostalgia. There's nostalgia for people like us who, yeah, [crosstalk 07:09] mixtapes, right? For people who actually grew up with this stuff and still have it lying around or don't but, like, look at something like that that gives you, like, instant flashbacks, right? You're like, oh my God, I remember scrolling on that little j-card or, like, getting a mixtape for my first, you know, boyfriend or girlfriend, and having it just mean everything. So, there's people for whom that was a thing. And there's, you know, generations of people for whom that is, like, their only connection to that is, you know, Stranger Things or, like, you know, the mixtape exists in pop culture as a reference. So, there's still, like, a very strong attachment there, but it's not a personal one, right? It's a cultural one. But I think everybody has that connection. So, that's kind of why we're starting with the mixtape, just because I think everyone can kind of relate to that in some way. LINDSEY: Yeah, no, yeah. When I hear mixtape, it goes immediately to crushes. You make a mixtape for your crush. CHRIS: Exactly. LINDSEY: It's a huge, powerful market, powerful. MIKE: Oh my God, so powerful. I mean, yeah, I don't know anybody -- LINDSEY: What's more motivating? MIKE: [laughs] Yeah, exactly. CHRIS: Or even just I have a really good friend who I don't get to see as often as I'd like. And he and I are constantly sending each other, you know, Spotify links and text messages. And it's great. I love that interaction. But at the same time, you know, I might forget to add that to a playlist, and then it's kind of lost. If I had taken the time to make something and send it to him physically or vice versa, it just becomes so much more special and so much more real. MIKE: Yeah. I mean, honestly, I first made these...I mean, we can go to this origin if we want. But, like, I literally just went on moo.com, right? The business card company. And they let you upload, you know, 50 different images, and they'll send you all of those as business cards. And so, I literally went on and just made business cards of all the album covers of, like, albums that I loved growing up, right? And their cheapest is this little piece of cardboard. But I had 50 of these, and I'd put them all out on my coffee table, just as something I wanted to have around. And people kept coming, you know, friends would come over, and you would just have these conversations that I haven't had in 10 or 15 years, right? Because no one's going to come to my house and pick up my phone and look at my Spotify collection. But if these things are all just sitting out, they're like, "Oh shit, you're into that? Like, I haven't thought about that album in 15 years." Or like, "Oh, I didn't know you were into that. I'm, like, a crazy super fan of that artist as well." And all of a sudden, we're having these conversations that we just weren't having. Yeah, there's something there where it's all been nostalgia coupled with the kind of prompting of conversation and connection that we've kind of lost, I think. CHRIS: And I think just to clarify a little bit on what Mike's saying, is, you know, this mixtape will be our first product launch, and then we're hoping to move into collectibles for artists and labels. So, shortly after we launch this tape, we're hoping to launch some kind of pilot with a label where you will be able to buy a version of this for your favorite music artist at a merch table in a concert, possibly online. Our dream is to have these sitting there on the table with T-shirts, and records, and other things that artists sell so you can express for the artists that you love. This is a way of expressing your fandom. LINDSEY: Jordyn, heading over to you, this feels like maybe the first consumer product that has gone through the incubator, would you say? Or how do you think about it? JORDYN: Yeah, if you're a consumer -- LINDSEY: Or is it different than other types of products? JORDYN: Yeah, the first incubator project we did with Senga was, I think, what you would call prosumer. So, it was sort of a consumer thing but directed at folks who had kind of freelancing in sort of a business context. It's got a lot of dynamics of the consumer. But this one, for sure, is the first pure consumer play. Though now that I'm thinking about it, you know, AvidFirst had some consumer elements to it, but it was, you know, it was, like, more complex tech [laughs] [inaudible 10:46] totally different thing -- LINDSEY: But definitely the first of the physical, physical [inaudible 10:52] JORDYN: Oh, sure, the first of the physical thing. Right. Absolutely. LINDSEY: Does that change any of, like, the approach of the programming, or it's kind of -- JORDYN: I mean, no, not fundamentally, though it does add this layer of operations that you don't have with a pure software play. So, we have to be, there is a thing that needs to get shipped to people in the world, and that takes timelines, and it takes -- LINDSEY: Supply chain. JORDYN: Yeah, exactly. And Chris is doing most of that stuff. I don't want to, you know, this is not, like, the main focus of our team necessarily, but it intersects, right? So, this isn't the first one of these types of products I've worked on personally in my career. But there's something, like, really, for me, very fulfilling about, like, there's software. There's a big component of software. There's also this physical object that needs to exist in the world. And partly, what's so compelling about Goodz is that it gives you the promise of a physical, like, the sort of good aspects of a physical product, a thing you can hold in your hand and look at and really connect with in that physical way. But it has this dynamic digital, like, essential quality as well. So, it's very compelling as a product because it sort of marries the things that we like about both the physical world and the digital world, which is partly why the team was really excited about working on it [laughs]. LINDSEY: Well, that was going to be my next question is, you know, what stood out to you about the Goodz application for the incubator and the interview process that made you and the team feel like this was going to be a great project to work on? JORDYN: Yeah. So, I think just the team really resonated with the sort of idea in general, and it seemed fun. There was, like, it's a very positive thing, right? It isn't so much about solving problems and pain points. And, sometimes the, you know, when you're very focused on solving problems, it can feel a little doomy because you actually have to, like, immerse yourself in the problems of the people that you're making software for. And sometimes, you start to feel like the world is just full of problems. What Goodz is doing is sort of it is solving a problem in a sense, but not in that kind of way. It's really, like, a fun upside kind of thing, which I think a lot of the folks on the team were very excited about. But, like, the software component, actually, is very interesting to us from a technological standpoint as well. There's a lot of opportunity here to do interesting things on the backend with an object that's essentially functioning as a bookmark out in the world. What all can you do with that? There's something super compelling and technically interesting about it. And I think, also, the team was just sort of excited by Chris and Mike, you know, the energy and the kind of background they were bringing to the table was also super interesting. And then, above all else, what I say every time you ask me this question, which is stage fit, y'all, good stage fit. They're right at the beginning. They haven't built the product yet [laughs]. Gotta say it. It's a good stage fit. They know who they're building for broadly but not super specifically. Got a good vision but, like, haven't made that first step with the software. Perfect stage fit for us [laughs]. LINDSEY: Great. So, Chris, we were talking a bit before about how you two have been collaborators in the past, worked on business ideas before. Why bring this idea into the thoughtbot incubator? What are you hoping to, you know, achieve? CHRIS: One of the main reasons why we wanted to bring this into the incubator was just for support, momentum, and then, also, I would say, validation for our idea. I mean, we came to the incubator with a very, yeah, I would say it was a fairly developed idea that needed to be proved, and we, quite frankly, needed help with that. You know, Mike and I have our own expertises, but we don't know how to do everything. We're more than willing to jump in where we need to go. But having people with expertise to work with has proven to be incredibly helpful, and just having kind of fresh faces to bat ideas around with after he and I have been staring at each other for months now on Zoom calls and meetings. And just, you know, being able to talk about these ideas with fresh faces and new people and get new perspectives has been so very, very helpful. I think something that's also great from the momentum standpoint is that because there's a time limit to this experience, we've got the time that we have with you guys, and we've been able to set goals that I think are very achievable for things we want to occur in the next couple of months, and it feels like we're going to get there. And I think by the end of this, I mean, our hope, and I think we're on track, is to have a functioning physical product that we're going to offer to consumers with a digital backend to support it, which is, in my mind, amazing. That'll totally validate this idea and prove if we have something or not. LINDSEY: I was going to ask if you're open to sharing what those goals specifically are. Is that it? Is it that by the end, you have -- MIKE: Is that it? Lindsey, that's a lot. [laughter] CHRIS: It's a lot. I mean, yeah. I mean, we're going to have a physical object in the world that you can buy via an e-commerce site -- JORDYN: Sounds like we need Lindsey on the team if Lindsey feels like this is so achievable. [laughter] CHRIS: Yeah, yeah. Lindsey...yeah. We're in the beginning [crosstalk 15:47] LINDSEY: I meant, is that the goal? CHRIS: That is the goal. LINDSEY: Is that all? CHRIS: I was going to –- LINDSEY: Is that all you got? CHRIS: Mike, do you agree? MIKE: Yeah. Is that the goal? Yes, that is the goal. I mean, you know, when we sat down with the thoughtbot team kind of week one, you know, they're sort of like, "All right, let's define kind of the experiment." So, we refer to them as experiments, which I think is helpful because, like, what are the experiments that we want to be doing during our time here? And, you know, we talked about it a lot. And yeah, I think it's, you know, having a physical product out in the world, having a website in which to sell it. But also, it's really like Chris was saying, it's like, it's market validation, and just making sure we actually have something that people want. It's like, you know, running a startup takes so long and, like [laughs], you know, you'll do it for so many years. It's like bands when people say, like, "Oh, that's an overnight sensation." It's like, you know, that band has been slogging it out in tiny, little venues for four years before you ever heard of them. It's like, that's what so much of the startup world feels like to me, too. It's like, "Oh, you're just getting started as a startup?" It's like, "Well, we've been working on this forever." And I know how long this can take. And so, I think we want to learn as early as possible, like, is this something people actually want? Because if they don't, like, we'll just go do something else. I don't want to spend years making something that people don't want. So, I think the biggest goal, for me, is just validation, and then that is sort of how we get there is like, okay, how do we validate this? Cool. Let's identify some, you know, assumptions of personas that we think are people who do actually want this and then try to go sell it to them. And all the implications from that are, okay, well, you need a website where somebody can buy it. You need a physical product that somebody can actually buy. So, all those things sort of come out of that, but, for me, it's like, proving that assumption, is this thing real? Do people actually want this? And everything else is like, okay, how do we prove that? LINDSEY: Jordyn, what does that look like in these first few weeks here? User interviews, I assume, how are the user interviews going? JORDYN: Always. Always. So, you know, we kick it off by just, like, doing the exercise where we list everybody who might want this. And the team, you know, it's a fun product. Everybody brought their own assumptions and ideas to the table on that. You know, we had a lot of different scenarios we were imagining. It's super fun getting that stuff out of people's heads, just, like, what are we all thinking? And then, you know, we get to negotiate, like, okay...I always encourage everyone to think, like, if everyone else on the team was on the moon, you had to make a decision about a market segment to pick; which one would you pick? And then we kind of argue about it in a productive way. It really helps us get at, like, what are the dynamics that we think matter upfront? And then we pick one, or, in this case, we have a few. We have a handful. And we're running interview projects where we just recruit people to talk about people that meet this persona, talk about a specific problem. We're in the middle of that right now. And it's fun, fantastic. These conversations are super interesting. We're validating a lot of the things that Mike and Chris, you know, walked into this with, but we're learning a bunch of new things as well. And, like, really, part of the aim there is to validate that there's a hole in the market that we might fill but also to hear the language people are using to describe this stuff. So, when people talk about buying music, merch, you know, making playlists, et cetera, like, what language do they use to talk about that? So that we make sure we're speaking the language that our customer uses to describe this stuff. And we're, you know, we're right in the pocket of doing that, learning stuff all the time. And it helps us kind of hone the messaging. It helps us know where to go talk to people about it, how to talk about it, but it's, you know, it all kind of fits together. And it's just this, really...the early stages. It's just a bunch of us in a room, a virtual room, in this case, sort of, like, tossing ideas around. But out of it crystallizes this sense of alignment about who this is for, how to talk to them about it, and with a goal. And, you know, Mike and Chris walked in with the exact right mindset about this, which is, yes, it's experiments. We need to validate it. Let's make sure there's a there-there. If there's a there-there, let's figure out where it is [laughs], like, all those things. And we're running these experiments, and it was really [inaudible 19:36]. We got down to business quite quickly here. It was really great. LINDSEY: Like you said, it's not necessarily a problem or, you know, the typical framing of a problem. How do you start those user interview questions around this? Do you feel a gap between the physical and the digital sound? [laughter] JORDYN: No, no. LINDSEY: It's maybe not it [laughs]. JORDYN: Yeah, no. Well, I can tell you what our startup questions are. One of them is, tell me about the last time you bought music merch. Go for it, Lindsey. Tell us. LINDSEY: The last time I bought music merch, I went to a Tegan and Sara concert a few weeks ago, and I bought a T-shirt. JORDYN: Tell me about buying that T-shirt. Why'd you buy it? LINDSEY: Because I wanted to remember the show and my time with my friends, and I wanted to support the artists. I know that buying merch is the best way to support your favorite touring artists. JORDYN: So, it's just, you know, we could spend the rest of this time talking [laughter] [crosstalk 20:34], and it would be awesome. So, it's really a lot of things like that. LINDSEY: Gotcha. JORDYN: You don't ask, "What problem are you trying to solve by buying this t-shirt?" Right? Like, that's not, you know, but we ask you to tell us a bunch of stories about when you did this recently. You know, and if you make playlists for friends, you know, that's a different persona. But we would have asked, you know, like, "Tell me about the last playlist you made. You know, who did you share it with? You know, what happened after that? What happened after that? What happened after that?" It's a lot of questions like that. And there's just nothing better. People love to tell you what's going on with them. And it's great [laughs]. LINDSEY: Yeah. As you all have been doing these interviews, Mike and Chris, have you been surprised by anything? Any interesting insights that you're seeing already? CHRIS: I mean, I haven't done really much in the way of user interviews in the past. This is a really new experience for me. And then we're, obviously, not on the calls because that would be weird and probably intimidating for people. But we're getting lots of highlights from folks who are doing them, you know, in our daily sync. And I'm surprised at how many, like, really intense, like, playlist nerds we have found even just in, like, the few people we've talked to, like, in the best possible way. Like, people who are like, "I make playlists all the time." Like, you're talking about, like, a vinyl fan or, like, a...Jordyn, what's the story? It's, like, the guy who there was so much out-of-print vinyl that he started a vinyl label just to get the albums in vinyl. [crosstalk 21:56] JORDYN: Yeah. There were a bunch of releases that he feels really passionately about that were never released on vinyl that he knew would never be released on vinyl. And so, he started a vinyl record label. And we just found this guy [laughter]. CHRIS: Is that indicative that that's, like, an entire persona we're going to, like, target? Absolutely not. But it's just, like, it's amazing that even just in the few user interviews we've done, that we've found so many very passionate people. And it's sent me down, like, a TikTok rabbit hole of, like, TikTok, like, music nerd influencer-type folks who are posting playlists. And they, like, hundreds of thousands of likes on these videos that are literally just, like, screen with text on it that you're supposed to, like, pause the video [laughs] and, like, look at, like, the songs that they're recommending. And it's like, who does that? And it was like, these people do that. And it's like, so there are...it's been very encouraging to me, actually. I was worried that we were going to find not as much passion as we had suspected, and I think the opposite has proven to be true. So, it's exciting. CHRIS: Yeah, I completely agree with Mike. It's been so encouraging. I think, for me, what we're doing is an idea that I'm very excited about and have been very excited about for a long time. But hearing the responses that we're getting makes me confident in the idea, too. That's great. I mean, I think that is everything that a founder needs, you know, is excitement and confidence. MIKE: Well, and just the whole user interview experience has, like, made a lot of my other conversations sort of I've tried to frame parts of them as user interviews because I'm talking to a lot of, like, label folks now, and artists, merch people. And, you know, I ended up just sort of, like, asking them, I mean, yes, trying to explain the product and work on kind of partnership stuff, but a lot of it is really just geeking out with them. And just, like, hearing their thoughts about, like, what they love about merch because these are people that clearly think about this stuff all the time. So, it's definitely kind of, like, tuned my other conversations into trying to get unbiased feedback. LINDSEY: Yeah. Everything is a little user interview now. MIKE: Yeah, exactly. LINDSEY: Get that angle in there. All right, so some early validation and excitement. That's really cool to hear. Any challenges or, you know, other kinds of learnings early on? Anything that's been invalidated? MIKE: I don't know that we're there yet. [inaudible 24:02] Chris, I don't know. I'm happy to find that some things are invalidated, but I don't really feel...you know, some of the personas that we decided or maybe just one of the personas we decided to pursue, I think we're having a hard time having those user interviews kind of really bear fruit, but that's helpful, too, actually. I mean, it's like, okay, well, maybe that's not a group that we target. JORDYN: Yeah. It's about, like, [inaudible 24:24]. I encourage folks not to think about this like a 'no, not that,' and instead think of it as like a 'not yet.' And that's, I think, the dynamic here with a couple of the personas we were interested in. It's just been turned into kind of, like, a not yet for reasons that we very quickly figured out, but we'll get there. It's just a matter of figuring out we had some other personas take precedence because they're more sort of red, hot in a way, right? It's just easier to get in contact with these people, or it's, like, clear what they're going for or what they need from the market. So, you know, we have this whole list, and it was not clear at first who was going to kind of stand out. But we've kind of found some focus there, which means, invariably, that there's things that are falling out of the frame for now, and you're kind of de-prioritizing them. But it really is, like, a we'll get to that [laughs]. We'll eventually get to that. LINDSEY: Yeah. And part of the process, who's going to rise to the top right now? JORDYN: Yeah, exactly. LINDSEY: Do you have anything you can show and tell with us today or not yet? MIKE: So, Chris has been hard at work on all the physical side of this stuff and going back and forth with our manufacturing partner and all that good stuff. But we have a final version of the mixtape product. LINDSEY: For when this gets pulled into the podcast, Mike's showing us a physical card. CHRIS: It's a small card, and we call them Goodz. And it's printed on three-millimeter plywood using a UV printing process, super durable. And this is something you can put in your pocket. You're not going to wreck it. I think you could actually (Don't quote me on this.), but I think you can even, like, put it through a washing machine, and it would be fine. Embedded in this card is a chip that can be read by your phone, and that's pretty much what we're working with. MIKE: Yeah, so the idea is you just sort of tap this, and it'll take you to a streaming version of a playlist. And then Chris has also been making these adorable crates. And [crosstalk 26:10] LINDSEY: The little crates I love. MIKE: And we actually have some wooden ones, too, in the testing that's [crosstalk 26:15] LINDSEY: And then the mixtapes get stored in the little crates [crosstalk 26:19] MIKE: Yeah. So, you could have -- LINDSEY: Throw it on your desk. CHRIS: Each crate can hold about, I think, 15 of these things. What's really cool about this product on the physical side is we are using a tried-and-true technology, which is NFC chips. These are things that make Apple Pay work, make Google Pay work. They are in your E-ZPass when you drive through a toll booth. This is stuff that's been around for years. So, we're just kind of leveraging this technology that's been around for so long in a new way. MIKE: Yeah, I think it's similar to kind of the evolution of QR codes, right? It's like they were sort of around forever, and then it was, like, COVID and restaurant menus kind of kicked those into mainstream. Like, NFC has been around for a long time. It's very tried and true. It's affordable. But I want to say Apple only turned it on by default, like, the NFC reader in the iPhone in the last, like, 18 to 24 months, right? Like, it started...like, it's been around for a while, but they're sort of slowly kind of...and now you just sort of see it everywhere. People are using it on the subways in New York to scan for tickets or for accessing stuff. I was also just showing Chris has been prototyping with the ability to sort of keep these on a key ring. So, we have, like, a little chain hole on them. It is [inaudible 27:22] to sort of have this on your backpack or, you know, on a key ring, or something like that. And friends could kind of, like, come up to you and just, like, scan one that looks interesting. CHRIS: And yeah, something that's awesome about this is you don't need an app. You don't need to download anything. As long as your NFC reader is on when you scan this, it will bring you to the music that it's linked to, which I think is awesome. So, I mean, my dream is to have these, like, hanging off of people's backpacks so I can, like, scan them in the subway or, you know, it's such, like, an easy thing to do. And it requires so little technical time on the user's end to be able to do it. LINDSEY: Oh, we got a question here. "So, Moo used to offer NFC cards. What made you decide to do the thicker plywood model?" CHRIS: Durability is really what it comes down to. We wanted something that felt like an object that you can have and treasure. Like, these have weight, you know, these feel like something, not just a piece of paper. This is something that you can have and [inaudible 28:22] your desk, and it's not going to fade in the sunlight. It's not going to disintegrate over time. This is something that's going to last. MIKE: Yeah, the cards would definitely, like, as I would sort of carry them around and show them to people and stuff, the cards would start, you know, breaking. It's like having a business card in your pocket, right? Eventually, it's going to kind of wear out. And plus, we had, like, the stickers were visible on the back of them. And we were, like, having the sticker just completely disappear inside the wood; it just feels a little bit more like magic. LINDSEY: Well, thanks for demoing there. I put you on the spot a little bit. But they are...I had seen them in the Slack, and they're very cool [laughs]. So, I had to ask if we could show them off a bit. MIKE: Of course. CHRIS: I think another thing to think about, too, is we've been talking a lot about the user experience. But if and when we get to the point of making these for artists, artists will be able to collect so much data off of the way that people buy and collect and use these things over time, which is something that we're really, really excited about. And also, you know, we're working on a way to make the link in the object updatable over time. So, artists will be able to change what a card points do to inform their users about the latest and greatest thing. LINDSEY: Very cool. Jordyn, what's next on the programming agenda for Chris and Mike? JORDYN: It's really sort of we're in this, like, iterative cycle. So, we're talking to folks. We're working on the website. The conversations we're having with people are informing how we're framing this first experiment with the mixtape, how we're marketing it, who we're marketing it to. I think next up is probably a Google Ad experiment to really see if we can piggyback on some stuff or at least figure out a new consumer product. It's so tough, right? It's also not a thing people are searching for. So, we have to come up with some experiments for how we get people to that website [laughs]. So, you know, Google Ads funnels is just something you kind of have to do because it's very interesting to figure out what people are responding to, what people are searching for. But we're going to have a bunch of other experiments as well and non-experiments. Outbound experiments: can we go to people? Can we get listed in a gift-buying guide for the holidays? Or, like, we don't know. There's a bunch of experiments we need to do around that, which is really just this iteration. We won't stop talking to users, but, you know, everything we're hearing from them will inform where we go and how we talk to the folks in those places where we end up. And really, it's just about starting...once this is up and, you know, there's, like, an orderable thing, there's, like, a whole data cycle where we start to learn from the stuff we're testing; we actually have some real data for it, and we can start to tweak, iterate and change our strategy. But the bigger thing, also, is this bigger platform. So, the next thing really, the big next thing, is to sort of start to scope and create an architecture idea. What's it going to take to build the actual backend thing? And it's the thing that thoughtbot really [laughs] excels at, which is software. So, you know, that's the big next kind of project. Once the mixtape experiment is sort of out and in flight and we're getting data, we really need to turn our attention to the technical backend. LINDSEY: Exciting. Another comment/question from Jeff, who maybe needs a user interview. "Love the crate more than the actual albums. Maybe offer collections of artists." MIKE: Yeah, that's the plan. CHRIS: Yeah, definitely. It's a good idea. Yeah, it's, I mean, and labels get to, especially, like, small indie labels get really excited about doing, like, crates worth of collections of different artists or, like, you know, digging through their back catalog, their subscription services. There's a lot of different angles for sure about that idea. LINDSEY: [inaudible 31:55] Chris and Mike, going into this next section of the programming, for anyone watching right now, or watching the recording, or listening to the recording, any action items from them? You know, are you looking for any user interviews or have any survey or any destinations you'd like to send people yet? CHRIS: Not quite yet, but soon, I would say. Well -- MIKE: I mean, [inaudible 32:19] plug the website, I mean, you know, I think we've got, like, an email to sign up from there, right? The URL is getthegoodz.com and I [crosstalk 32:27] LINDSEY: Goodz with a Z. MIKE: Goodz with a Z. CHRIS: With Z. MIKE: So yeah, if you want to go there, you can sign up. I think there's an email signup on there to learn more. LINDSEY: Perfect. All right. getthegoodz.com email sign up. To stay up to date on Goodz and the incubator, you can follow along on the thoughtbot blog. You know, as always, send us any questions you might have, and we're happy to get to those. But otherwise, thanks for listening. And thank you all — Jordyn, Chris, and Mike. Thanks so much for joining today and sharing and being open about your stories so far. MIKE: Thank you. CHRIS: Yeah, thank you, Lindsey. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions. Special Guests: Chris Cerrito and Mike Rosenthal.

Heather Dewey-Hargborg, American artist and bio-hacker most knowned for the project Stranger Visions. Ana Brígida for The New York Times Dr. Heather Dewey-Hagborg is a transdisciplinary artist and educator who is interested in art as research and critical practice. Her controversial biopolitical art practice includes the project Stranger Visions in which she created portrait sculptures from analyses of genetic material (such as hair, cigarette butts, or chewed up gum) collected in public places. Heather has shown work internationally at events and venues including the World Economic Forum, the Daejeon Biennale, and the Shenzhen Urbanism and Architecture Biennale, the Van Abbemuseum, Transmediale and PS1 MOMA. Her work is held in public collections of the Centre Pompidou, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Wellcome Collection, and the New York Historical Society, among others, and has been widely discussed in the media, from the New York Times and the BBC to Art Forum and Wired. Heather has a PhD in Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is a visiting assistant professor of Interactive Media at NYU Abu Dhabi, an artist fellow at AI Now, an Artist-in-Residence at the Exploratorium, and is an affiliate of Data & Society. Hybrid (Trailer) from Heather Dewey-Hagborg on Vimeo. Installation view, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Hybrid: an Interspecies Opera. Courtesy of the artist and Fridman Gallery. Still from Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Hybrid: an Interspecies Opera. Courtesy of the artist and Fridman Gallery.

I ran across the concept of Feminine Exhibit Design when doing some post-conference research - and it perked my ears right up! What is feminine exhibit design? And, why is it important? Margaret Middleton has been focusing on these questions for several years now, and spent a little time with me to discuss.  Margaret is a thought leader in the inclusive design space, designer of playful, enriching learning experiences, and speaker and consultant advocating for inclusive museum practices.  In this week's episode, Margaret shares their thoughts on why Feminine Design principles are a critical aspect for inclusive design and how and when to use them. We discuss how acknowledging and resisting an andro-centric perspective is important in design work, and how difficult that can be considering the complexities of femininity. We also discuss what fem-phobia is and how it may present itself in our design work. Margaret tells us how and when a focus on feminine design emerged from their work and how their thought exercise on this topic has developed since then - including how Cute came to be the 7th element in the emergent Feminine Exhibition Design structure.    Find Margaret on LinkedIn Find Margaret on their website   Links to resources discussed in episode: Margaret's Family Inclusive Language Chart Book: Feminist Designer Book: Storytelling in Museums Book: Welcoming Young Children into the Museum Book: The Inclusive Museum Leader Article: Feminine Exhibition Design - describing 6 elements of Feminine Exhibition Design, before the 7th - Cute - was added Reader Guide for Feminine Exhibition Design article Gaston Bachelard - ‘the curve is inhabited geometry' Barbie gets with the program - exhibit Margaret designed, and inspired their focus on feminine design Alok Vaid-Menon asks ‘What feminine part of yourself did you have to destroy to be part of this world?'  Discovery Museum, Acton Massachusetts - Teddy Bear diner Exhibit: Gender Bending Fashion - Museum Fine Arts Boston EDGE - Exhibit Design for Girls Engagement research from Exploratorium  Guide from EDGE - recommended qualities regarding what works for girls in a science museum setting Rhea Ashley Hoskin's work on femininity and fem-phobia Sapna Cheryan's work on the concept of ambient belonging - she focuses on learning and educational spaces Book: Extra Bold  feminist-inclusive, anti-racist, nonbinary field guide for graphic designers     Connect with us: Have questions or topics you'd like us to explore on the podcast? Or a recommendation of an expert to interview? Feel free to contact me via my LinkedIn page   Need help with a user-, visitor- or community-centered project, evaluation or experience design strategy?  Head over to digin-ux.com for info on human and community-centered strategies for your mission-driven institution  Or, contact us via the Dig In UX website about your project or collaboration you've got in mind, or just to say hello!  

Bernie Krause has spent more than 50 years capturing the sounds of nature and examining how animals make harmonious ecosystem soundscapes. His art installation, The Great Animal Orchestra, combining Krause's audio recordings with stunning visuals representing the frequencies of animal sounds is on display at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. The exhibition features rich soundscapes of dozens of animal species from across the globe, including the Amazon Rainforest and the depths of the Pacific Ocean, but Krause says the silences in the recordings also tell a story– of populations in decline, nearing extinction, or being drowned out by encroaching human-made noise. We'll talk to Krause about the sounds and silences in the natural world. Guests: Bernie Krause, soundscape ecologist; author, "The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places"

Welcome back to the Love Your School Podcast. Today I am conversing with Lori Ramos and Stephanie Schuller, both Kaleidoscope Public Charter School teachers.  Kaleidoscope School provides academic rigor balanced with innovative, hands-on instruction for every child. They cultivate strong relationships with students, families, and communities while facilitating children's limitless potential. At Kaleidoscope, the teachers meet the students right where they are at. They are placed into achievement groups so they are able to master the standards they need; however, the groups are fluid and always changing as students progress. The small teacher-to-student ratio helps students get the individualized attention they need. Check out this episode to learn more about Kaleidoscope School and all the amazing things they have to offer.      Episode Highlights: Lori and Stephanie's background stories  Fluid achievement groups  Standards-based instruction  Exploratorium time  Social-emotional model/Connection Circles Global Play Day  How to Enroll or go More on Guest:  Kaleidoscope School's Website  Kaleidoscope School's Facebook Kaleidoscope School's Instagram Kaleidoscope School's Twitter Kaleidoscope School's Indeed     More on Love Your School/Links Mentioned in Episode: Hello@loveyourschool.org @LoveYourSchoolAZ www.loveyourschool.org     This show has been produced by Adkins Media Co. 

The Exploratorium in San Francisco, opened in 1969, inspired our own science centres in Australia.

This week we are joined by Elliott from @polycam6558 the MOST POPULAR app in #3dscanning ! Utilizing a combination of photos and LIDaR (when available) PolyCam is able to really push limits of mobile 3d scanning FROM YOUR POCKET!! Join us as we talk all about how the idea happened, why phones, and more! Some about Elliott: Elliot Spellman is the Co-Founder at Polycam - the most popular 3D scanning app for iOS, web, and Android with over 10M downloads. Since the launch of Polycam's 360 capture feature last month –literally, anyone can scan the world around them with their mobile device, DSLR camera, or drone to get beautiful, accurate 3D models with a full 360 Capture from their iPhone and let AI fill in the rest. Elliot is a creative designer at heart, previously working as the new media developer at Exploratorium and prior to that was a design engineer at @lumafield . He was also a prototyping engineer at Ubiquity6 Inc. and the former founder of a design studio called FaceGames where he focused on assistive technology. partnered with Mount Sinai Hospital's rehabilitation medicine group. Check out Polycam here: https://b.link/PolyCam-Podcast __________________________________ Do you have an idea you want to get off the ground? Reach out to the Making Awesome Podcast through https://3DMusketeers.com/podcast and someone will get you set up to be a guest!

The hushed thrum of the womb. The warble of the last living species of a now-extinct bird. The fury and thrust of a jet engine in flight. These are some of the sounds that populate filmmaker Sam Green's immersive documentary “32 Sounds.” The movie is not just a collection of sounds, but rather a meditation on the strange power that sound has on us, whether it is voices, music, the natural world or sounds that we are trying to tune out. Watching the movie, even on a tiny screen, can be a full-body experience in which you're encouraged by Green, who narrates the film, to feel the sound. We'll talk to Green and his Oscar-winning sound designer, Mark Mangini, about how sound can literally move us. 32 Sounds will be screened at the Exploratorium on July 27, at the Smith Rafael Film Center July 28-30, the San Francisco Roxie Theater, July 29 and Berkeley's Rialto Theater, July 30. Guests: Sam Green, filmmaker; his film,"32 Sounds" will be screened at the Exploratorium on July 27, at the Smith Rafael Film Center July 28-30, the San Francisco Roxie Theater, July 29 and Berkeley's Rialto Theater, July 30. Mark Mangini, sound designer, "32 Sounds"

This is the first #BasicBitch that we've recorded since March, and clearly we have a lot of shit to catch up on!We talk major changes in the Bitch Talk universe (including celebrating our 10 year anniversary!), highlights from CAAMFest (the Center for Asian American Media Film Festival), our favorite movies of the summer, fancy dinners, live music/art, dicks and menopause, our favorite guests of the summer, and a chaotic pub crawl that included a dirty twist. This episode is loaded and bloated just like us...enjoy!Bitch Talk Recommendations (as referenced in the episode)Restaurant:Old Skool CafeBooks:Wannabe: Reckonings With The Pop Culture That Shapes Meanything by Samantha IrbyFilm:JoyrideJeanette Lee Vs.Fanny: The Right To RockArt/Science:Kehinde Wiley exhibit @ the de Young MuseumThe ExploratoriumMusic:The Lost ChurchFleetwood MacrameStern Grove Festival--Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of The Bay Best Podcast without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal.--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM 

Many factors can lead to a failed experiment -- human errors, errors in measurement, and sometimes just random errors. In this week's episode, both of our storytellers share tales of when their experiments didn't go as planned. Part 1: As a new science teacher, Zeke Kossover is determined to capture the attention of his students. Part 2: While on a field expedition in Kenya, Evan Wilson is tasked with the seemingly impossible job of figuring out the role of dust in wearing down herbivore teeth. Marc “Zeke” Kossover has been presenting stories as part of his physics circus shows all over the country in venues from coffee shops and music halls to the National Science Foundation and Capitol Hill. He thinks of them as magic shows, but in reverse—the secret to a magic trick is to make something simple intentionally confusing, while Zeke tries to make confusing things easy to understand. Zeke was a physics and environmental science teacher before dying and going to teacher heaven and getting a job at the Exploratorium. His main work is helping science teachers have the resources they need to be the best teachers they can be, like designing novel hands-on activities for teachers to use in their classrooms and helping new teachers find their voices in their classrooms. He believes that science education starts when students construct their own understanding of the world. Evan Wilson is an archaeologist and paleoanthropologist focused on the dawn of technology and emergence of human culture. They study the interplay between technology/culture and biology via the Stone Age archaeological record of Eastern Africa. They have done fieldwork spanning the last 3.5 million years in Kenya and Ethiopia discovering both fossils and artifacts to better understand the deep human past and our evolutionary history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tristan Duke is transdisciplinary artist known for synthesizing methodologies from disparate fields to create startling inventions, sublime aesthetic experiences, and new modes of inquiry. He is the inventor of the hologram vinyl record ¬and has created original hologram artwork for albums and soundtrack releases ranging from Jack White and Guns ‘n Roses to Star Wars. He is Co-founder of the Optics Division a collective devoted to recontextualizing photography as a land-based medium and social practice. He has lectured widely, including at the MIT Media Lab, Getty Museum, the de Young Museum, the Exploratorium, and others. His work has been exhibited internationally including: The 59th Venice Biennale Collateral Exhibition; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); The Exploratorium, DePaul Art Museum, The George Eastman Museum; Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA); Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MoCAD); Les Rencontres d'Arles; and the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum. You can find Tristan on Instagram @duke_tristan. Website: https://www.tristanduke.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duke_tristan/ For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/tristan-duke-transdisciplinary-artist-part-2/ If you're enjoying the Cool Tools podcast, check out our paperback book Four Favorite Tools: Fantastic tools by 150 notable creators, available in both Color or B&W on Amazon: https://geni.us/fourfavoritetools  

Tristan Duke is transdisciplinary artist known for synthesizing methodologies from disparate fields to create startling inventions, sublime aesthetic experiences, and new modes of inquiry. He is the inventor of the hologram vinyl record ¬and has created original hologram artwork for albums and soundtrack releases ranging from Jack White and Guns ‘n Roses to Star Wars. He is Co-founder of the Optics Division a collective devoted to recontextualizing photography as a land-based medium and social practice. He has lectured widely, including at the MIT Media Lab, Getty Museum, the de Young Museum, the Exploratorium, and others. His work has been exhibited internationally including: The 59th Venice Biennale Collateral Exhibition; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); The Exploratorium, DePaul Art Museum, The George Eastman Museum; Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA); Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MoCAD); Les Rencontres d'Arles; and the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum. You can find Tristan on Instagram @duke_tristan.   Website: https://www.tristanduke.com   For show notes and transcript visit: https://kk.org/cooltools/tristan-duketransdisciplinary-artist-part-1/   If you're enjoying the Cool Tools podcast, check out our paperback book Four Favorite Tools: Fantastic tools by 150 notable creators, available in both Color or B&W on Amazon: https://geni.us/fourfavoritetools

In this episode we welcome our first guest presenter, Ariane Koek, to discuss Niamh Schmidtke's work-in-progress, The diamond's less sexy sister. Somewhere between a radio essay and a voicenote, the 5 minute piece explores human relations to minerals, specifically with graphite. Combining scripted and organic conversation, prose and academic information, the audio slips in and out of speculation; is that a mineral speaking, or a person speaking about a mineral? Together we untangle Niamh's current research as part of their artist in residence program at TU Berlin, with the Science Gallery Network and fully funded by Fondation Didier et Martine Primat. We collectively question the ways minerals could speak for themselves through technology, materiality and the act of holding hands.Bio: Niamh Schmidtke (b. 1997, Dublin) is an artist based in London with Irish/ Swedish heritage. Their work playfully sits between installation, sculpture and writing, exploring the political implications of ‘being green'. They completed their MFA at Goldsmiths, London with a First Class Honours in 2021 and hold a Fine Art Honours BA from Limerick School of Art and Design (2019). Their work has been exhibited and collected internationally, including a solo exhibition at Limerick City Gallery (2019). In 2020 they were a recipient of the European Investment Bank's Artist Development Fund award and in 2022 they were shortlisted for the Gilchrist Fisher Award. In 2023 they will be artist in residence at TU Berlin, as part of the Earth Wind Sky residency, culminating in a new commissioned work with the Science Gallery Network and fully funded by Fondation Didier et Martine Primate. They currently co-produce Future Artefacts FM with Nina Davies, a radio show supported by the British Arts Council Lottery Fund and the Elephant Trust.Ariane Koek is anglo-american-dutch, internationally recognised for initiating in 2009 the Arts at CERN programme – based at the world's largest particle physics laboratory outside Geneva, Switzerland. She designed and directed the Collide, Accelerate and Guest artists programmes for the first five years until 2015.Koek now works independently, specialising in advising on and/or designing new transdisciplinary programmes and residencies for foundations, cultural institutions, science laboratories, museums and universities around the world, including the Endowment fund of the International Red Cross Committee (FICRC), The Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA; Cavendish Physics Laboratories, Cambridge University, UK; and Science Gallery International Network.In 2018 she initiated the Earth Water Sky environmental science and arts research, production and exhibition programme, which is fully funded by Fondation Didier et Martine Primat. It was the first artists residency programme done by the Science Gallery International network, and began at Ca' Foscari University of Venice and for its final edition is at TU Berlin where Ariane is working with Niamh in 2023.Artist: Niamh SchmidtkeHosts: Ariane Koek and Nina DaviesMusic: Joe Moss and John TrevaskisProducer: Flo LinesBroadcast through Radio Thamesmead

Will Bachman is hosting a conversation with Jamylle Carter, a member of the Harvard and Radcliffe class of 1992. Jamylle graduated from Harvard with a degree in mathematics and went on to complete a PhD in math from UCLA. After UCLA, she also held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications in the University of Minnesota.  Math Think Tanks and Researching Algorithms Will and Jamylle had a conversation about math think tanks, in which Jamylle described her experience. She had spent four years in a math think tank at a university, and then another four years at a Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley. Jamylle fell in love with the Bay Area and decided to stay, working as an adjunct professor, running a Math Circle and working at a science museum in San Francisco. She has been a math professor at Diablo Valley College since 2009. Jamylle explained that a math think tank is a place funded by the National Science Foundation and other private funders for mathematicians to leave their university appointments and focus on their research with other people in the field. Jamylle's research was applied math, and it was for image processing. Jamylle was researching a new algorithm to solve a mathematical problem. The problem was related to blurring or noise in an image, and the goal was to approximate the original picture as closely as possible. She was looking at optimization methods, which are mathematical techniques that can find the best answer to a problem.   Teaching Math in the Math Circle Program Jamylle then went on to explain a math circle she organized for middle school kids. The math circle was inspired by a program from Eastern Europe that was designed to expose kids to higher level math. The math circle would also give kids a chance to struggle with a problem and get excited about learning. Jamylle learned more about the program while at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute. In 2007-2008, the MSRI sponsored a Berkeley Math Circle for the children of professors and wealthy families. Seeing the need for a Math Circle for a different demographic, Jamylle proposed an Oakland Math Circle for black middle school students in order to challenge the idea that black people can't like math. With the help of the Exploratorium, the Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family Life and Culture, and the Museum of African American Technology, she was able to get grants totaling $8,000 to run the Oakland Math Circle. The Math Circle ran hands-on activities to engage students, teaching them that it was okay to be both black and like math. She taught all the modules, did the recruitment and covered topics such as rocket science, probability and music and math. She also mentioned that in minoritized spaces, students tend to work alone, which can be due to racism, fear of being too nerdy, or fear that they won't be seen as capable due to their race. Carter's motivation for starting the Math Circle program was to provide a space where Black kids could come together and enjoy doing math without such pressures. Deborah Hughes Hallett was a Harvard graduate student who eventually became faculty in the Harvard Math Department. She never earned her doctorate,  and unfortunately the math department still never treated her like real faculty. She was also at the forefront of the calculus reform movement and wrote textbooks to help teach the subject.  Deb was an important figure in the Math Department, providing guidance and support to students in need and advocating for reform in the subject.  Designing a New Math Curriculum Jamylle and Will discussed math education and its importance. Will then asked about how to build a high school math curriculum from the ground up. Jamylle believes that everyone should have a solid background in arithmetic, such as fractions, decimals, and percentages. She also suggests introducing courses on probability, statistics, computer science, and using spreadsheets. Additionally, she wants to focus on dimensional analysis and number sense in order to help students become more comfortable with math. Finally, she believes it's equally important to teach math in a way that avoids creating math phobias and traumas, and to make sure teachers are supported and not overworked.  Jamylle talks about the courses and professors that have had an impact on her life. Carter starts by talking about her undergraduate advisor Deborah Hughes Hallett, who she credits with helping her to graduate. A class that stood out was music 51, a year long music theory course. Timestamps 08:24 Investigating Mathematical Methods for Image Optimization 11:15 Analysis of Total Variation Method for Image Processing  15:50 Optimization Problems and Finite Time Solutions  18:13 Image Enhancement Technology  20:00 Math Circles and Problem Solving  31:46 Intersecting Racial Identity and Mathematical Affinity  40:13 Comparing Experiences at Harvard and a Historically Black College 48:19 Supportive Mentorship in the Math Department  52:58 Music Theory and Performance 1:00:59 Exploring Equity in Mathematics Education Links: https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/jamylle-carter/ CONTACT INFO: https://twitter.com/CarterJamylle https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamylle-carter-3184259/  

Rina Bliss is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University. She is the award-winning author of Race Decoded (Stanford University Press) and Social by Nature (Stanford University Press). She is an expert on the social significance of emerging genetic sciences. Rina is a member of the Human Genome Synthesis Project known as “GP-Write,” as well as the Finding Your Roots Genetics and Genealogy Project. She is an affiliate of UCSF and the UC Berkeley Center for Social Medicine and is a consultant to public institutions like the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Rina's upcoming book Rethinking Intelligence (Harper Wave) tells us what we should know about the new science of intelligence, and how best to use that knowledge. Recent years have witnessed a drive to sequence people for genetic markers associated with IQ. Get Rethinking Intelligence Here: I've teamed up with the amazing Company SLOUCH POTATO the most comfortable clothes you will ever wear and they are designed to be Pyjamas! The best part is you can wear them wherever you want. If you use discount code: STORYBOX at checkout you'll receive 10% off. Just visit https://slouchpotato.com/ Get my new book 'The Path of an Eagle: How To Overcome & Lead After Being Knocked Down'.► AMAZON US► AMAZON AUS► AMAZON UKSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/thestorybox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While we gear up for the next season of Science Connections: The Podcast, we're revisiting some of our favorite conversations from past seasons!In this episode, we join Eric Cross as he sits down with physicist and science education specialist, Desiré Whitmore. Listen in as Desiré explains her work at the Exploratorium, a public learning laboratory. Eric and Desiré discuss finding passion in science, the importance of meeting students we're they're at, and K–8 science instruction with real-life connections. Desiré chats with Eric about her work on supporting the science of teaching science content at the Exploratorium museum.Explore more from Science Connections by visiting our main page.

Lo esencial que debes saber:
 - Nielsen publica su primer informe de ROI y tres lecciones aprendidas. - Newtral producirá pódcast para la nueva plataforma de audio de Atresmedia. - La periodista Laura Otón analizó ¿Cómo hicieron dos pódcast diferentes sobre el mismo tema? - Descubre la forma en que una plataforma de pódcast de viajes genera más de tres millones de descargas anuales. - León Krauze reactiva su pódcast “Historias Perdidas” de la mano de Podimo. - Allan Tépper reseña el nuevo micrófono dinámico de estudio, SL40 de FDUCE. - Prodigioso Volcán publicó la tercera edición del informe Exploratorium. - Auphonic lanza carpetas de vigilancia. - Si no participaste en el evento ‘Podcastinacion Ficción 2022' puedes ver los vídeos de sus presentaciones y también las del Festival del 2021 aquí. Únete a nuestro nuevo grupo en Twitter ‘Hablemos de los pódcast'. Una comunidad para que los podcasters compartan tendencias, novedades y experiencias que les ayuden a hacer crecer un pódcast. ¡Conéctate aquí! Pódcast recomendado Huevos revueltos con política. Un pódcast diario para entender en profundidad las movidas del poder en Colombia.  Prometen que en pocos minutos quedarás desayunado con las movidas clave de la política colombiana. Producido por el portal de noticias ‘La Silla Vacía' y conducido por Tatiana Duque. https://viapodcast.fm/los-podcast-retienen-un-recuerdo-de-marca-de-71

In today’s episode, we’re sitting down with Katherina Audley, founder of the Whales of Guererro project. Born in Alaska, Katherina grew up all over the United States following her father as he fixed the nation's railroad system. When it came time to go to university, she first thought she was going to become a classical flutist but switched her major to Ancient Religion. After school, she spent the following three years traveling all over Greece and Europe having the time of her life. When she returned to California in 1997, she landed a job at the Exploratorium, an immersive science museum where she learned to write articles and hang around some of the best science educators in the industry. Five years into the job, she took a sabbatical to Mexico and completely fell in the love with a little fishing village called Barra de Potosí. She returned year after year, becoming a part of the community, and noticed that their livelihood was dwindling as less and less fish were caught by the fishermen. See a need, fill a need, as the old saying goes. She had a pure love of whales by this point and followed whale researchers around the world writing about their work. So, one day, she had the idea of starting a community-driven, sustainable whale tourism and research project – and the rest is history. See full show notes at rewildology.com. If you're liking the show, please hit the follow button and share with someone you think would enjoy this episode. Sharing is the best way to help the show grow! Check out the new Rewildology merch shop! https://rewildology.com/shop/Recording gear provided by Focusrite: https://focusrite.com/en/usb-audio-interface/scarlett/scarlett-solo-studioDiscover more ways to watch, listen, and interact: https://linktr.ee/RewildologyJoin the Rewildologists Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rewildologistsFollow RewildologyInstagram: https://instagram.com/rewildology/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rewildologypodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/rewildologyTwitter: https://twitter.com/rewildologyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxNVIeC0km8ZGK_1QPy7-iA

"How to live a fruitful life" was a speech given by Frank Oppenheimer to the graduating class of Pagosa Springs High School in 1960. Frank was an American particle physicist, who is perhaps the most known for founding the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Frank talks about the 4 things you need in order to live a fruitful life. A great listen! Subscribe to our newsletter on: www.learneducatediscover.com Check out our resources on: https://www.learneducatediscover.com/shop Tweet at us at @LED_Curator Email us at hello@learneducatediscover.com Speech transcript: http://pagosasprings.com/frank-oppenheimer-in-pagosa-springs-the-1960-graduation-speech/

Springfield XD, Uninvited Guests, San Francisco's Exploratorium!! Join Jimmy and Tyler on today's episode as they sit down and chat about a very eventful weekend! How many of you have had uninvited guests in your house? And Jimmy tries to talk gears with the Assistant and Mini Assistant... to no avail. WE ARE GIVING AWAY A WINCH! All you have to do to enter is leave us a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts! Once we reach 500 reviews, we will do the drawing from those 500 reviews! At 300, 350, 400, and 450 reviews, we will do give-aways for some fun swag packs as well! So get your reviews in! Congrats to PEDDY1111 for winning the 300 swag-away! And Six String Trucker for winning the 350 swag-away! CALL US AND LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL!!!! We want to hear from you even more!!! You can call and say whatever you like! Ask a question, leave feedback, correct some information about welding, say how much you hate your jeep, and wish you had a Toyota! We will air them all, live, on the podcast! +01-916-345-4744. If you have any negative feedback, you can call our negative feedback hotline, 408-800-5169. Episode 289 is brought to you by all of our peeps over at patreon.com and irate4x4! Make sure to stop by and see all of the great perks you get for supporting SnailTrail4x4! Discount Codes, Monthly Give-Aways, Gift Boxes, the SnailTrail4x4 Community, and the ST4x4 Treasure Hunt! Thank you to all of those that support us! We wouldn't be able to do it without you guys (and gals!)! Starting April 1st, 2022, we will no longer be supporting Patreon! We are moving all of the "patreon activities" over to Irate4x4.com. Make sure to head over there, cancel your SnailTrail 4x4 Patreon subscription, and sign up on irate! Keep in mind the gift box tier is also open for the month of April, so now is the best time to make the leap! For the excitement of National Welding Month (And Tyler's Month!!!) we are giving away a Bun Trail Welder for April!! Super cool give away that everyone can use. Even if you don't know how to weld, someone out on the trails will know how, and if you have the tool, then you can get back home! Make sure you are signed up on irate4x4.com by April 30th! Listener Discount Codes: Karnage Welder - ST4x4WeldingMonth for 10% through 4/30/22 (combines with the free shipping sale!)MORRFlate - snailtrail to get 15% off MORRFlate Multi Tire Inflation Deflation™ KitsIronMan 4x4 - snailtrail20 to get 20% off of all Iron Man branded equipment!Sidetracked Offroad - snailtrail4x4 (lowercase)to get 15% off lights and recovery gearShock Surplus - SNAILTRAIL4x4 to get $25 off any order! Find us over on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook!

In this podcast, Vandor picks up where he left off in Part 1. He traces his family history back to his grandfather, who moved from Mobile, Alabama, to San Francisco around the time of the Second Migration and met his wife (Vandor's grandma) here in The City. She was born and raised here; he was a quiet, strong man who learned how to dress from his new wife. When he was two, ​Vandor's dad left the family. But he was surrounded by relatives and loved ones, most of them living in the same Victorian in Lower Pac Heights, on the lip of the Fillmore. Because his mom was young when she had Vandor, her own parents took over raising the boy. Family gatherings in the house were common, and there was always a lot to eat. Vandor talks about those meals as well as some of the neighborhood spots they'd get their produce and meat from. They're places that aren't around anymore, but the owners were often friends of the family. We turn to Vandor's teen years. He got into art, graffiti, and break-dancing in those days. He describes the contrast once he transferred from a private high school to Galileo, for him both socially and academically. In his junior year, his sister was born, his parents were fighting, and he relocated to the East Bay because his mom and his grandma were on bad terms. He began to struggle in his schoolwork. He was working at the Exploratorium. The next year, his senior year in high school, he was told he was one credit short of what was needed to graduate. He had befriended a photographer who also worked at the Exploratorium. They were set to attend and work at an event together, but Vandor got lost and missed it. It didn't matter, though. His friend had committed suicide. Shortly after that, the family found out they were losing their house in Pac Heights over a family quarrel. Despite all this, Vandor graduated high school. ​We end this episode with Vandor's thoughts on what it means to still be here in San Francisco. Follow Whack Donuts on Instagram. Order Whack Donuts online. We recorded this podcast at Abanico Coffee Roasters in the Mission in April 2022. Photography by Jeff Hunt

Next Monday, March 14th is Pi Day, a celebration of the mathematical constant pi, whose first three digits are 3, 1, and 4. The first Pi Day celebration was organized in 1988 at the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco. Even though Pi Day is officially Monday, our observation of it is tonight. Each correct answer this time will begin with the letters "pi".

In this episode, we join Eric Cross as he sits down with physicist and science education specialist, Desiré Whitmore. Listen in as Desiré explains her work at the Exploratorium, a public learning laboratory. Eric and Desiré discuss finding passion in science, the importance of connecting with students, and science instruction with real-life implementations to inspire K—8 students.Quotes:"I think it's really amazing when we can realize as teachers... our job is not just to enforce rules on our students... our job is is to help students achieve more learning."Follow Desiré on Twitter.Learn more about the Exploratorium here!

Science fiction author Charlie Jane Anders sits down outside the Exploratorium to talk about indie bookstores, the importance of mentors and her book "Victories Greater Than Death" — the latest Total SF Book Club title. Anders published three books in 2021, including a collection of short stories ("Even Greater Mistakes") and a book about writing to get through tough times ("Never Say You Can't Survive"). Total SF Book Club meets at 6 p.m. Thursday Feb. 24 in the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library's main branch. Register for the live event or virtual at www.sfpl.org Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb. Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Kim picks up where she left off in Part 1, with her decision in 1985 to stay in town and go to college at SF State. She was, as she says, "deeply" into politics. She attended protests at the DNC in 1984, which took place in San Francisco. She felt pressures from the Red Power Movement, and talks about how tricky it was to be just the right amount of Indian. It was the middle of the Reagan era and Kim lived in the Castro, where AIDS was ravaging the gay community and the president infamously refused to even say the name of the disease. As far as she and anyone in her life knows, Kim has always written. After college, a friend surprised her by asking Kim to read poetry live in front of people. She's been doing that on and off since then. Kim talks about Murdered Missing, her book of poems on the large number of Indian women who disappear, even here in The City. She spent many years teaching Native American arts, both at SF State and CCA. She taught origami arts at elementary schools all over The City. She has also written curriculum for The Exploratorium. Kim shares the story of becoming San Francisco's seventh poet laureate, including how and where she was when she learned the news. She says she's incredibly honored to have been bestowed with the honor. (Tongo Eisen-Martin is the current poet laureate: Part 1 / Part 2). We end this episode with Kim talking about what it means to still be here and her outlook for her hometown: San Francisco. If you're still listening at this point, keep going to hear Kim reading a couple of poems for us. We recorded this podcast at Kim's partner's house in The Sunnyside in December 2021. Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

October 18th, 2021

“What really makes an incredible curator in science is what makes an incredible curator of anything. A lot of that is thinking deeply about the experience.” — Jennifer FrazierThe Exploratorium is a beloved, hands-on museum in San Francisco, where science isn't just something to learn about; it's something to be uncovered and discovered as a kind of personal journey.No one knows this better than Jennifer Frazier. As a senior scientist and curator at the Exploratorium, Jen is at the helm of creating immersive experiences that help people see science as a verb. “You're not just curating important scientific ideas or discoveries,” she says. “You're actually trying to curate so that people can experience the process of science.”We talked to Jen about how to create science experiences for the public, what it means to practice inclusive exhibition design, how to reach communities who aren't visiting, and more. Highlights, inspiration and key learnings: What it means to be a scientist-curator. There aren't a ton of them.History of the Exploratorium. Shout out to the Oppenheimer brothers.What success looks like for the scientist-curator. How to think about the experiences you want to create for your audience.How to reach groups you're not reaching. Thinking about who is not being served and being more accessible to all people. Practicing inclusive exhibition design, starting with examining who is the curator and what is their background. The art of community curation and how you can curate with the people you're serving.How much of your own tastes a curator should reveal when working for an institution. Using data to inform the work.The unique challenges of being a Life Sciences Curator — like keeping living things alive!Advice for people interested in following a similar career path. The importance of spending time in nature, the secret joy of national park visitor centers, and other things that inspire her. Who she'd like to invite to a science dance party.

Hello, friends! This month, we're gabbing about THEME PARKS, a subject Sarah and Bryn have a lot of experience with.   Question 1: What was your favorite Theme Park experience as a kid, teen and adult?   Kid   Not Afraid: Bryn begins with the tale of the time her former fighter pilot father took her on her first upside-down roller coaster, the Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm in ‘80s Buena Park, California. Risk-taker: Sarah's also got a roller coaster memory for us: When it came to amusement park time for the Heitman family, the formula was Sarah and dad bonding on roller coasters, and her mom enjoying watching them from a bench with a nice coffee. Sarah's first experience was on The Rattler at Fiesta Texas, a wooden roller coaster.    Teen    Living in an ‘80s movie: Bryn takes us for a trip to a slightly alarming teenage memory of her 8th grade field trip to Disneyland, but redeems herself with tales of sultry summer nights at all-ages dance club Studio K at Knott's Berry Farm. Bryn didn't know this at the time of our recording, but found out that Studio K was located in the Fiesta Village esplanade where Jaguar! now stands.  Sweet freedom: As a member of marching back from middle through high school, Sarah has plenty of band trips to various theme parks under her stylish belt. And she remembers this great sense of freedom, being unleashed at the parks without chaperones clinging tight: You're given your stipend of money to spend and a time to return to the bus. Have at it! She felt like flying.  Biggest ride memory: Batman: The Ride for the first time. And the soundtrack theme was pumping through the line, it was at night, and it was very, very cool.    Adult   Moving to LA = Theme parks galore: Sarah discovered that when your new college friends have annual passes to Disneyland, you get an annual pass and become a regular. And she discovered that her favorite Knott's Berry Farm is actually Knott's Scary Farm.    Moms and Kids and Solo Moms: Of course, one of Bryn's favorite things about theme parks has to be getting to take her kids there for the first time and watching their relationship with the parks evolve as they get older. An unexpected second discovery has been the joy of going to theme parks alone, which has been a gift to herself that has made a big impact on her.    Extra: Bryn likes themed stuff: Clifton's Cafeterias, Old World, Madonna Inn   Question 2: What do we want to learn about Theme Parks?   Bryn dug into the difference between an amusement park and a theme park.  This article from Theme Park Insider gives a good definition of a theme park.  An amusement park generally is a large outdoor area with fairground rides, shows, refreshments, games of chance or skill, and other entertainments. American amusement parks came out of the idea of the  “pleasure gardens” of Europe. A theme park is an amusement park that's organized and built around a particular theme or group of themes.   Sarah brings us the 411 on roller coasters! History: Where did they come from? Engineering! How does a roller coaster work? Reading: Newton's first law of motion Extra credit: Weightlessness   Extra credit: Weightlessness   Question 3: What are you excited about regarding Theme Parks, especially now that they have reopened after a long period of closure?   Sarah is super-digging how Disney California Adventure's new Avengers Campus is mirroring the Disney+ shows and changing up characters and interactions   Bryn is looking forward to being more present when she's at the parks and appreciating the privilege of being there. And both of us are excited about getting dressed up in fun outfits/Disneybounds, and packing our bags with just the right stuff to optimize our day. Especially big scarves.   BONUS Question: What's your favorite immersive Theme Park experience?   Sarah relates her experience of walking into Be Our Guest, the Beauty and the Beast restaurant in New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. It was literally walking IN TO the beauty and the beast film's ballroom.  Bryn cheated and said the Exploratorium's Tactile Dome in San Francisco. We'll all have to forgive her.     About Totally Tell Me Everything   Two friends, one fun topic, three burning questions = lots of fun conversation! Each month we pick a topic and ask each other three questions about it - we learn about the subject, our past and each other. So come sit by us and we'll totally tell you everything!   How To Listen on the Go:   Listen now and leave a Review on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | RSS   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a podcast rating and review!!   Social Media   Instagram: http://instagram.com/totallytellmeeverything Sarah: http://instagram.com/jeditink Bryn: https://www.instagram.com/brynane/ Join the Skywalking Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/488002904732240/   Subscribe to the Skywalking Network Newsletter    

Hello, friends! This month, we're gabbing about THEME PARKS, a subject Sarah and Bryn have a lot of experience with.   Question 1: What was your favorite Theme Park experience as a kid, teen and adult?   Kid   Not Afraid: Bryn begins with the tale of the time her former fighter pilot father took her on her first upside-down roller coaster, the Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm in ‘80s Buena Park, California. Risk-taker: Sarah's also got a roller coaster memory for us: When it came to amusement park time for the Heitman family, the formula was Sarah and dad bonding on roller coasters, and her mom enjoying watching them from a bench with a nice coffee. Sarah's first experience was on The Rattler at Fiesta Texas, a wooden roller coaster.    Teen    Living in an ‘80s movie: Bryn takes us for a trip to a slightly alarming teenage memory of her 8th grade field trip to Disneyland, but redeems herself with tales of sultry summer nights at all-ages dance club Studio K at Knott's Berry Farm. Bryn didn't know this at the time of our recording, but found out that Studio K was located in the Fiesta Village esplanade where Jaguar! now stands.  Sweet freedom: As a member of marching back from middle through high school, Sarah has plenty of band trips to various theme parks under her stylish belt. And she remembers this great sense of freedom, being unleashed at the parks without chaperones clinging tight: You're given your stipend of money to spend and a time to return to the bus. Have at it! She felt like flying.  Biggest ride memory: Batman: The Ride for the first time. And the soundtrack theme was pumping through the line, it was at night, and it was very, very cool.    Adult   Moving to LA = Theme parks galore: Sarah discovered that when your new college friends have annual passes to Disneyland, you get an annual pass and become a regular. And she discovered that her favorite Knott's Berry Farm is actually Knott's Scary Farm.    Moms and Kids and Solo Moms: Of course, one of Bryn's favorite things about theme parks has to be getting to take her kids there for the first time and watching their relationship with the parks evolve as they get older. An unexpected second discovery has been the joy of going to theme parks alone, which has been a gift to herself that has made a big impact on her.    Extra: Bryn likes themed stuff: Clifton's Cafeterias, Old World, Madonna Inn   Question 2: What do we want to learn about Theme Parks?   Bryn dug into the difference between an amusement park and a theme park.  This article from Theme Park Insider gives a good definition of a theme park.  An amusement park generally is a large outdoor area with fairground rides, shows, refreshments, games of chance or skill, and other entertainments. American amusement parks came out of the idea of the  “pleasure gardens” of Europe. A theme park is an amusement park that's organized and built around a particular theme or group of themes.   Sarah brings us the 411 on roller coasters! History: Where did they come from? Engineering! How does a roller coaster work? Reading: Newton's first law of motion Extra credit: Weightlessness   Extra credit: Weightlessness   Question 3: What are you excited about regarding Theme Parks, especially now that they have reopened after a long period of closure?   Sarah is super-digging how Disney California Adventure's new Avengers Campus is mirroring the Disney+ shows and changing up characters and interactions   Bryn is looking forward to being more present when she's at the parks and appreciating the privilege of being there. And both of us are excited about getting dressed up in fun outfits/Disneybounds, and packing our bags with just the right stuff to optimize our day. Especially big scarves.   BONUS Question: What's your favorite immersive Theme Park experience?   Sarah relates her experience of walking into Be Our Guest, the Beauty and the Beast restaurant in New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. It was literally walking IN TO the beauty and the beast film's ballroom.  Bryn cheated and said the Exploratorium's Tactile Dome in San Francisco. We'll all have to forgive her.     About Totally Tell Me Everything   Two friends, one fun topic, three burning questions = lots of fun conversation! Each month we pick a topic and ask each other three questions about it - we learn about the subject, our past and each other. So come sit by us and we'll totally tell you everything!   How To Listen on the Go:   Listen now and leave a Review on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | RSS   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a podcast rating and review!!   Social Media   Instagram: http://instagram.com/totallytellmeeverything Sarah: http://instagram.com/jeditink Bryn: https://www.instagram.com/brynane/ Join the Skywalking Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/488002904732240/   Subscribe to the Skywalking Network Newsletter    

Hello, friends! This month, we're gabbing about THEME PARKS, a subject Sarah and Bryn have a lot of experience with.   Question 1: What was your favorite Theme Park experience as a kid, teen and adult?   Kid   Not Afraid: Bryn begins with the tale of the time her former fighter pilot father took her on her first upside-down roller coaster, the Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm in ‘80s Buena Park, California. Risk-taker: Sarah's also got a roller coaster memory for us: When it came to amusement park time for the Heitman family, the formula was Sarah and dad bonding on roller coasters, and her mom enjoying watching them from a bench with a nice coffee. Sarah's first experience was on The Rattler at Fiesta Texas, a wooden roller coaster.    Teen    Living in an ‘80s movie: Bryn takes us for a trip to a slightly alarming teenage memory of her 8th grade field trip to Disneyland, but redeems herself with tales of sultry summer nights at all-ages dance club Studio K at Knott's Berry Farm. Bryn didn't know this at the time of our recording, but found out that Studio K was located in the Fiesta Village esplanade where Jaguar! now stands.  Sweet freedom: As a member of marching back from middle through high school, Sarah has plenty of band trips to various theme parks under her stylish belt. And she remembers this great sense of freedom, being unleashed at the parks without chaperones clinging tight: You're given your stipend of money to spend and a time to return to the bus. Have at it! She felt like flying.  Biggest ride memory: Batman: The Ride for the first time. And the soundtrack theme was pumping through the line, it was at night, and it was very, very cool.    Adult   Moving to LA = Theme parks galore: Sarah discovered that when your new college friends have annual passes to Disneyland, you get an annual pass and become a regular. And she discovered that her favorite Knott's Berry Farm is actually Knott's Scary Farm.    Moms and Kids and Solo Moms: Of course, one of Bryn's favorite things about theme parks has to be getting to take her kids there for the first time and watching their relationship with the parks evolve as they get older. An unexpected second discovery has been the joy of going to theme parks alone, which has been a gift to herself that has made a big impact on her.    Extra: Bryn likes themed stuff: Clifton's Cafeterias, Old World, Madonna Inn   Question 2: What do we want to learn about Theme Parks?   Bryn dug into the difference between an amusement park and a theme park.  This article from Theme Park Insider gives a good definition of a theme park.  An amusement park generally is a large outdoor area with fairground rides, shows, refreshments, games of chance or skill, and other entertainments. American amusement parks came out of the idea of the  “pleasure gardens” of Europe. A theme park is an amusement park that's organized and built around a particular theme or group of themes.   Sarah brings us the 411 on roller coasters! History: Where did they come from? Engineering! How does a roller coaster work? Reading: Newton's first law of motion Extra credit: Weightlessness   Extra credit: Weightlessness   Question 3: What are you excited about regarding Theme Parks, especially now that they have reopened after a long period of closure?   Sarah is super-digging how Disney California Adventure's new Avengers Campus is mirroring the Disney+ shows and changing up characters and interactions   Bryn is looking forward to being more present when she's at the parks and appreciating the privilege of being there. And both of us are excited about getting dressed up in fun outfits/Disneybounds, and packing our bags with just the right stuff to optimize our day. Especially big scarves.   BONUS Question: What's your favorite immersive Theme Park experience?   Sarah relates her experience of walking into Be Our Guest, the Beauty and the Beast restaurant in New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. It was literally walking IN TO the beauty and the beast film's ballroom.  Bryn cheated and said the Exploratorium's Tactile Dome in San Francisco. We'll all have to forgive her.     About Totally Tell Me Everything   Two friends, one fun topic, three burning questions = lots of fun conversation! Each month we pick a topic and ask each other three questions about it - we learn about the subject, our past and each other. So come sit by us and we'll totally tell you everything!   How To Listen on the Go:   Listen now and leave a Review on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | RSS   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a podcast rating and review!!   Social Media   Instagram: http://instagram.com/totallytellmeeverything Sarah: http://instagram.com/jeditink Bryn: https://www.instagram.com/brynane/ Join the Skywalking Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/488002904732240/   Subscribe to the Skywalking Network Newsletter    

Peter-Astrid chats with Sam Sharkland and Eli Ramos from the Exploratorium, about the STARS (Striving for Trans Inclusion and Anti-Racism in Science Learning) program at the Exploratorium, upcoming events, and programming centering excluded identities in STEAM and education fields.

In my discussion with Bay Area pianist, musical activist and community organizer Sarah Cahill, we talk visioning, dream journals, when the music is not about you, the purpose of LinkedIn, and Sarah's project, The Future is Female. Sarah Cahill is a prolific pianist who has commissioned, premiered, and recorded numerous compositions for solo piano. Cahill founded and co-organizes the annual Garden of Memory event at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, CA (my favorite event of all time -- sorry! had to interject!!). Before the pandemic, she also curated a monthly series of new music concerts at the Berkeley Art Museum and before that at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Cahill is faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory, and host of the radio show Revolutions Per Minute on KALW in San Francisco. She's had works dedicated to her by the likes of John Adams, Terry Riley, and Pauline Oliveros, and has premiered pieces by Lou Harrison, Julia Wolfe, George Lewis, and more, more, more.www.sarahcahill.comPhoto by Marianne LaRochelle. Used by permission.

Join us for our conversation with Katherina Audley, Founder/Director of Whales of Guerrero.  Katherina Audley has participated in whale research projects around the world since 1997, and has 5 years' working in the Research and Evaluation department at San Francisco's Exploratorium. A travel writer and photographer since 1995, Katherina has a 22-year history with her study region in Mexico. Katherina is a National Geographic Explorer and guest blogger for National Geographic's Ocean Voices column. The Whales of Guerrero facilitates community-driven conservation in the fishing village of Barra de Potosí and throughout the southwest Pacific State of Guerrero, Mexico, pioneering a new approach to coastal protection that cultivates local leadership through citizen science, peer learning, and community outreach. After seven years of collaborative marine mammal research, the seeds of stewardship have taken root in our region. We want to help them bear fruit by galvanizing an emerging group of Fishery and Conservation Leaders who will lead the community toward long-term marine restoration and conservation.  Barra de Potosi is a fishing village of 500 people with three blocks of streets and a couple of small stores. It is simple and authentic; truly the Last Best Beach for visitors with a taste for adventure and untouched natural beauty.

Is a perfect democracy mathematically possible? Bibliography TED-Ed on different voting systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaxVCsnox_4&ab_channel=TED-Ed PBS on Arrow's Impossibility Theorem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhVR7gFMKNg&ab_channel=PBSInfiniteSeries PBS on the Condorcet paradox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoAnYQZrNrQ&ab_channel=PBSInfiniteSeries CGP Grey on problems with plurality voting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo CGP Grey on single transferrable vote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XOZJkozfI The Guardian on political dissatisfaction: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/25/american-political-parties-democrats-republicans-representation-survey CNN on political dissatisfaction: https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/politics/two-party-system-poll/index.html Exploratorium on voting paradoxes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJag3vuG834&ab_channel=Exploratorium

This week's podcast features Jean Ryoo, a researcher at the UCLA Computer Science Equity Project. She reflects on how her work shapes effective pedagogical practices that promote academic engagement for students who have historically been denied access to quality computer science education. She also shares her past experience working at the Exploratorium, as well as her interview with a recent high school graduate who attended the Summer of CS. They explore how to attract youth to computer science, STEAM-related classes, and STEAM careers. For more information about the California STEAM Symposium visit: steamcalifornia.org For more information about the Summer of Computer Science visit: summerofcs.org

Citizens solve bike theft crimes with social media; Exploratorium opens doors at Pier 15; Audiograph's Sound of the Week Revealed! and local band Los Trovadores.