Steve interviews his friend and colleague Josh Stevens, an authority on network and computer security--and that elusive, mysterious technology called Blockchain--which, as it turns out, is not all that mysterious and is in fact pretty important.
There's very little that is as enjoyable as a day outside. There's also very little that's as rewarding as a day spent taking part in a BioBlitz. Have a listen.
One of the coolest technologies on the near-term horizon is the quantum computer--an amazing device capable of doing so much more than traditional digital computers. In tis episode, we explain what they are, how they work, and where they're going. Grab a drink--this is a wild ride.
Welcome to the Natural Curiosity Project! I'm Steve Shepard, and as your host, I'll take you on journeys of discovery to learn just how awe-inspiring this planet really is. Hope you'll come along for the ride!
Three minutes of snow geese on Lake Champlain, November 2018. Close your eyes, listen, enjoy.
Thomas Young--the last man who knew everything. What else would you call a guy who translated the Rosetta Stone, contributed to physics, figured out how the eye works, and wrote a comparison of the grammar of 400 languages?
Did you know that HG Wells invented the World Wide Web? Sorry, Tim Berners-Lee--he beat you by about 100 years!
A tiny house wren, singing his heart out in search of a mate.
You know how we always take a deep breath after a rainstorm, and think about that wonderful smell of ozone? Newsflash--it ain't ozone: it's something else entirely, and it's VERY important. Have a listen.
It's amazing to me that I can find these tiny little creatures, much smaller than a pinhead, hopping around on the snow in the middle of deep winter. To see a short video of springtails--well, springing, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNSWFmLMVXk.
History is full of amazing people. What's equally amazing is the number of them that most of us have never heard of.
I met Lujan in a small village in Guatemala. What he taught me about --well, just about everything--is priceless. I'd like to share it with you.
I can't imagine a better opportunity to learn than being immersed as I was at the University of California at Berkeley in the early 70s. But much more valuable than my academic learning was how the experience taught me to think critically, and to listen to ideas that I didn't necessarily agree with--and, in fact, was often strongly opposed to. It's a lesson that more people need to learn today in our hypersensitive society.
Millions of species have disappeared from the planet over the eons, because natural selection says that it's time for them to leave. There's nothing that says we can't be next.
It took me a while to start Yoga. But my daughter Cristina, who teaches small group, therapeutic Yoga, finally convinced me. If you're just the least bit curious--and you are listening to a Podcast about curiosity, after all--listen to this episode. Just don't be driving.
This track departs from the norm, but some things need to be said. I'll get back on track next time, I promise. Just listen and reflect.
Darwin never said or wrote the phrase, 'survival of the fittest.' he did, however, say that the organisms that survive will be those most adaptable to change. This is true for a corporation as it is for a living thing. Enjoy.
Sometimes you have to step away from the world and immerse yourself in a bit of storytelling. I wrote this a while ago; it recently won an honorable mention in the Writers Digest National Fiction Writing Contest. Hope you like it--I had a ball writing it.
A machine, thousands of years old, pulled from the bottom of the Aegean and discovered to be the oldest computer ever built. And, it's more accurate than modern machines. Have a listen.
Did you know that all children's books are about leadership? There is nothing more powerful that a well-told story, and good leaders know this. See how they use storytelling to maintain their positions of influence.
The first submarine communications cable was laid across the northern Atlantic in the 1800s. The project was plagued by intrigue, sabotage, nasty winter storms, and the fact that there was no ship in existence at the time that could hold all the cable required to cross the ocean. What to do?
The first Podcast of the WSRS.
What's the difference between 'leadership' and 'those who lead?' The answer, as it turns out, is a lot.
There's something more than a bit eerie about a mushroom that glows in the dark.The science behind it, and the promise that it holds for the future of such things as smart cities, is even more amazing.
In Japan, company employees are encouraged to take time to get out of the office and go for a walk in the forest--on company time. Why? Because it lowers blood pressure, heightens the senses, and makes for better employees. And there's ample scientific proof that it works.
A few technology stories that you can use to amuse (and amaze) your friends. Enjoy!
Since bread is square, why is sandwich meat round? Did Adam and Eve have navels? Why do they put Braille instructions and labels on drive-up ATM machines? Why don’t we have A and B-cell batteries, since we do have AAs, AAAs, Cs, Ds, and whatever those big blocky things are called? And why don’t 9-volt batteries have a letter designation, like all the others? What makes the Teflon stick to the pan? Answers to all of these--and more.
Few writers (or scientists) have affected me more than Loren Eiseley. Equal parts paleontologist, archaeologist, poet, essayist, and observer of the human condition, his words strike me deeply. I hope they will you, as well.
Exactly that--a wonderful description of the 'plumbing' that makes trees work.
A discussion about the future of 5G technology, which will provide gigabit speed to mobile devices to support new, media-rich applications. It also makes driverless cars work properly--in case you're interested!
