The Natural Curiosity Project, hosted by Steve Shepard, and the Silverback Digest, published by Stephen Morris, have a very special relationship. If you like the Natural Curiosity Project, for example, you’ll like the Silverback Digest as well. Here’s the story of how their partnership came to pass—and why you should absolutely subscribe to both.
Have you ever had this happen: You see a book a shelf that makes you think of a friend you haven’t spoken with in a while. You smile at the memory, and as you smile, your phone rings. You look at the screen, and it’s the person you’re thinking about, calling you. We’ve all had it happen, and it’s kind of weird. But it turns out that there may be some serious science behind the phenomenon—serious, as in quantum physics. It even has a name: Synchronicity. Join me and my friend Tom Myers as we chat...
Want to hear the sound of the largest living organism on the planet? My guest, Seattle-based Jeff Rice, has recorded it. Sound recordist, journalist, documentarian, musician, Jeff wears many hats, and his world is beyond intriguing. Please join us for a great conversation.
I read a lot of books—an average of 135 per year. And yes, I remember them—most of them, anyway. And every once in a while, a book grabs ahold of my leg and won’t let go. That was the case with “The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World,” by Joe Keohane. In fact, it affected me so strongly that I closed the back cover, went to my computer, found Joe online, and called him. He agreed to be on the program, and this is my interview with him. You’re going to want to he...
You know how sometimes you meet someone who does something interesting, but as you get to know them, you learn that actually, there’s a lot more to them than that one thing that got your attention in the first place? Well, that explains John Neville. I contacted John because he’s on one of the mailing lists for sound recordists that I belong to. His work intrigued me, so I asked him if he’d be a guest on the show. Like many people I interview on this program, John’s a wildlife sound recordist. I...
Let’s take a trip. We’re going to start in southwestern Europe and drive as far as we can go into the Arctic, following the annual migration of north-bound birds, photographing and recording them along the way. Then, we’ll turn our vehicles around, this time starting in southwestern Europe and following those same birds as far south as we can go, across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco and driving south along the west coast of Africa, all the way to Capetown, a distance of 12,000 kilometers....
In this free-flowing conversation, I interview Ryan McCarty, an extraordinary individual with a story to tell that is both inspirational and informative. Actually, that's all I'm going to say. Enjoy!
I first ran across Rick Hannon's work when I purchased his album, "Dusk to Dawn on the Camas Prairie." After listening to this extraordinary collection, I reached out to Rick, and he agreed to join me on the Natural Curiosity Project to to talk about career as a photojournalist, photographer, sound recordist, and sound designer. From natural soundscapes like the Camas Prairie, to the sounds of antique typewriters, Rick does it all.
A few thoughts about broadcast television (especially the commercials), see through the eyes of Alexis de Tocqueville.
Just a few thoughts on the societal and generational progression from data to wisdom.
If you’re a regular listener, you know that I’m interested in the sounds of the natural world and have interviewed quite a few sound recordists on this program. In this episode, you’re going to meet a guy who is more than just a sound hobbyist. He works all over the world for big movie studios—in fact, when we recorded this, he had just returned from a shoot in the Sahara Desert in Algeria for a big Hollywood production He also produces sounds for the video game industry, which is far more compl...
Episode 219 - Reef Renewal USA by Dr. Steven Shepard
Thomas Meinzen represents the best of several worlds: he's a composer, a musician, a naturalist, and an avid recorder of the sounds of the natural world. He agreed to sit down with me recently to talk about how he incorporates all his many interests with his over-the-top skills as a musician. And check out his music--you can find his work at https://thomasmeinzen.bandcamp.com.
If someone were to come to me and say, “I’m going to show you how an explorer, an engineer and a statesman shaped our Modern World,” I’d want that person on my show. Well, meet Brad Borkan, the author of two excellent books: “Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results: How an Explorer, an Engineer and a Statesman shaped our Modern World,” and “When Your Life Depends on It: Extreme Decision-Making Lessons from the Antarctic.” He’s my guest on this program, and you’re in for a terrific ride.
One of the most important things to know about human generations is that, contrary to popular belief, they all want the same things from work and life—they just want it in different ways. All companies (other than sole proprietorships) are multigenerational, so the extent to which we all understand the differences among generations is a measure of how well we engage with all of them, attract them, motivate them, reward them, discipline them, and develop them—and that’s not to mention the degree ...
One of the most important things to know about human generations is that, contrary to popular belief, they all want the same things from work and life—they just want it in different ways. All companies (other than sole proprietorships) are multigenerational, so the extent to which we all understand the differences among generations is a measure of how well we engage with all of them, attract them, motivate them, reward them, discipline them, and develop them—and that’s not to mention the degree ...
An evening at the local wetland, punctuated by a symphony of spring peepers and an occasional round of applause from the resident beavers.
We rarely give much thought to water, other than when we're thirsty. But as it happens, it is one of the rarest of the rare compounds we know--not just because it is precious, and we're blessed with a lot of it on Earth, but because its chemistry is the stuff of Dumbledore. Have a listen. You can find the episode transcript at https://steven-shepard.com/natural-curiosity-project/.
An exercise in using all five senses during a walk in the deep woods. Headphones, please--relax and listen. And thank you!
It was late August, and I was in central Iowa on a recording trip. I wandered into a cornfield, and at the back of it was a creek, surrounded by cottonwood trees. The trees were filled with 17-year cicadas. The life cycle of these critters is a testament to the magic of life. Shortly after they hatch from the eggs laid by their mothers, the nymphs burrow into the ground, where they stay for 17 years. When they emerge, the clock starts ticking, because from that moment onward, they have about six...
Well, here we are approaching the end of March, which means that once again we will soon be facing the political season in the United States, and all that that implies. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather avoid the debacle we faced last time, when social media pummeled us with disinformation from every direction, making it virtually impossible to separate the wheat of truth from the chaff of falsehood. So, I’ve been digging around, looking for tools to help me clearly separate the two, and I’...
There's something mesmerizing about the way rivers look from the air--the way they ebb and flow and respond to the topography of the land they flow over. Sometimes, the water flows in a great sheet, like a fan; other times, it flows in a tree-like structure called a dendrite. Well, it turns out that salt can form similar structures when it crystallizes, but only under very specific conditions. It's an amazing and quite beautiful thing--have a listen. Program notes are here: https://stevenshepard...
How important are libraries and books? In my mind, very. In some peoples' minds, important enough to risk their lives for their protection. In "The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu, Joshua Hammer tells the story of Abdel Nader Haidara, a minor government bureaucrat who takes it upon himself to save thousands of precious texts, some of them from the 5th century, all the while evading the clutches of Al Qaeda operatives intent on destroying them.
Have you ever wondered why geese fly in that V-shaped formation when they're migrating? Turns out that there's a very important reason--and you might be interested to know that it has a lot to do with the practice of leadership. Enjoy the episode.
Just to mess with your mojo from the earlier Parker River track, here's something on the opposite end of the sonic spectrum: A freight train barreling through Norway, Iowa, something that happens about every 20 minutes or so. Headphones again, please, to experience the spatial effect of the train's coming and going. Careful with the volume--it gets a bit loud.
Sabine and I have a discovered a new favorite place: Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, in Massachusetts, just over the border from New Hampshire. One of the first, if not THE first, refuges in the national system, it's been around so long that the original brochure (which you can download from the refuges Web site) was written by none other than Rachel Carson. Anyway, put on your headphones and enjoy this ambisonic, surround-sound track of a couple of minutes of gentle surf.
After reading Paul Woodruff’s book, Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue, I found myself thinking about the concept of reverence and what it means in modern society. Woodruff defines it as equal parts awe, respect, and shame. What I walked away with after lots of time spent thinking about the concept is this: Reverence, which has nothing to do with religion, is perhaps the single most important foundational element in modern society. Woodruff elegantly ties together reverence, and ceremony, an...
Darrin Wassom made an envious (and courageous) career change: He went from a long, successful career as a cybersecurity specialist to being a newly-minted recordist, capturing and sharing the sounds of the natural world. His story is more than just the story of a shifted career: it's the story of someone for whom passion, and balance, and family, and life are more important than career. This is an important story; I hope you enjoy it. You can find Darrin's work at NatureIsMyJam.net, and his Podc...
A short morning chorus to brighten your day.
After four intensive years of medical school, a grueling residency, and surgical specialization in urology, Bevan Choate was on top of his game as a full-fledged urologist. Then, on December 3rd of 2020, the music stopped for Bevan. At 36, he suffered a life-threatening stroke. After nearly dying twice, undergoing three brain surgeries, and months in the hospital, followed by endless rehab, he finally went home in February of 2021. During months of therapy, Bevan wrote The Stroke Artist, his boo...
