Choose to be Curious

Rich Maxham and Danny Smith engage in an apprenticeship partnership in the luthier craft, where they both learn and teach from each other. The podcast explores curiosity in apprenticeship, the sensory experience of traditional arts, the relationship between curiosity and the violin, and the enlightening experience of learning from Danny. A joyful and insightful conversation.

Kasha Patel is a triple threat: scientist, journalist and stand-up comedian, the perfect person to join me for a conversation about the rich alchemy of leaning into all three. Kasha Patel is the deputy weather editor for the Capital Weather Gang at The Washington Post, covering weather, climate change and the environment. Before joining The Post, she produced news stories, videos and features about the Earth sciences, climate change and satellite research for NASA. And, she's a stand up comedian. Funny, smart, with a vision for how curiosity, science and humor can help us all, wherever we are. Kasha Patel: https://www.kashapatel.com Antidote for partisanship? In science, curiosity seems to work: https://news.yale.edu/2017/01/26/antidote-partisanship-science-curiosity-seems-work Center for Media & Social Impact, Yes...And Laughter Lab & GoodLaughs: https://cmsimpact.org Our theme and other music are by Sean Balick.

The speaker explores Rotterdam's diversity and recounts a failed visit to a floating farm. They delve into the diverse language landscape and the influence of translation on perceptions. The chapter also discusses the speaker's geocache adventure, reflecting on Rotterdam's history and the importance of curiosity and imagination.

Curiosity, say Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett, is a practice of connection: it connects ideas into networks of knowledge, and it connects knowers themselves, both to the knowledge they seek and -- perhaps even more importantly -- to each other. Twins, professors, and true curiosity connoisseurs, Perry & Dani return to Choose to be Curious for this delightful multidisciplinary distillation of this thing we call curiosity, celebrating the release of their groundbreaking book, Curious Minds: The Power of Connection. Perry Zurn is a professor of philosophy at American University. He is the author of Curiosity and Power: The Politics of Inquiry and co-editor of Curiosity Studies: A New Ecology of Knowledge. https://www.perryzurn.com Dani S. Bassett is J. Peter Skirkanich Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. They are the author of more than 300 scientific articles in neuroscience, physics, network science, and complete systems science. https://complexsystemsupenn.com Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “Charcoal Lines" by Sketchbook, via Blue Dot Sessions. This episode first aired on WERA in September 2022; it has been refreshed for distribution, September 2023.

The podcast explores the role of curiosity in language evolution and its connection to love.

Tara Palacios, founder of BizLaunch, discusses curiosity as a business tool and the power of a good and curious pivot during the pandemic. They explore the role of curiosity and adaptability in entrepreneurship, small business programs with technical assistance and grants, and the escalator and Tinker Toys analogy for curiosity.

"Urban Sketching" is an international movement of people who draw on location -- indoors or out-- capturing what they see from direct observation. The drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel. Todd Cumpston is both a practitioner and a teacher.I couldn't wait to talk with him about this delightful curiosity practice. Such power in sitting still, paying close, appreciative attention to the world around us... Theme music is by Sean Balick. “Town Market” by Onesuch Village, via Blue Dot Sessions. This episode first aired August 2022 on WERA-LP. Refreshed June 2023.

Jennifer Sauter-Price, an advocate for reading, discusses the power of books to open minds and worlds in young children. They emphasize the importance of diverse and inclusive books using the mirror and window book strategy. The podcast examines the significance of reading to children from an early age and fostering curiosity through books. The speaker compares curiosity to hopscotching and pop music, encouraging listeners to share pop music analogies.

Author Liz Coley discusses her journey from hospital administration to becoming a writer. They explore thought experiments, sharing ignorance, and the challenges of being a mature playwright. The conversation includes analogies for curiosity, querying and analyzing one's work, and sponsorship acknowledgements.

Erik Neighbour, creator of the app/game 'Capital Clues', talks about the inspiration behind the game developed during the pandemic, creating bike-friendly routes and new modules, and the power of curiosity in entrepreneurship.