Applied Curiosity Lab

This week we take a curious peek into the world of Dungeons & Dragons. If you love D&D you'll relate and learn. If you have never played D&D (and have little-to-no interest) you will be delighted and amazed. Elevate curiosity.

What can fantasy, roll playing games teach us about life and business strategy? Why should you keep reading these show notes so you can participate in our first podcast treasure hunt?

Welcome to the theater of the mind.

“You gotta get as many experience points as possible. That’s the only way you can level up in life.” –Daniel Carter

Becki & Daniel conjuring up a secret prize. Listen and scroll down for hints.

Who is Daniel Carter?

40-year consistent Dungeons & Dragons player (except during Basic Training). He still plays with his friend from high school with whom he played for the first time 40 years ago.

Dungeon Master extraordinaire

Member of the Society for Creative Anachronism

Graphic designer, woodworker, dwarf, elf, gnome, warrior, wizard and rogue

Host of soon-to-lauch podcast, It's Wood

Military intelligence analyst in the army

What will you learn?

If you've read this far, you will learn that hidden in this podcast is the answer to the following the question: What is the name of Daniel's favorite D & D character? If you answer correctly in the comments, you will be eligible to win an amazing prize. In the gaming world, this kind of thing is called an Easter Egg.

How Dungeons and Dragons led to Daniel's role in military intelligence.

How to come back from the dead.

The universal benefits derived from playing Dungeons and Dragons

How to find a little piece of yourself to create your character.

What D&D teaches us that translates to general life skills.

Curious questions.

What was the deal with the Satanic Panic or Daemon Worship 80s era?

What does a good player look like? How is skill measured?

What is one important life lesson that you would not know if it weren't for Dungeons & Dragons?

What is race?

What's an example of a puzzle?

How is D & D like woodworking?

Links and resources:

Dungeons and Dragons history

Of Dice and Men by David M. Ewalt

It's Wood

Guardian Games

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

* Leave a note in the comment section below or Tweet with #ACLR and we'll find you.

* Share this show on Twitter or Facebook and your very own favorite social site.

To help out the show:

* Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

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What is wine? Is it just fermented grape juice? Why is it so magical, mysterious, and sometimes intimidating? What should we know about wine...and why?

This week we take a curious peek into the world of wine with Sommelier, David LeClaire

"Wine is bottled poetry." Robert Lewis Stephenson

Who is David LeClaire?

Certified sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers

Wine Ambassador for Esquin Wine & Spirits, founder of Wine World & Spirits,

Founder of Seattle Uncorked

Ex-wine director at Seattle's famed Alexis Hotel & Painted Table Restaurant

Speaker, instructor, educator, fundraiser, competition judge, consultant, and free-lance writer

What will you learn?

You don't have to be a wine drinker to gain insights from the world of wine. I'm proof of this fact!

Common misconceptions about wine.

The reasons we have physical problems with certain types of wine...and what we can do to about it.

What to pay attention to when ordering wine at at restaurant.

How to determine if the wine has gone bad.

The best way to deal with bad wine at a restaurant.

Curious questions.

What’s a sommelier? What are the different types and levels of a sommelier? What do master levels sommeliers know that others do not? How much can a sommelier earn?

How can we understand the value of wine and how much should we pay for it?

What's the best way to shop for wine?

Does wine really improve with age? What's the optimal age for various wines?

Links and resources:

Seattle Uncorked, The Unpretentious Wine Club

Hoover steamer

Mad Wine

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

* Leave a note in the comment section below or Tweet with #ACLR and we'll find you.

* Share this show on Twitter or Facebook and your very own favorite social site.

To help out the show:

* Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

* Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

* Subscribe to Applied Curiosity Lab YouTube

Join the Tribe of the Curious.

Special thanks to David for joining me this week. Until next time!

If you're relentlessly curious, this can be your ultimate guide to Japan. Start by listening to the podcast. Or save the podcast for later. It's your choice.

Japan. Travel. Adventure. We were planning a trip to Japan, and I was searching for something that would be like an ultimate guide. I couldn’t find one so I decided to create it myself. Here’s my biased and ultimate guide to Japan.

In addition to this Applied Curiosity Lab Radio podcast episode, this can be your cheat sheet for planning and executing your own trip. This post also serves as show notes for the podcast. In both this post and podcast you will find insights, advice, personal preferences, and hidden adventure opportunities. This is as comprehensive as my personally biased guide to Japan can be. I blame sake for any important things that you find that I overlooked.

When should you go? That’s a personal question so here’s a personal answer.

We went in early October. Go then. Or not. In early October the fall foliage is not at its peak, but since we knew that we would come home to gorgeous foliage in Portland, we didn’t care. We had planned to visit Mt Fuji and then hang with the Snow Monkeys outside Nagano, but ultimately we couldn’t pull ourselves away from Tokyo so we skipped those adventures. We did hear that it was not yet snowy or particularly cold in Nagano.

When we started in Nara it was warm and misty. In Kyoto (an hour from Nara by train) it was unseasonably warm. We sweated in short sleeves. In the higher elevations like Koyasan, it was cool, but pleasant. By the time we got to Tokyo two weeks later, it was rainy and comfortably cool. We missed a huge typhoon by one day. The rain was typhoon foreplay.

When you go also depends a lot on where you plan to go. The cold island of Hokkaido will vary greatly from the subtropical islands of the Okinawan archipelago. This is my biased account, so I’m focusing on the weather where we were on Honshu, the most populated and largest island of Japan.

I’m not adamant about you going in October, so if you skip this first piece of advice, here’s what you may want to know about the other months.

November in Japan is crisp and cool with glorious autumn foliage, but we found better airfare in October. You probably will too. In December, it gets cold across most of Japan, and I’m less likely to maximize adventures by poking around in alleys and up hidden stairs when I’m cold. January starts ski season, and February is peak ski season. Skiing would be fun, but since my travel partner husband doesn’t ski, it might not have been the best time for the two of us to go together. Plus, this was a curiosity quest, not a sports-y adventure. It’s still pretty cold in March. That’s okay, but I don’t like to spend all my time inside museums preventing numb fingers. April and May is peak season with the cherry blossoms flashing tourists their flowering glory. I’m sure that the blossoms are prettier than the cherry blossoms on my own street at home, but I don’t want my trees to sense that I’m judging them. June is full-on rainy season (tsuyu, the plum rain). I don’t need to travel to hang out in rain because I live in rainy season nine months out of the year. July is the end of the rainy season and it starts to get very hot and humid throughout most of Japan. July is also when we plan our domestic road trip adventures. Next year we’ll probably fly up to Alaska to join Airship in July. I mention this so you can check out my friends’ amazing Slowboat website, and maybe apply to join one of their flotillas.

The science of persuasion and influence is crystal clear. Why do we continue to get it so wrong? Since the vast majority of our communication involves some attempt to influence, persuade, sell, convince, cajole, entice, or arouse, shouldn't we know how to do it well?

This week we aim curiosity at how to get people to do what we want...ethically.

Who is Brian Ahearn?

Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and ethical persuasion expert.

Expert in the application of the science of influence and persuasion. Trainer, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant.

Ex powerlifter and body builder, marathoner, Taekwondo 2nd degree black belt. Ohio Buckeye fan and sipper of scotch.

Named Top 100 Influencers of 2016 by the Science of Digital Marketing. His blog has readers in 200 countries and was named one of the Top 30 Psychology Blogs of 2012 by the Online Psychology Degree Guide. He’s been cited in books including Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive, The small BIG, and Introducing Persuasion: A Practical Guide.

What will you learn?

The six major principles of persuasion and how to use them...plus two bonus concepts

During the Korean War, how Chinese interrogators were able to get almost every captured US POW to collaborate with their captors in some way

How to use authority in a way to maximize your influence and to minimize your self aggrandizement

The power and magic of the word, "because"

Curious questions.

How can persuasive principles be used to decrease our divisiveness?

How you can use curiosity to find uncommon commonalities...and how that can be used to increase influence?

What is the role of curiosity in persuasion?

If you could convince one person of one thing, who and what would it be?

Links and resources:

Influence People blog

Influence by Robert Cialdini

Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert Cialdini

Balvenie Scotch Aged 17 

Puddle of Mudd

Godsmack

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

* Leave a note in the comment section below or Tweet with #ACLR and we'll find you.

* Share this show on Twitter or Facebook and your very own favorite social site.

To help out the show:

* Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

* Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

* Subscribe to

Fashion mavens and sneakerheads, you don't want to miss this.

What is the future of fashion? Is retail dead? How can you look at old concepts in new ways? Can you curate incredible experiences?

How can you build a wildly successful store with no marketing, no signage, and no clear entry?

This week we peek behind the fourth wall and inside Bodega, one of the most curiosity-driven and innovative stores, with Oliver Mak.

Who is Oliver Mak?

One of the three co-founders of Bodega, arguably the best secret store in the world

Aka award-winning DJ Gucci Vuitton

Fashion designer, product developer, award-winning art curator

Founder and director of Fourth Wall Project (3000 SF art gallery in Boston and winner of Best Gallery from Boston Magazine, 2010)

Named to Hypebeast 100 (2015 & 2016), Hong Kong's Size Magazine Global Opinion Leaders (2008), Boston Music Awards Best DJ nomination (2008)

What will you learn?

How to identify trends

How to build a strong brand with a crisp customer avatar

How to find the original Bodega (it's not as easy as having the address)...and how to find the new store

The role of curiosity, collaboration, and adventure in creating a lasting and iconic store experience

Curious questions.

How can retailers survive and what's next for the tumultuous world of retail?

How would you describe a loft party...and how can one get an invite?

Am I too old for the clubs? (Okay, that one was satisfying my own curiosity, but maybe yours too?)

Where do you go for inspiration and ideas?

Links and resources:

Bodega

Dover Street

Discogs

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

* Leave a note in the comment section below or Tweet with #ACLR and we'll find you.

* Share this show on Twitter or Facebook and your very own favorite social site.

To help out the show:

* Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

* Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

* Subscribe to Applied Curiosity Lab YouTube

Join the Tribe of the Curious.

Special thanks to Oliver for joining me this week. Until next time!

After years of monogamy, what does it look like to stop and reveal your secret sexual desires...to your spouse? Is an open marriage a happier marriage? What rules and boundaries must you establish to make non-monogamy work? This week we explore sex with the swervy Fledgling Madame, Holley Shepard.

“Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.” Mae West

Who is Holley Shepard?

 

The Fledgling Madame

Promoter of safe, fun, and intentional sexual exploration through writing, counseling, and special events.

Co-owner of Sanctuary, Portland Oregon's innovative and inclusive LGBTQ and Alternative Lifestyle sex positive night club and event venue.

Swervy ethical non-monogamist, wife, mother, friend, skier, reader, and damn fine neighbor.

What will you learn?

Differences between consensual non-monogamy, swing, kink, and poly.

The number one thing Holley has learned about what makes great sex.

Why compersion is such a turn-on.

What happens at a sex club versus a sex positive club.

Curious questions.

After nearly two decades of monogamy, what happens when you open yourself up to just the idea of an open marriage...and then take the plunge?

Do you have sex in front of each other? How do you prioritize marriage with other actors in the mix?

What are your most important rules and boundaries? What rules are easiest to break?

What has surprised you most about your polyamorous life?

Links and resources:

Fledgling Madame

Sanctuary

The Ethical Slut: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships, and Other Freedoms in Sex and Love by Janet W. Hardy

More Than Two: A Practice Guide to Ethical Polyamory by Franklin Veaux

Mating In Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence by Esther Perel

Savage Lovecast podcast by Dan Savage

The Game  by Neil Strauss

The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships by Neil Strauss

Stephanie Coontz, world’s leading marriage historian

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

* Leave a note in the comment section below or Tweet with #ACLR and we'll find you.

* Share this show on Twitter or Facebook and your very own favorite social site.

To help out the show:

* Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

* Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

* Subscribe to

Nearly 6 billion people eat meat. Many of us have no idea about the journey from the grasslands to our gullets. This episode with meat scientist and expert Nathan Parker will change this. Be ready to elevate curiosity.

What should you know about meat...and why?

Cows! (There's a prize if you get that reference)

Who is Nathan Parker?

Scientist and instructor in Animal and Rangeland Sciences Department at Oregon State University

Manages USDA-inspected meat science laboratory

Expert on the hazelnut – hog relationship. Wait, what? Yeah.

Recently lost over 160 pounds and is preparing for his first half marathon

What will you learn?

How to identify less-than-fresh meat at the grocery store.

The slaughter process...up close and personal. Step outside your comfort zone?

What happens to prepare meat for your gullet.

What happens on the journey from the grasslands to your gullet.

Curious questions.

What's the biggest misconception about meat?

What should we think about when we're buying meat?

How is USDA beef graded?

What would you say to your daughter if she told you she wanted to become a vegetarian?

Links and resources:

OSU Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences

United States Department of Agriculture

Glacier Park

Sky High Bar downtown Corvallis

The Glass Wall Project

Temple Grandin

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

* Leave a note in the comment section below or Tweet with #ACLR and we'll find you.

* Share this show on Twitter or Facebook and your very own favorite social site.

To help out the show:

* Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

* Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

* Subscribe to Applied Curiosity Lab YouTube

Join the Tribe of the Curious.

Special thanks to Nathan for joining me this week. Until next time!

What does the path to becoming an asylum seeker in the United States look like? What are we missing when we don't understand cultures we're trying to influence?

This week we peek inside the life of an asylum seeker who barely escaped the lethal homophobia in Uganda...but where did this homophobia come from? Gain insights and wisdom from this fascinating story and interview with Mpagi Kirumira.

Who is Mpagi?

 

Ugandan from the Kingdom of Buganda, adventurer, risk-taker (that's an understatement)

Abandoned at six-months, ran away and lived on the streets since he was 10-years old, owned his first pair of shoes at 15, and slept on a mattress for the first time at 16.

Active opponent of Ugandan President Yoweeri Museveni's dictatorship

Human rights activist, risk taker, adventurer, and proud atheist

What will you learn?

What we are missing when we don't understand role of tribes in African culture

The role of Christian missionaries in the deadly politics of homophobia...and how we may be contributing.

Who is Ugandan President Museveni and why he is so dangerous.

The differences between a refugee, asylum seeker, and illegal immigrant

Curious questions.

Specifically how did you survive on the streets as a young child?

What event caused you to have to flee Uganda to save your life? Scary stuff.

What specific steps did you take to get out of Uganda?

What's life like for you now?

Links and resources:

Mpagi on Facebook

Spectrum Uganda Initiatives

Sexual Minorities Uganda

Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act 2014

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

* Leave a note in the comment section below or Tweet with #ACLR and we'll find you.

* Share this show on Twitter or Facebook and your very own favorite social site.

To help out the show:

* Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

* Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

* Subscribe to Applied Curiosity Lab YouTube

Join the Tribe of the Curious.

Special thanks to Mpagi for joining me this week. Until next time!

Does the US Constitution protect you the way you think it does? Maybe not.

Does Donald Trump change anything...everything?

This week we debunk the myths about the US Constitution (and tell you why you should care) with the Constitution Demystifier and Law Professor, Kim Wehle.

Who is Kim Wehle?

Tenured Law Professor, Former Assistant US Attorney, and Constitution Demystifier

Associate Independent Counsel, Whitewater investigation (under Kenneth Starr)

ABA reviewer for nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for Supreme Court

Consultant to FBI on privacy and Fourth Amendment

Constitutional law, privacy, and privatization expert

Author of the book, The Outsourced Constitution: How Public Power in Private Hands Erodes Democracy (Cambridge Press, 2018)

What will you learn?

Who does the Constitution actually protect?

How can we tell if something is unconstitutional, illegal, or just unconventional?

Can Donald Trump do that?

Why is privatization not so private?

Beyond Roe v. Wade. What are the real differences between conservative and liberal Supreme Court Justices...and why should we care?

What's the difference between policy and politics.

How are we protected if our privacy is violated?

How and to whom is the government accountable?

Curious questions.

Really. Why should I care about this?

I'm already clear that I'm a conservative (or a liberal). What could possibly make me rethink this?

Is it too late for me to protect my privacy? Why does my privacy matter anyway?

I'm busy. What can I possibly do with this information to make my life better?

Links and resources:

David Bowie Changes One vinyl album

KimWehle.com

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

* Leave a note in the comment section below or Tweet with #ACLR and we'll find you.

* Share this show on Twitter or Facebook and your very own favorite social site.

To help out the show:

* Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

* Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

* Subscribe to Applied Curiosity Lab YouTube

Join the Tribe of the Curious.

Special thanks to Kim for joining me this week. Until next time!

 

When it comes to the highest levels of leadership, does size matter? How do you do leadership if you don't look the part?

In this episode, we curiously dissect leadership from the unusual and sage perspective of a leadership expert and one of the smallest guys to ever join the Special Forces. Gain insights and wisdom from a peek into the world where corporate and military leadership collide, in this interview with Jan Rutherford.

Who is Jan Rutherford?

Entered the US Army at age 17 (and 5'4" and 103 lbs). He's grateful to his parents for signing the permission form.

Succeeded as one of the littlest men to ever join the Special Forces as a Green Beret (defying his father, sister, and a condescending drill sergeant). Later served as an officer in the Army.

Ascended to highest levels of corporate leadership

Teaches, trains, and speaks on leadership to corporations, organizations and graduate schools around the world.

Leads Crucibles for Special Force and corporate leaders. Crucibles are leadership training and travel adventures in extreme environments.

What will you learn?

How to know when to quit

Why Jan did quit. Once.

How to overcome physical challenges.

How to avoid getting fired.

How to hear the unheard.

What's the difference between being in the Special Forces versus an officer in the general Army.

Curious questions.

Why does what we look like have a lot to do with who we become?

When it comes to leadership, what are the differences between being and Army officer and being a Green Beret? (Jim was both)

What's PONER?

Do you regret not serving during wartime?

What's unconventional warfare?

Is there a downside to women in the military?

Is there a downside to diversity?

Links and resources:

Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time, by Jeffrey Pfeffer

Houdini Jacket from Patagonia

How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen

The Littlest Green Beret: On Self-Reliant Leadership, by Jan Rutherford

SelfReliantLeadership.com

The Leadership Podcast

Thanks for Listening!

To share your thoughts:

* Leave a note in the comment section below or Tweet with #ACLR and we'll find you.

* Share this show on Twitter or Facebook and your very own favorite social site.

To help out the show:

* Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

* Subscribe on