Craftsmanship

In a simple, residential neighborhood in San Francisco sits a former church for Christian Scientists. The building's white exterior and massive  columns give it a stately, antiquated look. But behind its doors sit stacks of servers, which contain billions upon billions of web pages, media, and other delights. This is the Internet Archive. 

In today’s episode: what happens when an eccentric tech entrepreneur decides to devote himself to preserving every scrap of information that gets put online and make it accessible to all.

"Tomorrow's Library" originally appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by TIM REDMOND

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

In today’s automated world, why bother toiling with hand tools and sawdust? In his new book, Gary Rogowski—a master furniture maker in Portland, Oregon—ruminates about lessons he’s learned “at the bench,” and the quest for mastery and creative focus, no matter what your calling.

"A Woodworker's Tale" originally appeared in the Winter 2018 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by GARY ROGOWSKI

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by GARY ROGOWSKI

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

The blind spots in the American West’s approach to managing water are on full display in Ventura County, a coastal region of Central California that holds the most lucrative farmland in the state.

"The California Mirage" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by CRAWFORD COATES

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by CHRIS EGUSA

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Now that the tequila craze has crested, the latest Latin liquor to capture the world’s alcoholic imagination is tequila’s grandfather: mezcal. But an explosion of authentic mezcal is impossible—for reasons our correspondent discovers when she goes to Oaxaca to learn how this hyper-local spirit can be sustained.

"Mezcal's Dance with Extinction" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos,  audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by GRACE RUBENSTEIN

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by GRACE RUBENSTEIN

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

It’s 2015, and in the health and wellness world, the Kale Craze is in full swing — people are eating, roasting, blending, and juicing it. But one molecular biologist in Marin County stumbles upon evidence that this queen of greens might be hiding toxic levels of certain heavy metals. And it’s even worse in organic varieties. Could kale be behind the mysterious symptoms in his patients?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Several updates were published in our Fall 2015 issue, exploring how thallium functions, its prodigious history in scientific literature, and how people should now think about eating kale and other vegetables. These are collected in an article entitled “The Vegetable Detective, Take Two.“

"The Vegetable Detective" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos,  audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by TODD OPPENHEIMER

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by GÖRAN NORQUIST

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Craftsmanship's founding editor Todd Oppenheimer sits down with Paul and Elizabeth Kaiser, a husband-and-wife farming team who have been at the forefront of a promising approach to growing food called regenerative agriculture. Hear about the success of the movement they helped start; some mind boggling results from recent testing on their soil and produce; and how they harness Mother Nature to make their land more productive than any human technology ever could.

This episode is part of the series of “Artisan Interviews” produced by Craftsmanship Quarterly, in which we bring you conversations with the artisans behind the stories, and with those who write about them.

You can visit the Kaisers' website at www.singingfrogsfarm.com. And, you can read our original 2015 article on the Kaisers titled, "The Drought Fighter."

Written by CRAFTSMANSHIP EDITORS

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by TODD OPPENHEIMER WITH PAUL AND ELIZABETH KAISER

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Cover image by MICHAEL WOOLSEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Ann Morhauser started with nothing but debt in a tiny glassware studio in Watsonville, a coastal community in central California. Now her work is in stores across the country—and in the Smithsonian. What is her secret to artisanal success?

"The Glass Builder" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos,  audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by PEGGY TOWNSEND

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Not only is wool unusually cozy and durable, but its creators (the  sheep) can help regenerate the world’s drying, fire-prone landscapes. The good news: a wool revival seems to be underway.

"The Hidden Powers of a Sheep" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by JUDITH D. SCHWARTZ

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by CHRIS EGUSA

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Martha's Vineyard has long been seen as a summer retreat for the East  Coast elite. The island’s reality, however, is a far more complex  environment that has welcomed and inspired generations of Black  Americans, including an artist and doll maker named Janice Frame.

"A Black Artist’s Haven on a (mostly) White Vineyard" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly,  a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and   the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos,  audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of  charge and free of advertising.

Written by SKIP FINLEY

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by JOSHUA SIROTIAK

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

With gumption, insight, and brilliant use of social media, a few guys in Virginia built an operation that makes what could be the world’s finest  toolbelts.

"The Toolbelt Masters" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and   the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by LORRAINE SANDERS

Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA

Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN

Produced by CHRIS EGUSA

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS