The podcast producers still believe that they are making a serious contribution to the real world but the reality of our work is starting to appear.  Drama trumps the real world.  A good story is better than a bad truth.  And so the cast takes over the podcast. We know the answer to the question … Continue reading What Happens When the Bosses Are Gone? (Series I) →

We know the answer to this question. You know the answer to it. You wouldn’t be looking at this page if you didn’t. The only questions are “How will the staff get themselves out of this mess?” and “How embarrassing will it be for them?” Click to find the answer. [16335]

If you have a first principle then you have a second. This one concerns the leadership of Science Policy. We don’t require the leaders to be scientists. That would constrict our options and muddy a key idea. But we ask them to know what they are doing, something that our staff learns when the interview … Continue reading 16330: Straddling the Divide – a Second Principle →

The first principle of science policy concerns money, though it has ramifications that are not as obvious as they might first seem. To explore the ramifications of science policy, we talk with Peggy Kidwell of the National Museum off American History and send Anna and Rohit in search of Google Server #1. [16320]

This episode is a little different from our regular episodes with our regular cast. It is a short essay on Vannevar Bush, an essay about the origins of the fundamental ideas that guide how the U. S. Government deals with scientific research and scientific institutions. It is designed to give you a little deeper understanding … Continue reading 16311: Essay Friday – Vannevar Bush & U. S. Science Policy →

The podcast moves to our Washington offices in order to explore technology policy and how the Federal government can possibly be considered agile & innovative. Evelyn packs the office. Rohit adjusts the systems, Anna but Maddie is told that she has to stay home and go to school. All of this while we start to … Continue reading 16310: Bicoastal Innovation →

Rohit explains why and how you should listen to “How We Manage Stuff.” “It you feel smarter,” he says, “And it also makes you feel at home.” This is a quick summery before we start the next series. The hosts are out of the office. Anna the Intern is at PANIC, the Professional Assistants, Networkers, … Continue reading 16305: It Makes You Feel Smarter →

A Binge episode for the end of April. Three combined podcasts. The first talks about context, how we think about development questions and whether our office manager has offended the host. The second: Position, Status & Function. The three elements of human organization. The last is a discussion of open source development and how open … Continue reading 16275: A Binge for My Baby and a Binge for the Road →

Time for a Binge. Need something as background for your workout? Or as something to fill a long commute? We have three pieces pulled together in this podcast, all hosted by Evelyn, our Business Manager. We begin with a visit to the Consumer Technology Show in Las Vegas. Drones were big then. Little did we … Continue reading 16265: Evelyn Hosts a Binge →

Skill or Habit? What belongs to the first category and what belongs to the second? And how can technology better promote skill? That is the primary question of this week’s podcast and we take a long time to answer it. Our trip takes us through the writings of Adam Smith, an app that can calculate … Continue reading Disrupting the Schumpethon →