Products of the Mind: A Conversation About the Intersection of Business + Creativity

Products of the Mind Episode 46: The Best Damn Record Club – Vinyl Me, Please

Welcome to Episode 46 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with Vinyl Me, Please founders Matt Fiedler & Tyler Barstow.

"As things changed we always had this idea that it would be cool to build just the coolest … music club ever."

Today I chat with the entrepreneurial partners behind Vinyl Me, Please: Matt Fiedler & Tyler Barstow. The discussion is brief, but we get a great rundown from the perspective of the founders: these two discuss how they came together and discovered new music, and ultimately launched "the best damn record club."

We'll hear about the challenges of being a part-time entrepreneur, as well as managing rapid growth. They'll recall the logistical challenges they faced as a startup and how the challenge grew when their business expended. They'll briefly discuss some of their solutions as well as their current philosophy on relationships between vendors and customers.

Of course we'll talk a little bit about music, as well as some of the history of vinyl and the role of online music providers like Spotify and Soundcloud. We'll also hear a bit about some recent work with My Morning Jacket and Glass Animals.

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustrations accompanying these show notes are by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 45 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with University of Houston philosophy professor and author Tamler Sommers.

"People within honor cultures are very concerned about how they're perceived within their group…They have certain emotions like pride and shame, that are more highly attuned to the perceptions of other people and where they stand."

Today we get philosophical with Tamler Sommers. Tamler is Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of Houston, specializing in moral philosophy. Tamler also hosts the podcast Very Bad Wizards, a psychological and philosophical discussion of human nature (and other interesting topics)(with a lot of dirty jokes, if you're into that kind of thing.) And, finally, he's the author of A Very Bad Wizard: Morality Behind the Curtain, a collection of interviews Tamler did with philosophers and psychologists. If you like this episode, the book will be right up your alley.

Today's episode takes us to the philosophic discussion of free will and moral responsibility. What kind of creatures must we be in order to be fully responsible for our actions? Does the ability to deliberate, plan, and act make us morally responsible? Is there a non-material "will" that governs our actions, or is everything in the universe made of physical "stuff?"

We'll also talk about Tamler's current research topic: honor culture. Here we'll learn about the role of honor in shaping particular cultures, as well as how honor is less revered in some cultures (like the U.S.). Do cultures suffer from a lack of honor? Can the value and importance of honor help shape a culture or society in a more positive way? How can these lessons be applied to businesses operating in the real world?

We'll also talk about modern academia; analytic philosophy versus continental philosophy; religion, and Orthodox Judaism.

Links from today's episode:

• Tamler is @tamler on Twitter
• Tamler's podcast is Very Bad Wizards
• Tamler's book: A Very Bad Wizard

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 44 of Products of the Mind. In this episode, I provide a brief intro to Trade Secret law.

This Episode Includes

• A definition of Trade Secrets.
• Description of "Negative" Trade Secrets.
• How long do Trade Secrets last?
• Legal protection for Trade Secrets.
• How do you file a Trade Secret? (Spoiler: you don't.)
• How to protect Trade Secrets.
• What happens when a Trade Secret is breached?
• Trade secret licensing.

If there was anything in this episode that wasn't perfectly clear, or something you'd like me to expand on, please let me know.

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

As always, the music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 43 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with Comic-Con fan, blogger, fashion designer for Hero Within, and foster parent Tony Kim.

"Ultimately we believe that everyone has a hero within themselves. We all have the capacity to lead and inspire and save, and to be a source of inspiration for others."

Tony talks about growing up, and his relationship with comic-book superheroes. We get first-hand insight into the unique personal and cultural identity issues associated with minorities who "go nerd." Tony talks about how his identity issues strengthened his relationship with comics, drove him toward his current successes, and reinforced his beliefs.

We'll also discuss the Comic-Con culture and how it has changed over the years; bloggers; the need for heroes; fostering and adoption; and the fascinating relationship between orphans and superheroes.

Since being a parent and full time Comic-Con supporter was not enough for Tony, he'll also tell us his inspiration for Hero Within, his new hero-inspired clothing line for men.

This and more on today's fun chat with Tony Kim.

Links from today's episode:

• Hero Within Store
• Tony's Blog
• Tony is @Crazy4ComicCon on Twitter
• Tony's brand is @HeroWithinInc on Twitter and herowithininc on Instagram & Facebook

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 42 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with clinical psychologist, cosplay enthusiast, and life-long Batman fan: Dr. Andrea Letamendi.

"It's important for us to see mental health representation from the point of a superhero experiencing that psychological struggle, but also from the perspective of mental health providers who could be demonstrating an accurate and positive portrayal of mental health delivery."

Today's talk is with clinical psychologist Dr. Andrea Letamendi. Andrea is not merely a psychologist; she's a lover of all things comics and superheroes, a cosplay enthusiast, and a tremendous resource into the mind of a superhero.

Andrea discusses a number of interesting topics related to identity, the ego, mental health, and trauma. Her experience and training as a mental health professional allow her to make psychoanalytic insights into the lives of people and fictitious characters alike. Just as in the real world, the superhero world has a psychological side-story that may not always be accessible or identifiable; and Andrea helps us get into the mind of superheroes and people alike.

Andrea touches on questions such as: What goes on in the mind of a cosplayer? Do superheroes experience trauma and how do they deal with them? What kind of identify conflicts do real people and superheroes experience? Do we properly balance our different identities or do our different identities meld to form our true selves?

We'll also talk a bit about podcasting, Comic-Con, and how Andrea made her way into an issue of Batgirl.

Links from today's episode:

• Andrea's site
• Andrea's podcast
• Andrea is @ArkhamAsylumDoc on Twitter

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 41 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with Charles Brownstein, Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

"It's important to be able to disagree and offend…Its more important to have the opportunity to be wrong or to have the opportunity to be offended than to go through life where nothing challenges or nothing has a rough edge. "

Free speech and censorship are the topics of today's episode. Charle has been the Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) since 2002.

Charles gives us some background on how and when he became interested in both comics and free-speech issues, beginning in childhood with movies like Pump up the Volume and Batman (1989). Charles discusses growing up in the 90's, and interviewing artists such as Frank Miller, Alan Moore, and Will Eisner for a magazine he published in high school.

Most of this interview focuses on the problem of censorship, and how First Amendment rights are at risk as a result of print-media protests. We'll discuss a number of historic free-speech cases from the last 20 years, and Charles will talk about the importance of protecting speech rights regardless of how a piece of art makes someone feel. Charles covers vulgarity in comic books, school library books of "sensitive nature," and why Manga is not child pornography. Lastly, we discuss the "chilling effect" or the psychological impact censoring acts have on artists and art culture, and the importance of protecting free speech at all costs.

Links and notable mentions from today's episode:

• Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF)
• Lenny Bruce
• ACLU Director remembers Burt Joseph
• CBLDF article covering Zap Comix lawsuit
• A Short History of Comics Censorship
• This One Summer

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 40 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with journalist and world traveler Elizabeth MacBride.

"I remember landing in Amman, Jordan and just being amazed at how beautiful it was and how friendly the people were, and that is something that holds true across the Middle East; it's beautiful and the people are nice."

Today's discussion is with journalist and writer Elizabeth MacBride.

Elizabeth talks about the progression of her journalism career; beginning with how covering the Amish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania led her to a life-changing trip to Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 1997.

Elizabeth also shares some of her more visceral journalism experiences such as reporting on persecuted Marsh Arabs and visiting hospitals in Bagdad where cancer medicine was banned by Saddam Hussein as a response to political and economic sanctions.

After being exposed to the beauty of the Middle East, Elizabeth began focusing more on marginalized and minority groups and how these groups are a rising entrepreneurial force. Elizabeth writes extensively on Middle Eastern economics and entrepreneurship, and we'll discuss a few of her findings in this interview including a report on women refugee entrepreneurs in post-Arab Spring cultures.

We'll also hear about the role of dignity in entrepreneurship, the Iranian economy, overcoming market challenges for entrepreneurs, and how political and economic challenges (such as sanctions) shape entrepreneurship and vice-versa.

This and more today with Elizabeth MacBride.

Links and notable mentions from today's episode:

• Elizabeth's site
• Elizabeth's articles for The Atlantic
• Seven Reasons Iran could become an Entrepreneurial Powerhouse
• Elizabeth's page on Forbes.com
• Rumi
• Petra, Jordan

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 39 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with radio host, political commentator, and author Bill Press.

"It was a very exciting time to be there. There was just a lot going on. (The Bay Area) was really the center of political activism in the entire country. "

Bill reminisces on his life in politics and tells the story of how he got there. From majoring in philosophy and theology and joining the seminary, we'll hear how this potential priest ended up in California's Bay Area during 1967's "Summer of Love."

Bill talks about living California at the height of the state's political and social activism. We'll hear about his first roles in the political realm: covering McCarthy and (Robert) Kennedy in 1968, LBJ's resignation, and the anti-Vietnam war protests.

We'll also get the inside track on the progression of Bill's career: from working for California Governor Jerry Brown in the 70's, to hosting CNN's Crossfire, to covering national politics in Washington and traveling with Obama.

Don't miss out on this brief but interesting interview!

Links and notable mentions from today's episode:

• Bill's Show
• Bill's book Buyer's Remorse

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 38 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with artist and singer/front man for the Cholo Goth band Prayers, Leafar Sayer.

"I'm the type of person that lives multiple realities simultaneously…I've been able to adapt in a way that's not false, it's authentic and it's real. "

Stories of the lives of artists are always interesting, and today's story is no exception. I sat down with Leafar Sayer: author, singer, restaurant owner, and gang-member.

Leafar describes his childhood in Sherman Heights San Diego, and how he joined a street gang in order to save his dad's life. He also gives us privileged insight to gang culture, and how the culture and structure shapes its members. Leafar also recalls his life of trauma and how it helped solidify his love for (and shape his path towards) the arts.

Leafar discusses the role of art and music in his journey. We also hear about his influences and how he helped create the genre known as Cholo Goth. We'll hear about the success of Prayers; Leafar's love and admiration for his bandmate Dave Parley; and about how Leafar manages to successfully lead so many different artistic and entrepreneurial lives.

This and much more on today's episode with Leafar Sayer.

Links and notable mentions from today's episode:

• Pokez Restaurant
• Pet Shop Boys
• cdbaby
• Ian Astbury
• Black Leather video by Prayers, featuring Kat Von D
• Cholo Goth

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 37 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with baseball writers, podcasters, and temporary professional baseball team overlords Ben Lindbergh & Sam Miller.

Ben and Sam are the authors of The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team. Their book tells the story of how two Internet-based baseball writers ended up running the Sonoma Stompers, an independent league professional baseball team.

It turns out that their book is about a lot more than baseball. In this interview, Ben and Sam tell us some of what they learned about management, team building, and how to convince a room full of skeptical people to try out some unorthodox ideas.

They also talk about how one of their games made national news and ended up being memorialized in the Baseball Hall of Fame after a pitcher they'd signed, Sean Conroy, became the first active pro ballplayer to come out as gay.

Plus: life in the politically incorrect environment of a baseball clubhouse, how much of the 2009 Yankees' World Championship Ben attributes to his efforts as an intern for the team (spoiler: not much), and were they afraid their book was going to suck?

Links and notable mentions from today's episode:

• The book's website, with previews, photos, video, and all kinds of bonus material.
• Ben Lindbergh is @benlindbergh on Twitter
• Sam Miller is @sammillerbp on Twitter
• Here's the iTunes link for their daily baseball podcast, Effectively Wild
• The Sonoma Stompers website

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram