RE:Productivity

Show Notes

Terraform's new blog post - Casey's Terraform 2.0 announcement and job postings

Palladium Magazine - Why Starship Matters - Casey's article on what Starship means

Beast Academy - Math enrichment program

UNSW Math Enrichment - University math problems

Modern Relationships Podcast - Agnes and Arnold - Episode with Agnes and Arnold discussed

Your Undivided Attention - Cult deprogramming - Podcast on cult deprogramming

Dwarkesh Podcast - Scott Alexander - Scott Alexander's first podcast appearance

Situational Awareness blog - Leopold's blog on AI safety

Christine’s create a home biolab blogpost update

Chopin Nocture in C-sharp minor, Op. Posthum.

In this week's episode, Christine and Casey dive into their recent adventures and intellectual pursuits. Christine shares highlights from Jeff Bezos' exclusive MARS conference (Machine learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space), including fascinating encounters with colossal mammoth revival efforts, fusion energy breakthroughs, and quantum consciousness theories. Casey discusses his explorations in creating custom watch faces for his new Garmin device. The conversation expands into thoughtful discussions on education systems around the world, examining Finland, South Korea, and America's approaches to gifted education, teacher quality, and standardized testing. They debate college admissions philosophies, curriculum rigor, and the value of challenging young minds with unsolved problems. The episode concludes with reflections on media consumption, journalism ethics, and the importance of truth-seeking in reporting.

MARS Conference - Jeff Bezos' invite-only event focusing on Machine learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space

Colossal - Company working on woolly mammoth de-extinction through genetic engineering

ZAP Energy - Fusion energy company using Z-pinch technology

Signal Messaging - Mentioned in context of recent news coverage

The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley - Examining education systems in Finland, South Korea, and Poland

Genius Denied by Jan and Bob Davidson - About education for gifted students

The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller (not recommended by hosts)

Longitude by Dava Sobel - Historical account of the longitude problem

Sharing Space by Cady Coleman - Autobiography of NASA astronaut

The Voyage of the Southern Sun by Michael Smith - Account of recreating the historic flying boat route from Australia to England

The Tech God Complex: Why We Need to Be Skeptics - Podcast

Acquired Rolex Episode - Episode on Rolex 

No, poor people aren’t funding your credit card rewards (Complex Systems Podcast) - Patrick Mackenzie's podcast on payment systems and complex systems

Off-Nominal and Main Engine Cut Off - Space industry podcasts

Tilt Parenting- TPP 178: The Davidson Institute on Supporting & Educating Profoundly Gifted Children - Podcast about raising neurodivergent kids

The Davidson Institute - Resources for gifted education

Magnus Carlsen Interview on Lex Fridman

Customizing Monkey C SDK for wearable devices

Beast Academy (from Art of Problem Solving) - Math curriculum for advanced students

The Collatz Conjecture - An unsolved mathematical problem discussed when talking about challenging gifted students

Note-Our audio was challenging this week! We did our best to postprocess to improve, and we promise the backlog is higher quality listening.

This week, hosts Casey Handmer and Christine Corbett Moran share stories from their recent family road trip to Las Vegas for a cousin's wedding. They discuss the efficiency of Vegas weddings, touring the Hoover Dam and its impressive Art Deco design, and experiencing the technological marvel of The Sphere. The conversation explores engineering history through the lens of Henry Kaiser's accomplishments, biohacking experiments, professional achievements, and Casey's ongoing Mars terraforming project. 

• Sure Thing Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas

• Touring the Hoover Dam and learning about its Art Deco architecture

• Visiting the Great Unconformity geological formation

• Exploring the National Atomic Testing Museum

• Experiencing The Sphere and its "Postcard from Earth" show by Darren Aronofsky

• Discussion of Western Colossus (Kaiser biography)

• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (book club selection; Christine does not recommend though)

• Bayesian Conspiracy podcast - "Super Babies" episode

• Founders Podcast - Henry Kaiser Episode

• Cost of Glory Podcast

  Modern Relationships podcast with Eric Weinstein

Show notes:

Bento Lab - Portable DNA analysis lab with centrifuge, gel electrophoresis, and PCR machine

Bio Bits - Kits for demonstrating protein synthesis with fluorescent indicators

Shannon-Hartley theorem - Information theory concept discussed related to signal transmission

Rock climbing for kids - REI resource about climbing with children

The Martian - Book referenced during discussion of radio communications from Mars

Joule-Thomson effect - Physics concept mentioned regarding gas expansion

Blue Ghost lunar lander - Recent moon landing discussed

Starship test flights - SpaceX's Starship development program

Erica DeBenedictis' work - Research on microbial tolerance to Martian environments

Moving Mars - Science fiction book by Greg Bear

Habit Chaining - Productivity concept mentioned

IKEA Poäng chairs - Mentioned as ideal reading chairs

Street Parking - Modified CrossFit workout program Christine uses

The French Laundry Cookbook - High-end cookbook Christine purchased

After Meat - Book about bioreactor technology

Acquired Podcast: Lockheed Martin episode - Podcast Christine is listening to

Banff Mountain Film Festival - Film festival they attended with their children

The Weirdest People in the World - Book by Joseph Henrich

Guns, Germs, and Steel - Book by Jared Diamond

The Machiavellians - Book by James Burnham

His Majesty's Dragon - Historical fantasy novel with dragons

Red Mars - Book by Kim Stanley Robinson about Mars colonization

28C3 Cellular protocol stacks for Internet (Harald Walte) - (Video)

How to Set Up a Home Biohacking Lab for Education - Christine’s blogpost

In this week's episode, we explore Christine's new adventures in biohacking and home biology experiments, including plans for a PCR machine and DNA analysis. Casey shares detailed insights from his recent visit to SpaceX's Starbase, discussing the facility's impressive growth and the technical challenges of Mars colonization. The conversation weaves through topics from DNA structure to educational approaches for children, while touching on historical figures and the evolution of dating technology.

Links:

Lost in Math by Sabine Hossenfelder

Beast Academy - Math education program

The Amoeba Sisters - Biology education resources

Bento Lab - Portable DNA analysis laboratory

Biotechnology 101

Bacterial CRISPR and Fluorescent Yeast Combo Kit 

BioBits - Educational biology kits

SpaceX Starbase - SpaceX's launch facility

Everyday Astronaut's Starbase Tour

Dwarkesh Podcast with Jeff Dean

TSMC Founder Interview on Acquired

Valentine's Day reflections: single women in STEM into single men in STEM

Henry Parkes

Scientific Concepts:

Histones - Proteins that help organize DNA

Karyotype - Chromosomal display

PCR Machine - DNA/RNA amplification technology

Gel Electrophoresis - DNA/RNA separation technique

Nuclear Reactors for Mars and Career Management (W6 2025)

In this rain-soaked LA episode, Casey and Christine explore diverse topics from nuclear reactor design for Mars bases to the evolution of AI capabilities and career advice. The conversation weaves through Finland's unique energy landscape, the challenges of seasonal power storage, and innovative solutions using sand for thermal storage. They discuss the intersection of AI and professional development, share insights on productivity consulting, and debate the optimal size for growing engineering teams. The episode wraps with reflections on personal productivity systems and recent media consumption.

• Energy & Infrastructure [00:05:00]
• AI & Technology [00:35:00]
• Career Development & Management [00:55:00]
• Productivity & Business Growth [01:15:00]

Links 

• https://liberationlabs.com
• Industrial Biotechnology Commercialization Handbook, How to make proteins without animals and fuels or chemicals without crude oil
• Acquired, Microsoft Volume II
• https://modernrelationships.fm
• First Landing 
• Master and Commander series
• Stuff you should have been taught in college but weren’t (Casey Blog)
• Productivity Consultation (Christine)
  

In this wide-ranging discussion, Casey and Christine explore recent projects and interests, from Mars launch window calculations to precision fermentation technology. The conversation covers space exploration, particularly SpaceX's Starship development and its implications for Mars colonization. They discuss Christine's renewed newsletter project, language learning preparations, and her exploration of alternative protein technologies. The episode also touches on topics like personal productivity systems, piano practice, and reflections on hardware startups versus software development.

Books:

• Clean Meat
• Writing Irresistible Kid Lit
• Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
• Five Levels of Gifted
• The Wild Robot

Podcasts:

• 80,000 Hours - Alternative Proteins Episode
• Acquired - LVMH
• Acquired - Nintendo
• Acquired - Hermès
• Complex Systems Podcast - 2024 Year in Review with Sammy Cottrell

Music:

• Jan Lisiecki's Performance Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor
• About Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor

Companies & Organizations:

• Good Food Institute
• SpaceX
• BYD (Build Your Dream)
• Y Combinator
• Beehiiv

Technical References:

• Liberty Ships & Richmond Shipyards Historical Info
• Precision Fermentation Technology Overview

Re:Productivity Podcast - Week 3, 2025

In this episode, Christine and Casey discuss their recent evacuation experience during the LA wildfires, exploring themes of emergency preparedness, community resilience, and the aftermath of natural disasters. They share personal insights about family dynamics during crisis situations, reflections on urban planning and fire prevention, and their impromptu journey to Palm Springs and the Salton Sea, weaving together discussions about infrastructure, technology, and parenting.

"The Salton Sea lives rent free in my brain. When it's full, it's 240 feet below sea level, but historically, that's an anomaly. Over the last 1000 years, it was actually mostly full – and by full, I mean 40 feet above sea level. Like really high up. You can see the water line. It would go from completely full to completely dry in about ten years. And then remain dry. You stand on the edge of it, and you think this is not a puddle – it's a sea. The shoreline is 110 miles. For an absolute environmental festering hellhole, it was actually pretty nice. And now we're thinking: what if we turned it into the world's largest swimming pool?"

Media and Books mentioned:

Watch Duty app

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Becoming Trader Joe by Joe Coulombe

The Wild Robot series by Peter Brown

The Settler Sea by Traci Brynne Voyles

Richer, Wiser, Happier by William Green

Live Players podcast

Complex Systems podcast

Acquired podcast (Microsoft episode one and Microsoft episode two)

Chopin’s Nocturne in C sharp minor

The Los Angeles Wildfires are Self Inflicted blogpost by Casey Handmer

Re:Productivity Podcast - Episode 1, 2025 Summary

In our first episode of 2025, we dive into our recent activities, from 3D printing train whistles to exploring the complexities of hardware manufacturing and global supply chains. We discuss parenting in the digital age, share thoughts on the limitations of school-provided technology, and debate the future of manufacturing and strategic resources. The conversation ranges from technical deep-dives into Mars colonization literature to practical discussions about New Year's resolutions and the challenges of running hardware startups. We also touch on historical infrastructure projects, vaccine development, and the evolving landscape of global industrial production.

Show Notes Books & Media Mentioned:

• Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger
• Red Mars (and the Mars Trilogy) by Kim Stanley Robinson
• Seven Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy by Hamilton Helmer
• Becoming Trader Joe by Joe Coulombe
• Three Habit Chaining — Productivity concept
• Acquired Podcast episodes:
  • IKEA
  • Amazon
  • Walmart

Kids Educational Resources:

• Beast Academy (Art of Problem Solving)
• Ubuntu for kids' computing

Historical Documentaries:

• Building the Hoover Dam
• Liberty Ships & the Richmond Shipyards

Projects & Technology:

• 3D printed train whistle designs
• The Salton Sea restoration project
• Signal Messaging
• PGP Key Management

Christine Corbett Moran and Casey Handmer discuss a fascinating blend of parenting, productivity, and ambitious projects in this episode of Re:productivity. They delve into Casey's involvement in decoding ancient scrolls, highlighting the painstaking process of using cutting-edge AI and imaging technology to uncover lost texts. The conversation transitions into ambitious visions for addressing water scarcity in the American West through large-scale desalination projects, with dreams of terraforming new lakes and cities.

Christine shares her ongoing project to design an AI-powered hardware device for kids, blending interactive learning with innovative robotics. Reflecting on their parenting journey, they highlight the joys and surprises of raising three children, and the ways additional kids can enhance family dynamics.

The duo also explores broader themes, including the inefficiencies of bureaucracies, lessons from historical urban design, and the potential for future AI applications in parenting and societal problem-solving.

Books, blogs, podcasts, and websites discussed:

• ​Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charles T. Munger — A collection of speeches and talks by Charlie Munger, offering insights into his investment strategies and life philosophies. View on Amazon
• ​Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro — A dystopian novel exploring the lives of students at a mysterious boarding school, delving into themes of memory, identity, and the ethics of human cloning. View on Amazon
• ​Henry J. Kaiser: Western Colossus by Albert P. Heiner — A biography detailing the life of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, known for his significant contributions to shipbuilding and construction during World War II. View on Amazon
• ​Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner — An examination of water management in the American West, discussing the environmental and political challenges associated with water scarcity. View on Amazon
• ​Acquired Podcast — A show that delves into the stories behind companies, exploring how they were built and the lessons learned along the way. Visit Acquired.fm. Episodes: IKEA, Amazon, MARS, AWS
• ​Casey’s Blog Posts — Explore Casey’s Writing
• ​Galaxy Zoo (Crowdsourced Citizen Science) — A platform that enables the public to assist in classifying galaxies, contributing to scientific research in astronomy. Explore the Zooniverse and Galaxy Zoo