RE:Productivity

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

From the challenges of raising curious kids to scaling Mars simulations and building hardware prototypes, hosts Christine Corbett Moran and Casey Handmer dive into a whirlwind of creativity, productivity, and life as parents on a mission. Whether it's simulating space elevators, exploring AI for kids, crafting non-alcoholic cocktails, or hiking with heavy weights at night, this podcast is a deep dive into the intersection of parenting and innovation. Featuring discussions on tech, philosophy, books, and the occasional digression into shipbuilding history or chess strategies, this episode is par for the course in the Corbett-Handmer household. Tune in for updates, insights, and plenty of laughs.

Links and Resources Mentioned:

• Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson (Amazon )
• Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson (Amazon)
• Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (Amazon)
• Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller (Amazon)
• Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger by Charles T. Munger (Amazon)
• Acquired Podcast (Website)
• Founders Podcast (Website)
• OpenAI (Website)
• Data Button (Website)

• Chess.com (Website)
• Henry J. Kaiser - Explore his life and contributions (Wikipedia)

Today I talk with Kara Linse Buckley https://www.karabuckley.com/about, Kara currently works with U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Properties, representing commercial rights for Team USA and LA 2028 where she develops innovative new commercial strategies to help athletes and sponsors. Kara is also a mom of 2.

In this episode we chat how the arc of the pandemic and global climate has shaped our relationship to productivity, work, and our families while speculating about the changes the future may bring.

Editing note: Kara's audio for the first 8 minutes is a little more challenging than the rest of the podcast. Stick with us, it gets better, and I'll get better at phone call recording next time! 

In this episode I review what has worked for me so far in 2022 in terms of bringing changes that meet me at where I am in my life, and take me to where I want to go. To do that I've had to increase reflection, find new catalysts, change the units on my habits, bundle them, unbundle them, track them, and sometimes change the intensity. I've come a long way even in a month or so, and you can join me for my journey and take inspiration (or lessons learned) to yours.

We talk about recent productivity reads, New Year's intentions, and self publishing. We talk about baby sleep and toddler playtime. 

We talk electronic music and unicyling and parenting in the pandemic in our first podcast post parenting! Since we last talked we've had two children.