Red Queen Podcast Red Queens

How the Red Queen Podcast got its name.
We're not just glamorous ladies into chess. Our inspiration comes from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. Specifically, the moment where Alice meets the Red Queen...

Space is so back. And it’s not just because everyone’s favorite billionaires are getting in the ring. There are real scientific, technological, and military implications of our presence in space and it got us wondering–what is the history of the organization that first got us there–NASA? And what do we have to learn from an institution that undertook one of the most ambitious scientific and technological feats of all time…and then bogged itself down in so much bureaucracy that it promptly lost not only its budget from Congress, but also its luster as a symbol of progress and pride in our government? 
It’s time for a trio of space n00bs to go beyond “Houston, we have a problem” and get deep on the story of NASA. And space nerds, please go easy on us. We are very new to this.

(1:52) NASA Today
(4:38) Manifest Destiny & Exploration (1910 - 1958)
(10:15) Space Race, Competition, and the Founding of NASA (1958- 1980s)
(15:25) Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Getting a man on the friggin moon (1960-2000)
(38:39) NASA’s Identity Crisis (early 2000s)
(48:36) The Money Sucking Black Hole (2000s-2010s)
(1:04:37) Commercialization of Space (today)
(1:12:03) Operator Playbook
(1:16:28) The future of NASA?

Everyone has a LEGO story, but not that many people know the story of LEGO. So while we’ve always loved the toy, it wasn’t until we started researching for this episode that we became obsessed with the (still entirely family owned!) company. Yes, LEGO is the biggest and most profitable toy company in the world–nearly twice the size of Mattel. But what makes LEGO so lovable is how from day zero they have taken kids seriously and believed in learning through play. This vision is as real now as it was 91 years ago when LEGO was founded as a small woodshop in Billund, Denmark.
If you, too, would like to look at a brightly-colored 8x10mm plastic cuboid and see a spectacular tale of craft, vision, and creative constraints, then stick around for the story of LEGO.

(2:31) LEGO Today
(4:23) Bet the Shop. And a preponderance of fires (1916-1950)
(31:47) “System of Play” (1950 - 1990) 
(46:04) The Destructive Era (1990s - early 2000s)
(53:40) Back to the Brick & Last Honest People (2000s - 2010s)
(1:19:04) “Spaceship!!!!” LEGO in The Digital Age
(1:24:59) The future of LEGO?
(1:31:56) Operator Playbook