How This Works

Skipper Chong Warson

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PERSONAL JOURNALS

How This Works Podcast

A monthly rendezvous into a wide array of subjects with over 100 expert guests. Our second season is underway, offering even more captivating conversations on a plethora of subject matters. New episodes drop the last Tuesday each month — follow, subscribe, review, spread the word, join our exploration!

11/12/2023

Jen Dary

Back in August, Skipper had a conversation with Jen Dary about her personal experiences and insights on leadership coaching, the importance of self-awareness and belief in one's abilities, Plucky's So Now You're a Manager (SNYaM), navigating the publishing industry, and prioritizing self-care in the coaching profession. Other topics include: Jen shares her experience as the oldest of three kids and how it influences her leadership style and ability to empathize with others (it might play it yours as well, dear listener) She highlights the importance of identifying a specific niche in coaching and how coaching is different from consulting Jen emphasizes the importance of setting a finite amount of time for coaching and encourages clients to come as long as they need and go when they're ready She primarily works with clients in technology, including engineers, designers, product managers, professors, academics, and doctors, with a majority of them being women Jen reflects on the importance of understanding one's purpose of work and encourages listeners to measure their current job against that purpose She talks more about So Now You're a Manager (SNYaM), a manager training program that she's developed at Plucky currently modeled after a part-time MBA plus, the importance of community and connection in learning, and the challenges of remote training Jen has observed a trend of people in the tech industry expressing a desire to retire earlier and wanting to "do their own thing" She talks about recently watching "The Andy Warhol Diaries," a six episode Netflix series, and having a greater understanding of the '70s and '80s Stay tuned until the end for an outtake around speaking French to a stranger on the train in front of her sons Special Guest: Jen Dary. Links: PluckyPlucky's So Now You're a ManagerThe Andy Warhol Diaries — In 2022, a Netflix series (titled after Warhol's 1989 book) puts on center stage the life and emotions of the artist after he was shot in 1968. The six episodes utilize Resemble AI and original recordings as Warhol narrates his own diary entries, accompanied by a cast of characters, including his friend Pat Hackett.Plucky's InstagramJen's InstagramDay Of Big Dreaming — Avail from today to end of January 2024, recommendedSNYaM 2024 — There are currently two (2) virtual So Now You're A Manager cohorts planned in 2024, dates are TBA, interested folks should pre-registerPlucky's podcast — This season, released earlier this year, featured eight (8) different mentors on a variety of topics, like negotiation, allyship, performance reviews, first impressions and more

1h 3m
03/11/2023

Karen Faith

Karen's personal and professional journey exploring different forms of art, including classical music and site-specific contemporary performance art Empathy and storytelling in design, perspective taking, and understanding the difference between empathy and caring The struggle with showing empathy towards oneself and the importance of non-judgment The concept of being an "a*****e" in social situations and intentional adjustment The unintended consequences of Karen's work on compassion and caring The virtue of patience and its role in creating oneness Practicing love and accepting all things without hierarchy or morality The idea of helpfulness versus rightness and an example of a deer The tagline for Others Unlimited and its focus on empathy, research, collaboration, and citizenship Exploring the relationship between mercy and justice The metaphor of polishing a rough gem and the importance of perspective-taking The importance of empathy, active listening, and being present Accepting others as they are and embracing the truth for personal growth The second season of FX's "The Bear" and the idea of watching television as a kind of babysitter A surprising answer from Karen to the question, "Imagine you unexpectedly had a day off, money was no object, you could bend the laws of space and time, what would you do?" Stay tuned for a bit of tape at the end where Karen and Skipper talk about one's "need to be right." Note from TED: Karen's talk linked below contains a discussion of suicidal ideation. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please consult a mental health professional and/or support organization, as this talk is not a substitute for mental health advice. If you are struggling with self-destructive or suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to connect with someone who can help. Special Guest: Karen Faith. Links: Others UnlimitedKaren's TEDx talk, "How to talk to the worst parts of yourself" around the subject of Unconditional WelcomeKaren's recorded workshop session on Empathy for A**holes at CreativeMorningsDesign Matters with Debbie Millman: Alex Bogusky and John BielenbergKaren talks to Joe Reichert on More Wiser about ethnography and everything else

1h 8m
30/05/2023

Zolt Levay

Zolt Levay is a photographer who has produced astronomical images from the Hubble Space Telescope and has spent a career describing the process of producing engaging color images from Hubble data. Now, he has his sights set on matters closer to home, working on more terrestial matters. During this conversation, Skipper and Zolt talk about how images are produced from the Hubble Space Telescope, the importance of being curious, how professional telescopes don't "see" in color, the size of 24 million soda straws, Ansel Adams, the notion of time travel, and his more recent hobby of astrophotography. Stay tuned until the end for a clip on how to pronounce Zolt's first and last name the Hungarian way. Special Guest: Zolt Levay. Links: Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)The NASA Hubble Space TelescopeRGB color modelThe Pillars of CreationCarina NebulaAnsel AdamsSky & Telescope - astrophotography tipsCloudyNights.comMauna Kea ObservatoriesCerro Tololo Inter-American ObservatoryAurora at Yellowknife, CanadaThe NASA James Webb Space TelescopeZolt Levay's photography siteZolt Levay's 2015 TEDx talk

53 min
19/05/2022

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong

The last time we talked with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, it was Dec 2020. Now, it's May 2022 — 17 months later. A lot has changed and in some ways it feels like nothing has changed. This time around, we get into current details around coronavirus/COVID, what's happening now/the current state, and what the future looks like. We recorded this episode over two sessions and along the way we get into many topics, including the notion of reinfections (more and more common with Omicron), how the testing numbers may not reflect actual cases with more and more home testing (and some people not testing at all), how an at-home test is different than a PCR test, and the current slate of variants — BA.1, BA.2, BA2.12.1, BA.4, BA.5, XE, etc. We also touch on COVID therapies including Paxlovid, an oral antiviral treatment, and Evusheld, monoclonal antibodies. As well, we talked about some of what Dr. Chin-Hong is concerned about in the future — including avian flu and influenza along with the idea that diseases like valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) have been creeping up over the last few years because we as humans are settling into areas (more rural, for instance) that large groups of us haven't been before. And then, we end the show by talking about his work as a professor of medicine and educator at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) — what teaching medicine has looked like the last few years with students (and teachers) as little blobs on a screen. Stay tuned until the end of the episode for a longer bit about the flu that didn't really have a place anywhere else. Special Guest: Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. Links: SF Chronicle: How California’s COVID numbers compare to the last time its mask mandate was liftedPBS News Hour: Dr. Fauci on why the U.S. is ‘out of the pandemic phase’ — Originally posted Apr 26, 202213 things to know about Paxlovid, the latest COVID-19 pillThe Guardian: Why are there so many new Omicron subvariants, like BA.4 and BA.5? Is the virus mutating faster?The Commonwealth Fund: Impact of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts: An Update on Averted Deaths, Hospitalizations, and Health Care Costs Through March 2022Evusheld Antibody Treatment for COVID-191918-1920 flu epidemicFaculty Interview: Peter Chin-Hong, MDPeter Chin-Hong Explores Identity and History in 2021 Last Lecture

52 min
15/06/2021

Skipper Chong Warson

Recorded in their child's bedroom on a weekday, Laura and Skipper chat about his academic background in writing (English literature, playwriting) as well as his professional background as a product design director (think desktop and mobile apps among other mediums) and how that plays into storytelling, most recently resulting in the creation of How This Works, this podcast. They also talk about their life together — newsflash: they're married and living in the San Francisco Bay area, having moved from New York City a couple of years ago. Along the way, they get into some of the differences between life in SF and NYC. They also talk about their upcoming wedding anniversary after getting married next to Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Along with talk about his name change from Starr to Skipper (and not Optimus Prime) at the age of seven, they bring in a few questions posed from the listening audience including lessons learned from the first season of the show, calling people the name they want to be called, how crucial listening is in making a podcast, the ubiquity of imposter syndrome, using the five (5) whys to get to the root cause of a challenge as developed by Sakichi Toyoda at the Toyota Motor Corporation, team falling asleep during movies versus team staying awake during movies, and why Skipper color codes versus alphabetizing the books in his background — see photo below. View of the three shelves behind Skipper's standing desk Laura and Skipper also reference the following previous episodes, in order of being published, including: Jack Kahana, the first episode Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, the third episode Selena Rosanbalm, the sixth episode Cassandra Carlopio, the 15th episode Kat Hantas and Nicole Emanuel from 21Seeds, the 17th episode Sally McRae, the 18th episode Piper Payne, the 20th episode Stay tuned after the outro music for a bit of tape where Skipper pauses for a bit of background noise and how from where Laura's sitting, the microphone makes it looks like his nose is a black bit of foam. Special Guest: Skipper Chong Warson. Links: American Museum of Natural History in New York CityHow to move across the country with design thinking, pt. 1 of 2How to move across the country with design thinking, pt. 2 of 2Making "Black Sabbath" and "Paranoid"Design Voices from Fjord‎Fjord Fika on Apple podcastsImposter syndromeStarbar"Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm GladwellJane's Carousel1922 Ohio carousel in Brooklyn besieged by SandyDetermine The Root Cause: 5 WhysWhy do many mistakenly think human blood is sometimes blue?SNL season 46 finale cold open - What I Remember About this Year‎John Wick (2014)‎The Matrix (1999)Keanu ReevesThe Mosquito Coast on Apple TV+‎The Mosquito Coast (1986)The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux‎The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)‎Wireframe with Adobe’s Khoi VinhInvisibilia from NPR99% InvisibleAdrianne Lenker (from Big Thief)PrinceJapanese BreakfastBillie EilishBTSBTS performs 'Fix You' (Coldplay cover) from MTV UnpluggedBLACKPINKCustom lathe cut vinyl records from Vinylus"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen RussellIntro and outro song: "Zombie Nation" by Jose Travieso

1h 8m
07/06/2021

Call for questions

Tomorrow, we're recording the last episode of the first season where we turn the tables and Skipper's wife Laura asks him the questions. Go to Instagram @howthisworksshow to reply directly to the story or email us at howthisworksshow@gmail.com. Thanks so much!

1 min
01/06/2021

Sarah Sudhoff

Skipper talks to Sarah Sudhoff about how she works as an artist, her background as a photographer, arts administrator, and photo editor — and how all of that plays into her work today. Recorded late on a Sunday night, Skipper and Sarah talk about her identity as being half Cuban, how she got her first camera in the fifth grade, how being in a military family influenced her world and personality at a young age, being both the science nerd and the jock, and how she studied astronomy in college before she decided to pursue photography as her bachelor's degree — though she'd really like to work with NASA still. Following that, she worked for Citysearch before landing at Time magazine and received a M.F.A. in Photography from Parsons School of Design in New York. We get into how she wears many hats as an artist, how she multi-tasks as a single parent in her home life, how she collaborates in her work with others, and the necessary resilience of applying for as well as receiving/being rejected for exhibitions, grants, endowments, and fellowships. She and Skipper also talk about the notion of making daunting life decisions at 19 versus 29 or 39. We also talk about several of her works in particular: Point of Origin, her most recent El Recuerdo project which started as a response to Deborah Brown’s paintings but then evolved to be a tribute to her grandmother and Sarah's biracial heritage, The Reading Brain, 60 Pounds of Pressure, Will You Hug me Forever, and her upcoming work Labor Pains. Video from El Recuerdo: Rope by Sarah Sudhoff Video from El Recuerdo: Water by Sarah Sudhoff Sarah says that she's finally feeling worthy to apply for a Guggenheim and MoMA this year — to which we say, Break a leg! When pressed, she talks about how art is hard and her advice for her two children if they wanted to go into some kind of artistic profession. Stay tuned for a bit after the outro music where after Skipper rambles on for a bit and Sarah asks simply, What's the question? Special Guest: Sarah Sudhoff. Links: WAVESErika BlumenfeldRick WilliamsThe Daily TexanRick StengelParsonsSorority RushAnnie LeibovitzJames NachtweyAndrew HetheringtonPoint of OriginDr. James "Red" DukeDeborah Brown: Nomad ExquisiteEl RecuerdoEl Recuerdo: RopeWill You Hug Me Forever60 Pounds of PressureThe Reading BrainNancy Littlejohn Fine ArtJohn Simon Guggenheim Foundation - How to Apply"Contract with the Skin: Masochism, Performance Art, and the 1970s" by Kathy O'Dell Audiobook of "Becoming Supernatural" by Dr Joe DispenzaAudiobook of "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" by Dr Joe DispenzaSarah SudhoffIntro and outro song: "Zombie Nation" by Jose Travieso

1h 24m
20/04/2021

Piper Payne

This week, Skipper chats with Piper Payne, an audio mastering engineer. Currently based in Nashville, Tennessee, Piper starts off the episode with her professional introduction and then tells us "who she actually" is, including her being originally a Midwesterner, having three dogs, being an Aries, and her love of cheeseburgers. We talk about how if she wasn't a mastering engineer, she might be in some form of construction or maybe a carpenter. We get into how she's a drummer, starting when she was a "shrimpy kid", her technical music studies at the University of Michigan and then her graduate work in Norway, and working under Bob Katz and Michael Romanowski. Then, Piper dives into how she calibrates her mastering console with sine tones and noise, how music is mastered from a high level, her growing up on young country, her love of top 40 pop music, how vinyl records are made (think waffles), how musicians get paid (in the past and more recently), and the potential of non-fungible tokens to help artists get paid for their work as well as keep better track and make decisions about their efforts to tour, promote, and construct release plans. We also talk about some of the assumptions that people have about being a mastering engineer, how it's not alchemy. Below is a snapshot of the record shelves Piper mentions on the show as something she built recently that she's proud of: Stay tuned after the outro music to hear Skipper work out the right way to introduce Piper as an audio mastering engineer or a mastering engineer. Special Guest: Piper Payne. Links: AmplitudeFrequency balance or equalizationStereo imaging or stereophonic sound "If you're into vinyl, there might be tough times ahead" from Global News"How a fire in the Inland Empire could spell doom for the worldwide vinyl LP boom" from The Los Angeles Times"'This Is Disastrous': How the Vinyl Industry Is Responding to the Apollo Masters Fire" from Rolling Stone"Out Of The Apollo Masters Fire Emerges The Vinyl Record Manufacturers Association Of North America" from Forbes"Respect" as written by Otis Redding, performed and made infamous by Aretha Franklin on her double vinyl album, "Aretha"Beyoncé’s "Lemonade" Vinyl Mispressed With Songs by Canadian Punk Band Zex"Inside the Dirty Business of Hit Songwriting" from VarietyApple Music tells artists it now pays double than Spotify per stream"What is an NFT, and How Could it Help the Music Industry? A Guide" from Mixmag"So You Want to Mint an NFT: A Guide for Artists & Music Execs" from BillboardZoe Keating on "What Should I do about YouTube?"Zoë Keating's bioInfrasonic SoundChef, Restaurateur Sean Brock at HuskIntro and outro song: "Zombie Nation" by Jose Travieso

1h 14m

17/11/2020

Series trailer

On How This Works, we will talk to people about some topic that they know incredibly well. Earlier this year, the COVID-19 pandemic came upon us — shutting down workplaces, schools, and, basically, our lives came to a standstill. And with it came lots of questioning facts, opinions, and authority in general. And so, we wanted to find out more about how other people had come into their beliefs and how they've become an expert in their specific worlds. Maybe it's something they do for work, maybe it's a hobby, maybe it's something in between. All of that to say, we're going to talk to 100 people — some are folks we already know, many of whom we haven't met yet — and have them explain how this works, this being something they know very well. The first episode with Jake Kahana will launch on Dec 1, 2020. p.s. You know that feeling, of being so excited that you can hardly wait for the first day of school and yet you're so nervous you're afraid you're going to throw up? That's how we feel right now.

S1

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2 min

A monthly rendezvous into a wide array of subjects with over 100 expert guests. Our second season is underway, offering even more captivating conversations on a plethora of subject matters. New episodes drop the last Tuesday each month — follow, subscribe, review, spread the word, join our exploration!

Creator

Skipper Chong Warson
Years Active

2020 - 2023
Episodes

28
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2024 Octopus Pants
Show Website

How This Works