Design Exchange with Thomas Grové

Thomas Grové
  • 5.0 (2)
  • DESIGN

Thomas is a veteran of the video game industry and founder of the Séfu fashion brand. Join him as he interviews people around the world working in creative fields to find out what gets them out of bed in the morning. General topics include: Design, User Experience, Techno, Crypto, Cyberpunk, Making Things, Expat Life, Cultural Differences, Consciousness, and Zen. This podcast is also available as a video on Youtube.

  1. 02/24/2023

    DXP-030: Muho Noelke - What is a Zen Master?

    Episode Notes Muho Noelke is the former abbot of Antaiji, a Soto Zen monastery in Hyogo, Japan. He now makes jokes on Japanese Twitter while writing books and giving online lectures. I think this episode is great and if you've ever been curious about Zen or Buddhism, then you should watch the whole thing, lots of gems scattered throughout. This episode is also available to watch as a video podcast: https://youtu.be/0IU5AgLLeIo Muho's Links Muho's Twitter: https://twitter.com/MuhoNoelke Muho's German Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@muho Muho's English Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MuhoZen Antaiji Soto Zen Temple: https://antaiji.org/ Table of Contents 00:00:00 - A punch in the face. 00:01:28 - Intro 00:04:16 - Number One Misconception About Zen 00:09:44 - Quitting the Game: Karma in Early Buddhism vs Mahayana 00:19:58 - Revisionist History in Zen 00:26:21 - Is Zen Popular? Zen vs Christianity 00:37:16 - Inkan Shome, Shiho, and Darma Transmission 00:43:51 - Is it possible to attain enlightenment without Dharma Transmission? 00:48:07 - Ikkyu San 00:48:54 - Discord 00:50:09 - What is a Zen Master? 00:52:27 - Muho on Science Fiction 00:55:07 - The most recent thing that made Muho LoL. 00:57:02 - What language do you use as your inner voice? 01:04:04 - Where does consciousness exist? 01:10:03 - Science fiction part 2. 01:13:22 - No Self and Two Truths Doctrine 01:18:27 - Does a dog have Buddha Nature? This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-4b5077 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Design Exchange with Thomas Grové.

    1h 25m

  2. 12/07/2022

    DXP-029: Todd Sines - Imperfections in Art

    Imperfections in Art Todd Sines is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans from analog techno music production to commercial art direction. Todd is the founder and creative director of +Scale, an NYC-based production company, and Helic.al, a vinyl-first music label. This episode is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/dtda4j8hAk8 Todd's Links: https://scale.la/ https://www.facebook.com/toddsinesart https://soundcloud.com/sines https://bandcamp.com/search?q=todd%2Bsines Table of Contents: 00:00 - Teaser 00:24 - Intro 01:31 - Todd's life path 08:42 - Multiple creative interests 16:54 - Blemishes in Art 19:49 - All Analogue Music Process 24:43 - Multitrack sound recording 33:13 - The creative process 39:04 - Balance between creation and money 41:03 - Intersection of Art, Music, and Film

    46 min
  3. DXP-028: Jon Deragon - UX Design, Coffee Culture, and Living Life in Vietnam

    07/02/2021

    DXP-028: Jon Deragon - UX Design, Coffee Culture, and Living Life in Vietnam

    UX Design, Coffee Culture, and Living Life in Vietnam Jon is currently Head of FPT Design at FPT Software in Vietnam. In this beer-fueled conversation, we talk about design, but as often happens with beer, the topics veer more towards life, freedom versus safety, and living abroad. This episode is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/xQpp43z2_Ag Jon's Links: https://jonderagon.com/ https://cafescene.com/ Thomas's Links: My indie games: https://okipoo.com/ The best bag for the Nintendo Switch: https://sefu.jp/switch-bag Listen to the podcast: https://dxsaigon.com/podcast/ Table of Contents: 0:00:00 - Teaser 0:00:25 - Intro 0:01:51 - Jon's History in Vietnam 0:10:36 - Saigon's Dynamism 0:21:05 - Saigon's Evolution in Term of Design 0:26:43 - Concept of Countries and Borders in The Future 0:37:29 - Things as They Are in Local People's Perspective 0:42:46 - Effects of Vietnam on Jon's Skin and Ears 0:48:59 - The Dark Side of Globalization 0:53:45 - Consciousness vs Business 1:01:05 - Safety vs Freedom 1:13:55 - Safety vs "Being Alive" 1:20:25 - Summary 1:22:08 - Outro

    1h 23m
  4. DXP-027: Julien Noyer - Hypnotherapy, Super Heroes, and Productivity Myths

    06/06/2021

    DXP-027: Julien Noyer - Hypnotherapy, Super Heroes, and Productivity Myths

    Hypnotherapy, Super Heroes, and Productivity Myths Julien Noyer is a former VJ and motion graphics designer and currently a practicing hypnotherapist in France. Thomas caught up with Julien in Vietnam, before the pandemic started, to learn about hypnotherapy and to vent his neuroticism on camera ;) Julien's Links: https://julien-noyer.com/ https://www.facebook.com/julien.noyer.hypnotherapy/videos This episode is also available as a video: https://youtu.be/dEFhhwFD2XA Table of Contents: 0:01:02 - How Thomas met Julien 0:03:01 - Learning to become a hypnotherapist 0:10:36 - What is (and what is not) hypnotherapy 0:16:20 - Hypnotherapy session 0:25:20 - Hypnotherapy won't make you another person 0:28:41 - TIps for creative people 0:36:01 - About the feeling of not doing 0:44:11 - Ethics is relative 0:49:24 - Action movies and the Disneyfication of drama 0:56:59 - Leisure times 0:59:24 - Zen meditation and falling out of enlightenment 1:04:00 - Dealing with assholes: Curb Your Enthusiasm and driving in Vietnam 1:07:37 - Being too critical; Thomas's identity as a designer, growing beyond personality types 1:11:46 - Driving in Vietnam, communicating anger through actions 1:17:31 - Women and jealousy 1:23:53 - Constant change 1:26:07 - Outro

  5. DXP-026: Hiroshi Hachiga - Running a Climbing Gym in Japan

    08/23/2020

    DXP-026: Hiroshi Hachiga - Running a Climbing Gym in Japan

    Running a Bouldering Gym in Japan Hachi-san is the founder of Travis Bouldering Studio, located in Hirakata City, Osaka, Japan. This episode is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/gQ6NL3sfccU Hachi's Links: http://travisbouldering.com/ https://www.instagram.com/travis_bouldering_studio/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGgEH-9thyCDPFy2ADfuITg/videos Table of Contents: 0:00:00 - Start 0:00:29 - Intro 0:01:36 - The State of Japan During Corona Virus 0:06:46 - Opening a Climbing Gym After 1 Year of Practice 0:11:51 - Difficulties to Open a Climbing Gym 0:18:17 - Travis Bouldering Studio's Location 0:25:59 - Comparison with Other Climbing Gyms 0:30:31 - Lead Climbing 0:34:40 - Designing Climbing Walls 0:43:31 - Designing Climbing Routes 0:51:37 - Why Does Hachi Speak English? 1:01:19 - PayPay and Cash in Japan and Pricing at Travis Studio 1:08:41 - Customers' Habits 1:12:46 - Marketing Travis Bouldering Studio 1:14:12 - Outro Tags: bouldering, rock climbing, climbing gym, bouldering gym, Kansai, Japan, Osaka, Hirakatashi, entrepreneurship, design, podcast, design exchange, Hiroshi Hachi, Thomas Grové

    1h 15m
  6. DXP-025: Daryl Villanueva - The Business of Sci-Fi Motorbike Design

    08/05/2020

    DXP-025: Daryl Villanueva - The Business of Sci-Fi Motorbike Design

    The Business of Sci-Fi Motorbike Design Daryl Villanueva is the owner of Bandit9, a motorbike design company based in Vietnam. His designs are unlike any other bikes out there. In this episode of the Design Exchange Podcast, we talk about his approach to design and business and get a sneak peek at some of his latest designs. Daryl's Links: https://bandit9.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bandit9_/ Special thanks to Royal Enfield Vietnam for allowing us to film there! https://royalenfieldvietnam.vn/ This episode is also available as a video: https://youtu.be/NIPM7SdzdgE Table of Contents: 00:00 - Teaser 00:33 - Intro 04:07 - Building Motorbikes 10:58 - Inspiration for Sci-Fi Bikes 16:22 - Advertising Motorcycles 20:03 - American Chopper and Taking Your First Steps as an Entrepreneur 25:22 - From China to Vietnam 28:07 - Next Projects for Bandit9 30:56 - Advice for Designers - from Sketch to Prototype 35:36 - Electric Vehicles, Motorbikes, DIY, and Cyber Truck 42:29 - Dealing with Haters, Criticism in Design, and Designing for a Niche 46:16 - The Reason for Producing 9 Bikes per Design 48:34 - Luxury vs Mass Production as a Business Strategy 54:08 - Managing Clients and Mitigating Risk 59:40 - Different Kinds of Financial Concerns for Startups 1:08:14 - Managing Work-Life Balance 1:19:18 - Book Project 1:24:08 - Outro

    1h 26m
  7. DXP-024: Tung Khi / Crazy Monkey

    07/15/2020

    DXP-024: Tung Khi / Crazy Monkey

    Videogames, VJing, and Growing A Motion Graphics Studio Tung Khi is the founder and creative director of Box, a motion graphics design studio based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. special note: Tung has a thick accent, so we highly recommend watching the video version of this episode: There are subtitles you can read-along with and examples of Box's motions graphics are projected on the wall behind us throughout the interview. You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/yBFEHgc0Vs0 Tung's Links: https://www.theboxcollective.tv/ https://www.instagram.com/theboxcollectivevietnam/ https://www.crazymonkey.vn/ https://www.instagram.com/tungcrazymonkey/ Software Tung Uses: https://www.notch.one/ https://smode.fr/ Podcast Links: http://dxsaigon.com/podcast/dxp-024 https://youtu.be/yBFEHgc0Vs0 https://sefu.jp/switch-bag/ Table of Contents: 00:00 - Teaser 01:09 - What is the Box Collective 03:22 - Tung's Early Career 07:24 - From Employee to Company Owner - Using Your Connections 09:10 - Team Growth, New Offices, and New Branding 11:56 - Where to Find Box on The Internet 14:13 - Typical Box Work and Box Clients 18:18 - Tung'Style 23:13 - Chuck Csuri 24:09 - Projecting on Murals 25:12 - Differences between Hanoi and Saigon 28:20 - Personal Work vs Corporate Work 30:50 - Scaling a Creative Company 32:38 - Typical Staff Background 33:46 - Good Clients vs Bad Clients 36:12 - Video Games: Arcades and Emulators 38:07 - The Story of The Switch Bag 38:59 - Consequences of Aging 44:02 - The Joe Rogan Experience and Elon Musk 45:05 - Tesla vs Vinfast 49:54 - Why Starbucks and McDonalds struggle in Vietnam 53:27 - The Nintendo Switch: Reigniting Videogame Love 57:06 - Design of The Switch Lite 58:04 - Crossplay - Fortnite and Fantasy Strike 1:00:09 - Unity vs Unreal 1:03:17 - Software Used for Motion Graphics and VJing 1:04:33 - Outro

    1h 6m

  8. 06/30/2020

    DXP-023: Rafael Masters

    Designing Affordable, Modular, Prosthetic Limbs and Building Humans Rafael Masters is the CEO of Vulcan Augmetics, a Vietnam-based startup that develops affordable, adaptable, and upgradable robotic arms. Links: https://www.wearevulcan.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-masters-81276678/ Table of Contents: 00:00 - Intro 01:51 - Affordable Prosthetics 11:44 - Design Concerns to Make Prosthetics More Affordable 19:07 - Customer's Journey 29:39 - Amputee's Mental Acceptance 36:06 - Company's Journey 46:14 - Elon Musk / Tessla's Cyber Truck Design 52:21 - First 2 Years of Operations and Investment 59:57 - Design for Maintainance, Practicality, and Dignity 1:07:35 - Outro Episode Hashtags: #Augmetics, #Prosthetics, #Robotics, #3dprinting, #Entrepreneurship, #Startup, #Vietnam, #Affordable, #Design, #DXP This podcast is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/MLRoTsqeBRw

    1h 9m
See All (30)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Thomas is a veteran of the video game industry and founder of the Séfu fashion brand. Join him as he interviews people around the world working in creative fields to find out what gets them out of bed in the morning. General topics include: Design, User Experience, Techno, Crypto, Cyberpunk, Making Things, Expat Life, Cultural Differences, Consciousness, and Zen. This podcast is also available as a video on Youtube.

Information