Design Exchange with Thomas Grov‪é‬ Thomas Grové

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?

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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

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

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

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

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