RE:Productivity

Christine Corbett and Casey Handmer

Casey Handmer and Christine Corbett Moran are Ph.D. physicists working and co-parenting together. Re:Productivity is about making progress on life and children and life with children.

  1. 05/29/2025

    2025-W22 Leadership, Learning, and Large Projects

    In this wide-ranging episode, Casey and Christine dive deep into leadership transitions, complex systems, and the art of managing large-scale projects. Christine discusses her new role as Head of Engineering at a Series D startup, managing 60+ people and Casey discusses the counterintuitive challenges of scaling teams. Christine shares her synthetic biology progress, building an orbital shaker from scratch and exploring the intersection of hardware and biotech. The conversation spans from ancient Roman infrastructure projects to modern space exploration, touching on hiring challenges, the value of going to primary sources, and why some historical civilizations came tantalizingly close to industrial revolution but never quite made the leap. Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger Now It Can Be Told about the Manhattan Project What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim Radical Candor by Kim Scott Playground - Contemporary science fiction novel about seasteading and AI Climbing Gold - Alex Honnold's podcast (featuring Vitaliy Musiyenko’s Sierra traverse story) Conversations with Tyler - Tyler Cowen's interview show Lex Fridman Podcast - Episodes with Jeff Wasserstrom (China scholar) and Tim Sweeney (Epic Games) The Complete History & Strategy of Standard Oil (Part I) (Acquired) Founders Podcast - Episodes on Jeff Bezos shareholder letters, Jim Simons, John D. Rockefeller, and Estée Lauder How Andreessen Horowitz Disrupted VC & What’s Coming Next (Ben and Marc Discussions) The DER Task Force - Distributed energy resources podcast (Jesse Peltan episode) Main Engine Cut Off - Space industry podcast T+303: The Trump 2024 Transition (with Mark Albrecht) The Almost-Industrial Revolutions of Rome and China  Cost of Glory - Ancient history podcast (Julius Caesar series) Circuit Playground Express - Adafruit electronics learning board Ada Fruit Orbital Shaker Tutorial - DIY lab equipment project Thinking by My Wits - Website featuring Scholar Alex Jones's literary works

    2h 43m

  2. 05/10/2025

    2025-W19 Australian Adventures & Lemonade Stands

    In this episode, Casey recounts his recent trip to Australia to visit family and friends, while Christine shares her experience running a lemonade stand fundraiser for their children's preschool. They discuss ongoing technical and creative projects, explore the challenges of educational systems for exceptionally bright children, and reflect on various books they've been reading. The conversation weaves through topics of metallurgy, neurodiversity, programming languages for kids, and the future of space exploration. Neurotribes  Exceptionally Gifted Children  Superconvergence  Now It Can Be Told  Secret Coders Founders Podcast: Michael Dell Complex Systems: Fixing Government Tech With Mikey Dickerson  Complex Systems: Power In Local Government Adafruit: Orbital Shaker

    1h 32m

  3. 04/28/2025

    2025-W18 Beeping Microwaves and Talking Dinosaurs: The Value of Intelligence in 2025

    Summary In this week's episode, Casey and Christine discuss their weekend family adventures, including picnic table remodeling, bike maintenance, and trips to the local airport and climbing gym. They explore their experiences with AI toys for children, microwave modification projects, and dive into deeper conversations about human intelligence, biology experiments, and aging research. The discussion ranges from reflections on their honeymoon in Cuba to thoughts on economic growth, education, and the potential of technological advancement to solve fundamental human problems. Links Asterix comics - Comics that Casey enjoyed as a child and now reads with his children Now It Can Be Told by Leslie Groves - About the Manhattan Project The Prodigy's Cousin - Book about links between autism and childhood prodigies NeuroTribes - Book about autism Acquired podcast episode on Epic - Healthcare software company Gompertz mortality law Dino - Magical Toys [AI powered toy] Paperclip Maximizers and Squiggle Maximizers

    2h 45m

  4. 04/18/2025

    2025-W16 Bronze Age Ambitions: Swordcasting, Biohacking, and Family Adventures

    Bronze Sword Replication Project - Inspired by a 3,400-year-old bronze sword found in South Central Germany in 2023 Lost PLA Method - Similar to the lost wax method for metal casting Cybertruck Experience - Family rented and drove Tesla's Cybertruck Glowing yeast experiment CRISPR experiment DNA athleticism gene testing Voyage of the Southern Sun - Book by Michael Smith about flying around the world in an ultralight aircraft Like War - Book about social media's impact on global politics and warfare Abundance by Ezra Klein - Audiobook being listened to by hosts Acquired Podcast - Episode on Meituan Radiohead - Music being enjoyed in the biology lab Heracles and the Trojan War - Historical/mythological reference point for the bronze sword era Non-alcoholic beers - Athletic Brewing, Partake, and Sober Carpenter brands mentioned

    1h 36m

  5. 04/06/2025

    2025-W14 From Thruster Failures to Glowing Yeast

    Show Notes Terraform's new blog post - Casey's Terraform 2.0 announcement and job postings Palladium Magazine - Why Starship Matters - Casey's article on what Starship means Beast Academy - Math enrichment program UNSW Math Enrichment - University math problems Modern Relationships Podcast - Agnes and Arnold - Episode with Agnes and Arnold discussed Your Undivided Attention - Cult deprogramming - Podcast on cult deprogramming Dwarkesh Podcast - Scott Alexander - Scott Alexander's first podcast appearance Situational Awareness blog - Leopold's blog on AI safety Christine’s create a home biolab blogpost update Chopin Nocture in C-sharp minor, Op. Posthum.

    1h 52m

  6. 03/31/2025

    2025-W13 Woolly Mammoths to Watch Faces: Exploring Mars, Education, and Everything Between

    In this week's episode, Christine and Casey dive into their recent adventures and intellectual pursuits. Christine shares highlights from Jeff Bezos' exclusive MARS conference (Machine learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space), including fascinating encounters with colossal mammoth revival efforts, fusion energy breakthroughs, and quantum consciousness theories. Casey discusses his explorations in creating custom watch faces for his new Garmin device. The conversation expands into thoughtful discussions on education systems around the world, examining Finland, South Korea, and America's approaches to gifted education, teacher quality, and standardized testing. They debate college admissions philosophies, curriculum rigor, and the value of challenging young minds with unsolved problems. The episode concludes with reflections on media consumption, journalism ethics, and the importance of truth-seeking in reporting. MARS Conference - Jeff Bezos' invite-only event focusing on Machine learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space Colossal - Company working on woolly mammoth de-extinction through genetic engineering ZAP Energy - Fusion energy company using Z-pinch technology Signal Messaging - Mentioned in context of recent news coverage The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley - Examining education systems in Finland, South Korea, and Poland Genius Denied by Jan and Bob Davidson - About education for gifted students The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller (not recommended by hosts) Longitude by Dava Sobel - Historical account of the longitude problem Sharing Space by Cady Coleman - Autobiography of NASA astronaut The Voyage of the Southern Sun by Michael Smith - Account of recreating the historic flying boat route from Australia to England The Tech God Complex: Why We Need to Be Skeptics - Podcast Acquired Rolex Episode - Episode on Rolex  No, poor people aren’t funding your credit card rewards (Complex Systems Podcast) - Patrick Mackenzie's podcast on payment systems and complex systems Off-Nominal and Main Engine Cut Off - Space industry podcasts Tilt Parenting- TPP 178: The Davidson Institute on Supporting & Educating Profoundly Gifted Children - Podcast about raising neurodivergent kids The Davidson Institute - Resources for gifted education Magnus Carlsen Interview on Lex Fridman Customizing Monkey C SDK for wearable devices Beast Academy (from Art of Problem Solving) - Math curriculum for advanced students The Collatz Conjecture - An unsolved mathematical problem discussed when talking about challenging gifted students

    2h 1m

  7. 03/22/2025

    2025-W12 Road Trips and Research: Reproductivity heads to Vegas

    Note-Our audio was challenging this week! We did our best to postprocess to improve, and we promise the backlog is higher quality listening. This week, hosts Casey Handmer and Christine Corbett Moran share stories from their recent family road trip to Las Vegas for a cousin's wedding. They discuss the efficiency of Vegas weddings, touring the Hoover Dam and its impressive Art Deco design, and experiencing the technological marvel of The Sphere. The conversation explores engineering history through the lens of Henry Kaiser's accomplishments, biohacking experiments, professional achievements, and Casey's ongoing Mars terraforming project.  Sure Thing Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas Touring the Hoover Dam and learning about its Art Deco architecture Visiting the Great Unconformity geological formation Exploring the National Atomic Testing Museum Experiencing The Sphere and its "Postcard from Earth" show by Darren Aronofsky Discussion of Western Colossus (Kaiser biography) Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (book club selection; Christine does not recommend though) Bayesian Conspiracy podcast - "Super Babies" episode Founders Podcast - Henry Kaiser Episode Cost of Glory Podcast Modern Relationships podcast with Eric Weinstein

    1h 49m

  8. 03/08/2025

    2025-W10 Garage Scientists: From DNA Analysis to Radio Waves and Beyond

    Show notes: Bento Lab - Portable DNA analysis lab with centrifuge, gel electrophoresis, and PCR machine Bio Bits - Kits for demonstrating protein synthesis with fluorescent indicators Shannon-Hartley theorem - Information theory concept discussed related to signal transmission Rock climbing for kids - REI resource about climbing with children The Martian - Book referenced during discussion of radio communications from Mars Joule-Thomson effect - Physics concept mentioned regarding gas expansion Blue Ghost lunar lander - Recent moon landing discussed Starship test flights - SpaceX's Starship development program Erica DeBenedictis' work - Research on microbial tolerance to Martian environments Moving Mars - Science fiction book by Greg Bear Habit Chaining - Productivity concept mentioned IKEA Poäng chairs - Mentioned as ideal reading chairs Street Parking - Modified CrossFit workout program Christine uses The French Laundry Cookbook - High-end cookbook Christine purchased After Meat - Book about bioreactor technology Acquired Podcast: Lockheed Martin episode - Podcast Christine is listening to Banff Mountain Film Festival - Film festival they attended with their children The Weirdest People in the World - Book by Joseph Henrich Guns, Germs, and Steel - Book by Jared Diamond The Machiavellians - Book by James Burnham His Majesty's Dragon - Historical fantasy novel with dragons Red Mars - Book by Kim Stanley Robinson about Mars colonization 28C3 Cellular protocol stacks for Internet (Harald Walte) - (Video) How to Set Up a Home Biohacking Lab for Education - Christine’s blogpost

    2h 10m
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About

Casey Handmer and Christine Corbett Moran are Ph.D. physicists working and co-parenting together. Re:Productivity is about making progress on life and children and life with children.

Information

  • Creator
    Christine Corbett and Casey Handmer
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Christine Corbett and Casey Handmer
  • Show Website
    RE:Productivity