Thomversations

Dr. Jeremiah Busch is an Evolutionary Biologist, educator, and personal friend. In this Thomversation we talk about evolution, what is it really? To evolve takes such a long time that we have to alter our thinking to grasp tens-of-thousands, much less millions, of years. It'll work your brain matter. Ever heard of this Charles Darwin guy? We talk about his importance to scientific thought and his radical idea of evolution. He didn't come up with it overnight. It took a long time and critical thinking to come up with his theory. Dr. Busch makes it easy to understand so you can gain a bit more knowledge, which we love here at Thomversations.

On this Thomversation you'll learn about Virtual Reality with Devin Gay. You'll learn why it feels real. How what you see in V.R. is meant to give you a sense of presence. That means that you actually feel, think, become aware of the space you are in as if it is real, even though it is something you would never find in the real world. Let that sink in for a moment. If you have never had a “true” virtual reality experience, I suggest you seek it out. It will probably blow your mind as much as it did, and does, mine. By “true” I mean something beyond what you experience with a headset and a phone attached to it. High resolution googles, and stereo, if not binaural sound, and controllers that let you interact with the virtual world. When you experience VR you feel as if you are IN in that world, not playing some entity in that world, like in video games where you play the game, but you may not exactly feel like you are present in that world. It's a good and very informative Thomversation. Give it a listen.

Your veterinarian can be as close as a family member to you. They go through the ups and downs of your pets and livestock. From birthing to death. Veterinarians carry a lot of weight to make sure animals have the best healthcare they can provide. Today you'll hear from Veterinarian Dr. Susila Bales. She's been a practicing vet since 1997 and is very knowledgable about her profession; from treatment of the animals to the treatment of the clients who come into her clinic. I've wanted to do a podcast with a veterinarian for a while now since my dog Dazey started having a life ending illness, and her eventual death. We talk about the life and death of pets, and the difficulties of being a veterinarian. It's a very informative talk and one I think will help you get a greater perspective of the life and work of a veterinarian. WOOF!

Think about all of the buildings, of any size, you see every day. Architecture is everywhere, but what is it? What makes something architecture? Does it have to be created by an architect to be architecture? These questions and more are answered in this episode of Thomversations. You'll hear from Architecture educator, and my friend, Matt Brehm and he will tell you what makes up a building, how and why do you need to design it, the types of different materials and building uses you need to know in order to design something that the client wants and still make structure function as needed and intended. The different aspects of buildings that maybe you and I don't think about as we wander thru various buildings day-to-day. Give a listen, I think you might learn a thing or two. I know I did.

If you have ever had to euthanize a pet, you know how horrible it is. You know the heartache and sadness you feel for days. We had to do this to our dog Dazey. You'll get the story and a talk about her and how she not only affected our lives, but friends lives too.

What is a natural resource? Why do we need them? How do we use them? What is the intersection of business, people, and natural resources? So many questions, so many answers from Dr. Steve Daley-Laursen. He is currently a Professor of Society and Natural Resources at the University of Idaho, but just days away from retiring at this writing. He's also been the Dean of The College of Natural Resources at U of I, and a past President of The University of Idaho. He'll give you some insights on his experiences. He is a very knowledgable man with a set of values that he follows to keep his life in perspective, you'll hear about those. Also how he likes to help people and groups to focus on what they have in common over their differences. There is lots to learn from him and I think you'll enjoy what he has to say.

Mindfulness. When you learn or hear about it, suddenly it seems like the word is seen all over the place and heard everywhere. So what is it? How do you do it? What does it do for you? All of these are covered in this Thomversation with Dr. Jamie Derrick. She is the University of Idaho Mind Founder & Mindfulness Educator/ Facilitator at the University of Idaho, and is a practicing psychologist, who uses mindfulness to help her patients. After talking to Jamie and listening to how mindfulness can help, I've been practicing it in my life, especially when I lose my focus. Matter of fact, I listened to this episode, and the brief meditation we do together, to help relax my body and sharpen my brain to keep on task with writing this description. It works for me. Maybe it'll work for you too. But if you have curious mind, like me, then give a listen. Take a few deep breaths, focus your mind, and take in an in-depth look into Mindfulness. It's time well spent.

Today on Thomversations you'll hear from marijuana entrepreneur Zack Dekker. He grows pot organically on a farm and in the actual soil, not hydroponically, and sells it in Washington State thru his legal marijuana business Binx Buds. Also sold under the Old McDonald's Farm brand. Along with his business partner TJ, they have been in the legal pot biz in Washington State since the medical marijuana days where they started growing weed on a large scale as a collective. Thru this start they have grown into a fully sustained business that not only grows, but also processes pot, which is something not every pot grower does. On this podcast you'll find out what it's like to grow pot, the ins and outs of the trade, and why and how they lost their farm and then had to rebuild, in a different part of the state. It's a great one, give a listen.

Amit Sharma is a passionate physicist who came to the United States from India to study physics and follow his passion of teaching others about it. His life is full of ups and downs, especially when dealing with U.S. Immigration, but his positive attitude and dedication to his craft and science have seen him through the tough times. After hearing this Thomversation, you'll want to be a student in his classroom. 

On this episode of Thomversations, you'll hear Bob Batwin tell the stories of his life and what he has accomplished, how he has chosen to live, his travels and adventures around the world: teaching people karate, studying art, and conducting business. You get the feeling that you can do it all too. The ups and the downs, the struggle of trying new things in order to get ahead. The ability to stop doing one job or business and start doing another as it becomes more lucrative, I think you've got to admire that in a person. And all the while doing art. Fine art. Bob's art is for sale, contact him via Bob Batwin Art on Facebook.

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