What is Life

On this week’s show, Jinny and Chris talk about their experience raising backyard chickens. If you’ve ever been curious about raising chickens yourself, we talk about some of the considerations we made and give tips about how to research coops, sourcing chicks, and how we incorporate keeping chickens as a part of our gardening habits. We spend some time talking about our own personal history with keeping birds as pets and how keeping chickens can help kids learn about the circle of life, in a way. Then we break down our setup and hopefully give you enough information to go out on your own and do your own thing. Have any beginner chicken-keeping questions for us? Hit us up on Twitter and we will answer them on the next show!Follow Chris and Jinny on Twitter as @chrisfurniss and @jinnyjuice. Follow Jinny’s blade making adventure on instagram @pinkbladesmith. Support the show by subscribing to the podcast in your favorite app, and check out the website at whatislifepodcast.com. Related Links:Monty Don - Big Dreams, Small SpacesSubpod composterUncle Jim’s Worm FarmBackyard storage deck boxBackyard Chicken Coops - Prime VideoRoost & Root chicken coopsRound-top chicken coop - the one we haveMurray McMurray HatcherySpring Creek Farms - where we got our second flock of birdsWill Griffin Bladeworks - blacksmith’s paring knife

Jinny and Chris are joined this week by Aaron Linde, writer in the games industry (Gears of War, Battleborn, Halo series) and Earthbound aficionado. The first part of the show we talk about working in the games industry, but then we focus on talking about the Super Nintendo classic Earthbound, created by the legendary Shigesato Itoi and the impact that game has had on us in childhood and growing up. Itoi also founded the Hobonichi company, which produces lovely day planners every year, and we round out the show talking about our relationship to journaling and how Earthbound ties into it all. Follow Chris and Jinny on Twitter as @chrisfurniss and @jinnyjuice. Follow Jinny’s blade making adventure on instagram @pinkbladesmith. Support the show by subscribing to the podcast in your favorite app, and check out the website at whatislifepodcast.com. Show Notes:Introductions and a history of how we know each otherGears of War 2Who is Shigesato Itoi?Catching up with AaronWhat happens when a game is taken offline?Knife pun interludeThe games industry will break your heartAligning your passion with what you do for workOur individual introductions to EarthboundWhat is Earthbound?Discovering the literary value of the gameConnecting to childhood traumaUnderstanding the antagonist through his tragic home lifePhone calls from an absent fatherWhat’s a Hobonichi Techo?The psychological burden of keeping a journalThe value of journalingDifferent ways people use their TechoThe existential terror of impermanence and growing olderJournaling as an angsty emo teeenThinking of journaling as a gift to your future selfOversharing on the Internet in the late 1900s and early 2000sDoogie Howser style journalingEstablishing creating a daily comic as a habitYearbooksHobonichi Techo coversJinny’s knifemaking updateWhat we’re looking forward to next weekRelevant Links:Shigesato Itoi’s wiki pageThe Game Developer’s Playlist: Earthbound w/Aaron LindeMaré Odomo’s Letters to an Absent FatherHobonichi Techo English siteFangamer’s Earthbound handbookChris’ Hobonichi Techo journal comics archiveThat game counselor who listed Earthbound as his favorite game  

This week it’s Jinny and Chris talking Halloween traditions! We talk about our own memories of growing up with the holiday and memories we formed with our kids. We talk about costumes we’ve worn, costumes the kids have worn, and the kids’ school Halloween carnival which we volunteer at every year. Hope you all have a great Halloween weekend.Check out a gallery of our Halloween costumes over the years on the website!  Follow Chris and Jinny on Twitter as @chrisfurniss and @jinnyjuice. Follow Jinny’s blade making adventure on instagram @pinkbladesmith. Subscribe to the podcast in your favorite software, and check out the website at whatislifepodcast.com.Show Notes:Watching Mike Choi’s twitch streamJinny works out why she feels a connection to Rydia from Final Fantasy 4Recap from our kids’ school Halloween carnival we volunteered atChecking our privilegeOur individual halloween traditions growing upGrowing up with American holidays as a Korean kid from a family that immigratedBeing crafty vs artisticFavorite candiesHealing journeys and HalloweenEvolving Halloween traditions after having kidsOur kids’ costumes over the yearsWatching Halloween-ish movies with the kidsBeetlejuice!Jinny’s knifemaking updateEpic, exhaustive video game reviews by Tim RogersRelevant Links:Mike Choi’s rendition of Rydia’s Theme from FF4 - dedicated to JinnyInstax bluetooth photo printerTim Rogers’ Action Button Dot Net review of Cyberpunk 2077Parts of a knife

Musician and maker Mike Choi joins us in our home for our first in-person podcast with a co-host! We talk about the perils of putting expectations on yourself as a creative individual, imposter syndrome, and how to break down the barriers between you and obtaining a sense of satisfaction from your own creative output. Mike talks about his experience being a street musician, designing the FlipGrip for the Nintendo Switch and other creative endeavors. Hang around for the end of the show for a clip of us hanging out in the knife shop talking about working with metal.Audio Note: Being our first in-person podcast we were sharing a mic, and Jinny and Mike sound great but Chris sounds a little far away. Follow Mike on Twitter @mechachoi, and Chris and Jinny on Twitter as @chrisfurniss and @jinnyjuice. Follow Jinny’s blade making adventure on instagram @pinkbladesmith. Show Notes:Introducing Mike!Forcing functions for anti-perfectionismShipping something vs refining somethingPutting expectations on yourself as a creative personWhat does it mean to be an “aspiring” somethingGrowing up feeling judged and only seeing your faultsConnecting to Korean roots through Korean cooking“You make a soup out of BONES”Jinny hates the word “productivity”Balancing consumption and creationDesigning the FlipGripConnecting with Fangamer at PAX EastWhat is life?Lowering the barrier to entry for creatingMike Choi loves Nintendo LABOCreating LABO Fit Aventure KartFrameworks for learningFixed vs growth mindsetAvoiding scope creep through maintaining a strong visionValuing your time when you knowingly engage in scope creepJinny’s knife updateCreation negates destructionStinger: hanging out in the shopRelevant Links:Mike takes music requests on TwitchThe FlipGrip on FangamerThe FlipGrip promo videoThe Fangamer booth at PAX EastLABO Fit Adventure KartNintendo Switch Cardboard EditionFixed vs Growth MindsetThe Northwest Blacksmith AssociationKnife Steel Nerds

We had a lovely conversation this week with Slate.com writer Allegra Frank about her transitioning from games journalism to writing for broader outlets. We chat about games journalism connections, parasocial relationships and finding your people. We also have an extended conversation about dealing with imposter syndrome, feeling alienated or not in groups and recording a podcast with your partner. It was a joy to pick Allegra’s brain for an hour.Find Allegra on Twitter @legsfrank and Chris and Jinny on the socials as @chrisfurniss and @jinnyjuice, respectively. And follow along on Jinny’s bladesmithing adventure @pinkbladesmith.Wanna support the show? Cool! Leave a review in whatever podcast app you’re using, or tell a friend about the show! Or don’t. We’re just happy you’re here. Show Notes:What’s Allegra all about?Writing for the enthusiast press vs. professional outletsHow to get into games writing on an alternate pathEveryone is connectedImposter syndrome and feeling like you don’t fit inFinding your peopleBroadening your fieldExperiencing games culture from a bunch of different anglesBeing driven by having an impactThey’re not “microaggressions” they’re just “aggressions”The difficulty of finding friends as adultsShowing others what is possible in life - being an ambassadorLevelling the playing field and helping people feel safe in conversationsPutting yourself in environments that give you energy instead of sapping your energyRecording a podcast with your partnerOne partnership helps the otherThe IKEA testSeeing friends means something different nowJinny’s knifemaking updateAvery’s Pikmin AdventuresRelated Links:Allegra and Andrew’s podcast - Aw Would You Look At The TimeAllegra’s writing at SlateDunning-Kruger effectAvery’s Pikmin Adventures on Webtoon

This week we’re joined by writer, cartoonist and ice cream aficionado John Charles Holmes to talk about how movies and games and other forms of media feed into our creativity. We discuss mindful patronage of the arts, the value of using horror movies as a way to hold up a mirror to society, cartoons and how seeing yourself represented in media. We end with a segment on John Charles’ homemade ice cream pro tips. Find John Charles Holmes on Twitter @sonic9jct and on Office Hours at theyetee.com. Find Chris and Jinny on the socials as @chrisfurniss and @jinnyjuice, respectively. And follow along on Jinny’s bladesmithing adventure @pinkbladesmith.Show notes:Meeting internet friends: The Podcast!The internet friends vetting processHow creativity feeds into your lifeGrowing up and realizing cartoons can also be for grownupsWhat gets you up in the morningMr. BoopRemoving the barriers between content consumption and creationMature mediumsYou’re wrong about damascusCreativity is just connecting thingsThe things we wished we could have learned as kidsGoing through a creativity renaissanceBeing a good patron of the artsDifficulty in games and accessibiltyContent warnings are a kindnessArt as a form of consentGetting into horror movies when you have zero tolerance for violenceHorror holds up a mirror to societyFear as a jumping off pointGet Out is a very scary movieExercising mindfulness by watching bad TVGrowing up feeling isolatedSeeing yourself represented in mediaJinny has a girrrrrlfriendHow we can connect and feel less aloneSo many ice cream thoughtsJinny’s knife updatesThe genius of UI design in No More Heroes 3What we’re dressing up as for HalloweenRelevant links:What is Wootz Damascus?Amphibia on Disney+Mr. BoopAshé Cravenock - knives

Our good friend Samit Sarkar joins us this week to talk about his recent appearance on the long-running quiz show JEOPARDY! - he was one of the 10 contestants to appear during the controversial Mike Richards week and tells us his story about going up against the current streak champion Matt Amodio. We talk about the odd experience of filming a quiz show appearance during a pandemic, and how that led to the intense bond that he and the other contestants formed. “One of the reasons we really love JEOPARDY! and have always loved JEOPARDY! is that it celebrates the idea of being smart, and not just being smart but... objective fact. There are things that are knowable, that are true, that are indisputable...”Find Samit as @samitsarkar on Twitter, and you can find his writing at Polygon.com. Find the What is Life cohosts on Twitter and Instagram as @chrisfurniss and @jinnyjuice. You can find our website at whatislifepodcast.comWanna support the show? Cool! Leave a review in whatever podcast app you’re using, or tell a friend about the show! Or don’t. We’re just happy you’re here. Show notes:Apparently we’re the “interview friends who have been on reality or game shows” podcastSamit’s episode of JEOPARDY! Aired September 27th, 2021How does one get on JEOPARDY!?Taking the testPlaying the waiting gameThe screen testGetting into the contestant poolThe logistical concerns of shooting a quiz show during a pandemicHow does one study for JEOPARDY!?The JEOPARDY! CommunityThe Mike Richards controversyTaping day & the wacky JEOPARDY! taping scheduleBonding with fellow contestants while under strict COVID protocolGoing up against the buzzsaw Matt AmodioYou only get one shot at being on the showGrowing up watching the showA recap of the episode from Samit’s perspectiveCan you Moneyball this situationJEOPARDY! as a candle in the darkBeing an intellectually curious personWhat’s life like after JEOPARDY!?Rock Band is perfect for housewarming partiesWhat we’re each looking forward to next weekRelated links:Answers in the Form of Questions - Clair McNearSamit on Polygon.comThe J! ArchiveNothing Can Stop Matt AmodioChris’ old comics archive are now onlineJinny’s knifemaking adventures - @pinkbladesmith on InstagramNick Rossi’s knifemaking videos

We had such a lovely conversation with our friend Flynn DeMarco this week about poking the nest and building authentically inclusive, kinder spaces within communities. We originally met Flynn in the mid 2000s during his time as founder of Gaygamer.net, the first prominent gaming website to cater to a primarily queer audience. Flynn and his husband Richard also appeared on Season 1 of LEGO Masters in the US and are helping shepherd the same feeling of inclusiveness and representation in the LEGO community. “We’re all worthy of love, we’re all worthy of being seen, and we’re all worthy of our talents being recognized for what they are.”“Wait a minute we’re gonna be a gay married couple on the first season of a reality competition show that has to do with a toy that is made by the largest toy company in the world that has massive reach not only to adults but also to kids? The significance of that was amazing… and also a little intimidating...”Find Flynn and Richard on YouTube on their Tricky Bricks channel, and find Flynn on social media as @trickybricks.Find Chris and Jinny on the socials as @chrisfurniss and @jinnyjuice, respectively. And follow along on Jinny’s bladesmithing adventure @pinkbladesmith.SUPPORT THE SHOW - leave a rating and review, or just tell a friend about us! We'd really appreciate it!SHOW NOTES:Games journalism in the mid 2000sStarting GayGamerBreaking the hypermasculine gamer stereotypeShit disturbingQueer representationThe Top 10 Gayest Characters in video games articleIf the nest has not been poked, somebody’s gotta poke it at some point. How to deal with toxicity in communitiesPoking the nest at E3Finding representation in communitiesMale-dominated maker communitiesMetal shop mastersCommunities with entrenched powerWhen do you stop fighting for a seat at the table and start making your own table?E3, Bioshock and meeting Ken LevineGamers with entitlement issuesGetting into LEGO as an adultMissing FlickrThe LEGO Masters casting processRepresentation on the screenLEGO LGBTQIA+ related setsHow to solve the yellow figure problemRELATED LINKS:Flynn and Richard on YoutubeLEGO Masters on HuluMetal Shop Masters on NetflixRae Ripple from Metal Shop MastersLEGO Fab 5 LoftLEGO Everyone is Awesome set

This week on What is Life Jinny and Chris are joined by Tasha Sounart, Parks Creative Director at Pixar. Tasha has been an internet friend for ages and we were so excited to talk to Tasha about her passions and life in animation, games and theme park design. We had a lively discussion about meeting people on the internet who you consider friends, even if you’ve never met in real life - as well as Pixar movies, Kingdom Hearts, Costume Quest, journal comics, cooking and cookbooks. Audio note: Our chickens make an appearance constantly throughout the episode, and Jinny and Chris try out a new microphone situation. We will be improving said microphone situation in the next episode.And Jinny finished her first knife!SUPPORT OUR SHOW IF YOU WANNA:Follow @whatislifecast on Twitter!Follow @whatislifecast on Insta!Visit our website!Subscribe to the show!Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!Show Notes:Introducing Tasha!Maintaining a creative quality bar for beloved charactersThinking from the rootKingdom Hearts is a serious gameBecause: video gamesMaking timeless stories through cultural sensitivityCostume Quest and avoiding pop culture referencesCreative problem solving through constraintsHalloween nostalgiaOther Halloween games?What’s it like as a parent to have your kids play games you make?Video game playthrough videosMissing DisneylandHow do you do theme park design work during a pandemic? How do you connect to teams in a natural way?The big board and collaborative toolsDesigning an animatronic Lightning McQueen for Disney WorldArtistic leadershipHow do you get people to listen to you without coming off as a jerk?Balancing being likable and authoritative as a woman leaderHobbies that fuel youThe euphoniumPlaying the bass lineCooking through cookbooks as a hobbyWe need more comic cookbooks!Journal comicsRepresenting autistic kids authenticallyParenting authenticallyWhat are we looking forward to?Links to things mentioned in the show:CRKT everyday carryBluescape work platformThe Big Board - Zak McClendon @ PRACTICE 2018Jinny’s EDC - the CEO BambooWhat is a euphonium? Tasha’s comicChris’ journal comicsJon Nielsen’s journal comics - Cars Don't TalkKeiler Roberts journal comicsHilda

We (Jinny and Chris) kick off the first episode of What is Life with a retrospective of the decade since we ended our previous podcast, The Weekly Geek (welcome, Weekly Geek fam, we missed you!) We catch you up on what we’ve been up to in this extended hour-and-a-half-long episode covering a wide range of topics like blade smithing, parenting, comics, reality shows, corporate life and using creativity as a conduit for mindfulness. What is Life is a show about the things in life that make us stop and take notice, the things that activate us and keep us looking forward to the future. Future episodes will feature guest co-hosts, but for this intro episode we wanted to spend some time introducing ourselves first. We hope you enjoy it. Audio quality note: Being that this is our first time back in podcast land there is some background noise from our dog walking around on our hardwood floors and us shifting in our seats, screwing and unscrewing our coffee thermoses and so forth. This will be improved in future episodes! We will also get a proper theme song soon but for this episode it’s Stem by Lower Dens off the album Nootropics. There are also a few curse words here and there, so if you’re listening with kids around please be aware we drop a few F bombs from time to time.Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @whatislifecast or leave a review and let us know what you think! We also have a website at whatislifepodcast.com. Find Chris and Jinny on Instagram and Twitter @chrisfurniss and @jinnyjuice respectively.