Birds & Nerds Podcast

We're exploring the connection between birds and, well, everything. Hosted by Ramona Schindelheim.

Birds & Nerds | A pencil is just a pencil... unless it is a Blackwing 11/04/2025

Birds & Nerds | A pencil is just a pencil... unless it is a Blackwing A pencil is just a pencil… unless it’s a Blackwing. Welcome to the Birds & Nerds podcast. In each episode, we explore a random topic — today, we’re all in on the best pencil EVER made — and, as always, we find the connection to birds. The legendary Blackwing 602 pencil was first manufactured in the 1930s and was favored by the likes of John Steinbeck, Chuck Jones, Steven Sondheim, Quincy Jones and so many more writers, musicians, and artists. A broken piece of machinery brought a half-century of production to a halt until 15 years ago when California Cedar Products revived the brand, recreating the celebrated tactile feel of its specially-formulated graphite against paper, and spawning a new generation of Blackwing devotees. The incense cedar wood used to make the Blackwing pencils is the product of sustainable forestry in California and Oregon, which promotes conservation, biodiversity, and supports birds in their crucial role in our ecosystem. Blackwing CEO Charles Berolzheimer joins me to discuss his lifetime connections to birds and how his family has always celebrated and protected our feathered friends. He talks about his favorite bird, the Osprey. Charles also explains how the simple act of using a pencil and paper can help people find balance in a fast-paced digital world, and how his Blackwing Foundation is funding and developing K-12 music and arts education programs and introducing that new generation to the joys of creating. In this episode, you'll learn a lot about the history of the Blackwing pencil, pencil making in general, conservation, and birds. You'll also hear a couple of really good haikus inspired by birds and the Blackwing. Devotion to a pencil may seem a bit much, but as a decades-long fan myself I guarantee that once you try the Blackwing you will understand. Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/a1e89814-10f3-4c24-92e6-1622d2a4f613/id/38861895

Birds & Nerds | There's strength in numbers: Lifting up the most vulnerable is good for everyone 10/20/2025

Birds & Nerds | There's strength in numbers: Lifting up the most vulnerable is good for everyone Did you know that 55% of Americans don't have enough savings to simultaneously weather a loss of income and a rise in expenses? In this episode of Birds & Nerds, we're talking about ways to financially strengthen vulnerable Americans, providing them with the financial security they need to reach their full potential. And, as always, we find examples in nature where protecting and lifting up the most vulnerable in the flock makes a stronger community. "In our country, we tend to think we can make everyone better off just by income. But it's actually the combination of income, benefits, and (intergenerational) wealth," says Joanna Smith-Ramani, co-executive director of the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (FSP). She tells host Ramona Schindelheim, "You can't beat a retirement account and really good healthcare insurance. Paid leave is necessary — either sick time or vacation time — just to rejuvenate yourself." FSP is looking an innovative solutions that are helping build that wealth, such as employee ownership programs that give workers a share of a company, or programs that allow people to buy into the land underneath their rentals. As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. "We're firm believers in the good of humans and the ability to make big change and be disruptive when we're working together," says Smith-Ramani. Working together across public and private organizations can help lift up all others. "We will not solve all of this on our own if there is still burdensome medical debt and bad health outcomes. Education, when I talk to educators directly or with folks in that system, they know that hungry kids, kids who come from houses where they don't have stable housing, they're not going to thrive in schools. So, they're all interacting with each other. And we've got to be much more thoughtful about the complementary policy and practice." "I want all children to really feel like their community, their country cares about their thriving and is investing in them in all sectors, in private and public. I don't mean this as just like a government responsibility. But that they feel like they are living in a place that knows they have something to contribute and wants to make sure they can get there," says Smith-Ramani. Working collectively to help the most vulnerable is something that you see in nature, including among birds. Tune in to see how waddles of penguins demonstrate that together a flock is much stronger than each bird fighting to survive on its own. Learn more about FSP at Aspen Institute: Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: Who am I? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/a1e89814-10f3-4c24-92e6-1622d2a4f613/id/38580680

Birds & Nerds | Families are complicated: Uncovering family secrets through genetic testing | Bill Griffeth 10/02/2025

Birds & Nerds | Getting AI governance right is critical, especially as we push its creative limits | Vilas Dhar 09/07/2025

Birds & Nerds | Getting AI governance right is critical, especially as we push its creative limits | Vilas Dhar Who is in charge of making sure AI is being used for us and not against us? And can we use artificial intelligence to understand what birds are saying to each other, and then learn how to talk with birds directly? That would be pretty cool, dontcha think!? Welcome to the Birds & Nerds podcast, hosted by Ramona Schindelheim! In each episode, I'm exploring a random topic I want to know more about with an expert in that field. Somehow, we always find the connection — sometimes unexpected — to my favorite animals, BIRDS! My nerd for this episode is Vilas Dhar, president of The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a philanthropic organization advancing AI and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. Vilas offers a compelling metaphor: society is moving through the "five stages of grief" with AI — form denial to over-optimism, fear, anger, and now, pragmatic acceptance. "We're no long asking if we should use AI, but how we should us it responsibly." In the podcast, we discuss the tension between short-term efficiency and long-term value creation. Vilas offers a third path: use Ai to enhance productivity, not replace workers. "This isn’t just about regulation — it’s about redefining our social contract in the age of AI," Vilas tells me. And then there were birds! Vilas and I talk about how AI is already being deployed to understand birds' migration patterns to better protect them, especially those species that are under threat. We also talk about how AI is in the hands of birders, helping them identify birds through apps such as Merlin and eBird. We take the conversation a fantastic step further: What if AI could decode birdsong and tell us exactly what a bird is saying!?! We image what they might say to us, given the chance to express their opinions! A great conversation. Lot's of good information about the ethical use of AI for people and society. And we find the connection between AI and birds. Learn more about the work of The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation: Visit the Birds & Nerds website and subscribe to notifications: Want to know more about me? I am an award-winning journalist and storyteller curious about everything! Follow me on LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/a1e89814-10f3-4c24-92e6-1622d2a4f613/id/38114660

Birds & Nerds Podcast

TOPICS