Thesiswhisperer - Podcast Details

Shows

On the regWhat does it take to be an entreprenerd?Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Jason lost the annual Downs family hosted hot cross bun competition, but Inger's political team comprehensively won the federal election, so we figure we came out even. There's a bulging mail bag with lots of interesting questions from listeners - some of which we could even answer.Then we chat about the first ten months of our business 'On The Reg Team'. What lessons has Jason learned about being an entreprenerd? loyalty wont save your Higher Ed job... so how do you start yo...2025-05-142h 04

On the regIs this book bullshit? Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: ProactiveCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!We're back! It's been six weeks - sorry about that!Jason was finally struck down by covid... for the first time. Yes, really! Now he finally understands what everyone is complaining about. There's a lot to catch up on: the election, a digression into 'Married at first sight' and what happens to a sander when you use it for 6 hours straight on your boat hull. We get half way through a very full mailbag, before getting on to our dissection of chapter one o...2025-04-131h 59

On the regWhere Inger makes Jason read a Romance Novel (again!)Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Longtime listeners who have been asking for Jason to read another romance novel: Inger has delivered! Jason reads Rebecca Yarros's 'The Fourth Wing' and only throws up a little bit in his mouth :-)After a bit of mail bag, we go deep on the subject of reading: how much of it there is; how tedious academic reading can be; how tired this reading makes us; the feelings of Guilt when you read for pleasure; and the myth of 'keeping up with the literature'. 2025-02-251h 49

On the regLate stage capitalism wants us dead - what can we do about it?Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Inger and Jason have been on summer holidays. Jason's family acquired a 10 year old ginger cat, while Inger has committed to #puppyproject and put a deposit on a dangerously adorable, small fluffy puppy. Prepare for a lot of pet talk this year!In the mailbag there's a good description of a workflow with Todoist and a lively discussion of bullet journals. The work problems segment was produced with the help of Inger's work Husband, Claude who (it seems) has a frighteningly good grasp of the...2025-01-201h 59

On the regOur technology stacks - what products we use for different problems (Kitchen Table episodes vol 2)Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Inger and Jason catch up at the kitchen table... in Casa Downs this time. The sound on this one is ok, considering we were in a huge open space downstairs!While Jack Downs washes Inger's new car, she catches Jason up on the first Shut up and Write symposium at Cambridge University. Jason tells Inger why Jack Downs is happy to earn 20 bucks by washing her car...There's a bit of mail bag before the Work Problems segment, where the team talk about...2024-12-241h 48

On the regWhy that book about Bullshit Jobs is not, in fact, bullshit.Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Jason is dying of a cold. Inger is surrounded by an ocean of redundancies at ANU. Anyone would think winter was coming, but no - it's the start of Spring (at least here in the Southern Hemisphere).After a bit of mutual whingeing on the State of The World, the team zip through the mail bag. We answer a few burning questions about AI from listeners. There's also wise words from listeners on how to use MS Word properly to do cross referencing and such. 2024-11-011h 43

On the regThe Kitchen Table sessions (volume one)Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!The OTR team have been travelling around the country, and around the world, delivering workshop goodness. Jason was temporarily at the Canberra Branch of OTR Team on the way back from a Sydney gig, so Inger set up a podcast studio from the kitchen table to hear about his glamorous post-Latrobe life, complete with $10 cups of coffee in Hong Kong.The team discuss the usual, you know AI in project management, writing and all that. ChattieG (ChatGPT) helped us with the work problems...2024-10-041h 33

On the regThe Pain Sponge (or how to be a less crap academic manager)Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Jason is living his best life, free of Latrobe - but Inger has immediately put him to work! On The Reg Team, their new consulting company, is struggling to life through multiple stages of paperwork. More to come...The team talk about various doings, including Doen's Jnr's laundry skills, Inger's campaign to get a Puppy and getting caught up in the Blue Screen of Death global IT meltdown! There's a full mailbag with some side dashes of Claude before the team embark on...2024-08-291h 54

On the regIs this book bullshit? Cal Newport discovers the labour movementCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!The On The Reg team have been busy with All The Things. In Jason's case, making salami and in Inger's case, possibly signing up to one too many book projects.In the mailbag we marvel over dashboards for packing lists and cool new AI tools recommended by listeners. This week Inger read Cal Newports's latest book 'Slow Productivity: the lost art of accomplishment without burnout' where Cal (maybe?) discovers the point of unions and even name checks Marx. The team segue onto an...2024-07-281h 52

On the regThe mean girl in the internet of thingsCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Jason has consciously uncoupled from his employer. Inger's getting a Volvo. There is clearly a lot to discuss in the first half an hour, including the survey that Inger finally has out (participate here!)Jason's had some time to wrangle the mailbag, so he's cleaned up Inger's mess and made a spreadsheet. People have a lot to say about our travel episode and we are ready to hear it!In work problems, Jason brings Inger up to speed about Apple Intelligence and we...2024-06-301h 34

On the regThe body keeps the scoreCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Jason is having some time off work to get his health back in order. Inger takes the opportunity to share the whole story of her burn out episode. Be warned, this one gets a bit heavy...We lighten it up in the middle by responding to Ben's question about travelling with a laundry list of suggestions and hacks. Inger confesses her bag and spare cord obsession and Jason reveals his genius hack for making a personalised guide book. There's a lot of love for AirTags.2024-06-091h 48

On the regTrusting the Meat ComputerCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Inger and Jason convene for the long awaited mailbag episode! (but first there's a bit of old-person whinging about health and other stuff). Inger explains how she and Narelle wrote a 36000 word book in a single weekend with Claude.The mail bag is full to overflowing! There's gold in there - which prompts a very wide ranging conversation about Bujo, task managers, screen capture software, politics and - well, the usual stuff. The speak pipes failed after the first one... (which is also a bit qu...2024-05-122h 02

On the regObsidian! 1996 called and it wants its database back.Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!It's been quite the month. Jason was pulled over in the Tinny (again), Inger had a mole taken off her foot. We skipped the mailbag in favour of a deep nerd chat about Obsidian starting at 32:51. The discussion gets waylaid part way through by a mutual existential freakout about Claude Opus. It's... a lot. Enjoy!Things we mentioned:Kangaroo time - Winner of the Dance Your PhD competitionBe visible or vanish - the book Inger wrote with her colleague Simon ClewsPo...2024-03-291h 55

On the regWhat we are doing with GenAI now... (it's pretty cool)Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Jason had pneumonia when he recorded this very long pod with Inger. It's a testament to his brainy-ness (and Inger's sound engineering skills) that it turned out as well as it did, given he coughed and sweated his way through it.Warning: in the chat section at the top there's a lot of talk about TEQSA. If you're confused, here's their webpage. Jason was too sick to do mailbag, but please keep sending in your letters and speak pipes!At we...2024-02-271h 48

On the regThe sweet, sweet taste of academic freedomCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Inger and Jason are at the end of the holidays. For Jason this meant going to a hash den in Thailand (it's a long story) and for Inger it meant organising all her rococo style porcelain figurines (yes, really).The mailbag (18:53) is full of interesting letters and provokes only one moment of feminist rage from Inger. Ok, maybe two. In the Work Problems segment (56:35) Jason gives us an alternative way to think about the year ahead with the VRIO model from Jay Barney...2024-02-031h 52

On the regThe unexpected Christmas Day episode!Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Inger and Jason recorded an episode at 9pm at night on the 15th of November, before Inger took off for the UK. Inger was meant to edit and post this sometime in December, while travelling in the UK, but due to the vagaries of wifi and Christmas shopping, she ended up doing it at Heathrow airport on Christmas eve. So look, it's a little bit ... unplugged? But at least it's short (well, for us) and there's some good stuff in here - including...2023-12-241h 06

On the regHot academic gossip and the Circle of NicenessCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!This one has been in the can for a while - but it was recorded only a week after the previous one about the Meat Grinder. You'd think that would make the banter session shorter, but ...not really. Jason has largely avoided having his face squished at Brazilian Jujitsu and Inger has been writing whiny emails to her boss. The team finish up the Cambridge hiatus mailbag (13:32), including one from Janet Davey that was lost at the bottom (sorry about that Janet!). This prompts a...2023-11-131h 47

Thesiswhisperer PodEpisode Nine: The We, we areIt's the final episode of Severance, and it's really fucking tense! For our final show this season, it's just us: Outie Anitra and Innie Inger, talking about episode 9. So much happened this episode! So many big reveals, and new plot lines opened. Helly has the most Dystopian Cinderella moment, Mark is Ricken's fanboy, Dylan is taking one for the workers collective and Irv only says a single word (but he makes it count). We still live in hope for season two - hopefully we won't be in the break room waiting too long!Ou...2023-10-2253 min

On the regThe meat grinderCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Inger and Jason are back, a bit later than anticipated because the audio the first time this episode was recorded was borked (that's a technical term). We promise the re-record is much better, and also, much longer.There's some unscripted banter at the start, which Inger had to cut as it went on a bit long. Jason can tell you about his new bike another time and you really don't need to hear all about Inger's struggle to find supplies of Ozempic. We dig into...2023-10-151h 57

Thesiswhisperer PodEpisode Seven: Defiant JazzYou'll never look at mandated company fun the same way after this episode, especially when it becomes clear that inter-departmental politics can get its own body count. Prof Narelle Lemon, who is now at Edith Cowan University, joins us again to dissect episode seven of Severance. There's so much in this episode - the action is really heating up. Milcheck tries his best to keep a lid on the simmering tensions, and only earns himself a bite from Dylan. There is no Ricken in this episode, but he is till present in his absence. Everything se...2023-09-1743 min

Thesiswhisperer PodEpisode Eight: What's for dinner?Worker solidarity is the theme of this episode, and in celebration, we invited Anitra's current boss, Geoff Stringer. Don't worry though - he's not going to rat us out to the higher ups.The team dissect episode: What's for Dinner. This is the episode where Inger had to text Anitra all the way through because it was so damn tense. Plans are made, dreams are broken - most importantly, certain people are at the 'find out' stage of the Fuck Around journey. And we are here for every delicious moment!Our office door is always...2023-09-1745 min

On the regIs productivity talk the new veganism?Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!The Downs household has suffered a loss, while one member of the Mewburn household has discovered hither to unknown talents. Somehow the team still end up crapping about Obsidian a lot in the banter section. This is our second sabbatical mailbag episode (starting 20:44), which prompts a series of incredibly nerdy conversations about Microsoft Teams, Omnifocus, Text Expander, Obsidian, Bullet Journal etc - Even Nvivo and MaxQDA. In other words: the greatest hits. (A comment from listener Aaron has us wondering why...2023-09-061h 51

Thesiswhisperer PodEpisode Five: The grim barbarity of optics and designWe saved this one for Anitra's co-worker and Director of Digital Experience, Joyce Seitzinger, because it is the infamous "bring-your-baby-goat-to-work" day episode. There is also a lot of Ricken in this ep, which gives us an excuse to talk about our favourite academic. Anitra compares Ricken to Yoda while Joyce points out that the comparison works only if Yoda were really really self-involved. Plus, mysterious baby goats.Our office door is always open so please leave your comments in the suggestion box (well, the review section of whatever platform you are on right now). 2023-09-0352 min

Thesiswhisperer PodEpisode Six: Hide and SeekLove is in the air in episode six of Severance, where inter-departmental politics is platonic. Sort of. Maybe. Bert and Irv grow closer, Mark and Helly take the work flirt to the next level and Devon has a mysterious encounter in the local park... Anitra's work colleague and future novel co-writer Chris joins us this week to dissect the many Kier mystery kinda-reveals. He also gives us a word to describe that spooky feeling of buildings that should be full of people, but aren't. A word we all need after lockdown for sure....2023-09-0344 min

Thesiswhisperer PodEpisode three: In perpetuityIn Episode Three of Severance, work friendships take a dark turn and we discuss it all with Anitra’s ex-and-current-coworker, Senior Learning Designer Miriam Renoyldson. Anitra mangles the word 'cishertrowhitemaletriarchy', which Miriam then neatly illustrates by pointing out that all the five founders of the University of Melbourne Business School were white men named John.We discuss how corporate bingo cards is the ultimate act of symbolic violence, and Inger warns about buying white shirts to power dress at work.Our office door is always open so please leave your comments in the sug...2023-08-2051 min

Thesiswhisperer PodEpisode four: The You you areIn this episode we are joined by Inger’s ANU colleague and fellow podcaster Will Grant and we are talking about how no one wants to go into the break room. Like, ever. We dissect Cobel’s (unasked for) freelancing — ‘wet work’ at Petey’s funeral — and whether or not she is getting any stock options. Will disturbingly points out the ways humans are never very far away from choosing violence.Our office door is always open so please leave your comments in the suggestion box (well, the review section of whatever platform you are on right now...2023-08-2048 min

On the regThe one about Stephen Hawking's dining habitsCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!WE'RE BACK BABY!Inger sums up her whole Cambridge University experience in one anecdote about dinner. Jason has gone up a notch in Brazilian Ju Jitsu, which puts him in a position to comment on Mark Zuckerberg's training routine. In other words, it's a normal catch up, but twice as long!This episode is all a mailbag, starting with a speak pipe from Jonathan O'Donnell challenging the team to regular lunches and a content warning at 30 minutes about weight talk. If...2023-08-091h 42

Thesiswhisperer PodEpisode two: Half LoopWe focus on Episode Two of Severance and are joined once again by our friend and academic wellness expert Professor Narelle Lemon.We delve into the topic of corporate gaslighting and how the work of MDR is the best description ever of analyzing student experience survey results.Along the way we touch on the unique grief caused by corporate restructures and deconstruct the strategies used to give purpose to purposeless work.In much the same way as Ricken outs Mark S for being severed, Inger outs Anitra’s secret past as CD cleaning ki...2023-08-0646 min

Thesiswhisperer PodEpisode one: The good news about HellWelcome to episode one of Academics talk about Severance': the Apple TV show that has a lot to say about Work. We hope this series helps you cope with fact that season two seems to be infinitely delayed, or maybe just stuck on the Severance Floor.For our first episode, we reunite the band from Academics Talk About the Chair (at least some of us) and delve into Episode One: Helly's sub-optimal onboarding experience. We are joined by our friend and expert on academic wellness, Professor Narelle Lemon, of Explore and Create Co. We explore...2023-08-0650 min

On the regPlease keep sending in your questions!Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Inger and Jason pop in for a brief, 2 minute-ish pod. The quickest episode in OTR pod history! It's not really an episode, just a reminder that we will be back next month. Thanks for all the amazing emails and speak pipes so far - we're enjoying them all and planning a big mailbag episode when we get back!Got thoughts and feel pinions? Want to ask a question? You can email us on - Leave us a message on ww...2023-07-1401 min

On the regDon't you forget about us!Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!On The Reg is officially on hiatus until Inger returns from her sabbatical in August. Listen to our quick explainer so you know what is happening until then. We're asking you send in all your questions and thoughts so we can put together a reader mailbag episode when we come back.The claim here that Severance Pod has dropped are false, but honestly, it will be here really soon. Follow on Thesiswhisperer pod The claims about blog posts about writing with C...2023-05-2911 min

On the regHow big things get done (or not)Can't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Inger's dusty in this episode, after an epic David Lodge style dinner party the night before, but her blood pressure is the best her doctor has seen in years. By the time you listen to this she'll be in Cambridge, punting or something.Jason didn't win the annual hot cross bun off, but did invite Inger into the WhatsApp group so she could share the fun this year. There is also an unexpectedly long digression about workplace exploitation, so - a normal catch up.2023-05-141h 50

On the regHow to get to inbox zero and other storiesCan't be bothered with email or speak pipe? Text us!Jason has been doing BJJ, the gym, eat sleep and repeat - with an occasional visit to country Victoria. Inger has been doing ALL the event organising and somehow managing to make a podcast with her sister about the Apple TV show Severance at the same time. You'll have to subscribe to the Thesiswhisperer podcast channel to get the episodes when they drop.In other words, it's been busy.Which means we didn't have time to prepare for this episode, other than to...2023-04-141h 50