S3E6. Weird Things That Work

This is our official “Architecture for Dummies” episode with Mario Palladino, an Italian architect at Bofill, architectural designer, and product creator. We get into what actually goes on inside an architect’s brain, what it’s like to work with big names in the field, and, most importantly, what makes good architecture, just in case you didn’t know.Bonus points if you can count the exact number of times we say the word “architecture.”Mentions & recommendations from the episode:Perfect Days (2023) by Wim WendersResearch for People Who (Think They) Would Rather Create (2022) by Dirk VisCheck out Mario’s work:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mario.palladino___?stkn=MXh2bTJ5bjY4eWZxeg== Design: https://www.instagram.com/blend.objLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-palladino-0b7a94206/

We have successfully failed to properly prepare for our grand discussion of The Odyssey. Nonetheless, we managed to cover quite a bit: Odysseus’s epic journey, its representation on screen, and the archetypes hiding underneath stories told across the world.This is a rant episode — as most of our duo episodes tend to be.Enjoy :) Mentions & recommendations from the episode:Troy (2004), dir. Wolfgang PetersenThe Real Story Behind the Trojan War — YouTube, Stephen FryThe Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories (2004) — Christopher Booker

Hey, we are back with an episode featuring Frans Kangasniemi — a Finnish and Sámi artist, photographer, and sole business owner based in Helsinki (at least according to Google’s AI overview). We covered quite a bit: from life across Finland and abroad,to the education system, entrepreneurship, art, and everything somewhere inbetween. Featuring views on artistic practices, current musical obsessions, andthe practical question of how one actually puts together an exhibition. You can probably tell we just went with the flow in thisepisode. As one should. Mentions & recommendations from the episode: La Haine (1995) by Mathieu KassovitzThe Fall (2006) by Tarsem SinghFilms by Wong Kar-wai Check out Frans’s work:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fransmikaell/Kajo — a non-profit for unheard voices and freshperspectives: https://kajo-art.com/

We are back with our deep dives into science, and this time we have the perfect guest for it: Cleo — a research assistant in the biotech field and a fellow sports enthusiast.This episode takes us from carrot cloning and PhD possibilities to calisthenics and fungi recipes, with plenty of scientific detours along the way. We had so much to talk about that we even promised a second episode. Stay tuned!Mentions & recommendations from the episode:Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake — for all things fungiThe Three-Body Problem trilogy by Cixin Liu — for a dive into science fictionCheck out Cleo’s work:https://linktr.ee/cleoSSOtanko.fi

We're back with a reflective episode. This time, Swavena and Eve dive into a collection of questions sent in by our audience, many of which are the same ones we ask ourselves on a regular basis, and a few that spiral into the grand scheme of life. Prepare yourself for an episode of questioning, answering, and reflecting on the human existence. With humour and fun — as always 🙂 Mentions and recommendations from the episode:• “A Heart So White” by Javier Marías • “Любовта на 45-годишния мъж” by Kalin Terziyski You can check out Swavena’s and Eve’s socials here:Instagram: @astraemulier, @fevenim

Finally, we got to talk about creativity with someone whotruly lives it. In this episode, we’re joined by Max Zarodoff: a filmmakerand photographer, who gives us a glimpse into the world of visual storytelling.We explore the subtle language of filmmaking, the routines we all search for,and the moments of inspiration hidden in everyday life. This episode is full of great recommendations, so definitelycheck it out!  Mentions and recommendations from the episode:•  One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel GarcíaMárquez•  Portrait of a Lady on Fire by Céline Sciamma•  War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy •  Kendrick Lamar by Kendrick Lamar )) •  Xavier Dolan – It`s only the end of the world •  Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life, Song to Song, Knight of Cups, Hidden Life •   Ludovico Einaudi •   Claudio Constantini•  Portrait of a Lady on Fire You can check out Max’s work here:Instagram: @zarodoff

We are back. And quite alive. This is a spring episode, in which we reflect on our year-long break and get on with our latest updates on the journey of self-exploration — exploration of the world, and our inner passions. Apart from a very therapeutic ramble, we also discuss events and encounters that inspired us recently, along with the weather reports, hairstyle experiences, job markets and… cool books.Be well, don’t straighten your hair (unless you really want to), and enjoy!Mentions and recommendations from the episode:• Book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin• Book “Childhood, Youth, Dependency” by Tove Ditlevsen• Book “Аз и Бог” by Kalin Terziyski • Book “Norwegian Wood” by Haruki Murakami • Book “The Words” by Jean-Paul Sartre • Event Space 360: A Multi-Sector Summit for IWD 2026Link for more information and registration: Space 360: A Multi-Sector Summit for IWD 2026 · Luma

A new Vega Podcast episode for those who look for reinforcement in daring, exploring, and crafting their unique path.We are joined by Pierre-Louis Soulié, a robotics graduate from UC Berkeley, who went on a journey from studying micro-engineering at EPFL to practising product design at Polimi while living, working, and studying across five different countries.In the episode, Pierre shares what he learned from operating on the edge between engineering and design, talks about his current lifestyle in San Francisco, and gives notes on the mindset dynamics between the US and Europe.All topped with AI recourses, startup aspirations, and, of course, great inspo takeaways.Enjoy!P.S. If not for that one blog post from the “Ambitious and Driven” curated by Anirudhh Ramesh, this episode would not have happened  Would highly recommend to check it out (linked below)! Mentions and recommendations from the episode: - Interview with Pierre for the “Ambitious and Driven” blog: https://www.ambitiousxdriven.com/p/berkeley-withings-and-leaving-engineering- The Human-Centered Design Toolkit by IDEO: https://www.ideo.com/journal/design-kit-the-human-centered-design-toolkit- Book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60965426-the-creative-act- Book “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52036.SiddharthaAI resources: - ChatGPT (don’t pretend as if you’ve never heard of it): https://openai.com/index/chatgpt/- Vizcom: https://www.vizcom.ai/ - Claude: https://claude.ai/login?returnTo=%2F%3FFollow Pierre on social media:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierrelouissl/Website: https://plsoulie.vercel.app/Instagram: @andeolll

Hey! In today`s episode, Dimitar shares some insights into the Space industry. What has happened since the start of 2025? Why space exploration is so important? What does the future of space exploration look like? These are just some of the questions we answer in our discussion. Dimitar`s blog: Space Brief: https://spacebrief.substack.com/ Recommended book: Madeleine Albright, Fascism: A Warning: https://www.amazon.com/Fascism-Warning-Madeleine-Albright/dp/0062802186 Recommended podcast: The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart: https://www.youtube.com/@WeeklyShowPodcast Enjoy :)

Hey! Our “yapping” series are continuing with a cozy episode about finding purpose and not losing yourself in it. Accompanied by some soothing herbal tea. We discuss how different people: our family members, friends, or chess-super-players try to find their callings and pursue a meaningful path. What does one do to find their passion? What if it doesn’t work out? How to stay intact with yourself? Those are the questions we raise and diligently try to find an answer to. To the best of our knowledge and in the chillest manner possible.Mentions and recs from the episode:  - Adam Grant | Organizational psychologist and bestselling author: https://adamgrant.net/- Jordan B. Peterson | A renowned psychologist, author, and online educator: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/- Book by Viiktor Frankl | “Man's search for meaning”: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning