The Upsiders

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world." "Because it's the only thing that ever has." - The West Wing When the headlines go quiet, the classrooms wake up. For our season finale, we’re tackling a quiet revolution. We’ve all seen the headlines about the death of local news (the "News Deserts" expanding and corporate consolidation silencing local voices)...

The city doesn't sleep. It just changes shifts. While most of the world is tucked in, roughly 20% of the workforce in industrialized nations is just getting started. This isn't just about the "party-goers" or the "night owls"; this is the Night Shift Society: the essential healthcare professionals, logistics experts, manufacturing operators, and sanitation crews who serve as the metabolism of our...

If the American Revolution was "cooked up in taverns," where is the next great idea being born? In this episode of The Upsiders , we’re diving into the essential concept of the "Third Place" —those vital spots that aren't home (the first place) and aren't work (the second place). Sociologist Ray Oldenburg argued that these neutral grounds are the "Main Artery" of a healthy democracy, but in an era...

Is your controller a "Coping Mechanism" or a "Curative Tool"? For years, the "Madness" surrounding video games has focused on a single, debunked myth: that they cause real-world violence. But while we were arguing over old headlines, a quiet revolution was happening in the "Identity Sandbox." In this episode of The Upsiders , we’re digging into the latest 2025 and 2026 research from the Oxford Int...

Does it feel like your choices are getting smaller while the companies get bigger? On this week’s episode of The Upsiders , Your Friendly Neighborhood Los and Bertram dive into the "Monopoly Moment." As lovers of cities, our hosts believe that a thriving community depends on a diverse "ecosystem" of businesses, creators, and innovators, not just a few giant skyscrapers owning the whole skyline. We...

What if the most expensive thing about public transit is actually the fare? On this week’s episode of The Upsiders , Your Friendly Neighborhood Los and Bus-Rider Bertram are getting personal. Our hosts aren't just "car-free by choice", they are unapologetic lovers of cities. They believe there is something magic about thousands of people with different goals and priorities coming together to live,...

“Hey, roommate! If you’re reading this, we need to go to Aldi and pick up some more milk. Also, are you going to eat that leftover Panda Express in the fridge?” Welcome to a very domestic, and very insightful, episode of The Upsiders ! Join Cohabitat Bertram and Your Friendly Neighborhood Los for a fun, energetic conversation about the explosive rise of Shared Spaces . We aren't just talking about...

Imagine a city where the roads, the plumbing, and the electric grid were all built for free by volunteers—and they work better than anything a corporation could sell you. In this episode of The Upsiders , we go "under the hood" of the digital world to explore Open Source . We often think of big tech as a series of skyscrapers owned by Apple or Google, but the foundation they sit on is a $20-trilli...

Welcome back to The Community Curiosity Collective! In a time of massive political and economic inequality, the ultimate question is: Can we use the Constitution—the foundational document of our democracy—to truly make our country a better place for average and poor Americans? This week, we explore the revolutionary efforts to enact New Constitutional Amendments aimed at correcting glaring America...

Welcome back to The Upsiders! You've heard the complaints: Gen Z is lazy, disloyal, and hops jobs every year. But what if those behaviors are actually smart, pragmatic responses to a difficult labor market—and are helping companies become more dynamic? This week, we debunk the pervasive myths about Gen Z in the workforce. We turn conventional wisdom on its head, starting with our segment, "That's...

Welcome back to The Upsiders! When the rain falls, our cities—mostly covered in concrete and asphalt—have one goal: to get the water away as fast as possible. But what if the very thing we see as a problem, the rainwater, is actually a valuable resource? This week, we dive into the brilliant, global concept of Sponge Cities : an urban planning model that uses nature-based solutions to absorb, stor...

Welcome back to The Community Curiosity Collective! In an age of runaway energy bills and unreliable grids, we ask a crucial question: What if the power source wasn't hundreds of miles away, but right in your neighborhood? This week, we dive into the soaring trend of Community-Owned Renewable Energy Projects—local, decentralized initiatives where citizens invest in and benefit from their own power...

Welcome back to The Community Curiosity Collective! In a world that constantly measures our worth by our titles, salaries, or achievements, what happens to the inherent value of a person? This week, we dive into the timeless concept of Human Dignity—the intrinsic, unearned value every person carries simply by existing. As philosopher Immanuel Kant called it, an "inner worth that cannot be compared...

"America is a place where the luxuries are cheap and the necessities are expensive.” — Joseph Cohen, Sociologist Welcome back to The Community Curiosity Collective! For decades, our culture has equated success with "more": more money, more stuff, and more growth. But what happens when that relentless pursuit of economic expansion makes our most basic needs, like healthcare, housing, and childcare,...

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw When did "fun" become a dirty word? In a culture obsessed with productivity and analytics, most of us trade in our playfulness for business, but what if the very thing we label as a distraction is actually the secret to a better life? Inspired by the research of Stuart Brown and the famous Maria...

For many, a fast internet connection and a working computer are a fact of modern life. But for millions across the globe and right here in the U.S., a lack of digital access and skills is creating a gap that threatens to leave entire communities behind. Welcome back to The Upsiders. This week, we explore the often-overlooked Digital Divide —a chasm that prevents access to education, employment, he...

"A society in which consumption has to be artificially stimulated in order to keep production going is a society founded on trash and waste, and such a society is a house built upon sand." — Dorothy Sayers Welcome back to The Upsiders. For decades, our consumer culture has been built on a foundation of planned obsolescence, leaving us with a staggering amount of waste and a forgotten skill: the ar...

Get ready to look to the sky, Upsiders! This is the most excited Los has been about an upside so far. On this special episode, Los and Bertram explore a truly futuristic vision of agriculture that's already taking root and revolutionizing how we get our food: vertical farming. As traditional arable land dwindles at an alarming rate and the global demand for food skyrockets, we dive into how farmin...

In a world often dominated by large corporations, The Upsiders are setting their sights on the agile, impactful force that is the micro-business. Echoing John Paul Jones's bold declaration, "I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not intend to go fast, for I intend to go in harm’s way," Los and Bertram explore how these nimble enterprises are the true pioneers, driving innovation and...

Join Los and Bertram on The Upsiders as they explore a revolutionary vision for urban living: the 15-minute city. Imagine a world where your daily needs – work, groceries, leisure, and community – are all within a comfortable 15-minute walk or bike ride. We delve into the ambitious work of Carlos Moreno, the driving force behind this concept, and his mission to reshape cities around people, not ca...

This week on The Upsiders, Los and Bertram take a deep dive into the revolutionary changes reshaping the landscape of American education, focusing on empowering students with agency and real-world skills. We begin by exploring Sam Chaltain's vision of student freedom, defined as the space to pursue passions within a framework of interconnectedness, and his observations at Purdue Polytechnic High S...

From the murderous automatons of early science fiction to the collaborative cobots of today, robots have always fascinated and, at times, unnerved us. Join Los and Bertram on The Upsiders as they delve into the evolving world of robotics, exploring how these intelligent, physically embodied machines are reshaping our lives. We'll unpack the key components that make a robot, from the sensing capabi...

Welcome to The Upside, the podcast that explores the fascinating things happening right now. Join Your Friendly Neighborhood Los and Bertram as they delve into the world of artificial intelligence and its surprising contributions to our lives. This week, we're not just talking about robots and self-driving cars. We're exploring how AI is revolutionizing industries you might not expect. We'll disco...

Original Publish Date: October 11, 2024 Join Bertram and Los on The Upsiders, a podcast that takes you on a journey through time to discover the brighter side of today's world. In our inaugural episode, we dive into the world of streaming platforms and their seemingly endless supply of shows. But did you know that even with all these options, there are still countless gems lost in the annals of te...