Tuesday, June 26, 2012
It’s All How You See It
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

You say high tech, I say low tech, but can we agree that it’s really about perception and belief, in technology and ourselves? When I moved back to Northeast Ohio, I anticipated a slower pace than the East Coast, and that the slower pace would probably translate to a less “cutting-edge” feel to the technology environment. Read more...

Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Medical Meanings
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

Right after law school I worked at an association that tested and certified orthotists and prosthetists (yeah, it was a mouthful). Since I grew up without knowing anyone who had an artificial limb, I was pretty clueless about what medical devices such as orthopedic braces and mechanical prosthetics looked like up close. Read more...

Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Summer Books, Some Are Life Changers
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

So the Times’ Book Review did its biblio-duty this week and published the “Summer Reading” issue. Never mind that it strikes me that if we’re talking about what books to take to the beach cottage for lazy afternoons by the seashore then maybe I don’t get to participate. Read more...

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Pilgrims' Progress, 21st-Century Style
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

Remember the sci-fi dreams of the '60s and '70s? When we could “de-molecularize” on board the Starship Enterprise and reformulate elsewhere — ready to make things right in our best earthling fashion? “Star Trek” also brought us “phasers” to stun our enemies and medical wands waving our wounds to wellness. But I thought the coolest ideas (or at least the closest possibilities) were those we were promised by optimistic futurists as “the cars of the future!” Read more...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Currents of Opportunity
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

I was talking with a policy person the other day — you know the type. Breaks down the vexing questions with an intellectual cleaver, exposing the raw stuff of understanding for all to see. In this case we were discussing energy — renewable, nonrenewable, alternative, good old oil, etc. And what was said really crystallized some of my thinking: “Policy creates the market.” Read more...

Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Good Golly, It’s Gestalt!
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

I’ve always loved the word “gestalt” — it’s a hardy-sounding growl wrapped in a bit of foreign mystery. Read more...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Homestretch
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

So Frost pointed out, "Home is the place where, if you have to go there, they have to take you in." And plenty of other less genteel sayings exist to describe the idea of hearth and home — that fertile and sometimes fecund place of extremes. Read more...

Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Be the OCD You Were Meant to Be
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) gets a bad rap these days. It's in the funny farm book (otherwise known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and conjures an image of the guy who washes his hands so much his skin falls off. But what about OCD’s usefulness in an America increasingly bereft of meaningful rituals? Read more...

Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Risky Business
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

Psychotherapists and investment bankers may not seem to have much in common, but they both ask a similar question as they try to get you well (mentally or financially): “How willing are you to take risks?” Read more...

Monday, March 26, 2012
Renew, Refresh, Regroup
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

This week marks roughly the halfway point of NEOtropolis, season three. So far it's been an incredibly fun and fantastic ride, with a few live TV bumps along the way. Read more...

Monday, March 5, 2012
Start Me Up
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

Let's get this show on the road! Not NEOtropolis per se — that's been rolling along like a luxury Lexus for the past two months. I'm talking here about Western Reserve Public Media's new "Wiki-TV" effort that will bring a live report from the StartUpBus all this week at 6:57 p.m., just before PBS NewsHour, on Western Reserve PBS (WNEO/WEAO). Read more...

Monday, Feb. 27, 2012
It's a Wiki-Wide World
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

This week on NEOtropolis, it's all about making something less desirable (like yucky organic waste or discarded floor tiles) into something more desirable (like natural gas or faux flowers). Converting to second uses, repurposing, upcycling — whatever you call it — puts you in the role of a co-creator (or at least a supporter of someone else's repurposing) instead of a passive, pass-through consumer. Read more...

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012
Self-Expression — Harder Than It Seems?
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

Wow, show #6 this week! Hard to believe that Season Three of NEOtropolis is nearing the halfway point. We’ve been busy illustrating and interpreting the forces affecting all of us in Northeast Ohio — technology, globalization and diversity. This week we’re all about the different expressions and “languages” we use to grapple with these forces, e.g. poetry, fashion, politics and Madonna?? Read more...

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012
For the Love of Maps
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

I first got hooked on maps when I was about 10 and reading "Treasure Island." Read more...

Monday, Jan. 30, 2012
Thirsting for Meaning; Drinking for Survival?
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

Living near one of the Great Lakes tends to skews one’s perspective on fresh water. Read more...

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012
What Kind of Information Is in Your Diet?
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

So the slogan across the top of the New York Times says it is, “All the news that’s fit to print.” Of course, it was never meant to be literal. Read more...

Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012
It’s Only Natural
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

After a pretty cool premiere episode, we’re back and looking to the future. This week we are going to see about “mimicking” nature, as in biomimicry. Read more...

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012
Let’s Get This Party Started
by Luke Frazier, host of NEOtropolis

Really looking forward to the first NEOtropolis episode of the new season! We’re going to touch a lot of bases, technology-wise, as we gear up for an exciting season. Read more...