Episodes
520
Latest episode
Mar 2024
Language
EN
Listen to writer/broadcasters Nora Young and Cathi Bond as they freak over the future. They can't believe it. Neither will you.
Well, it's been...a minute since we posted a new episode. Cathi and Nora talk about the need to take a little hiatus. Cathi also shares some exciting news. She has a new book coming out in April. Check out more here!
Happy holidays from Cathi and Nora!Every year on the podcast, we have a holiday special featuring outrageous, kooky gifts we'd love to have in an alternate reality!This time, we set ourselves a different challenge: each of us picked a gift (for ourselves, naturally) that clocks in at under $100. We wanted it to be a surprise (for us and for you) so you have to listen to the episode to find out. No 'advertorial' or affiliate marketing; we just think these are cool products.Hope you have a great holiday break and warm wishes for the new year from your pals at The Sniffer! And don't forget to watch Cathi and Nora's favourite holiday movie: The Thin Man!
This time, a cool trend in wind turbines. A Norwegian company called World Wide Wind is piloting a wind turbine that sits out in the ocean with its generator at the bottom, in the sea. Check it out over at New Atlas.Then, Nora and Cathi talk about what to do when you feel stuck creatively. There's this idea of working with creative constraints, or Twyla Tharp's practice of building a creative habit.
Hi friends! Cath and Nora here.We've been talking about online dating recently. This WIRED article says Gen Z is over dating apps. Is it now time to go back to --gasp--friend networks?Cathi found a new service that promises to let you do a 30 minute drone tour of amazing sights, with a co-pilot/guide. It's not like really going, but could it be an eco-friendly and cheap-ish form of eco-tourism?
Hello! This time on the podcast, Nora Young talks about Spotify's project to offer AI-based voice simulation for podcast translation. So, you can listen to your pod-of-choice in a different language, but in a simulated version of the podcaster's own voice. First languages to be available are Spanish, French, and German.Cathi Bond brings you 'giraffenap', a body-sized box that lets people take a 20 minute nap while standing, sorta. Your feet, shins, buttocks, arms, and head are supported. The goal is for a quick nap, sleeping lightly, rather than a full-on snooze fest. It comes in 2 different models, and you can check out the deets here.
Hi folks!Things get a little wild as Cathi Bond looks at Cortical Labs, which is researching how to design computational systems from a mixture of stem cells and a silicon substrate (via New Atlas). We take a speculative look at a potential future of biological computing.Meanwhile, Nora Young looks at this Wired article on research into watermarking AI-generated images, and just how difficult that is turning out to be. How will we deal with the proliferation of deepfakes and similar forms of disinformation?
Hey there!This time, Cathi Bond talks about this Gizmodo article on the issue of shadow banning on dating apps. Nora Young refers to this Guardian article on a virtual assistant/life coach that Google's DeepMind is working on. She also references this Atlantic article.
Hi folks! Hard to believe it's Labour Day already! Cathi and Nora are back at it for a new season. We met at Cathi's place to talk about our summers and of course, new gadgets.Nora talks about this Wired article on the popularity of 'ice vests': wearable gear to keep outdoor workers cool in the summer heat. It reminds Cathi of the breathing tech in Dune. Is this kind of thing part of the future of climate change adaptation?Cathi has her eye on the Barsys, a stylish drink-making appliance for those looking for cool cocktail culture accountrements. Do people want to do their own mixology, or could this be a high end party favourite?
Hope your summer is going well! This time, Cathi looks at one potential future scenario, described in this Fast Company article, for the use of sidewalk robots in smart cities to deliver goods.Nora refers to this UBC business school study on one reason people prefer automated checkout: embarrassing purchases.
Happy summer!This time, Nora talks about this article in The Economist (registration required) on research into adding smells to VR/Metaverse spaces. Cathi came across this ad for muscle-building that reminded her of the history of fitness gear. Our childhood memories of the fitness tech of our parents' generation ensues!
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