Spark

Hosted by Nora Young

Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. (12:00 NT) and Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. (4:30 NT) on CBC Radio One.

Update on Cory Kidd and his weight loss social robot

Posted by Dan Misener on December 19 at 04:00 PM

On the October 24/27 episode of Spark, Nora interviewed Cory Kidd, an MIT researcher who's developed a robotic weight loss coach -- sort of like your own personal robot version of Jenny Craig.

Cory was studying how social robots compare to more traditional ways of tracking weight loss. Since we last heard from him, Cory has completed his study, defended his PhD thesis and formed a company based on his research.

This week, Nora did a follow-up interview with Cory about his study results. You can hear the whole thing above, or download the MP3.

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Posted to: Interviews

Show notes - December 19 & 22, 2007

Posted by Dan Misener on December 19 at 12:00 AM

On this episode of Spark:

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

Download the MP3, or subscribe to the podcast.

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Posted to: Show Notes

Your gadgets and energy consumption...continued

Posted by Elizabeth Bowie on December 18 at 05:07 PM

People from the Spark community offered some very helpful tips for how to assess how much energy you're using in the home, and what to do about it.

Here are some more interesting links we've discovered recently:

New York Times article on "vampire" power loss (has some valuable links to energy appetite of average appliances)

The Treehugger blog offers tips on "greening" your electricity

And on greening your computing

You can monitor how much energy your devices are using with products such as this
Or this:

Those tips on monitoring devices came to us from the comments section of our original post. Plenty more good information where that came from that post. Check it out.


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Circuit-bending tips, tricks and safety advice

Posted by Elizabeth Bowie on December 18 at 05:02 PM

Circuit-bending is the art of short-circuiting battery operated, low voltage, electronics to create experimental audio. Sound artists and musicians typically use electronic toys or toy instruments such as a Speak and Spell or a Furby. The 'father of circuit-bending' is generally considered to be Qubais Reed Ghazala, who pioneered the technique in the mid-1960s.

Circuit-bending is obviously not for children, and even for adults, it's a 'do at your own risk' activity. Circuit-benders recommend working only with circuits using 6 volts or less. NEVER, EVER try to circuit bend a piece of electronics plugged into the wall--that's a recipe for electrocution--even, circuit bending guides say, with an AC adaptor. This technique is for low voltage, battery-operated circuits only. Eye protection should be worn.
Update: As one of our commenters points out, because of the risk of damage, you shouldn't try this with anything that you're not prepared to lose. If you're really attached to your Speak n Spell, don't touch it!

If you'd like to find out more about the art of circuit-bending, here's an interesting New York Times article on it.

Also check out Qubais Reed Ghazala's set of circuit-bending resources and his book .


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Posted to: Great Links

Show notes - December 12 & 15, 2007

Posted by Dan Misener on December 12 at 12:00 AM

On this episode of Spark: What's it worth??

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

Download the MP3, or subscribe to the podcast.

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Posted to: Show Notes

What Are Your Technological New Year's Resolutions?

Posted by Nora Young on December 11 at 02:29 PM

I make (though rarely keep) New Year's Resolutions every December. This year, my resolution is to re-activate my personal blog, which has been mostly lying fallow. Do you have any...finally backing up that hard drive? Making your home more energy efficient? Or maybe you want to de-technologize some of your life, say, walk to work instead of taking the car. Let us know your technological new year's resolutions here!

spark bag (robot arm not included)

Twenty winners drawn at random will win one of these stylish and practical Spark re-usable grocery bags (robot arm not included).

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Posted to: Get on the Air

Show notes - December 5 & 8, 2007

Posted by Dan Misener on December 08 at 03:00 PM

On this episode of Spark: What the heck is my kid doing?

  • Technology that parents just don't understand
  • High school students Rose and Brad from Spartan Youth Radio explain how they use technology
  • Nora mentions Teensurance
  • Barbara Coloroso on parenting in the age of surveillance (full interview)
  • Emily Want on Anne's Diary, a social networking site for girls
  • Kids explain the technology their parents just don't understand
  • Tom Lucier isn't a paper boy. He's a paper man.
  • Rose and Brad return with their teacher, Jayson Stewart
  • Students from Spartan Youth Radio explain their relationship with technology

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

Download the MP3, or subscribe to the podcast.

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Posted to: Show Notes

Full Unedited Interview: Rick Prelinger archives the world

Posted by Elizabeth Bowie on December 07 at 03:47 PM

Last week, we interviewed archivist and film maker, Rick Prelinger, for an upcoming episode of Spark. Rick's interview will air on our January 2 show, but we're posting it here so you can get a sneak peak.

Click above to listen to the full interview, or download the mp3

Earlier this week, Rick Prelinger, posted this film--The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair-- to his online collection.
At the end of the Spark interview, above, he chats a bit about The Middleton Family.

Enjoy!

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Posted to: Unedited Interview

Denis McGrath on Fan Fiction in the Internet Age

Posted by Dan Misener on December 06 at 10:58 AM

Denis McGrath is a Canadian television writer and blogger. Nora interviewed him today about his thoughts on internet fan fiction.

Denis will be on the December 12/15 episode of Spark, along with G. Norman Lippert, author of fanfic Harry Potter sequel James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing.

Click above to hear the full interview with Denis, or download the MP3.

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Posted to: Audio | Unedited Interview

Techiquette: Upgrading your gadgets...and your energy consumption

Posted by Elizabeth Bowie on December 04 at 05:51 PM

We love reading your comments here at the blog, and we especially love it when you post story ideas for the show! So congrats to Craig Stowell, who gets a chic Spark reusable grocery bag (they are so nice) for his story idea.

Here's some of what Craig posted a little over a week ago:

While I find your show very interesting, I think you must address the fact that all of this new technology and gadgetry is using an increasing amount of energy.

For example, a new laptop I just bought with dual processors is using about 50% more energy than the one I bought 2 years ago...My ipod although drawing minimal energy now requires charging every few hours of use, my old discman would run on 2 double A batteries for a month.

I have yet to hear about someone on a show like this address the fact that our increasing use of computers and electronics is using up an increasing amount of energy.

In my opinion a cool new device would be one that is using less power than last year's model. Unfortunately, the opposite is true.

OK, we heard you. So we're working on a story about upgrading your gadgets and your energy use. It's not hard to switch off your computer to save energy, but to stop buying new electronics? That's harder.

What do you think? Do you check and see how much energy your new gadget is gobbling? Would that stop you from buying an upgrade?

Post your comments and we'll use them on the show.

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Posted to: Get on the Air

Favourite Board Games

Posted by Nora Young on December 04 at 05:48 PM

When I was a kid, I loved the board game "Mouse Trap". Oh sure, there were games that were more challenging, or maybe even more fun, but Mouse Trap had a great gimmick. As you roamed around the board, you would assemble a, er, mousetrap piece by piece. The trap was one of these elaborate things where you'd roll a marble down a pipe which would tip over a bucket and launch a hunk of plastic, and so on until the trap would come down over your player...a plastic mouse!

How about you? What's your favourite board game and why?

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Posted to: Get on the Air

Anne's Diary: What Do You Think?

Posted by Nora Young on December 04 at 05:24 PM

On the show, we mentioned the new social networking website, Anne's Diary, which includes a number of features to make sure that the only users are the girls from the ages of 6-14 who register for the site. We asked you what you thought: is this a good way of giving web 'training wheels' to children? Let us know.

One of the features Anne's Diary uses is a fingerprint reader. (More information on the fingerprint reader is here at their website)
We're preparing a piece for an upcoming episode of Spark on this increasingly common technology.

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Tracking Teens: Interview with Barbara Coloroso

Posted by Elizabeth Bowie on December 04 at 12:11 PM

A couple of weeks ago, Nora wrote about Teensurance, a service that lets you monitor teen drivers. Teensurance will send you an email when your teen drives outside a specified zone, or over a set speed limit.

We reached out to parenting expert Barbara Coloroso to get her take on the trend of parents monitoring children. Teensurance is just one of several techie ways you can track your kid. There are jackets with GPS lining, or devices that let you monitor your child's online activities in real time.

A shorter version of Barbara's interview will air on tomorrow's show, but here's a meatier version, in case you want a sneak peek (click above to play, or download the MP3).

At about 6:10 minutes into the interview Barbara gives some interesting insights on how tracking teens ties into the larger social trend of the "Surveillance Society." Are kids learning how not to get caught, instead of learning right from wrong? Where's the moral compass? Post your comments below.

(Barbara also talks briefly about cyber bullying. You can get her handout on talking to your kids about Net Neighborhoods here.)

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Posted to: Interviews

Manitoba Mainframe Funeral

Posted by Dan Misener on November 29 at 04:48 PM

On November 21, 2007, the University of Manitoba said goodbye to its beloved mainframe by holding a New Orleans Style Jazz Funeral, complete with a piñata:

mainframe.jpg

Spark's microphones were at the funeral, and you can hear the ceremony above, or download the mp3.

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Posted to: Audio

We love the Tip Calculator!

Posted by Elizabeth Bowie on November 28 at 10:04 AM

I was out with some friends last weekend, and the server brought us one bill. We did our best to figure out who owed what for the meals, and then how much we should each leave for tax and tip. I hate this moment. Somebody always cheaps out on the tip! We were $5 short. So my friend whips out his cell phone and goes to the "tip calculator" function.

Where has this been all my life? He puts in the total bill amount and the number of people contributing and says "Tah-dah! Everybody owes $5.35 for the tip."

I love it.

What's your favorite method for calculating the tip, or splitting the bill? Do you have any horror stories about people who refuse to pay their fair share? How do you call someone on that kind of behavior?

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Posted to: Get on the Air

Show notes - November 28 & December 1, 2007

Posted by Dan Misener on November 28 at 12:00 AM

On this episode of Spark:

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

Download the MP3, or subscribe to the podcast.

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Posted to: Show Notes

Gadget Watch: tell us about your USB gadgets

Posted by Nora Young on November 27 at 11:33 AM

The USB connector on your computer is a handy dandy little item, good for plugging in your peripherals, loading data into the computer from a USB key and the like. There's also a weird mini trend in creating goofy gadgets that you can plug into your USB connector to power them. Consider, for instance, the USB pencil sharpener!

Spotted any zany USB gadgets out there? Let us know right here for an upcoming show.

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Posted to: Get on the Air

Show notes - November 21 & 24, 2007

Posted by Dan Misener on November 21 at 12:00 AM

Note: The broadcast version of Spark is pre-empted on Wednesday, November 21, but you can listen to the whole show online right here. Just click on the pink 'play' button. The show will air on CBC Radio One on Saturday the 24 at 4:00 pm (4:30 in Newfoundland).

On this episode of Spark:

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

Download the MP3, or subscribe to the podcast.

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Posted to: Show Notes

Full Interview: Anand Giridharadas

Posted by Nora Young on November 20 at 07:10 PM

Corporations in the US and Europe began outsourcing 'back office' work to India in the 1980s, and in recent years, the outsourcing of jobs to India--in everything from IT, to call centres, to legal research, to journalism--has been a big Indian business story, and a source of consternation amongst workers in the west, who fear their own jobs will be outsourced, or are concerned about downward pressure on wages. But now, the story of Indian outsourcing is about to take another turn. Call it "outsourcing 2.0".

Anand Giridharadas is a reporter for the New York Times, based in Mumbai. He's been writing about the evolution of outsourcing in India, amidst a rising rupee, increasing wages, and growing competition from lower wage economies. He explains the lay of the land as he sees it: where outsourcing will go, and the shake-up it will create in the global economy.


Click above to listen to the full interview, or download the mp3


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Posted to: Unedited Interview

What Do You Email Yourself About?

Posted by Nora Young on November 20 at 03:56 PM

I used to leave myself voicemail messages if I had to remember something, but now I find I email myself a lot with little reminders. Usually it's a way of my 'work' self communicating with my 'home' self. If I have a story idea on the weekend, I email it to my work email addy.

What do you email yourself and why?

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Posted to: Get on the Air

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