CBC Radio: Spark

2008-05-14 - Podcast repeats?

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The on-air version of Spark is a repeat this week. Instead of replaying it, Nora talks to Raj Patel about podcast repeats. If you're looking for the episode that went to air this week, see http://www.cbc.ca/spark/blog/2008/02/show_notes_february_13_2008.html

2008-05-07 - Episode 36

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom closes its doors, Beth Coleman on participation, ownership and identity in online virtual worlds, Spark listeners share their "off the grid" stories, John Sanderson tries to keep large trucks from getting stuck in Wedmore, England, and Michael Feir gives Nora a tour of the internet from the perspective of a blind person.

2008-04-30 - Episode 35

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Derek K. Miller wonders if he needs a digital executor, Amber Mac explains Creative Commons, Catherine tells the story of losing her digital photos when her Powerbook died, Merlin Mann of 43Folders.com builds a Disaster Preparedness Kit for your digital life, The Guardian's Charles Arthur explains Phorm's partnership with UK ISP to deliver targeted advertising and Lauren Weinstein thinks ISPs shouldn't have right to intercept users' internet communications.

2008-04-23 - Episode 34

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Patrick Griffin designs fonts and sells them online at MyFonts, Virginia Postrel explains the cultural currency of type, Jeff MacIntyre uses zenware to focus on his writing, Dane Watkins tests small communities for their collective dysfunctions through his art project Disorder and Naomi S. Baron on how digital technology affects the way we read and write.

2008-04-16 - Episode 33

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Jenny Sparrow learns that her "unlimited" internet plan actually has some limitations, Bill St. Arnaud on how Canada's broadband access compares to the rest of the world, Spark introduces new video columns, Amber Mac explains Net Neutrality, and why you should care, and Bell's Mirko Bibic on traffic shaping and net neutrality.

2008-04-09 - Episode 32

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Robert Scoble and Brad Kellett document obsolete skills, Peter Hirschberg shares his love of games through his own personal arcade, Tom Lucier on people who have never dealt a physical hand of solitaire, Jayant Agarwalla and John Chew on the popular and controversial digital Scrabble game Scrabulous, and Sam Flemming on the Chinese trend of Tuangou ("team-buying")

2008-04-02 - Episode 31

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ian Usher sells his life on eBay, Michael Sikorsky crowdsources through Cambrian House, Amber Mac explains why Canadians often can't watch TV online, Nora mentions Hector Serrano's Reduced Carbon Footprint Souvenir concept, Adrian Bowyer on the new manufacturing model that the 3D printer might create, and a panel: Theresa Senft, Sarah Meyers, and Merlin Mann on microcelebrity

2008-03-26 - Episode 30

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Spark listeners are geeks, Craig Desson joins the Dork Army, a group of Canadian professional video gamers, Celeste McWhorter defines gamedar, André Meadows is a self-professed "proud certified black nerd," Raafi Rivero on the rise of the black nerd, and Ivan Bowman uses a robot to telecommute from Halifax to Waterloo.

2008-03-19 - Episode 29

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Lee LeFever explains technology In Plain English, Laurent Haug bridges the divide in the kitchen through grandma dinners, and André Caron explains the mobile digital divide.

2008-03-12 - Episode 28

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Eszter Hargittai uses her camera to remember the cheese she likes, Saul Greenberg on how technology has changed the way we remember, Clive Thompson asks if an outboard brain makes you stupid, Patrick Davidson on the cognitive neuroscience of memory, danah boyd shares her algorithms for dumb security questions, Tom Lucier on spilled beer and Barilliant, and Genevieve Bell on keeping track of your digital lies

2008-03-05 - Episode 27

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Nora tells the story of the Virginia Snow Day, Marc Fisher and danah boyd on what the snow day story says about digital culture right now, Dr. Brian Goldman reveals the correct diagnoses in our cyberchondriacs contest, Steven Skolne invents a new sport: speedcabling, and Nora challenges cable wizard Keith Murray to a speedcabling match.

2008-02-27 - Episode 26

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A repeat podcast from January 9, 2008: Nora needs to pee, and consults MizPee, Carlo Ratti maps the Wikicity, Joe Pompei beams sound with the Audio Spotlight, Kristen Nauth explains multisensory marketing, Dan Ackerman Greenberg greases the wheels of viral video, Jean Burgess on the viral nature of the web, and Nora introduces the Spark Wiki, then asks for your questions for her interview with Howard Rheingold.

2008-02-20 - Episode 25

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The top health searches of 2007, Steve Lohr on Google Health and the consumerization of health information, Spark and White Coat, Black Art team up to give two listeners medical conditions, Keith Laycock explains why you can't use cell phones in the hospital, and Judy Illes on the ethics of cognitive enhancement drugs.

2008-02-13 - Episode 24

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Dan Misener accidentally receives someone else's email, a Spark listener uncovers digital evidence for divorce cases, David Paccioco explains on how the law treats digital evidence, Lawyer Lou Brzezinski carries a blank laptop, Clive Thompson keeps the his most important information on his laptop, not in his head, Nora mentions Spark's self-diagnosis contest, and Nick Carr explains the big switch in computing.

2008-02-06 - Episode 23

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Kevin Lawver and Saffron write very short stories called Ficlets, Tom Howell defends idiosyncrasy, Michael Kinsley tells the story of the LA Times Wikitorial, Calendar Girl makes a collaborative record through Calendar Songs, and Howard Rheingold on collaborative technology and collective action.

2008-01-30 - Episode 22

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Nora builds a Virtual Nora with My Virtual Model, Ian McCarthy explains mass customization, Julien Smith says the web is built for text, Jim Glass searches audio with the MIT Lecture Browser, James Graham harvests the energy of human movement with crowd farms, and Dan Misener bundles up.

2008-01-23 - Episode 21

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Luke Closs measures his energy use with his Kill-a-watt, Michael Bhardwaj fights vampire power, Alex Steffen blogs bright green at Worldchanging, Bruce MacDougall poses an energy riddle, Tom Howell investigates obsolete armoires, and Bill St. Arnaud explains how the Internet causes carbon emissions.

2008-01-16 - Episode 20

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Alex Pang on "Googling your stuff" with RFID tags, Justin Langois turns RSS feeds into art in With Love, RSS, Virginia Heffernan defends lurking, Maddy Janse builds the connected house of the future with the Amigo Project, and Alex Pang returns to explore the future of RFID

2008-01-09 - Episode 19

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Nora needs to pee, and consults MizPee, Carlo Ratti maps the Wikicity, Joe Pompei beams sound with the Audio Spotlight, Kristen Nauth explains multisensory marketing, Dan Ackerman Greenberg greases the wheels of viral video, Jean Burgess on the viral nature of the web, and Nora introduces the Spark Wiki, then asks for your questions for her interview with Howard Rheingold.

2008-01-02 - Episode 18

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Spark listeners share their technological New Year's resolutions, Gina Trapani boosts her productivity with some New Year's life hacks, Spark producer Elizabeth de-clutters by donating her CD-ROMs to MOOT, the Museum of Obsolete Technologies, Rick Prelinger archives ephemeral films, and students at George Brown College resolve to learn to type

2007-12-26 - Episode 17

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Spark listeners watch TV on demand, Matthew Cashmore on the shared experience of television, Nora and Cathi Bond watch a giant outdoor television, Peter Rukavina explains living with a Nabaztag WiFi-enabled rabbit, and Anand Giridharadas explains outsourcing 2.0.

2007-12-19 - Episode 16

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Frank Branham explains why so many board games come with DVDs, Tom Lucier has a love/hate relationship with USB gadgets as Christmas gifts, Darsha Hewitt turns electronic toys into circuit bent instruments, Jay Baydala wants to eliminate extreme poverty through ChristmasFuture, Techiquette: Tom Howell asks if it's ethical to upgrade to the latest power-hungry electronics

2007-12-12 - Episode 15

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

George Norman Lippert writes Harry Potter fan fiction, Denis McGrath on fan fiction, Daniel Gervais on the legal implications of fan fiction and remix culture, Rick Prelinger on the peaceful co-existence of fee and free (full interview, Spark listeners confess their love for old technology, the University of Manitoba holds a funeral for its mainframe, and Mitch Joel on online reputation management.

2007-12-05 - Episode 14

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

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, Barbara Coloroso on parenting in the age of surveillance, Emily Want on Anne's Diary, a social networking site for girls, kids explain the technology their parents just don't understand, Tom Lucier is a paper man, and students from Spartan Youth Radio explain their relationships with technology.

2007-11-28 - Episode 13

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

(Some) Spark listeners are geeks, Craig Desson joins the Dork Army, a group of Canadian professional video gamers, Celeste McWhorter defines gamedar, André Meadows is a self-professed "proud certified black nerd," Raafi Rivero on the rise of the black nerd, and Anand Giridharadas explains outsourcing 2.0.

2007-11-21 - Episode 12

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Matthew Cashmore on the shared experience of television, Nora and Cathi Bond watch a giant outdoor television, Peter Rukavina explains living with a Nabaztag WiFi-enabled rabbit, Techiquette: Tom Howell investigates the ethics of personal outsourcing, and Anand Giridharadas explains outsourcing 2.0

2007-11-14 - Episode 11

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Elizabeth Bowie admits her WiFi is unsecure, Rob Burbach explains the latest trends in credit card fraud, Tracey Black explains the next generation of payment systems -- the chip card, Roger Ball measures Chinese head and face shapes for the SizeChina project, Robert Beggs helps Elizabeth secure her WiFi, Darin Myman on the BigString self-destructing email service, and Robert Ransick explains his artwork Casa Segura.

2007-11-07 - Episode 10

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Lorraine Gauthier gives John Van Dusen's wartime house a green makeover as part of the Now House project, John Moralee and Tom Steinberg improve their neighbourhoods using FixMyStreet , Techiquette: Tom Howell investigates the legalities and ethics of using your neighbour's WiFi, the grade five class at Market Lane Public School cranks dat Soulja Boy, and Xiaochang Li explains the success of Soulja Boy and how internet trends cross over into the mainstream.

2007-10-31 - Episode 9

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Are advertisements becoming smarter than we are? Nick Prigioniero explains marketing through narrowcasting, Anastasia Goodstein on marketing to kids in virtual worlds, John Furneaux tells us how Life Brand tissue boxes got their stripes, Allen Adamson on product repackaging trends, and Tom Howell spins hybrid vinyl CDs right round, baby, right round.

2007-10-24 - Episode 8

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Adrian Bowyer prints in 3D with RepRap, Richard Harper demystifies the paperless office, Jeff Bilmes controls a mouse pointer with the vocal joystick, Jamais Cascio and William Gibson on the future of the 3D Web, and Cory Kidd and Amna Carreiro on Autom: A Robotic Weight Loss Coach

2007-10-17 - Episode 7

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Matthew Seiler brews some do-it-yourself root beer, Sherry Huss on Maker Faire and the DIY movement, Jamais Cascio and William Gibson on smart environments and the future of the Internet, Journalism student Catherine Rolfsen interviews Andrew Keen and Rahaf Harfoursh about the future of newspapers, your reactions to cell phones on airplanes,and Nora and Tom Howell try to change traffic lights using magnets

2007-10-10 - Episode 6

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Nora rides David McCallum's Warbike, Jesse Wente unwires his house with Internet over Power Lines, William Kamkwamba builds a windmill to bring electricity to his home, Ory Okolloh on the power of blogging in Africa, Nora mentions Afrigator, an African blog aggregator, Promo for next episode: William Gibson interview, Techiquette: Is it OK to use your cell phone on an airplane?

2007-10-03 - Episode 5

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

On this episode of Spark: Nora drops her cellphone in the sink, the toilet, and the pool, Karen Ryan on Trash Luxe, design that finds "beauty in unexpected and unwanted materials,"CScout Japan's Michael Keferl explains QR codes, Ivan Bowman answers questions about his robot IvanAnywhere, Lane Becker and Patti Roll on crowdsourced customer service with Satisfaction, and Khoi Vinh on designed deterioration.

2007-09-26 - Episode 4

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Mike Partridge explains his cochlear implant, Kevin Englehart on the new wave of artificial limbs, Ryan Knighton on computer screen reader monotony, Spark visits a German-style games night at Drexoll Games in Vancouver, is it OK to look at someone else's browser history?, David Sky writes a sequencer plugin for Audacity, Pedro Mendes on Digital camera hacks, and Andy Thompson and Patrick Condon on the return of the trailer park.

2007-09-12 - Episode 2

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

On this episode of Spark, Nora wishes she was at NextFest, Francesca Rosella sends us long-distance love with The Hug Shirt, Kurt Bigenho disengages with NOSO, Saul Greenberg makes computers that fit the way humans understand the world, and Noah Vawter turns noise into music with Ambient Addition.

2007-09-05 - Episode 1

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

On the first episode of Spark, Nora Young explores Plagiarism 2.0, cleaning your keyboard in the dishwasher, interactive film, and Omlet.