This week on the radio, a repeat broadcast of Spark. For more information, and to listen to this episode, go to the show notes for Spark 84.

Q: Why a repeat broadcast?

A: The Spark team has been hard at work for the past couple of weeks, working on a new project, which we hope is going to turn into something wonderful. We needed to carve out some extra time to work on it. Thanks for listening and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week.

Q: Why isn’t there a repeat podcast, too?

A: Because people hate repeat podcasts. If you want to listen to the episode, go to the show notes for Spark 84.

Download audio file (spark_20091108_22688.mp3)

Yesterday, Nora interviewed Lawrence Lessig about his recent article in The New Republic, “Against Transparency: The perils of openness in government” including a question from Russell McOrmond.

A shorter version of this interview will air on an upcoming episode of Spark, but you can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3 [runs 22:53].

Download audio file (spark_20091104_lessig.mp3)

Special thanks to Daniel Dennis Jones of Radio Berkman for technical help with this interview.

If you like hearing these extended interviews, why not subscribe to Spark Plus? You’ll get regular weekly episodes, plus additional blog-only content like this. [Subscribe via RSS] or [Subscribe with iTunes]

The title of Lawrence Lessig’s recent essay in The New Republic, “Against Transparency: The perils of openness in government,” is a bit of a misnomer. Lessig isn’t unequivocally against openness and transparency in government. Instead, he says we shouldn’t see transparency as “just a big simple blessing,” or a silver bullet solution to political problems, and he makes the case for a more nuanced view.

Tomorrow, Nora will interview Lessig about openness, transparency, and government. Do you have a question for Lawrence Lessig? Leave it in the comments below.

[Original image by Robert Scoble]

On this episode of Spark: The pleasures and sorrows of work, continuous partial attention, and email apnea. Click to listen (runs 54:00):

Download audio file (spark_20091101_22305.mp3)

As Nora says in the episode, this week, we’ve made a different kind of show. We’re going to feature two longer form interviews. In part, that’s because the Spark team is working on a separate project, which we hope will turn into something fabulous, and we need a little time to work on it.  But also, we’ve hand picked these two guests because they have a lot to say about modern life.

• Alain de Botton on the pleasures and sorrows of work (full interview)
• Linda Stone on continuous partial attention and email apnea
• Nora mentions her downloadable breathing exercises

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

• “Wadidyusay?” by Zap Mama
• “Plan Your Escape” by gmz
• Music from “Music For Sailing On A Starry Night” by Podington Bear
• “These MCs (Instrumental)” by DJ.E-State

You can download this episode as an MP3, or receive Spark automatically by subscribing to any of our totally free podcast feeds:

• Free weekly podcast (Subscribe in iTunes)
• Free weekly podcast + additional blog-only content (Subscribe in iTunes)
• Free weekly podcast (low bandwidth version)

For more information (and instructions) visit cbc.ca/podcasting

[Original image from George Eastman House]

If you’ve listened to the interview already, you know that Linda’s work these days focuses on what she calls email apnea. When we’re interacting with all the screens in our lives: computer screen, mobile device, etc, we tend to stop breathing, or have really shallow breaths.  As I’ve mentioned on the show, I’ve been doing yoga for a long time, about 20 years, and we thought, hey, why not include some yoga breathing techniques with the podcast, so when you’re finished with all that email apnea, you can relax and breathe. Are you game?

You can listen to the breathing exercises below, or download the MP3. [runs 3:13]

Download audio file (spark_20091030_breathing.mp3)

On this episode of Spark: Traditional knowledge, instant film, and online borders. Click to listen (runs 54:00)

Download audio file (spark_20091025_22008.mp3)

• Nora leads a breathing exercise
• V. K. Gupta protects ancient wisdom in the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library
• Jeremy de Beer on traditional knowledge and intellectual property
• Spark Quest: Grant Lawrence tries out Sony’s Party-shot camera accessory
• Nora checks in with André Bosman of The Impossible Project
  • Nora’s full interview with André from January 2009
• Spark listeners wish they could stream television from other countries
• Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty:
  • Mignon advises Patrick Horneker about writing for an international audience on the web
  • Should you capitalize the word internet/Internet?
• Nora explains why the world wide web and the internet are different
• Tim Berners-Lee supports net neutrality
• Pete Nowak updates Nora on Canadian net neutrality
  • CRTC issues net neutrality rules
• Dan Misener explains geoblocking with help from:
  • Mark Hayes of Hayes eLaw
  • Ron Deibert of the Citizen Lab
• Roger Martin explains why design thinking in business (full interview)
  • Roger’s book: The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

• “110 Downtempo Electronic” by teru
• “Wadidyusay?” by Zap Mama
• “Superfluous Umbrella” by Tyler Walker
• “LA TRIPLETA” by virtualdjmax
• “pling”  by jaspertine
• Clips from Photography (1946)
• Music from Music For Autumn by Podington Bear
• “Carioca” by Neurowaxx

You can download this episode as an MP3, or receive Spark automatically by subscribing to any of our totally free podcast feeds:

• Free weekly podcast (Subscribe in iTunes)
• Free weekly podcast + additional blog-only content (Subscribe in iTunes)
• Free weekly podcast (low bandwidth version)

For more information (and instructions) visit cbc.ca/podcasting

[Original image by chaps1]

Ever wonder why organizations that start out as innovators can become rigid and stuck in their ways? Heck, maybe you work in an organization that’s lost its creative, innovative edge.

If so, you’ll want to listen to Nora’s interview with Roger Martin. Roger is the Dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and the author of The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage. A shorter version of this interview will air on Spark 89, but you can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3. [runs 27:56]

Download audio file (spark_20091019_rogermartin.mp3)

If you like hearing these extended interviews, why not subscribe to Spark Plus? You’ll get regular weekly episodes, plus additional blog-only content like this. [Subscribe via RSS] or [Subscribe with iTunes]

[Original image by jordanfischer]

On this episode of Spark: Tracking trash, the real value of stories, and social media for businesses. Click to listen (runs 54:00):

Download audio file (spark_20091018_21631.mp3)

• Nora mentions her interview with Vancouver city councillor Andrea Reimer on open cities
• David Eaves explains VanTrash
• Jennifer Dunnam tracks trash with MIT’s Sensible City Lab’s Trash | Track
  • Sentient City Exhibit
• Sheila Heti reads from her short story “Cape Cod Shoe” (full story)
• Rob Walker co-curates the Significant Objects Project (full interview)
• Derek K. Miller thinks people should remember geography
• Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty gives advice about email subject lines
• Members of the Spark community read their most useless email subject lines
• Rick Fogarty uses Skype for hairstyle consultations
• Bernd Boesemeyer deals with a negative review of his B&B on TripAdvisor
• Mitch Joel explains why businesses should embrace online conversations
• Nora mentions her full interview with Alain de Botton on the beauty of work

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

• “Window like” by echoed
• “Wadidyusay?” by Zap Mama
• “The Light” by spliffvalley
• “Cash For Your Trash” by Fats Waller (1941)
• “Summer” by General Fuzz
• “Curious Process” by Chad Crouch
• “Music for Tree Climbing” by Podington Bear
• “I Can Read Between The Lines” by Mildred Bailey & Her Orchestra (1939)
• “Barbers“

You can download this episode as an MP3, or receive Spark automatically by subscribing to any of our totally free podcast feeds:

• Free weekly podcast (Subscribe in iTunes)
• Free weekly podcast + additional blog-only content (Subscribe in iTunes)
• Free weekly podcast (low bandwidth version)

For more information (and instructions) visit cbc.ca/podcasting

[Original image by D'arcy Norman]

Here’s a special, blog-only audio treat for you this Friday afternoon. Sheila Heti reads her story Cape Cod Shoe, written for the Significant Objects Project.

Download audio file (spark_20091016_capecodshoe.mp3)

An excerpt of Sheila’s story is heard in Spark 88, along with an interview with Rob Walker, co-curator of the Significant Objects Project.

[Download MP3]

Want to get the best possible price for that junk you’re selling on eBay? Maybe you should write a short story to go along with it.

That’s the idea behind the Significant Objects project. It’s an online experiment designed measure how stories can change the value of ordinary, everyday objects. Curators Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn buy inexpensive things from yard sales and thrift shops, then pair the items with writers, who write short stories inspired by the object.

Invested with new significance by this fiction, the object should — according to our hypothesis — acquire not merely subjective but objective value. How to test our theory? Via eBay!

For example, this porcelain shoe originally cost $4. After being paired with an original story by Sheila Heti, the final price was $77.51.

This morning, Nora interviewed Rob Walker about the project. A shorter version of this interview will air on the October 18 episode of Spark, but you can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3. [runs 14:52]

Download audio file (spark_20091013_robwalker.mp3)

If you like hearing these extended interviews, why not subscribe to Spark Plus? You’ll get regular weekly episodes, plus additional blog-only content like this. [Subscribe via RSS] or [Subscribe with iTunes]