On this episode of Spark: FloH club, new media literacy, and getting the old age you deserve. Click to listen (runs 54:00)

Download audio file (spark_20091122_23387.mp3)

• Sean Cole tries out the FloH Club, a new computer service aimed at older people
• Your Job Before the Internet: Todd Thicke and Michele Nasraway, co-executive producers of America’s Funniest Videos
• Jenna McWilliams teaches new media literacy (full interview)
• Nora mentions that the Amazon Kindle is now available in Canada
• Cyrus Farivar visits UCLA for the 40th anniversary of the Internet
• Joe Coughlin from MIT’s AgeLab on the future of aging (full interview)

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

• Clips from This Is Your Life Melton Berle
• “Wadidyusay?” by Zap Mama
• “eighteen pieces (soda)” by soda
• “attackoftheemorobots” by Windom Earle
• “Haliflight” by Chad Crouch
• Music from “Music for Cooking” by Podington Bear
• “Accidental Beatnik” by Coconut Monkeyrocket from Comfort Cake
• “I Hate To Think That You’ll Grow Old”  (1933) by Ramona & Her Grand Piano

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 AMagill]

Nowadays, we have access to a huge amount of information, credible and otherwise. And for better or worse, traditional media gatekeepers and filters are disappearing. So how do we become our own filters? How do we learn to spot the difference between quality info and crackpot conspiracy theories? According to Jenna McWilliams, part of the answer is something called new media literacy.

Jenna is a doctoral student in the Learning Sciences Program at Indiana University, and the former curriculum specialist for Project New Media Literacies.

This morning, Nora interviewed Jenna via Skype. A shorter version of this interview will air on Spark 92, but you can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3. [runs 13:32]

Download audio file (spark_20091119_jennamcwilliams.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 dalbera]

On this episode of Spark: CAPTCHAs, data visualization and romancing the phone. Click to listen (runs 54:00):

Download audio file (spark_20091115_23049.mp3)

• Luis von Ahn fights spam and digitizes books with CAPTCHAs and reCAPTCHA
  • GWAP: Games With a Purpose
• Jon Lee plays matchmaker for mismatched shoes with unevenfeet.com
• Daemon Fairless investigates texting and dating, or in other words, “romancing the phone”
  • Funky Brown Chick Twanna Hines
• Nora mentions her full interview with MIT AgeLab director Joe Coughlin (full interview)
• December’s issue of Esquire magazine has an augmented reality cover
• Hannah Classen wonders why we don’t have robotic butlers
  • Rehman Merali, PhD student in Autonomous Space Robotics
• Fernanda Viegas visualizes data with Many Eyes
• Lawrence Lessig explains the perils of openness in government (full interview)

This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:

• “Butta Fly’s Jazz Handz” by KCentric
• “Wadidyusay?” by Zap Mama
• “At Last” by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
• “Rest (For A While) (Demo)” by The Orchestral Movement of 1932
• Clips from Dating: Do’s and Don’ts (1949)
• “acclimate” by General Fuzz
• Clips from Leave It to Roll-Oh (1940)
• “Toboggan” and “Sunday Morning” by Podington Bear

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 Sharon Pruitt]

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]