The Sniffer

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....

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 ha...

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...

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...

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...

Hope your summer is going well! This time, Cathi looks at one potential future scenario, described in this Fast Company articl e, 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! 

This time, Nora Young refers to this article on brain implants and emerging questions for neuroethics, and our increasingly intimate relationship with tech. Cathi Bond has a summertime take on personal watercraft. How about the GoBoat ? 

Welcome back! This time, Cathi Bond talks about the Norman Foster Foundation's participation in the Venice Biennale of architecture. It's a sustainable, durable, and beautiful prototype for emergency shelter in the wake of natural or human-caused disasters. You can see it and read more here . Nora Young mentions the Canadian delegation's Venice project . Nora's come across two recent articles on t...

Hi there! On this episode, Nora rediscovers Modern Farmer , and this article on using the waste heat produced from server farms to provide needed heat for greenhouse farming. Researchers Jannah Frenzel and Sarah-Louise Ruder point out the potential benefits, but also note that this is not a magic bullet: there remain potential issues with agricultural labour practices and the environmental impact...

Happy spring, folks!  This time, Cathi Bond talks about Beacon , a room disinfectant that uses far-UVC, and comes in a variety of sizes for different spaces (via Fast Company ). Nora Young talks about this article by New York Times tech writer, Brian X. Chen. With so much influencer, branded, and sponsored content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, is it time to think of niche social media th...

Greetings!  This time, Nora talks about this MIT Technology Review article on classrooms using mood-tracking software for students in Denmark. Cathi has written a new novel, and she's looking for an agent and a publisher. That means lots of 'paperwork'. She's been experimenting with using text generators like Jasper  for the more formulaic parts of this process: query letters, synopses, etc. She w...

Thanks for checking out the show!  This time, architecture aficionado Cathi talks about Neom , a highly ambitious megaproject in Saudi Arabia, which includes multiple regions, with different purposes. Read more and see images here . Also, check out Cathi's previous discussion of The Line, one part of the Neom project, here .   Nora  talks about Panera food chain's plan to use (optional) hand scann...

Hello and thanks for joining us! This time, we dig into some of the limitations, as well as exciting creative possibilities, of generative AI such as ChatGPT. Along the way, we mention this generative AI explainer from Vox , and Cathi recommends Reedsy for authors. Also, check out the visuals of this beautiful, almost biomimetic house called Chuzhi House (which means whirlpool in Malayalam).

Hi friends, This time, as cameras in public places become all the more pervasive, Cathi Bond looks at a company called Capable . Their Manifesto Collection of clothing is designed to elude iris scans. Dystopian sci fi future discussion ensues! Nora Young talks about this Pew study on the online dating habits of Americans. Read more on the results here .

Hello! This time, Nora Young talks about this article in Time about the potential use of generative AI such as ChatGPT in design for virtual environments in the metaverse. Cathi Bond discusses this intriguing research into a smart walking stick for blind and visually impaired users. The goal is to use cameras and image recognition to improve navigation. For more on related technology, here's Nora'...

Hello! Welcome to a new year and a new Sniffer ep! This time, Amazon's Astro home robot was at CES this month, though it's still invitation-only. That got Cathi Bond thinking about both the approachable design, and possible future implications of bots in the home. Watch Amazon's promotional video here . Read a detailed review here . Nora Young came across this article about one author's encounter...

Hello! It's time for that annual Sniffer tradition of surprising and often completely impractical holiday gifts! Nora talks about the resurgence of interest in cassette tapes. Check out this Wired how-to article . You may also be interested in this recent episode of Nora's show, Spark, on the long range impact of the Sony Walkman. Cathi's gift pick, should you care to buy it for her, is this Nemo...

Hello! Thanks for checking out the episode! This time, Cathi Bond looks at this story out of the University of Waterloo on how simple, inexpensive drones and hardware can remotely pinpoint smart devices. Nora Young talks about this excellent article exploring how e-commerce giant Shein has ridden to success, and some of the sustainability problems it poses. She recommends checking out Rest of Worl...

Thanks for checking out the latest episode!  This time, Nora Young talks about a range of technologies (discussed in this excellent article ) that aim to create a virtual presence of people after they die, some based on interviews with people while they're still alive, some based on taking their writing to construct a 'presence'.   Cathi Bond has long raved about the 'tiny house' movement; however...

This time around, Cathi Bond talks about this proposal for Downtown Circle: a super ambitious residence/shopping/cultural/public hub high above Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Future of urban life with interior green space, or future of gated communities? Nora Young talks about this great Rob Walker article about Minoan and the idea of IRL product placement. 

Hi! Welcome back to a new season of The Sniffer! Thanks for subscribing. This time, Nora talks about this Wired article on 'rurbanization': growing more food in urban spaces. What would it take to make it actually work? Cathi has an idea or two! And, interested in cool-n-costly personal transportation? Cathi talks about the SkyFly Axe personal quadcopter/plane/flying car