Ok Smart Ass

In this second of three special episodes, Patrick and Tor interview 19-year-old student Eliza Ayres and octogenarian Ann Hardwick about their visions for the future of aged care. Eliza thinks retirement living looks cool and is aiming to live into the 22 nd century. For Ann, at 83, the aged care future is present, and she wouldn't mind a robotic executive assistant and exercise coach.

In this first of three special episodes, Patrick and Tor interview creative artist and musician Heather Marsh about her vision for the future of age care. Heather explores what life might look like in 2058 when she's 85. Will her virtual experiences be physical? Will AI remove the endless burden of admin? And what about companionship and relationships? Feed your curiosity at  oksmartass.com

Tor and Patrick return with a series of special episodes tackling technology and all things gadgety and interesting. With a focus on death, in this episode they ask the really big questions. How does medical science define death? Can you reanimate brain cells in a recently deceased pig?  Do you want to be buried or cremated or maybe, go where no one has gone before and have your ashes blasted into...

Patrick is joined by aerospace engineer Ryan who reckons AI Chat isn't as smart as everyone thinks.  Bing AI Search had a brain fart but that's nothing compared to the scientists wanting to blast moon dust around the earth to stop global warming. Diesel and petrol cars to be banned in Europe. Medical experiments into magic mushrooms are being combined with VR, and looking at your phone too much co...

It this episode Patrick's excited, disappointed and melancholy all at the same time with new tech, old tech and questionable tech. Tor drops a bombshell, she uncovers an AI driven Babylonian hymn discovered using a fragmentarium. And we also cancel our order for a solar electric car while at the same time lamenting the ever eroding support for Windows 7 and 8. Feed your curiosity at  oksmartass.co...

In this episode, we turn the spotlight onto health gadgets whilst exploring the fountain of youth. Patrick explains his biggest medical fears and Tor has the perfect gadget that won't dial up his blood pressure. And a three wheeled solar car will be rolling off the production lines later this year. Feed your curiosity at oksmartass.com  

In this episode, we pepper aerospace systems engineer, Ryan Tonkin, with questions. Ryan talks about a half-boat-half-aircraft project in Melbourne, a Swedish rocket range, the engineering challenges of space elevators, and the fate of one unfortunate English airship. Feed your curiosity at oksmartass.com

In this episode we discuss all things space, including an innovative approach to space junk and space-based solar panel arrays. Kenya succeeds with a motorcycle battery-swapping scheme. And UFOs become UFAs (unidentified aerial phenomena) and then transition again to become unidentified anomalous phenomena. Feed your curiosity at https://oksmartass.com

In this episode Patrick is convinced he is being replaced by a ChatBot with a more interesting personality. We give advice on the best way to flush your toilet and how to relieve pain with green light. The future of air travel could be airships but pilots with chips implanted in their brains might not be a good thing. And the famous little blue marble hanging in space celebrates 50 years of inspir...

Patrick's dream of travelling into space may be trumped by a hibernating squirrel.  Tor finds out the difference between kangaroo poo and meteorite fragments - and it's not the taste. Smart glasses are helping people with low vision see the world better. At the same time AI is now bringing us poetry which Patrick likes and Tor hates. And Charles Darwin may have solved your Xmas reading list proble...

Patrick wants to hitchkike onboard the biggest rocket in history with his sites set on the moon. Tor is aiming for Mars or maybe Uranus for a fecal transplant. Most of us are guilty of phubbing so Patrick has the perfect cure, Tor on the other hand has a cure for baldness and the formula for same sex couples to have babies. Your next overseas holiday might be a virtual one, inside a robot but mayb...

In this episode we meet the world's fastest laundry folding robot. We ask how private is your incognito browser - you might be surprised that it's not very. How paranoid are you about your smart speakers? Patrick's friends made him take Google out of his spare room when they visited. The evolution of VR could give you super sensitive touch, hot and cold and even smell. Feed your curiosity at oksma...

In this episode, we discover "dishbrain" is not a domestic malaise. It is a brilliant piece of science. Israeli robotic bees might hold the answer to the world's pollination problems And we put our music taste to the test when we delve into the best music for work and play. Feed your curiosity at oksmartass.com

In this episode we colourise black and white photos of Tor without pointing out what that says about her age! Self-driving cars with googly eyes could make our roads safer for pedestrians. And in the long talked about dream for a personal robot, Patrick admits that a love-bot could sway him over a robot vacuum cleaner that just sucks. Feed your curiosity at oksmartass.com

In this episode, we get curious about why Amazon has bought a vacuum cleaner… Sorry, that should read: a whole company of vacuum cleaners. Why China is collecting so much DNA. And why Germany is still using gas lighting that was first installed in the nineteenth century. And Patrick gives us a review of his first Beyond Meat burger.   Feed your curiosity at oksmartass.com

In this episode, we try to dismiss the idea of an AI, robot CEO, but worry it's only a matter of time. In food tech, the big story is that one of Coca-Cola's largest bottlers is working on making sugar from thin air. And a swarm of satellites helps explain the sad tale behind those North Korean ghost ships. Visit oksmartass.com to keep up to date on nerd stuff.

In this episode we listen to the music of the black hole at the centre of the Perseus galaxy. An Australian bank promises to stick to EVs when making car loans. And a new approach to moving about in virtual reality might lessen the famous VR vomit.   Visit oksmartass.com to keep up to date on nerd stuff.

What would you do if you won 100-billion dollars? Tor reckons Patrick just wants to rule the world if he wins. Is a Facebook friend really a friend or just someone you stalk in your spare time? Patrick admits that he may need an intervention and Tor gloats that she has more social media followers than him. And, the city of the future may be a sci-fi nightmare in the middle of the dessert. Visit ok...

We chat to Craig Harper about life, the universe, being a fat kid and navigating the world of technology. Craig is one of Australia's leading presenters, writers and educators in the areas of health, high-performance, resilience, self-management, leadership, corporate change, communication, stress management, addiction and personal transformation. We also get up close and personal when we each adm...

Who needs a time machine when you can travel 13.5 billion years into the past right now. Patrick does a backflip on scammers admitting he's in awe of Indian farmers who fooled Russian cricket fans when they broadcast a fake test series. Tor keeps getting teased about how AI thinks she is older that she is and Patrick escapes a swarm of bees. Visit oksmartass.com to keep up to date on nerd stuff. S...

In this episode Patrick is sorely mistaken about the gift value of a food extruder. Japan makes a move against virtual crime. And everyone likes the idea of barring the door against roaming gangs of schnauzers.   Visit oksmartass.com to keep up to date on nerd stuff.

In this episode humanoid robots with slightly sweaty skin may be just round the corner. A so-called sentient chatbot has landed one Google employee on temporary leave. NASA steps in to the UFO debate and says it will use science to prove once and for all if there really have been sightings of alien spacecraft. Visit oksmartass.com to keep up to date on nerd stuff.

In this episode Patrick imagines video gaming has made him even smarter than he thinks he is. Tor starts talking about virtual crime. And everyone likes the idea of spider web inspired outfits. Visit oksmartass.com to keep up to date on nerd stuff.

In this episode we're told our friendly neighbourhood robot is no more human than a hammer. Solar panels that work at night are a fairdinkum Aussie invention. Tor takes on 9 million people who voted for the world's most popular emoji. Patrick is worried his twin might steal his face and get into a conference and there may be hobbits on Mars. Visit oksmartass.com to keep up to date on nerd stuff.

In this episode Patrick tries to add an invisibility cloak to his expanding tech wardrobe. We discover the opening move in a very slow game of space pong. And the dream of the perfect block of chocolate comes closer. Visit oksmartass.com to keep up to date on nerd stuff.