The Sniffer

Hi all, Nora here. Hope you're faring as well as possible in the circumstances. Cathi and I have been missing our Sniffer sessions, so we decided to record remotely, with Cathi recording herself in the country, and me recording myself at home in Toronto. This time, we look at some examples of the amazing speed of innovation in the midst of the pandemic, and how some people are re-imagining innovat...

On this podcast episode, Nora Young talks about this PSFK article on retrofuturism as a major design trend. Cathi Bond, who has always wanted her very own jetpack, loves the Jetman personal jetpack (via New Atlas ) Watch the full video here . It really 'takes off' around 2:30.

On this podcast, we talk marketing strategy. Cathi Bond loves her Stan Smith footwear (like, a lot!) so she was intrigued when she came across Stockx, a streetwear social shopping platform. Read more at PSFK . Meanwhile, Nora read an interesting article on so-called Harbingers of Failure: people who tend to pick products, and even political candidates, that don't succeed (via BoingBoing ). Nora th...

This time, Nora Young continues the conversation about living smarter in 2020 with this Fast Company article on handling stress better as a key to resiliency. She also refers to Kelly McGonigal's book The Upside of Stress . Meanwhile, Cathi Bond talks about Bosch's upcoming smart glasses , which offer an augmented reality display that aims to be non-intrusive. Use cases include cooking with recipe...

Happy New Year, all! Hope your year is off to a great start, and thanks so much for listening to The Sniffer. This time on the podcast, Cathi Bond and Nora Young share their resolutions for the year ahead.  Cathi has decided to try out the Wim Hof method, which combines breathing exercises and fffffreezing cold baths, with an eye to greater health and wellness. Cathi talks about her personal exper...

Happy (nearly) holidays! On this podcast, Nora and Cathi look back at the decade that was. What are your picks for highlights (and lowlights) in your own life and in the culture? Leave a comment! Nora mentions this New York Times look back at the 2010s. Meanwhile, Cathi talks about Woondering , a cool pop-up on Brick Lane in London, where you can check out actual physical versions of products with...

This time, Cathi Bond talks about Heliogen , which seems to have had an early stage breakthrough in using Concentrated Solar Power systems to get to temperatures of >1,000 degrees C, enough to power industrial processes, as opposed to just generating electricity. More details at New Atlas . Nora Young talks about why the spike in traffic problems may be due to our convenience economy, especially q...

This time, Cathi Bond talks about the latest concept design for a hyperloop ultra-high speed train, brought to you by MAD Architects and HyperloopTT. Check out the images over at New Atlas .  Meanwhile, Nora Young mentions Wired's article on the Phonocut, described as an "analog vinyl lathe". It's a machine that lets you produce your own custom vinyl!

On today's podcast, Nora Young talks about this post on dealing with digital distraction by having a clear idea of what you would do instead of being on your phone. She also mentions Nir Eyal's new book, Indistractable . Meanwhile, Cathi Bond mentions this PSFK article on a sort of 'loyalty card 2.0' approach some retailers are using. Customer loyalty earns people experiences and makes them 'part...

On this podcast, Nora Young talks about a possible future of health tracking technologies, based on this Wired article about Fitbit's recent moves. Cathi Bond talks about the potential power of art and design to address species diversity. Read Gizmodo's description of the Nature—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial exhibit  here .

We kick off the new season of The Sniffer with a machine learning twofer for you. Cathi Bond talks about this New York Times look at the workers who label the data that machine learning is trained on, in particular, in a medical context.  Nora Young talks about machine learning hype and this article on how to spot "AI Hype". She also mentions this Atlantic article by the excellent tech writer Sidn...

This time, Cathi Bond talks about subscription fee creep, where inch by inch your monthly subscriptions are piling up. Here's Gizmodo's interesting take. How about you? Do you find the number of services you're subscribed to creeping up? Meanwhile, Nora Young talks about this lovely and helpful post over at Legal Nomads. It's a curated 10 week introduction to meditation, that gives you a taste of...

Hope you're having a good summer! This time, Nora Young talks about this Technology Review article on advances in machine learning in tech hubs in Africa, such as Accra and Nairobi.  Cathi Bond has some summer fun for you! Tesla came out with this limited edition, super stylish surfboard (via New Atlas). And, looking for a little, um, calm water fun? How about this ? The Wheeebo disc that lets you...

This time around, Cathi Bond talks about this project by celebrated Canadian architect, Moshe Safdie (you can read more about it in this release ). Nora Young raises this article in The Verge on the use of AI in the design of Hollywood film. Over the summer, we'll be releasing new episodes once a month, and then back to a proper bi-weekly schedule after Labour Day. Have a great summer!

Long time, no podcast! We are back! This time, Nora talks about this Nautilus article on using VR headsets to foster empathy, and the disturbing idea that empathy may be on the wane. Cathi has a more lighthearted story with Digit, a bipedal robot that would deliver packages to your door via autonomous vehicle, when those cars are not otherwise being used (via New Atlas ). Check out the video! Nora...

On this podcast, Nora Young talks about technologies of home surveillance. As this article in The Outline discusses, are these home security features just making us more paranoid? And who gets to decide what constitutes "suspicious" activity? Cathi Bond looks at this review of the EEGSmart Udrone, which lets you control a drone's flight with your mind. It also contains features that enable facial...

On this podcast, Cathi Bond talks about Stitchfix , and their data-driven approach to retail. Based on your extensive profile, clothes are selected for you and delivered to your door. You have three days to return or buy whichever items you want. Would you opt for this? Super convenient, or would you miss the 'retail therapy'? Read more at Fast Company . Are you in a Mad Men mood? How about a visi...

On today's podcast, Nora Young talks about Ordine, from Italian design studio, Adriano (via Core77 ). It's a smart solution for people who don't need an oven, and don't want to dedicate full time real estate to a stove top. The Ordine burners hang on the wall when not in use. Simply put them on the counter when you're ready to go. They use induction heating, (they refer to it as an "induction hub"...

This time, Cathi Bond looks at ElliQ a companion robot for older folks who may need a little support. Would aging Baby Boomers who still want autonomy and something tech forward adopt this kind of thing in years to come? (Via IEEE Spectrum ) Nora Young mentions this article  in the British Library blog, documenting the strange history of Johann Struensee, who brought in freedom of the press to 18t...

Hey there! We are back! This time, Nora Young talks about "aeroponics": a sort of next gen hydroponics where the plant roots are just dangling out in the air, nourished by nutrient-rich misters (via Modern Farmer ). You can even "plant" them vertically. Whole new potential for a plant wall! Nora also mentions the fine folks at Normative Design in Toronto, and their smart and engaging series on Des...

Best of the season to you! Cathi and I are back with some fun for the holidays. This time on the podcast, Cathi Bond talks about Affetto, this startlingly realistic android robot . Cathi wonders about having something like this, or Rock Hudson, say, as a home companion. Personally, I (Nora) find it kinda creepy. What do you think? We take a quick look at the city of Helsinki's decision to go for a...

Hi all! Thanks for coming back! We've been a long time gone, but we are at it again! This time, Nora Young talks about the challenges streaming film services have, and this Forbes article about how two niche movie streaming services have managed -- or not -- to make a go of it. Cathi Bond thinks there's a lot to be learned from the cable world in the form of Turner Classic Movies. Cathi looks at a...

Apologies for the long delay, but we are back at last! This time, dockless bikes are all the rage, promising wheels when you need them, without having to lock them up at dedicated stations, the way you do with Toronto's Bike Share, or Montreal's Bixi. Now, one of the leaders in the dockless bike space, Lime, is taking advantage of the GPS-enabled nature of the bikes to share anonymized data with c...

On this podcast episode, Nora Young talks about a super smart idea for capturing the wind energy created by passing vehicles: small wind turbines along the roadside. See more at Core77. Meanwhile Cathi Bond has two cool earbud designs for you. Firefly are quick charging, inexpensive wieless earbuds with long battery life (via NewAtlas ). Then there's Bose's innovation: sleepbuds, designed to be no...

Battery life can be a real problem. Cathi Bond tells Nora about research out of Cornell, suggesting a proming model based on a more complex, folded shape. Best of all, it charges almost immediately. Read more at New Atlas here . What would it take to get you into a mall in 10 years? One vision from British retail development group, Westfield, is for a sort of one-stop retail, wellness entertainmen...