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. No 'advertorial' or affiliate marketing; we just think these are cool products. Hope you have a great holiday break and warm wishes for the new year from your pals at The Sniffer! And don't forget to watch Cathi and Nora's favourite holiday movie: The Thin Man!

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 habit.

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 a 20 minute nap while standing, sorta. Your feet, shins, buttocks, arms, and head are supported. The goal is for a quick nap, sleeping lightly, rather than a full-on snooze fest. It comes in 2 different models, and you can check out the deets here.

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 that is turning out to be. How will we deal with the proliferation of deepfakes and similar forms of disinformation?

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 of climate change adaptation? Cathi has her eye on the Barsys, a stylish drink-making appliance for those looking for cool cocktail culture accountrements. Do people want to do their own mixology, or could this be a high end party favourite?

Hope your summer is going well! This time, Cathi looks at one potential future scenario, described in this Fast Company article, 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 the importance of embodiment in therapy. The New York Times piece on somatic therapy is here. The interview in Atmos on embodiment is here. Cathi describes Dialectical Behavioural Therapy.

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 of greenhouses. Cathi points out that iconic sunglasses company Ray-Ban is experimenting with a new line of concave glasses frames. Gimmick or cool new aesthetic? Cathi also has an update on her ongoing hands-on experiments with text generators. This time, it's the Chrome extension Monica.

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 that's more truly social? Cathi is still an avid Facebook user, and shares thoughts on its value as a political tool.

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 walks us through her experiments. Nora mentions this fascinating essay on GPT-4

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 scanning to pay and sync your purchases to your loyalty cards (via NPR). Biometric chat ensues! Thank you for listening!

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's Spark interview with Chancey Fleet.

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 with AI-generated, rip-off "summaries" of his memoir. With more and more machine learning-generated music, images, and text, it has her thinking about a possible future of automated culture, where human-created work sits alongside a slush pile of automated knock-offs. She mentions this excellent article about the IP implications. You might also be interested in Nick Cave's response to a Cave-esque Chat GPT-generated lyric. All good wishes for 2023!