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!Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

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) …

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…

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 a…

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 'giraf…

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 watermark…

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.Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

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 i…

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?Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

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 proj…

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 agricultur…

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 Instagra…

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 t…

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 foo…

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 …

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 he…

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 naviga…

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 a…

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,…

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 …

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 …

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 quad…

Hello podcast friends! This is the last Sniffer episode of the season! This time, Cathi Bond found this fascinating interview with Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games (the Fortnite folks). Cathi and Nora speculate about what it would really take to launch a re-imagined version of wild and wooly early internet culture. Nora Young talks about The Verge's …

Hi again podcast fans! This time, Nora Young looks at this story detailing Meta's experiments with a retail outlet. What's their end game? Cathi Bond looks at Create Structure, a plan for emergency housing in natural disasters that aims to be cheap to make and ship, but more durable than tents.Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

This time, with lots of businesses moving towards workers returning to the workplace at least some of the time, how do we get better at managing our productivity working from home, AND working with colleagues again. Project management tool, Harvest, has some handy tips. If you have productivity tips that work for you, share them in the comments! Me…

Hiya! This time, Cathi Bond talks about this stunner of a virtual house for all your metaverse needs. Nora Young talks about this thought-provoking article in The Atlantic about our nature deprivation.Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

This time, Nora and Cathi talk about the popularity of Wordle. Nora wonders if it might be a harbinger of future trends online. One thing people seem to really like about it is that it's limited to one short puzzle per day. Could there be an appetite for more limited content in an era of non-stop Feeds? Cathi talks about this company, which uses dr…

Happy New Year all! A little before the holidays, Cathi and Nora recorded our first ep for 2022. This time, Cathi talks about the news, initially reported by Politico, that facial recognition company Clearview AI received patent approval for what's being dubbed a 'search engine for faces'. Read Gizmodo's account of the details here. Nora talks abou…

It's our traditional Christmas wish list ep! Nora would like a home robot. Product Hunt's newsletter recently touted some cool examples of home robots. She wonders whether home robots are ready for prime time. Cathi would like...lab-grown meat for Christmas. Nora doesn't eat meat and Cathi's a hard-core carnivore. What will they make of it? Hope yo…

Hello! This time on the podcast, Cathi Bond talks about social commerce, which has taken off in China, and is growing elsewhere in Asia (via Fast Company) Fast Company talks in particular a company called Pinduoduo, which is a sort of group buying platform. Nora talks about Gobble, a meal kit delivery service that uses AI to learn more about custom…

This time on the podcast, Cathi Bond and Nora Young talk about interesting responses to two pandemic developments. Nora talks about this plan to attract so-called 'digital nomads' to work in small villages in Spain. After a year and half of remote work, will (former) office workers opt to work wherever they want? What's the role for the face-to-fac…

Hi there! On this episode, a couple of thoughts on the importance of access to nature. Cathi Bond talks about "farmscrapers": giant skyscrapers that incorporate organic-looking podlike structures and lots of trees and greenery to help with pollution. Check out the photos here. Nora Young talks about this thought-provoking article on virtual explora…

Woo hoo! It's been a looonnnnng time, but we launch a new season of The Sniffer! Thanks for sticking with us. This time, Cathi and Nora talk about the potential commercial future of deepfakes and related technologies. Could we see a future of more manufactured images take jobs formerly done by real individuals? Would you sell your image for use in …

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond

Bởi Nora Young and Cathi Bond