The Sniffer

Listen to writer/broadcasters Nora Young and Cathi Bond as they freak over the future. They can't believe it. Neither will you.

In this podcast, Nora Young talks about this study suggesting that the more popular an "influencer" is on Instagram, the less likely her or his posts are to generate engagement such as likes or comments. It points to the potential, instead, for "micro-influencers" (via Digiday) Cathi Bond talks about the use of ADHD medication to increase focus for a generation having trouble focusing at school, thanks to the constant task-switching of digital media. She points to these tips for improved study habits. Nora says she really notices her focus and attention slipping. Do you? Leave a comment! Thanks to everyone who has rated us. If you like the podcast, please consider doing so!

Listen to writer/broadcasters Nora Young and Cathi Bond as they freak over the future. They can't believe it. Neither will you.

On today's podcast, Cathi Bond has been on the hunt for the e-reader that can trump the experience of the good old paper book. She surveys reviews of the new Amazon Oasis, and thinks it may be the killer tech for e-books - for a price.  Meanwhile, Nora Young points out this terrific story The Guardian did on how Uber approached taking on the London market. Regardless of what you think about Uber, it has great lessons about how to really nail the user experience. Did you like this episode? Please consider sharing it, rating us, or leave a comment! Thanks!

Listen to writer/broadcasters Nora Young and Cathi Bond as they freak over the future. They can't believe it. Neither will you.

This time, Nora Young and Cathi Bond are talking shopping. Cathi Bond looks at this profile of retail design company, The Science Project. It seems to take a page from user experience design to create a shopping experience that's data-driven, supported by digital, and very flexible. Nora mentions Frank and Oak's approach to offering a number of experiences in-store besides shopping.

Meanwhile, Nora talks about a convenience store in the isolated Swedish town of Viken, which is unstaffed (via Springwise). It operates through a combination of an app which unlocks the door, monthly billing and trust (plus security measures!). Nora and Cathi chat about the trust economy.

Listen to writer/broadcasters Nora Young and Cathi Bond as they freak over the future. They can't believe it. Neither will you.

On today's podcast, Cathi Bond talks about Microsoft Research's "holoportation" technology, that uses 3D video cameras to capture a moving image of a person in one location and send that image to a person wearing the "Hololens" headset, anywhere in the world. (via Gizmag). Check out the video below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Cathi also talks a bit about the legacy of Zaha Hadid, the architect who died this past week. Cathi toured her MAXXI project several years ago. Check out the pictures here.

Meanwhile, Nora Young talks about a cool research project which uses data from sources like cell phones, FourSquare, and census info (via Technology Review). The researchers want to test Jane Jacobs' theories of urban vitality. Nora thinks it's cool and smart, but Cathi thinks it's just another example of the surrendering of 'human' approaches to the rule of technology. They are friends in the end, though!

In this podcast, Cathi Bond talks about this home ECG monitor, the mobilECG. It promises "open source electrocardiography". Nora Young talks about this Spark interview with Joe Cafazzo from the University Health Network in Toronto.  

Continuing the self-tracking trend, Nora talks about Neumitra, a start-up that aims to help individuals monitor their stress levels (via Kernelmag). The intriguing thing is the potential to use aggregated data to understand the stressful parts of the city.

This time, Nora Young looks at the urban agriculture trend. According to a new study, the majority of people doing small scale urban agriculture (eg, rooftop market gardening) in the U.S. generate less than $10,000 in sales. This calls into question the sustainability of the urban ag trend (via City Lab). In a bit of good news, though, Modern Farmer looks at a really cool idea: mobile urban farm stands that sell fresh food near public transit, for people in "food deserts". 

Cathi Bond continues her love of tiny, perfectly planned spaces with the Tiger Moth, a really cool trailer designed by a former NASA engineer. There's a neat-o video tour!