collectik-mackinaw's playlist

CBC Radio: Spark: 2008-12-03 - Episode 56: Boot-up Times and Iconoclasts

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:32:10 -0500

On this episode of Spark: David Schlesinger represents call centre employees who are suing over long boot-up and login times, Matt Richtel explains the future of quick-booting computers, Andy Hertzfeld tells the story of saving lives by reducing boot times, and Gregory Berns on Iconoclasts

CBC Radio: Dispatches: Dispatches, December 1, 2008

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:06:31 -0500

Lose one nuclear weapon, it might be an accident. But lose fifty? An arms specialist explains why so many nukes are missing in action. We'll also hear about a dig in the Mideast certain to revive debate over one of the world's oldest dispatches; the Bible. In hockey, we'll hear how the Russians are challenging the NHL's longstanding lock on the best players in the world. In the Pilippines a battle is about to errupt between legislators and the Church over contraception.

CBC Radio: Search Engine: Is Canada becoming a digital ghetto?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:40:59 -0500

The idea of Canada as an isolated Internet backwater has sparked heated discussion across the web. Here's the debate so far...

Science Times: NYT: Science Times for 12/02/2008

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:52:07 -0500

This week: Teaching doctors to mind their manners, the psychology of counting calories and turtles on the half-shell.

This American Life: #369: Poultry Slam 2008

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:40:14 -0500

Stories about the powerful combination of chickens, faith and God in our not-quite-annual, all new for 2008, Poultry Slam. (Special note to chicken enthusiasts: the show's name is a pun on Chicago's Poetry Slam.)

New Yorker: Out Loud: New Yorker: Out Loud: Voice of the Left

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:04:07 -0500

Larissa MacFarquhar discusses Naomi Klein and her book "The Shock Doctrine."

The Sniffer: The Sniffer: Trends: High Fashion Goes Budget and Punk Rock Bike Locks

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:32:17 -0500

In this trendwatching podcast, Nora Young mentions that avant garde fashion label, Comme des Garçons, is coming to H&M (via her new blog crush, Dinosaurs and Robots) Discussion of shopping addiction ensues. (BTW, the book that Nora couldn’t remember the name of is a history of glamour, called, erm, Glamour) Meanwhile, Cathi Bond addresses the frustration [...]

earideas: aackk! - Friday, November 28, 2008

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:32:02 -0500

The Science Show: Science Show - 2008-11-29

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:52:03 -0500

University enrolments in IT halve in Australia John Harvey says while information technology is ubiquitous its role in industry is not widely appreciated. Unlike law and medicine, education in IT can be used for employment anywhere in the world. Traditional Indian farming encourages biodiversity Tropical forests used to cover large parts of India, especially along the Malabar Coast in Karnataka State. Modern tropical agriculture doesn´t support biodiversity. The human population is predicted to grow to 9 or 10 billion people. So how can food be supplied while maintaining biological life support systems? Gretchen Daily counted birds and found abundance and richness in the Indian countryside, despite dense human population. The secret is complexity to farming rather than monocultures; for example, high palms with lower understorey crops. Conserving Peru´s coastal forests Prosopis pallida or Huarango is a very useful plant. In the dry forests of southern coastal Peru it provides food and forage for many people. Now it is being chopped for charcoal for cooking and the forests are threatened. Only a few tens of hectares of native Huarango forest remain and much of the landscape now resembles a moonscape. Oliver Whaley is part of a team from Kew Gardens assisting local people to conserve their forests. Tribute to Michael Crichton - science in the media Michael Crichton was a doctor who went on to make movies including Jurassic Park. Michael Crichton died November 4, 2008. By way of a tribute, we present an excerpt from an address he made at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in 1999 where he discusses the challenge of having scientists presenting science to the public and the media. Darwin year - 2009 2009 marks 200 years since the birth of Charles Darwin and 150 years since the publication of The Origin of Species. Philip Batterham describes the significance of Darwin´s work, and why so much effort is being put into celebrating Darwin´s life and achievements. The fragile internet and celebrating Milton at Christ´s College The internet is carrying the information for more and more of society´s critical infrastructure but the network is always on the verge of breaking down. Frank Kelly is investigating internet routing whereby multiple routes are used for backup in case of failure. 2008 is the 400th anniversary of poet John Milton´s birth and this will be celebrated at Christ´s College.

CBC Radio: Writers & Company: Writers & Co. - 30/11/2008 - Dervla Murphy Interview

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:04:28 -0500

This week, Eleanor Wachtel speaks with the extraordinary, the intrepid woman on a bicycle, or with a pack animal, or on her own two feet - Irish travel writer, Dervla Murphy.

All in the Mind: 2008-11-29 Extraordinary Cases in Psychology: Part 3 of 4—The man with the hole in his head

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:12:02 -0500

Extreme cases of brain damage litter the history of neuroscience. Phineas Gage is perhaps the most famous. A railway worker in 19th-century Vermont, he managed to survive a catastrophic accident—the penetration of a metre-long iron rod through his head. What happened to Gage has become the stuff of legend, and fundamentally changed him and the way we think about the brain. NB: The All in the Mind podcast edition is a different program from the broadcast edition this week for copyright reasons. And, the streaming audio is on the BBC's website here.

CBC Radio 3 Podcast: #184 - K'Naan, Matthew Barber, Thunderheist, and The Canadian Dictionary

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:41:51 -0500

The new singles from K’Naan and Thunderheist, plus the return of the Canadian Dictionary featuring Matthew Barber defining “Crokinole”.

Book Review: Book Review: Book Update for 11/28/2008

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:09:28 -0500

This week: Motoko Rich with Notes from the Field, an extended conversation with Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison, and bestseller news from Jennifer Schuessler.

The Sniffer: The Sniffer: trends in portability: mini-max and what the cell phone gobbles up

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:28:02 -0500

In this trendwatching podcast, Cathi Bond mentions David Pogue’s pick of the Optoma Pico Projector. It’s a mini projector that you can carry around and project movies and the like. It’s part of a dual trend we’ve been spotting for a while: miniaturization of devices combined with ways of maximizing visibility. (Side note: Nora was at [...]

CBC Radio: Spark: 2008-11-26 - Episode 55

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:04:24 -0500

On this episode of Spark, Tony Hsieh blogs about the layoffs at his company, Zappos.com, Don Tapscott explains the Net Generation's new expectations for work, Dan James of silverorange divides his time between CEOing and shingling, and Vincent Lam explains how to be a writer and a doctor.

Science Talk: The Podcast of Scientific American: Science Talk: November 26, 2008

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:40:05 -0500

Viruses against Disease; Going Batty for Bats

CBC Radio: Dispatches: Dispatches November 24, 2008

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:28:19 -0500

Cocaine loves chaos. Guinea-Bissau is fast becoming the drug cartels' country of choice. In Darfur last year, 12 peacekeepers were slaughtered by a rebel force. The International Criminal Court is now considering indicting the rebel leaders. The accidental shark fishery of Ecuador is a real bad accident for the sharks. And, standup comedy comes to the Middle East, a place where the religious and the royal are very sensitive about their subjects.

CBC Radio: Search Engine: Where's Hoder?

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:04:03 -0500

Iran's "Blogfather" is missing in Tehran and presumed arrested. But how can we be so sure? A look at Hossein Derakhshan with journalist Cyrus Farivar. Plus, the final word (I pray) on "wee-kee".

Science Times: NYT: Science Times for 11/25/2008

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:32:04 -0500

This week: Medicine's evidence gap, robots on the loose, and helping Hollywood get science right.

New Yorker: Out Loud: New Yorker: Out Loud: Brutal Honesty

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:28:22 -0500

James Wood discusses V. S. Naipaul.

This American Life: This American Life: This American Life: #104: Music Lessons

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:56:05 -0500

What's frustrating about music lessons, what's miraculous about them, and what they actually teach us.

CBC Radio: Writers & Company: Writers & Co. - 23/11/2008 - David Grossman Interview

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:40:22 -0500

A conversation with one of Israel's finest writers and most outspoken peace activists, David Grossman. His work goes straight to the heart - whether it's fiction, or his latest book of essays, "Writing in the Dark."

The Sniffer: Trends: The Daydreaming Brain and Bad Posture Fix-ups

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 03:56:07 -0500

In this trendwatching podcast, Nora Young mentions this New Scientist article about the brain. It seems that while daydreaming, the brain is actually intensely active. What is it doing, and what are we doing if we don’t allow ourselves space to daydream. New Scientist also has this sidebar which may answer Cathi’s query: is this the [...]

All in the Mind: 2008-11-22 Extraordinary Cases in psychology: Part 2 of 4 - The wild boy of Aveyron

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:32:03 -0500

In 1800, a young boy emerged from the woods of the Aveyron District in France, naked and wild. He became a scientific enigma to influential psychologist Dr Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard, and redefined the nature vs. nurture debate. His legacy lives on today, especially in the Montessori approach to learning. NB: The All in the Mind podcast edition is a different program from the broadcast edition this week for copyright reasons. And, the streaming audio is on the BBC's website here.

The Science Show: Science Show - 2008-11-22

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:56:40 -0500

Supernovae and the fusing of elements Researchers at The University of Sydney have discovered an extremely young supernova, the corpse of a star that exploded around 1,000 years ago. Supernovae are the result of stars like our sun exploding at the end of their life. When they do, light is emitted equivalent to half a trillion stars. The last supernova in our galaxy was in 1604. Records exist of an extremely bright sky at that time. But it's a mystery as to why we've not seen one since. All elements heavier than iron were made in supernovae. Bryan Gaensler describes the fusing of elements in the centre of stars and how at a certain point, a catastrophic explosion results. The Royal Observatory The Royal Observatory was important as British established itself as a maritime nation; the stars were used for navigation. The zero meridian of longitude which signifies Greenwich Mean Time is the zero point for time all over the world. It runs through the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Marek Kukula takes Robyn Williams on a tour of the grounds of the Royal Observatory. These days astronomy isn´t done in Greenwich due to the poor weather and light from the city of London. The observatory isn´t used as a working observatory, now it´s a museum and science centre. Paintings to bridge the arts and science Nicola Sasanelli has produced a book with prints of 10 paintings to celebrate the achievements of famous scientists. Sasanelli is one of 26 scientific attachés serving in Italian embassies worldwide to promote scientific research. Profits from the book are used for scholarships. The ten canvas oil paintings are now permanently displayed at NICTA, the National Information Communication Technology Centre of Excellence in Canberra. Rob Morrison reports. Diary of a maths olympiad team leader - part 3 of 3 Geoff Smith has led the United Kingdom´s team in the International Maths Olympiad since 2002. He gives insight into the organisation behind a Maths Olympiad. Bacteria used to treat skin tumours An American surgeon, William Coley (1862-1936) found patients with fever or bacterial infection would lose their skin tumours. He suspected the tumours were susceptible to immune activation. Later he inoculated these patients with bacteria and noticed some remarkable results. The tumours are destroyed in a bystander effect. This research was not pursued as chemotherapy developed. Now, the idea has again gained attention. The thought is you can excite the immune system by introducing bacteria and have it attack a tumour. Grooming - good for health and good for feeling good Primates spend a lot of time grooming. Francis McGlone is investigating whether why grooming behaviour makes us feel good. Imaging is used to look inside the brain to see response to stroking, as speed and force vary. Grooming releases endorphins. Grooming activity is rewarding and it´s good for you, influencing mood. Touch is an important experience for developing brains and ultimately social wellbeing. There may be a relationship between tactile history and depression. Francis McGlone is fascinated by why scratching and itching should be so rewarding!