Monthly Archives: November 2011

Remember that song Up the Ladder to the Roof? Well some wacky New Yorkers have done just that and are creating camping communities on the roofs of certain buildings in the Big Apple. It’s called Bivouac New York and Nora and I think it’s too cool. Actually it’s probably kind of cold on the roof right now, but just imagine camping out under the stars in one of the biggest cities in the world.

And Nora’s talking one of her favourite obsessions gamification and how Stray Boots are playing out in large urban centers. When you visit a new city, would rather take a map or play a game? Give it a listen and let us know what you think.

Both stories courtesy of PSFK which is quickly turning out to be our fave inspirational font aka poaching spot for great new ideas.

This week I’m talking about the launch of The Slant, a mag dubbed an “artifact” publication (via the good folks over at JC Report) It looks cool, with a bit of an anti-consumerist edge. What’s the place for real, physical artifacts in a digital age? You can find out more about the project by watching their Kickstarter pitch.

Meanwhile, Nora Young talks about the super scary deets on post secondary students’ use of cellphones in class. Nora wonders how educators can respond, whereas I recommend a strip search to take the cellies away. Should teachers design courses that actually involve interactive use of phones, thereby satisfying the urge for a quick info hit while keeping the course on track?

And a quick note in the ongoing struggle for publishers to adapt to a digital age: a division of Simon and Schuster is trying out smart books. These are regular paper books kitted out with RFID tags. Browsers can touch their phones to them to learn more about the books . Nora snagged this story at the ever fabulous PSFK.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the link on the right hand side or subscribe at iTunes. We also have a blog at www.thesniffer.net where Nora writes all the terrific text.

It’s up, it’s live and it’s called Watch Me. My new movie podcast on the Rabble Podcast Network over at www.rabble.ca

I did video reviews for years for CBC radio and TV and, up until recently, for Reel Women with my pal Judy Rebick. Judy and I decided to hang up our mics, but I wanted to continue turning folks on to unusual films they otherwise might miss. You won’t be getting a review of Moneyball from me because a release like that gets tons of mainstream traction. Rather, I want to trumpet a bit about the great little movies that could pass by your radar undetected. The first flick pick? Aftershock, a movie about the Great Tangshan earthquake of 1976. You’ll learn tons about Chinese culture and see the best quake scene this cinephile has ever watched.

Another offering on my site is a link to The Sniffer, a popular poodcast I do with CBC’s trends and tech thinker, Nora Young. Every two weeks Nora and I talk about the weird, the cool, the good and the bad things we see galloping towards us on the technological horizon.

And finally, I’ll occasionally be blogging about my life as a writer of fiction. These are strange days for literature and nobody really knows what the future holds for the written word.

I refuse to believe that it’s dead and if you’re interested in this as well, please subscribe to my blog, to follow the crazy journey as one woman figures out how to get her story out to the world.