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Nowadays, we have access to a huge amount of information, credible and otherwise. And for better or worse, traditional media gatekeepers and filters are disappearing. So how do we become our own filters? How do we learn to spot the difference between quality info and crackpot conspiracy theories? According to Jenna McWilliams, part of the answer is something called new media literacy.
Jenna is a doctoral student in the Learning Sciences Program at Indiana University, and the former curriculum specialist for Project New Media Literacies.
This morning, Nora interviewed Jenna via Skype. A shorter version of this interview will air on Spark 92, but you can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3. [runs 13:32]
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[Original image by dalbera]
How old does someone have to be before you consider them "old?"
We put that question to Joe Coughlin recently and guess what he said? Mid-forties! Yes, one of the leading researchers on aging says that in his lab, mid-forties is the threshold for older age. Thanks goodness he has a sense of humour about it.
Coughlin is the director of the Agelab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Agelab looks at the intersection of aging and technology, culture and public policy.
Nora spoke with Joe Coughlin about why he wants us to rethink our misconceptions around aging, what the baby boomers will expect from their golden years, and how we can make decisions now, so that we get the elder years we deserve. Plus, Joe gives us some longevity planning homework.
A shorter version of this interview will air on an upcoming episode of Spark, but you can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3 [runs 26:07].
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
If you like hearing these extended interviews, why not subscribe to Spark Plus? You’ll get regular weekly episodes, plus additional blog-only content like this. [Subscribe via RSS] or [Subscribe with iTunes]

Yesterday, Nora interviewed Lawrence Lessig about his recent article in The New Republic, “Against Transparency: The perils of openness in government” including a question from Russell McOrmond.
A shorter version of this interview will air on an upcoming episode of Spark, but you can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3 [runs 22:53].
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Special thanks to Daniel Dennis Jones of Radio Berkman for technical help with this interview.
If you like hearing these extended interviews, why not subscribe to Spark Plus? You’ll get regular weekly episodes, plus additional blog-only content like this. [Subscribe via RSS] or [Subscribe with iTunes]

The title of Lawrence Lessig’s recent essay in The New Republic, “Against Transparency: The perils of openness in government,” is a bit of a misnomer. Lessig isn’t unequivocally against openness and transparency in government. Instead, he says we shouldn’t see transparency as “just a big simple blessing,” or a silver bullet solution to political problems, and he makes the case for a more nuanced view.
Tomorrow, Nora will interview Lessig about openness, transparency, and government. Do you have a question for Lawrence Lessig? Leave it in the comments below.
[Original image by Robert Scoble]