Oct
16
Spark 88 – October 18 & 20, 2009
Posted by Dan Misener under Episodes
On this episode of Spark: Tracking trash, the real value of stories, and social media for businesses. Click to listen (runs 54:00):
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- Nora mentions her interview with Vancouver city councillor Andrea Reimer on open cities
- David Eaves explains VanTrash
- Jennifer Dunnam tracks trash with MIT’s Sensible City Lab’s Trash | Track
- Sheila Heti reads from her short story “Cape Cod Shoe” (full story)
- Rob Walker co-curates the Significant Objects Project (full interview)
- Derek K. Miller thinks people should remember geography
- Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty gives advice about email subject lines
- Members of the Spark community read their most useless email subject lines
- Rick Fogarty uses Skype for hairstyle consultations
- Bernd Boesemeyer deals with a negative review of his B&B on TripAdvisor
- Mitch Joel explains why businesses should embrace online conversations
- Nora mentions her full interview with Alain de Botton on the beauty of work
This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:
- “Window like” by echoed
- “Wadidyusay?” by Zap Mama
- “The Light” by spliffvalley
- “Cash For Your Trash” by Fats Waller (1941)
- “Summer” by General Fuzz
- “Curious Process” by Chad Crouch
- “Music for Tree Climbing” by Podington Bear
- “I Can Read Between The Lines” by Mildred Bailey & Her Orchestra (1939)
- “Barbers“
You can download this episode as an MP3, or receive Spark automatically by subscribing to any of our totally free podcast feeds:
- Free weekly podcast (Subscribe in iTunes)
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- Free weekly podcast (low bandwidth version)
For more information (and instructions) visit cbc.ca/podcasting
[Original image by D'arcy Norman]
October 16th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
[...] can read more about the episode here and listen to it on CBC radio at 1:05 local time in most parts of Canada and 4:05 on the west [...]
October 16th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
[...] Spark 88 – October 18 & 20, 2009 [...]
October 18th, 2009 at 11:20 am
[...] Spark 88 – October 18 & 20, 2009 The Spark Podcast should be required listening for anyone that enjoys coming to DesignNotes. With that said this week’s session is got a lot of info gems, even more so than usual. [...]
October 18th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Spark 88 – I enjoyed Nora's interview with Mitch Joel about 'digital transparency' – by which businesses must become more accountable/responsive as consumers are empowered by tools such as Yelp and SnapTell.
I want to see these same kinds of tools made available to those of us who prefer to hold government and public services accountable. I want to be able to submit a peer review of a really bad local government manager, convey my disgust with partisan politics, or express my frustration with sub-standard CBC radio programming (Spark being a diamond in the rough).
I want a "Yelp" forum to express approval and disapproval about the political decisions and tax-payer funded programs and services that have such a profound impact on our lives, but which largely operate under the radar.
Any ideas?
October 18th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Hey sweet I was on the radio! Great episode too.
October 19th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Hi Jenny,
I don't know of a Yelp for government (yet), but you might be interested in the work of visiblegovernment.ca. It's a not-for-profit designing tools for greater government transparency.
October 19th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Nora
I caught most of your show but of particular interest, during an entirely captivating show,, was the Doctor from Vancouver and his discussion/interview. If available on podcast -how could I obtain this interview to enjoy it once again
Great show
john
October 19th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
John — not sure if this is what you're looking for, but on Spark 87, we heard from Dr. Stewart Cameron in a "Your Job Before the Internet" segment: http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2009/10/spark-87-october-...
October 19th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Thanks – notsure if that was it – it was a wonderful discussion on his book "Ghost of …..???" and the need to "surrender" to your personal deity to overdome addictions etc
I will keep looking
October 19th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
John, that doesn't sound like any episode of Spark that I recall. Did you hear this over the air, or as a podcast?
October 20th, 2009 at 3:53 am
Maybe it was from White Coat Black Art? I can't recall any Spark episode like this..
October 20th, 2009 at 11:58 am
I recall his name was Dr Matthais (or similiar to that) he is a physician who gaave up workingpalliative care to work with addicts in the worst partof Vancouver – it was aired around 2 pm 18 Sept 09. I truly appreciate all of your input inattempting to assist me – I cannot recall if it was a pod cast or radio show -thank you all – this is the first timeI have visited this site and your support and responsiveness is somethingto be proud of !
October 20th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
[...] I was interview on CBC's spark about some of these ideas that have come to fruition because of the hard work and civic mindedness [...]
October 20th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
In regards to the Yelp segment:
Working in an small independent bookstore in Halifax, I've had customers come up to me and say 'Indigo/Chapters has this particular book for half the price.' And my response has to be that we are selling it for what the publisher and supplier are charging us — if we lower the price we lose money on it. Giant corporations like Chapters/Indigo can afford to do that because they make billions of dollars, and one or two shots to the foot mean nothing — while for they might mean a great deal. So, yes, the ability to go into a shop and say 'Hey, manager, this is cheaper elsewhere!' may be empowering for the consumer, but unless that consumer makes sure to be savvy about some of the complexities of local economics, then the only stores to come out on top will be the multi-billion-dollar national/international ones, and the small private businesses will be left out.
October 21st, 2009 at 9:29 am
Great topic! I always search for consumer reviews on big ticket items and travel. I rarely do reviews myself, but when we were trying to find an all-weather woven patio set, I finally ordered one from Costco. When it arrived the chairs were fantastic but the table was flimsy and the top sagged even if you set a glass on it. Since it is such a hassle returning a large item like that, I did a review online at Costco so other people would know. The review was never posted. I was surprised, so I did it again and it still wasn't put up on their site. I found it interesting to think that a company like Costco might actually screen out negative comments on products they sell. It makes you think twice about the reliablity of reviews on websites, especially reviews on their personal website.
On another note, I think Mitch is completely right, consumer reviews give companies an opportunity to react faster than they ever could in the past, to be at the top of their game in the marketplace.
October 21st, 2009 at 1:45 pm
John, I think we've solved this one. This interview aired on a show called Tapestry. Here's a link to the conversation:
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/tapestry_20091018_21642...
Cheers,
Elizabeth
CBC's Spark
October 21st, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Interesting point, Liquid. How do you find people respond when you explain the context?
October 21st, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Most people nod and appear to understand (no-one disagrees), but even so they tend to leave the store empty-handed (I suspect to go clandestinely to the big-box-store to get the book anyway). Happily, I believe that, due to the nature of my particular bookstore, most of our customer base understands this already and would prefer to support us.
What bothers me, culturally speaking, is this 'Cheapest is Best' mentality that we've been conditioned to accept — that if you can save a couple of bucks then you've won. Of course, I don't agree with shops who jack up their prices just because they can and are greedy; but to assume anyone who isn't offering massive discounts on a book is one of them is simply wrong. Two prominent independent bookstores in Halifax have closed over the past two years, citing too many people going to the giant companies or going online as their reasons. In short, I guess, it's more sophisticated than 'who can give you the best deal', and the majority of customers with whom I talk about this understand and agree with that (only one person accused me of being somehow anti-Darwinian for that viewpoint, at which point his friends started to laugh at him).
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Hey Jenny – I agree with your statements about being able to identify "dead wood" in a format that protects both your identity and protects the person being identified and scandalized without recourse ! Could we make one for all the public service, including our institutes of "higher" learning ?
BTW – this is Jenny Horn (would you like some corn? )and I have someone who would love to talk to you – if I have the right Jenny Farcas here. Ex-duncanite and maker of rare furniture with secret drawers ? Please contact me at hornofplenty@telus.net if this is you.
October 24th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I just listened to the podcast of this show. Interesting stuff. I especially liked the story on the Significant Objects Project. It is a perfect example of the principles of Capitalism at work. Adding value to things is the basis of the system. You should get Terry O'Reilly onto this story because it is a perfect example of an advertising campaign. Ads create a story to make you want things that you might not know you want or need – and that is exactly what the Significant Objects Project is doing. Exactly!
October 26th, 2009 at 2:18 am
Anybody know of an Amazon – Toronto Public Library linker? I have found a couple for their old system but nothing for their "new" catalogue system.
October 28th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Interesting thought, Graeme. I've noted that people in advertising use that concept of 'story'.