On this episode of Spark: FloH club, new media literacy, and getting the old age you deserve. Click to listen (runs 54:00)
Play audio:
- Sean Cole tries out the FloH Club, a new computer service aimed at older people
- Your Job Before the Internet: Todd Thicke and Michele Nasraway, co-executive producers of America’s Funniest Videos
- Jenna McWilliams teaches new media literacy (full interview)
- Nora mentions that the Amazon Kindle is now available in Canada
- Cyrus Farivar visits UCLA for the 40th anniversary of the Internet
- Joe Coughlin from MIT’s AgeLab on the future of aging (full interview)
This episode features Creative Commons music and sound effects:
- Clips from This Is Your Life Melton Berle
- “Wadidyusay?” by Zap Mama
- “eighteen pieces (soda)” by soda
- “attackoftheemorobots” by Windom Earle
- “Haliflight” by Chad Crouch
- Music from “Music for Cooking” by Podington Bear
- “Accidental Beatnik” by Coconut Monkeyrocket from Comfort Cake
- “I Hate To Think That You’ll Grow Old” (1933) by Ramona & Her Grand Piano
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For more information (and instructions) visit cbc.ca/podcasting
[Original image by AMagill]
The few seconds of description at the start of the show – something about not building an old man's robot – made it sound like that segment would be about, oh, _robotics_. As it happens, the segment, so far, has very little to do with technology – mostly hand-waving around it and going on about aging and about what the interviewee 'thinks' and is 'envisioning'. Hardly 'tech' show material, and I wouldn't have waited for the segment if the description at the beginning of the show would have been properly clear.
Hello Old Radio Man,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, Spark is a radio program about technology, but it's also a program about trends and fresh ideas. I believe that the piece you're referring to (Nora's interview with Joe Coughlin) brings all three of those things together. Mr. Coughlin has an expertise in the field of ageing. When he talks about what he "thinks" and is "envisioning," he speaks based on the research done in his lab at MIT.
For the record, here's the script for the beginning of the program:
"I'm Nora Young and this time on Spark, a surprising look at getting older: it ain't yer granny's ageing any more. We look at tech support for your parents that will save them from asking their ungrateful whippersnappers for help. We'll explore why old, outdated information has a natural home on the bright, shiny internet. Plus… getting older? Planning for your retirement? Well, you know what they always say:
CLIP: "You can't build an old man's car, and I believe you can't build an old man's robot, either." (5 sec)
But that's won't stop us from trying! This is Spark. On today's episode, we're looking at ageing… or more exactly, aging and expectation and what happens when we throw expectations out the window."
Sorry if you found the show opening confusing. It certainly wasn't our intention to mislead. Looking back at the script in context, I have a hard time seeing how we promised a segment focused on robotics.
Once again, thanks for listening, and thanks for your comment.
I enjoyed hearing about Floh. It made me think of my mother who hasn't a clue about most tech stuff. But she's trying.
Recently retired, and in her late 50's, my mom decided to take a very basic intro to computer class. Her world changed ever since learning e-mail… and so did mine!
She emails me nearly every day, usually one-liners, just to touch base and give me her usual motherly advice as we live in different cities. My favourite emails are the ones where she explains the latest item she learned in computer class.
Her enthusiasm about applying shading and patterns into excel spreadsheets, and inserting emoticons into emails makes me smile. It brings me back to a time when all of this stuff was really fresh for me as a child. I'll have to tell her about Florence Henderson's program, because I tend to lose patience when giving tech instructions over the phone. Thanks Spark!
-L
Hi Spark, on the theme of poor design] for the older generation, I caught this infomercial tonight while watching some late night Jakie Chan.
http://shoptvcanada.com/mclient/693/loudnclear
Horrible.
Matt