On this episode of Spark: Cyborgs, Digital Sabbaths, and Super Sad True Love. Click below to listen to the whole show, or download the MP3 (runs 54:00).
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Super Sad True Love Story
Gary Shteyngart’s new novel is called Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel, and it’s been getting great reviews and making waves since it hit the bookshelves back in July. It tells the story of Lenny, a 39 year-old worried about his looks and health in a relentlessly youth-oriented culture, who falls hard for 24 year-old Eunice Park. They fall in love in a near-future New York, where the wealthy get nano-technology treatments to avoid aging, the US economy has collapsed and is tottering under war, class struggle, and a one- party state. And, it’s a comedy, with lots of satirical, dystopian, and hilarious things to say about contemporary techno-culture.
(Runs 9:46)
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Taking a Digital Sabbath
Ever thought of just taking a break from the constant stream of Twitter updates, emails, news feeds, and texts? Like, really really take a break and turning off all your gadgets and living tech-free for a full day. It’s an idea that’s come up a lot lately, as more people find the benefits behind unplugging. There are websites like Offlining.com dedicated to promoting the idea of taking “Offline Sabbath” days, or planning “No-device dinners” one day a week.
Recently, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania enforced a campus-wide social media blackout.
Every popular social media tool you can think of was blocked from campus computers as an academic exercise, to challenge the students to live life outside of the constant-connection box.
So what happens when a technology reporter turns off his tech? The CBC’s Mike Wise was up for the challenge… (Runs 6:59)
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E-Readers vs. The Printer
Peter Rukavina has a new e-book reader. No, it’s not an iPad, or a Kindle. It’s not a Kobo, or a Sony Reader. Rather, Peter’s new ebook reader is a human being named Shawn, who prints out Peter’s books on paper. Nora spoke with Peter about combining the best of ebooks and the best of printed books (Runs 7:03)
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Happy Birthday Cyborg!
If you’re like us, as you’re walking around a typical downtown street in North America, you’ll notice Cyborgs, everywhere! People with cell phones constantly attached to their ears, or with iPads that tell them exactly where they are and navigating where they’re going next. Or what about people with pacemakers, or hearing aids or eyeglasses? All examples of the fusion of the human and the technological. Think we’re taking things a little too far?
Well let’s back up a bit and look at the roots of cyborgs in culture. Turns out the term ‘cyborg’ goes back to the days of the Space Race. And this month—September 2010—is the 50th anniversary of the coining of the term Cyborg! Nora speaks with Tim Maly, who writes and edits Quiet Babylon, a website about cyborgs and architects. (Runs 10:55)
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Genetic Testing & Breast Cancer
Freelance journalist Sarah Bridge brings Spark a look at the intersection of medical technology and the deeply emotional experiences it can bring.
In Sarah Bridge’s family, an incredibly high number of women have had breast cancer — four out of five of her grandfather’s sisters, for example. And in her mother’s generation, the disease continues to spread. As medical technology has advanced, tests for a genetic predisposition have become possible. But these tests have opened a pandora’s box of questions for the women in Sarah’s family.
(RUNS 15:52)
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