Learning Code With Robotic Flower Gardens And Cooking With Watson
Skip to the 1:25 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Alexa Swainson is VP of broduct for IBM’s Watson, the cognitive computer best known for winning on Jeopardy, but is turning heads these days be creating it’s own recipes. Alexa explains how... Read More
Metro Reviews: Ruby, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, JFK Challenge
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Feb. 16th Ruby By Cynthia Bond Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Two Stars This tale of two adults trying to overcome childhood abuses during the time of Jim Crow is so vividly driven by its setting and character actions that it feels like a comic book in expression, which is... Read More
Creating Smart Bras And Connecting With Nature Through Outer Space
To listen skip to the 1:27 mark. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Genna Guberstein is a heliophysics media specialist at NASA who wants to use the inspirational imagery of science to create public exhibitions that she hopes will increase our connection with nature. Her first... Read More
Metro Reviews: Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask, Guantanamo Diary
Here’s my Metro Reviews for the week of Feb. 9th Guantanamo Diary By Mohamedou Ould Slahi Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Three Stars A former member of Al Qaeda who maintained dangerous friendships, it’s easy to see why Mohamedou was picked up by US intelligence 12 years ago, but navigate through the scanned pages and heavily redacted text of... Read More
New Movie Celebrates Computing Pioneer Grace Hopper
Skip to the 1:26 mark to listen This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Gillian Jacobs, best known for her role on TV series community, has directed an entertaining and fascinating documentary on computing pioneer Grace Hopper which you can watch below.
The Order 1886 Conspiracies & Obsessions – An Interview With Director Dana Jan
In my conversation with game director Dana Jan, we discuss the cultural and literary obsessions present in the upcoming PlayStation 4 video game The Order 1886, an alternate history action-adventure that blends the Knights of the Round Table with Nikola Tesla in a Steampunk Victorian England.
Metro Reviews: Trigger Warning, Dying Light, Sons of Anarchy
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Feb. 2nd. Trigger Warning By Neil Gaiman Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Five Stars Trigger Warning is an internet term used to identify web links that may lead to unsettling content and indeed this collection of strange and intriguing poems, adventures, and remembrances all unfold with nightmarish costs. Even when... Read More
Exploring Issues Of Rape Through VR, Managing Relationships With Wearables
Skip to the 1:25 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Film director Rose Troche who kicked off a new Oculus Rift Virtual Reality series called Perspective that will place viewers into the bodies of two people on either side of a contentious... Read More
Metro Reviews: American Sniper, The Swapper, MSN Food
Here are my Metro News reviews for the week of Jan. 26th American Sniper Enhanced Edition By Chris Kyle Kindle/iBooks Three Stars Conversational video interviews and pop-up gun profiles only add to this book’s extraordinary access to Navy Seal techniques, yet it’s Kyle’s friendly story-telling that stands-out as he captures the way his drive to... Read More
Sharing Your Story Through Action Cams & Combating Online Hate
Skip to the 1:27 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Shauna Ireland and Canadian actress Kearstin Plemel who are part of Twenty2b’s Project Portrait, a series of action cam selfie videos by women around the world to demonstrate the creativity that’s possible... Read More
Metro Reviews: Patton Oswalt, New Nintendo 3DS, Shadowmatic
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Jan. 19th Silver Screen Fiend By Patton Oswalt Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Three Stars For four years Patton compulsively watched art-house films, seeking guidance to his artistic ambitions. Now reflecting on his immaturity, he uses lists of movies both real and imagined along with calendars tied to much-loved indie... Read More
A Dino Hunt In Canada, My Interview With Palaeontologist Lisa Buckley
How do you know where to look for dinosaurs in Canada? Is it likely you’ll discover a new species of dinosaur if you grow up to be a palaeontologist? Here’s my extended What She Said interview with Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre curator Lisa Buckley who is among several scientists working dinosaur digs across the... Read More
Cooki The Robot Chef And History Channel’s Dino Hunt
Skip to the 1:26 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Haidee and Helen Chen are 18 year-old twin inventors from Atlanta who are readying to launch a robotic chef called Cooki that can be programmed to make a variety of meals using... Read More
Metro Reviews: The Book of Negroes, The Princess Bride, Captain Toad
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Jan. 11th The Book Of Negroes By Lawrence Hill Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Five Stars Society at its worst will bend a person to its most base needs. Hill’s historical drama captures with astonishing insight the way this happens from one stage of life to the next. Now a... Read More
Swarovski Tracking Crystals & The Royal Institution Lectrures
Skip to the 1:26 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Stanford neuroscientist and algorithm engineer Rachel Kalmer who works for wearable tech company Misfit as their data scientist. At this year’s CES the company turned heads with a new Swarovski partnership for... Read More
Metro Reviews: BFI Sci-Fi, Seabeard, The Secret Life Of Books
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Jan. 5th The Life of Books By The Open University iPad Four Stars This is a rewarding chance to explore the original handwritten manuscripts and first editions from six literary classics including the novels of Jane Eyre, Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley, Virginia Wolfe, and William Shakespeare.... Read More
Doggy Prosthetics, Flying Pizza Drones, And Reprogrammed Moss
Skip to the 1:26 mark to listen This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… When Tara Anderson, Project Manager at 3D Systems, read about Derby a dog up for adoption born with malformed front paws, she offered to foster the dog and recruit her company’s expertise... Read More
Metro Reviews: Wild Cheryl Strayed, Indoor Cycling, Little Big Planet 3
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Dec. 22nd. Wild By Cheryl Strayed Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Four Stars Strayed’s skillfully described account of her 2,663 mile wilderness trek along the Californian coast is a proper journey, full of interesting characters and self-made calamity, one that captures the adventurous landscape enough to transport you to her... Read More
Metro Reviews: Dragon Age Inquisition, Frozen, Elf On The Shelf
Here are my Metro News reviews for the week of Dec. 15th Frozen: The Cinestory By Robert Simpson, Erik Burnham, & Josh Elder Kindle/iBooks Three Stars Fans have long been using movie screengrabs to tell their own stories on Tumblr. Here Disney adopts the practice to transform Frozen into a beautiful graphic novel, adding a... Read More
A Growling Moose, Sea Lampreys, And Electrofishing. My Interview With Great Lakes Wild Creator Amanda Buckiewicz
Great Lakes Wild is a new television series that explores fascinating wildlife stories around our planet’s largest freshwater system. Below is my full, uncut interview with the show’s writer and producer Amanda Buckiewicz where she shares her insights on some of the Great Lakes strangest creatures including Asian carp, sea lampreys, and a moose that... Read More
Practical 3D Printed Dresses and Great Lakes Wild Invasive Species Tech
Jump to the 1:27 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Jessica Rosenkrantz is the Creative Director of New York-based Nervous System where she and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg have developed a 4D dress design that when 3D printed results in a nylon dress that can... Read More
Metro Reviews: Sailor’s Dream, FarmVille Recipes, Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Dec. 8th. The Sailor’s Dream By Jonas Tarestad & Jonathan Eng iPad/iPhone Three Stars Time passes in this novella when you’re not reading it. Open it again after an hour or even a day and new pages will appear. Hidden within interactive illustrations of light houses... Read More
Tech Controls For Dogs, Solar Panel Stickers, And Celebrating Hour of Code
Jump to the 1:31 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Clara Manicini is head of the Open University’s Animal-Computer Interaction Lab where she is studying the kinds of buttons, switches, and other controls that work best for dogs. Sniffer dogs, rescue dogs,... Read More
Metro Reviews: Wonder Woman, Far Cry 4, Monty the Penguin
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Dec. 1st The Secret History of Wonder Woman By Jill Lepore Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Three Stars Wonder Woman is the culmination of creator William Marston’s life. She reflects his involvement in the suffragette and feminist movements, the self-described Amazons he lived with, and his invention of the lie... Read More
Reporting Trolls To Mom, Subconscious Pizza, and Minikoff’s Magic Mirrors
Skip to the 1:26 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Alanah Pearce is a video game reviewer for 4zzz radio 102.1 fm, Brisbane Australia who managed to do what many have only dreamed – to track down the mothers of four boys... Read More
Metro Reviews: Unbroken, LEGO Batman 3, Dark Hearts
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Nov. 24th. Unbroken By Laura Hillenbrand Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Five Stars In this factual, but astonishing life account of Louis Zamperini, we follow him first as a thieving rapscallion, then as an Olympic hopeful, then as a WWII bombardier, and on through harrowing, yet uplifting adventures. Hillendbrand (Seabiscuit)... Read More
Maker Faire Toronto Highlights & Exploring The Brain With Possibility Engineering
Skip to the 1:28 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Izzie Colpitts_Campbell is a software and electronics artists with the Social Body Lab at OCAD University. She caught my eye at this year’s Maker Faire in Toronto with clothing that can move... Read More
Metro Reviews: Kitten Clone, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Runtastic Sleep Better
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Nov. 17th. Kitten Clone By Douglas Coupland Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Three Stars Inspired by the way internet searches can unfold like stories, Coupland uses an anecdote about kittens to delve into the internet’s origins through a mysterious, hidden company that is the keystone of our connected world. He... Read More
The Internet of Toys And Using World of Warcraft For Cancer Therapy
Skip to the 1:27 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Aerospace engineer Krissa Watry who wants to pioneer the Internet of Toys by releasing Dynepod, a programmable, connected toy that will allow kids to engage the world around them. Comedian Andie Bolt... Read More
Metro Reviews: Game of Thrones, Nintendo amiibo, Michelin Guide
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Nov10th. The World of Ice & Fire By George R. R. Martin, Elio M. Garcia, & Linda Antonsson Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Four Stars Although it lacks the intimacy of the novels, this beautifully illustrated Game of Thrones history conveys just as many entertaining tales of incest, betrayal, and... Read More
Goldie, The Engineering Action Figure, And Peeping Tom Websites
Skip to the 1:26 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Film director Megan Griffiths and producer Lacey Leavitt who have helped Goldie Blox CEO Debbie Sterling create an imaginative commercial for her new engineering action figure for girls, part of her GoldieBlox... Read More
Metro Reviews: To Kill A Mockingbird, Forza Horizon 2, Google Fit
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Nov. 3rd To Kill A Mockingbird Enhanced Edition By Harper Lee Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Four Stars For its digital debut, this cherished classic has been enhanced using promotional samples from other editions. There’s an audio chapter reading by Sissy Spacek and interview clips from a documentary with Oprah... Read More
A Shazam For Birds And Electric Deodorant
Skip to the 1:26 mark to lidten. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Florence Wilkinson and Dan Stowell of Queen Mary University who are developing an app that can identify birds by their song. Warblr will submit audio recordings of birds taken with your phone... Read More
Metro Reviews: Sunset Overdrive, Ghostbusters Pinball, Gone Girl
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Oct. 27th Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Four Stars This dark tale of intricate planning, told far too quickly as a movie, uses husband and wife eBook diaries to mastefully account for a disturbing disappearance through entirely different perspectives following different timelines. It’s a crime... Read More
Ethical Choices With Cosmetics, 3D Printed Batteries, And Halloween Fun
Jump to the 1:27 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Katarina Rantanen who is launching a new app called Cosmethics that can scan the bar codes of health and beauty care products to retrieve information on the ingredients curated by a biochemist. Dr.... Read More
Metro Reviews: Neil Patrick Harris, Alien Isolation, And South Park Pinball
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Oct. 20th Choose Your Own Autobiography By Neil Patrick Harris Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Four Stars By recounting his life as a game book filled with multiple paths and endings, NPH takes you for a roaringly funny time through cocktail recipes, boyfriend scribbles, geeky magic tricks, and celebrity interruptions.... Read More
GamerGate Grief, Wristify, And Girls Who Code’s Tampon Run
Jump to the 1:30 mark to listen. This week we address the disturbing GamerGate online protest exploring how it started and the toxic online threats to women that has come to characterize it in practice. I also introduce the What She Said Trio to: Embr Labs, a new company formed by a group of MIT... Read More
Metro Reviews – Chris Hadfield, Super Smash Bros., Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Oct. 13th You Are Here By Chris Hadfield iBooks/Kindle/Kobo Five Stars Astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted a mere fraction of his photos taken from space. Here he draws from his unseen collection to offer a breathtaking tour of our planet, sharing insights about the astonishing things below... Read More
Our Ada Lovelace Day Special Featuring Ladies Learning Code And Dr. Mary Jane Conboy
Jump to the 1:30 mark to listen Our Ada Lovelace Day special is among sixty worldwide events and, like so many of those science cabarets, cream teas, geek girl dinners, and gramophone discos, we have music and jokes to make it fun and inviting. (thanks to Helen Arney) Ada Lovelace, from Sydney Padua’s comic book series.... Read More
Metro Reviews: Kobo Aura H20, Shadow of Mordor, Spotify
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Oct. 6th Kobo Aura H2O $179.99 Four Stars The H2O is water-resistant up to a point. You have to keep its connection door closed and, because touchscreens and water do not mix, wipe it dry before use. This makes it ideal for a relaxing bath when... Read More