The Sniffer

Update on Where The Sniffer Stands...or Sniffs

Well, it's been...a minute since we posted a new episode. Cathi and Nora talk about the need to take a little hiatus.  Cathi also shares some exciting news. She has a new book coming out in April. Check out more here [https://www.montrealpublishing.com/authors?pgid=l7ataq1y-71847751-cf96-437a-82fd-0fb2c65558fb]!

Ye Olde Annual Holiday Special

Happy holidays from Cathi and Nora! Every year on the podcast, we have a holiday special featuring outrageous, kooky gifts we'd love to have in an alternate reality! This time, we set ourselves a different challenge: each of us picked a gift (for ourselves, naturally) that clocks in at under $100. We wanted it to be a surprise (for us and for you) so you have to listen to the episode to find out. No 'advertorial' or affiliate marketing; we just think these are cool products. Hope you have a great holiday break and warm wishes for the new year from your pals at The Sniffer! And don't forget to watch Cathi and Nora's favourite holiday movie: The Thin Man [https://youtu.be/S9cnYeFFeC4?feature=shared]!

Trends in wind tech and tapping into your creativity

This time, a cool trend in wind turbines. A Norwegian company called World Wide Wind is piloting a wind turbine that sits out in the ocean with its generator at the bottom, in the sea. Check it out over at New Atlas [https://newatlas.com/energy/floating-contra-rotating-vawt-offshore/]. Then, Nora and Cathi talk about what to do when you feel stuck creatively. There's this idea [https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/rethinking-mental-health/202103/using-creative-constraints-force-creative-breakthroughs] of working with creative constraints, or Twyla Tharp's practice of building a creative habit [https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/The-Creative-Habit/Twyla-Tharp/9780743235273].

Gen Z hates Dating Apps, and Drone Eco-tourism

Hi friends! Cath and Nora here. We've been talking about [https://thesniffer.net/episodes/dating-app-algorithms-and-virtual-life-coaches] online dating recently. This WIRED article [https://www.wired.com/story/end-of-dating-apps/] says Gen Z is over dating apps. Is it now time to go back to --gasp--friend networks? Cathi found a new service [https://www.natureeye.com/] that promises to let you do a 30 minute drone tour of amazing sights, with a co-pilot/guide. It's not like really going, but could it be an eco-friendly and cheap-ish form of eco-tourism?

AI Translation for Podcasts, and Nap like a Giraffe

Hello!  This time on the podcast, Nora Young talks about Spotify's project to offer AI-based voice simulation for podcast translation [https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/25/23888009/spotify-podcast-translation-voice-replication-open-ai]. So, you can listen to your pod-of-choice in a different language, but in a simulated version of the podcaster's own voice. First languages to be available are Spanish, French, and German. Cathi Bond brings you 'giraffenap [https://g-nap.com/en/news/notice-of-press-release-20230801/]', a body-sized box that lets people take a 20 minute nap while standing, sorta. Your feet, shins, buttocks, arms, and head are supported. The goal is for a quick nap, sleeping lightly, rather than a full-on snooze fest. It comes in 2 different models [https://g-nap.com/en/products/], and you can check out the deets here [https://g-nap.com/en/about/].