Metro Reviews: Mad Max, Make Me, Dazzle It
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Sept 14th Mad Max Xbox One/PS4/PC Rated: Mature 17+ A bomb-sniffing dog and a harpoon-wielding mechanic are the highlights of this wasteland excursion where knuckle fights and reckless car battles keep the action surprisingly sane. There’s no revenge, no abuse of innocents to prevent, it’s just... Read More
Slow-Melting Ice Cream & Computing Schitzophrenia
This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… The promise of ice cream that won’t melt before youget a chance to eat it has thrust physicist and biologist Cait MacPhee and her science team at the University of Edinburgh into a bit of media frenzy as newspapers... Read More
Metro Reviews – Arcadia, Super Mario Maker, Gourmet Fast
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Sept. 6th Arcadia By Ian Pears iPhone/iPad Free/$4.59 The stories of seven different characters play out in this interactive novel where points of intersection let you hop between them for curious tangents that avoid being mechanical or repetitive by being wildly entertaining journeys through different genres... Read More
Metro Reviews: Until Dawn, Zer0es, Pac-Man 256
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Aug. 24th Zer0es By Chuck Wendig Kindle/iBooks/Kobo When the NSA force misfit delinquents to solve a tech conspiracy (think Hackers-meets-The Breakfast Club) they unleash a conspiracy popcorn adventure with enough tech cred to stay interesting and enough polarizing personalities to make it fun. This fun book... Read More
Metro Reviews: Zombie, Felicia Day, Runner’s World
Here’s my Metro reviews for the week of Aug. 17th Zombi Xbox One/PS4/PC Rated: Mature 17+ Zombie games are as much about managing your fear as they are about survival, something Zombi speaks to with tools that let you detect the creatures of the night with radar and scan the gloom to know what’s worth... Read More
Cisco Emergency responder Sue-Lynn & Sphero Educational Robots
This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Our live guest this week is manager of Cisco’s Tactical Operations, a team that travels the world to disaster areas to help secure emergency internet communications. Sue-Lynn Hinson talks about her dual skills of being a first responder and... Read More
Metro Reviews: Back To The Future, Lara Croft, Koi: Journey of Purity
Here’s my Metro reviews for the week of Aug. 10th We Don’t Need Roads: The Making Of The Back To The Future Trilogy By Caseen Gaines Kindle/iBooks/Kobo With popcorn enthusiasm, Gaines interviews fifty people who worked on the time-travel series to tease out stories about its iconic DeLorean and hoverboard sequences while delving with surprising... Read More
White House Demo Days & Honouring Dr. Frances Kelsey
This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… With the passing of Dr. Frances Kelsey we remember her long career at the FDA and her historic refusal to give Thalidomide its US release. We also listen in as Ramona Pierson shares her jaw-dropping life story with President... Read More
Metro Reviews: Armada, Rare Replay, Montery Bay Aquarium
Here’s my Metro reviews for the week of Aug. 3rd Armada By Ernest Cline Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Inspired by 80’s movies like The Last Starfighter, Armada is a joyful pop culture romp about a gamer recruited to battle an alien invasion. It has a Spielberg-like sense of teen friendship, but goes overboard in name-checking celebrities. Rare Replay... Read More
Maker Festival and the Death of HitchBot
This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… We mourn the loss of HitchBot after its failed attempt to travel across the US ended violently in Philadelphia and then hear from the techmakers who impressed us at this year’s Maker Festival in Toronto. Ceclia Ho & Hedy... Read More
Metro Reviews: Prune, The Art of Cardboard, Roald Dahl
Here’s my Metro reviews for the week of July 27th The Art of Cardboard By Lori Zimmer Kindle/iBooks/Kobo From creating childhood castles to using storage boxes for our memories, cardboard boxes have long been a trigger for our imagination. Filled with zoomable photos, this gorgeous ebook explores the intricate roller-coasters, geodesic domes, and astonishing sculptures... Read More
Metro Reviews: Go Set A Watchman, Styx: Master of Shadows
Here’s my Metro reviews for the week of July 20th. Go Set A Watchman Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Best approached as an early, messy attempt by lee at exploring race issues better handled in Mockingbird, Watchman is distressing for its alternate take on Atticus, but notable for its journey of an older Scout facing hometown pressures to conform... Read More
Metro Reviews: Rocket League, Big Bang Theory, Star Wars
Here’s my Metro Reviews for the week of July 13th The Science of TV’s the Big Bang Theory Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Dave Zobel Where exactly is Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment in real life? This amusing guide tries to solve the fan question while lightly explaining science from the show such as Occum’s Razor, the gravitation prowess of... Read More
Metro Reviews: Batman Arkham Knight, Book of Numbers, Gran Text Auto
Here’s my Metro reviews for the week of July 6th Batman: Arkham Knight PS4/Xbox One Rated: Mature 17+ Gotham has grown to the size of four games, leaving it up to you to choose which emergencies to save and which villains to chase after. It’s not just the freedom to explore that allows for this,... Read More
Reddit Revolt & the Scent of a Perfect Rose
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… Victoria Taylor, whose abrupt termination from Reddit caused a massive uproar from the community’s moderators. We discuss how her role as the director of the popular AMA series offers insights into what’s... Read More
Metro Reviews: Charlie Martz, Her Story
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of June 29th Charlie Martz and Other Stories Elmore Leonard Kindle/iBooks/Kobo It’s fitting that Leonard’s last book contains his earliest writings, short stories excitedly written when he was setting out to be an author. Between pulpy tales of cowboys and observant slices of awkward lives, his enthusiasm... Read More
Metro News: LEGO Jurassic World, Do Not Sell At Any Price
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of June 22nd. LEGO Jurassic World PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One/Wii U Rated: Everyone 10+ People are eaten, but no one really dies in this humorous brick-building parody that organizes the four movies into explorable parks and story-driven levels. It manages to find an entertaining balance between the chases... Read More
First Bionic Hand Designed For Women
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… Nicky Ashwell, who is the first to adopt a new prosthetic from BeBionic that not only matches her physical size, but through a range of special grips allows her to ride a... Read More
Metro Reviews: Dinosaurs, Elder Scrolls Online,
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of June 18th How To Build A Dinosaur Jack Horner & James Gorman Kindle/iBooks/Kobo From digging up Tyrannosaurus bones to the discovery of fossilized tissue, Palaeontologist and Jurassic Park consultant Jack Horner uses engaging humour to carry us through his remarkable journey of wanting to rewind the... Read More
Laser Scanning & 3D Printing Pompeii’s Past
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… Dr. Kate Cooper, Assistant Curator of the Royal Ontario Museum’s World Cultures Department. She spoke to us about how the museum if the first to put on display special reproductions of human... Read More
Metro Reviews: Peter Pan, Hitman Sniper
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of June 8th Peter Pan Kindle/iBooks/Kobo J.M. Barrie They designed all the signs, papers, and books used in the Harry Potter movies and now the artists at Minalima have reimagined Peter Pan with expressive illustrations that capture moments of poetry and maps, letters, and bottle labels that... Read More
Apple’s Tech Women and Busting Myths At Ontario Science Centre
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… Jennifer Bailey, Vice-President Apple Pay business, and Susan Prescott, Vice-President of Application Product Management, who both delivered presentations as part of Apple’s summer Special Event just as the company announced efforts to address diversity issues... Read More
Metro Reviews: Exploring Calvin & Hobbes, Splatoon
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of June 1st. Exploring Calvin & Hobbes Bill Watterson Kindle/iBooks In this insightful retrospective of his work, a normally reclusive Bill Watterson allows for an in-depth interview about his childhood, artistic influences, and storytelling craft. Presented alongside his early drawings and studio tools, it delivers the kind... Read More
Wearable Tech Uniforms and Connected Textiles
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… Shiho Fukuhara, Textile Development Lead, and Nan-Wei Gong, Research & Development Lead for Google’s Project Jaquard, a new business that will allow the search giant to produce fabrics that can support connectivity with wearable technology... Read More
Metro Reviews: Insidious Oculus Rift, Seveneves,
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of May 25th Seveneves Kindle/iBooks/Kobo By Neal Stephenson When the Moon mysteriously implodes it triggers a race to save humanity by expanding the International Space Station into an emergency off-world retreat. This is a well-researched, hard science-fiction adventure by Stephenson (Snowcrash) made entertaining by an engaging team... Read More
Bionic women light up their limbs at Maker Faire Cyber Fashion Show
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… Michelle Salt, Canada’s first female paraolympic snowboarder, who was among the models igniting the catwalk at this year’s Maker Faire in San Francisco. The wearable cyber-fashion show was put on by MakeFashion.ca... Read More
Metro Reviews: The Last of Us: Left Behind, Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of May 18th The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy By Sam Maggs Kindle/Kobo This playfully savvy and well-researched handbook offers a keen understanding into the many crafts and outgoing activities used by fangirls to cultivate and share personal interests. This isn’t about conforming to fleeting trends, but... Read More
The #girlswithtoys Phenomenon & Reinventing The Kettle
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… Scientist Kate Clancy who began an inspiring #girlswithtoys Twitter campaign in response to an unthinking interview on NPR with a noted astronomer who described scientists as being “Boys With Toys”. Jasmina Grase... Read More
Metro Reviews: Ether One, Ask The Past, Expo Milano
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of May 11th Ether One PC/Mac/PS4 Rated: Everyone Using puzzles to simulate the bewildering state of Alzheimer’s is an inspired touch. This Myst-like adventure has you exploring the fragmented memories of a woman named Jean, her mind presented as a picturesque village, and there’s an intriguing uncertainty... Read More
Huggies 3D Prints A Baby, Airline Seats To Monitor Your Health
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… Tatiana, a visually impaired, expecting mother in Brazil featured in a viral Huggies video. The diaper company arranged to have her 3D ultrasound 3D printed at the hospital so she could be... Read More
Metro Reviews: Big Gay Ice Cream, Broken Age, The Edit
Here’s my Metro Reviews for the week of May 4th Big Gay Ice Cream By Bryan Petroff & Douglas Quint Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Anthony Bourdain, Rachel Ray, and Neil Gaiman are among the celebrities included in this joyous anthology of foolish tales and radical recipes celebrating the origins of America’s most unconventional ice cream truck. In between... Read More
3D Printing Cats And Sexist Peer-Review Twitter Storm
Skip to the 1:24 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Ashley Saunders, brand manager at PetPrints3D.com, a Toront0-based company that turns your personal pet photos into expressive 3Dprinted figurines. Evolutionary geneticist Fiona Ingleby and evolutionary biologist Megan Head who found themselves in... Read More
Chris Hadfield Talks About Being Inspired As A Boy By The Ontario Science Centre
The new Be An Astronaut exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre puts on display both the flight suits and helmets from Colonel Chris Hadfield’s career, both as an astronaut and test pilot. At the exhibit’s opening Chris Hadfield related this little story as part of his opening address in which he weaves a journey between... Read More
Metro Reviews: Lovelace & Babbage, State of Decay, Epicurious
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of April 25th The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage Sydney Padua Kindle/iBooks/Kobo There are lessons and laughs in this graphic novel account of the first computer where Victorian inventor Babbage and pioneering programmer Lovelace become crime-solving Steampunk detectives. Both characters are wild, eccentric fun, but their... Read More
Bottling The Scent Of Loved Ones As Mementos And Security Blankets
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… Katia Apalategui is the inventor of a new business that can collect the scent of someone you hold dear and distill it into a perfume to be used for mementos between lovers... Read More
Metro Reviews: J.K. Rowkling, Mortal Kombat X, Foodkeeper
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of April 20th Mortal Kombat X PS4/Xbox One/PC Rating: Mature 17+ With face-eating and disembowelment fatalities, this tenth entry is now the goriest of the franchise. And yet its fighting is accessible, its characters diverse, and its dense story good-humoured. With combo chains and more interactive arenas... Read More
TouchPad Fingernails And Clothes That Change In Sunlight
To listen skip to the 1:24 mark. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… MIT Grad Cindy Kao has come up with a tiny trackpad that fits over the fingernail on your thumb. Like the trackpad on your laptop, you can use it to control the... Read More
Metro Reviews: Never Alone, Murakami, Spylight
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of April 13th. Never Alone (Kisima Innitchuna) Xbox One/PS4/PC/Mac Rating: Everyone 10+ Four Stars Lost in an Alaskan blizzard, a young girl finds help from an arctic fox in this evocative platform adventure that speaks of isolation, comradery, and personal resilience. Polar bear chases, shimmering arctic swims,... Read More
Beauty Tech On The Sly And The Detective Work Behind Mysterious Radio Signals
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… Katia Vega returns with more Beauty Technology this time creating conductive hair extensions that allow you to control smartphone apps on the sly. By stroking your hair you can send a text,... Read More
Metro Reviews: The Fifth Heart, Mario Party 10, The Last Voyage
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of April 6th The Fifth Heart By Dan Simmons Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Sherlock Homes, a fictional character, and Henry James, a real-life author could never meet and they know it. Their pairing on an American murder mystery triggers an Inception-layered puzzle about consciousness and identity that should be gimmicky,... Read More