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
Quilting For Chimps, Multiplayer Cycling, And Making Stalker Apps Illegal
Jump to the 1:32 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Oregon Zoo volunteer guides Jennie and Jo Ann run a Maker Space for the animal enrichment program that teaches locals to gather and create special quilts with puzzle pockets for the... Read More
Metro Reviews: David Cronenberg, Hyrule Warriors, The Kubrick Exhibition
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Sept. 29th. Consumed By David Cronenberg Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Four Stars A strange, unsettling tale of sex, cannibalism, and consumer technology, Cronenberg again explores the unthinkable, this time through a pair of journalists drawn to dangerous, audacious body crimes like moths to a flame. They document their liaisons... Read More
The Unconscious Bias Of Hiring, Flying Selfies, And Nighttime Pet Collars
Jump to the 1:32 mark to listen. Imagine a bracelet that can unfold from your wrist into a miniature quadcopter, to become your personal photographer and take pictures of you when there’s no one else around to help. That’s what’s Christoph Kohstall and Jelena Jovanic are building. Once Nixie takes its photos or video, it... Read More
Metro Reviews: The Maze Runner, Reddit, Disney Infinity Marvel Super Heroes
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of September 22nd. The Maze Runner: Movie Tie-In Edition By James Dashner Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Three Stars The book is a dark, sinister tale of boys trapped within an ultra-violent experiment to test their survival. The movie is a strangely sporty, feel-good adaptation. Loaded with video clips, photos, and... Read More
Making The Breast Pump Not Suck and Miss Georgia’s 3D Printed Shoes
Jump to the 1:30 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Maggie Bridges hails from Georgia Tech University and wanted to show off some geek pride during last weekend’s Miss America Pageant so she recruited her fellow students to design a pair of... Read More
Metro Reviews: Destiny, xkcd, Sidechef
Here’s my Metro Reviews for the week of September 15th. What If? By Randall Munroe Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Four Stars Using an imaginative wit and stick figure comics, website xkcd answers people’s silly, hypothetical questions about love, gravity, fire tornadoes, and speed-of-light baseballs. It’s intelligent, wisecracking science that, unlike most web distractions, actually makes for deep reading.... Read More
Flames & Fashion: New York’s Hi-Tech Runways & Beakerhead’s Dining Ferris Wheel
Jump to the 1:29 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… If you were in Central Park at New York’s Fashion Week you would have seen 40-foot women strutting the latest Ralph Lauren wear at night. How? They were holograms (well, close enough).... Read More
Metro Reviews: Lauren Bacall, BioShock, Angry Birds Stella
Here’s my Metro Canada reviews for the week of September 8th. Now By Lauren Bacall Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Four Stars It’s hard to imagine the late Lauren Bacall struggling with unemployment, but it’s what drove her to write this final memoir. She shares the difficulties of being an outspoken loner, of being guided by Bogart’s wisdom, and... Read More
The Hitchhiking Robot. My Interview with HitchBOT’s Dr. Frauke Zeller & Alanna Mager
In this extended interview from What She Said, I talk with HitchBOT team members Dr. Frauke Zeller and Alanna Mager about the journey their robot made hitchhiking across Canada. This is a humanoid that depended solely on the kindness of strangers to drive it successfully more than 6,000 km from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria,... Read More
Designer Wearables And What A Hitchhiking Robot Can Teach Us About Strangers
Jump 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. Frauke Zeller and Alanna Mager are among a team here in Canada that have created a robot that has successfully hitchhiked across the country, convincing strangers to give it a ride... Read More
Metro Reviews: Joni Mitchell, Professor Layton, Spicy Indian Recipes
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Sept. 1st. Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words By Malka Marom Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Five Stars A good conversation should have all the time it needs. This collection of audio and printed interviews between singers Marom and Mitchell has that comfort, allowing for Joni’s engaging candor to come... Read More
Extinction And Passenger Pigeons, IKEA LED Lighting, Stolen Celeb Photos
This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Annelie Sjögren, director of photography at Ikea, has been overseeing the furniture company’s change between using traditional photography in their catalogues to computer-generated images. At this point 75% of their company’s retail images are completely made from scratch on... Read More
Metro Reviews: Superhero Workout, Diablo III, Swing Copters
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Aug. 25th Life On Earth By E. O. Wilson iBooks/iTunesU Five Stars This free text book series is exquisite. It brings to life a high school biology course from a prominent teacher using animated, talking diagrams, demonstration videos, and interactive experiments. It’s one thing to clearly... Read More
Virtual Reality-Aided Surgery, Baby Trackers, And Homemade Electric Play-dough
This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Severely anxious about having knee surgery, Josefa Ramírez has become the first person to enter virtual reality during the operation as a way of coping. By sending her into a virtual night time world using the Oculus Rift VR... Read More
Metro Reviews: Edgar Allen Poe, Tom Hanks, Forks Over Knives
Here’s my Metro News review for the week of Aug. 18th Riddle of the Black Cat By J.W. Rinzler iBooks/Kindle Three Stars Edgar Allen Poe’s famous detective, Auguste Dupin, takes on the insanity defense in this animated retelling of one of Poe’s darkest tales. Stellar voice acting and imaginatively possessed illustrations offer wonderfully grisly hysterics.... Read More
Metro Reviews: Grumpy Cat, Godus, Forrest Gump
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Aug. 11th The Grumpy Guide To Life By Grumpy Cat Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Three Stars “Never lead”, advises Grumpy Cat in this book of self-woe, “always follow. It’s easier to trip someone from behind”. Filled with captioned cat photos, this guide to nurturing your inner grump deconstructs themes... Read More
Battling Internet Trolls With Science, Miss Possible Dolls, And Audacious Tech Art
Jump to the 1:30 mark to listen. This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Representing the US as a finalist in Google’s upcoming Science Fair this september will be 14 year-old Trisha Prabhu and her anti-cyberbullying programs. Her software can analyze a message before it’s posted... Read More
Metro Reviews: Jules Verne, Sharknado, Under Armour Women
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of Aug. 4th 80 Days By Jules Verne & inkle Studios iPad/iPhone Four Stars By mapping the pages of Jules Verne’s classic novel to an interactive globe you get to choose where valet Passepartout and his master travel, how they spend their money, and what strange encounters... Read More
Bicycle Safety, Colour-Changing Fashion, & Cycling Apps
Skip to the 1:20 mark to listen. Men are three times as likely to take up bicycling as exercise or for commuting to work as women and tend to travel four times farther when they do. This is the pattern in the West (UK, US, Canada) and the main reason for the declining interest in... Read More
Metro Reviews: And The Mountains Echoed, Flower Power, The Last of Us
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of July 28th. And the Mountains Echoed By Khaled Hosseini Kindle/iBooks/Kobo Five Stars Travelling from one likeable character to another, Hosseini poignantly charts a series of reprehensible events across the globe and down through family generations. A companion website, EchoProject.ca, matches the book’s pages to interactive illustrations,... Read More
Make, Learn, Sell. My Interview With Traditional Maker Space, The Shop.
Make. Learn. Sell. That’s the motto of The Shop, a cool maker studio here in Toronto started by two childhood friends. Michelle Organ and Marissa Maislin gave our tech expert Kris Abel such a great interview that we felt we had to share the whole thing here. To explore more visit www.theshoptoronto.ca/
Toronto’s Maker Spaces & Creating Jogging Music With Imogen Heap
This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Jonathan Moneta and Jacquelyn van Kampen are from a team of instructors and designers that run The Make Lab, an innovative Maker studio in Toronto with a large number of 3D printers, a laser cutter, and an electronics workshop. Anyone, regardless... Read More
Metro Reviews: Seconds, Guardians of the Galaxy, Glow Nurture
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of July 21st Seconds By Bryan Lee O’Malley Kindle/iBooks Five Stars Katie is a chef so drawn to the control of her kitchen that she’s made her restaurant her home. She becomes tempted to replay her life when mysterious forces test her destructive impulses. The creator of... Read More
Personal Robots, Roti Robots, Robtic Fingers, And 3D Printed Ice Cream
This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… Cynthia Brazeal has invented a family robot called Jibo, a social little guy who can greet you, take pictures, manage your messages, connect people, and play educational games with your kids. She’s bringing it to market with a price... Read More
Metro Reviews: Atlas Shrugged, Magic The Gathering, SeaWheeze
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of July 14th Atlas Shrugged The Amplified Edition By Ayn Rand iPad Four Stars Beautifully presented, this enhanced study guide edition of Rand’s industrial thriller expands on its underlying philosophy with notes, quotations, videos, interviews, a biography, and a timeline. It’s helpful in understanding the book’s theories... Read More
Google Science Fair Winner Todesco, Remote Control Contraception, And Mind-Reading Google Glass
This week Kris Abel introduces What She Said’s Christine Bentley, Sharon Caddy, and Kate Wheeler to… 17 year-old Hayley Todesco from Calgary has invented a more efficient way to detoxify Calgary’s oil sands. Her bioreactors will take decades instead of centuries to sustainably clean up the oil failings pools. She’s beat out her fellow Canadian... Read More
Metro Reviews: Five Fables, Indiegogo, Mountain
Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of July 7th. Seamus Heaney: Five Fables By Robert Henryson iPad Five Stars Billy Connolly (Brave, Lemony Snicket) narrates this Scottish retelling of Aesop’s moral fables, collected and translated by Nobel Prize-winner Seamus Heaney. The old Scots performed these tales of animal trickery and rascality with a... Read More