Smartphones
Feature interview: social media as WMD
The first generation to grow up never knowing a time before smartphones and social media has had enough. As a teenager, Emma Lembke saw her own mental health declining with constant scrolling and… Audio
Tech Tuesday: fix your phone yourself
What if phone companies were forced to repair your smartphone? Audio
Sean Lyons on smartphone security
Increasingly, smartphone users are becoming aware, and with it, more concerned about the extent to which their phone is spying on them. Audio
Technology: School smartphone ban, Threads down, Tesla range overestimate
Technology correspondent Bill Bennett joins Kathryn to talk about Unesco's call for a ban on smartphones in schools, warning policy makers against an 'unthinking embrace' of digital technology in… Audio
Does naming objects change our relationship with them?
Are you someone who gives things like your phone or car names? When we give things like cars or other important objects in our lives names, we change the way we interact with them, and we may be more… Audio
How the next pandemic could be engineered by terrorists
The next major pandemic could be inflicted by terrorists unleashing a bio-engineered virus on to the world, according to distinguished fellow at Harvard Law School, Vivek Wadwha. He joins the show to… Audio
Chips down for Intel and Facebook boycott gathers pace
Technology commentator Mark Pesce joins Kathryn to look at the situation for Intel. Its chips have been dropped by Apple, and the company is being crushed by TSMC, which is making the chips for the… Audio
The quiet zone: the US town where Wi-Fi is banned
The Green Bank Radio Telescope is the largest steerable telescope in the world. The telescope needs to be isolated from all the radio noise that humanity produces. Which means that WiFi in Green Bank… Audio
Professor Cal Newport: Living better with less technology
Cal Newport's latest book Digital Minimalism calls out our enslavement to digital devices. He explains why there is nothing natural about the engineered behaviour of checking your phone every five… Audio
Law professor John Hopkins on a future without lawyers
Technology is now doing the jobs that were traditionally the work of lawyers to the point where the profession is facing major disruption. University of Canterbury law professor John Hopkins says many… Audio
Smartphones as security blankets: John Hunter
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, discovered that the mere presence of a cellphone can have a soothing effect in social situations. The lead author of the study, John Hunter, found… Audio
Peak smartphone
We may have reached peak smartphone. "Global shipments slipped 0.1 percent in 2017 -- the first ever decline, according to research firm IDC. Audio
Is twitterverse teaching harming our students?
Teacher Ben Robson heard our discussion with the Mind Lab last week and although he doesn't disagree with the use of technology in our schools, he does have some concerns and asks are we helping or… Audio
The brain drain: how smartphones hijack our thoughts
Does staring at your phone for hours on end serve any practical purpose? Are smartphones hijacking our mind? Audio
Tech news: Google's tax bill & your next 'essential' phone
The founder of Android launches a smartphone; Google releases its NZ accounts (spoiler alert: it's not paying much tax here), and China introduces new laws for foreign tech companies. Audio
China's ballpoint quest & the rise of the unsmart phone
Is the "dumbphone" poised for a bit of a comeback? Also China's quest to build the perfect ballpoint pen and how the humble biro is being used by the NZ police to fight crime. Audio
Samsung recall sparks battery safety review
The recall of Samsung's Note 7 phones has prompted a move to modernise safety standards for lithium-ion batteries.
Smartphones blamed for decline in rugby players' skills
Modern players' smartphone use is affecting their awareness of what's happening on the pitch, says the new vision coach for England's national side.
Are smartphones making us hyper?
Smartphone use is being blamed for making us act like we have ADHD. Audio
Hospital-smartphone link a NZ first for Waikato patients
In the last five years, almost 700 children and young people brought to the attention of Child Youth and Family have been placed in a police cell because there's been no bed for them in alternative… Audio
