Afleveringen
-
Amidst the culture wars and identity politics stirred up during the election campaign, can Kamala Harris secure the presidency and make history?
And if history is made do her policies align with the progressive youth base that have memed her into a lime green oval office, or are these voters not seeing the forest for the coconut trees?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The whole world is moving towards a cashless future. So what does our digital money future look like and is it for the best?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
-
Sex tech conjures up images of hot robots sent from the future and while that might be where this multi million dollar industry is headed - for now a big slice of the demand is from people hoping to enjoy their own body so why do we make that so hard for people living with disabilities? And who are the inventors and engineers breaking down the taboos to create the products that suit their needs?
Guest - Rebecca McLaren for the Health Report
If you liked this episode of Quick Smart you might enjoy our chat with Lucy Sweeney about the neuroscience of singing in a choir or our episode with James Purtill on why we still don’t have driverless cars.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Linguists have discovered that teenage girls play a significant role in shaping our future vocabulary.
But how do 16-year-old girls end up being the arbiters of what we will and won't say?
Guest: Fiona Pepper for Future Tense
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Where is the case now and when will mushroom murder-accused Erin Patterson face trial? We find out and get into the weeds about the legality and ethics of making a true crime podcast happening in real time.
If you liked this episode of Quick Smart you might like this other episode we did about The truth behind reality TV villains or this one about The mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
When you fall asleep do you dream of falling Tetris pieces? There’s a name for this – the Tetris Effect. Scientists have been investigating its use in boosting creativity and productivity and brands are trying to figure out how to monetise it. So just how malleable does playing video games make our minds? And is it possible for companies to use this research to hijack our dreams? Guest: Shelby Traynor for All In The Mind
If you liked this episode of Quick Smart you might like this other episode we did about whether we're all too addicted to our phones or this one about how to find out whether you're in introvert or an extrovert
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Cryptocurrency and block chain technology has dramatically shifted the way criminals launder money - so what are the techniques some criminals are using to clean dirty money and what does it have to do with a video game about salamanders? Guest: Nick Baker for The Money and ABC Digital
And if you liked this episode check out some of the other episodes we've made with The Money like this one about how the RBA wants you to lose your job, or this one about how the Australian housing crisis got so bad.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
If you’re a woman between 25 and 45 on Instagram there’s a good chance you’ve seen ads for egg freezing. And in recent years, the popularity of IVF clinics has sky rocketed - so much so that the clinics are are actually starting to run out of storage space. So what has led to the huge uptick in people wanting to freeze their eggs and is it actually the insurance policy that people think it is?Guest: Sophie Kesteven for ABC News
And if you liked this episode check out our episodes about office romances with Zoe Ferguson or the woman who got a Pap smear everyday for 21 years with Belinda Smith.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Olympic Games are about to kick off and athletes from all over the world will make their way to France to compete. The event is watched by billions, there's a massive increase to local tourism and of course an eye watering amount of advertising dollars at stake so it’s wild to think that at one stage - the Olympics was almost cancelled for good. Guest: Jack Schmidt for God Forbid
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
In the back of our minds we all know that there’s very little that’s real about reality TV… but you might be shocked to discover just how deceptive – and ethically questionable – some of the television tactics really are. So are the humans behind these characters we love to hate really so awful? And how does being cast as a TV villain impact a person’s mental health and life outside the show?
And a content note: this episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health. Guest: Annika Blau for Background Briefing
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Social media is a huge part of our lives. We use it to talk to friends, to read about what’s happening in the world, and to find out whether or not something is cake. But recently there’s been talk of banning people under the age 16 from using social media because of the negative impact on their mental health and to protect them from harm. So is the government’s plan for age restriction really the best way to tackle this crisis? And will it actually improve the wellbeing of kids or will it just push their social media use underground?
Guest: Ange Lavoipierre Technology Reporter for ABC News
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
AI is impacting every creative industry - and movies are no exception. If a young Harrison Ford can be churned out of a computer, what does the future of film look like? And would you feel differently about your favourite TV show if you knew the characters in it were created by a computer?
Guest: Bev Wang for Stop Everything!
This episode was originally published in January 2024
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Whether you're singing in a karaoke room at 2am, or at a more reasonable time with a local choir, there’s something about singing without inhibition that feels great. Our brains get this warm fuzzy feeling when we come together and sing as a group - and it turns out there's neuroscience that backs that up. So what are the health benefits for our brain and mental health? Should we all be joining a community choir?
Guest: Lucy Sweeney for ABC Online
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
What makes a man, a man? Well eating copious amounts of red meat of course – at least according to certain corners of the internet. The alt-right has made mass beef consumption their business, and this comes at a time where climate scientists and animal activists are urging people to eat less meat to help the planet. So why is the alt-right so focused on eliminating “soy boys” and getting into that Bronze Age Grindset?
Guest: Jonathan Green for Blueprint for Living
This episode was originally published in November 2023
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
On average Australians spend around three hours on their phones everyday - and experts believe our screentime is impacting our relationships, our ability to focus and our health. So is phone addiction really as bad for us as we think? And what are the health benefits of putting down your phone once and a while and breaking the cycle?
Guest: Anna Kelsey-Sugg for ABC Online
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
If we want to avoid the worst of the climate crisis, it's vital we switch to clean energy and fast. Wind and solar have long been on the agenda as clean forms of power to replace coal, but more recently in Australia there's been a charged political discussion about nuclear.
So how would implementing nuclear energy actually work? And is it a better option for power than the tried and tested methods of solar and wind?
Guest: Tim Leslie, ABC News Climate Lead
ABC News article on CSIRO GenCost report
ABC News article explaining nuclear power in 12 numbers
Quick Smart climate anxiety episode
Quick Smart driverless cars episode
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Scrolling on instagram it’s impossible to avoid people giving their unsolicited advice - about fashion, the news, or the latest food trend. But with the rise of the hot take, comes the people trying to monetise this advice in the form of life coaching… and unfortunately a lot of people looking for real help are falling into the trap.
Guest: Kellie Scott for ABC Online
This episode was originally published in November 2023
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Death is something we don’t really like to think about. But when you or someone you love becomes ill, it’s important to be able to have a conversation about end of life care in a respectful and informed way. Despite being legal, there are still obstacles to accessing voluntary assisted dying or VAD, and because no one likes to talk about it, these issues are often discovered when it’s too late. So how can we ensure those who want to make the choice to end their life can do so with safety and dignity?
Guest: Annika Blau for Background Briefing
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Australians have been in the midst of a cost of living crisis for a while now. Groceries are more expensive. Petrol is more expensive. Rent is more expensive. We're all in the same boat, so why is talking about money still so taboo? And what can we do to feel more in control of our finances?
Guest: Maani Truu from ABC Online
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Banning books feels like a thing of the past. A humble past-time of authoritarian leaders and churches trying to control the way people think. These days; thanks largely to our streaming services, it seems we’re reading much less than we used to. But in the last few years 10,000 books have been banned in the US alone. So why is the number of banned books sky rocketing?
Guest: Sarah L'Estrange for The Book Show
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - Laat meer zien