Afternoons for Wednesday 19 April 2023

 

1:15 AI generated music causing problems for streaming services

AI generated music will be the norm sooner than we think, says an expert technology futurist.

Last week, an AI went big on the internet. The 2 minute track features vocals from megastars Drake and The Weeknd.

It has been pulled from streaming services by the artists' label for breaching copyright.

Technology futurist and author of the Memia newsletter Ben Reid talks to Jesse about the bigger issues at play here.

1:25 Kiwi sanctuary hit hard by cyclone Gabrielle still working to restore predator free zone

The aftermath of cyclone Gabrielle is still being felt across many places on the North Island.

In the wake of the cyclone many kiwi conservation project workers are still out there assessing any damage they may have sustained.

Among those which was hit hard by the unprecedented weather event was the Wairakei Golf and Sanctuary project near Taupo.

Michelle Impey talks to Jesse about the race to restore fences and eradicate any unwelcome predators who took advantage of felled fences and damage to kiwi safe havens.

1:35 Transport World looking to be sweetened up!

If you seek perfection in sugar confection, well there's something new on the scene.

Invercargill's Transport World is in the middle of constructing a new inter-active lolly shop with a very  transport related name -  Toot Sweets, borrowed from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Transport World executive director Joc O'Donnell talks to Jesse about the sweet treats and latest addition to Transport World.

1:45 Time to dust off the needles and buy some wool, knitting is making a come back

As the temperatures drop and the cost of living rises, knitting is making a come back as way for people to save money and add to their winter woollies in the wardrobe.

Jo Morris of Sewing Direct in Wellington is offering tutorials at the shop to help novices getting into the art of creating their own warm knitted items of clothing. She explains how much more popular the past time has become lately.

2.12 Podcast Critic: Ximena Smith

Today Ximena talks to Jesse about Shrink the Box, a weekly podcast exploring the psychology of some of the greatest fictional television characters from recent decades.

2:25 Bookmarks with Khardro Mohamed

Our bookmarks guest today is Wellington based poet Khadro Mohamed. She's also made the 2023 Ockham Book Awards short list with her debut poetry book 'We're All Made of Lightning'.

The winners will be announced next month.

3:10 The 'natural' origins of deception

Everyone lies and when we say everyone, we mean the full scope of living things from microorganisms to  humans. Nature shows us example after example of exploitations of honesty and outright cheating. The Possum plays possum, orchids practice deception by mimicking  the aromas of their pollinators' food and  birds will fake  a broken-wing  to lure predators from their nests. Dr Lixing Sun is a biologist who says human deception is the most complex, and dangerous of all with rising misinformation and scams. He applies what he's learned about liars in the animal kingdom to help protect people from dishonesty. His book is called  'The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars: Cheating and Deception in the Living World.'

3:35 Stories from Our Changing World

Coming up on Our Changing World, seagrass plays an important role in Aotearoa's estuaries. A team of scientists from the Cawthron Institute, in Nelson, have taken on the challenge of finding the rather obscure seagrass flowers, and then coming up with a way to use seeds to restore struggling seagrass meadows.

3:45 The Panel with Lynda Hallinan and Alan McElroy