Episodes

The Buzz 1: “The book is better” – you hear often when it comes to adaptations of books for the screen…plenty of TV adaptations are as good as the books they’re based on, and some are even better…Book adaptations have become must-see TV, from Game of Thrones to The Handmaid’s Tale and beyond. (www.stylist.co.uk) The Buzz 2: Some of the most talked-about TV series of the past few years are all based on novels and other published works…books, comic books, and graphic novels in development as TV or...

The Buzz 1: Drones are now, literally, out of this world. NASA successfully landed the Perseverance rover on Mars earlier this year, and it carried an important payload: the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity.… Similar to Electronic Automobiles, drones offer another important option in fending off greenhouse gasses and becoming carbon neutral. (forbes.com) The Buzz 2: Start a game-changing career working with dynamic drone technology.…One of the first drone degree programs in the United States: Cal U’s ...

The Buzz 1: “In a study of 34 rhesus monkeys, males strongly preferred toys with wheels over plush toys, whereas females found plush toys likable. It would be tough to argue that the monkeys’ parents bought them sex-typed toys or that simian society encourages its male offspring to play more with trucks…The role of culture is not zero. The role of biology is not zero.” (stanmed.stanford.edu) The Buzz 2: “Estrogen is an asset…A new study from music researchers has found that women are engaged in ...

The Buzz 1: “Consumers today don’t just want their beverages to taste good and help them stay hydrated…Consumer interest in functional beverages over the last one year alone increased by a whopping 272%.” (spoonshot.com/blog – Dec 2020) The Buzz 2: “The fastest growing categories in healthy beverages are sparkling and enhanced water, plant-based dairy alternatives like oat milk and almond milk, and probiotics…added functional benefits from soft drinks…clean labels, zero calories and sustainable ...

The Buzz 1: “There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it, for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard.” (Madam C.J. Walker (1867 –1919), America’s first female entrepreneur millionaire) The Buzz 2: “You’re not in competition with other women. You’re in competition with everyone.” (Tina Fey, actress, comedian, writer, producer, playwright) The Buzz 3: “The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you pow...

The Buzz 1: “Since the creation of bitcoin, hundreds and hundreds of crypto assets are gradually finding their place in society…many companies are already accepting virtual currencies as a form of payment (KFC, Subway...). Others have considered creating their own cryptocurrency, such as Amazon.” (daviescoin.io/blog) The Buzz 2: “Once a hard-to-grasp concept, cryptocurrencies are experiencing their “arrival”…More than three in 10 Americans describe cryptocurrencies as the future of money, accord...

The Buzz 1: “Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.” (Charlie “Yardbird” Parker, 1920–1955, jazz saxophonist, band leader, composer) The Buzz 2: “Musicians want to be the loud voice for so many quiet hearts.” (Billy Joel, born 1949, musician, singer-songwriter, composer, Piano Man” ) The Buzz 3: “People ask me how I make music. I tell them I just step into it. It’s like stepping into a river and joining the flow. Every mome...

The Buzz 1: “We can fly! we can fly! we can fly!…All it takes is faith and trust. Oh, and something I forgot. Dust! Dust? Yep. Just a little bit of pixie dust.” (“You can fly” song, Peter Pan, 1953 American animated adventure fantasy film) The Buzz 2: “What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.” (Dave Thomas, Wendy’s founder) The Buzz 3: “Don't worry about failure; you only have to be ...

The Buzz 1: “The greatest scientists are always artists as well.” [Albert Einstein] The Buzz 2: “At first glance, the words “science” and “creativity” might not seem like natural companions.…. But…the greatest scientific discoveries in history were born out of creative curiosity, and a desire to do things differently.” [Creativity in STEM – a contradiction in terms? Not for Europe’s girls!”, news.microsoft.com] The Buzz 3: “…I want to tell the young generation that the fields of STEM are innovat...

The Buzz 1: “All it takes is faith and trust. Oh, and something I forgot. Dust! Dust? Yep. Just a little bit of pixie dust.” (Peter Pan played by Bobby Driscoll, 1953 film song You Can Fly!) The Buzz 2: “It's all right. I understand. Why trust a shark, right?” (Bruce, a great white shark voiced by Barry Humphries, Finding Nemo, Disney/Pixar 2003 animated film) Cyber-hacking on a huge global scale is challenging our institutions, organizations, public and private infrastructure. Today, cybersecur...

The Buzz 1: “Self-publishing is an ever-changing industry and big changes can come seemingly out of nowhere…Trend #2: More indie authors will collaborate or consolidate in collectives. Trend #3: Authors will benefit from competition in the eBook marketplace between Amazon, Apple, and Google.” [www.writtenwordmedia.com/the-top-ten-publishing-trends-every-author-needs-to-know-in-2021] The Buzz 2: “Ten years ago, e-books made up less than 1 percent of the trade book market, yet they now make up 40 ...

The Buzz 1: “A lot of folks believe that email is dead. With the increased use of chatbots, social media platforms, etc., the assumption is that email's place has been overtaken. However, this assertion, and the assumption it is based on, is wrong.…[despite] insufficient tools for creating emails, bad email marketing techniques, and lack of data and integration…email marketing still remains one of the surest ways of reaching out to customers.” (https://www.sendx.io/blog/email-marketing-trend) Th...

The Buzz 1: “After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are always artists as well. (Albert Einstein, 1923; news.microsoft.com/europe/2017/12/05/creativity-stem-contradiction-terms-not-europes-girls/) The Buzz 2: “Unfortunately, creativity is often attributed more to men than women…In Europe, women make up fewer than 40 per cent of all scientific researchers – despite the fact the contine...

The Buzz 1: “Hey, you, Get Off Of My Cloud” (The Rolling Stones). “Clouds in My Coffee” (You’re So Vain lyrics, Carly Simon). “I've looked at clouds from both sides now, From up and down, and still somehow, It's cloud illusions I recall, I really don't know clouds at all” (Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell). The Buzz 2: “One of the interesting things about the cloud is how it has quietly pervaded most people’s lives. Australians have used the cloud for years now and still aren’t aware of it … At thi...

The Buzz 1: “Virtual vintners have a say on grape varieties, barrels and bottling. Crowd-sourcing has become the Internet’s new favorite method of financing start-ups, authors and researchers. Now two wineries have adopted the idea to get their consumers involved in making wine.” (www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/crowd-sourced-wine-virtual-vintners-have-a-say-on-grape-varieties-barrels-and-bottling/2014/08/29/aac1bd8c-2e26-11e4-994d-202962a9150c_story.html) The Buzz 2: “Our Cabernet Sauvign...

The Buzz 1: “There is a charm to letters and cards that emails and smses can’t ever replicate, you cannot inhale them, drawing the fragrance of the place they have been mailed from, the feel of paper in your hand bearing the weight of the words contained within. You cannot rub your fingers over the paper and visualise the sender, seated at a table, writing, perhaps with a smile on their lips or a frown splitting the brow.” (Kiran Manral, The Face at the Window) The Buzz 2: “I’ve seen teenagers, ...

The Buzz 1: “Fashion’s future hinges on digital tools that combine the physical and digital while adapting to customer needs, including 3D design, on-demand manufacturing and video shopping.” (www.voguebusiness.com/technology/future-fashion-tech) The Buzz 2: “There is a lot of different technology that can be used throughout the fashion industry. While higher performing materials and better production methods are continually being designed, AI, blockchain, and IoT…enable better practices during ...

During 2020 when COVID locked down the world, video was the “king” of media types. Consumption went mobile, as Americans spent almost twice as much time viewing digital video on their phones as on their computers. After the TV era, YouTube era, and TikTok era, we’re now entering the Video 2.0 era of video-first products beyond entertainment and gaming – more interactive and participatory, with users engaging with the platform, giving direct feedback on the content, and shaping the experience in ...

The Buzz 1: “The alcoholic beverage industry is not known for being stagnant. Significant changes and surprising trends emerge every year…The best-selling cocktail of 2019 was the Old Fashioned. Sake is no longer just popular in Japan. Craft beer is no longer just a niche. Whisky, high-end spirits, and ready-to-drink are gaining popularity. Wine is going beyond the bottle. Buying alcohol online is becoming more popular.” (linchpinseo.com) The Buzz 2: “2021 is likely to be a transition year for t...

The Buzz 1: “Nobody brings the creepy better than women mystery and thriller writers. The literary world has always been a bit of a good ol' boys club, but since Anna Katharine Green, ‘the mother of the detective novel,’ published The Leavenworth Case in 1878, right up to the Gone Girl frenzy, women writers have excelled in the genre.” (Erin Enders, www.bustle.com/articles/58552-11-female-mystery-writers-to-start-reading-now-because-these-suspenseful-stories-are-too-good-to) The Buzz 2: “Women’s...

The Buzz: “The word entrepreneurship has been defined as the 'discovery, evaluation and exploitation of opportunities' but until just a few years ago, saying you were a young entrepreneur was a creative way to say you were in between jobs. Today, entrepreneurs are the modern day rockstars. The story of how Mark Zuckerberg hacked The Crimson at Harvard is a legend amongst millennials. Hustling and side-hustling is no longer just a way to make more money, it can be incredibly fun. There are so man...

The Buzz 1: “Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle. I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle... I want to ride it where I like.” (Queen, Bicycle Race) The Buzz 2: “When my legs hurt, I say: ‘Shut up legs! Do what I tell you to do!’” (Jens Voigt, German former professional road bicycle racer) The Buzz 3: “Cyclists see considerably more of this beautiful world than any other class of citizens. A good bicycle, well applied, will cure most ills this flesh is heir to.” (Dr K.K. Doty, 19th century New Yorker a...

The buzz: “Ten years ago, e-books made up less than 1 percent of the trade book market, yet they now make up 40 to 50 percent of units sold…In genres like fantasy, romance, and science fiction, traditional publishers have lost their former iron grip on the industry…Successful major authors are even choosing to self-publish.…As smartphone ownership expands internationally, so will the market for e-books.…Books could take advantage of the capabilities of digital devices by offering color, interact...

The buzz: Stress has been defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances – or as the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change. In her verywellmind.com article, When Stress Is Actually Good for You, Elizabeth Scott, MS, observes, “We rarely hear people say, ‘I’m really feeling stressed. Isn't that great?’ But if we didn't have some stress in our lives—the ‘good stress’ variety—we'd feel rudderless and unhappy. I...