Afternoons for Wednesday 22 May 2024

 

1:15 The Lost Boy podcast released

The disappearance of 11 years Mike Beckenridge and his stepfather John was initially thought to be a sad story of a murder suicide.

John and Mike disappeared in 2015 from Invercargill, the only evidence left behind was the wreckage of John's car at the bottom of cliffs in the Caitlins.

The families of the pair don't believe they are dead.

Stuff journalist Michael Wright's podcast the complex and compelling case released this morning called The Lost Boy.

1:25 Drones needed to find endangered lizard species

Using drones to find lizards might sound like an impossible task, but it's hoped the technology can get to our endangered ones.

Carey Knox has spent 13 years as a lizard ecologist - or herpetologist is the technical name - and he's in the process of undergoing research collecting important data on New Zealand's endangered lizards.

He's fundraising to get a drone to help him get to the tricky places where they live. He explains it all to Jesse.

1:35 Seven year old impresses with submission to Rotorua Council

While kids are usually accused of not being interested in local democracy, Rotorua's Jimmy Bathgate has shown age is no barrier to having your voice heard on local matters.

Jimmy is a seven year old skate enthusiast, so when the council asked for submissions on whether or not they should fund the development of a new skate park in Rotorua.

Jimmy took it upon himself to provide a voice for the young New Zealanders who will benefit from the council's decision.

Ryan Gray from Rotorua Action Sports Charitable Trust -  a trust dedicated to helping the skate park become a reality, he speaks to Jesse about Jimmy's input and his influence.

1:45 Reading Party recap 

We held our very first reading party here in Auckland last night. We reflect with one of the guests and our very own people about how that went.

2.12 Podcast Critic: Matt Heath

Today Matt Heath talks to Jesse about The Rest is History and Professor G.

2:20 Easy Eats with Sam Parish: Pork and Miso Ramen

Each Wednesday she presents us with Easy Eats - the solution to putting something healthy delicious and affordable on the table rather than reaching for your device to get a take out or meal delivery.

Today you'll be impressed by how easy this incredibly tasty and take-out style meal is.

Sam's a busy mum, chef and author so she's all about having something quick and easy to feed loved ones.

This week she shares a recipe for Pork and Miso Ramen.

2:30 Bookmarks with David Downs

Our bookmarks guest this week is an example of what it means to beat the odds.

As a tech entrepreneur, David Downs was at the centre of many amazing innovations during the 1990s and 2000s. He also spent over a decade working with Microsoft as a regional director.

In 2013 he was a semi-finalist for New Zealander of the Year for his dedication to improving cancer research and treatment following his own battle with the disease.

He's with Jesse this week to share what he likes to read, watch and listen to in his down time.

3:10 Amanda Montell's new book on surviving the information overload

Every generation has its own brand of crisis.

As far as writer, linguist, and podcaster Amanda Montell is concerned, celebrity worship, conspiracy theories and a tad of mysticism is a crisis. She says our shared grasp of reality is slipping.  

She says the rise in irrationality is a response to information overload in the digital age. 

She  offers a message of hope that we can regain our ability to reason in her new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality.

3:35 Stories from Our Changing World

Coming up on Our Changing World, climate change is making storms worse - but how much worse? A new branch of science is aimed at finding out.  

3:45 The pre-Panel