Afternoons for Thursday 4 May 2023

1:15 AI decoder can 'read' people's minds

Neuroscientists in the US have taken an unnerving step towards reading people's minds.

A team in Texas has built an AI decoder which can take someone's brain scans and determine the gist of what they are thinking.

It's far from a perfect system - but it is prompting an ethical conversation about how far we should take this type of technology.

Research author, neuroscientist Alexander Huth talks to Jesse.

1:25 Programme to gift pounamu for every child in state care

A Nelson-based carver is on an ambitious journey to gift every child in state care a pounamu of their own.

Timoti Moran, has partnered up with advocacy group VOYCE, and is aiming to provide 100 of the pendants a month - with more than 6000 needed in total.

He's gifting one pounamu for every other piece sold in his store - Taonga by Timoti.

Timoti talks to Jesse about why he wants the children to have their own pounamu.

1:35 Uptake of skating, surfing and snowboarding in middle age

If you close your eyes and picture a skateboarder or a surfer, what do you see?

It's probably safe to assume you pictured a teenager, but who's to say middle-aged people can't take part in these kinds of sports too?

This is the question at the centre of Dr Nick Maitland's research.

He's a lecturer for the University of Canterbury's Faculty of Health, and next Wednesday he'll be delivering a public talk entitled ''Middle-age board-om: Skating, surfing & snowboarding in your 40s'.

The talk will take place at UC from 7pm to 8pm, but he gives Jesse an insight to his research ahead of that talk.

1:45 Great album: Meet the Moonlight by Jack Johnson

For our link 3 winner today we've got the he most recent Jack Johnson album Meet The Moonlight which came out on 22 June 2022

Meet the Moonlight is the eighth studio album by American musician Jack Johnson. The album was released on June 24, 2022, and marks Johnson's first release in five years. Johnson worked with producer Blake Mills on the album, and released the lead single "One Step Ahead" on April 8, 2022.

2:10 Music Critic: Tony Stamp

Today Tony talks to Jesse about new music from Nia Archives and local musician Jonathan Bree.

2:25 NZ Sporting History: Levi Sherwood

NZ Sporting History now and today we're talking to freestyle motocross legend Levi Sherwood.

Levi made his debut on the global stage in the Red Bull X-Fighters competition in 2009, where he surprised everyone by winning the first phase of the series.

At the ripe age of 17 he was the youngest to ever pull it off.

He returned to place first overall at the event in 2012 and 2017, and later won gold at the X Games and the Nitro World Games to top it off.

In 2017 he made history again, becoming the first rider to ever land a no-hands double backflip.

Levi talks to Jesse about his dare devil career and the injury that forced his retirement.

3:10 Link 3

3:15 Solving the World's Problems with Dave Armstrong

Today Dave Armstrong talks about the problems which need solving in Wellington including the trains, sporting fees at council facilities and house prices.

3:20 History with Dr Grant Morris: Rest homes in Aotearoa

Rest homes are a vital part of modern NZ society.  Many New Zealanders live in rest homes and even more visit them on a regular basis.  But has this always been the case?  Today Dr Grant Morris explores the history of rest homes in NZ.

3:35 Spoken Feature Nau Mai Town: Petone

It's a seaside town in Wellington and back in 1840 the New Zealand Company migrant ship the AURORA arrived at Petone Beach.  With a population of just over eight thousand Petone is home to Jackson street with it's niche design stores and a popular water spring. Justine Murray joins Liz Mellish to talk about the proper name, Pito-One, that's coming up on Nau Mai Town, a series about Aotearoa place names.

3:45 The Panel with Zoe George and Stephen Franks