Podcasts

Steve Caplin scrutinises a Japanese digitizer that makes it easier to get shoes that fit first time, VR Boggle, hostage-takers thwarting the FBI with drones, why Octopi come from outer space, Uber delivering food by drones and an app that tells you what a song is when you lift and lower your phone - IF it's a Norwegian folk song!

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: we revisit some of our favourite conversations about investor behaviour; best-selling author Carl Richards talks about the benefits of the overnight test; and Christopher Chabris talks invisible gorillas and intuition.

Global financial markets have been flying up and down and all over the place this week, and it’s all to do with one boot-shaped country in the Mediterranean. Italy has found itself embroiled in a power struggle between Eurosceptic populists – winners of the March general election – and the pro-EU establishment. The ramifications have spread across the globe and will affect Britons from big-time investors to anyone building up a pension pot. Also in this episode, This is Money editor Simon Lambert, presenter Georgie Frost and personal finance editor Rachel Rickard Straus talk about what you can do to stop your dream house move falling through, and whether proposals to make tax on savings and dividends simpler will work – or just see savers pay more tax. And finally, in troubled times for the high street, the team look at one retailer bucking the trend.

Adam talks to transformational coach, Effie Kli, about her story that not only led her to transformation, but started her on a pathway to helping others do the same. Effie speaks about the tragic loss of her mother to suicide while she was still a child; she shares how this taught her resilience, but also led to her living a life rooted in shame and self-deception. She reveals how, from all of this, she eventually discovered her true path in life – and now uses her experiences and insight to help other people live their truth unapologetically.

Today we’re joined by author and academic Dr Joanna Williams, and the IEA’s Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon, to discuss freedom and feminism in the 21st century. Right now, the authoritarians seems to be winning the battle of ideas, following a raft of new nanny state legislation over the last few years – with ever more draconian schemes in the pipeline. Interviewed by the IEA’s Kate Andrews, Chris and Joanna take a look at what all of this means for ordinary consumers – and whether we can expect a backlash against the nanny state, embodied by groups like Public Health England. They also examine what is becoming an increasingly puritanical culture around feminism, and what the future holds for the movement in the wake of the ‘Me Too’ campaign.

David Joland can split his career into four parts: his first venture selling disposable products to the catering industry; his second selling all kinds of mail order items; his third in media sales; and then time out as an entrepreneur and investor. This variety has allowed him space and time to write his first book, 'The Biggest Idea in the World' (a fictional account of an Uber driver taking on Silicon Valley), and to have a go at stand-up comedy. He admits he gets carried away with some ideas, but that the money-making ones "more than make up for the loss-making ones".

Mike Indian, political commentator and author of the Groucho Tendency blog, discusses the hot political topics of the moment. He looks at what could happen to the Euro and the EU in the light of Italy's political crisis and whether there will be another election soon. With President Trump imposing steel and aluminium tariffs on US allies, what effect will the EU's tough response have? Will the chaos over Govia Thameslink's timetables increase support for rail nationalisation? And will Ruth Davidson's call on Theresa May to abandon the net migration target bear fruit?

Ian Forrest of The Share Centre looks at recent stock market ructions and reviews results from Dixons Carphone and Photo-Me International, both of which fell sharply on their announcements, as well as Johnson Matthey, struggling with the shift in emphasis from diesel to electric cars.

James Cameron-Wilson casts his eye over another dismal week for the UK cinema box office, with the new Star Wars film Solo disappointing, despite the last minute arrival at the helm of Ron Howard. James also reviews Show Dogs - a contender for the year's worst film - and recommends Downsizing, now out for home viewing.

Steve Caplin delves into facial recognition technology, with Amazon under attack for selling its software to the police, Orwellian moves in China in the classroom and Facebook being urged to adopt the technology for its ads by Martin Lewis. Also a cautionary Kickstarter and Indiegogo tale, the Florida zombie power outage, an app to relight photos and how to track others without a phone.