Podcasts

Steve Caplin continues his look at the weird and wonderful delights of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There's a VR headset with eye-tracking, a humanisation of Amazon's Alexa, a laundry-folding robot, an intelligent toilet with a "fully immersive experience", a water generator for cars, a mask to stop snoring and a smart speaker to teach Chinese.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University considers the possible future course for the Brexit process in the wake of the Government's unprecedentedly large defeat in the House of Commons. He also looks at the current economic and political state of the EU itself, finding one ray amidst the gloom in the preparations made for Brexit by the authorities in Cornwall. He also marks the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table.

James Cameron-Wilson surveys the UK box office, dominated by period pieces. Stan & Ollie takes the #1 spot, followed by The Favourite & Mary Poppins Returns. Keira Knightley in Colette comes in at #7 with The Upside, remake of French hit Untouchable, at #8. Jason Reitman's movie on Gary Hart, The Front Runner, only manages #18. For home release, James reviews The Escape with Gemma Arterton and Dominic Cooper.

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: Costco and Target report big holiday numbers; Macy’s tumbles on disappointing December sales; Bed, Bath, and Beyond goes above and beyond; Activision Blizzard loses control over Destiny; And Taco Bell goes on a health kick. Analysts Aaron Bush, Andy Cross, and Ron Gross discuss those stories and weigh in on Ford Motor, Constellation Brands, and Interactive Brokers. Plus, analyst Rex Moore joins us from Las Vegas to talk self-driving cars and other cutting-edge technologies at CES.

Not such Merry Christmas for the high street. In what’s been called the worst festive trading period – the team cast a critical eye over the retail sector and find out who were the winners and the losers. Also…Jaguar Land Rover shed more than 4000 jobs in the UK, how to get your dream job in 2019 and a new website that has your back if you get dumped before heading on holiday.

Adam talks to Christopher Mayr and Heidi Teschemacher from Life Extension Europe about why so many people set health related new years resolutions. They discuss the problems of adherence and why so many people follow resolutions on social media without investigating if they are actually healthy or indeed scientifically valid. They offer tips about setting health resolutions you can stick to that actually do result in an improvement in health and well-being.

On Modern Mindset this week, Adam Cox is once again diving into the world of our mental health and well being - but with a twist! How do dogs, man's longest and most loyal companion, improve our lives? He talks to Kellie Ceccarelli a veterinary nurse and Roxy Carr a 17 year old dog owner and author about the psychological and mental health benefits of owning a pet dog. Many people will wait till they own their own house or have a family before getting a dog but Roxy persuaded her parents to allow her to own a dog at the age of 11. She took all the responsibility of walks, training and care and found many health and wellbeing advantages. She features her story with Poppy, a cockapoo in a new book called ‘A Pawfect Pair’.with Kelly and Roxy to find out what a difference dogs can really make to our lives.

In this episode of the IEA podcast, the IEA’s Head of Education Dr Steve Davies walks the IEA’s Associate Director, Kate Andrews, through a relatively new theory called ‘The Foundational Economy’. This theory puts economic emphasis on material infrastructure in society - things like the water and sewer industries – and argues that these systems of provision have been undermined in the age of privatisation and outsourcing. Steve discusses the theory of the foundational economy, notes areas of support and criticisms, and highlights questions that arise from the theory: Is the British economy too London-centric? Have our politicians overlooked foundations of economic life and their importance? Should these services be delivered by the state?

Political commentator Mike Indian, author of the Groucho Tendency blog, talks to Simon Rose about the latest developments in the Brexit saga. After further defeats in the Commons, Theresa May will soon find out how she fares in the Meaningful Vote on her deal. What will happen if she loses the vote, though, as she's widely expected to do. What are the viable alternatives? Has John Bercow lost the confidence of too many MPs? Are Parliament's actoins undermining democracy? How likely is another election? Or another referendum?

Steve Caplin casts a frequently-disbelieving eye over some of the exhibits at the Consumer Electronics Show. Among exhibits were a roll-up TV, a treadmill that generates electricity as you run, a cat feeder with facial recognition, a dog dryer, Lamborghini's massage chair, a bluetooth nappy sensor and a car with legs that can climb a five-foot wall! There's also an idea for recycling Christmas trees, a look at Netflix's interactive drama and a recommended compact Bluetooth speaker.