While not a new epiphany, clearly one of the most incredible things about the era we live in is our changing technology. And not just how rapid technological change has become, but the accelerating rate in which each subsequent wave in technological advancement ripples through society, and becomes commonplace in our lives.

When the latest innovation comes out, there is a flurry of excitement by the press and early adopters, and before long, without us reckoning with the implications, the new device or capability has permeated through society, often utterly transforming how we function day-to-day.

Indeed, our society has become so saturated with relatively new inventions that it is now actually difficult for many of us to imagine how life worked without not only things like the internet and laptops - those by now seem vaguely quaint - but even gadgets like iPads, our Facebook accounts and smartphones, devices that hardly existed in a mainstream fashion as recently as 5-10 years ago. And now, if our smart phone battery dies, or we forget it at home, for many of us there can a sensation verging on a sense of panic. This is not just because of the addictive qualities of these devices, but because we have come to rely on them in almost every facet of our lives, from our entertainment during our commutes, to how we connect to friends and work, and plan our days.

Because these changes have become so impossibly rapid, it’s easy to lose sight of just how much of an impact, how transformational these tools are on our lives and our worlds. And no wonder - we hardly have time to slow down and contemplate the consequences, benefits and drawbacks of each one. But perhaps we should stop to ponder, and ask some bigger questions, because with  the good and glitzy, also comes the bad, the complex, and the unknown. 

Thankfully for us, Nora Young has been fascinated for years about the cultural implications of our evolving technology, and as the host and creator of the CBC radio program Spark now in its 7th season,  she has been our guide to grappling with these questions, and reflecting on life in the 21st century.

Spark flips things around, and poses those largely unasked questions of not merely how we are changing our technology, but how our technology is changing us - in everything from how online dating and texting is influencing the nature of our love lives, to the ramifications of us never not being stimulated by our phones, or devices, and having the chance to truly daydream.    

Before coming to Spark Nora Young also was the founding host of Definitely Not The Opera on CBC radio 1 from 1994 to 2002.  I spoke to Nora, at SPARK HQ at CBC Toronto. And many thanks to fellow Spark producer Dan Misener for recording the interview. 

As always, you can subscribe to our podcast in iTunes or through our RSS feed. 

If there's definitely one thing Rich Terfry is not, it is one sided. As the host of CBC Radio 2's afternoon music program Drive, not only does Rich have a full time gig as a CBC broadcaster, each weekday bringing an eclectic mix of music and stories to Canadians across the country, but of course he is also the incredibly talented and prolific hip-hop musician Buck 65. 

One full time job is more than enough for most of us to handle, but since he began hosting Drive in 2008, Rich has managed to not only release several well-received musical albums (including 2011's excellent 20 Odd Years), tour, and perform regularly, but he even found the time to write a book of stories from his life, a project that's slated to be published later in 2014. (For an idea of his talent for storytelling, just read some of his captivating  posts on Facebook)

Growing up in Mount Uniake, a small town in rural Nova Scotia, from a young age Rich was drawn to the arts. But it wasn't until a budding and promising career in baseball came crashing down (the result of an unfortunate break and a few injuries), that he really turned to music as a potential career and full-time outlet. It is a pursuit that he has devoted himself to for now over two decades, and it's seen him tour the world, be lauded by Radiohead, release some 20 records, and collaborate with a huge array of Canada's best known artists, including the likes of Feist, Gord Downie, and Jenn Grant.

As you'll hear in the interview, Rich is a compelling storyteller, full of amazing anecdotes from his life, and is tremendously honest with his experiences. During our conversation he speaks about his early - and mostly secret - infatuation with the arts growing up, his beginnings as a musician during the Halifax-pop explosion of the 1990s, and some of the exhilarating ups, and heartbreaking downs that he's faced over his multifaceted career as a musician and broadcaster.

Hope you enjoy it. Listen to our interview with Rich Terfry below, and remember to hear all of our interviews simply subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.