Queens of the Drone Age

Anyone who follows us on social media knows we are keen hikers, and we love our hiking tech - so we thought we’d share with you all a few of the latest gadgets, gizmos and gear we’ve been testing out. 

Rae went along to the Blue Mountains Climbing School to complete a course all about old-school map and compass navigation. She also picked up a pair of gaiters for bushbashing - and found the fitting process harder than expected. 

Introducing Droning On, a new interview-based Queens episode where we chat to fascinating experts about their jobs and relationship with tech.

Our first guest is Alden Rose - the Lead Sustainability Designer (Next UX User & Customer Experience) at Lenovo. 

Tegan chatted to Alden on a recent trip to North Carolina, where she takes us through some of what her team does in the sustainable design space, including rewards and...

Sustainability is not just incredibly important keeping the planet alive, it's also a fun corporate buzzword. So when tech companies say they are making it a focus - we look at how. 

In this deep dive special, we focus in on sustainable design, and who is doing it well.

Tegan travels to North Carolina to see what Lenovo are bringing to the table with product and packaging design, while Rae explores what Aussie scientists are...

In this episode, the Queens take a look at Space Tech - things in our lives that exist because of space exploration, travel, or the agencies that look after star stuff. 

There are cool new innovations constantly happening in this industry - but there are also everyday objects we owe to space research, so we take you through our favourites! 

And if you want more Queens and want to support the show, please consider subscribing to our...

In this week's gadget chat, Rae has finally been able to connect her Audio-Technica record player with some decent speakers - she puts the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300 through their paces with all manner of music. She also digs into the new sustainability considerations of the latest Sonos offerings. 

Meanwhile, Amanda has been trying out not one, but two Mophie Snap+ chargers - the Multi-Device Travel Charger and the 4-in-1...

Apps are great, except for when they’re not. And some are just downright dodgy.

So in this ep from the archives, the Queens put some unethical apps under the microscope – such as Noom – as well as some of the practices that have allowed them to stay live and make money on the App Store and Google Play.

Full show notes are available on the Queens of the Drone Age website.

If you want more Queens, and want to support the show, please...

Travel is on the agenda again! But before you pack your suitcase, is there some tech you might need to consider making space for - or even some you might consider ditching?

In this deep dive, the Queens look at our favourite gadgets and gizmos to take on the road/water/plane.

This episode is one of our deep dive specials from the Queens archives.

Full show notes are available at the Queens of the Drone Age website.

If you want more...

In this episode, we dig into weird as heck medical tech. From using frogs as pregnancy tests, to a wellness toilet that analyses your poop.

This episode is one of our new deep dive specials, where we dig into the archives and pull out the segments our OG listeners have loved the most.

Full show notes are available on the Queens of the Drone Age website.

If you want more Queens, and want to support the show, please consider subscrib...

Today we have a gift for you: we've dug into the Queens archives, and found a gem you may not have heard where we explore the wild world of vapourware - some of our favourite gadgets and games that never got released.

From the infamous Nintendo PlayStation (yes, really) to a printer that used reusable plastic sheets rather than paper, we've got some gems. 

If you want more Queens, and want to support the show, please consider subsc...

In this week's episode Amanda regales the Queens with tales of her recent trip to Tokyo with Netflix.

There's a lot of anime talk off the back of Amanda attending Anime Japan and getting to go along to an actual anime studio where she got to see PLUTO being hand drawn. There's even talk of AI and the way that could impact the future of the art form.

Rae also discovers that Sailor Moon absolutely counts as her seeing anime and ...

In this week's gadget chat, Amanda gets addicted to parenting in raising sim Volcano Princess, while Rae tries to help visually impaired people through the Be My Eyes app. Meanwhile, high flyer Tegan tries out Qantas' Business Class, because she is a Fancy Business Lady.

And if you want more Queens and want to support the show, please consider subscribing to our Patreon so you can get access to fun stuff like our WEEKLY news...

Yes, this week's deep dive really is about chairs. This came about when Rad yelled out “chairs!” when we asked what she wanted to do. But you see, when it comes to Queens, we can make a tech topic out of anything.

Rad takes a look at kneeling chairs and whether they're actually good for your posture. She, of course, also got one from Facebook marketplace to test this for herself.

Rae also looks into whether massage chairs are as go...

In this episode, Tegan is back in her happy place: the driver's seat of a bougie car. She reviews the brand new 2023 BMW 320i, which is the entry-level model in the range.

While it may look the same as previous models on the outside, the inner cabin is a different story. A total redesign and a very long touchscreen dashboard make it feel incredibly futuristic. Oh, and there are ports... lots of them.

Meanwhile, Rad is back to talki...

In this episode the Queens take a close look at the alternative meats industry. It's become increasingly popular in recent years as more fake meat pops up in the startup space as well as in supermarkets and on restaurant menus.

In addition to touching on different types of meat alternatives - including plant based and lab grown meat - we also look at how tofu is being used as meat in a very different way to how you might think.