Quick Smart

The harsh reality of being an adult in Australia is spending a huge chunk of time talking about house prices! So what’s the deal with our housing obsession? Is it possible to afford a home anymore without getting help from the bank of mum and dad? And how is the housing crisis further entrenching our growing class divide?

Guest: Richard Aedy for the Money

Outside of the Olympics or the driveway to the United Nations, how often do you think about flags? Countries and states have them but Australian cities have them as well. And unsurprisingly for something that was created largely during colonial times, nowadays these flags can feel a little problematic. So what’s the history behind our city flags? And is it about time we gave their tired old designs a bit of a refresh?

Guest: Nick Baker for ABC Digital

When you fall asleep do you dream of falling Tetris pieces? There’s a name for this – the Tetris Effect. Scientists have been investigating its use in boosting creativity and productivity and brands are trying to figure out how to monetise it. So just how malleable does playing video games make our minds? And is it possible for companies to use this research to hijack our dreams? Guest: Shelby Traynor for All In The Mind

If you liked this episode of Quick Smart you might like this other episode we did about whether we're all too addicted to our phones or this one about how to find out whether you're in introvert or an extrovert

Driverless cars feel like they've been "two or three years away"... for the last 10 years. So why don't we have them yet? What technical and ethical hurdles do we still need to overcome to finally make robots our designated drivers?

Guest: James Purtill from Science Friction.

On average Australians spend around three hours on their phones everyday - and experts believe our screentime is impacting our relationships, our ability to focus and our health. So is phone addiction really as bad for us as we think? And what are the health benefits of putting down your phone once and a while and breaking the cycle?

Guest: Anna Kelsey-Sugg for ABC Online