Tech Stream
Archive for the ‘ Conferences’ Category
Tech Stream 051 – NBN, Clean Technology and the Webby Awards
7 May 2010
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Nasturtium Droplet. An example of nature inspiring innovation. (Flickr: Kevin Krejci)
In the Tech Stream this week – behind the long awaited study into the implementation of a national broadband network (NBN) in Australia, which suggests the government can build the infrastructure without Telstra, and deliver it to more people for less than was thought; we also take a look at the clean and green technologies that are getting investors excited… and the part nanotechnology is playing in their development; plus the big winners in this year’s Academy Awards for websites, the Webbys… Find out via the MP3 link above, or read on for more information.
Tech Stream 049: Education Special
24 April 2010
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Many students in Australia and elsewhere now have their own laptop for use at home and in the classroom. (Flickr: Christy Tvarok Green)
How is the use of technology changing the way we think about education, and what are some of the new ways we can foster productive and co-operative learning environments through the use of computers? What will the classroom of the future look like? We’ll tackle these questions and more in the Tech Stream this week with a special program focusing on education and digital technology. Follow the MP3 link above to listen to or download the radio program, or read on for more information.
Tech Stream 048
16 April 2010
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One of the many sessions taking place at The Internet Show in Melbourne, Australia this week.
This week in the Tech Stream we take time to talk about the gentle art of doing business online in 2010. We’ll meet some of the speaker from the recent Internet Show in Melbourne who tell us about the strategies being adopted by businesses to drive sales on the web, and analyze the behaviour of their customers. We’ll also spend some time talking about how the rise of Facebook and Twitter is impacting on companies and brands.
We’ll revisit a news story from last week about the possibility that Bebo could be sold off or shut down by their parent company AOL. It was very popular in New Zealand and the Pacific for a while, so what happens to all of the contacts, photos, videos and personal information people have stored there if it closes.
There’s an update on new measures being introduced in South Korea to try and curb the rising number of citizens addicted to the internet; and Bajo joins as with a review of the open world game Just Cause 2. Hear the program from the link above or read on for details.
Tech Stream 040
19 February 2010
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Phones on display in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress. Photo by Jon Jordan from Flickr.
We head to Barcelona, Spain, this week for the GSM Mobile World Congress. We’ll find out why Google and Microsoft captured all the headlines and check out the handsets likely to make an impact in Asia. We also ask why Al Jazeera wants you to mashup their video content and test-run the web game the whole family can’t play – Chatroulette. It’s so hot right now. Plus the Multimedia Content Bill in Indonesia that has the country’s bloggers and media activists crying “censorship!” …and Hex returns with a review of Bioshock 2. More details after the jump or dive right in with the MP3 link above.
Tech Stream 034
10 December 2009
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Video game designer David Jaffe provided the keynote speech via video link at GCAP 2009
The Tech Stream program this week is focused entirely on gaming. It was recorded at the Game Connect: Asia Pacific 2009 (GCAP) conference and expo which took place in Melbourne, Australia from the 6th to the 8th of December. Follow the MP3 link above to listen or continue reading for details.
Game Connect: Jay Wilbur from Epic Games
10 December 2009
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I had a chance, as part of the Game Connect: Asia Pacific 2009 conference, to speak with Jay Wilbur from Epic Games. Jay has been working in the industry for many years and his credits include classics like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake and Commander Keen. Jay Wilbur is now Vice President – Business Development at Epic Games. The company’s recent releases include smashes like Gears of War (pictured above) and they also provide the technology under the hood of many other companies’ games – the Unreal Engine. Follow the MP3 link above to hear Jay Wilbur talking about “middleware” and Epic’s newly release UDK (Unreal Developers Kit).
Game Connect Asia Pacific 2009
8 December 2009
The puzzle game Blakely Van De Buckle’s Brass Cabaret being played in the Independent Gamers Exhibition at GCAP 2009. The game was produced by Powderkeg Entertainment.
I’m spending the beginning of this week at a gaming conference and expo in Melbourne. Game Connect: Asia Pacific (GCAP) is organised by the Game Developers’ Association of Australia (GDAA) and is an opportunity for people working in the gaming and interactive entertainment industry to network, share some new ideas and discuss some of the issues they’re facing. There has also been a focus on serious games, with education and health featuring heavily as themes on day one.
The GDAA Industry Awards took place at the end of day two and not surprisingly the runway smash Flight Control picked up a string of awards including “Best Game”. Firemint’s popular game for the iPhone and iPod Touch mobile platform has been downloaded from the iTunes App Store more than 1.5 million times. The President of the GDAA, Tom Crago, noted that “Flight Control has been a phenomenal success and has really been responsible for the creation of an entire new genre on iPhone. We’re very proud that this title was developed in Australia”. Heroes Over Europe from Transmission Games (which is no longer operating having closed down in October) also picked up three awards, including “Best Console Title”.
The Tech Stream program on Friday will be devoted to gaming and coverage of Game Connect: Asia Pacific 2009. Make sure you tune in, or subscribe to the podcast to hear it. In the meantime Mike Bantick has some good coverage over at iTWire, including an overview of the event and a story on the student produced games on show at GCAP.
I’ve also been asking people at the conference what their favourite game of 2009 was. What’s yours?
Tech Stream 032
25 September 2009
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The Screen Worlds exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, ACMI. You can see the giant, white Lara Croft mentioned in this week’s program.
In the Tech Stream this week we’re looking at the use of social media and internet communications technology to connect virtual and physical spaces: from art galleries to government forums. We’ll also meet Yiying Lu, creator of the iconic Twitter “Fail Whale”, whose first solo exhibition also includes augmented reality technology. And come for a guided tour of a new exhibit at ACMI, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, which has videogames as a major focus. Download or stream the program via the MP3 link above or find out more after the jump.
Tech Stream 030
11 September 2009
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The Beatles Rock Band Game (MTV/Harmonix)
Everything is Fab in the Tech Stream this week. We’re in Port Moresby for PacInet 2009, a Pacific internet conference; all the latest on the week’s iPod and iTunes updates from Apple; and Bajo straps on his little plastic guitar for a review of the highly anticipated Beatles Rock Band video game. Listen via the MP3 link above or keep jumping for more details…
Just for the RCRD
11 September 2009
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One of the region’s biggest music industry events wraps up in Brisbane, Australia today. The Big Sound 2009 conference featured three days of panels, workshops and artist showcases for local, national and international music industry representatives. There were opportunities for networking, learning and debate, with much of the latter focusing on the future of the music industry.
One of the international guests at Big Sound was Elliot Aronow, the creative director and co-founder of RCRD LBL which descibes itself as “a network of online record labels and blogs serving up fresh new music downloads and exclusive content curated by our team of editors and partner labels every day”.
I had a chance to meet Elliot while he was in Melbourne this week and we got talking about the philosophies underpinning the way RCRD LBL operates and a range of other topics around music, mobile, streaming, free content, copyright, twitter, social media and the value of curators.
You can hear the discussion via the MP3 link above, or start discovering some new music at rcrdlbl.com
