Tech Stream
Archive for the ‘ Crime’ Category
Tech Stream 053
21 May 2010
Listen and download: MP3
Is using a mobile phone like this actually safer than we think? (Flickr: André Hengst, aka Vectrus)
In the Tech Stream this week we’ll revisit the privacy and safety debate around the use of social networking websites like Facebook; hear about new research into the link between mobile phone use and cancer; get the inside picture on internet censorship in China; and while we all love the TV program Good Game, are games… good? Listen to the radio program via the MP3 link above, 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 043
12 March 2010
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A new type of solar module promising greater efficiency and reduced costs. Image from Technique Solar.
This week in the Tech Stream, the latest on the National Broadband Network in Australia. We’ll find out why there is opposition to the government’s plan to split Telstra, which it argues is essential to creating a more level playing field. A new undersea internet cable is being built to link New Zealand and the US, but could it also connect countries in the Pacific along the way?
We’ll shine a light on new solar panels, developed in Australia, that promise to be more efficient and cheaper to produce than current technology. And an update on the Mariposa botnet and calls for computer manufacturers to be held responsible for selling products vulnerable to attacks from cyber criminals. Finally Bajo joins us with a review of the multiplayer-focused war-game Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Full details after the jump, or follow the MP3 link above to hear the program.
Tech Stream 036
22 January 2010
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Flowers lay on a sign at the entrance to Google’s China headquarters in Beijing’s university district. Photo by Josh Chin from Flickr.
We’ll be looking forward, on this the first Tech Stream radio program of 2010, at the gadgets, technology trends and ideas set to dominate over the next twelve months. We also wrap up some of the news around Google rethinking its strategy in China, which may involve it pulling out of the country altogether, and find out why governments in Europe are advising their citizens to abandon Microsoft’s popular web browser. Follow the MP3 link above to hear the program or continue on for more…
Tech Stream 025
7 August 2009
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Hacking in China, the internet in the Pacific, Microsoft and Yahoo cut a deal and updates to the Wii controller. Its all in the Tech Stream this week. You can hear the latest program with the MP3 link at the top of this story or to the right and keep reading for the full lowdown…
Twitter taken down by DDoS attack
7 August 2009
Micro-blogging social media service twitter was taken down overnight by a massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. Its been suggested that the attack originated in Russia and was targeting a pro-Georgian blogger who is a prominent user of the service. While this is still unconfirmed the attacks have also affected Facebook and Livejournal although both sites are now back up. Twitter remains down as of 15:45 AEST Friday but the company confirmed earlier today that no personal user information had been accessed.
Technology business analyst Shelly Palmer told Associated Press Radio that denial-of-service attacks are a reality of the information age.
“People tend to want to take sites that are very public and go after them,” said Palmer, managing director of Advanced Media Ventures Group. “In fact you’d be surprised how many sites for major companies are really attacked on a daily basis. This is a crime, it’s a real crime and it should be treated that way.”
More at Associated Press and of course plenty of other news outlets, including this interesting article in TIME. You can also follow this program at twitter.com/tech_stream
Virtual Concerns in China and Australia
3 July 2009
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Inhabitants of Second Life, spending time on ABC Island. Image from Flickr by Gary Hayes.
We were augmenting our realities last week, adding layers of virtual information and computer generated objects to the real world around us. But this week we’re digging deeper on a couple of stories involving online virtual worlds – places like Second Life – and games like World of Warcraft.
It seemed that Australia’s proposed ISP-level internet filtering regime could impact upon “unclassified” virtual spaces and internet games. And some new laws were introduced in China this week aimed at stopping the flow of virtual money into the real world economy. Initial reports suggested that it might effect the practice of gold-farming in games like WoW, but it seems that’s not quite the case.
For more on both of these issues I spoke with David Holloway, editor of Metaverse Journal, a virtual worlds news site. He kicked off with his thoughts on China’s new policy toward virtual currency and you can hear our entire conversation from the MP3 link at the top of this story. There’s also more after the jump…
The future of copyright in a digital age
29 May 2009
Phillip Adams interviews Lawrence Lessig, author of Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy. Lessig says says that in this digital age where young people’s culture is the media, they are being criminalised because copyright laws haven’t kept up with digital technology and the way it’s being used. You can download the MP3 radio interview and there is more on the Late Night Live website.
There are some great resources on copyright and fair use at the Centre for Social Media including the video below:
Shanzhai Phones
28 April 2009
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Counterfeit mobile phones are big business in China, with research firm Gartner suggesting they already account for more than 20 percent of sales in the world’s biggest mobile phone market. The New York Times reports today on the boom in blackmarket “Shanzhai” phones, which often sell for as little as US$35 each, far less than the devices they are ripping off. And while these devices have been available for years, the drop in price for components and the ability to tap into the supply chains of the bigger brands has made it possible for a small company to mimic anything from an iPhone to the latest Nokia or Motorola.
Tech Stream 010
24 April 2009
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Photo from Flickr by Giorgio Montersino.
We’re celebrating our tenth episode in the Tech Stream this week with a special discussion on travel related technology and web services.
