Tech Stream
Archive for the ‘ Culture’ Category
Tech Stream 054 – Innovation, Chrome and Redemption
28 May 2010
Listen and download: MP3
The Chrome browser: Google’s secret weapon in it’s expanding empire. (Flickr: Ken Lee)
In the Tech Stream this week: recognition for Australia’s pioneers and innovators in science and technology; how smart-phones and social media are changing the way news is gathered and shared; behind Google’s Chrome browser and their plans for our televisions; You Tube turns five… and Bajo reviews the sprawling Wild West adventure Red Dead Redemption. Take the jump to find out more, or listen now via the MP3 link above.
Tech Stream 050 – 3DTV health concerns and the NZ Web Harvest
30 April 2010
Listen and download: MP3
The headline of a story on 3D colour televisions in Australia, published in Radio Television & Hobbies, 1958. Image from twitter, posted by @iBleeter.
In the Tech Stream this week we take a look at the health concerns associated with new 3D televisions which have just gone on sale in Australia. We’ll also find out why websites are being harvested in New Zealand; discuss whether regulation is the answer to stamping out racism online; and Hex from Good Game joins us for a review of the role-playing adventure game Torchlight. Take the plunge with the MP3 link above or read on for more information.
Tech Stream 046
31 March 2010
The game Fallout 3 which was initially refused classification, and therefor banned in Australia until it was modified. It wasn’t banned because of excessive violence but because of the “realistic visual representations of drugs” [source]. (Image from Flickr by Tom Francis)
Today’s Tech Stream radio program features a debate on the proposed introduction of an R18+ rating for video games in Australia. And as you’ll hear, many gamers and people in the industry support an adult rating, saying it brings us in line with other countries, allows adult gamers to play the games that want, as they were made and will help parents make better choices about the games they buy for their kids. Conversely others are worried it could mean more violent games finding their way onto shelves and then into the hands of children.
It’s a complicated issue, but one that is starting to heat up here in Australia. You can listen to this program via the MP3 link above or take the jump for more information.
Tech Stream 045 – Women in IT and Technology Special
26 March 2010
Listen and download: MP3
Image by Alexander Hans from Flickr.
We celebrate pioneering women who have chosen careers in IT and technology related fields this week in the Tech Stream. The inspiration for this program came when I discovered that this Wednesday just gone, March 24th, was Ada Lovelace Day. Ada, the daughter of Lord Byron, who was born in England in 1815. She is often regarded as the world’s first computer programmer and is credited with actually writing the first description of a computer and of software. On Wednesday bloggers from around the world took to their keyboards, to share their stories of women who, like Ada Lovelace, have made their mark in fields that is still largely dominated by men.
In our own program today we meet three women who are an inspiration to those around them. They are passionate about encouraging more women into science and technology fields, but as you’ll hear they’re concerned that the number of young women attracted to working in these industries is in decline.
Follow the MP3 link above to hear the full program or read on for more details…
Tech Stream 037
29 January 2010
Listen and download: MP3
2010. The Future: so close you can almost smell it. Image from plan59.com.
This week in the Tech Stream: Apple unveil their latest, “must-have” device – the iPad. Technology journalist Danny Gorog joins us with all the details. The full interview with Danny and links to some of the other media coverage is in our blog post from yesterday.
We also crack open our crystal balls, with another look at the top technology trends and ideas for this year and into the next decade and beyond. We’ll hear from Stephen Prentice, VP and fellow at Gartner, the technology research and advisory company.
And finally Bajo from Good Game on ABC TV returns to forecast the video games trends and releases we’ll be talking about and playing in the year ahead.
Follow the MP3 link above to hear the full program, or subscribe to the podcast or our twitter feed by following the links to the right.
Tech Stream 035 – Year in Review
18 December 2009
Listen and download: MP3
What an incredible year to start covering technology news. I’ve heard 2009 described as being the “year of the internet”. And I’d have to agree. I spent a couple of weeks in the Solomon Islands and Japan where I lost access to the internet on my mobile and it really hit home just how important and valuable this connectivity was to me. So it’s no surprise that I’ve often been drawn to stories this year that related to how we connect with each other via the web. Sometimes this related to new mobile or PC technology. At other times it related to the underlying backbone of the network.
So in the Pacific we had more solid news about new undersea cables that could see the cost of internet access drop as speeds increase. The infrastructure isn’t yet in place though, and its still a struggle to access the kind of internet experience that most people in Australia, for example, now take for granted.
Domestically, here in Australia, we had two major announcements from the federal government – the splitting up of the country’s largest telecommunications provider, Telstra, as part of their National Broadband Network (NBN). And the government’s decision, the details of which became clearer this week, to filter banned content on the internet at an ISP level. Both of these stories are covered in the beginning of our special Year In Review program which you can listen to via the MP3 link above. Or continue reading on for more information.
Tech Stream 033
2 October 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Triple J’s Unearthed.com, a community music site for Australian independent artists and their fans.
In the Tech Stream this week we look at some of the new tools available to music fans and artists to help them discover or share their music online. Soundcloud, RCRD LBL, We Are Hunted and Triple J Unearthed (pictured) are all featured. We also dig deeper into some of the issues around music file-sharing, free content, online promotion and streaming services. The MP3 link at the top of this post has the audio, or take the jump for more information.
Tech Stream 032
25 September 2009
Listen and download: MP3
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 029
4 September 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Photo from Flickr by John Johnston.
In the Tech Stream this week we ask whether internet addiction is a clinical disorder; the lowdown on Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 from Blizzard’s annual conference; how new undersea cable networks in the Pacific could deliver high-speed, affordable broadband internet to the region; and look at how the goings on in Australian parliament are being documented and shared in a way that enhances our experience of democracy. Jump straight into the program with the MP3 link above or read on for more details.
Tech Stream 028
26 August 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Can you really hide your identity online? Photo by Jamelah from Flickr.
We’re getting in early this week, and it’s a packed Tech Stream program, kicking off with a special look at whether, in light of some recent events, the ability to protect our identity online is under threat. More after the jump, or click the MP3 link at the top of the story to hop straight into it.
