Tech Stream
Archive for the ‘ Travel’ Category
Lars from Google in the Nightlife
22 September 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Brother Lars and Jens Rasmussen are the brains behind the now ubiquitous online navigation system Google Maps. Their mapping technology company, Where 2 Technologies, was bought by Google in 2004 and they were brought into the fold to turn their ideas into what we now know as Google Maps. Soon they were thinking of new ideas to pursue, and are now following Jens’ suggestion to create a new way to communicate online. That tool, developed in Sydney, is called Google Wave. It was unveiled earlier this year and will be opened up to a select few users at the end of the month.
Lars Rasmussen joined Tony Delroy and Pall Wallbank in ABC Local Radio’s Nightlife program on Thursday last week. He fielded calls from listeners and spoke at length about the development of Google Maps and gave some fresh insights into Google Wave.
I posted on twitter that this interview was happening and got some requests to hear it. Tony and his team were kind enough to allow me to post an edited highlights of the program which you can hear via the MP3 link above.
The video Lars mentions toward the 17 minute mark is below. Be warned, it goes for over an hour and there’s some Google Kool-aid being passed around at times:
And ABC Fora featured a video with Lars Rasmussen in July which you can find here or watch below:
Tech Stream 024
31 July 2009
Listen and download: MP3
An excellent explanation of what social networking is online, made by commoncraft.com.
In the Tech Stream this week we take a little look at social networking websites and trends in South-East Asia. From one of the longest running, Friendster, to the newest kid on the block, a Cambodian service called AngkorOne. Plus we get the lowdown on social networks in Vietnam and Indonesia. Listen with the MP3 link above or read on for more…
A home grown social-network for all Cambodians
31 July 2009
Listen and download: MP3
AngkorOne.com is a new web-portal and social networking website in Cambodia which is hoping to attract Khmer language speakers from around the world, and maybe even challenge the dominance of Western services like Facebook. But unlike some of its competitors it’s also focused on social-outreach programs and supporting Cambodia’s tourism industry.
The founder and CEO of AngkorOne is Steven Path. He was born in Cambodia but moved to the United States at the age of 7. He has returned to his country of birth and is excited by the opportunities in his fast-growing, youthful nation.
Follow the MP3 link above to listen to our chat, or ‘right-click’ and ‘save link’ to download the audio. Thanks to Alex Khun from our Khmer language service at Radio Australia for organising this interview.
Moon Landing
17 July 2009
As you can imagine there’s an incredible amount of overage online for the anniversary of the first lunar landing. On the 20th of July 1969 Neil Armstrong took his giant leap for mankind and 40 years on its the perfect time to discover more about that incredible event.
ABC Science have a wonderful resource of stories and programs devoted to the moon landing. You can find them all at abc.net.au/science/moon and Radio Australia has a special feature online on the latest space-race in Asia at radioaustralianews.net.au
The Smithsonian and NASA themselves are of course covering the anniversary, the latter has a feature on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon and newly restored HD footage of the first step (much better than the youtube version above!). The Guardian UK also has excellent coverage, as does the BBC with their special report on the moon landing and access to their archives. And CNN Tech has a story on how private firms are getting ready to offer flights into space. A new frontier indeed.
Tech Stream 021
10 July 2009
Listen and download: MP3
With more smartphones featuring GPS, maps and navigation applications what does the future hold for dedicated sat-nav devices? Photo from Flickr by tripu.
We hit the wide open road in the Tech Stream this week with some of the latest GPS satellite navigation applications for mobile phones.
Technology journalist Adam Turner has had a chance to try an Australian sat-nav mobile maps application for the iPhone called Sygic (you can read a full review on his blog). But it seems we shouldn’t be throwing out our dedicated sat-nav devices just yet.
Plus we ask, what exactly is GPS and where did it come from? We have an expert in the field with us to answer our questions: Professor Chris Rizos, Head of the School of Surveying & Spatial Information Systems at the University of New South Wales. You can also read more about GPS – the Global Positioning System – on ABC Science Online.
We also briefly mention the news about Google launching its own PC operating system called Chrome OS. Details are still sketchy but the company has posted this FAQ and blog-post about it.
And finally to gaming and EA’s Sims 3 – the latest in the world’s most successful computer games series. Bajo from Good Game on ABC TV in Australia reviews it for us and says its strongest selling point is the way if fosters an active online community who can use the game to create their own content, including videos.
You can listen to the full Tech Stream program with the MP3 link above or the “Listen Now” link on the right. Feel free to comment on any of these stories or suggest something we can follow up in future programs. You can also subscribe to the podcast too!
Tech Stream 014
22 May 2009
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Photo from Flickr by Jose Roberto.
We’ve got our head in the clouds this week in the Tech Stream. There’s a buzz around the term “cloud computing” and I lost count how many times it was mentioned at CeBIT Australia 2009 last week in Sydney. I spoke with two local businesses on the exhibition floor about how they’re providing solutions for those wishing to work “in the cloud” and luckily they both offered to explain what the term “cloud computing” actually means.
CeBIT Australia 2009
11 May 2009
I’ll be in Sydney this week to cover the CeBIT Australia 2009 conference and exhibition. It’s the largest business technology event of its kind in the Asia Pacific and I’ll be blogging from the exhibition all week, as well as posting to twitter (you can follow me @tech_stream). I’ll also be trialling the Audio-boo service as well, which will allow me to file audio reports live to the web. Exciting stuff!
Tech Stream 010
24 April 2009
Listen and download: MP3
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.
New technology for the modern traveller
23 April 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Many inflight entertainment systems feature USB and power outlets for mobiles and portable media players. Photo from Flickr by Alan Chan.
We’re focusing on changes in the technology being used to research, book, document and enhance our travels this week. Joining us for the journey is Peter Marks, technology editor for ABC Radio National Breakfast, Angus Kidman, Australian editor of Lifehacker and Venessa Paech, community manager at Lonely Planet online. A shortened version of our chat will be in the Tech Stream radio program and podcast, but you can listen to the full discussion now via the MP3 link at the top of this story.
If you have any tips for new travel related technology or travel community websites we’d love to hear them!
