Tech Stream
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 044
19 March 2010
Listen and download: MP3
The Martin Jetpack, developed in New Zealand. Photo from Flickr. Strong men not included.
This week in the Tech Stream, the futuristic transport we’ve all been dreaming about is here: JETPACKS! We’ll meet a New Zealand man who says he’s turned his childhood fantasy (and mine) into a legal, almost affordable aircraft for one. We’ll also find out how to use our laptop to measure, map and even predict earthquakes. And Twitter expands into richer geo-location services and spreads our conversations across the web… but is it innovating or just playing catch-up?
Follow the MP3 link above to start listening, or take the jump to find out more.
Tech Stream 043
12 March 2010
Listen and download: MP3
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 042
5 March 2010
Listen and download: MP3
USB ports – Photo from Flickr by Philippa Willitts.
This week in the Tech Stream we’ll find out whether “Green IT” is still the buzz phrase for business that it was 12 months ago and look at moves by one company in Asia to convert internet cable landing stations into next generation data centres. These will be capable of satisfying a growing demand for high bandwidth content in the region. Plus we road-test the latest USB3 enabled technology; and Bajo from Good Game looks at why we don’t finish our video games and what developers are doing to keep us hooked. Plus all the latest technology news from the week, just click the MP3 link at the top of this story to listen or read on after the jump for more details.
Tech Stream 041
26 February 2010
Listen and download: MP3
E-Waste: Discarded PC cases in a dump in Guiyu, China. Photo by Bert Van Dijk from Flickr.
In the Tech Stream this week we look at a new UN report into the management of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) in developing countries. We also hear from two sides of the nanotechnology debate. Do we really understand the implications of the developments in this science, and are the proper regulations in place? There’s more on mobile telco Digicel’s expansion in the Pacific with its new license to operate in French Polynesia… and finally Bajo reviews the film-noir video game Heavy Rain. More details after the jump or follow the MP3 link above to start listening to the program.
Tech Stream 040
19 February 2010
Listen and download: MP3
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 039
12 February 2010
Listen and download: MP3
The ABC’s iPhone application. News bulletin delivered over the internet via a 3G mobile network. An example of IPTV technology in use.
TV delivered via the internet is growing in popularity, especially in Asia. Telcos, media organisations and content owners are getting on board with IPTV services to augment or replace traditional broadcasting. But what challenges are they face with the roll out of these services and are they want the consumer really wants? We’ll find out more about IPTV in the Tech Stream today.
Also, staying safe online, the annual campaign to teach “cyber smarts”; an update on the One Laptop Per Child initiative in the Pacific; and Hex joins us from Good Game on ABC TV to review the fantasy action game Bayonetta. Jump straight into the Tech Stream via the MP3 link above or read on for more details…
More technology news from the week
12 February 2010
There was plenty of technology news this week which we ran out of time to cover in the radio program. There was the story about the Queensland gamer who will have to pay Nintendo AU$1.5million in damages (negotiated in an out of court settlement) after illegally copying one of its games and uploading it to the internet. More in this article from ABC News and this story from ABC Radio’s PM program: Nintendo fan pays dearly for illegal sharing. It got plenty of coverage outside Australia too with some people wondering whether the punishment fitted the crime.
You may have heard us chatting on RA Today this morning about the latest social networking tool from Google which they are incorporating into their Gmail system. It’s called Buzz and it’s created some quite negative buzz online, with concerns that it violates user’s privacy. More details on the service in plenty of articles online, like this one from CNET. ZDNET Asia reports that Google announced some changes to it on Thursday which will make it easier to hide their details from public view.
And government websites in Australia came under attack this week from internet protest group Anonymous. Their assault, dubbed comically “Operation Titstorm”, featured a co-ordinated DDoS attack on the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s homepage. The parliamentary website was also crippled for over an hour. Anonymous are angry at the federal government’s plan to introduce a mandatory internet filter this year which would block access to sites, like those containing certain types of pornography or illegal activities, that are deemed to have been “refused-classification” in Australia. Hungry Beast covered this in a program segment on ABC TV this week: How To Wage Titstorm and more details on this story are here on ABC News Online.
At almost the same time Stephen Conroy, the minister responsible for implementing the ISP level filter, was having meetings with Google to ask them to censor content on You Tube. The SMH reported that Google said that it “had a bias in favour of freedom of expression in everything it did” and that “YouTube has clear policies about what content is not allowed, for example hate speech and pornography, and we enforce these, but we can’t give any assurances that we would voluntarily remove all Refused Classification content from YouTube”. Senator Conroy defended making the request, saying “in Australia, these are our laws and we’d like you to apply our laws”. Needless to say this story made headlines across the world.
For more technology news remember to follow our Tech Stream twitter feed. And let us know about any stories you find that might be of interest to cover here or in the radio program. You can email me at techstream (at) radioaustralia.net.au
Tech Stream 038
5 February 2010
Listen and download: MP3
A classic old 14.4k modem from the early ’90s. Image from Flickr by Richard Masoner.
Very few people know how the internet developed in Australia and that the research-focused network that gave birth to it is still going strong today. We’ll find out more in the Tech Stream this week. Plus the fallout from the film industry losing their case against a major internet service provider whose customers downloaded pirated movies and television programs. For more details on the program read on or listen now via the MP3 link above.
