Tech Stream
Posts Tagged ‘ IT’
Special programs for a mid-year break
4 June 2010
Tech Stream is taking a short mid-year break but we have two special programs coming up for this weekend and next.
In this afternoon’s program, a special repeat from late March looking at some of the challenges faced by women working in IT and computer related industries. You can find out more about our guests and listen to the original audio in the Tech Stream 045 blog post.
Next week, the privacy paradox: how the internet and social media is dramatically changing our notions of privacy. This program was produced by Ian Townsend and originally aired on Radio National’s Background Briefing on May 16th. A full version and a transcript is available on their website.
Feel free to leave any comments about either program below, or if there is something technology-related that you would like us to cover in the future, I’d love to hear it!
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 042
5 March 2010
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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.
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
Tech Stream 023
24 July 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Mobile money, Google vs Microsoft and gaming in the Wild West. Its a mixed bag in the Tech Stream this week. You can listen to the full program with the MP3 link above or read more after the jump…
CeBIT: Greening Government
14 May 2009
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We’ve discussed the concept of Green IT in the Tech Stream previously, but often in reference to how you and I can make changes in the way we use the electrical appliances, like PCs in our own homes. If we all do our bit to reduce the electricity we use we can not only save money, but also significantly reduce the impact we have on the environment. Governments and business too are looking at ways to do this.
Tech Stream 007
3 April 2009
Listen and download: MP3
In the Tech Stream this week we’re speaking with IT journalist Patrick Gray about the Conficker worm; Google gives internet users in China access to free music downloads in an attempt to capture more of the lucrative search market; Georgia Webster joins us to talk about the way capital letters are used and abused online; and tech-journo Adam Turner charts the rising popularity of the Blu Ray disc.
You can listen to the full program with the MP3 link above or the “Listen Now” link on the right. Feel free to comment on any of these stories below or suggest something we can follow up in future programs.
Its Conficker, you Fools!
3 April 2009
Listen and download: MP3
The Conficker computer virus (or worm) has been infecting computers across the world since November 2008. It was supposed to unleash itself on April 1st, but the day came and went with little evidence of widespread destruction or mass chaos. In some parts of the media people wondered whether it could have been an elaborate hoax?
IT security analysts certainly took the threat seriously, in fact Microsoft offered a quater of a million dollar bounty for information on the people behind the virus. A majority of infected computers are in Asia and in the last couple of days experts have noticed increased activity as the virus instructs terminals to call home… but the cataclysmic effects just didn’t materialise.
IT journalist Patrick Gray presents the Risky Business security podcast and is the managing editor of Risky.Biz, an information security news outlet. He wrote an interesting opinion piece for ABC News Online prior to April 1st and spoke with me late yesterday about the media hype around Conficker leading up to April Fools Day. You can listen to the interview via the MP3 link at the top of this post.
The PM program on ABC Radio also covered the story, on Tuesday 31st of March and then on the evening of April 1st.
April Fool
1 April 2009
The online April Fool jokes are flowing thick and fast this morning. And since those of us “Down Under” are ahead of the rest of the world, we’re getting them first. But unlike some countries, Australia’s pranks end at noon. So if you are planning one of your own time has almost run out.
Of course the best April Fool pranks are those that could almost be true. For example, Gamespot are reporting that a new Rockband game for Australia is going to be released which features tunes from iconic country star Slim Dusty and pre-school favourites The Wiggles. I somehow doubt it. Another, possibly brand initiated prank, on the Australian IT site features new GPS technology fitted into footballs, enabling sports fans to track the ball online with Google maps. Hmm, I smell a rat.
There’s also a few pranks that involve the proposed internet filtering scheme in Australia. ZDNet report that the controversial plan has been scrapped in favour of a “whitelist” of banned sites voted on by TV viewers. Broadband website Whirlpool have reported that Stephen Conroy, Australia’s communications minister has been sacked and ITWire also have a great story which suggests Australians will have to register and pay a licence fee to access the internet from June this year.
But in more serious news everyone is getting a little nervous about whether the Conficker virus will be an April 1st hoax or not. IT journalist Patrick Gray examines its roots in an interesting opinion piece on ABC News Online today. PM on ABC radio also covered the Conficker virus last night.
Feel free to share any interesting hoaxes you come across today in other parts of the world. ABC News online has few more famous April Fools jokes for your enjoyment too.
Its not easy being green
3 March 2009
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We talk about the latest gadgets and gizmos a lot here in the Tech Stream, and its easy to forget that the kind of electronic equipment we buy, the way we use it and then how we dispose of it, can have a huge impact on the environment.
Tony Hodgson is from Sustainable IT and he works with organisations in reducing their environmental impact and improving their sustainability. He’s going to join us regularly to chat about how we can use our own technology in more environmentally friendly ways. For our first chat, we decided to tackle the broader concept of Green IT.
