Tech Stream
Posts Tagged ‘ Research’
Tech Stream 054 – Innovation, Chrome and Redemption
28 May 2010
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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 053
21 May 2010
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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 044
19 March 2010
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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 041
26 February 2010
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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 019
26 June 2009
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QR coded jewelry – photo from Flickr by Fluid Forms.
We’re blurring the lines between the virtual and the physical this week in the Tech Stream. We’ll be speaking about augmented reality with Christy Dena, a cross-media researcher and Professor Bruce Thomas from the Wearable Computer Lab at the University of South Australia.
This leads us into a discussion on Quick Response or “QR” Codes which are being used in advertising as well as augmented reality games. Antony McGregor Dey from QMCodes and Mobile Mondays Melbourne will get us up to speed with this new way to link a physical-world object with something in an online or virtual environment.
We’ll also have a report from Connect Asia‘s David Wang on how the Chinese Government is cracking down on pornography online and accusing search engines like Google of disseminating pornographic content within China.
And finally Bajo joins us from Good Game to review the latest Ghostbusters video game.
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 015
29 May 2009
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In the Tech Stream this week: Dr James Chon from Swinburne University in Melbourne discussing their research breakthrough in optical disc storage. As reported on ABC News Online, the new technique uses gold nanorods and could potentially allow storage of up to 1.6 terabytes of data on a single DVD disc.
We also meet Professor John Hullet who, along with his colleagues from the University of Western Australia, invented a solution to broadband congestion called “Early Packet Discard” without which the internet as we know it would not function. They are now working on new ways to minimise delay in real-time communications online. You can also read more about their recent award on our Radio Australia program Innovations.
Simon Goodrich from Portable Content joins me for breakfast and we discuss a service called oDesk and trends in digital outsourcing in the region. And finally Bajo rockets in from Good Game on ABC TV to review the new Quake Live browser game. Fragadelic!
CeBIT: Investing in Innovation
14 May 2009
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One of the announcements in the Australian Government’s 2009 budget on Tuesday night was an extension to the funding for NICTA, Australia’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence. They have five laboratories around Australia and will receive AU$185million for 4 years from 2011. The CEO of NICTA, Dr David Skellern, was the moderator for a session at CeBIT Australia 2009 called Implementing Innovation and took part in a panel on how best to grow and nurture the digital economy in Australia. I spoke with him about NICTA’s presence at CeBIT, about the ideas being discussed at the conference including the future of wireless and mobile, and his reaction to the increase in NICTA’s funding. You can hear our interview via the MP3 link at the top of this story.
Innovation during a recession
8 May 2009
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Photo from brokershandsontheirfacesblog.tumblr.com
What happens to innovation during tough economic times? Are people too scared to invest in new technology and ideas for their business, or if it the perfect time to be thinking outside the square and modernising? Is now the right time to implement green IT or social computing platforms?
