PRI's The World: Technology Podcast 210

September 12, 2008

WTP 210 is alive and kicking, not unlike the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland. Which, in fact, is where we start the podcast this week. Now, a cornucopia has been written both at Discovery and the BBC about the science and the computing technologies involved in this unprecedented scientific endeavor. In all the hubub (including an incredible amount of ink and airtime taken up with reassuring the public that the universe will, probably, not wink out of existence when the LHC finally smashes some protons together), it was hard finding a different angle. But, I tried.

The editors here wondered whether there were any hard feelings on the part of physicists here in the United States that America is not playing host to the LHC. Mixed feelings, to say the least. The podcast leads with a piece that includes viewpoints from Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg, Fermilab physicist Joseph Lykken, and David Goldston, former chief of staff for the House Science Committee. Listen in to see if the successful launch of the LHC spells doom for US leadership in "big science."

And speaking of "big" science, get a load of this. We hear from Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who has been working for years to save African elephant populations. He speaks with our program about how technologies like GSM cell phones are being used to better and more easily track the giant pachyderms. You will probably not be surprised to learn that Google Earth is also involved in the effort. Douglas-Hamilton's efforts are detailed in the current edition of National Geographic, in an article entitled The Elephants of Samburu. Michael Nichols took the photo that you see here.

Then, we have the radio version of something I blogged about earlier this week. Google is part of a group investing in a start-up that will try to use satellites to bring low-cost, high-speed internet access to the remote corners of the developing world.

We continue with a look at the case of Moroccan blogger Mohamed Erraji, who was arrested, tried and sentenced to two years in prison earlier this week for an online article critical of the king. He has since been provisionally released, and will be retried.

And finally, an update on Bletchley Park, site of some of the most important code-breaking activities by the Allies during World War II. We told you in WTP 203 about the state of disrepair into which Bletchley seems to be slipping. Now, news comes that two American companies (PGP and IBM) will donate around $100,000 to help with Bletchley Park's upkeep. That has some Brits wondering why Americans are needed to bail out what they think should be a British national heritage site.

Remember, we're on Twitter and Facebook. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, or via our RSS feed.