The Internet: Lordy, Lordy Look Who's Forty...

October 30, 2009

It's not often that I get to celebrate a technology that is, fundamentally, the heart and soul of the day job over at PRI's The World. We're talking existential here, folks. The Internet turned 40 last week. That's UCLA's Leonard Kleinrock, with the Interface Message Processor. Forty years ago, Kleinrock and his team sent the first message between two computers. One of the computers was at UCLA, and the other was up at Stanford Research Institute (SRI). That message was supposed to be "L-O-G-I-N." Prophetically, maybe poetically, only the "L" and "O" got through before the Net experienced its first system crash. Anyone know how to say "Fail Whale" in 1969-speak? Anyway -- to celebrate, UCLA threw a symposium-ish bash. You can read more about that here. Our intrepid left coast correspondent, Cyrus Farivar, happened to be down in Los Angeles for the festivities. He sent us interviews with Kleinrock and Charles Kline (who typed that fateful "L-O" message). We start, however, with an audio homage to "Internet," complete with an appropriate soundtrack from Marvin Gaye: I know many of you will be asking for some of the source material for the opening audio montage. So, below, please find two incredibly enlightening videos. This stuff is gold, people, pure gold.

Tech Podcast: Turning One PC into a Dozen

September 21, 2009

Remember that old adage that humans use only a tiny percentage of their brains? No? Well, there you go. Anyway, it turns out that the same might be said for personal computers. A California outfit called NComputing reckons that your standard $300 to $400 computer has about 95% unused capacity. So, NComputing has developed software and hardware that partitions a single computer out into, well, 10 or 12. You can see a video here, and it might help to have a visual:

Now, some of you might point out that there's nothing incredibly revolutionary about partitioning out a computer hard drive. It's just that NComputing has done for a fairly good price, and in many parts of the world, this could make the difference between one classroom sharing a PC, and all the students getting to have a workstation. Not surprisingly, NComputing is finding that its products are popular in the developing world, and so that's why I got Stephen Dukker, the company's CEO, on the line for a podcast. He started by giving the listener a description of how the NComputing set-up works:

 

Tech Podcast: When Zombies Attack!

August 28, 2009

It's summertime, and the living is easy. Or, in the case of this week's podcast, the living dead, who are not, as they say, resting easy. Instead, in the latest example of "give-them-some-money-and-scientists-will-study-ANYTHING," we have a paper from a team at the University of Ottawa entitled: "When Zombies Attack!: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection." Fair enough. Now, before you roll your eyes (into the back of your head), know this: the Ottawa crew really does feel that this research can teach us something about the spread of infectious diseases. And maybe about eating brains. Who knows? One thing I do know -- a lot of you out there in WTP land love zombies, so there was no way I was going to leave it out of episode 255. Right click here to download, or use the player below.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled podcast. On the more serious side, this week we take a look at botnets, those nasty groups of computers that are co-opted by criminals, and then spew out viruses and worms and spam. Yuck. Cyrus Farivar reports on some new research into how to stop botnets.

Unfortunately, the solution might require creating, essentially, "good guy" botnets. And that, I'm afraid, creates all kinds of ethical and legal challenges. Then, since Cyrus is across all this stuff, we keep him around to talk about some new research from a Vermont-based outfit called The U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit. Cyrus checks in with Scott Borg, chief economist there at USCCU, on a report that's just come out looking at last year's cyber-spat between Russia and Georgia. Sorry, I can't actually give you a copy of the report. Visit the website for details. Next up, the British steam-powered car that's out to break the land speed record. We hear from driver Donald Wales. they're hoping to get this sweet ride (powered by 12 boilers, mind you) up to 130MPH and beyond. Wow. Right now, the team is at Edwards Air Force Base here in the United States, fighting the heat, broken boilers and punctured tires. Get the latest on the effort here.

(UPDATE: They broke the record! More on the next tech podcast...)

What makes for a beautiful mix? Flamenco, hip-hop, and Creative Commons of course. Cody Canyon and Gnotes lay some Gnawledge on you. You have to love it when the Internet helps a plan, and a free album, come together. Did I mention the album is free? Download it here.

Remember, there are sorts of ways to follow the tech podcast: Twitter, Facebook, and FriendFeed.

Tech Podcast: The Ever-Stranger Case of Gary McKinnon

August 07, 2009

This is Gary McKinnon, and I've been following his strange story for the past three years. Just after September 11, 2001, McKinnon, who was an unemployed computer professional living in London, started hacking into poorly protected US government computer systems. The US government, in its grand jury indictment, alleges McKinnon illegally accessed nearly 100 different computers over a period of more than a year. The indictment also claims that McKinnon's actions caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, and left critical US computer systems vulnerable. All this, of course, just after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when security was of the utmost concern. I first covered the McKinnon story in WTP 102, and then again in WTP 204. McKinnon has admitted hacking into US government systems, but he's always maintained that it was not with malicious intent. He claims he was looking for evidence of UFOs and pollution free energy systems, information on which he believes the American government is hiding. McKinnon, his family, and his lawyers have maintained through the years that Gary should be tried in the United Kingdom, as that is where he was when he was doing the hacking. The US government feels differently, arguing that the damage done was to systems and computers in the United States. For three years, US federal prosecutors have been trying to extradite McKinnon. Meanwhile, McKinnon's been fighting that extradition through every legal means as his disposal. Last year, McKinnon was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a kind of autism. His lawyers made one last appeal to the High Court, arguing that Gary might become psychotic or suicidal if forced to stand trial in the United States. Today, that court rejected that claim, and Gary moved one step closer to extradition. That's our top story for WTP 252. Right click here to download and take the podcast with you, or click on the player below.

 

We also take a look at some new technologies the US military is employing in its counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan. And we have a two-part look at the rise of Pirate Parties across the globe. We end with a look at how one young Japanese student wants to run an Obama-style Internet campaign in the upcoming elections, but is being thwarted by decades-old campaign laws.

Tech Podcast: Updates on Iran and China, Codex Sinaiticus, and Hal and the Big 5

July 16, 2009

As promised, this week's Technology Podcast is devoid of any news, or non-news as the case may be, related to Michael Jackson. Instead, WTP 250 (Right click here to download and take it with you) has a heavenly host of stories we hope you'll find intriguing. At right is a picture of a page from one of the oldest Christian bibles in the world. It's called the Codex Sinaiticus, and it was written in the 4th century AD. After it was found in a monastery in the Sinai, it's various pages and fragments were scattered to collections across the world. Now, those fragments and pages have been reunited online.  I blogged about this a while back, but now, we'll hear an update. It's an interview with the British Library's Head of Collection Care, Helen Shenton. The British Library is one of the partner institutions involved in putting the Codex online. We'll also have updates on two stories we've been following closely in recent weeks. First, the violence in post-election Iran continues, and technology continues to play a critical role. Reporter Cyrus Farivar will update us on the global geeks who are trying to keep the information flowing into and out of the country. We follow that with a look at the violence that has flared in western China, and assess the ways and means that the Chinese government is using to control the way that violence is portrayed. We speak with Xiao Qiang, founder and co-editor of the China Digitial Times. And then we end the podcast with a lovely little story of musical collaboration. The members of Hal and the Big 5 have never actually jammed together. Instead, they've traded music tracks in cyberspace, and then mixed it all together. Too cool. Listen to the podcast right here:

Remember, you can subscribe to The World's Technology Podcast via iTunes or RSS.

Wide Angle: Extreme Close-Up On Mobile 3D TV

June 11, 2009

These glasses have been, of course, standard issue for any theater-goer wanting the full stereoscopic visual experience. In many ways, they're iconic, especially the cheap cardboard frame versions. But that's the beauty of the 3D cinema experience! Everyone's wearing silly-looking glasses, so you don't feel like a complete tool.

The question we're out to ask in this podcast, though, is this: can the 3D experience work on a mobile device?

Wide Angle Podcast: MIT Media Lab's SixthSense Project

May 18, 2009

OK, so MIT's Pranav Mistry doesn't exactly inspire the same kind of fear that Arnie's Terminator (or, for that matter, actor Christian Bale on the set of the new Terminator movie) does. Then again, Mistry's not trying to. Mistry works in something called the Fluid Interfaces Group at the MIT Media Lab. The group as a whole is working on a set of amazing projects that are trying to bridge the current gaps that they feel exist between the real and virtual worlds. Now, if you're one of those people who has watched one too many Terminator films and doesn't want to see the real and virtual worlds melded any further, then by all means do not go the Fluid Interfaces Group website. If, however, you like the idea of a wearable interface system that allows you to check your email against an airport wall, then Pranav and crew have just the thing. It's called SixthSense, an "always-on" wearable interface that is designed to determine who and what you're interacting with, and then proactively go out, scour the web, and find relevant information for you.

Wide Angle: Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project

May 11, 2009

OK, so it's true that mobile telecom giant Vodafone knows a thing or two about making money. The company currently operates in more than 25 countries, and has more than 250 million customers. Many of these millions are in developing countries, where things like infectious diseases and sudden natural disasters take heavy tolls. Well, the Vodafone Americas Foundation, a non-profit arm of the company, is looking for ways to help. It just ran what it calls the Wireless Innovation Project. One hundred applicants submitted ideas that harnessed new and existing wireless technologies in pursuit of social good. The idea was to show not only great use of technology, but also a clear sense of how these products could, and would, make it to market. The three winners were recently announced at the Global Philanthropy Forum in Washington, DC.

Technology Podcast: Google Book Search, UNESCO's World Digital Library, E-Books, Psiphon, and Yahoo's Purple Pedals

May 04, 2009

We're positively e-bookish in this week's Technology Podcast (WTP 241). First, we discuss the merits, and demerits, of Google's Book Search project, which wants nothing more of less than to digitize every book on the planet (Google's not good at thinking small, we've noticed). Needless to say, Google's little scheme has its critics, and also its competitors. UNESCO has recently launched a little digitization project of its own, called The World Digital Library. We'll give you a little peek, and a listen, to some of what the United Nations is offering up, and not just in English. All of this talk about digitization got us to thinking: do traditional paper books have a future? Or, will more and more of us migrate to e-readers like Amazon's Kindle, Sony's e-reader, or...Apple's iPhone? It's a question worthy of discussion, and so we've got an in-depth report on what lies ahead for e-publishing. You'll be shocked to learn that some people think paper will vanish as a medium for publishing in the next 50 years, which others scoff and say that our attachment to the printed page is too strong for that to happen. One question sent in by podcast listener John Kapitzky struck me as pertinent here: "Will the e-book reader I have in 30 years be capable of reading the e-book I buy today, or will I have to keep buying new e-editions of books that I like?" It's a good question for a future podcast, methinks.

Moving on, we also take a look at some very cool software designed to help folks get around Internet filtering technologies. It's called Psiphon, and its brought to you by the same people who track online censorship around the world, the OpenNet Initiative, which WTP has covered before, most recently here and here. We have an interview with one of Psiphon's engineers, Nart Villeneuve.

And we end with Yahoo's Purple Pedals project. Take a look at what happens when you outfit some purple bikes with a webcam and geo-location software, and then let them loose in the world:

Yahoo! Bike goes to Tanzania with Baisikeli from Henrik Mortensen on Vimeo.

Remember, WTP is on Twitter and Facebook, if you're socially inclined.

(Kindle screengrab from Wikimedia Commons)

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Technology Podcast 239: Twitter Revolution in Moldova?, Urban Pac-Man, Spies in the Electricity Grid?, Extremist Websites, A Winning Solar Oven, and GoogleLitTrips

April 13, 2009

Some weeks it is very hard to pull out one story from the Technology Podcast to feature front and center on the blog. After all, this week we run a wide tech gamut, featuring everything from writer Evgeny Morozov talking about the so-called "Twitter Revolution" in Moldova to Urban Pac-Man on the streets of Lyon, France. But for my money, the worthiest little story this week is about a solar oven, or "cooker" as the Brits would call it. It's called the Kyoto Box, and it recently took first prize for "green ideas" in a competition run by an organization called Forum for the Future. Solar ovens, which use sunlight to cook food or boil water, are not a new idea. But the Kyoto Box may be a game-changer because...well, they've kept the cost down by making it of cardboard. Yep, cardboard. We have an interview with the Kenya-based inventor of the Kyoto Box, Jon Bohmer. He tells us that he feels widespead use of the Kyoto Box would cut down on the burning of wood and other fossil fuels in resource-deprived parts of the world. Advantages: no carcinogenic wood smoke to be inhaled, or to contribute to global warming. Disadvantage: can cardboard really work as a cooker without catching on fire? Ah....listen in to find out.

There are also a couple of interesting, and potentially scary, security-related items in this week's podcast. We hear about the  growing cyber-threats to America's electricity grid, and also about how extremist groups are using US servers to host their websites.

At the end, we lighten things up a bit. Jerome Burg is a retired teacher living in northern California. For more than 35 years, he taught high school English and tried to avoid chaperoning dances by also teaching technology to the school's journalism students. Then, a few years back, he was at Google headquarters learning about Google Earth, and it hit him: why not use Google Earth's different tools to help "three-dimensionalize" great works of literature? You know, add pictures, notes, geographical details, etc. Yeah, not bad, is it? And that's how Burg came to create GoogleLitTrips was born. The site recently won the 2008 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prize for Excellence in International Education.

Oh, and just because you know you secretly just HAVE to see this...video from Urban Pac-Man in Lyon, France:

Pacman@Lyon - Pacman Urbain
by Glaboin

(Screen grab from Kyoto Energy website)

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