Tech Podcast 277: High-Tech Ski Treadmills, sOccket, and Pecha Kucha for Haiti

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This is no ordinary soccer ball. It’s called sOccket, and it’s got some tech inside that allows it to store up energy while it’s being kicked around. After 15 minutes, the ball’s stored up enough juice to power an LED light, or even charge up something else. Too cool. In this week’s podcast, we’ll talk to one of the people behind the sOccket. We’ll also hear about a high-tech treadmill for training Swedish skiers, and we’ll “embed” with some folks looking to keep information flowing into and out of Iran. We end with a segment on listeners Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein in Tokyo. They are architects who are trying to crowdsource new design and building ideas for post-earthquake Haiti. Wow.

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Global Political Cartoons: Feb 6-12, 2010

The World’s Carol Hills reviews the week’s news through international political cartoons. This week: the winter-less 2010 Winter Olympics begin! Ancient Greek heroes make Herculean efforts to rescue the country’s ruined economy; Toyota’s image is in tatters; and like many Americans, the Statue of Liberty has put on a few pounds.

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Berlin film festival presents restored masterpiece

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Fritz Lang’s classic sci-fi movie ‘Metropolis’ from 1927 is being shown at the Berlin International Film Festival. And it won’t be just any old showing as The World’s London office discovered. The historic Brandenburg Gate will be transformed into a cinema and the newly restored version played out on a giant screen. The new part of the film had been missing for decades, presumed destroyed, but was then found halfway around the world. Listen to Steve Rosenberg’s radio report and click below to see the tv version. Download MP3

• Watch Steve Rosenberg tv report from Berlin
• Berlinale homepage

Entire program – February 11, 2010

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Today on The World: Iranian police clash with opposition members on the anniversary of the country’s Islamic Revolution; Also, China admits its water pollution problem is much worse than it thought; Plus we meet the florists charged with creating the flower bouquets for Olympic medal winners in Vancouver.

Iran marks 1979 revolution

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Pro-government Iranians have been rallying to mark the 31st anniversary of the nation’s revolution. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used the rally to attack the West, and said Iran had produced its first stock of 20% enriched uranium. The opposition is trying to stage counter-demonstrations but faces a big security crackdown. The BBC’s Persian TV channel has been covering events in Iran, The World’s Laura Lynch visited the channel. Download MP3 (AP Photo:Vahid Salemi)

• BBC coverage
• BBC Persian
• On The World: Arrests in Iran ahead of anniversary

Haiti’s sanitation problem after the quake

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As many Haitians settle into life in tent cities that can number into the tens of thousands, water and sanitation have become a critical issue for the health of these communities. Aid organizations and the Haitian government were quick to establish a water supply to some of these tent cities, but as Sabri Ben-Achour reports from Port-au-Prince, sanitation is quite another matter. Download MP3 (Photo: Sabri Ben-Achour)

• Sabri Ben-Achour’s photos from Haiti
• Sabri Ben-Achour on Haitian self-reliance (Jan 26)
• BBC coverage of the Haiti earthquake
• BBC picture gallery from Haiti

Selling Olympic flowers

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When the Olympic winners take the podium over the next two weeks, they won’t just get a medal. They’ll also get a flower bouquet. All those bouquets had to come from somewhere, of course, and it turned out to be “Just Beginnings Flowers” owned by June Strandberg (pictured). The World’s Jason Margolis visited the little flower shop that could in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey. Download MP3 (Photo: Jason Margolis)

• Photo of the Olympic florists
• The Numbers Behind the Olympics: Jason’s Vancouver coverage
• Global Economy podcast
• Just Beginnings flower shop

Congolese singer sings Serge Gainsbourg

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Last week we had French actress and singer/songwriter Charlotte Gainsbourg on the show. She told us that she didn’t write songs in French, because of the legacy of her late father, Serge Gainsbourg. Serge Gainsbourg is considered the father of modern French music. His controversial lyrics and inimitable delivery have made him a tough act to follow. Following in papa Gainsbourg’s footsteps is a challenge for any performer. But an unlikely artist is giving it a shot. Little known Congolese singer Jean Paul Wabotai recently acquired the rights to ten Gainsbourg lyrics never before put to music. The World’s Gerry Hadden has his story. Download MP3

• Jean Paul Wabotai’s website
• Watch a video of Jean Paul Wabotai singing from “AmourS Gainsbourg”

Monitoring Iran from afar

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Cyrus Farivar reports on a group in San Francisco that’s monitoring the flow of information coming out of Iran, despite a government crackdown against online activists.

Israel re-routes barrier portion

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Linda Gradstein reports that Israel today began re-routing a part of the security barrier it built in the West Bank. It’s the part that cuts off the Palestinian village of Bilin from nearby West Bank farmland.

Hyundai rises through the ranks

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South Korean automaker Hyundai is poised to cash-in on Toyota’s woes. Correspondent Jason Strothers reports from Seoul that Hyundai is no longer viewed as a cheap, inferior competitor.

Insurgents and their Toyotas

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Brand Toyota is taking a hit in the global marketplace. But the company still has the full confidence of one group of drivers: insurgents in places like Afghanistan. Anchor Marco Werman asks the BBC’s David Loyn why the Taliban love their Toyotas.

Charlie Wilson obituary

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Anchor Marco Werman remembers Charlie Wilson, the former Texas Congressman who died yesterday. We hear part of Marco’s 2007 interview with Wilson. The Congressman’s efforts to increase US support for Afghan rebels in the 1980′s were the focus of the film “Charlie Wilson’s War.”

China’s dirty water problem

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Dr. Peter Gleick about China’s massive water pollution problems. The Chinese government reported this week that levels of common water pollutants were twice as high as they had previously thought.

Geo Quiz

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The World’s daily geography quiz.