Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
As a big fan of graphic artist Frank Miller, in all his various forms, I couldn’t resist using this poster for Episode 300, or using a bit of music called “To Victory” from the soundtrack at the top of the show. As you probably know, I don’t make much out of so-called “milestone” podcasts. But let me just say a big thanks to all of you who, in one way or the other, have bought the ticket and taken the ride with WTP over the past 5 and 1/2 years. I think it’s fitting that Ep 300 is the third installment of our monthly Tech Roundup.
I’m joined by Jonathan Fildes from the tech desk over at BBC News Online, and by Cyrus Farviar, who is now hosting Deutsche Welle’s weekly English-language sci/tech, Spectrum.
Here’s the lineup:
1) WikiLeaks: It started early this month with the whistleblower site’s release of the Afghan War Diaries, a set of US military memos abut the war in Afghanistan. Needless to say, not everyone was pleased with the release of these documents. Then, WikiLeaks’ editor and founder, Julian Assange, seemed to be in hot water in Sweden, over allegations of rape and molestation from two women. An arrest warrant for Assange was quickly dropped, though. Swedish authorities still want to question him. Meanwhile, WikiLeaks released another secret document; this time, it’s an internal CIA memo. We talk a bit about all of this, including the Swedish Pirate Party’s decision to host WikiLeaks’ material, the transparency, or lack thereof, in WikiLeaks’ finances, and the “insurance” file on the Wikileaks site.
2) Google in Germany: Being based in Bonn, Cyrus was keen to talk about Germany’s ongoing back and forth with Google over privacy, especially with regards to Street View. Here’s an interesting take on Germans and their privacy laws. On the flip side, some people will go to incredible lengths to get themselves noticed on Street View.
3: BlackBerry Bans: We return to a story that’s figured heavily on WTP over the past month. On this podcast, we try to sort out the difference between the encryption used for “enterprise” users of the BlackBerry, and that for “regular” users of the device. All this as a deadline looms in India for a BlackBerry ban. The BBC has a nice explainer on the proposed bans.
4) North Korea Says “No, We’re NOT on Twitter:” Well, are the North Koreans using Twitter and YouTube, or aren’t they? As with all things in North Korea, it seems, it’s hard to distinguish fact from fiction. Officially…maybe they aren’t. But just what the heck is a special delegate for North Korea’s Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries? And what is the role of the Korean Friendship Association?
5: Rubik’s Cube: Frustrating. That’s the word that always springs to mind when I see mention of that dastardly cube. It, along with hair metal band Poison, haunted my waking nightmares during the 1980s. Now, Jonathan Fildes tells us about some new research that shows that any of the billions of possible starting configurations for the cube can be solved in 20 moves, or fewer. For kicks, here’s a guy who can solve a Rubik’s Cube in…7.08 seconds.
Wow. I can’t think of a better way to end Episode 300 than with that.
Well, OK — I did throw in some good news for David Kobia and Ushahidi, first featured on WTP about 2 and 1/2 years ago! And a nice little story from listener Mike Plugge about how WTP helped him get a second date. Here’s hoping for 300 more episodes, and lots of second (maybe even third or fourth) dates!
If you’re wondering about the music at the end, that was Cake’s “Short Skirt, Long Jacket.”
Discussion
One comment for “Tech Podcast: 300 episodes and going strong”