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The World consistently brings you up to date with the latest news in global technology. Clark Boyd is The World's technology correspondent.
Technology Podcast 356: Spider silk is as strong as steel. Literally. But some new research shows that a spider web’s power lies in more than just strength. There’s also its stretchiness…
New Year, New Podcast. In this B-side episode, we take you inside the UK’s national synchrotron – the Diamond Light Source. Epic.
This week you’ll get to meet Katherine Bomkamp, who at the age of 16 was inspired to find a way to help amputees suffering from phantom limb pain. Now she’s 20, and she tells you about the Pain Free Socket. Also, the changing rules of Cyberwar.
Technology Podcast 348: This week, we hear about a new breed of soft, squishy robots that have been developed by researchers at Harvard. These bots take their cues from starfish and worms, not the Terminator.
Stories this week on Uganda’s electric car, Liberia’s new undersea fiber optic cable, and some Nigerians who are recycling plastic bottles into houses. Also, Syrian web monitoring and an app called Instant WILD.
Most tech podcasts spend all of their time talking about the newest, hottest thing to hit the shelves. But sometimes, I like to highlight those everyday bits of tech that people actually use, and find useful. Take bubble wrap, for instance. Did you know that it was originally created in the 1950s to be used as wallpaper? [...]
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The World’s Clark Boyd reports from Amsterdam on the Dutch group C-Mon and Kypski. One of the band’s videos has gotten attention of some computer scientists at the New York University. Download MP3
What is this woman doing? “Planking,” of course. It’s a new global craze that involves, well, lying face down and then sharing a photo of the event on various social networks. Find out where its popular, and more importantly why on the latest edition of our weekly Technology Podcast.
A special podcast with André Borschberg, pilot of the world’s first completely solar-powered airplane. We caught up with Borschberg about 12,000 feet up as he was making his way from Switzerland to Brussels.
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In this episode of The World’s Technology Podcast, we look at the kinds of tools and techniques might the US military be using to get intelligence data from the computer hard drives and disks gathered during the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. Also, we’ll step back in time and revisit the Enigma Machine from World War II. (Photo: Matthew Field) Download MP3 (33:32)
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On this episode of our weekly technology podcast, we revisit the PechaKucha phenomenon. It’s short, regular brainstorming sessions hosted the world over by architects, designers and other creative types. Find out what they’re doing for Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. Download MP3 (35:27)
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In this week’s Technology Podcast, look into past nuclear accidents at Chernobyl (pictured), Three Mile Island, and Tokaimura to understand the current events at Fukushima in Japan. We’ll try to give you some historical perspective on the breaking news. (Photo: Elena Filatova) Download MP3 (36:09)
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Cell phones seem so innocent, and we use them so much. One German politician decided to find out just how much he uses his phone, and how much of that use was tracked by his cell phone company. You’ll be amazed at how much information was kept. Just listen in to this edition of The World’s Technology Podcast. Download MP3 (27:03)
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This is one of the damaged reactors from the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. During the past week, the plant has been the focus of global attention, as plant operators try to avoid the release of radioactive material, caused by damage wrought by last week’s earthquake and subsequent tsunami. On this week’s Tech Podcast, you’ll hear a variety of viewpoints on the unfolding crisis. (Photo: BBC screengrab) Download MP3 (24:20)