Also in this episode, we’ve also got a look at how Google Maps has tried to update the way it displays some of the trickier borders around the world. We hear about “conflict minerals,” and efforts to get tech companies to better source the materials that go into your precious electronic equipment. And we end with an update on Gary McKinnon’s ongoing efforts to avoid extradition to the United States to stand trial for what American authorities call “the biggest military hack of all time.”

Here are some helpful links for WTP 296:

• What is WikiLeaks?
• Noah Schachtman on the Danger Room blog
• John Gravois’ The Agnostic Cartographer
• Conflict Minerals Trade Act
• More on Gary McKinnon

Remember, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

(Photo: Cpl. James L. Yarboro)

Right, “no more whining.” The message was received loud and clear from many quarters last week. Sorry about that, and let’s get on with a great show for a fantastic crew of listeners. That was evidenced by the email I received from Dr. Haidar Samiei, who wrote in to say that the people he’s heard interviewed on WTP have been an inspiration to him. He and a friend have developed a medical app for the iPhone — check it out here.

Listener Derek Bruff put me onto our lead story this week: Greg Kulowiec, who is pictured here. Greg is a high school history teacher at Plymouth South High School in Plymouth, MA. He’s also a blogger, and a big fan of using all sorts of technologies as teaching tools in his classroom. It’s part of on-going attempt to talk to tech folks who have, as one listener put it, “dirt under their finger nails.” Greg mentioned a couple of different videos he’s created about his different tech and teaching projects. Here’s a demo video of him using Poll Everywhere. And here’s the Animoto video Greg created using cell phones and Evernote.

Next, we turn to a bit darker side of cell phones. The World’s Jeb Sharp, who creates an amazing weekly history podcast called “How We Got Here,” tells us about the role that conflict minerals (including a few that make your cell phone your cell phone) are playing in the violence in Congo.

And, do you remember last week’s segment on the British engineering team that was trying to break the record for the fastest steam-powered vehicle ever? Well, they did it. We’ll have an update and reaction from the team. We’ll also have an interview with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales. At a Wikipedia conference in Buenos Aires this week, there were some interesting decisions made about how pages about subjects that are still alive will be edited. Here’s a BBC link to the story.

And we end with a story about, well, artificial trees. The Brits want to use the flyswatter shaped “trees” as a way of controlling carbon emissions. You can read more about that here.

Here’s a link to the World Science Podcast, which I am also responsible for ruining this week ;)

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