This week’s technology podcast begins with a tribute to Les Paul, who was not only a master guitarist, but a master craftsman. He’s the man who did the pioneering work behind the single-body electric guitar. If you’re a fan of rock-n-roll, you’d be hard pressed to think of a more important piece of technology. Mr. Paul, who died this week at the age of 94, also had a role to play in many other technological innovations that shaped the sound of the music we love today. Where would we be without multi-tracking, people?

The podcast rolls on with a look at some French builders who are getting positively medieval in their quest to build, from scratch, a castle. That’s right. They’re using only 13th century tools, technologies and techniques to bring to life the Guedelon Chateau in Burgundy, France. The World’s Gerry Hadden reports, and takes pictures! Seriously, follow that link and check out the squirrel cage. Not to be missed.

From old school, to new school, we then hear about Bertrand Piccard’s dream — which is called Solar Impulse. In short, he and his associates want to build a solar-powered airplane. And not just any solar-powered airplane, but rather one that can fly, non-stop, around the world. Thanks to the BBC’s Jonathan Fildes for sending in that interview from the recent TED conference in Oxford, England.

Then, a short item on an interesting little project unveiled in London this week: the driverless car…er, pod. Or something. They certainly can’t make getting into or out of Heathrow Airport any worse, right?

And we end the show with yet more proof that the show is as much yours as mine. Longtime WTP fan Vicente Montelongo wrote in to tell me about an interesting little art/technology/exercise project he and his buddies in San Francisco are doing. Call it GPS Art, or Geo-spatial drawing, or…something. They map out a route through the streets, then have their GPS app track them as they run the route on their bikes. The result? Well, to date, a lot of great geo-spatial pieces of art that look exceedingly like beloved Atari characters. Check it.

Also, see this article in the New York Times.

As always, you can subscribe to us on iTunes or via RSS. We’re on Twitter, Facebook, and FriendFeed.