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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Baltic Island seals

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Geo Quiz takes us out to sea. If you travel clockwise around the Baltic Sea, you can visit any of the Baltic countries: Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Poland, Germany, and finally Denmark. Download MP3

See photos of the grey seals

No go on Noko

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• Washington Post slideshow
• Noko Jeans

The Larsson inheritance

The family of Swedish crime author Stieg Larsson, who died before his “Millennium” trilogy became a cult hit, has offered Larsson’s partner a settlement to end a dispute over his inheritance, the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet reported. The “Millennium” trilogy has become a worldwide phenomenon. Marco Werman speaks with Swedish journalist Martin Jönsson about the controversy in today’s show. (Audio available after 5PM Eastern)

• Coverage in the Guardian newspaper
• Stieg Larsson on Amazon

Gaddafi’s translator and Nazi slogans in English

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In the latest World in Words podcast, the top five language-related stories from the past month. Among them: the sad tale of Muammar Gaddafi’s translator at the United Nations; the quixotic tale of the real estate mogul who is trying to export Korean Hangul script to Indonesia; and a German court’s decision to permit Nazi hate speech, so long as it’s not in German.

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Missing Swedish banknotes

For today’s Geo Quiz we looking for some Swedish banknotes. We’re not the only ones … Swedish police are hot on the trail of some cash that went missing today….

Study suggests dogs first tamed as food source

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• Abstract of the study
• National Geographic article
• New York Times coverage

Just “hanging out” at IKEA in Beijing

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The Swedish home furnishing giant IKEA opened its Beijing store in 1999. A decade later, the store sees plenty of traffic. Thousands of Beijing residents come through the doors every day. It’s just that they’re not actually buying much of anything. Los Angeles Times Beijing Correspondent David Pierson tells us why IKEA is the hang-out of choice for many a Beijinger. Photo by David Pierson. >>> See more of David’s photos.

Lounging at IKEA in China

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Visitors to the IKEA store in Beijing, China treat the experience more like a vacation than a shopping trip. They dress up, have a meal, and spend the day relaxing. Anchor Katy Clark finds out why IKEA fans in China see the superstore as a getaway from LA Times reporter David Pierson.

(Photo by David Pierson) >>> See more of David’s photos.

So, have you ever gone to Ikea just to hang out? What did you do? >>>Leave your comment here

Pirate Parties Go Global

The Pirate Party began in Sweden. Its political goals are to reform copyright and patent laws, and to campaign for citizen privacy, both online and in the real world. Now, the movement’s gone global. Cyrus Farivar reports. >>>Listen to the story

World Books Review: The Old Maid’s Tale

All great anti-utopian novels focus on a disturbing aspect of the present, pushing it to its most horrific conclusions. In “1984,” it’s the panoptic police state. In “Brave New World,” the sexualization and Americanization of England. In “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the subjugation of women through the sanctification of childbirth. In Ninni Holmqvist’s “The Unit,” the issue in question is the way the childless, especially the childless elderly, are looked down upon as irrelevant.

Pirate Bay Founders in the Brig, Obama Tech Policy, and Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

First, we look at the Swedish court ruling against the founders of The Pirate Bay. We have an explainer and analysis on that. Also, how is Barack Obama’s embrace of new technologies during the campaign playing out now that his administration is in power? It’s a mixed report card. And we end with a segment on robots. They’re already helping soldiers dispose of improvised explosive devices, and helping ordinary folks vacuum the floors. What’s next for ‘bots? Listen