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A big old theme-based podcast for you today. Clark spent the week reporting on the Games For Change conference in New York City. He came back with tons of material. Today’s cast is a mix of what he did for The World radio program, and some extra special bonus features, including an interview with Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad is Good For You. Let’s hope so. All that, plus theme music from Spunkshine.

For Tech Podcast #108, we take a look at where the United States stands in terms of missile defense technology. Then, author Sharon Weinberger on her new book,”Imaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon’s Scientific Underworld.” Also, Google decides to go Arabic. And finally, the official World Cup soccer ball is called the Teamgeist. It incorporates the latest in design and technology…and goalies HATE it. Find out why. All that, plus theme music from Spunkshine.

Tech Podcast #107 looks at the OTHER soccer tournament going in Germany, the 10th annual RoboCup! Robots of all shapes, sizes and nationalities are squaring off in Bremen for the next few days. The goal, so to speak, is a familiar one — put the ball in the back of the net. And, we’ll go to Sweden to hear about piracy. No, not on the high seas, but via a website called The Pirate Bay. And we’ll end with a fish story. Well, a story about some technologies being used to help track sturgeon in the Ural River. All that, plus theme music from Spunkshine.

Tech Podcast #106 talks toilets. Just how important is toilet technology to civilization? We’ll talk to the man who’s written a book about this very topic. Also, can the technology of desalination — removing salt from water — serve as the answer to the world’s water problems? Then, we’re off to France to hear about a government-sponsored video game that let’s you play Finance Minister. Halo 2 it is not, we assure you. And we’ll end with a debate over whether apes deserve some, if not all, of the same legal rights as humans. Plus a shoutout to MIT, that’s the Mekelle Institute of Technology, in Ethiopia, and some theme music from Spunkshine.

Today’s podcast looks at a recent Amnesty International report that declares that the internet is the organization’s new battleground against state repression. Also, we’ll hear about a mountain of electronic waste in China. Plus, some Japanese game makers try to help older people stave off dementia. We’ll finish off with, what else, some space noise. A must. All that, plus theme music from Spunkshine.