Only- Electronics

Running is essentially a no-tech activity: Put on some comfortable shoes and clothing, put one foot in front of the other at a sufficiently fast cadence, and continue until you reach a finish line or return to where you started. (On the right surface, even the shoes are optional.)

This week, we look at the trading of carbon dioxide emissions. How does it operate and how efficient has it been? We head to the UK to find out about what some are calling a ‘digital ghetto’ amongst Muslims. And there’s a fresh-tasting report from Singapore about how citizens there are coming to terms with having to drink treated sewage water. Delicious. With The World’s Alex Gallafent.

The computer industry, or the Windows portion of it, seems to have come down with a case of the Mondays. Across much of the business, profits are flat or dropping and stock valuations are crumbling, and the rest of this year seems only to promise more of the same.

The Linux operating system — a free, open-source alternative to Windows and Mac OS X — has long served to define the gap between people who merely use computers and those who tinker with them.

Vardan Kushnir was regarded as Russia’s Spam King. His company sent out millions of junk email messages everyday. So, when Kushnir turned up bludgeoned to death, nobody was surprised, and even fewer grieved. We’ll hear about Kushnir today on the podcast. Also, the personal computer turns 25. What’s next for this mean machine? And we’ll also hear about internet censorship in Vietnam, and new attempts to save endangered coral in the Caribbean. Plus, find out who will take Clark’s place at the helm of the podcast. Music from Spunkshine, as always. There I go, I’m still talking.

The World’s Alex Gallafent visits the annual Wikimania conference and meets people excited about how the online encyclopedia is helping to transform the language of the internet. Plus a report on how toxic mud is causing serious problems for people on the Indonesian island of Java. And a look at how the rise in air traffic is threatening Europe’s ability to cut its carbon emissions.

Dell, the world’s largest computer maker, is being forced to recall more than 4 million notebook computers because of problems with the batteries, which are made by Sony. We’ll hear why Dell is making the move. Also, Iran’s president starts his own blog. Then, we’re off to the University of Abertay in Dundee, Scotland to hear about the Dare to Be Digital computer game design competition. And we’ll finish off with some cool, literally, new technology from Japan. All that, plus music from Spunkshine.

Shopping for a laptop is either too easy or too hard.

The Internet can bring a radio signal or a recording from the other end of the country to your house, but getting that music from your computer to your stereo can take a little more work.

Some blogs are good, some are bad. Some are boring, some are racy. Some are diaries, others are pure fiction. Tech Podcast #113 takes a look at a new play compiled entirely out of blogs. It’s on stage at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Also, can solar power solve some of the world’s energy needs? Good question, let’s explore it. And shhhhh…no one wants you to know about Echelon, a top secret spy program designed to listen in to your calls and monitor your email. Can VOiP get around it? Another good question. And we’ll end on the beaches of Rio, which are, erm, awash with penguins! All that, plus music from Spunkshine.