Only- Electronics

Here’s the line-up for Tech Podcast 175: first, a website that allows you to donate grains of rice while taking a vocabulary quiz. Then, two reports on Skype. The first looks at how language teachers, and learners, are connecting via voice-over-internet. The second looks at why Germany wants to crack Skype’s encryption, but can’t. Then, we stay in Germany to hear about how paying by fingerprint is catching on. And we finish with an extended interview with Noah Shachtman about his recent article on how social networking is replacing electronic networking in Iraq.

Amazon didn’t officially include podcasting support when they shipped the first Kindle devices, but that doesn’t mean you can’t listen to your favorite podcasts on the Kindle (or your favorite songs for that matter). There are actually two interesting ways to make this work:

1) You can play any MP3 audio file as background music on the Kindle. You transfer MP3 files to the Kindle using the USB connection, to either store audio on the device or on an SD card. Then from the Home screen do the following:

Scroll to the Menu and select Experimental

Select Play Music on the screen shown

This will continue to play until you click the Stop Music option in Experimental (or the Alt+P keyboard shortcut). You can jump to the next track using Alt+F.

2) The more useful way to listen to podcasts on your Kindle is by adding them to the Audible folder either on your device or on your SD card. This is actually designed specifically for listening to Audible Audiobooks, but also happens to work with MP3s. Once you have the MP3 files in the Audible folder, the Kindle treats them just like other audiobook files allowing you to jump back 30 seconds, skip ahead 30 seconds, play and pause audio.

While you can’t subscribe to podcasts directly on the Kindle yet, these are two ways to use it as a podcast listening device.

See also: A giant list of Kindle compatible Audiobooks.

Buying things online can make a simple thing absurdly complicated.

EchoStar Communication Corporation’s DISH Network and The Weather Channel recently announced that they are offering enhancements to their interactive television (iTV) service. DISH Network subscribers that view The Weather Channel will now have access to extensive local and national weather information, including current conditions, 24-hour and 5-day forecasts, and Doppler radar. The iTV service also […]

Last year I made light of James Cameron’s comments about 3D “saving” the film industry, in short I was of the opinion the film industry was doing just fine and hardly needed saving. I argued that what we needed were better films, better theaters and an overall higher quality movie-going experience, not 3D to convince people to come back to the theaters. Last night I put my money where my mouth was and plopped down twelve dollars (yes $12, $10 + another $2 for the glasses) to see Beowulf in 3D, it didn’t take long to remember why I was reticent to see another 3D film in the first place. I’ve said it once I’ll say it again, those damn glasses (see above) will always limit 3D to novelty status. The glasses provided were about as uncomfortable as anything I could imagine short of a punch to the face….

There are lots of numbers — gigabytes, megabits, megapixels — in bold type consumer-electronic ads designed to make products appealing. But letting those numbers dictate your shopping usually leads to buying more than you need.

The World’s Technology Podcast Thanksgiving Early Edition, or something. This week, two separate teams of scientists in America and Japan claim a major scientific breakthrough in stem cell science. We have the details. Also, a manual of standard operating procedures at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility is leaked online. And we end with an in-depth look at how the bio-tech industry is trying to combat a growing global health issue — obesity. All that, plus we pardon the Thanksgiving turkey, on this edition of The World’s Technology Podcast.

Earlier this month, EchoStar Communication Corporation’s DISH Network added NBA TV HD to its lineup of high-definition channels.
NBA TV features weekly live NBA games in HD, exclusive interviews and basketball news. In addition, the station offers original programming that spotlights today’s players and coaches as well as the most memorable moments in NBA history.
Eric […]

We’re filled to the gills this week folks. Yahoo, charged with handing over information on two Chinese writers to the Chinese government, settles a pending lawsuit in the US. Also, Kenya’s dreams of going fiber-optic, and one South Korean beats out tens of thousands of others to become the country’s first astronaut. Then, what’s better than a roach? A robo-roach! And we finish with something of a cyber-spat between Spain and Venezuela.

Will the last company to surrender to the iPod please remember to log off of the computer?