WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

The world of technology just keeps on keepin’ on. Today, let’s catch up on some developments relating to TV, cars, and cell phones, at least one of which almost all of us use.

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Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Well, May 1-7, 2012 is Choose Privacy Week so in its honor, let’s take a look at some developments in the digital realm that could affect privacy in both the digital and physical realms.

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Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Love the convenience of your iPad or iPhone, of your Kindle or Nook? They sure are slick devices but what you can do with them is limited by what Apple or Amazon or Barnes and Noble says you can do with them. That’s where the term “walled garden” comes in when talking about the Internet these days.

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Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

We’ve been following the deployment of so-called smart meters which, as has been pointed out, are not particularly secure, giving rise to privacy concerns for consumers. Now there is a problem for the utilities themselves according to this report about an FBI document: hacking of smart meters to steal electricity.

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/04/fbi-smart-meter-hacks-likely-to-spread/

There are lots of free college courses available online. Here are some sites where you can find out more:

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

http://mitx.mit.edu/

http://www.ocwconsortium.org/

http://oyc.yale.edu/courses

http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses

http://www.open-of-course.org/courses/

http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative

http://opencontent.org/ocwfinder/

http://www.ocwsearch.com/

Standard Podcast [ 7:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
Ever wanted to be a scientist but didn’t travel down that career path? The Internet offers real opportunities for citizen scientists to make real contributions to the progress of science. Here are some of the ways anyone with an Internet connection can help.

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Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

The U.S. was founded on John Locke’s principle of “consent of the governed,” a concept which some are trying to extend from physical space into cyberspace. Rebecca MacKinnon is one of them and she has written a book called “Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom.” It’s worth a read. If you can’t get around to reading it, you can hear some of the major ideas in a 14 minute talk available here: http://www.ted.com/talks/rebecca_mackinnon_let_s_take_back_the_internet.html

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Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

If you know anyone who occasionally uses peer to peer networks for sharing music or movies, best let them know that July 12, 2012 is a going be a big day. That’s when a new agreement between recording companies and Internet Service Providers goes into effect. this new “six strikes” policy could affect the Internet connections of real (or perhaps even imagined) “illegal file sharers.” Here’s why and how.

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Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Interested in keeping yourself to yourself as you move around the web? There are tools to help you do that. Listen up and take a look at:

http://cs.nyu.edu/trackmenot

http://www.torproject.org

http://gnupg.org

Standard Podcast [ 7:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download