Category: Notes From The Electronic Cottage

A weekly feature on electronic technology as it affects everyday life with Jim Campbell. Broadcast on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, ME every Thursday at 7:30 AM.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/5/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

There are big developments going on in electronic surveillance. Some make it into the mainstream media, some don’t. Here is a roundup of a few we’d probably rather not know about but that we should know about if we care about our privacy.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/22/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Do you use the Internet a good bit? If so, you’re not alone – North American adults spend about 20 hours a week on the Internet. We all know that might not be the best thing for our waistlines but what about for our brains? Does Internet use affect our physical brains? Nicholas Carr, in his new book “TheShallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains,” takes a look at that question, and so do we in this edition.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/15/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Identity technology is moving very fast these days, and a bunch of
new technologies are emerging that are going to have a profound
impact on our lives before long. Whether use of these technologies
turns out to be positive or otherwise remains to be seen, and we’d be wise to follow their development and decide how we might choose
to use them, or not.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/8/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

According to the UN, about 2500 of the world’s remaining 6900 languages are in imminent danger of becoming extinct. What is lost when a language dies?
And, can computer technology possibly help to save some of those languages from extinction?  Maybe.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/24/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Google Street View can be a very handy service. It shows us images that allow us to see what locations actually look like from street level. It turns out, however, that images is not all that Googlemobiles have been collecting. Seems they’ve also been sniffing private Wi-Fi networks in homes and businesses in 30 countries, including the U.S., and officials around the world are not amused.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/17/10

Producer/Host:  Jim Campbell
Think mind reading is the stuff of science fiction? These days, it’s getting to be much more science and much less fiction. Using medical imaging devices and powerful computers, researchers around the world are succeeding in reading minds in a rudimentary way – at least at the moment – and, naturally, spy agencies and governments are very interested.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/10/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

The first of a new generation of satellites that will provide more accurate GPS location services has just been a launched. When all 12 of these satellites are in place, GPS accuracy should include from today’s approximately 20 foot accuracy to about 2-3 foot accuracy. This will have big implications for everyday life – some obvious, some not so obvious.Let’s take a look.