WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Audio archives of spoken word broadcasts from Community Radio WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill (weru.org)
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.
Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
Need to find basic factual info quickly? The Internet has you covered. Here are a few sites that meet our info-seeking criteria: the information is free, the site is clear and well organized, and you can get to the info
you’re looking for with one click.
Weather – www.nws.noaa.gov
Phone numbers – www.whitepages.com
Word definitions – www.alphadictionary.com
Word origins – www.etymonline.com
General info – www.encyclopedia.com, www. wikipedia.com
Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
Topic: In these days of electronic communication, we hear a lot of talk about encrypting messages to keep their contents safe from the prying eyes of government and corporate eavesdroppers. But just what is encryption, and where did the idea come from. Here’s a little cryptography 101 primer to help us understand how encryption works.
Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
Topic: Thirty-five years ago, Nicholas Sheridan at Xerox PARC came up with Gyricon, a process that presaged the effort to create electronic paper. Ever since, electronic paper has been, according to its promoters, “just around the corner.” Many false starts later, that claim may finally be true today . Here’s a look at some e-paper technologies that could leap out of the lab in the next few years – or sooner.
Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
Perhaps we need a new bumper sticker these days that asks “What would the Founders say?” Today’s technology places immense power in the hands of government. Even though they could not specifically foresee today’s technologies – like involuntary DNA collection – the Founders and drafters of our Constitution did their best to establish principles upon which a free society should be based. Some of those principles are under severe strain in today’s political/technologial environment, especially the Fourth Amendment.
Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
Every spring, the editors of Technology Review list ten important emerging technologies. To see the full list, go to
www.technologyreview.com/infotech/20249. To hear some ruminations on two of those technologies, Graphene Transistors and Wireless Power, listen up here.
Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
Every now and again a listener will say something like: “The world seems to be changing so fast – all this new technology, and globalization, and climate change and all the rest. What kind of world are our kids going to live in – and more important, what kind of skills will they need to survive?”
Good question. Happily, Howard Gardner has stepped forward to offer at least one answer in his book “Five Minds for the Future.” Here are some highlights.
Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
We all know that there are radio and television waves all around us. And these days, we know there are cell phone waves and wi-fi waves as well. But just how do these waves arrange themselves in the electronic spectrum? Good question – here’s a short review.
Producer/Host: Jim Campbell
RFID is coming – in fact it’s already here in warehouses, hospitals, and other places where tracking goods is important for inventory control. But what is good in the warehouse may not be so good in your house. Here’s a short overview of the promise – and problems – posed by the widespread adoption of RFID technology.