The following audio files were selected from a larger group of 85. The link to each item’s podcast is at the highlighted topic and reached by double-clicking or ctrl-clicking it. All 13 podcasts converted to 1.5x speed can also be downloaded as a 62 MB zip file here for four months.
Nanotechnology 52mins – “Think small to solve big problems. That, in a nutshell, is the promise of nanotechnology. In this barely visible world, batteries charge 100 times faster and drugs go straight to their targets in the body. Discover some of these nano breakthroughs and how what you can’t see can help you or hurt you? What if tiny machines turn out to be nothing but trouble? We’ll look at the health and safety risks of nanotech.” Five guests provide insight and one, David Guston – political scientist at Arizona State University where he directs The Center for Nanotechnology in Society – prepared another podcast from 2009 at 32 minutes presented to the U.S. Congress that further discusses the implications of nanotechnology. Download that file at the site by right-clicking “Download to Listen” and selecting “Save Link As.” Download the first podcast from the link by locating the title, “Nano Nano,” right clicking “docarchive_BiPiSci12-07-02.mp3” and selecting “Save Link As.”
Green Graves 18 mins – Friday, July 06, 2012 2:32 PM”Each year, approximately 55 million of us die, and many of us continue to damage the environment even after we’re dead. On One Planet this week we’ll hear about ‘green funerals’ – rituals and practices to honour a life without the use of toxic embalming chemicals, and without precious hard-wood coffins, metal and silk being left to rot underground. And, from Australia, about a row which has broken out about children and hunting.” To download the audio file at the link locate the title, “OnePlanet: After We’re Dead,” right click “Media files oneplanet_20120706-1932a.mp3” andselect “Save Link As.”
Jailbreaking and Rooting 40 mins – “After this project, you’ll know how to jailbreak your iOS device or root your Kindle Fire. You’ll definitely want to try this at home.” The video version at the link is more useable with a nice mix of high tech and chalkboard where Laporte writes the useable links: lilliputing.com, xda-developers.com and iphonehacks.com. Lilliputing.com is also where the Kindle Fire Utilities are located. However the audio file is also useful and can be downloaded at the link by right-clicking “Audio” next to the blue down-pointing arrow and selecting “Save Link As.
Global Warming Opportunities 31 mins – “Dr. Moira Gunn sits down with Jonathan Koomey, author of Cold Cash, Cool Climate: Science-Based advice for Ecological Entrepreneurs about why he believes the climate problem is misunderstood… Written for entrepreneurs and investors, this book describes how to profit from tackling climate change, one of this century’s greatest challenges. Industry expert Dr. Jonathan Koomey acts as your company’s scientific advisor, summarizing the business implications of the climate problem for both new and existing ventures. Koomey helps you effectively allocate scarce time and resources to the most promising opportunities, drawing upon his more than 25 years of experience in analyzing and implementing climate solutions.” Download the file at the link by right-clicking “Download” and selecting “Save Link As.”
Printing Nerve and Muscle Cells 10 mins – “The Intelligent Polymer Research Institute at the University of Wollongong is now able to print human cells. A newly developed printer prints nerve and muscle cells one at a time in a polymer scaffold. This process, combined with electrical stimulation and growth factors, can help repair damaged muscle and nerves. Director Gordon Wallace describes the work done at the Institute and compares the potential of medical bionics research to the steel industry which once dominated the Illawarra region, south of Sydney.” Download file at the link by right-clicking “Download Audio” and selecting “Save Link As.”
iPad Use in Western Australia Schools 10 mins – “Researchers at the University of Western Australia are looking into the use of iPads in schools. They asked how mobile hand held devices are used in classrooms as part of the educational strategy. Grace Oakley reports iPads introduced into schools provide unexpected benefits, such as more homework being done! She says the devices are being used in a variety of ways and there is no one overall approach in their use. The task now is to measure results and outcomes.” Download file at the link by right-clicking “Download Audio” and selecting “Save Link As.”
Crony Capitalism again 18 mins – “You’ll hear the complaint every now and then, when the global economy comes up, that the United States is becoming like Greece, or Spain, or Italy. But when Luigi Zingales says it, he should know: He’s a University of Chicago economist… born in Italy…studies, among other things, what has set the American economy apart from places like Italy. And he’s worried. On today’s show: How the U.S. is taking a few early steps down the risky road toward Italy, and how it could change course.” Download the file at the link by locating the title, “Episode 385: How Good Governments Go Bad,” right clicking “Media files npr_156584967.mp3” and selecting “Save Link As.”
Economic Incentives 19 mins – “It’s really, really hard to create the right kind of economic incentives — even if you’re a professional economist, and all you’re trying to do is teach your kids to use the toilet. On today’s Planet Money, we talk to economist Joshua Gans and his 11-year-old daughter. Gans, who wrote a book called Parentonomics, tried to create a toilet-training economy for his young children. He rewarded them with candy for sitting on the toilet — and the older ones got candy if they helped the younger ones. But, like tiny Wall-Street bankers, the kids figured out how to work the system for maximum advantage.His daughter managed to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes, all day long. For a while, she got a treat every time. She also wrung everything she could out of her brother… Also on the podcast: We discuss the jobs numbers that the government reported today. And we talked about this graph, the most vivid illustration you’ll see of how slow this recovery is. Note: Part of today’s show is a rerun. It first ran in August, 2010.” Go to the link, find the title, “#205: Allowance, Taxes And Potty Training, right click “Media files npr_156398760.mp3,” and select “Save Link As.”
Drug Abuse 52mins – “Dr. Nora Volkow is the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. She studies how drugs affect the human brain. A leading research psychiatrist and scientist, Volkow sees addiction as a disease, not a moral failing. Her research has also led her to discover parallels between substance abuse and obesity… a person who overeats often experiences similar changes in brain activity and behavior as that of an addict….” She is not an advocate of legalizing marijuana. You can listen at the link and see a transcript, but the audio file is only available by downloading the files for this week’s edition noted at the top of the page.
Microphones by Bob Heil 60 mins – Scott, the moderator, chats with Bob Heil about microphones, USB, pipe organs, speakers and all things audio. Bob Heil is THE authority on microphones and explains what makes a good mike in easily understood terms. His web site provides even more information. Download the file at the link by right-clicking “Audio” next to the blue down-pointing arrow and selecting “Save Link As.”
Smooth Muscle Man 54 mins – “It wasn’t an easy start for Geoffrey Burnstock, but despite the early challenges, a glorious and varied scientific career developed. He played a key role in the discovery of the neurotransmitter ATP in animal cells and worked on the development of a range of important pharmaceuticals. Now in his 80s and still working, Geoffrey Burnstock is a fellow of the Royal Society.” His career includes some difficult times with other scientists and that community. Go to the link to get the podcast, right click “Download Audio” and select “Save Link As.”
Peru’s Gold Rush 23 mins – “Rob Walker reports on the frantic gold rush in Peru that is threatening the Peruvian rainforest.” A new road connecting the East and West Coasts of South America plays a major role in the problem. Download the file at the link by locating the title, “DocArchive: Peru’s Gold Rush,” right-clicking “Media files docarchive_20120712-0100a.mp3” and selecting “Save Link As.”
The 95 feeds used to prepare this weekly blog are gathered using Feedreader3 and are available as an opm file at Google Docs. A PDF of feeds is also available there. Free Commander is used to compare old and new downloads to remove duplicates. MP3SpeedChanger is used to change playback speed of multiple files as a batch. A speed listening background article here. Sixty-four podcasts for 2010 and earlier at 1.5x are listed alphabetically in this PDF and can be downloaded in two sections as zip files: Part 1 and Part 2 each holding about 350 MB. For 2011 this alphabetical PDF list of 184 podcasts at 1.5x is available, and the actual files can be downloaded in five segments: Part 1 to 5 (Part 1 – 276 MB; P2 – 291 MB; P3 – 284; P4 – 153 MB, and P5 – 256 MB). Please leave a comment if you have problems with the links and downloads. A similar list and downloads for 362 podcasts for Jan-Jun 2012 is here. Those podcasts are grouped into eight zipped files for easier downloading. Multiple parts are used due to a 300MB limit on file size uploads.
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Media Mining Digest 