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Episode details

World Service,28 mins

04/01/2011

Digital Planet

Available for over a year

To kick off the New Year, Digital Planet looks at technological innovation: where it comes from, what new technologies we saw in 2010, and where the world's innovation hotspots are. Gareth Mitchell talks to Peter Nowak, author of Sex, Bombs and Burgers: How war, porn and fast food created technology as we know it, about why these industries are so often the originators or early adopters of new technology. They are joined by technology reporter LJ Rich and Digital Planet regular Bill Thompson to discuss what drives invention. The panel also look at some of the new digital trends from the past year: 3D TV, social gaming, and human-assistive robots. Will they find the military, pornography and food industries behind these novelties, or are there other important sources of innovation?

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