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Digital Planet: 28/04/2009

Factual: Science & Nature

28/04/2009

BBC World Service - Digital Planet, 28/04/2009

Mobile phone viruses, Asia@home, Social netiquette, Clay Shirky on group power.

Mobile phone viruses, grid computing in Asia, our guide to social netiquette, Clay Shirky on virtual group power.

This week Gareth is joined in the studio by Mike Butcher of the TechCrunch innovation blog.

MOBILE PHONE VIRUSES SET TO RISE

Researchers from the US think that mobile phone viruses are set to increase.  Once 10% of us share the same operating system, says Prof Barasbi of Northwestern University in the US, phone viruses could spread within hours via Bluetooth or text. The research was presented at the Science Beyond Friction conference in Prague last week. Gareth talks to BBC Technology journalist Jason Palmer.

GRID COMPUTING IN ASIA

Increasing numbers of scientists are using people’s home computers to help with computational tasks - from searching for alien life with SETI, to classifying galaxies in Galaxy Zoo. This week, the International Symposium on Grid Computing in Taiwan looks at whether Asian scientists could benefit from the trend. For example, one application already underway is looking for cures for dengue fever. Gareth talks to Simon Lin, host of the Asia@home meeting in Taipei.

THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

Ever made a faux pas on Facebook? Or looked like a twit on Twitter? Social networking newbie Tracey Logan is a self-confessed late adopter and new to the social networking scene.  She seeks advice from old hands like BBC Technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones and Prof Alva Noë from the University of California, Berkeley.

CLAY SHIRKY ON GROUP POWER

The age of the virtual group has arrived. Tech guru Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, talks about the emergence of this social trend. What happens when people congregate online, and how is this changing society?

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