Sorry we missed you last week, but here goes. We've got news about Skype being surveilled in China. We also talk about the importance in telecommunications in UN relief efforts in Haiti. Then we check out a South African built electric car, complete with photovoltaic panels on the roof. We'll also give a tip of the wing to FusionMan, Yves Rossy, and talk mouse DNA.

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In the midst of this week's global financial meltdown, we ask -- just what kind of risk management software were these financial giants using, anyway? Also, how much would you pay for therapy via cell phone? We also travel to India where we hear about a website designed to help busy Indians arrange their marriages. And we end with news that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will add a sixth book to the increasingly unaptly named trilogy. Find out who's going to write it. Show notes, links and pics at tinyurl.com/wtpblog.

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The Large Hadron Collider switches on, the universe doesn't wink out of existence, and some in the US are wondering why America is not playing host to it. Also, we look at Google's move to invest in bringing low-cost, high-speed internet access to the developing world via satellite. Then, we hear about efforts to track African elephants using GSM cell phones. We also explore the case of Moroccan blogger Mohamed Erraji, and we have an update on Bletchley Park.

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Google releases a shiny new browser called Chrome this week, which also happens to mark 10 years that the company's been incorporated. We have an assessment. Also, a famous French blogger uproots his family and moves to San Francisco to start Seesmic, a kind of Twitter for video. Then, we hear about the dark world of online poker, and some of the far-out ideas of geoengineering. And we wax lyrical to end the show, with the Large Hadron Collider rap.

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A full podcast this week. We lead with the strange tale of iTunes in China over the last week or so. Seems that it keeps going, well, on and off. And we hear about the iPhone Girl, and about a possible crackdown on Internet news portals in South Korea. Then, an in-depth look at the issues and technologies surrounding music piracy on the Internet. Also, a British cartographer says online mapping services are killing our appreciation for map-making. And we end by asking some cows which way is north.

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We lead with a look at what the US has in mind, technology-wise, for a missile defense shield based partly in Poland, and partly in the Czech Republic. Also, in the wake of the news that the US has busted a global cyber-crime ring, we take an in-depth look at just how safe your identity is. And we end with a great little piece that explores why the Japanese just aren't that crazy about the iPhone.

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Georgia and Russia fight it out on the ground, and apparently on the Internet as well. Also, we take an in-depth look at the technologies and techniques involved in mining the deep ocean floor. Then, to Norway to listen in to something called a Telemegaphone. We'll also learn that, shock, the beer goggle phenomenon is real. And we end with a look at some labor-saving technologies from the Victorian Era. Good fun.

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We lead this week with news that a major global group of cybercriminals has been busted for identity theft. We'll dig deep into that story, and we'll dig deep into electronic waste in the West African nation of Ghana. Then, our semi-regual check in with the folks at the AfriGadget blog. And we end this week with a fun take on some new research on, yawn, boredom.

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Lots to chew and stew on this week. We start with an Olympic back-and-forth over Internet access for foreign journalists. Then, an update on the case of British hacker Gary McKinnon. That's followed by a foray into the world of emotibots. We'll also hear about Portugal's decision to buy 500,000 Classmate computers from Intel. And what's more fun than a 2,000 year old Greek computer? Well, how about a blog written by George Orwell?

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A very full program this week. First, we look at the International Olympic Committee's test for EPO, a performance-enhancing drug. The test for EPO may not be very effective. Also, a card used for travel on the London Underground appears vulnerable to hacking and cloning. Then, we hear about plans to build giant solar farms in the Sahara desert, and also how Finns are using a wiki to convert gas-powered cars to electric vehicles. And we end with a look at efforts to save Bletchley Park, sight of some of the most important code-breaking work during World War II.

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