All Blog Posts from Tech Talk

During a segment on the Early Show today Julie Chen asked me what happens when the Roku digital video player runs out of space. I responded by saying you need to cycle the content through but that's not entirely accurate. The Roku doesn't have a hard drive so it's purely streamed two minutes at a time. You choose your movie or TV show from Netflix or Amazon.com and within 10-15 seconds (depending on your internet connection) it starts playing. I hope this clarifies the capabilities of the device for everyone.

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A short posting today but wanted to encourage everyone to watch the CBS Evening News with Jeff Glor on Saturday night. We'll be updating our story from last year about the massive die-off of bats in the northeast. The phenomenon has spread from four states to eight, and hundreds of thousands of them are dying from a mysterious condition. The leading cause is the so-called "white nose syndrome" or fungus that appears on their snouts. But researchers aren't sure if that's the cause or a symptom of something larger. And why should we care about bats? They are a critical part of the eco-system in controlling bug and pest populations from moths to mosquitoes. And their decline in numbers will have a serious impact on forests, crops, and eventually food prices. I hope you'll be watching.

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I can't believe it's been nearly a year since people lined up around the country for the original iPhone. Of course, in the end it made no difference whether you spent a week without a shower sleeping on a lawnchair on 5th Avenue or dropped by an Apple store three hours after the official launch -- everyone who wanted one managed to buy one. And now comes the expectation that CEO Steve Jobs will use his appearance at the Apple Worldwide Developers' Conference on Monday in San Francisco to unveil the next generation.

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So, as it turns out the Consumer Electronics Show got the best of us, in some ways. The producer on the shoot got a wicked case of the flu, I caught a minor stomach bug going around and basically we hobbled out of Las Vegas with some story ideas for the future. Overall, a decent show, but definitely subdued. Hard to tell if it was a result of the New Hampshire primary or our collective illnesses or a cooling in the gadget world. Food for thought. In any case, we move onto tonight's piece on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric that highlights a growing problem in the technology marketplace -- what to do with all the tons of discarded electronics? James Burghett, a former drug addict and homeless person, is taking the challenge head on.

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What do you get when you combine elements of the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, and TV's "Get Smart"? Well, the Consumer Electronics Show or CES 2008, of course, which is now in it's 41st year. For me, it's number six. Yeah, there'll be big crowds all fighting for the first look at the most coveted devices to contain a microchip. (By the way, is a gadget more desirable if it's "cool" or if it's "hot"? Discuss.) Once the show starts Monday morning there's very little wiggle room anywhere; prepare to queue up for everything from food to taxis to bottled water to getting your hands on the flashiest doodad.

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It's only now that I can take a breath, reflect on what's happened lately, and jot down a few thoughts in the Tech Talk blog. From wired to wacky to out-of-this-world, it's been quite a hectic but productive time.

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Time for some shameless self-promotion, but then what blog isn't in some way; this week I started a new segment for the CBS Early Show called "The Gadget Lab." It'll be an at least twice-monthly chance to push, pull, and twist the latest high-tech toys. (It's also very portable.) This morning in the Gadget Lab (sans white coat) I checked out a cornucopia of GPS handhelds.

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I’m off to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) tomorrow and madly trying to corral some cool products to show you on Monday morning’s Early Show. It takes place in Las Vegas from Jan. 8-11, and this year marks the 40th anniversary. But you won’t find many people waxing nostalgic for 8-track cassettes or VCRs. This massive gathering showcases the future of what we’ll all see on store shelves in the coming months and years.

Stay tuned for my interview with Bill Gates ...

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Incidentally, my first appearance on CBS was with the Early Show, and you can view it a here.

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I was tempted to open this blog with a clever quote about technology or about introductions in general, maybe something from Einstein or Wilde or Marconi, but then I thought the best way to introduce myself is simply to say, “Hey there, fellow tech talker.”

I’m the new science and technology correspondent at CBS News, and I’d like this blog to be a transparent dialogue of ideas and opinions. I’ve spent the last 15 years covering science and technology in some form, working for places like The Vancouver Sun, CTV, and CNN. For more you can just click here. But in all my years of being plugged into the digital world I’ve never maintained a blog, so I hope I can do justice to this one.

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