All Blog Posts from Tech Talk

Space.

For some it's the ultimate frontier with (nearly) endless possibilities for exploration -- both manned and robotic. For others it's not worth the time and effort (and risk).

What are your thoughts? Should we invest more in earth science or deep-space telescopes? Who should be the next NASA chief? Does the Obama administration see the same emphasis on returning to the moon? What's out there?

Lots of questions, and I'll be hosting a live webcast on CBSNews.com starting at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 11, so send your thoughts/queries to my Twitter account, Facebook, or post them here.

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Watch Daniel Sieberg host Space Shuttle launch Webcast, 1:00 p.m. Monday, May 11

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My guest during the webcast will be former shuttle program manager Wayne Hale, who will join us until about 1:50p. After that point, I'll stay online as we carry the live launch of Atlantis at 2:09p, as the crew is scheduled to rendezvous with the aging Hubble telescope and complete a slew of risky repairs.

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A quick entry today -- working on a story for Friday's Early Show about the space debris that passed within a few miles of the orbiting international space station today. Just how much stuff is up there and what sort of damage could even a small piece do? Tune in to find out. And a brief update on the bats story -- looking like it'll air in early April. It's a long and winding explanation but I continue to blame March madness.

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UPDATE: The FAA has backed off its claim that the fireball was connected to the satellite collision, so the mystery has been solved -- it was a meteor.

First there was the news last week that a U.S. Iridium communications satellite slammed into a defunct Russian military satellite, each weighing more than a thousands pounds and traveling at 17,500 miles per hour. The collision, taking place about 500 miles over Siberia, created hundreds of pieces of debris to add to the growing total of space junk. Then Sunday video was captured of a mysterious fireball searing across the Texas sky -- but nothing has been discovered on the ground. Coincidence? A meteor or part of a satellite? It's becoming something of a space mystery and we'll have that story tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

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As you probably know, CBS bought CNET (and various other properties including the news.com domain name) for $1.8 billion back in May. And as I should hope you know, CNET is the authority when it comes to tech news and reviews. I know that sounds biased, but I've read CNET for many years and worked with the folks there since I was at CNN. It's the real deal. Now that we're one big (dys)functional family (I kid, I kid), there are plenty of opportunities for crossover. That may include seeing Natali Del Conte on the Early Show, or it may include your truly being part the Buzz Out Loud (or BOL) podcast. Check out our take on the Windows 7 release date, the UNIX calendar celebration and “citizen journalists.”

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Scientists across the country have heralded the Obama administration's approach to research and development. Already it’s a stark contrast to the Bush years. But what exactly will be done for areas like stem cells, global warming, and space exploration?

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It's the new space race: private industry. And there are a slew of startups and some major players all vying to tap into everything from interstellar mining to space tourism. Think of it as capitalism's final frontier. It's a story that's constantly evolving with new discoveries and launches from companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, XCOR, Armadillo Aerospace and many others. But when will it be ready for prime time? Are trips to the moon just around the corner? And how long will it be solely the domain of the wealthy? This weekend on CBS Sunday Morning we'll provide a slice of this ongoing high-tech competition and see how it might inspire the next generation of space travelers.

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Call it the ultimate absentee ballot. The two U.S. astronauts onboard the international space station cast their votes today from 220 miles above Earth, and in the words of ISS commander Michael Fincke: "If we can vote from up here, so can you."

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Breaking news in the video game world: BioWare, part of Electronic Arts, announced details today on an upcoming massively multiplayer online game based on the "Knights of the Old Republic" (KotOR) title called "Star Wars: The Old Republic." From the BioWare press release: "...players will explore an age thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader when war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Players can choose to play as Jedi, Sith, or a variety of other classic Star Wars roles, defining their personal story and determining their path down the light or dark side of the Force."

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From fear over black holes to creating your own universe. From seeing back in time to the "blue screen of death." It's been quite a week. Curious?

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What a week! Between iPhone 3G in San Francisco and the Webby Awards here in New York there was a lot going on. (By the way, Stephen Colbert's five-word acceptance speech managed to be both funny and reflect the current narcissism often associated with the Web and social networking: "Me, me, me, me, me.")

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