WAMU-FM: WAMU: The Kojo Nnamdi Show: Tech Tuesday Podcast

For many Americans, music and podcasts serve as a constant soundtrack to their daily routines. In offices with open floor plans, workers don headphones to block out noise. Others couldn't get through a workout or their daily commute without music pumping through earbuds. Studies have come to differing conclusions about whether listening to music helps or hinders productivity. More troubling is the increase in permanent hearing loss associated with headphone use. We consider the technology, culture and safe use of this ubiquitous accessory.

In 1998, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act took the first steps in safeguarding children under 13 years old from divulging personal information to websites. Today, a generation of Web innovation has made sharing personal data a ubiquitous part of the online experience. Now the Federal Trade Commission is moving to overhaul the privacy rules, increasing the need for children's sites to obtain parental permission for popular activities. Kojo looks at the pending changes, and talks to those who say the new rules will stifle innovation.

Apple rolls out a new mapping program for the iPhone with some major glitches, including moving the Washington Monument to a new address and placing the Baltimore Aquarium in the Inner Harbor. Big-box stores ditch Amazon's Kindle e-Reader. The Computer Guys and Gal are back to explore the latest triumphs and fail's in the tech world.

In 1997, Rob Malda founded Slashdot, a trail-blazing tech news site and online community, under the moniker "CmdrTaco." Last year, he joined WaPo Labs, an experimental unit within The Washington Post Company that designs new digital tools for discovering and sharing stories. He joins Tech Tuesday to explore the evolution of the social web and the future of news consumption and dissemination.

Last month, Apple won a landmark patent case against Samsung that sent shock waves through the market for mobile devices. But it's just the first round in an intellectual property fight that will determine how companies design and manufacture products to compete with Apple. We consider the effect of the ruling and what it means for the future of the mobile market.

Political campaigns have always conducted polls and focus groups to learn more about the electorate and target specific groups. But as Election 2012 enters its final stretch, both parties are experimenting with new data sources --- like music preferences or web searches — to glean insights about potential voters. As Democrats converge on Charlotte, N.C., for the first day of their national convention, Tech Tuesday explores the links between what we like and how we vote.

More than 80 percent of American adults own a cell phone. And as Americans increasingly rely on these devices to communicate, political campaigns and pollsters are scrambling to find new ways to engage potential voters in the palm of their hand. Tech Tuesday explores how mobile technology is changing voter mobilization and fund-raising.

People in the technology business have a lot riding on this year's elections. A new administration could mean different policies on antitrust issues, copyright protections and the management of wireless networks. We connect with a technology reporter to learn more about the technology issues shaping elections this fall.

The Tampa airwaves are getting a little crowded. With more than 50,000 visitors expected at the Republican National Convention — many of them wielding data-hogging smartphones and laptops — wireless providers are adding new cell towers, Wi-Fi hot spots and temporary cell sites. Tech Tuesday goes behind the scenes at the convention.

Common wisdom has it that technology is shrinking our attention spans and narrowing the kinds of stories we seek on the Web. But what if new devices and platforms like e-books and tablets are actually creating entirely new forms of writing? New York Times tech reporter and suspense writer Matt Richtel joins us to explore how new technology is breathing life into the short story genre, and discusses how he uses real technology stories to inform his fiction.

Let the games begin! Olympic athletes embrace social media. Fans perfect the art of ignoring Twitter spoilers in advance of evening rebroadcasts. Meanwhile, the video game industry confronts an ongoing problem in competitive gaming: sexist language and harassment. The Computer Guys and Gal are back to explore the latest news from the technology world.

Facebook and Twitter have transformed the way people communicate with family, friends and long-lost classmates. But electronic mailing lists like LISTSERV and Yahoo! Groups remain the tool of choice at the neighborhood level. It's how many people share advice about local services, sell stuff and debate community issues. Tech Tuesday explores the history and enduring power of email groups, and examines the future of neighborhood communications.

Unbeknownst to most voters, the email inbox is the new Election 2012 battleground. Sophisticated data mining tools allow political campaigns to compile detailed information about individual voters and then send them precision donation pitches. Tech Tuesday explores how much the campaigns know about each of us and how they're using our preferences to woo us.

Jurisdictions around the Washington region are installing sophisticated camera systems to detect — and fine — lead-footed drivers and red light runners. Automated traffic enforcement has polarized communities, prompting complaints, lawsuits and even vandalism. But local authorities insist that new high tech systems are beginning to change our driving habits for the better. Tech Tuesday explores how automated camera systems work and how these new devices affect our behavior on the roads.

As a computer programmer, Vijay Ravindran sharpened his skills developing software for one of the world's biggest Internet businesses: Amazon. Now he's the guy crafting a digital strategy for The Washington Post, which, like many news organizations, is scrambling to keep up in today's demanding online era of news. Ravindran joins Kojo to explore life along the digital frontier — where journalistic goals, business realities and programming philosophies determine how technology will interact with news consumption. We get the latest on social readers, mobile apps, or other yet unannounced experimental ventures.