With less than a year to go before we reach the Year 2000, everyone
from computer experts to doomsday cult leaders is warning about the
Y-2-K bug. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Suzanne Elston
points out, no one knows for sure what’s going to happen because we
can’t imagine a world without computers.
Tag: technology
Computer Recycling
Personal computers are quickly becoming as common in American households
as TVs and telephones. But unlike those appliances, computers become
obsolete at a much faster rate. And while many computer owners abandon
their machines after just a few years of use, others think they still
have a lot of value. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel
reports:
Soul of a Luddite
When the season of giving and getting is over, households across the
country are left to sort through the empty boxes and wonder how they
ever got along without their new toys. But Great Lakes Radio Consortium
commentator, Julia King, worries what all those new toys really mean-for
our daily lives, for our fellow humans and for the planet:
The Electronic Tongue
Scientists are hoping that new technology will change the way
environmental testing is done. An electronic tongue may soon allow them
to “taste test” things like water, sediment, and other substances. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:
Gizmo Pest Control
As more people become interested in alternatives to pesticides, theconcept of Integrated Pest Management is growing. The idea started inagriculture as a way for farmers to reduce or eliminate pesticides. ButIntegrated Pest Management – or I-P-M – is making inroads in the home.One group of products that are becoming more popular are specialtydevices that use things like negative ions and ultra-sonic waves torepel pests. But how well do they work? The Great Lakes RadioConsortium’s Wendy Nelson investigates:
Cows Assist in Gene Production
New bio-tech medicines are moving from the laboratory to the milkbarn. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports thatcows are being used in cutting edge technology:
Alfalfa Power
Farmers in Minnesota are growing crops for energy and constructing anew biomass power plant. It could be a big boost for rural business andrenewable energy development. But as Kathryn Herzog reports for theGreat Lakes Radio Consortium some environmental activists are concernedthe energy project may be going too far too fast:
Commentary – Take Cover!
The Mid-West has had a harsh storm season this summer, with plenty ofweather alerts and downed trees as proof. Recently, thousands were leftwithout electricity after storms made their way through northern Indiana andsouthern Michigan. Technology…such as Doppler radar…helps warnresidents of impending danger, minimizing the loss of lives. But afterheeding several warnings herself, Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator,Julia King, wonders about the fine line between forewarning and crying wolf:
Commentary – Nuke Plant for Sale: On-Line
Maine’s Yankee Rowe is the one of the first decommissioned nuclear plants to be dismantled and sold off. And as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Suzanne Elston discovered, all parties are welcome:
Commentary – Radioactive Legacy
Last month (March 1998), the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency released the results of an eight year study. Its purpose was to examine a proposal to bury high level nuclear waste deep in the bedrock of the Canadian Shield. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium Commentator Suzanne Elston discovered, the panel concluded that out of sight, isn’t necessarily out of mind: