Crave Podcast 40: Are gadgets killing the environment?

By Kate Macefield on 06 July 2007, 12:19pm

We've been reading alarming reports this week that consumer tech is contributing to climate change. The Energy Saving Trust has published a report, hilariously entitled The Ampere Strikes Back, which projects that by 2020, gadgets will be responsible for some 45 per cent of the electricity used in UK households. Flat-screen TVs and digital radios are pointed to as particular offenders. Is consumer electronics really the cause of global warming? We put it on trial in this week's podcast.

While we're at it, we also bring you the, er, sad news of the closure of AllOfMP3.com and the happy news that the Wii is outselling the PS3 by six to one in Japan. We salute Zelda: Ocarina of Time as it's crowned the greatest game ever by Edge magazine, thrash some chords on some high-tech air guitars and talk about sex -- specifically the Euro-pumpy in a promotional EU video on YouTube.

We tap into our Crave blog and focus on Microsoft's time-travelling Photosynth software, flit over some not-quite-legal sites that bring you TV over the Internet, and give you word on the frankly outstanding prize offerings in this month's competitions.

We also give credit where credit's due -- firstly to the Sony HDR-SR8, a nigh-on perfect HD camcorder that we reviewed on the site this week, and secondly to a legend of a guy, Harper, who is counting to a million live online, all in the name of charidee. Catch our interview with him in this episode and find out if he's still sane.

We love hearing from our listeners. If you've got any tech questions you'd like Rory to answer in future shows, or you just want to say hi, just leave a comment below, email us at podcast@cnet.co.uk or drop in on our Facebook group and post away on our wall.

Right, we'll shut up now. Get over to our Crave Podcast page, download the new episode and laugh until your sides have split. Adios, podpeople! -Kate Macefield