Crave Podcast 82: Smart helmets control next-gen soldiers

The last couple of Crave Podcasts have been real sausage parties -- sorry about that. We're making amends in episode 82, though. We've roped in the aural talents of Shannon Doubleday and Kate Macefield to represent female-dom, and keep Rory Reid and Rupert Goodwins in check.

This week our team faces a real moral dilemma. Scientists at DARPA are developing an intelligent helmet that helps soldiers identify bad guys faster than the blink of an eye. Soldiers can then waste the alleged insurgent without even thinking about it, but what happens when it goes wrong? Is it the fault of the soldier for pulling the trigger, or is the threat-identification system to blame?

Publicity-mad Florida attorney Jack Thompson is moaning about violent videogames again, and his latest method is a doozie. He's written to the mother of Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take Two Interactive, to tell her she should be ashamed of her son for making GTA IV -- a game he describes as a 'murder simulator'. He goes on to criticise the way she raised the lad, implying he should have been spanked as a child in order to make him a less violent individual. Huh?

There's plenty more, too. We discuss bionic eyes, a new sat-nav that tells you where not to park, expose the (alleged) worst UK ISP for BitTorrent TCP resets, and answer your tech questions from our forums. As always, we end the show with a WTF, which this week concerns a regular podcast listener Facebooking one of our mums. WTF?!

Download episode 82 from this link, or go to our Podcast homepage to subscribe in iTunes and for more information. Then go discuss it in the jumpin' Crave Podcast lounge. Catch you next week, podfans. -Rory Reid