Fifteen percent of people who had some piece of technology break down in the previous year were never able to get it repaired, according to a new survey from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. That figure is even higher for cell phones - as one in four people report an unresolved problem. Less

Security experts who helped shut down a shadowy Silicon Valley Web hosting company this week say the result is an instant 40 percent drop in spam. But that won't last, according to Paul Ferguson of security firm Trend Micro. Less

Popular online classified ad site craigslist has introduced new rules aimed at reducing ads placed by prostitutes and pimps. The San Francisco company is now charging a small fee and requiring credit card verification for postings in the "erotic services" section of the site. Advertisers must also supply a working phone number. CEO Jim Buckmaster says he expects that very few ads for illicit services will remain. Craigslist promises to donate revenue generated from ads to charity. Less

During his campaign Barack Obama leveraged the Web, social networks, text messaging and e-mail to amass supporters and money. The question now: Will Obama use his millions of Internet friends to help him run the country and bring change to Washington? Less

Mobile phone company Nokia and the University of California Berkeley have released software that allows some San Francisco Bay Area drivers to use their GPS-enabled phones to better monitor traffic congestion. Less

Environmental activists and more than two dozen recycling companies have created a certification program designed to curtail the export and improper disposal of toxic electronic waste. Less

Malicious hackers are finding it more difficult to exploits flaws in Windows, so they're going after individual programs instead, according to Microsoft's semi-annual Security Intelligence Report. Less

Eager Windows fans are already downloading a very early, unfinished version of Windows 7 via bit torrent. The successor to Vista is not expected in its final form until 2010. People who write Windows programs recently got a sneak peak of Windows 7. Many reviewers say the new OS - even though it's just in a state called "pre-beta," looks pretty stable Future Tense news analyst Dwight Silverman says Windows 7 is a direct descendant of the much-maligned Vista. Less

MP3 - iTunes A game that lets users create an alternate, evolving universe and software for creating 3D worlds are among the top technology breakthroughs of 2008, according to Popular Mechanics magazine. Guest: Popular Mechanics Senior Tech Editor Glenn Derene... Less

MP3 - iTunes It was cold where Glen Martin lived in New Zealand and one of the few places to stay warm was the library. There he read what he needed to become a biochemist but to take a break... Less

MP3 - iTunes It was a little more than four years ago when Howard Dean grabbed the Internet and shook it loose for all the political capital it had. Four years later, has politics online really changed? Chris Wells studies... Less

The Internet and cell phones are bringing family members together rather than creating isolation, according to a new study. Less

Megan Wiseman feels like she probably should buy a video game console or two, plus a handful of games -- she works as a technical writer for a video game company and needs to stay on top of the industry. But with the stock market plunging, job losses increasing, and the threat of greater inflation, she's resisting. The Raleigh, North Carolina resident dumped her cell phone plan in favor of a cheaper pay-as-you-go phone. "I kind of miss having a gadgety phone and I've been kind of trying to think of how I can work that back into my budget but it just hasn't really been possible," she said. Less

Consumers will bypass expensive gear like laptops and flat screen televisions in favor of much cheaper gadgets in the all-important fourth quarter, according to Roger Kay, computer industry analyst with Endpoint Technologies. Less

A conversation with author and science journalist David Ewing Duncan about the need for greater public investment in science and technology projects. Less

The Vinecast - Episode 14 - Oct. 15, 2008 Today Viki and I are joined by Bill Harrison, and Kyle Baxter. For full show notes and to discuss the podcast, go to http://tinyurl.com/vinecast14. Less