This is probably unsurprising, but I’m a big Star Trek fan.  As many have pointed out before, a big reason for the enormous popularity of the franchise is its devotion to the idea that technology will solve many of humanity’s problems.  I know its extremely naive, but I just can’t help but buy into Star Trek’s utopian future.  This is why I love Clark Boyd’s PRI’s The World: Technology Podcast. This (usually) weekly podcast is filled with stories from PRI’s The World (many of which reported by Boyd himself) about how technology positively affects the world as a whole, regardless or income or social standing.

Its terrific coverage of the Twitter #iranelection continued long after the major news sources stopped caring.  Its coverage of Internet censorship in China and the ingenious ways Chinese citizens fight back has also been great.  And then there are the surprisingly engrossing stories about new products being created to serve the bottom of the pyramid market.  A few of my MBA classes have touched upon this concept, and this podcast gives proof that there is money to be made from developing products for large numbers of low-income people.  Check out the podcasts about the Eco-Cooker, bamboo bicycles, and the WE CARE Solar Suitcase.

Star Trek isn’t really about how cool technology can be – James Bond and Star Wars movies are much more about that.  (Well, ok – holodecks are pretty cool.)  But in general, Star Trek tech is more about how its application can be revolutionary to a society when deployed on a macro level.  Can you imagine if replicators were invented and became commonplace worldwide?  No more world hunger!  Hardly any of the new products discussed on Boyd’s podcast are sexy or cutting edge.  But the original applications and entrepreneurial creativity shown in the technology featured every week is always staggering.  I highly recommend adding this unique and too-often overlooked technology program to your podcast diet.

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