Dr. Charles L. Harper, Jr. asks some "off the wall questions" to challenge readiness of the scientific community to recognize the potential risks and implications of rapid human technological development. Where should our concerns lie given the potential ofsuper intelligent machines that could far exceed human intellectual capabilities? Are we up to the task of proper stewardship of such powerful new advances in technology, or more significantly will that role even be ours?

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Keith Devlin, author of "The Unfinished Game," who talks about the letters exchanged between two mathematicians -- Pascal and Fermat -- changed our lives.

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin, about the value of the information we get for free from the internet, and that which for scientists is not out there for any price.

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo and the inventor of plastics derived from corn, about corn derived biofuels. Also, Dr. Bill Gerwick and his graduate student Cameron Coates talk about producing fuel from algae.

Defense journalists Nathan Hodge and Sharon Weinberger have traveled globally to visit sites where the infrastructure of the nuclear arms race still remains. On this edition of IEEE Spectrum Radio, Hodge and Weinberger, who are husband and wife, talk about nuclear tourism and their motivations for writing the book A Nuclear Family Vacation which chronicles an array of discoveries from a one-eyed baby in Kazakhstan to radioactive deer hunting in Tennessee.

How do you create a friendly Artificial Intelligence? Eliezer Yudkowsky, Co-Founder & Research Fellow at the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, has focused his work on overcoming some of the mathematical impediments to building a self-improving AI. In this presentation he discusses the very speculative possibilities of creating an artificial mind infused with a sense of direction, and capable of learning from its own mistakes.

Jon Udell speaks with Granicus co-founder Tom Spengler, who explains how his company's streaming media system enables governments to manage the capture and synchronized presentation of video and text, making the proceedings usefully transparent.

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Dr. Robert Martensen, author of "A Life Worth Living," about the good and bad of technology in healthcare in general and as we approach the end of life.

Doug Fisher of Intel speaks about Intel's joint efforts with Ubuntu to deliver rich capabilities in a MID, a mobile internet device. After giving a summary of Intel's activities in support of the open source space, Fisher focuses on the growing relationship between Intel and Ubuntu to innovate the platform and the operating environment for the MID and to create together new usage models in new markets.

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Business Week journalist and author, Steven Baker, about his latest book, "The Numerati." In his book, Baker discusses the impact of digital technology in the world: toll booths, credit cards, and immediate access to information.