Tech Tent Future farmers, Minecraft and Doom Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent @BBCRoryCJon Twitter
22 January 2016
Every Friday, Tech Tent on BBC World Service provides the latest news in technology. Here's what this week looks like.
Big Data on the farm
It's the oldest industry in the world and one you might not consider to be a forward-looking one - however, farming is experiencing an entirely new data-driven revolution. From drones that provide aerial surveys of crops, to combine harvesters that precisely measure the output of every square metre, or sensors that provide minute-by minute updates on the health of animals, farmers are dealing with an ever growing flood of data. A chicken farmer will share his experiences with this new way of working. Rob Carter, co-founder of Field Margin, will be our special guest. Field Margin is a smartphone app that assists farmers manage their data. By the way, our colleagues on BBC Radio 4's Farming Today have been covering farming and technology all week long and will be presenting special reports on Saturday morning's On Your Farm.
Minecraft in the classroom
We haven't heard much about Microsoft's plans for Minecraft since it was purchased by Microsoft. However, this week, the software giant announced a big push into education, launching a classroom version of the game. Minecraft Games Jane Wakefield, Jane's correspondent, went to BETT the largest educational technology show to discuss with Microsoft about the plans that will allow children to master Minecraft at school and later play the game at home. Schools will need to have an Office 365 account to log into the education edition - we'll be asking if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to take on Google as the prime software provider in the classroom.
Lessons learned from a Kickstarter
When the Zano mini-drone fell to earth last November, Kickstarter came in for some criticism from the backers who lost their money. The crowdfunding platform therefore hired an investigative reporter to determine what went wrong. Mark Harris' 13,000-word report was published this week. It's both an extremely detailed account of how to run a technology business and a cautionary tale for anyone who isn't aware that crowdfunding is not like ordering products from Amazon. We talk to Mark Harris on the show about where he believes crowdfunding can be an opportunity to get technology ideas off the ground.
Doom is able to move up a level
Twenty-three years after the original game Doom was launched, there's still an active group of players. This week, they have something to celebrate. John Romero, one of the original developers, has released the first level since the mid-90s. He spoke to Zoe Kleinman, our reporter. He admitted that he was nervous about the response of the community, but most fans have been overwhelmingly positive.
Tune to the BBC World Service at 15:00 GMT for all that and more . You can also catch the podcast later.
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