The topics:

• We did have a show last week, but our audio host seems to have lost that MP3. We've made contact with tech support, but are still awaiting the final report from Blog Talk Radio.

  Our disappointment with this major glitch is, we realize, magnified by the otherwise good experience we've had with this free beta service. Note to BTR: Get back with us on this problem and we'll be singing your praises again.

• Our Hollywood Correspondent PJ Manney joined us for a few minutes to talk about the Oscars. The Oscar movies were downers this year. The Valley of Elah, No Country for Old Men, and There Will be Blood were far from feel good. PJ believes it took some of the excitement out of the event.

  Speculist favorite The Golden Compass did win for best visual effects.

• PJ revealed that she was wearing Pee Jays for the Oscars. This is the big advantage of covering the Oscars with radio.

• She also let Phil and Stephen know the R.U. Sirius is editing a magazine for the World Transhumanist Association. Stephen pointed out that R.U. Sirius is not to be confused with Yahoo Serious.

• They talked about how memes, like "Americans are stupid," stick around regardless of their truth.

• They were surprised that some Americans object to nanotech for moral reasons. They wondered whether people have confused nanotech with embryonic stem cell research, or whether people are afraid of grey goo.

  On the bright side, Americans are less afraid of GM food than Europeans.

• Contact lenses with circuits, lights could be a possible platform for superhuman vision. Animal testing is ongoing. Phil and Stephen agree that the possibilities are wide open for this technology.

  Phil wondered which comes first, HUD contact lenses or self-driving cars. Stephen thinks that both technologies are imminent and will be complementary.

• Speaking of self-driving cars, Stephen enjoyed the new Knight Rider pilot. Good cheesy fun. By the way, that was Val Kilmer playing the voice of the new K.I.T.T.

• Stephen just introduced his kids to ET: The Extra Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Phil got to see 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen. Phil's daughter's response was pretty much "what the heck was that?"

• VW is coming out with a diesel hybrid. Stephen is especially excited about this development. They just need to offer a diesel plug-in hybrid.

• The picture at the top of this post is the VW Vortex concept that Michael Darling mentioned. It gets 235mpg and has a carbon fiber body.

Our front bumper is a sample of Marginal Prophets' "The Difficult Song."

Our exit music this week is from Codaphonic. The song is "Ritalin."

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