While the internet has made the world a smaller place, it can also amplify our obsession with news in our backyard. The same political, technology and celebrity items get bounced around among bloggers and other media, sometimes without much room for new perspectives and issues.

Global Voices Online is trying to counter that trend. The web site is a digest of blogs from around the globe -- especially developing countries. It was founded by former CNN correspondent Rebecca MacKinnon and a researcher and blogger named Ethan Zuckerman, with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. Zuckerman (our guest on the show) says they started Global Voices out of concern for how little news the media carries from developing parts of the world. (Jeff Horwich guest-hosts.)

Elsewhere:

Want to build a wooden iPod? (from Bit-Tech.net)

China signs up to anti-spam act (Silicon.com)

Wireless technology breakthrough offers cheap long distance broadband (PC Pro)

Microsoft's personnel puzzle (CNet's News.com)