On this edition of IEEE Spectrum Radio, explore the fascinating energy technologies of the present and future. Listen to specials on "Wind Energy," "Vertical Wind Turbines," and "The Solar Challenge" where the ups and downs of Europe's wind energy are discussed and futuristic vertical-axis turbines that you could fit on your property become a possibility.

In this special green automotive edition of IEEE Spectrum radio, join John Voelcker at the LA Auto Show, the Electric Vehicle conference, and ride an electric motorcycle. At the LA Auto Show, all of the major car companies showed electric or fuel cell models. At the Electric Vehicle conference, there was tension between electric vehicle enthusiasts and car companies over the suitability of current battery technology. Finally, the Brammo Enertia is a new electric motorcycle, available for purchase today.

On this episode of IEEE Spectrum, learn about controlling a computer mouse by voice, a better alternative to electroshock therapy, and citizen clean water activism. A new software program designed to compliment voice recognition software lets users control a mouse by making vowel sounds and clicks. Also, magnetic seizure therapy has been as effective as electroshock therapy in patients who don't respond to medication, but without the threat of amnesia.

Sony's Blu-Ray defeats HD-DVD, but will downloadable movies make that victory moot? On this edition of IEEE Spectrum Radio, targeted trojan horse attacks are a growing security threat and have expanded the spyware vocabulary. Also, an interview with Ash Nehru of UnitedVisualArtists on their interactive light exhibits.

A high speed wireless network deployed throughout rural areas of San Diego county has changed both the quantity and quality of research done there. Most prominent is the repurposing of the Palomar telescope to rapidly respond to astronomical events. Following that is a review of some of the best tech toys of 2007.

David Mindell of MIT shares his experience with reading Thomas Pynchon's 1973 novel Gravity's Rainbow. The novel, which tells the story of the design, manufacture, and use of the German V-2 rockets in World War II, shows the fruits of a complicated technical endeavor and contains symbols of bigger issues in society.

Reconstruction of the electric grid in Iraq is seen as the most important project in that country. Over $60 billion have been pledged, but even three years after the end of the war, there is still a long ways to go. IEEE Spectrum executive editor Glenn Zorpette discusses the progress and challenges, both technological and political, facing the reconstruction effort there.

According to Yale University Professor Charles Perrow, it is time to start learning from recent natural disasters in the United States like Hurricane Katrina. On this edition of IEEE Spectrum Radio, Perrow asserts that instead of simply responding to natural disasters, we should be reducing our vulnerability to them.

On this edition of IEEE Spectrum Radio, class A ranked chess player Paul Hoffman talks about his new book "King's Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game." Hoffman also discusses how he has been involved with chess, from playing in competitions, to using chess as an educational tool.

Students get a shot at hybrid design as IEEE Spectrum Radio reports on the "Challenge X", a four-year competition tasking college teams with modifying a standard SUV for extreme fuel economy without sacrificing utility. Following that is an interview with Professor Scott Fahlman, the inventor of the emoticon. Finally, we hear about the trials of launching a Low Power FM station as community activists build a grassroots beachhead against corporate commercial radio.