The process for getting these new top-level domain names on the market is kind of a strange one. ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is in charge of doling them out and is preparing to throw open the doors to groups who want to control certain suffixes.

We talk to Jonathan Zittrain about all this. He’s the co-founder and co-director of Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society and a frequent guest on our show. Jonathan says there is active debate on the expansion of top-level domain names. Some think there should be plenty of new names bringing further variety to the web and encouraging both free speech and entrepreneurship. Others feel that the whole structure of how the web works could be jeopardized.

As for whether people will use a .flowers or a .shoes when a perfectly familiar .com is available, Jonathan is skeptical. After all, business is not exactly booming for the previously approved .info, .biz, and .tv. But he says he was skeptical about the long term prospects of Twitter and Wikipedia too.

Also in this program, a statue of Robocop is likely on the way to Detroit. Why? Because it’s funny!