Know a Little More

A computer designed to be used with a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and printer could sound like any computer you've used, all made possible by a graphical user interface used on the Xerox Alto. Tom explores its history.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The way you interact with computers was probably shaped by a small team working at Xerox in the 1970s. Tom explains the history of Smalltalk.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From room-sized machines to barely an inconvenience on your desk, laser printers are in nearly every office. But where did they start? Tom explores the origins of the laser printer.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Computers talk to each other via networking, most commonly over a wired ethernet connection. Tom explains how that started and why it was such a breakthrough.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1969, the chief scientist at Xerox, Jack Goldman, decided to found a west-coast research center in Palo Alto, right down the road from Engelbart's SRI. Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center or PARC was far enough from headquarters in Rochester, New York, that scientists could feel a little freer to experiment.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full show transcription here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom explains what GPUs are, why they are different than CPUs, and how they kinda just evolved into a product.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom discusses the origin of the term "log in", it's early use, and how it became something most of us do every day.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The last 120 years or so have seen tons of change for Korea, but what does the future hold? Tom shares what one heir is doing with their legacy.Featuring Tom Merritt.Episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The predictive capabilities of ChatGPT and other programs based on Large Language Models really seem to infer an artificial intelligence. How do the applications work...and are they sentient? Tom explains why you shouldn't fear ChatGPT.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With all the talk about banning TikTok in the United States, Tom dives in to explain who actually owns and controls its parent company, ByteDance, and why there's so much discourse about security.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's really being celebrated on Black Friday and is it the biggest shopping day in the world?Featuring Tom Merritt.Full Episode Transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The backbone of nearly every network you use on a daily basis is based on a system designed to be cheap and easy to implement.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if you could have a secure password generated fresh each time you need it? Authenticator apps do just that. Tom explains how.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Douglas Engelbart demonstrated how two people connected over a network could work together editing a document at the same time in 1968. It took much longer to see a real product.Featuring Tom Merritt.Episode Transcript available here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Video conferencing was a vital method of communication during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's roots go back much longer than you think.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did RISC-V grab the attention of nearly every major tech company and what was the need for yet another computer processor architecture? Tom walks you through the history and use case of RISC-V.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Internet's directory was once a simple text file on a single computer but has evolved into many directories world-wide that enable the Internet as you know it.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The word processor never got "invented" as such, it just slowly developed out of things like typewriters and even slowly merged from electronic appliances into software. To understand the origin of the word processor you and I would recognize, the one with bold, italic, underline, we need to follow the journey of future space tourist Charles Simonyi.Featuring Tom Merritt.Episode transcript available here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You all know what a mouse is. It’s so common, that you probably don't even think that much about why it's called a mouse. But back in 1968, the man generally credited with the invention of the mouse, Douglas Engelbart, had to apologize for what was certainly a silly name.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may have used them hundreds of times today, but the origin of hypertexts dates all the way back to at least 1963.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a single 90 minute presentation, Douglas Englebart showcased technologies that would eventually find their way into nearly every computer you've ever used. And he did it in 1968.Featuring Tom Merritt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Passkeys use something called public key cryptography. They have your public key. And because it’s public, it doesn’t matter if anyone gets it. That public key and your private key combine to validate who you are. But how does that work? Wouldn’t they have to know something besides the public key that’s unique to you? No. That’s the brilliance of it.Featuring Tom Merritt.Link to show notes here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We update the history of Section 230 in light of the recent Supreme Court decisions. What it is, what it isn't and how those decisions affected or didn't affect the future of the "safe harbor" law in the US.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By 1998 the US had passed its Digital Millennium Copyright Act. And partly because the US generates so much copyrightable material, and partly just because it’s the US and is a little pushy on the world stage, the DMCA became the de facto way of handling copyright protections on the internet around the world.But what is it? Why did we need the DMCA or the WIPO copyright treaty at all?Let's help you Know a Little more about the DMCAFeaturing Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript available here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taiwan is at once one of the most vexing political situations on the globe and one of the most important to the world of technology.But few people understand how it got to be either. And understanding that is essential to understanding what might happen next and how that matters a LOT for the technology industry.Let's help you Know a Little More about Taiwan.Featuring Tom Merritt.This episode has been updated to correctly name the original four members of the United Nations Security Council.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a lot of fear uncertainty and doubt being spread about OpenAI. So let's help you straighten out what it is and what it isn't.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may have heard that using text messages  as a second factor or 2FA code to protect your logins is less secure than other forms like apps or keys. You may even know this is because of something called SIM Swapping. Are there any legitimate uses/functions to swapping/cloning?Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could an open source alternative finally spell the end of Twitter's short-form bulletin board style postings? It's been tried before, but now there's perhaps the best contender for the Twitter throne yet: Mastodon.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Algorithms are a hot topic, especially among those concerned about how information is spread. Social networks like Instagram and TikTok famously use "algorithms" to decide what content to show you. Facial recognition algorithms famously fail, especially if you aren't light skinned. But ... What is an algorithm anyway? Is it really at fault for all of this?Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here.Thank you to Biocow, Mrs. Biocow, ZoeBringsBacon, and Stargate Pioneer for contributing their voices! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Merritt reads some corrections and feedback for the episode About RSS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You probably use an RSS feed. In fact if you got this episode as a podcast you definitely used an RSS feed. Most people these days don't even know they're there. The story of RSS is simple and yet combative. In fact RSS's success may hinge on one man's idealistic dedication to his principles. If you've ever thought "why are people making this so complicated?" If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be a person who just shut everyone up with an action that for right or wrong would stand the test of time. Get ready to Know a Little More about RSS.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What you need to know to form an opinion about Section 230, the “safe harbor” law in the US for tech platforms.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The word "computer" has a much longer history than you may think. Tom ventures through its long and calculated past.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is nuclear fusion, how does it differ from nuclear fission, and why is it all the rage for clean energy? Tom explains.Featuring Tom Merritt.Link to full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Supply chain attacks are an interesting method of compromising a computer system, but how do they work? Tom Explains.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom dives back down the USB rabbit hole to explain recent changes and several updates to the most recent USB specification.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready for a passwordless life? Tom explains how Passkey will get us there and why it's coming sooner than you think and later than you'd like.Featuring Tom Merritt.About the FIDO Alliance.About Public Key Cryptography.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom explains the need and use case for CUDA software and hardware and why that may matter to you. Featuring Tom Merritt.Episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom discusses the origins and proliferation of the most commonly used word in any language.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom clears up the confusion in Ethereum's new method of verifying its blockchain and explains the different approaches blockchains utilize.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here.Blockchain episode here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom dives into the complex history and potential implications of EU-US Privacy Shield, updated.Featuring Tom Merritt.Link to episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom explores the history and evolution of the HDMI interface and the features it may, or may not, support.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom explains the evolution and benefits of the latest Bluetooth standard, Bluetooth 5.Featuring Tom Merritt.Link to original episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom clears up the mystery of why your browser and the sites you visit love cookies so much.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom explains the basics of OpenRAN and why it's important to cell phone providers and customers alike.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom dives into the history of DisplayPort and explains why DisplayPort isn't just HDMI with a new-fangled connector.Featuring Tom Merritt.Episodes mentioned:About USB 4About Variable Refresh RateAbout HDMI 2.1Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Take a trip down memory lane to a time when streaming television shows was novel and new...and sometimes difficult.Featuring Tom Merritt.Episode page here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom breaks down the Bluetooth LE Audio profile, why it's needed, and when and where you can expect to see it in your devices.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full episode transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom is joined by SMR and BBQ and Tech host Rod Simmons to discuss the problems and possible solutions to charging electric vehicles.Featuring Tom Merritt and Rod Simmons.Visit the episode page here.Sites mentioned during this episode:- Plugshare- A Better Route Planner- SMR Podcast- BBQ and Tech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You've barely gotten your hands on a Wifi 6 router and there's already a Wifi 7? Tom explains the expected timeline and features of this new WiFi specification.Featuring Tom Merritt.Full transcript here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.