TechStuff

Learn about the amazing world of magnets and how super smart people figured out we could use them to store data. From old wire recordings to magnetic hard drives, we look at the science and tech behind magnetic data storage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hacker Kevin Mitnick passed away this week. Back in the 1990s, Mitnick upset a lot of powerful companies by infiltrating their computer systems and became a hero to some and a villain to others. In other news, we've got a lot more AI stories, plus Ukraine authorities bust up a huge botnet operation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all heard that perpetual motion machines are impossible (at least as far as our understanding of the universe goes) but why? We look at how our understanding of thermodynamics forbids perpetual motion machines to be a thing. And I bungle the lyrics to a Faith Hill song. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Microsoft's contract to purchase Activision Blizzard expires today, and Reuters reports that the company is trying to get an extension on the agreement while navigating regulatory hurdles. A CEO predicts that AI will eliminate outsourced programmer jobs in India in the near future. And the NYPD plans to use flying robots to warn citizens of imminent danger. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A developer has created an AI chatbot designed to help hackers create malicious code and content. Was this inevitable? Beyond that, the "good" versions of AI continue to produce troublesome content. What would Hamlet have to say about that?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Software bugs range from annoying to catastrophic. It's time to explore some of the most famous flaws in computer history!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Hollywood to India, today's tech stories largely focus on how AI is disrupting businesses and the consequences that follow. Plus, we learn about Amazon asking the EU for reclassification, Microsoft moving forward on buying Activision Blizzard, and Chinese hackers gaining access to email accounts belonging to two dozen government agencies in the US and Europe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once upon a time, the RSS icon was a common sight on web pages. But these days, it's rare to see the friendly widget on the web. So what happened? Why has RSS faded away across much of the web landscape? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leaders in the US and Australia continue to view TikTok critically. The US state of Massachusetts proposes a law that would make it illegal for data brokers to buy and sell cellular location data. And protestors in San Francisco are sabotaging self-driving cars through the careful application of traffic cones.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta sees Twitter's struggles as an opportunity and has launched Threads. Meanwhile, services like Mastodon, Bluesky and Hive Social have attracted former Twitter users seeking an alternative. What's the state of microblogging, and will Threads become the new dominant platform?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is AR and how does it work? Learn about augmented reality's history and future!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter upsets lots of users with strange changes in process. Meta launches its Twitter competitor Threads. France passes a surveillance law that can turn a citizen's gadgets into devices that spy on them. And more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is carbon fiber? What makes it special? Is it really stronger than steel? And what are some good (and maybe bad) applications for carbon fiber? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where does the color come from in fireworks? How are those giant displays choreographed? We conclude our discussion on fireworks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do fireworks work? From the basics to fully choreographed displays, we take a look at the tech of making stuff go boom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shannon Morse and Jonathan continue their conversation about some of the worst hacking scenes in Hollywood history and how with a little adjustment they could be more accurate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this classic episode from 2009, Chris and Jonathan talk about 3-D glasses, awful movies from the 1980s, and whether or not 3D would become the future of television. (Narrator's voice: It did not).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Intel and AMD have a common history, but each company has gone its own way in chip design. Why are Intel chips and AMD chips not compatible? And is there one type of chip that's better than all the rest? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes an 8-bit system different from a 16-bit system? Or a 64-bit system? We look at what this actually means, and how a small jump in bits results in a huge jump in the number of values those bits can represent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan is loopy, but he's also logical. Or he tries to be. Between pop culture references and dad jokes, Jonathan explains what logic gates are and how they work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hacking isn't as glamorous or exciting as movies and television make it seem. Shannon Morse joins the show to talk about the worst examples of hacking in films and TV.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk called out Mark Zuckerberg to fight in a cage match, and Zuckerberg said he's down for it. Will we get a billionaire on billionaire beatdown? Probably not, but it's fun to talk about. Plus, Amazon faces scrutiny on two different fronts and Reddit chaos continues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the components that make up a CPU? What does it mean if a manufacturer used a 5 nm process to fabricate a chip? And is a multi-core processor always better than a single-core processor? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of subreddits continue to protest Reddit leaders' decisions to change API rules, and they have chosen the image of John Oliver to serve as protest. Plus Apple tells employees not to use chatbots and the EU makes some new rules for device manufacturers that will require big changes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Education has the power to show students a path they’d never considered before. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell and Dr. Laurie Santos take on tech education at HBCUs with Dr. Derrick Warren, Associate Dean at the Southern University College of Business. They talk about the partnership between IBM SkillsBuild and Southern University to co-create a cybersecurity leadership center for HBCU students and discuss how exposure to first-experiences inspires creativity. This is a paid advertisement from IBM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What has Pixar been up to over the last decade? Which Pixar film has had an underwhelming performance at the box office? And what comes next?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are Google staff being told to avoid using AI chatbots when the company makes one? How are governments around the world tackling risks associated with AI and misinformation? And why is Twitter getting kicked out of its offices in Boulder, Colorado?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in my day, computer games didn't have fancy graphics or immersive sound. They just had plain old text, and we liked it! We look at the origins of the text-based adventure game and how these games are a creative challenge to make.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of subreddits have switched to private in protest of Reddit's recent policy change regarding its API. Plus, Twitter's new CEO attempts to rally the troops, Microsoft faces more opposition to its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2023 E3 event was supposed to happen this week, but like last year the event never happened. Now some are saying it may never happen again. What brought about the decline of E3?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the success of Toy Story affect Pixar the company? Why was there tension between Steve Jobs and Michael Eisner? And what happens when Disney and Pixar merge?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deepfakes create a dangerous situation -- how can we trust that a recording is the real McCoy when machines can make such convincing fakes? From the history of deepfake technology to the liar's dividend, we learn about the evolution of the tech and the problems it creates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When developing the mp3 compression algorithm, engineer Karlheinz Brandenburg used a specific song to tweak settings and get them just right. What was that song? And why does Jonathan not like it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday, Apple finally unveiled its mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, which will set you back $3,500 in 2024. Plus, we learn about some new challenges in the crypto world as well as reports about whether or not aliens have visited us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In late 1985, a company called Worlds of Wonder introduced a new toy -- a teddy bear that could tell stories and sing. It could blink and move its mouth. And it turned out not to be a teddy bear at all. This is the long and winding road that leads to Teddy Ruxpin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the Pixar studio get started? How did it evolve from a small operation to a power player in the Disney empire? And how has the company led innovation in animation?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An organization in charge of a hotline to help people with eating disorders finds out that chatbots aren't a good substitute for a human operator. A judge in Texas explains that generative AI has no place in his courtroom. And Meta and Amazon both face some challenges around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the difference between a capacitive and a resistive touchscreen? Which came first? And are there other types of touchscreen technologies?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lawyer finds out the hard way that ChatGPT isn't a reliable legal assistant. Nvidia's CEO says that, with the help of AI, anyone can be a programmer now. And China plans to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030. Plus more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grace Hopper was a Navy officer, a teacher, a computer programmer and a legend in the tech field. We look back on her life and achievements.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Temple University scientists have found a new way to improve chocolate and it involves electric fields. Learn about the technology and physics behind improving a nearly perfect food.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter hit some technical snags yesterday while Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis announced his 2024 campaign. OpenAI's CEO issues a bit of a warning to the EU regarding AI regulation. And Sony has a new gaming peripheral on the horizon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Microsoft jumped into the mp3 player space a little late. Apple had been producing iPods for five years when the first Zune hit shelves. But that was just the beginning of a series of problems Microsoft encountered. We explore the sad (and short) story of the Zune.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta sells Giphy for a fraction of what it paid just a few years ago. Spain's government has it out for end-to-end encryption. And the US Surgeon General advises families about the potential dangers of social media. Plus more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the streaming media landscape is crowded, it could be worse. In this episode, we look at some streaming services that didn't stand the test of time. From platforms that were a bad idea from the start to ones that were victims of corporate mergers, we find out what went wrong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After my recent (tenth) cruise on the Disney Cruise line, I decided to look into what makes the ship work.How does it steady itself in rough seas? How much is automated?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The state of Montana has said that, starting January 1st of next year, the app TikTok is banned statewide. How will the state enforce the rules? Is this an overreaction to TikTok? And will the law stand up to legal challenges? Plus lots of news about AI because why not?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screen resolution can be confusing. What do all those numbers mean, and is bigger necessarily better? We go over some of the more common screen resolutions out there and talk about how (and when) they make a difference.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Elon Musk revealed he had tapped Linda Yaccarino to be the next Twitter CEO. But Musk won't be leaving Twitter completely. And now Tesla shareholders want him to create a succession plan at that company. Plus we get a bunch of updates on AI news, as well as some good news for Microsoft.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The idea behind net neutrality is pretty simple -- fair access to legal content for all consumers regardless of what ISP they use. But how do you implement this idea? That's become the focus of a massive political battle in the United States that's been going on for two decades.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.