TechStuff

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.

From Amazon to Google to Apple, companies are creating digital assistants to make our lives easier. What's the technology behind them and are they safe to use?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Google has announced a ton of stuff at the 2023 I/O event, including how AI will show up in future Google searches if you opt into it. We also learn how Microsoft's deal to buy Activision is going, how YouTube is discouraging ad-blockers and how one influencer is using AI to make clones of herself for people to date. For a fee, of course.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Geoffrey Hinton recently retired from Google, saying that he wanted to be able to speak freely about his concerns regarding artificial intelligence without having to consider the impact to his employer. So what is the Godfather of AI worried about? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defendants in court cases are trying the deepfake defense and judges are not having it. Think twice before you commit a huge investment into AI companies. SBF is asking courts to throw out most of the charges against him. And Peter Thiel has some icy plans after his demise. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special guest Jack Pattillo joins the show to talk about the former Disney Hollywood Studios attraction, The Great Movie Ride. From immersive storytelling to the implementation of a new kind of animatronic, Jack and Jonathan explore this long-gone ride.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kepler Telescope has detected hundreds of exoplanets in our galaxy. What's the story behind it and how does it work?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sadly, we don't have any Star Wars news today. But we do have tons about AI, Meta facing governmental scrutiny, Microsoft making a questionable decision with regard to Edge and lots more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, I mentioned in a Tech News episode that the FBI and the FCC are warning folks to stay away from public charging stations for mobile devices. But it turns out that warning by be like a certain Shakespearean comedy: Much Ado About Nothing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IBM's CEO reveals that the company has paused on hiring approximately 7,800 people in order to consider AI for those roles instead. A pioneer in deep learning is concerned about the potential dangers of AI. And the Web celebrates 30 years of being in the public domain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What process does Nissan follow when designing a new vehicle? We dive into the complicated process of going from concept to finished vehicle and learn how Nissan combines cutting edge technology with traditional artistic expression to get there.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Producer Noel Brown joins the show to talk about the science, theory and practice of soundproofing. How does sound work? How can you protect a room from sound?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man in Thailand claims that, with a little coaxing, ChatGPT helped him pick winning numbers for the lottery. Plus we hear a lot of other stories about AI, how Meta had a very good first quarter after laying off 21,000 people, and why Netflix might be worried after rolling out a password sharing crackdown initiative in Spain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is a quantum bit, and how is it different from a normal bit? What kinds of problems are quantum computers good at solving? And how many dumb jokes can Jonathan shove into this episode?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In less than a week, Twitter's blue checkmark went from a desired status symbol to a mark people want to avoid at all costs. What happened? Plus, news on GM phasing out the Chevy Bolt, Google abandoning a mega campus project and an update on the Apple vs Epic legal battle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is an AI hallucination? What causes a chatbot to go off script and invent stuff? And is AI's tendency to rewrite history a bug or a feature?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan and Ben continue their conversation about online ads. Is it wrong to use ad blockers? Or is it wrong to block people who block ads?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The test launch of SpaceX's Starship was a success despite the fact that the launch vehicle later exploded high above the Gulf of Mexico. There are more battles happening around the subject of artificial intelligence. And if you used Facebook between 2007 and 2022, you can file a claim to get a share in a massive class action lawsuit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vinyl sales were on the decline from the 1980s to the mid 2000s, but since 2006 sales have been on the rise. What's the history of vinyl, and what makes this format special?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Elon Musk working on a kinder, gentler AI? Could Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI take a huge chunk out of Google? And how do artists protect themselves against deepfakes?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the weekend, Google rolled out a patch to Google Chrome. It addresses a zero-day vulnerability. But what are zero-day vulnerabilities and zero-day attacks? We learn about the definition and history of this powerful type of hacker attack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Online advertising has been a bit of a problem for a long time. Join Jonathan and Ben as they talk about ads, ad blockers and malware.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's Cyberspace Administration recommends regulations that would prevent AI from upsetting the country's political apple cart. Plus, why did Elon Musk buy 10,000 GPUs? And Meta employees are having a real morale issue for lots of reasons.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does a CPU do? What is clock speed? What does it mean to overclock a CPU? And are FLOPS a good thing?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've got stories about top secret US documents showing up on Discord servers and how Meta's verification system is putting people in danger, but to be honest a LOT of this episode ends up being about the chaos going on over at Twitter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is a dark ride? What's the oldest dark ride still in operation? How do dark rides use technology to tell stories? And whatever happened to the Tunnel of Love?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hak5 Host Shannon Morse joins the show to talk about hacking as a profession. From white hats to black hats, how do hackers make money?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta has plans to launch a commercialized AI product by the end of this year. Apple might have picked the wrong year to get into XR. Binance closes derivative businesses in Australia due to an investigation. And rich lonely people may soon be able to avoid the rest of us on Tinder.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Razer makes pretty much everything, but this episode is about some of the concepts, prototypes and (arguably) vaporware the company has teased that never became a commercial product. From modular computers to futuristic gaming chairs, we look at some crazy concept hardware that you absolutely cannot buy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Germany looks to block ChatGPT out of privacy concerns. Samsung Semiconductor adjusts its own stance on ChatGPT as employees share a bit too much information with the chatbot. And a ChatGPT detector might flag a student's legitimate work as AI material. Plus lots more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not that long ago, tech companies would fall over themselves to participate in gags and jokes on April 1st. Things have calmed down a bit over the last few years, but we're starting to see shenanigans poke through again. We look at a few examples from this year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CarStuff's Scott Benjamin comes on to talk about Google's self-driving car causing its first car accident. What happened? And how will Google prevent future accidents?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pair of letters signed by more than 1,000 people (maybe) argue that we need to slow down before developing more advanced artificial intelligence models. Plus, did Google cheat off OpenAI's work to build out Bard? And SBF stands accused of bribing Chinese officials to the tune of 40 million dollars.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.