TechStuff

What is a cam? How do cams fit into mechanical systems, and why do we use them? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world’s first autonomous vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean is signaling a new era in maritime technology. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell takes on this topic with Lauren Ober, host of The Loudest Girl in the World, and guests Brett Phaneuf and Don Scott, the engineers behind the Mayflower Autonomous Ship project. The two explain how automation and AI allowed them to reimagine the design and use of a ship at sea and their implications beyond maritime navigation. This is a paid advertisement from IBM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A listener asked to learn more about the Facebook/Meta Pixel, an ad tool that is incredibly powerful (and invasive). What is the Pixel, how does it work, and is there any escape from it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been an Event. What sort of tech can you rely upon after the zombie outbreak? Or solar flares? Or whatever?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook and Twitter have been shutting down fake accounts spreading pro-US narratives in the Middle East and Asia. Google warns us of a hacking tool that can download your entire email inbox. And in most of the world it's about to get more expensive to buy a new PS5.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How could a music video's audio shutdown a computer? Why did the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse in 1940? And did Nikola Tesla build an earthquake machine?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple's 3 nm chips are on the way. A former Apple employee pleads guilty to industrial espionage. Oracle allegedly knows everything about you. And Sony announced its new VR hardware will be out in early 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Televisions weren't always smart. You might argue they still aren't. But there's a surprisingly long history behind them and of the effort to bring extra information to televisions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been an Event. What sort of tech can you rely upon after the zombie outbreak? Or solar flares? Or whatever?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tanzania has installed high-speed internet on Mt. Kilimanjaro, providing more resources to mountain climbers and influencers alike. Facebook and TikTok are cracking down on political misinformation in the lead up to US elections. And a Janet Jackson music video was once the scourge of laptop hard drives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we look at some of the issues with VR that could act as a stumbling block on the journey to the metaverse. How will VR play a part in the metaverse, and will it create a new and more dramatic digital divide?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple reportedly has a new deadline requiring corporate employees to come back to the office. Some Signal users had their phone numbers exposed in a phishing attack. And a hacker partnered with a Doom modder to bring the first person shooter to tractors. Plus moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does the fintech company Affirm work? And what's the story behind its founder, Max Levchin? From Chernobyl to Peloton, our story takes some pretty crazy twists and turns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What was the Manhattan Project all about? What went on during the Manhattan Project and who were the influential people involved? Ben Bowlin joins the show to talk about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ransomware hackers got access to some Cisco systems but forgot to actually do the ransom part. Streaming services are grappling with the problem of managing costs and becoming profitable. And SpaceX's Starlink won't be getting hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid after all. Plus more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did a nuclear engineer end up inventing the Super Soaker water gun? This is the story of Lonnie Johnson, an inventor and engineer who, among many other things, revolutionized the backyard water pistol fight.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Google's software update caused a brief but widespread outage of services. The US government stalls on passing an antitrust bill that would have a massive effect on the tech sector. And the semiconductor shortage continues to disrupt the automotive industry, plus more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Charlie wants to know about X, the Alphabet subsidiary where Google engineers conduct super secret research and development on everything from jetpacks to augmented reality headsets. We learn about its history and some of its successes and failures.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Ben Bowlin joins the show to talk about the scientific and political landscape that made the Manhattan Project possible. What was Einstein's role? Who first discovered nuclear fission?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Late last year, speculation around the metaverse fed into a crazy market for virtual real estate. Six months later, values have dropped 80%. What happened? Plus an update on Apple's battle with Ericsson and how some researchers were able to defeat a next-generation encryption strategy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook and Instagram might have to shut down operations if there's not a change to EU privacy requirements. It turns out that's not a threat, it's a cry for help. We learn about what might force these platforms out of the EU.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A solar storm is heading toward Earth but it's nothing to worry about. Plus, Apple says its human rights were violated and the Chairman of TSMC states the obvious. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek have recently received a filmmaking upgrade in the form of The Volume and The AR Wall (respectively). What do these systems do and how could they change filmmaking? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What exactly is a disruptive technology? Jonathan explains the term and gives examples of how technology can really shake things up.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta held its Q2 2022 earnings call and we learned a lot about what's going on with the company. We also learned that soon Meta will charge more for VR hardware and that it might be easing off on its misinformation policy. Plus news about Samsung, Google, Apple making a car and the next Grand Theft Auto game.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concluding our epic series about Jony Ive and his influence at Apple, we find out how Steve Jobs's death affected the designer, the projects he worked on over the last decade, and why he stepped away from the company.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The headlines tell us cyberattacks are a big, consistent threat to business data – and ours. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell takes on this topic with Tim Harford, host of Cautionary Tales, and Stephanie “Snow” Carruthers, Chief People Hacker for X-Force, IBM. Snow and her team are finding creative solutions to test their clients’ security, including hacking into their systems before criminal hackers do. This is a paid advertisement from IBM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Jobs, Jony Ive and others at Apple were able to make huge changes, going from the brink of bankruptcy toward success. What would come next would be an incredible era of innovation and success at the company, from iPods to iPads.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuff You Should Know's Josh Clark and Jonathan continue their discussion about achieving immortality through technology. What are the philosophical problems and will it ever happen?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Zuckerberg is going to have to appear in a federal court to answer questions about his alleged involvement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Meanwhile, an art installation company is also suing Meta for being a copycat. Plus lots more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Upon the return of Steve Jobs to Apple, Jony Ive found his role transformed. Given more freedom and authority to have innovative designs find their way into products, Ive and Jobs set out to restore Apple's reputation in the industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter wants to bring its case against Elon Musk's refusal to go through with his acquisition of the company, and it wants that case to happen in September. Musk argues that the case should be pushed to February of next year. Plus we learn about another Russia fining Google, Apple being sued for being anticompetitive (again) and more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jony Ive, the genius designer who helped redefine Apple's identity, has recently cut ties with the company. Here we learn about his origins and journey to Apple during the company's most chaotic era.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could technology let us live forever? Stuff You Should Know's Josh Clark joins the show to talk about the possibility of digital immortality.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple and Jony Ive's design company have chosen not to extend a contract, meaning for the first time in 30 years Apple will be without Ive's influence in design. Also, more than 500 women sue Uber over the violence they experienced from drivers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is the preservation of video games such a complicated mess? And what's the big deal with preserving them in the first place? We look at how enthusiasts and historians are trying to find ways to prevent old games from being forgotten.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lobbyist who formerly worked for Uber has dumped more than 100,000 internal documents recording various questionable practices Uber used between 2013 and 2017. It's worse than what we thought. Also, are you ready to pay a subscription fee to access your car's options?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2014, TechStuff did The Twitter Story, but a lot has happened in the following 8 years. We look at what has happened to the company, including its current mess involving Elon Musk.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the history of the sword? What are they made from and what is an alloy? Special guest Ariel Kasten joins the show to talk about pointy things.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Intelligence and law enforcement agencies warn that hackers from China and North Korea are causing massive problems. A former Facebook employee claims the company is able to undelete user data despite claiming otherwise. And is the video game industry in for a bad year?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kris Straub uploaded a creepy animated short to YouTube in 2018, he indicated that it was for audiences 18 and older. So why did YouTube's AI overrule Straub to say the video is suitable for kids? We look at COPPA and how it has affected YouTube.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.

Agriculture has come a long way since the invention of the plow. Learn about how high-tech gadgets are revolutionizing agriculture!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A controversial ruling by the US Supreme Court has had a big impact on the country as a whole and the tech industry is no exception. Plus, one FCC commissioner wants Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores. And Major League Baseball might be fed up with human umpires.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By listener request, here's an episode about flash drives and flash memory. What makes it different from RAM and hard drives? How does it store information?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Advocating for artificial intelligence to be built and deployed ethically is no longer just a compliance issue but more of a business imperative. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell takes on this topic with Dr. Laurie Santos, host of The Happiness Lab, and Phaedra Boinodiris, Trust in AI Practice Leader within IBM Consulting. Phaedra’s team at IBM is creatively tackling the global need to build trustworthy AI by approaching the challenge holistically, implementing design thinking to address problems before they arise. This is a paid advertisement from IBM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes, the folks who invent important (or at least popular) tech end up being left out when it's time to collect the cash. We look at invention, ingenuity, patents and profit in this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The URL is a handy way to navigate to a specific web page. But where did it come from? How does it work and why are they almost always in English?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could the future of electronics be the human body? We explore efforts to turn your body into a technological interface.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.