TechStuff

Lots of news to cover today, including an update on Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, Meta is scaling back on some departments within the company, and Google's Russian subsidiary declares bankruptcy. Plus, learn how some engineers created a scientific breakthrough meant to make your burritos better.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What gives those classic video games like Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda their unique sound? We look at what makes 8-bit audio special, and why the 8-bit part isn't really the important, uh, bit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk says unless Twitter can prove its claim that less than 5% of all monetizable accounts are bots, the acquisition deal won't progress. A security researcher shows it's possible to unlock and start a Tesla vehicle through hacking. And how many times is your data traded online every day?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not all self-driving cars are made equal. We take a look at the various levels of autonomous driving and speculate on how long it might be until we have a truly autonomous car on the roads.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there a kill switch for the Internet? Is that legal or ethical? Ben Bowlin joins the show to talk about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All right, stop! Collaborate and listen; ICE is back with invasive digital surveillance covering essentially all US residents. Plus the SEC is after Elon Musk (again), the EU might outlaw end to end encryption and we learn what Google has announced at its I/O event.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On May 10th, 2022, Apple announced it was discontinuing the iPod Touch, the last in the line of iPod products. We look back on the debut, evolution and impact of the iconic iPod.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DRM, or digital rights management, can cause far more problems than what it was meant to solve. And it doesn't even solve the problem it was designed to do. In this episode, we look at several cases where DRM caused problems for legitimate customers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last couple of years have been hard, but they've also pushed businesses to adapt quickly and innovate. We look at the technologies that power work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nate Lanxon from Bloomberg joins the show to talk about the history of Internet Explorer and the future of Project Spartan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode sponsored by Nissan, we take a look at the technologies being developed right now that will reshape the web and how we interact online. From Web3 to the metaverse to, yes, NFTs, we look at what's good, what's bad and what could define our future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the late 90s, a man calling himself Michael Fenne had a radical idea: why not create a 1,000-channel online video network? The result was PIxelon, a company that in its short history had one of the craziest journeys in tech history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US invests in electric vehicle batteries. Meta decides to shut down its podcasting platform. And Spotify is in Roblox now!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to hold onto information. Paradoxically, it can also be hard to get rid of it. In this episode, we look at why long-term data preservation is a challenge, and the lengths people will go to in order to clear out digital information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nate Lanxon from Bloomberg joins the show to talk about the history of Internet Explorer and the future of Project Spartan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta saw more users join its services, giving investors more confidence in the company. Amazon is in a tussle with the Australian government. And the UK plans to fine streaming services that display "harmful content." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some researchers in the UK made a breakthrough that could have a dramatic impact on the cost of fuel cell technology. But how do fuel cells work anyway, and what's holding us back from using them?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite all the back and forth, it looks like Elon Musk's bid for Twitter will be a success. And as you can expect, the Internet reacted with measured rationality and decorum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a continuation of last week's episode about tech and the music biz, we look at how different media had a huge impact and how digital downloads and streaming would change everything. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the story behind the Air Force's X-37B space plane? What is it doing on its super-long missions? Ben Bowlin joins the show to make wild speculations with me.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The earnings call for Netflix led to a very bad day for the company. Tesla did booming business in the first quarter of 2022. And net neutrality proponents in California are celebrating. Plus more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we look at the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator software, which does so much more than emulate classic arcade machines. What is MAME's actual purpose, and is it legal?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter's Board of Directors have initiated a poison pill strategy in an effort to fend off Elon Musk's bid to acquire the platform. In other news, Amazon is getting into the mixed reality game and holographic doctors visited the International Space Station.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tech and business of music have evolved together, creating an enormous industry. We learn how recording technology, radio and more have shaped business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our history lesson about the implementation of pneumatic tube systems continues. We also explore how pneumatic tubes are used currently.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember on Tuesday when we heard analysts wonder if Elon Musk turned down a seat on Twitter's Board of Directors because he wanted to make a move on Twitter? Well, he wants to make a move on Twitter. Plus, Meta plans to take a huge chunk out of every transaction in the metaverse and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This tidbits episode rapidly got out of hand. We take a look at big format wars in history and why they are important. We also look at how format wars can cause confusion and frustration for consumers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk won't be joining Twitter's Board of Directors after all. Plus, what happens when cops pull over a driverless car? And we learn about a gorilla who is spending too much time looking at smartphones.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the Raspberry Pi? Who came up with the idea? What can the Raspberry Pi do? Listen in as your favorite tech gurus break down Raspberry Pi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do pneumatic tubes work? Lauren Vogelbaum joins the show to talk about the physics and history of pneumatic tube systems.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta ditched Diem but still plans to introduce a digital currency that employees call "Zuck Bucks." Some of Mark Zuckerberg's employees refer to him as the "Eye of Sauron" and somehow he doesn't think that's a bad thing. And we hear about a lawsuit that claims IBM fudged numbers on its revenue filings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Take a close look at the electromagnetic spectrum and you'll notice there's a span of frequencies we don't seem to use very much. Why is that?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Employees at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island pass a vote to unionize. Elon Musk becomes Twitter's newest board member. And scientists have created a new message to tell aliens where to find us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Advocate, technologist and comedian Baratunde Thurston joins the show to talk about his podcast How to Citizen and how, with a little work, we can make tech live up to its potential as a tool for positive social change.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can you hide a message so that no one knows you're even communicating? Use steganography! Ariel Kasten joins the show to talk about the art of hiding messages.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's news covers a lot of important problems cropping up around Big Tech, from anticompetitive practices to deceptive lobbying strategies to the spread of misinformation on social networking platforms. Plus learn how researchers were able to hack into a Canadian broadcast satellite.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the different kinds of satellite orbits, and what purpose do they serve? From low Earth orbits to Lagrange points, we take a high-level view. From space.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sony is combining two existing services into something new. Plus the supply chain problems we've been having are likely going to get worse. And we hear about AI-generated LinkedIn profiles. Could your coworker be a robot?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since its formation, the Facebook Oversight Board has reviewed some important content moderation cases on Facebook. In some cases it upheld Facebook's initial decision, in more cases the board overturned Facebook's actions. But why does the board exist in the first place and how does it work? Dex Hunter-Torricke joins the show to explain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CNET's Iyaz Akhtar joins the show to talk about lawsuits. What are some of the biggest lawsuits in gaming and how have they shaped our world?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cybersecurity researchers say that a 16-year-old boy in England is the ringleader of the Lapsus$ hacker group that compromised Okta and other companies earlier this week. We learn which big tech companies are the most ethical, sort of. And lots more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the buzz around Web3 grows, I thought it would be good to revisit the concepts of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. What do those terms actually mean? And does Web3 have any connection to them? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an effort to protect high-profile Facebook users, Facebook locked those users out of their own accounts. Sort of. Plus news about Google, Tesla and how the US SEC wants to hold companies accountable for greenhouse gas emissions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pete Morrison from Bohemia Interactive Simulations joins the show to talk about what goes into creating simulated worlds for military training and how that work could be part of the foundation for the metaverse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan and Scott look back on the history of aircraft carriers and how they evolved in the US Navy. From the Enterprise to the Nimitz and beyond!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between chasing rainbows and warding off banshees, Jonathan spends this St. Patrick's Day talking about numerous lawsuits and proposed pieces of legislation that could have enormous impacts on the tech industry. Plus Amazon picks up MGM and the James Webb Space Telescope takes its first fully-focused image. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, using streaming services is how most folks access music. But how did that get started? We look at the early history that set the stage for today's music industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Russian government has banned Instagram. A COVID outbreak in China could create more supply chain woes down the line. And Google employees indicate their displeasure in an internal survey. Plus more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all heard how the chip shortage has hit the automotive industry hard, but when did cars begin incorporating electronics in the first place? We look at the history of computerization in vehicles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CarStuff's Scott Benjamin joins this listener requested show about aircraft carriers. How do they work and what does it take to keep one operational?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.