TechStuff

When did the trend of Cyber Monday begin? We take a look at the history of one of the Internet's biggest annual events. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From trying to scam their way onto high score leaderboards to using hacks to run rampant in online multiplayer games, we look at how cheaters have tried to take the easy way toward video game legend status. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NASA launches a spacecraft that will collide with an asteroid, but on purpose. Also, Facebook executives allegedly prevented researchers from improving algorithms to limit the spread of hate speech. And Texas invites bitcoin miners to settle down, but can the state's power grid handle the load? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the famous Konami code to the Doom modders, we look at some of the early examples of cheat codes and cheat devices in video games. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tragedies and financial crises turned what used to be General Electric's strengths into liabilities. In this episode, we learn how the once dominant company began to struggle and why some think its heading for insolvency. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creating trust and transparency in AI isn’t just a business requirement, it’s a social responsibility. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm talks to Christina Montgomery, IBM's Chief Privacy Officer and AI Ethics Board Co-Chair, and Dr. Seth Dobrin, Global Chief AI Officer, about IBM’s approach to AI and how it’s helping businesses transform the way they work with AI systems that are fair and address bias so AI can benefit everyone, not just a few.This is a paid advertisement from IBM. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After World War II, General Electric would grow rapidly to the point of bloat. Then a man named Jack Welch took over as CEO and made some big changes. What was Welch's legacy? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In its first few decades, General Electric would grow into an enormous company with incredible influence in the United States. In this episode, we see how that played out leading up to and through World War II. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

General Electric has been around for more than 100 years. It's recently been in a bit of a slump. How did this company get started? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is ambulance technology all about? Ben Bowlin joins the show to explore this listener-suggested topic. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Korea is barging into the future with a municipal metaverse for Seoul and an air traffic control system for flying taxis. Plus an update on Elon Musk selling Tesla stock, why it's still hard to buy a PlayStation 5 and how a brain computer interface project interprets imaginary handwriting. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Science fiction writers have predicted numerous things that came true. But then there are those who have predicted stuff that didn't quite work out the way they imagined. This episode is dedicated to them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A proposed law in the US would make companies like Facebook give users an alternative to algorithmic-generated news feeds. The DoJ goes after ransomware hackers. And we've got news about Nintendo's next video game console (kind of). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We round out a totally-not-definitive list of bad cars with entries like the Trident, the Aztek and the Hummer H2. Plus the scandal of Dieselgate and cars that were meant to fly or swim. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time to talk about some cars that, for one reason or another, people love to hate. So from the Pinto to the Trabant, join us as we look at cars that were lemons, cost too much or doomed a company to bankruptcy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta PC's owners say "Not so fast, Facebook" to a proposed name change. Google is bidding on a defense contract. A new methodology relating to quantum computing could change everything. And astronauts make tacos in space with space chiles! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did hackers take over a television signal in the late 1980s? Stuff You Should Know's Chuck Bryant joins the show to talk about the Max Headroom Incident. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook changed its name, but will it change its game? Also, some folks in Oregon want to know how much water Google uses. A suspicious cryptocurrency turns out to be a scam. And YouTube is done making Rewind videos. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We learn about how Magnavox saw a surge in consumer popularity after World War II, including how Magnavox started manufacturing televisions. We also learn about the first video game console. And we find out what happened to Magnavox the company. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Continuing our history of Magnavox, we look at how the invention of the moving coil loudspeaker would form the foundation of the company. Oh, and also how the engineers of Magnavox figured out how to make noise-cancelling microphones for World War I airplane pilots. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the next decade, quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize the way we work and live. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm talks to Dr. Darío Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research, about quantum computing and its potential to accelerate discovery and development. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook held its quarterly earnings call and while the company is under criticism its revenue is through the roof. Also, Congress is asking social networking companies to think of the children and Jeff Bezos plans to build a station that's out of this world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We dive into the early history of radio transmissions and learn about the founding of Magnavox. Along the way, we also learn about spark gap transmitters, arc transmitters and why it was difficult to break into radio in the early days. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this classic episode, Josh Clark joins the podcast to talk about humanoid robots. Why are we so concerned about building them and are they a good idea? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Attorney General for Washington DC has named Mark Zuckerberg as a defendant in a lawsuit about Cambridge Analytica. Some companies hope to put a private space station in orbit in a few years. And the Boring Company gets closer to its plans for Las Vegas. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash," we were introduced to the concept of a metaverse. Now companies like Facebook are working to make their own version. But what is it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Members of Congress imply that it might be time to begin a criminal investigation into Amazon. Facebook's AI isn't up to the task of clamping down on hate speech. And NASA wants to build a communications network for the Moon. Plus more! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What caused the great video game crash of 1983 in North America? Was it too many lousy, cheap games? Was it the home computer? Was it E.T.? Or was it more complicated than that? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Pentagon chief software officer Nicolas Chaillan resigned, citing frustrations regarding trying to bring the US Department of Defense up to speed with respect to cyber security and warfare. He said that China has effectively won the cyber battle. Is he right? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is all about issues at Amazon and Facebook as the two companies try to fend off allegations that the companies engage in anti competitive practices. Plus we learn a bit about how Facebook is pursuing AI research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this classic episode, Jonathan and Chris Pollette talk about the realities of cyber warfare. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Facebook was dealing with a whistleblower. This week, the company might have another one. Plus stories about Amazon corporate employees working from home indefinitely, Microsoft blocking a massive DDoS attack and Magic Leap trying to bounce back. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the world of cryptocurrency, there's a need for algorithms to create a consensus for validating transactions. Bitcoin uses Proof of Work. Ethereum 2.0 will use Proof of Stake. What the heck is the difference? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly Frey from Stuff You Missed in History Class joins the show to talk about the sewing machine and how it shaped patent law. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A hacker steals pretty much everything Twitch has. Facebook tries to downplay a whistleblower's allegations. And someone has taken over a US Navy Facebook page. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Terje wants to know about space navigation. We look at how orbital velocities, special and general relativity and even stuff like solar radiation can make navigating from point A to point B a big head scratcher once you go into space. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook and all its services disappeared on Monday, October 4th. What caused the outage? Also, the US Senate interviews a Facebook whistleblower, a former Tesla employee wins a lawsuit against the company and Amazon pushes out a very expensive robot. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was an engineering feat to link England to France via subsea cables. Connecting Europe to America would require even greater innovation. From failed installations to engineering mistakes, we look at what it took to connect two continents separated by the Atlantic ocean. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Antriksh asked that I look into subsea cables, the physical connections that link distant lands together for communication and power transmission. We learn about how physics creates unique challenges for subsea transmission and how 19th century engineers and scientists tried to overcome them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world is hitting a data tipping point where vast connectivity requires massive network capacity. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm Gladwell talks to David Shacochis, Vice President for Enterprise Technology and Field CTO at Lumen, and Howard Boville, Head of IBM Cloud Platform, about how hybrid cloud is serving as a catalyst for innovation in a world where computing can and must happen everywhere: private clouds, public clouds, the edge of the network. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Area 51 factors into stories about everything from weather-control devices to aliens. Ben Bowlin joins the show to look at the mythology of Area 51. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Instagram and Facebook argue that the Wall Street Journal inaccurately interpreted data about Instagram's effects on mental health. A California law aims to make companies like Amazon more accountable for worker health and safety. And TikTok hits one billion monthly users. Plus more! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A listener asked that I talk about ADCs and DACs, but to do that we have to understand how sound works, how analog works and how digital works. And then we explore whether one format is superior to the other. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's been going on at the Area 51 site since the days of the U-2 and A-12 spy plane tests? We look at stealth technology, drones and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We learn more awful stuff about Facebook. Texas's law against social media companies is challenged in court. And the White House is meeting with companies about the semiconductor shortage. Plus more! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We finish up our series about space stations and talk about the most recent modules to join the ISS, the private citizens who visited the ISS as tourists, what life is like aboard the space station and what the future holds. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of articles in The Wall Street Journal has Facebook on the defensive. Tech companies struggle to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. And some non-astronauts learn that pooping in space is tricky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After several false starts, NASA's plans for a space station got a leg up when the US invited Russia to become a part of a new, cooperative enterprise. The US, Russia, Canada, the European Space Agency and Japan would come together to create a phenomenal piece of technology: the International Space Station. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we look back on the US plans for a space station, we explore abandoned plans for a few different designs. We also learn how politics and space don't always get along. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 2020 internal report at Facebook reveals that Instagram use can have a negative impact on mental health, and it gets worse from there. We also have stories about what Apple unveiled at their iPhone event and what's going on with the Theranos trial. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.