TechStuff

Controversy continues as we look at the development of electronic televisions. Was Philo T. Farnsworth the real inventor of the TV? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who invented the television? Well, it's complicated. We look at the science behind TV and the first mechanical sets. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The USB has become a standard port in tech. How did it get started and how does it work? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once upon a time, a text-based Internet navigation system was poised to become the primary way we interact with the net. What happened? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did two guys with no manufacturing experience create a successful company that has defined an entire new industry? We look at Fitbit's story and the tech that powers their products. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From catapults to ballista, we explore the world of siege engines. Which ones were real? Which are fantasy? And how did they work? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From humble beginnings to massive success, we follow the rest of the id Software story. When did the founders leave and why? And what's going on there now? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They made games like Doom and Quake, but where did id Software come from? In this episode, we explore the origins of a major name in computer games. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is a meme? What are some of the notable tech memes, and where do they come from? How does something become a meme? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was once the computing conference to attend. Today, it's rapidly fading from memory. How did Comdex begin and what happened to it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe McCormick and Jonathan continue their discussion about radio waves, transmitters and radio direction finding. How can you locate a transmitter and what is fox hunting? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe McCormick and Jonathan continue their discussion about radio waves, transmitters and radio direction finding. How can you locate a transmitter and what is fox hunting? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wanted to play classic games from old consoles or arcade machines on your computer? Then you need a video game emulator. But are they legal? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is authentication? Why is it important? And what are engineers doing to make it better? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the humble MP3 player get its start? When did the iPod take over as the dominant brand? And what's the MP3 Player business like today? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once the Wards Company, Circuit City really established its identity decades after it was founded. How did the company grow and ultimately die, and what comes next? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you remember the electronics superstore called Circuit City? If you shopped in the 80s and 90s, the answer is probably yes. How did it get started? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does a computer program decide which bits of an audio file to keep and which to ditch during compression? We learn about the mp3 algorithm and Jonathan talks about math a lot. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Bowlin joins the show, recorded in Las Vegas, to talk about the big trends in tech at CES 2017. From autonomous cars to smart hubs to virtual reality, we look at what consumer electronics companies hope will become the next big thing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan is joined by a few friends and together they predict what will happen in tech in 2017. Will we sit in our driverless cars playing virtual reality games thanks to net neutrality? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We conclude our look back on the big tech stories of 2016, from June to December. Gawker goes bankrupt, Pokemon Go steals the spotlight for a few weeks and more! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take a look back at the big stories in tech during 2016, from January through May. We say goodbye to the Goblin King, Twitter shakes up its executive team and VR headsets finally debut. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a bit early, but Jonathan has Iyaz Akhtar rejoin TechStuff to look at the predictions we made at the beginning of the year. How did we do? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How is audio recorded digitally? In this first episode on a series about mp3 and digital audio, Jonathan breaks down how we convert sound into 0s and 1s. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is AR and how does it work? Learn about augmented reality's history and future! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Sony's involvement in the film industry to the recent big changes to the company, we bring the Sony story to its conclusion. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Picking up where we left off, we explore how Sony got into the world of television and VCRs. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the enormous company Sony get its start? From humble beginnings to transistor radios, we look at the Sony Story. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Bowlin joins Jonathan to talk about electronic voting machines, hackers and keeping the democratic process secure. Are EVMs a bad idea? Can we rely on their results? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Bowlin joins Jonathan to talk about electronic voting machines, hackers and keeping the democratic process secure. Are EVMs a bad idea? Can we rely on their results? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Luria Petrucci of Geeks Life joins the show to talk about the tech designed to get you outside and exploring the world. Find out about apps, gadgets and trends that will broaden your horizons. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that students are back in school, it's time to have a serious talk about how to use tech responsibly. We chat with Denelle Dixon-Thayer of Mozilla about how parents can talk with their kids about topics ranging from bullying to online privacy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently, a year-long isolation experiment simulating a mission to Mars concluded. What were the results? And why did it happen in Hawaii? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the history of Pokemon to the strange evolution of Keyhole, we look at how Pokemon Go became an instant phenomenon. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TechStuff did an amazing job predicting 2016 way back in 2011. Can we do it again? CNET's Iyaz Akhtar guest hosts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in 2011, Chris and Jonathan made some predictions about what the Internet would be like in five years. Five years later, it's time to see how the predictions stack up! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josh and Nicola from the Big Nerd Ranch join the show to talk about Alexa and making the training material for people who want to make Alexa apps. What's in store for the personal digital assistant? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Benjamin comes on the show to talk about two stories. One is about a proposal to give robots electric personhood status. The other, a discussion of Tesla's Autopilot feature. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the history of E3? What purpose does it serve? And can anyone attend? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.