The Context Machine

Bryan and Jeff share their perspectives on Apple’s “Awe Dropping” media event, including the new AirPods Pro 3, AppleWatch 11 and AppleWatch Ultra 3, the refreshed iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, and the brand new iPhone Air. They also take a dive into the evolution of language and punctuation thanks to Bryan’s mostly-pedantic lifestyle. SPONSOR: MacPaw CleanMyMac – Try...

Bryan and Jeff analyze Lt. Commander Kirk’s growth in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode, The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail . They also explore why Bryan is more interested in Apple’s fall announcements this year than he has been in previous years. SPONSOR: MacPaw CleanMyMac – Try CleanMyMac’s new Cloud Cleanup feature to free up space on iCloud, OneDrive, and Google Drive. Tr...

Bryan and Jeff talk about the Neosynthesis Kickstarter campaign—an anthology book including two short stories from Bryan. They also take a look at the new season of Star Trek Strange New Worlds, and Jeff schools Bryan on the history of the holodeck. Sources referenced in this episode: Neosynthesis on Kickstarter Boundary Shock Quarterly Blaze Ward Star Trek Strange New Worlds Bryan’s book Ac...

Bryan and Jeff get a little short with their thoughts on the Apple TV+ Murderbot series. Bryan also tells Jeff about Dept. Q on Netflix in what turns out to be a TV show-themed Context Machine episode. SPONSOR: Bzigo Iris – Don’t wait until the next bite—protect your home with Bzigo. Go to bzigo.com/discountBUZZ10 to save 10% off the AI-powered mosquito detector. Sources referenced in...

Bryan and Jeff dive into the AI debate and the impact it’s having on content creators today. They look at the rumor that Apple is considering buying Perplexity.ai, and Judge Alsup’s ruling saying it’s fair use for AI companies to train their models on content as long as it isn’t pirated. SPONSOR: Bzigo Iris – Don’t wait until the next bite—protect your home with...

Bryan and Jeff’s highlights for Apple’s WWDC 2025 are in, and their mostly pleased with what they saw. In this episode, they talk about all the new “26” OSes, Liquid Glass, the fact that Apple remembered they have a phone, and much more! Sources referenced in this episode: Apple introduces a delightful and elegant new software design macOS Tahoe 26 makes the Mac more capabl...

Bryan and Jeff do their best to come up with some thoughts on OpenAI’s purchase of Johnny Ive’s io company. They also take a look at the new Murderbot series on Apple TV+. SPONSOR: Insta360 X5 Camera – Score a free invisible selfie stick worth US$24.99 with your Insta360 X5 standard package purchase, head to store.insta360.com and use the promo code tcm . Available for the first...

Bryan schools Jeff on the Ghor language in the Star Wars Andor series. They also take a look at a cool new Mac utility and CarPlay Ultra. SPONSOR: Rogue Amoeba – Rogue Amoeba has a wide array of apps to harness audio on the Mac, from recording and routing audio to gaining complete control over sound with app-level effects. Learn about all of Rogue Amoeba’s software at macaudio.com/cont...

Star Wars: Andor. Season 2, amiright? Bryan and Jeff go deep on this amazing show, and there are still three more episodes to go! They couldn’t wait, and Bryan needed Jeff to fill in the blanks, anyway. Sources referenced in this episode: Andor – Disney Plus Bryan’s SciFi novel: Accidental Intelligence Bryan’s short story King Liam, First of His Name Mason Truman on Threads...

It’s retro game time on The Context Machine. Bryan and Jeff talk about the user-driven revival of Bungie’s Myth, the open source Marathon games, and the upcoming new Marathon game. They also talk about itch.io and Goodreads. SPONSOR: Insta360 X5 Camera – Score a free invisible selfie stick worth US$24.99 with your Insta360 X5 purchase, head to store.insta360.com and use the promo...

Bryan and Jeff discuss the ethical use of AI and LLM, and the role those tools play in business. They also talk about the potential of being left behind as these tools advance and gain wider adoption. SPONSOR: Rogue Amoeba – Rogue Amoeba has a wide array of apps to harness audio on the Mac, from recording and routing audio to gaining complete control over sound with app-level effects. Learn...

Bryan and Jeff take a look at Apple’s potential path in the personal robotics space. They also talk about fountain pen nibs and whether or not Visconti pens are worth their high price tags. SPONSOR: Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CONTEXT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/context SPONSOR: Rogue Amoeba – Rogue Amoeba...

Bryan and Jeff take a look at Apple’s potential path in the personal robotics space. They also talk about fountain pen nibs and whether or not Visconti pens are worth their high price tags. SPONSOR: Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CONTEXT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/context Sources referenced in this episode: Apple...

Bryan and Jeff talk about streaming shows they’re enjoying, how Apple is faring in the artificial intelligence space, and end-to-end encryption coming to RCS messaging. SPONSOR: Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CONTEXT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/context SPONSOR: Rogue Amoeba – Rogue Amoeba has a wide array of...

Apple’s on a roll with new product announcements. This week Bryan and Jeff take a look at the new M4 Max and M3 Ultra Mac Studio, M3 iPad Air, and A16 iPad. They also talk about independent book shops and Bookshop.com. SPONSOR: Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CONTEXT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/context Sources refer...

France thinks Apple should scale back privacy protection, the UK wants access to your encrypted iCloud data, and Bryan and Jeff have plenty to say about both. They also have a couple cool apps from Iconfactory to share. Sources referenced in this episode: Apple faces likely French antitrust fine for privacy tool, sources say Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row Tapestr...

Bryan and Jeff follow up on listener emails, take a quick look at new shows on Apple TV+, and look at some Instagram alternatives. They also reminisce about defunct social media platforms, and Bryan manages to weave in the long-dead Collier’s magazine. Sources referenced in this episode: Prime Target Silo Severance The Rockford Files Shogun on Disney Plus HomeKit Headaches and Apple Vision P...

Bryan and Jeff talk about LG’s new UltraFine 6K display that was just announced at CES 2025. They also have some opinions on Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Meta is removing its fact checking for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Sources referenced in this episode: LG Unveils UltraFine 6K Display With Thunderbolt 5 Support Facebook and Instagram get rid of fact checkers Pixelfed Br...

Jeff’s parents received an AI-generated scam phone call and he was able to listen in. Bryan and Jeff talk about what happened and how you can help protect your family from falling victim to these threats. Sources referenced in this episode: Tips on Artificial Intelligence Scams Hiya Bryan’s book Accidental Intelligence Bryan’s short story King Liam, First of His Name Mason Truman...

It’s therapy day on The Context Machine. Jeff tries to work through his HomeKit problems, and Bryan wants a new Mac Studio revision. They also talk about the rumored Apple Vision Pro with M5 processor. SPONSOR: LinkedIn Jobs  – Post your job for free at  LinkedIn.com/ACM . Sources referenced in this episode: Jeff’s HomeKit is broken Gurman: Apple Vision Pro 2 on track for release betwe...

Bryan and Jeff talk about what to consider when choosing a new social media platform, and whether or not Apple will host an October media event. They also discuss probability when rolling dice and conduct a live experiment at Jeff’s expense. SPONSOR: LinkedIn Jobs  – Post your job for free at  LinkedIn.com/ACM . Sources referenced in this episode: Why changes to the block on E...

Sources referenced in this episode: Every Day Is Halloween (Ministry Video) Linux Mint D&D Beyond Bryan’s book Accidental Intelligence Bryan’s short story King Liam, First of His Name Mason Truman on Threads Review the show on Apple Podcasts Where to find us: The Context Machine on Twitter The Context Machine Facebook Group – Facebook The Context Machine on Mastodon The Context Mac...

Bryan and Jeff dive into Apple’s “Glow Time” Apple Watch, iPhone 16, AirPods, and Apple Intelligence announcements. They also have some things to say about the non-announcements Apple included in the event. SPONSOR: LinkedIn Jobs  – Post your job for free at  LinkedIn.com/ACM . Sources referenced in this episode: Introducing Apple Watch Series 10 Apple introduces iPhone 16 and iP...

Bryan and Jeff dissect the report that Apple is laying off 100 employees from its Books and News service teams. Spoiler: This isn’t doom and gloom for Apple or its ebook service. They’re also shocked to discover Apple had 100 people on the Books team. Sources referenced in this episode: Apple lays off employees working on Books and News Apple job cuts in Books are turning the page in t...

A new report says Apple wants to put a robot on your counter so Bryan and Jeff look at what that device might really be. They also have some thoughts on Apple opening NFC to third parties in iOS 18.1. SPONSOR: LinkedIn Jobs  – Post your job for free at  LinkedIn.com/ACM . Sources referenced in this episode: Bloomberg: Apple targeting sub-$1,000 price for iPad-like robotic home device Belkin Stage...