The Tech Night Owl LIVE — Tech Radio with a Pop Culture Twist!

This week, we are joined by independent tech columnist Rob Pegoraro, who writes for USA Today, Yahoo Finance, Wirecutter and other publications. The discussion begins with the curious tale of a BusinessWeek report claiming that the Chinese engaged in a hacking operation that impacted servers installed by Apple, Amazon and other tech companies, along with strong denials that any such thing occurred...

In a very special encore episode, we present writer/editor Adam Engst, of TidBITS, both of whom talk about their different approaches to watching TV. Gene actually cares about the technology, while Adam will more or less accept anything that works. The Apple TV isn't treated well by Gene, who suggests that at least some sets with built-in smart features are more or less just as useful. There's als...

This week we return to cybersecurity with Carlos Perez, principal consultant and head of APT (advanced persistent threat) research at TrustedSec. Carlos is tasked with investigating the latest hacking techniques and tools being used by sophisticated cyber-criminals  from around the world. As part of his work, he also trains the DoD's "hunt teams" known as Cyber Protection Units, or CPTs, which are...

This week we present a thorough look at tech, microchip credit cards, and identity theft with credit repair specialist Darius Norman, author of "Rewriting Financial Rules." Following the introduction of microchip equipped credit cards in 2015 in the United States, which make the cards difficult to counterfeit, criminals focused on new account fraud. We are also seeing thieves going after our child...

This week we present a very special encore episode that features ethical hacker Jason Lang  of TrustedSec, who reports on the goings at a major hacking conference known as Black Hat. It's one of the top cybersecurity events where a ton of new vulnerabilities and hacker tricks are revealed. This year, as usual, they are revealing new attacks on smartphones, wearables, computers and other personal g...

This week we feature commentator Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles, who focuses on the new product and service announcements expected at Apple's media event set for September 12, 2018 at their new Cupertino, CA campus. In addition to the rumored iPhone introductions, will there be a Series 4 Apple Watch, perhaps with a slightly lar...

This week we feature outspoken columnist and podcaster Kirk McElhearn, who talks about reports that Google is still tracking people even after they have switched off that feature. So what is this all about anyway? Kirk will also explain why he seldom uses his Apple TV anymore, as Gene reminds listeners that he hasn’t touched his in nearly a year. Is Apple’s decision to allow pay-TV services to off...

In a special encore episode, we feature commentator Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, who joins Gene in an extended pop culture chat. After a brief talk about the first female Doctor Who, as portrayed by Jodie Whittaker, the focus moves to comic book movies, and the dark approach taken by DC Comics compared to the lighter fare from Marvel. Gene provides a detailed report about SHAZ...

This week we present ethical hacker Jason Lang of TrustedSec, who reports on the goings at a major hacking conference known as Black Hat. It’s one of the top cybersecurity events where a ton of new vulnerabilities and hacker tricks are revealed. This year, as usual, they are revealing new attacks on smartphones, wearables, computers and other personal gadgets, along with IoT, cars and more. Also t...

This week we feature irrepressible commentator/podcaster Peter Cohen, who focuses on Apple's recent report of stellar sales for the June 2018 quarter, and becoming the first company to exceed a one trillion dollar market cap despite the skeptics saying Amazon would get there first. What about the extreme disconnect between the claims from some alleged industry analysts that the iPhone X was a huge...

This week we feature commentator Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, who covers Facebook's ongoing woes, which resulted in a substantial loss of its market cap and a huge drop in co-founder Mark Zuckerberg's net worth. Will Facebook regain its glory, or are too many people suspicious of its apparent lack of concern for your privacy? Gene and Bryan also talk about the th...

This week we feature commentator Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, who joins Gene in an extended pop culture chat. After a brief talk about the first female Doctor Who, as portrayed by Jodie Whittaker, the focus moves to comic book movies, and the dark approach taken by DC Comics compared to the lighter fare from Marvel. Gene provides a detailed report about SHAZAM, a character tha...

This week we feature commentator Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of "Take Control of Apple TV" and other titles, who covers Apple's surprising release of a major update for the MacBook Pro. The refresh features 6-core processors, solid state drives as large as 4TB and up to 32GB RAM, twice as much as Apple has previously offered. Is this the professional  notebook that many u...

In a special encore episode, we are joined by tech journalist Derek Kessler, managing editor of Mobile Nations — who also leads their coverage of the Tesla. The owner of a Tesla Model S luxury sports sedan, Derek offers sage insights into recent reports of problems with self-driving vehicles, such as Tesla's Autopilot. He cites cases involving a Tesla and an autonomous driving test vehicle from Ub...

This week we present commentator Rene Ritchie from iMore.  During this episode, Rene will offer a detailed overview of Apple's iOS 12, based on a lengthy preview article he wrote recently. iOS 12 is now available for download as a public beta, for release this fall. You'll learn about all the clever programming tricks Apple's developers used to make the new mobile OS run noticeably faster, especia...

This week, we invite you to meet Major General (Ret) Earl D. Matthews: He spent three decades at the nexus of big budgets and cybersecurity, including stints as Director, Cyberspace Operations and Chief Information Security Officer at HQ, U.S. Air Force, and VP for Enterprise Security Solutions at Hewlett-Packard. In his current role as Senior VP and Chief Strategy Officer at Verodin, Inc., he cha...

This weekend our guests include outspoken writer/editor Bryan Chaffin, co-founder and co-publisher of The Mac Observer, The discussion includes Apple's efforts to expand its AR efforts, and Gene's concern that it probably won't mean much unless you're into gaming. And what sort of AR glasses might Apple devise to avoid the problems that afflicted the failed Google Glass? There is also a lengthy di...

This weekend our guests focus mainly on Apple's 2018 Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) and its June 4th keynote featuring CEO Tim Cook and several members of his executive team. During that event, the wraps were taken off iOS 12, macOS 10.14 Mojave, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5; all will be released this fall. We talk about the splashy new features, and the ones that aren't so flashy but might imp...

The weekend before Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC), the Night Owl assembles a panel of expert commentators to speculate on what Apple might announce. The main expected development is the launch of the newest operating systems for iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, Apple Watch and Macs. Will there be loads of new tentpole features, or, as some rumors claim, will Apple take a more measured ap...

This week, we are joined by tech journalist Derek Kessler, managing editor of Mobile Nations — who also leads their coverage of the Tesla. The owner of a Tesla Model S luxury sports sedan, Derek offers sage insights into recent reports of problems with self-driving vehicles, such as Tesla's Autopilot. He cites cases involving a Tesla and an autonomous driving test vehicle from Uber, the ride haili...

This week, we invite you to meet Major General (Ret) Earl D. Matthews: He spent three decades at the nexus of big budgets and cybersecurity, including stints as Director, Cyberspace Operations and Chief Information Security Officer at HQ, U.S. Air Force, and VP for Enterprise Security Solutions at Hewlett-Packard. In his current role as Senior VP and Chief Strategy Officer at Verodin, Inc., he cha...

This week, we present commentator Josh Centers, Managing Editor for TidBITS, and author of “Take Control of Apple TV” and other titles, who focuses a main part of his conversation with Gene on Apple’s record earnings for the March 2018 quarter. Despite all the unfounded rumors of poor iPhone X sales, which hurt the company’s stock price for several weeks, Apple reported that its flagship smartphon...

This week, we present outspoken commentator Jeff Gamet, Managing Editor for The Mac Observer, who briefly talks about the Slenderman urban legend, which is featured on our other radio show, The Paracast, before jumping full tilt into technology. There will be a detailed discussion about Apple's decision to discontinue AirPort routers, and why, after pioneering that business, it decided to give it...

This week, we present outspoken commentator and podcaster Peter Cohen, who focuses on such topics as recent concerns about the alleged poor sales of Apple's HomePod smart speaker system. You'll also hear Peter explain why he loves his Apple Watch, what he uses it for, and about its ongoing success; it's now the best selling wearable in he world. And what about the possibilities for the next Mac Pr...

This week, we present security expert Chris Weber, co-founder of Casaba Security, a Seattle-based ethical hacking firm that advises major tech, financial, retail and healthcare companies. They also work with companies to develop secure apps and software. He is the co-author of the book, "Privacy Defended: Protecting Yourself Online." During this session, Chris will discuss the growing brouhaha ove...