TechStuff

From Big Tech versus the government to the little Martian helicopter that could, we look at some of the big tech stories to unfold in 2024! Keywords: Mars, Ingenuity, Nasa, Boeing, Google, antitrust, Elon Musk, Twitter, Bluesky, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, mixed reality, augmented reality, AI, artificial intelligence, OpenAI, bitcoin, cryptocurrency See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noel and Ben (and, briefly, Matt) of Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know drop by to talk about the strange and mysterious Havana syndrome. Were US government employees the victim of a directed attack that made them feel sick and ill at ease, or was it all in their heads? We look at what few facts there are, plus chat about the good old days of podcasting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

Former TechStuff co-host Lauren Vogelbaum comes back to TechStuff to talk about the chaotic, absurd, and sometimes infuriating world of food delivery apps. Are they good for restaurants? (No). Are they good for drivers? (Nope). Are they good for the companies themselves? (Not really). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did a pair of 19th-century brothers hack into a government-controlled communications system? And what did they do with it?    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For some people, a simple string of Christmas lights on a tree in the yard just isn't enough. How do those impressive Christmas light displays work?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mysterious drones flying over New Jersey have raised fears and questions. Plus, big tech companies start to court Donald Trump, the FTC is likely going to reverse positions in the new administration and the Game Awards names the Game of the Year.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2024 has been a huge year for AI. But why should we focus only on the enormous companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon? We look at three startups that hope to make it huge in the AI space.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To deploy responsible AI and build trust with customers, businesses need to prioritize AI governance. In this episode of  Smart Talks with IBM , Malcolm Gladwell and Laurie Santos discuss AI accountability with Christina Montgomery, Chief Privacy and Trust Officer at IBM. They chat about AI regulation, what compliance means in the AI age, and why transparent AI governance is good for business...

NASA is soliciting applications for its astronaut program in anticipation of sending men and women to the Moon. Learn all about the Artemis program, its goals and what comes next!   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The shooting of UnitedHealthCare's CEO Brian Thompson has prompted some dark, disturbing reactions online -- including misinformation. Plus, we have stories about the wealthy designing bunkers to hide from the coming "Event", China's Salt Typhoon operation compromising US telecommunications companies, and more. Woof. It's rough, y'all.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know one company has the monopoly on the .com top level domain? How did Verisign become the one DNS registry for .com, and why did some politicians recently challenge the company's practices? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world of tech is nuanced, complex, and filled with jargon. That makes it the perfect breeding ground for scams and hoaxes. How can we defend ourselves from snake oil salespeople? Through the powers of critical thinking!   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the years, many people have contributed to our little technology podcast to make it what it is today. In this episode, Jonathan spends some time thanking those who have made their mark on TechStuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scientists and hosts of Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe join the show to talk about media depictions of science, the importance of STEAM education and funding, and why exploratory science benefits us in ways we can’t anticipate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Financial analyst Josh Jalinski joins the show to talk about cryptocurrency from an investment point of view. We discuss concerns about crypto, opportunities that may exist, and why it is always important to use critical thinking and research before dedicating your hard earned money to an investment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Department of Justice has a list of proposed actions Google must take to end anticompetitive practices, and Google is not happy about it. Apple probably isn't thrilled either. But the matter still has to head to court next year, so nothing is decided just yet. Plus, Microsoft makes some questionable choices and an AI expert leans a bit too hard on AI.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

After 16 and a half years, I will be stepping down from being the host of TechStuff. We'll talk more about the future of the show soon, but today's episode is all about the history and evolution of the little podcast that tried to demystify technology, critically examine the industry, and make tons of puns in the process.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look at the history of auto-tune, how it works, and how it impacted music and culture in general.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the streaming media landscape is crowded, it could be worse. In this episode, we look at some streaming services that didn't stand the test of time. From platforms that were a bad idea from the start to ones that were victims of corporate mergers, we find out what went wrong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the difference between a capacitive and a resistive touchscreen? Which came first? And are there other types of touchscreen technologies? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A little more than a decade ago, mobile computing revolutionized how we access software and the internet. It's about to happen again. At the top of my holiday wish list is an AI-augmented laptop powered by the Snapdragon X Elite processor for lightning-fast performance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Microsoft jumped into the mp3 player space a little late. Apple had been producing iPods for five years when the first Zune hit shelves. But that was just the beginning of a series of problems Microsoft encountered. We explore the sad (and short) story of the Zune. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When developing the mp3 compression algorithm, engineer Karlheinz Brandenburg used a specific song to tweak settings and get them just right. What was that song? And why does Jonathan not like it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Craig Rupp left Iowa in the 80s, he never wanted to step foot on a farm again. A whirlwind career as an engineer took him to some of the biggest companies - Motorola, Apple, Samsung - but he always felt a strong connection to his roots. He had an idea he couldn’t shake - an opportunity to change farming forever. Introducing Sabanto and its best-in-class Autonomous Operator, Steward. On the da...

In 2009, Microsoft announced a new search engine called Bing. What was Microsoft's strategy, how is Bing different from the dominant search engine Google, and what's next?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.