Material

It's been 300 episodes of the Material podcast! We have cake! We have commemorative Oreos! And we have a rundown of our favorite tombstones in the Google Graveyard. We'll give you a bit of the week's news, too, plus what you get when you do a Google search for the number "300."

Flo is freaking out over signing her kid up for a Google account, while Andy is completely locked out of his. We gush over the shiny new gadget announcements this week, including the second-generation Nest Hub and the affordable Samsung Galaxy A52. We also discuss why Google is in trouble for its Incognito Mode and how YouTube creators are getting more control over copyright infringement.

Andy and Flo take a walk down memory lane to celebrate 10 years of Chromebooks. We recap the dawn of the cloud-based machines, and we'll clue you in on the new features Google announced to mark the anniversary. We also cover a not-so-celebratory news report out of NBC News. Plus, Google is the most trusted company, though _not_ when it comes to self-driving cars. Remember, you can send us an email...

This week's episode is a reminder that it's our data in exchange for all those perks we get for free on the internet. We talk about Google's attempted "privacy-first" initiative and what to expect from the latest Pixel feature drop. Then we lighten things up a bit with some future-facing device rumors. And, we're still answering your emails from years ago.

This week, we point you to all the people doing the talking: from newly fired ethical AI researcher Margaret Mitchell to the remaining Googlers on the team waving back in solidarity with their departed colleagues. We tell you why California ended its COVID-19 testing partnership with Verily and why "Hey Google" isn't working on your WearOS smartwatch. And we're still catching up on long ago listen...

A little bit of astrology to start us off for this episode, along with why Andy gave up on Wear OS and bought a FitBit. We talk about Google's new deal with News Corp in Australia and the US and what the enthusiast community has unearthed about the upcoming Android 12. Plus, a quick update on Fuschia OS.

Andy's buying little outfits for his Nest Minis, and this is one of the last times we'll ever bring up Google Play Music. After the ad, we discuss Google's latest earnings report to investors and where all that money is going. And, Flo gets flustered over Android 12's blush aesthetic. It is times like these when a respiratory monitor built into your smartphone is a good idea.

Flo's Chromecast with Google TV gets stuck in a boot loop, and Andy wonders whether his investment in a Stadia controller will ever pay off. Then, why two Google engineers resigned over the firing of AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru.

What's Google up to this week? The company faces a standoff Down Under and refuses to validate conspiracy theories through its employee-contributed PAC. We also bid adieu to Google's Project Loon and its VR painting app, Tilt Brush.

Andy and Flo lament about internet caps and other things out of their control. We discuss why Google is investigating another one of its top AI ethicists and how ex-Google engineer, Anthony Levandowski, got off scot-free for spilling trade-secrets. We opine on the future of Wear OS now that the Fitbit acquisition is finalized.

Why did Google Maps bother showing us our stats from the year prior? Doesn't it know we want to leave it behind? Andy tells us why he's flirting with Stadia, just as LG announces it's bundling the cloud gaming platform with its TVs. We discuss why Google is pausing political advertising for the month and whether there were any worthy announcements from this year's virtual CES. Then briefly, a bit...

The first episode of 2021 is all about doing out with the old and in with the new. Flo starts us off with why she's putting the Chromecast with Google TV on all the screens. Then, we'll discuss Google and YouTube's responses to this week's attempted insurrection at Capitol Hill and get into the details of the Alphabet Workers Union. Plus, one mad genius's successful attempt at running all major op...

Flo and Andy share the highs and lows of their pandemic Christmas holiday. We'll then talk about the biggest Google search trends of 2020 and what it revealed about this hell year. Plus, what's in store for Google in 2021.

It's a holiday week, but Google is still doing some kerfuffling. Andy and Flo sandwich the news between two slices of holiday cheer, plus some good news about the Nexus 7—yes, _that_ Nexus 7. And don't worry, kids: Santa is still delivering presents this year, and you can track his journey through the Google Assistant! Happy holidays, friends. Thank you for being here.

Andy tries to plant his own koala in the Christmas tree but to no avail, and the Google Home Max is officially dunzo. We'll tell you why you couldn't read your Gmail this week and how Google plans to breathe new life into expired PCs and Macs. Before we sign off, Andy regales us with a bit of operatic knowledge.

Flo is back from taking her Project Baseline COVID test, and she'll tell us all about it. Then, it's all about Dr. Timnit Gebru. We'll tell you who she is, why she was fired from Google Brain, and what's transpired in the days since. We'll also talk about why you want ethics in artificial intelligence and what Google's losing with her sudden departure. And don't worry, we'll cleanse the palate wit...

Flo is out sick, but Andy is still on it. The week's top stories include Andy's Black Friday finds and the span of Google's major labor troubles. Everything from why the National Labor Relations Board is going after Google to why it might have fired well-known AI ethicist Timnit Gebru. Andy also loses his mind over a DeepMind AI breakthrough, then cleanses your palate by asking Google for some hol...

Andy and Flo are here for your holiday weekend to tell you what's on sale and what's worth buying now that warehouses everywhere are clearing out stock. We also discuss Google separating emojis from the system update cycle and why The Go-Gos are worth a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Google has lots of little updates for us this week from Google Pay, Google Fit, Google Chrome, and even Google cast, with the company confirming Nest Audio and Chromecast with Google TV integration is on the horizon. Admittedly, we're also a little bummed that YouTube won't be releasing a "YouTube Rewind" video for 2020.

Andy experiences an earthquake, and Google tells him all about it. We discuss what President-Elect Biden's Administration could look like for Big Tech and why we're mourning the loss of unlimited photo backup to Google Photos. We congratulate Eric Schmidt for winning citizenship in a country once known for being a picturesque tax haven.

Andy and Flo keep it quick this week because we know you've got some nail-biting to get back to. We discuss YouTube's failure at stifling U.S. election misinformation, plus what "Internet Imperialists" do with their time off. We also discuss the pros and cons of using a Google VPN, the latest manufacturing drama with the Pixel 5, and why folks are still kvetching en masse about the new Google app...

Happy Halloween! This week's tantalizingly scary podcast is made even more so by an intense and thorough breakdown of the latest in congressional whining. We point out the atrocities and absurdities, plus the casual racism flung toward Sundar Pichai. We also discuss Stadia's Very Bad, No Good Social Media Day, and we pay homage to the Google apps and services that have gone to the other side.

It really is a week of pure malarkey, as Google is not only put through the wringer by the Department of Justice but called out for providing its AI tech for border surveillance—yes, _that_ border. To lighten things up, we try humming songs for Google to guess.

Andy's sick of Chrome's "phishing" attempts and Flo resents Google Maps spilling the beans on generations-old secrets. We go deep into the House of Representatives' recent anti-trust report and its consensus on Google, then steer it back up with some helpful new accessible Android features. We implore you to try out Google's new art filters in its Arts and Culture app; it's a great way to make you...

It's another packed episode this week. Flo and Andy discuss the perilous lure of nostalgia, plus the other big Google news that occurred the week of the big Pixel event and what it means for the company's employees. We gush over our new hardware; Flo has the Nest Audio and Andy has the Chromecast with Google TV. We end with a little about how Google is working to help detect sign language in chat...