Tech Talk - The Tech Podcast... for Everyone

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.technologytalk.net Most of us forget, digital spring cleaning when this time of year rolls around. Don't be one of those people this year! Join me today for a look on how to clean up your digital ecosystems.

I can’t stress this enough. The tool that allowed me to be able to make the heart of today’s episode is 33Mail . Even though you always find a recommendation for them in my footers, please: use them . It’s the email anonymizer tool that I use when subscribing to anything . ONLY use email addresses you create via 33mail, not your own “normal” email, to help track, prevent, and then block SPAM. Here...

A reminder to subscribers: paywalls are erected on websites to protect digital media. Therefore, any methods for circumventing those paywalls violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), legislation that prohibits circumventing an effective technological means of control that restricts access to a copyrighted work. ---------------- Popular Past Issues: Which secure routers to purchase and...

Friends, as promised in the video here are links to the products that I mentioned or used: The app I vibe coded: SoundQ - https://soundq.studio/ Google Gemini (free & paid plans): https://aistudio.google.com/ Anthropic’s Claude (free & paid plans): https://claude.ai/ Perplexity (free & paid plans): https://www.perplexity.ai/ - I got a one year FREE plan via PayPal, something they no longer offer,...

Different browsers handle SPAM in different ways. Most email services today have robust and powerful filters to keep your inbox clean from junk. However… Some services flaunt the CAN-SPAM act - the law of the land here in the US - by not including a unsubscribe button on their emails or not giving recipients a “clear and conspicuous explanation” of how to unsubscribe . In today’s video episode, I’...

Here are some links that go back to those episodes — or specific parts of episodes — where I provide a deeper look at 2FA for those who’d like to explore more. I’ve unlocked these episodes to allow free subscribers to gain access as well: Episode #12: The Best Free Tools for Online Security Episode #36: Multi-Factor Authentication Episode #42: Online Gaming & Safety Episode #59: Locking Down Faceb...

Hiya, friends. I’ve decided to step away from the darkness that is the privacy world we currently inhabit. Instead, for now, my plan is to simply focus on how I can best help my readers & listeners understand, navigate, and then protect as much of their digital lives as possible. Before we jump in today, a quick announcement: if you’re listening to this via one of our podcast platforms, you’re goi...

After almost FIVE MONTHS, I'm back with another episode, perhaps my last. The world of privacy has crumbled since I began writing about tech. Listen to learn more and then please: give me your feedback. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.technologytalk.net/subscribe

For those interested in learning more about using AI to create deepfakes for the GOOD of humanity, I encourage you to check out the website I’ve been exploring for a few months now: HeyGen (affiliate link here ). You can try it out for free - yes, seriously - to see how it works. If you like it enough to make a purchase, and begin using the technology for yourself, using my link will earn me a sma...

Video notes: * This quick take is 7.5 minutes long and is pretty goofy. You’re welcome in advance for that. * Anyone can view the video! Only paying members can comment or ask questions! * Download AppCleaner at its developer site: https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/ you’ll note that there are versions for pretty much every Mac of the past 8-10 years. * iDrive: the online back-up service I’ve used...

For most of us, social media is a daily part of our lives. We use it to connect with friends, share our experiences & cat photos, and debate strangers about Star Wars trivia . That’s the upside. But the downside is pretty awful… Social media platforms offer little or no control over our own data and images, they bombard us with tons of targeted advertising based on our click history, and they mani...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.technologytalk.net The Sweet, Sweet Bait Friends, how would you like a state-of-the-art 55” flat-screen TV and sound system… for FREE? This is not a joke. You can totally get one of these and I’ll share the link with you after I describe all of the aMAZing s**t this device can do. Just have a look at this stunning piece of hardware!...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.technologytalk.net In today's episode, I'll provide my readers with some shorter tips and tricks to help increase the security of their mobile phones, both Android and iOS.

In this episode, we'll discuss Amazon's history of protecting our data and privacy, their treatment of their own employees, and how their newest devices promise a new age of convenience based on our giving the company access to our biometrics. Biometrics are unique parts of our bodies that can be used to identify us based on our locations. This is less data collection and more surveillance. This i...

In this episode, #81, we'll discuss the latest artificial intelligence tools Lensa and ChatGPT. How do they work, why are they so compelling, and what are the current privacy, security, and ethical issues at play for users who wish to take advantage of this new breed of tools? All of this - and more! - in our next issue of Tech Talk This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with othe...

A retraction? An apology? Well... not really. Our handful of episodes on cryptocurrency created a false sense of security for some of you. I thought I could do better. So, at the end of last year, I decided to write an episode that was more of a cautionary tale. This is that tale. In this episode, we'll explore why investing your money into cryptocurrencies and digital collectibles like NFTs are r...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.technologytalk.net The story of Bitcoin is fascinating and begins, as all good stories do, with a mystery. Our story begins way back in 2008. This was the year that the original white paper describing how Bitcoin would work was written and then shared with the world by someone named Satoshi Nakamoto. Nakamoto had few correspondences...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.technologytalk.net Episode #75: How Does Cryptocurrency Work?!? Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies. Like traditional currencies, people can use them to pay each other for goods, services, or gifts. Unlike traditional currencies, there is no such thing as digital cash that someone can hand to you. That’s because digital currency...

How To Prevent Malicious Hackers from Using Security Flaws to Compromise your Data or Computer. I shouldn’t even need to write or share about this, but I do: not enough people update their machines automatically. This article makes clear that 36 percent of all security/privacy professionals don’t do it and that 62 percent of regular folks don’t do it. REALLY?! People, please! Not only is setting u...

In this episode — part one of this series — the creator of TechTalk, David Koff, will focus on the data we keep on our computers and mobile devices. A few of us have access to restricted or classified materials, accessible only to people with the proper background checks or elevated security clearance. A few of us have access to trade documents that, in the wrong hands, might be copied and brought...

I have clients, friends, and family who have been hacked or scammed and lost as much as tens of thousands of dollars and scores of hours of time to repair the damage done. This includes crap like calling vendors, banks, and law enforcement agencies and dealing with sleepless nights and lost data. Therefore, I’d like to devote time here - and in future episodes - to help all of you understand the c...

Fear Is the Mind Killer… An unusual number of friends and readers have been reaching out to me privately over the past two weeks, all asking the same question: “What can I do to protect my computers from the Russians?” I understand the fear. I’m also glad that current events are making so many people take their first - or tenth! - look at their digital privacy and security measures. Revisiting you...

Paid subscribers got access to Episode #53, which was about Cloudflare’s free DNS which anyone can use to help better protect their personal data AND speed up their web browsing. Free subscribers only receive access to a third of what I research and write; paid subscribers have access to every episode. They also get to comment and ask questions on every episode I publish. Becoming a paid subscribe...

The Great Merge It’s been a while. Thank you for your patience. I’m usually introspective when the year ends and a new year begins. It’s a good time to take stock and examine where I am in regard to my relationships. We, humans, are both blessed and cursed in that ability… Trees and animals don’t compare themselves to other members of their species, but we do. We’re unique in that way and it’s an...

A Steaming Bag of S**t Longtime readers of mine - both here in my Substack newsletter and on my Medium page - know that I’m a vocal critic of Facebook: * I’ve written about their deceit in the Cambridge Analytica scandal * I’ve authored an article on how to limit the data that you share with Facebook * I’ve written about how - and WHY - to delete Facebook and all social media apps from your smartp...