TechStuff

In 2013, venture capitalist Aileen Lee coined the term "unicorn" for startups. What makes a startup a unicorn? How rare are they? And how do investors assign value to a company that might not actually do anything?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A leaked draft agreement from 2022 reveals that US government agencies seek to have extensive oversight into and control over several TikTok operations. Microsoft hopes that handing cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft will save the Activision Blizzard acquisition. And the voice of Mario is changing. Plus more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the state of the metaverse? In late 2021, dozens of companies started to push hard to become players in creating the metaverse. But how many stuck with it? Has any progress been made? And who the heck wants this to be a thing? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is authentication? Why is it important? And what are engineers doing to make it better? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Researchers have some disappointing news about that wonder material that appeared to be superconductive at room temperatures. Gartner says that generative AI is about to take the plunge toward the trough of disillusionment. And New York City says city workers can't have TikTok on their work phones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ponzi scheme is an old trick, but it's being used in new ways. Learn how this well worn scam is being tailored for the age of cryptocurrency, and the red flags you should be on the lookout for. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A judge has revoked Sam Bankman-Fried's house arrest order and SBF will now have to go to jail to await trial. We've also got a ton of AI news to talk about, including how hackers were able to get chatbots to break their own rules just using words. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first vending machine in recorded history wasn't for soft drinks or snacks. It was for holy water. And how did an English radical think a vending machine was the loophole he was looking for? We look back on the weird history of vending machines.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the humble MP3 player get its start? When did the iPod take over as the dominant brand? And what's the MP3 Player business like today? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US Supreme Court declined a recent request from Epic regarding the company's ongoing legal battles with Apple. Disney is getting ready to hike subscription fees (again) on Disney+ and other streaming services. And some astronomers worry that slamming spacecraft into oncoming asteroids might not actually remove the risk of catastrophe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is an API? Where did the term come from? What does an API do, and why are they important for developers?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pope Francis has called for a day of global reflection on AI. Security researchers warn of technology that can decode keystrokes just from sound alone. Zoom changes its terms of use after customers bring up concerns about using call data to train AI models. And much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In tech, a black box is any technology that hides the processes that take input and generate output. We see what goes in, we see what comes out but what's going on inside? We look at the black box problem in tech. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once the Wards Company, Circuit City really established its identity decades after it was founded. How did the company grow and ultimately die, and what comes next? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A security company CEO has some harsh words for Microsoft and the security it relies on for its Azure cloud platform. Microsoft itself warns that Russian hackers are using Microsoft Teams to target a small number of organizations in an effort to get login credentials. And the FBI finds that the FBI was partly responsible for illegal activity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean for a material to be superconductive? Did a team of South Korean researchers create a revolutionary superconductive material? And what would that mean for the world?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk's X company installed an enormous, illuminated "X" sign at the company HQ, and then took it down a couple of days later. Meta is preparing to launch some AI chatbots, including an AI Abe Lincoln. And a court in Europe is forcing Meta to reveal the identity of an anonymous user. Plus lots more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While an elephant may never forget, the same cannot be said for artificial neural networks. What is catastrophic forgetting, how does it affect artificial intelligence and how are engineers trying to solve the problem?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you remember the electronics superstore called Circuit City? If you shopped in the 80s and 90s, the answer is probably yes. How did it get started? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

X.com will require brands to spend at least $1,000 per month on advertising or else risk losing the verified checkmark on the platform. A city in China has temporarily banned Tesla vehicles. Meta had a very good Q2. And scientists claim they have made a massive breakthrough with superconductors. Plus lots more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon is rolling out palm scanner technology to Whole Foods grocery stores. What's the story on biometrics, and what are the benefits and drawbacks of the technology?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk has changed Twitter to X, and a lot of people are puzzled and unhappy about it. Plus, the ESRB wants to make sure you're old enough to play that video game. And Apple faces another massive lawsuit due to its app store practices. And more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the film Oppenheimer released to theaters, it's time to talk about the tech of the atomic bombs. What set the two apart? How did they work? And how did Oppenheimer feel about his achievements? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn about the amazing world of magnets and how super smart people figured out we could use them to store data. From old wire recordings to magnetic hard drives, we look at the science and tech behind magnetic data storage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hacker Kevin Mitnick passed away this week. Back in the 1990s, Mitnick upset a lot of powerful companies by infiltrating their computer systems and became a hero to some and a villain to others. In other news, we've got a lot more AI stories, plus Ukraine authorities bust up a huge botnet operation.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.