TechStuff

We often think of technology as stuff that keeps us sitting at home, wired to our phones or computers or game systems. But there's an entire world of technology designed to inspire you to get outside and go exploring. We look at how tech can play a part in getting back to nature. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Greg used the Talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app to ask an interesting question: does Full Self Driving do what Tesla says it does? We take a look at the capabilities and limitations of Full Self Driving and ask tough questions like "Who is responsible when a Tesla crashes while in Full Self Driving mode?" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Attorney General for Washington DC has sued Mark Zuckerberg over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Airbnb shuts down rentals in China. And a Florida law that would allow politicians to sue social networks over content moderation remains blocked. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener The Gregolas asked if I might explain The Illegal Number. What makes a number illegal? Can numbers actually be illegal? Isn't that absurd? YES! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could your car be hacked remotely? We take a look at claims and explore the possibilities of wireless car hacking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of news to cover today, including an update on Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, Meta is scaling back on some departments within the company, and Google's Russian subsidiary declares bankruptcy. Plus, learn how some engineers created a scientific breakthrough meant to make your burritos better. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What gives those classic video games like Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda their unique sound? We look at what makes 8-bit audio special, and why the 8-bit part isn't really the important, uh, bit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk says unless Twitter can prove its claim that less than 5% of all monetizable accounts are bots, the acquisition deal won't progress. A security researcher shows it's possible to unlock and start a Tesla vehicle through hacking. And how many times is your data traded online every day? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not all self-driving cars are made equal. We take a look at the various levels of autonomous driving and speculate on how long it might be until we have a truly autonomous car on the roads. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there a kill switch for the Internet? Is that legal or ethical? Ben Bowlin joins the show to talk about it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All right, stop! Collaborate and listen; ICE is back with invasive digital surveillance covering essentially all US residents. Plus the SEC is after Elon Musk (again), the EU might outlaw end to end encryption and we learn what Google has announced at its I/O event. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On May 10th, 2022, Apple announced it was discontinuing the iPod Touch, the last in the line of iPod products. We look back on the debut, evolution and impact of the iconic iPod. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DRM, or digital rights management, can cause far more problems than what it was meant to solve. And it doesn't even solve the problem it was designed to do. In this episode, we look at several cases where DRM caused problems for legitimate customers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last couple of years have been hard, but they've also pushed businesses to adapt quickly and innovate. We look at the technologies that power work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nate Lanxon from Bloomberg joins the show to talk about the history of Internet Explorer and the future of Project Spartan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode sponsored by Nissan, we take a look at the technologies being developed right now that will reshape the web and how we interact online. From Web3 to the metaverse to, yes, NFTs, we look at what's good, what's bad and what could define our future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the late 90s, a man calling himself Michael Fenne had a radical idea: why not create a 1,000-channel online video network? The result was PIxelon, a company that in its short history had one of the craziest journeys in tech history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US invests in electric vehicle batteries. Meta decides to shut down its podcasting platform. And Spotify is in Roblox now! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to hold onto information. Paradoxically, it can also be hard to get rid of it. In this episode, we look at why long-term data preservation is a challenge, and the lengths people will go to in order to clear out digital information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nate Lanxon from Bloomberg joins the show to talk about the history of Internet Explorer and the future of Project Spartan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta saw more users join its services, giving investors more confidence in the company. Amazon is in a tussle with the Australian government. And the UK plans to fine streaming services that display "harmful content."  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some researchers in the UK made a breakthrough that could have a dramatic impact on the cost of fuel cell technology. But how do fuel cells work anyway, and what's holding us back from using them? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite all the back and forth, it looks like Elon Musk's bid for Twitter will be a success. And as you can expect, the Internet reacted with measured rationality and decorum.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a continuation of last week's episode about tech and the music biz, we look at how different media had a huge impact and how digital downloads and streaming would change everything.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the story behind the Air Force's X-37B space plane? What is it doing on its super-long missions? Ben Bowlin joins the show to make wild speculations with me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.