The Computer Exorcist Podcast

Today we talk to the latest viral sensation on TikTok: Steve the Spoon Guy. Resurrecting the lost art of playing the spoons, Steve brings a smile to the faces of a new generation. We discuss what going viral means - how it inflates some people's egos, but to others it just gives them the satisfaction of knowing they've made somebody' happy. We also discuss social media - how it breaks...

Today we welcome Nevin Hira, the guy who inspired me to take my humble little side gig and make it into a full-time business. We discuss a new trend of moving tech manufacturing (iPhone, Fire Stick, and more) toward Vietnam and India. Since India is already known as a big hub for IT services, it makes sense for them to add IT manufacturing to their national skillset. Next, we're huge fans of T...

This morning we interview the self-proclaimed chameleon, Joe Dimino. He's a podcaster, a YouTube star, a painter, a jazz guy, a former sportscaster, oh yeah, and the computer guy for his school district. The CEP ain't your usual tech talk show, so we spend the first part talking about jazz people and how they really see the highs and lows of life, society, and success. Then, we do an artic...

This guy's intro about himself was so interesting we didn't have time for an article! Derick Johnson tells us how he does not only body training, but re-training your mind. Most of us are on auto-pilot throughout the day. We check the news and social, we watch some videos, we light up a cigarette, we pace around the house, whatever it may be. He helps people realize this, and then re-progr...

We're celebrating our 40th episode, and have reached 2,000 downloads! Today Prof. Justin calls in to explain Cybersecurity. I just thought it was a bunch of guys in a big room running scans, but it's much cooler than that: He runs a command center that resembles the war rooms of Hollywood, which simulates cyberattacks on critical infrastructure such as power plants. He then teaches his stu...

Today we discuss Cadillac's implementation of a few 3D printed parts - sure it's just a few and it's a PR stunt, but 3D printing is all about freedom, so it's important. Marc goes off on a tangent about Caddy's renaissance in the late 90s with models like the STS, Catera, and the wild CTS-V, where they took their small sedan and plopped in a Corvette motor and called it a day....

Today we go back to Ordinary Time and Marc finds new ways to digest the backlog of articles. We discuss one about how car subscriptions were poised to take over the world, then Covid hit, and there went that idea. On its own, It's a really cool idea that has makes sense for travelers and city-dwellers, but it should not replace real car ownership. Finally, we explain The Right to Repair and th...

In the second half of our talk, Riley Cagle explains what our representatives can do for us, and it's pleasantly surprising. Then I hit him with some articles! The first article is a recent one where Microsoft has fallen under the scrutiny of European antitrust officials. The fact that they bundled their [pathetic] Teams software (not to mention that mysterious new Meet Now icon) with Windows...

Today we interview the fascinating Riley Cagle, whose resume includes working in a US Congressional office and being a lobbyist on Capitol Hill. He teaches us HOW Congressional offices work. (I felt like I was there!) We learn how they deal with the massive amount of comments they receive via letter, phonecall, or email. (One office received 1.7 million communications in one year!) Does anybody ac...

A Support Scam is where you get a scary message on your screen (often accompanied by loud noises) that tries to scare you. It says you have viruses and trojans and then tells you to call a phone number. If you call, people answer and CLAIM to be Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, etc. Of course DO NOT CALL THEM. The ONLY time they can hurt you is if you call them and let them into your machine. Today, my c...

You're gonna love this one, folks. Tonight we talk with Silicon Valley veteran Kassy Laborie. She's a Virtual Training Consultant who became an expert on video meetings and working from home... 22 years before Covid! We discuss how Zoom won the privilege of having its brand name synonymous with video calling (like Kleenex, Xeroxing, or Googling) by making it (relatively) easy for people. S...

A Support Scam is one of The Four New Threats that I've identified. Viruses and trojans are nearly impossible anymore, because the THREAT of them is MUCH more profitable. Scammers now implant advertisements on websites with scary, emotional sentences that claim you have viruses and such. Their goal is to scare you into LETTING them break into your computer. I lured them into mine on purpose, t...

Tonight we do another zany Torment a Scammer medley! First we get a voicemail from a telemarketer who's already been tormented. She'd ready to quit so she gives up during the voicemail. Next we get more "TV Service Provider" scammers who promise upgrades and refunds. Foghorn Leghorn is here to waste their time and call the men "young ladies" until they snap. We get a call f...

Tonight's Torment a Scammer episode is unique because instead of a medley of calls, I kept one scammer group on the phone for over half an hour! I'm learning not to break character too early! This is the latest sinister scam - They call and claim to be your cable company. They apologize for the high prices and offer you a refund and eventually ask for your credit card. Of course your real...

It's been a while since we've had a one-on-one episode with just you and me, dear listener, so here it is. First, I answer a fan mail asking about the Wallace Memorial Microphone. I then discuss Chrome Extensions and the Chrome Web App Extension Store - offering both illegal and legal extensions that HARVEST YOUR DATA. Nobody should use any of them. Also, App Stores claim to protect you fr...

It's a veritably flurry of brilliant ideas tonight with special guest and TEDx veteran Marc Winn. Big governments, businesses, and tech firms tower over us all. Their respective broad-sweeping rules, massive scale, and micro-management fail to consider our unique individual humanity. Isolation, disconnection, disillusionment, and POLARIZATION leave people feeling abandoned. The tall towers are...

Inspirational speaker and podcaster Bob McIntosh joins us tonight. He wrote a book about the concept that "awesome" or "excellent" is better than "perfect", which is unattainable. Yes we all want to put in effort and succeed, but it turns out that there IS such a thing as trying too hard. You end up getting nowhere. I've relaxed my grip on life and it's amazing how...

Today we finish up the expose on Amazon's business practices. When they set their sights on Diapers.com, Amazon decided to sell competing diapers at a huge loss. Of course consumers fell for it in droves, because if you're a parent trying to buy diapers, you'll buy the cheapest ones possible. Inevitably, Diapers.com could not compete, and Amazon convinced them to sell out to them. They...

Today we analyze the cutthroat practices of Amazon - a pugnacious company that still views itself as a startup (think fightin'-Irish pose). This is a story about choking out competitors, and backstabbing your own sellers. If a third-party seller's product becomes remotely successful, they might accuse the seller of being a fraud, which forces them to prove themselves by revealing the contr...

It's another scammer episode! This time I got a lot of calls from people claiming to be my cable company. Scammers are taking advantage of the fact that people are furious about cable/Internet rates. They apologized for all the high rates, and offered to give me a refund. They're hoping you give them your cable account number, your bank account number, or credit card number. One lady could...

This is the recording of my guest appearance on the Shaking Up Rochester radio show last week! Thanks to Larana Love for having me on the show. The other folks she interviewed that night were great too. I do my usual explanation of The Four New Threats, so it's a great way for a new audience to get to know me. If one of your friends doesn't know what I'm all about, have them listen to...

Today we introduce another special guest, Anthony, who works with Catholic solopreneurs. We discuss how focusing on the bottom line and neglecting the other aspects of your work or personal life affects your family. We then compare it to a factory manager who went above and beyond to take care of his workers. "Greed can take on different names to match whatever our insecurity is." We discu...

Today we introduce a new special guest, Jim the Internet Plumber. He knows a lot about the pipes of the Internet and discusses how people keep the flow of information as safe as they can. We start out discussing small business and protecting them from Big Tech prying and expensive overkill services. We then discuss Marc's new suspicion that the industry is ruled by a handful of in-bred monopol...

This morning Angry Marc flies solo! I discuss the hype behind AI: Contributing to the destruction of humanity, all because you were too lazy to write a paragraph for yourself. I then praise a little-known book called Why Software Sucks. It reveals how adding more and more and more features makes a program more and more and more unreliable. While written in 2007, it is increasingly relevant. Grab a...

Dr. Mike returns to inform us that in the short span of 50 years, we went from teaching people how to change their own tires, to warning people not to eat laundry soap. We then plot his "spinoff sitcom", which will be all about Rochester's favorite food: The Garbage Plate. (It's called The Flyover Plates Podcast and it's now available!) Then, we dial up some scammers and see wh...