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TechStuff

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TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about Tech Stuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers). 

Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us. 

TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture. 

We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions. 

Get in touch here: [email protected]

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Episodes

An Update on The Metaverse

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.

Aug 21, 202320 min

Tech News: Superconductivity and Hype Cycles and TikTok, oh my!

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.

Aug 17, 202330 min

Rerun: It's a (Crypto) Ponzi Scheme!

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.

Aug 16, 202345 min

Tech News: SBF Goes to Jail

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.

Aug 15, 202335 min

The History of Vending Machines

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.

Aug 14, 202342 min

TechStuff Classic: The History of MP3 Players

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.

Aug 11, 20231 hr 2 min

Tech News: The Supreme Court Hands Epic a Setback

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.

Aug 10, 202322 min

TechStuff Tidbits: The One About APIs

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.

Aug 09, 202333 min

Tech News: AI Versus The Pope

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.

Aug 08, 202336 min

Rerun: TechStuff Looks Inside the Black Box

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.

Aug 07, 202352 min

TechStuff Classic: The Circuit City Story Part 2

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.

Aug 04, 202352 min

Tech News: Microsoft vs. Hackers

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.

Aug 03, 202321 min

TechStuff Tidbits: Superconductivity and LK-99

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.

Aug 02, 202333 min

Tech News: X's Sign Becomes An Ex Sign

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.

Aug 01, 202331 min

Machine Learning and Catastrophic Forgetting

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.

Jul 31, 202342 min

TechStuff Classic: The Circuit City Story Part 1

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.

Jul 28, 202346 min

Tech News: X Gon' Take It Away From Ya

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.

Jul 27, 202342 min

TechStuff Tidbits: Biometrics

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.

Jul 26, 202337 min

Tech News: Elon Musk X's Out Twitter

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.

Jul 25, 202331 min

Little Boy and Fat Man

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.

Jul 24, 202336 min

TechStuff Classic: How Magnetic Storage Works

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.

Jul 21, 202350 min

Tech News: World Famous Hacker Passes Away

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.

Jul 20, 202329 min

TechStuff Tidbits: Perpetual Motion and Thermodynamics

We've all heard that perpetual motion machines are impossible (at least as far as our understanding of the universe goes) but why? We look at how our understanding of thermodynamics forbids perpetual motion machines to be a thing. And I bungle the lyrics to a Faith Hill song. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 19, 202320 min

Tech News: Microsoft Scrambles to Save Activision Deal

Microsoft's contract to purchase Activision Blizzard expires today, and Reuters reports that the company is trying to get an extension on the agreement while navigating regulatory hurdles. A CEO predicts that AI will eliminate outsourced programmer jobs in India in the near future. And the NYPD plans to use flying robots to warn citizens of imminent danger. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 19, 202320 min

Hamlet and the Apprehension of AI

A developer has created an AI chatbot designed to help hackers create malicious code and content. Was this inevitable? Beyond that, the "good" versions of AI continue to produce troublesome content. What would Hamlet have to say about that? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 17, 202345 min

TechStuff Classic: Bad Computer Bugs

Software bugs range from annoying to catastrophic. It's time to explore some of the most famous flaws in computer history! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 14, 202345 min

Tech News: Concerns about AI on the Rise

From Hollywood to India, today's tech stories largely focus on how AI is disrupting businesses and the consequences that follow. Plus, we learn about Amazon asking the EU for reclassification, Microsoft moving forward on buying Activision Blizzard, and Chinese hackers gaining access to email accounts belonging to two dozen government agencies in the US and Europe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 13, 202319 min

Whatever happened to RSS?

Once upon a time, the RSS icon was a common sight on web pages. But these days, it's rare to see the friendly widget on the web. So what happened? Why has RSS faded away across much of the web landscape? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 12, 202320 min

Tech News: TikTok in the Crosshairs

Leaders in the US and Australia continue to view TikTok critically. The US state of Massachusetts proposes a law that would make it illegal for data brokers to buy and sell cellular location data. And protestors in San Francisco are sabotaging self-driving cars through the careful application of traffic cones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 11, 202321 min
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