TechStuff

Tech News: Amazon and Facebook Under Scrutiny

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is all about issues at Amazon and Facebook as the two companies try to fend off allegations that the companies engage in anti competitive...

RERUN: Are we in cyber war?

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this classic episode, Jonathan and Chris Pollette talk about the realities of cyber warfare. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihear...

Tech News: Facebook's Very Bad Week

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Facebook was dealing with a whistleblower. This week, the company might have another one. Plus stories about Amazon corporate employees wor...

Proof of Stake vs Proof of Work

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the world of cryptocurrency, there's a need for algorithms to create a consensus for validating transactions. Bitcoin uses Proof of Work. Ethereum ...

TechStuff Classic: The Sewing Machine

09 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Holly Frey from Stuff You Missed in History Class joins the show to talk about the sewing machine and how it shaped patent law. Learn more about your...

Tech News: Twitch Gets Hacked

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A hacker steals pretty much everything Twitch has. Facebook tries to downplay a whistleblower's allegations. And someone has taken over a US Navy Face...

Navigation in Spaaaace

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Terje wants to know about space navigation. We look at how orbital velocities, special and general relativity and even stuff like solar radia...

Tech News: Why Facebook Went Offline

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook and all its services disappeared on Monday, October 4th. What caused the outage? Also, the US Senate interviews a Facebook whistleblower, a f...

The Transatlantic Telegraph Cable

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It was an engineering feat to link England to France via subsea cables. Connecting Europe to America would require even greater innovation. From faile...

The History of Subsea Cables

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Antriksh asked that I look into subsea cables, the physical connections that link distant lands together for communication and power transmis...

Accelerating Innovation with Hybrid Cloud ​at the Edge

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The world is hitting a data tipping point where vast connectivity requires massive network capacity. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm Gladw...

Rerun: The Mythology of Area 51

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Area 51 factors into stories about everything from weather-control devices to aliens. Ben Bowlin joins the show to look at the mythology of Area 51. ...

Tech News: Instagram Strikes Back

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Instagram and Facebook argue that the Wall Street Journal inaccurately interpreted data about Instagram's effects on mental health. A California law a...

Audio Wars: Analog vs Digital

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A listener asked that I talk about ADCs and DACs, but to do that we have to understand how sound works, how analog works and how digital works. And th...

TechStuff Classic: The History of Area 51 - Part Two

25 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What's been going on at the Area 51 site since the days of the U-2 and A-12 spy plane tests? We look at stealth technology, drones and more. Learn mo...

Tech News: Jonathan Gets Mad at the News

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We learn more awful stuff about Facebook. Texas's law against social media companies is challenged in court. And the White House is meeting with compa...

What Lies Ahead for the International Space Station?

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We finish up our series about space stations and talk about the most recent modules to join the ISS, the private citizens who visited the ISS as touri...

Tech News: Facebook on the Ropes

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A series of articles in The Wall Street Journal has Facebook on the defensive. Tech companies struggle to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. And some ...

The Origins of the International Space Station

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After several false starts, NASA's plans for a space station got a leg up when the US invited Russia to become a part of a new, cooperative enterprise...

False Starts with Space Stations

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we look back on the US plans for a space station, we explore abandoned plans for a few different designs. We also learn how politics and space don'...

Tech News: Facebook Researchers Dunk on Facebook

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A 2020 internal report at Facebook reveals that Instagram use can have a negative impact on mental health, and it gets worse from there. We also have ...

Rerun: How Fuel Cells Work

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device; it turns chemical energy into electrical energy. Jonathan and Chris discuss fuel cells in ...

Tech News: Good Apples and Bad Apples

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Apple holds its iPhone 13 event today and we guess at what the company will reveal. We also learn how a federal judge made a call that subsequently le...

The Story of Mir

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mir was the first modular space station in orbit. It was simultaneously a scientific and engineering triumph and a chaotic mess. We look at the good, ...

TechStuff Classic: The History of Area 51 - Part One

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What goes on at the most famous secret base in the world? Ben Bowlin joins the show to talk about Area 51, aka Groom Lake. Learn more about your ad-c...

Tech News: Facebook is so Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook and Ray-Ban introduce new smart glasses. Twitter creates Communities. And the Australian High Court makes a really bad decision about Faceboo...

TechStuff Visits Space Stations

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've talked about space suits. Now it's time to talk about space stations! From the first Salyut space station to the incredible story of Skylab, we ...

Tech News: Tech and the Surveillance State

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's a lot of tech news about the role of tech in surveillance. It's not particularly happy news. We also talk about how Android users are watching...

TechStuff Classic: 5 Technologies To End All Wars - That Didn't

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can technology end war? Several people thought so at one time or another. We look at five examples of idealists who thought tech would end warfare. L...

Home Theatre 103 - Components and Cables

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Just when you thought it was safe to watch a Blu-ray. We look at more tech that's necessary for a great home theater system. From AV Receivers to the ...

Tech News: Reddit Takes Misinformation Seriously

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After numerous protests, Reddit shut down a subreddit dedicated to the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. Will it follow up on similar problematic sub...

Rerun: The Dangers of Public WiFi

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hacker extraordinaire Shannon Morse joins the show to talk about how you can protect your data when browsing the Internet. Is public WiFi off limits? ...

Tech News: South Korea Brings the Hammer Down on Apple

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

While the US debates whether Apple and Google's in-app purchasing systems are anticompetitive, South Korea jumps ahead and bans the companies from pre...

Home Theatre 102: Screens and Sounds

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We follow up with a bit more about what you need to know when selecting a screen for your home theater, plus all the options for sound. What's the dif...

TechStuff Classic: Who was Claude Shannon?

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TechStuff salutes an incredibly influential (and yet relatively unknown) tech genius: Claude Shannon. What did he do? Learn more about your ad-choice...

Tech News: OnlyFans does a 180

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Content platform OnlyFans reverses a policy change after protests and criticism hit the company. Too many government agencies around the world rely on...

Home Theatre 101: The Screen

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Maybe you want a new television, or maybe you want to set up a whole home theatre. This episode dives into the world of UHD experiences, from resoluti...

Tech News: Tech and the Crisis in Afghanistan

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We learn how a tech startup is trying to help the people of Kabul (and how the startup's founder is protecting her employees). Apple pushes back a ret...

The Shuttle Space Suits and Beyond

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How did space suits evolve over the course of the Space Shuttle program, and what has been going on since? And why are spacesuits being blamed for a d...

TechStuff Classic: The Full Motion Video Era - Home Gaming

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How was full motion video used in early computer and console games? And why is it so hilariously bad? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www...

More Space Suits and Pooping in Space

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We pick up with the space suits designed for the Apollo program. We learn what the Apollo astronauts had to do in order to go to the bathroom in space...

Rerun: Working with the Large Hadron Collider

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan is joined by Daniel Whiteson of Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. Daniel works in the field of experimental particle physics and conduct...

Tech News: Dude, Where's My Data?

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Dallas Police Department accidentally deleted 22 terabytes of data. Hackers infiltrated T-Mobile servers and claim to have stolen the private info...

Space Suit Evolution

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A lack of new space suits is going to push back the Artemis Program. Where did space suits come from? What were the early ones like? We look at flight...

TechStuff Classic: The Full Motion Video Era - The Arcade

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is FMV and how did it change video games? From the brilliant to the brilliantly awful, we take a look at FMV. Learn more about your ad-choices a...

Tech News: Netflix Wages War Against VPNs

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Netflix tries to stop people from using VPNs to view region-locked material. Facebook faces new anticompetitive investigations in the UK. A report sho...

Rerun: The Artemis Program

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

NASA is soliciting applications for its astronaut program in anticipation of sending men and women to the Moon. Learn all about the Artemis program, i...

Tech News: The US Infrastructure Bill Introduces Some Tech Problems

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The US Senate has approved a 1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure bill, but contained within that bill are some amendments that could cause problems dow...

The 2014 Sony Hack Revisited

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In late 2014, hackers stole an enormous amount of information from Sony Pictures, then wiped out thousands of computers and hundreds of servers. A gro...

TechStuff Classic: TechStuff Camps Out

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From the good old days of roughing it to the high tech campsite of the future, we look at the tech of camping. Learn more about your ad-choices at ht...

Tech News: Time Crystals

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Google researchers claim they can use quantum computers to study time crystals, and we figure out what that sentence means. We also cover stories abou...

Rerun: Tron- He Fights For the Users

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Steven Lisberger, writer and director of the 1982 film Tron, joins the show to talk about the tech of making the film and the mythology of Tron itself...

Tech News: Tesla - The Good, The Bad, and the On Fire

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tesla Autopilot may have averted tragedy in Norway, but it also thought the moon was a traffic light. And a massive Tesla battery caught fire, requiri...

The Highly Valued But Unprofitable Tech Unicorns

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It sounds like a paradox: a tech company is worth billions of dollars but operates at a loss year after year. We look at a few companies that have str...

TechStuff Classic: Passing the Turing Test

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Did a pair of programmers make a chatbot that passed the Turing Test? What exactly is the test and has anyone beaten it before? Learn more about your...

Smart Talks with IBM and Malcolm Gladwell - An Open Conversation about Open Innovation

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm talks to Jim Whitehurst, senior advisor at IBM and an expert in open source software and innovation. During t...

The History of Energy Efficiency

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, the US wasn't really fussed about energy conservation. So what happened? From wars to oil embargoes to environmental disasters, we l...

Tech News: VPN Fails and Apple Vulnerabilities

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A company offering a VPN service has some explaining to do after Ukrainian officials seize some servers. Apple patches a zero-day vulnerability. And A...

The Y2K Bug Was (And Is) a Real Problem

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 90s, the Y2K bug was a big news item. People worried that everything from toasters to airplanes would fail as computer systems mishandled ...

TechStuff Classic: Solar Freaking Roadways

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You may have seen the Indiegogo solar roadway project. What are the goals of solar roadways? Are they realistic? Learn more about your ad-choices at ...

Tech News: Internet Down

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A problem with a Content Delivery Network meant that several major web sites and services went offline on Thursday. The State of California brings a l...

What is an algorithm?

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The word algorithm pops up a lot in tech discussions, but what the heck is an algorithm? From learning about an Arabic genius to discovering a way to ...

Tech News: Billionaires in Spaaaace

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Bezos takes a joyride on a rocket. Apple delays when employees will have to return to the office. And an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation ...

Tech Flops, Fails and Misfires

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We make some time to celebrate some of the ideas and companies in tech that just didn't work out. From bad ideas to bad luck, we explore the factors t...

TechStuff Classic: How Carbon Fiber Works

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What's the manufacturing process for carbon fiber? What properties does carbon fiber possess? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartp...

Tech News: Cryptocurrency Co-founder Calls Crypto Bad News

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A Dogecoin co-founder speaks out against cryptocurrency. Android 12 takes a new spin on auto-rotate. President Biden signs an executive order supporti...

Spoofing and Caller ID

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do scam artists disguise their phone numbers when setting up robocalls? We look at Caller ID and spoofing and learn how companies and government a...

Tech News: Amazon is the new Santa Claus?

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

ByteDance employees are about to have less work. Google faces a big fine in France. And Amazon just got permission from the FCC to watch you sleep. Pl...

Batteries and Fast Recharging

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A listener asked to learn more about fast recharging technologies, so we take a look at the history and evolution of batteries, what happens with rech...

TechStuff Classic: The History of Carbon Fiber

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Carbon fiber is an amazing material. Where did it come from? And were people really making it in the 19th century? Learn more about your ad-choices a...

Tech News: Amoral Algorithms and Anticompetitive App Stores

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former president Donald Trump files legal complaints against YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. More than 30 states say that the Google App store is "mono...

A Conversation with Iyaz Akhtar

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Iyaz Akhtar joins the show to talk about his career in tech, his friendship with Jonathan and what it's like to have your finger on the pulse of the t...

Tech News: India Cracks Down on Twitter

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The government in India says that Twitter could be held liable for illegal material posted to the network. The "King of Bitcoin" is under arrest. And ...

Rerun: Firestarter

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How were matches invented? From toxic chemicals to pee science, we learn about matches. And a fictional character stops by to irritate our host. Lear...

TechStuff Classic: How Clothes Dryers Work

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Clothes dryers have evolved from precarious, fire-bellied devices to the increasingly green machines we know today. We cover the history of dryer tech...

Tech News: Give Me Liberty And Give Me Tech

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The FCC cracks down on spoofing. Google has a digital COVID card. And companies that make autonomous vehicles in the US must report all major accident...

Tech Glossary: From SEO to Y2K

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've reached the end of our primer on tech acronyms and initialisms (for now). In this episode, learn about search engine optimization, what an SSID ...

Tech News: The Algorithms are Against Us

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In today's news episode, we learn how one YouTube algorithm banned a legitimate channel and how over at Amazon an algorithm can fire employees. Plus I...

Tech Glossary: From PCB to SaaS

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What's a PCB? What makes an RTF? What the heck is SaaS? We continue to demystify the acronyms and initialisms common in tech circles. Learn more abou...

TechStuff Classic: How Planetariums Work

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What goes into making a planetarium work and where did they come from? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee om...

Tech News: The Mystery of McAfee

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

John McAfee, the founder of McAfee Antivirus, was found dead in a jail cell in Spain after a court ruled he would be extradited to the US for tax evas...

Tech Glossary: From ISDN to P2P

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What does MPEG stand for? What does MIDI do? And are P2P networks inherently bad? We learn some more tech initialisms and acronyms. Learn more about ...

Tech News: When tech, politics and money meet

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We got ourselves some Hubble Trouble. The US House of Representatives isn't a fan of SpaceX and Blue Origin. And cryptocurrencies keep taking a beatin...

Tech Glossary: From GPU to IRC

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our series on tech acronyms and initialisms continue. From learning basics like input and output to what it is that ICANN does, we've got you covered....

TechStuff Classic: The Worst Video Games of All Time (Update)

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, a documentary crew went out to the desert to dig up some legendary Atari cartridges. It reminds us of this classic TechStuff episode. Learn...

Tech News: Proposed Laws to Protect Consumers

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Here in the US, the government is looking at laws that could change how tech companies operate. Japan is looking into supersonic passenger flight tech...

Tech Glossary: From DLL to GPS

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We continue learning about the initialisms and acronyms used commonly in tech and what they mean. From proprietary file extensions to global navigatio...

Tech News: E3 and Nuclear Weapons

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The 2021 E3 is going on right now, and Microsoft is taking the opportunity to dominate conversations. A ransomware hacker group targeted a nuclear wea...

Tech Glossary: From A to DLC

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this new series, we take a look at acronyms and initialisms in tech and learn what they mean, plus get a little story behind them. Learn about ASCI...

TechStuff Classic: The HBO Story: Part Three

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, HBO is known for its original programming that's so popular people can't stop pirating it. We look at the company's current strategy. Learn mo...

Tech News: Corporations, Crime and Cryptocurrency

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hackers share billions of passwords while others infiltrate EA's internal systems. El Salvador moves to make bitcoin legal tender within the country. ...

Someone Think of the Children

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act or COPPA has been around since 1996. So why was it suddenly in the headlines in 2020? We explore this law...

Tech News: Row Row Row your Roboat

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A massive sting operation brings down 800 criminals around the world thanks to an "encrypted" messaging app. Bitcoin value sinks again after the US se...

How Tech Spies On Us

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is your phone eavesdropping on you? Does that smart speaker listen in on your conversations? Turns out, they don't need to, because companies can acce...

TechStuff Classic: The HBO Story- Part Two

05 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What happened to HBO once cable subscriptions hit a saturation point? We look at how the company transitioned from startup to corporate. Learn more a...

Smart Talks with IBM and Malcolm Gladwell - Couch vs. cubicle: is the future of work hybrid?

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Remote working has kept many businesses afloat over the last year, but has it kept employees productive, enthusiastic, and inspired? In this special e...

AT&T and Warner Media: A Failed Love Affair

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our history of Warner Bros/Time Warner/WarnerMedia, we look at how the failed merger of AOL Time Warner shook out. Then we explore how the ...

Tech New: The Era of Killer Robots

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A report claims Google purposefully hit location tracking settings to discourage users from turning them off. Facebook funds a questionable report. An...

Rerun: TechStuff Moments with Mr. Lincoln

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Disneyland attraction Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln originally started out as a World's Fair attraction before taking up residence in the Happies...

Smart Talks with IBM and Malcolm Gladwell: Can AI be empathetic? Reinventing client experiences

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a time that’s been challenging for everyone, perhaps no other industry has been hit harder than healthcare. Anthem, one of America’s leading he...