TechStuff

Changes at the Top

03 Dec 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What do the recent changes in executive leadership at Apple and Microsoft mean? What's the reason behind the changes? Does this spell trouble for the ...

TechStuff Gets MegaUploaded

28 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What was Megaupload? Why did the US federal government pursue Megaupload? Why is the Megaupload case so complicated? Join Chris and Jonathan as they s...

TechStuff Looks at Industrial Light and Magic

26 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is Industrial Light and Magic, and when did it get its start? What is ILM's relationship to Pixar? What technologies did ILM pioneer? Join Jonath...

TechStuff Rides in Electric Cars

21 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How do electric motors work? Are electric vehicles a new idea? Why aren't there more electric vehicles on the road today? Join Jonathan and Chris as t...

TechStuff Gets an ESRB Rating

19 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is the ESRB? What procedure does the ESRB follow to rate games? What do the different ratings mean? Join the guys as they demystify the inner wor...

The Adobe Story, Part Two

14 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did Adobe expand its business? Why was the PDF format a big deal? What does Adobe have to do with Flash? Join Jonathan and Chris as they continue ...

The Adobe Story, Part One

12 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Who founded the company Adobe? What business was Adobe in? Who was Adobe's biggest customer in the early days of the company? Join Jonathan and Chris ...

TechStuff Jumps From Space

07 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did the Stratos jump work? What sort of technology was inside the capsule? How did Felix's suit work? Join Jonathan and Chris as they leap into th...

TechStuff Opens Windows 8

05 Nov 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How is Windows 8 different from previous versions? What are the challenges of developing an OS that will work on both tablets and computers? How do yo...

The Zynga Story (So Far)

31 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Who founded Zynga? How much were Zynga shares worth at their peak? What happened to the company? Join Jonathan and Chris as they unravel the facts beh...

TechStuff Gets a Bright Idea

29 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Who really invented the light bulb? What is the Draper point? How do fluorescent bulbs work? Join Chris and Jonathan as they shine some light on the f...

TechStuff Has Klout

24 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is Klout? Does everyone have it? What is Klout good for? Join Jonathan and Chris as they get to the bottom of Klout in this episode. Learn more ...

TechStuff Looks at HTML5

24 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a markup language? Why is HTML5 important? Why did Mark Zuckerberg call Facebook’s focus on HTML5 a mistake? Join Chris and Jonathan as they...

How Hand-drawn Animation Works

17 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What's the process of animating a film with hand-drawn animation? Who patented the process of cel-based animation? What was Disney's multiplane camera...

How DNA Computers Work

15 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How can a DNA sequence represent digital information? How dense is the data storage with DNA? What could be the future of computers with DNA? Join Jon...

Is Silicon Valley Dead?

10 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Is it possible to still build a business from nothing in Silicon Valley? Can start-up companies compete with giant corporations? Where do the TechStuf...

TechStuff Listens In On Sound Files

08 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What do sound files do? Why are there so many different kinds of sound files? What's the difference between uncompressed, lossless and lossy formats? ...

Have smartphones lost their luster?

03 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Can we expect any more revolutionary developments in smartphone design? Do we hype smartphone releases too much? What could be the next big thing? In ...

TechStuff Gets Salty

01 Oct 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is desalination? What are some of the methods used to get salt out of water? Why isn't desalination in wider use? Join Jonathan and Chris as they...

TechStuff Looks at the New Kindles

26 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How are the new Kindles different from earlier models? What's the difference between the new ereader and the Kindle Fire tablets? How does the Paperwh...

TechStuff Looks at Video Cards

24 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a GPU? What are GPUs used for besides processing graphics? Who makes video cards? In this episode, Jonathan and Chris break down the nuts and ...

TechStuff Looks at Password Security

19 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Why should password security be a top concern? What can you do to make your passwords safe? What constitutes a strong password? Join Chris and Jonatha...

Women in Tech

17 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Who are some of the most influential women in technology? What role are women playing in guiding today's tech companies? What's the future of women in...

The Story of Yahoo: Part 2

12 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What problems did Yahoo encounter after the dot com bubble burst? Why did Yahoo go through five CEOs in five years? Why are some people optimistic abo...

The Story of Yahoo So Far: Part 1

10 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did Yahoo get started? What contributed to its meteoric rise? Join Jonathan and Chris as they explore the origins, triumphs and travails of Yahoo ...

TechStuff Looks at the LHC

05 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What does the Large Hadron Collider do? How large is it? What is the LHC looking for? Listen in and get the scoop on the Large Hadron Collider with Ch...

More Data, More Problems

03 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did journalist Mat Honan get hacked? What is social engineering? How can you protect yourself against hackers? In this episode, Chris and Jonathan...

TechStuff Gets Curious About Mars

29 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is the success rate for sending missions to Mars? What made the Curiosity rover mission so special? What would it take to get people to and from ...

It's a Beautiful Day in the Fiberhood

27 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is Google Fiber? What sort of speeds can people expect to see with Google Fiber? Why did Google choose Kansas City for Google Fiber? Join Chris a...

Repurposing Tech for Developing Countries

22 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How are people using bicycles to create new machines for developing countries? What are MediKits? Why is e-waste recycling such a dangerous job? Join ...

TechStuff Hacks Into Music

20 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Are you bored by the usual musical instruments? Would you like to turn an Atari 2600 into a guitar, or translate shadows into sound? If so, then you m...

TechStuff Goes Steampunk

15 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is steampunk? What are the traits of the steampunk aesthetic? Who are some famous steampunk artists? Join Chris and Jonathan as they take a close...

Printing Medication

13 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How has ink jet technology been used to dispense medication? How could a 3-D printer create medicine? In what other ways have printers been used to cr...

TechStuff Looks at Kickstarter

06 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is Kickstarter? How do projects get funding from Kickstarter? What is the project success rate on Kickstarter? Tune in to learn the answers to th...

TechStuff Tests the Emergency Broadcast System

01 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What was the Emergency Broadcast System? What did it have to do with the Cold War? How is the Emergency Alert System different from the old EBS? Liste...

Spotlight on Dennis Ritchie

30 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Who was Dennis Ritchie? Why did Ritchie create the C programming language? What is the story of Ritchie’s involvement with UNIX? In this episode, Jo...

TechStuff Looks at Solid State Drives

25 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a solid state drive? How are they different from magnetic storage devices? How do SSDs erase data? Join Jonathan and Chris as they break down ...

The Halo Story

23 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did the Halo game series get started? Who is publishing the latest Halo game? How does Halo relate to the Marathon trilogy? Join Chris and Jonatha...

Microsoft’s History with Tablets

18 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How long has Microsoft supported pen-based PC interfaces? When did Bill Gates unveil the Tablet PC? What do we know about the Microsoft Surface tablet...

TechStuff Looks at Supercomputers

16 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a supercomputer? What was the first supercomputer? How fast is the fastest supercomputer? In this episode, Chris and Jonathan add up the facts...

TechStuff Looks at Generic Top Level Domains

11 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a top level domain? How many new top level domains were proposed in 2012? How much does it cost to register a new top level domain? In this ep...

TechStuff Arms Itself with Non-lethal Weapons

09 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How do pain rays work? What is the Portal Denial System? How does the Taser shotgun shell work? Join Jonathan and Chris as they introduce you to a new...

TechStuff Plays with Microcontrollers

04 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a microcontroller? What do microcontrollers do? What is the difference between a microcontroller and a microprocessor? Listen in as Jonathan a...

TechStuff Rides the Vacuum Train

02 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a vacuum train? How fast could a vacuum train travel? What are the challenges of building a vacuum train system? Hop aboard as Chris and Jonat...

TechStuff Checks the Flame

27 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Flame malware? Should you be worried about getting the Flame malware? Who could be behind Flame? Join Chris and Jonathan as they get to th...

TechStuff Clicks on Web Ads

25 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How does Web advertising compare to traditional advertising? What do the terms CPM, CPA and CPC mean? How do affiliate programs work? Join Chris and J...

The Facebook Financial Fiasco

20 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What happened with Facebook’s IPO? Why did Facebook’s stock price drop shortly after going public? Why are people suing Facebook? In this episode,...

Happy Fathers of the Internet Day

18 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What was ARPANET? Who was on the team that designed the basic infrastructure for the Internet? What was the first message sent over the ARPANET connec...

The Future of Search

13 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Today's internet users are only a web search away from accessing a mind-blowing amount of information, and the story's not over yet. Search 1itself is...

TechStuff Plays the Slot Machines

11 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did the earliest slot machines work? How do modern slot machines use random number generators? Where are you more likely to find slot machines tha...

The MMORPG Story

06 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is an MMORPG? What was the first MMORPG? Who coined the term MMORPG? Get online with Chris and Jonathan as they explore the massive, multifaceted...

TechStuff Mines Some Asteroids

04 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Why would we want to mine asteroids? How might we manage the mining operation? What is Planetary Resource’s plan? Join Chris and Jonathan as they ex...

TechStuff Looks at CISPA

30 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is CISPA? Is it the same thing as SOPA and PIPA? Why are privacy advocacy groups alarmed by CISPA? Tune in as Chris and Jonathan delve into the w...

TechStuff Investigates Operation Ghost Click

28 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How does a Domain Name Server work? What are rogue Domain Name Servers? How can you tell if you have the DNSChanger malware? Tune in to learn more. L...

TechStuff Goes for a Google Drive

23 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is Google Drive? How does cloud storage work? How does Google Drive compare to other online storage properties? Listen in as Chris and Jonathan t...

TechStuff Goes on Autopilot

21 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Who invented autopilot? How can autopilot maintain control of an airplane? What happens if the autopilot system fails? Join Chris and Jonathan as they...

A Titanic TechStuff Episode

16 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What technology was onboard the Titanic? Why were there difficulties with the Titanic’s radio system? How did the Titanic influence the development ...

Tech’s Biggest Acquisition Stories

14 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What were some of the most successful tech acquisitions? Which acquisitions failed to make any headway? How much did each user of Broadcast.com cost Y...

The Internet of Things

09 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Internet of things? What sort of devices could be linked to the Internet? Could the Internet of things eliminate privacy? Join Jonathan an...

The GE Story, Part 3

07 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What contributions did General Electric make to the space race? How did GE reclaim RCA and NBC? What are some of GE’s most recent contributions to m...

The GE Story, Part 2

02 May 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did GE contribute to the American war effort during World War II? Who was GE’s first female scientist and what did she invent? What were some of...

The GE Story, Part 1

30 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did General Electric get started? How was Thomas Edison involved? When was GE’s research and development laboratory founded? Listen in as the gu...

TechStuff’s 400th Episode

25 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Why don’t perpetual motion machines work? What is cold fusion? What are some famous hoaxes in tech? In this ground-breaking 400th episode, Jonathan ...

TechStuff Conjures Up Brian Brushwood

23 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did Brian get his start in stage magic? What is the Afterlyfe.me project? How do the worlds of technology and stage magic overlap? Join Chris and ...

TechStuff Counts Some Number Stations

18 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a number station? What is shortwave radio? What could these numbers mean? In this episode, Chris and Jonathan dive into the murky, mysterious ...

TechStuff Looks at Robots

16 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What do the robots from Kiva Systems do? Why did Amazon buy Kiva Systems? What are the pros and cons of industrial robots? Get the lowdown on robotics...

Talkin’ ‘Bout Cell Phone Generations

11 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the deal with 2G, 3G and 4G? Why is it so confusing to identify the generation of a smart phone? Are 4G technologies on the market really 4G?...

TechStuff Looks at Ballistics

09 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How can you determine if a gun fired a particular bullet? What is rifling? How do forensics experts test weapons? Join Jonathan and Chris as they draw...

How Nuclear Weapons Work

04 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Chris and Jonathan explore one of the world's most dangerous technologies. How do nuclear weapons work? Why are uranium and plutonium impor...

TechStuff Plays Games Casually

02 Apr 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a casual game? Why are companies targeting casual gamers? What’s the future of casual games? Kick back and relax as Chris and Jonathan leisu...

TechStuff Turns On the Dark Web

28 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What are the definitions for the Dark Web? Why is there a Dark Web, anyway? How can you access the information on the Dark Web? Tune in as your favori...

TechStuff Stares at OLEDs

26 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is an OLED? How do OLED displays work? How do they compare to other display technologies? Join Chris and Jonathan as they break down the nuts and...

TechStuff Recites the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights

21 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights? Which rights does the bill strive to protect? How would you be able to control your own private informati...

TechStuff Spies on the U-2

19 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Why did the United States develop the U-2? What connection does the U-2 have to Area 51? Why hasn’t the U-2 been retired yet? Join Chris and Jonatha...

TechStuff sees through Google Goggles

14 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Is Google developing augmented reality glasses? How would you use the glasses? Listen in as Chris and Jonathan explore the Google's augmented reality ...

TechStuff Sets its VCR

12 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

When was the VCR invented? Who opposed the VCR? When did the VCR die? Listen in as Chris and Jonathan explore the origin, opposition to and death of t...

The Kodak Story

07 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did Kodak get started? Did Kodak invent the first digital camera? What happened to Kodak? Tune in as Jonathan and Chris delve into the story of Ko...

Old Tech Never Dies

05 Mar 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is legacy technology? Why do we still have old technology that should be obsolete? Will the fax machine ever die? Join Chris and Jonathan as they...

How Image Sensors Work

29 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How important is a digital camera’s image sensor? What are the two main types of image sensors? Which type of image sensor is best? Tune in as your ...

How Helicopters Work

27 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How do helicopters work? Why does a helicopter need a tail rotor? What is a quadrocopter? Join Jonathan and Chris as they look at the quirky contrapti...

TechStuff Talks to Rooster Teeth

22 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is Rooster Teeth Productions? What is machinima? How did Red vs. Blue get started? Listen in as Jonathan and Chris interview Burnie Burns, the pi...

TechStuff Samples Some Raspberry Pi

20 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Raspberry Pi? Who came up with the idea? What can the Raspberry Pi do? Listen in as your favorite tech gurus break down Raspberry Pi. Lea...

TechStuff Plays with Plasma

15 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is plasma? How do plasma cutters work? Are plasma weapons possible? In this episode, Jonathan and Chris break down the basics of plasma, along wi...

TechStuff Overclocks a CPU

13 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is overclocking? What is a clock cycle? Why would you want to overclock a computer? In this episode, Chris and Jonathan explore the pros and cons...

What are Ultrabooks?

08 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What exactly is an ultrabook? How is Intel involved? What are some examples of ultrabooks? Join Jonathan and Chris as they take a closer look at the t...

Jonathan Visits CES 2012

06 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What were the hot items on the show floor at CES 2012? What trends did Jonathan notice? Which celebrities showed up at the event? Join Chris and Jonat...

TechStuff Plays with the Commodore 64

01 Feb 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What was the original focus of Commodore before computers? Who founded Commodore? Why was the Commodore 64 such a popular personal computer? Listen in...

The HP Story: Part Three

30 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

When did HP get into the business of making personal computers? Who were the executives in charge when HP started to have trouble? What exactly happen...

The HP Story: Part Two

25 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How did HP transition into new kinds of electronics? What was HP’s first computer? Did HP invent the term personal computer? Tune in for the second ...

The HP Story: Part One

23 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Who were Hewlett and Packard? When did they form the company? What was their first product? Join your favorite tech gurus as they look back at the ori...

TechStuff looks at Radio Telescopes

18 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is a radio telescope? How can we “see” with radio waves? Why are radio telescopes so large? Join Chris and Jonathan as they explore the nuts ...

Open vs. Closed: A TechStuff Debate

16 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What are the benefits of each type of system? What are the drawbacks? Who won the debate? Tune in as Jonathan and Chris explores the respective pros a...

TechStuff Looks at the Digital Divide

11 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is the digital divide? Is there a way to bridge the gap? Will giving people access to technology solve the problem? Listen in as Jonathan and Chr...

The CES Experience

09 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is CES? How long has CES been around? What’s it like visiting CES? Tune in to for an up-close look at CES in this episode. Learn more about yo...

TechStuff plays with R/C

04 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

How do radio-controlled toys work? What frequencies do RC toys use? Why do some toys interfere with each other? Join Jonathan and Chris as they break ...

TechStuff goes to RAMing speed

02 Jan 2012

Contributed by Lukas

What is RAM? Why do computers need RAM? How is RAM different from ROM? In this episode, Jonathan and Chris take a closer look at the nuts and bolts of...

TechStuff's Predictions for 2012

28 Dec 2011

Contributed by Lukas

Which companies will thrive in 2012 and which ones might fail? What gadget will capture everyone's attention? Who will make the most ridiculous predic...

2011 Year In Review

26 Dec 2011

Contributed by Lukas

What were the big stories in tech in 2011? What were the major surprises? What could this mean for 2012? Join your favorite tech gurus for a look back...

2011 Prediction Results

21 Dec 2011

Contributed by Lukas

What were the big stories in tech in 2011? What were the major surprises? What could this mean for 2012? Join your favorite tech gurus for a look back...

TechStuff Gets Caught in a Blizzard

19 Dec 2011

Contributed by Lukas

When was Blizzard Entertainment founded? What are some of Blizzard's most famous games? Which Blizzard games never made it out of development? Join Ch...