TechStuff

Tech News: US House of Reps Votes to Ban TikTok

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the House of Representatives in the US voted overwhelmingly in support of a bill that would force TikTok owner ByteDance to divest itself o...

The Rooster Teeth Story: The Beginning

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Warner Bros Discovery is shutting down the online media company Rooster Teeth just as it nears its 21st anniversary. We look back on the history of th...

Better Offline: A conversation with Ed Zitron

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Zitron of the Better Offline podcast joins the show, and boy is he mad! Ed and Jonathan get angry over the state of the tech industry, the focus on...

Tech News: OpenAI Spills the Tea on Elon Musk

09 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

OpenAI said they didn't wanna do it, but they're sharing emails written by Elon Musk that imply he was totally okay with OpenAI making a ton of money ...

A Holographic Wedding

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Artist Alicia Framis plans to wed an AI "hologram" this summer. Before the wedding bells chime, we have some questions. We explore holograms, artifici...

What's Your Problem? with Jacob Goldstein: Using AI to Help Doctors Save Lives

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year in the U.S., tens of thousands of hospital patients die of preventable causes. For many of these patients, warning signs are subtle and eas...

The Tech Pioneers

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, an invention comes along that defines a new function, form factor, or fashion. In this episode, we celebrate some of these inventions by ex...

Big Apps that Flopped

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Silicon Valley dream is to come up with an app and make a billion dollars. But not every app hits such heights. And some briefly touch the stars b...

The History of the Digital Camera

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, there were no digital cameras. Who invented them, and how did they become so common that even the most basic smartphone has one? We ...

Tech News: Google's AI Pushes Diversity Too Far

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In what I can only describe as an overcorrection, Google's Gemini AI has tried to promote diversity in situations where it's not appropriate, such as ...

A Conversation with Jacob Goldstein

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Jacob Goldstein joins the show to talk about the challenges of communicating technology topics to the public, how to sort through the promi...

TechStuff Classic: The Intel Story Part One

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How did the co-founders of Intel go from being "traitors" to two of the early pioneers of Silicon Valley? We learn about Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore...

TechStuff Classic: History of Electricity Part Two

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the 20th century loomed ever closer, the battle waged to determine how we would transmit electricity. Learn about the current wars and why AC ultim...

Invented by Accident

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Not all inventions are the product of careful experimentation. Sometimes, someone pulls a whoopsie and learns something new. This episode is all about...

When Did Google Stop Being a Search Company?

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a couple of years in Google's early history, it was a real search company. But that would change in 2000 as Google would embrace advertising. Lear...

Tech News: Power-Hungry AI and Malicious Toothbrushes

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Altman of OpenAI wants to see a huge investment in new semiconductor fabrication plants to support AI implementations. The FTC hopes to reverse th...

Pivot to Video

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2015, Facebook made a claim that would lead advertisers and content creators to shift focus to online video. There was one problem -- the clai...

A Small Episode About Big Data

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What does Big Data actually mean? How has the science of Big Data changed recently? What are the potential benefits and pitfalls of Big Data? See omn...

Tech News: US Senate Grills Big Tech CEOs

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Senate Judiciary Committee met with CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg with accusations that their companies are actively causing harm to children, and the...

HOVERCRAFT!!!

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Who invented the hovercraft? What happened to all the hovercraft that used to provide transportation options in the UK? How do they work? We look into...

Operating Systems that Time Forgot

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, an operating system has served its purpose and it's time to go live on a farm. We take a look at some operating systems that are no longer ...

Tech News: The Political War Against Social Media

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From New York City to the state of Florida, politicians are getting serious as they face off against social media companies like Meta TikTok. Plus, we...

Moving Around in VR

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An interesting set of challenges crop up when you want to translate movements in a physical space to a virtual one. How do you keep people safe? How d...

AI at CES 2024

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At this year's CES, several trends revealed themselves among the exhibitors. But none were more prevalent than the incorporation of artificial intelli...

TechStuff Classic: History of Electricity Part One

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that engineers were harnessing electricity long before they even knew what it was? We take a look at the history and tech behind electric...

Rerun: Copyright and Fair Use

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from 2021, we look at the thorny issues of copyright and how fair use isn't some proactive safety play to avoid those pesky copyright ...

Rerun: How Fuel Cells Work

16 Jan 2024

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 ...

TechStuff Classic: The Wonderful World of Audio Animatronics

13 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It might be a small world after all, but how did Disney imagineers create the first audio animatronics and how do they work? Find out in the Tiki Tiki...

Rerun: It's All Relative

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do the theories of special relativity and general relativity apply to satellites? Why is the speed of light constant, but time and distance are no...

Rerun: Machine Consciousness

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is it really possible for a machine to achieve consciousness? What does consciousness even mean? From philosophy to technological obstacles, we look a...

TechStuff Classic: Pew Pew Lasers

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lasers can be used to threaten our enemies, cut steel and even amuse our cats. Find out the history of lasers and how they work in this episode of Tec...

How CT Scanners Work and A TechStuff Update

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How does CT (computed tomography) scanners work? What's going on with TechStuff? In this episode, you are invited into Jonathan's brain to find out.Se...

TechStuff Classic: TechStuff Enters the Singularity

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is the technological singularity? How might the technological singularity come about? What do critics say about the idea of the singularity? List...

TechStuff Predicts What Will Happen This Year

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I swore I would never do another one of these. But what the heck, let's get out the crystal ball and make some predictions.See omnystudio.com/listener...

Big Stories of 2023: The Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Deal

31 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly two years after Microsoft announced its intention to acquire video game company Activision Blizzard, it sealed the deal. But it wasn't a sure t...

The Death of Hyperloop One

30 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What was once a blue sky engineering dream has finally been put to bed. Hyperloop One never achieved its goal, but it did manage to be a hot spot for ...

Big Tech Stories of 2023: Crypto Competitors and Crime

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While FTX's failure happened in late 2022, the story of Sam Bankman-Fried's literal trials and tribulations played out this year. Plus, his rival Chan...

TechStuff Classic: The Macintosh Story Part 3

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From the return of Steve Jobs to the most recent Macs, we look at how the computer has changed over the years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...

The 12 Days of Tech Christmas

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While Christmas 2023 might be over, I have a little present for all of y'all -- 12 days out of 2023 that were important in the tech world for one reas...

Rerun: The Tech of Stranger Things

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jess Royal and John Hilton drop what they're doing on Stranger Things to come by the studio and talk about what their jobs require. From Christmas lig...

Rerun: Lighting Up the Holidays

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We look at the history of incorporating lights in winter holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah and how electricity changed things dramatically. We'll a...

Big Stories of 2023: X - The ex-Twitter

24 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At the beginning of 2023, Twitter was still called Twitter. It was facing multiple challenges in the wake of an acquisition. Elon Musk had reduced the...

Big Stories of 2023: The Mounting Opposition to TikTok

23 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The video sharing platform TikTok faced opposition and scrutiny around the world. Some suspect it of being a surveillance tool used by the Chinese Com...

TechStuff Classic: The Macintosh Story Part 2

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After its launch, Apple tweaked the Macintosh a bit. Then Apple executives gave Steve Jobs the boot. He would return many years later. We look at the ...

Tech News: Time's Up for These Apple Watches in the US

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The ITC shuts down Apple's attempt to delay a ban on certain Apple Watches and so they leave store shelves today. A Reuters investigation shows that T...

Big Stories of 2023: The Year of AI

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence was in the news all throughout 2023. From legislators debating regulations to drama in corporate boardrooms to concerns about ...

Tech News: X Marks the Spot for an EU Investigation

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The EU announced a preliminary investigation into the social networking platform X out of concerns that it allows the transmission of illegal content ...

I Feel Fntastic

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Video game developer released a long-anticipated game called The Day Before on December 7th, 2023. Four days later, the company shut down. What the he...

TechStuff Classic: The Macintosh Story Part 1

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What's the origin story for the Macintosh computer? We look at the early days of Apple leading up to the launch of one of the most famous Apple produc...

Tech News: An Elon-Gated Episode

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has had a busy week, with issues at X, Tesla and Neuralink. Plus, hackers say that a Polish train company has sabotaged its own vehicles if ...

E3 Is Dead for Reals

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The ESA announced that E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is well and truly over. What was E3's purpose, and why has the ESA decided to pull the p...

Tech News: Tesla Pumps the Brakes on Cybertruck Resellers

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A hidden clause in Tesla's Cybertruck contracts forbids owners from reselling their new Cybertruck within a year of purchase. Google loses an importan...

A TechStuff Carol

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A tech miser and cryptobro learns the true meaning of Christmas. This episode of TechStuff is as goofy as the Dickens!See omnystudio.com/listener for ...

TechStuff Classic: The Samsung Story Part 2

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Picking up where we left off, we look at some of the more recent stories about Samsung, including the tricky relationships between the heirs to the Sa...

Rerun: Seti Not At Home

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After 20 years, the Seti@Home program is going on hiatus. How did this project let the average computer user lend a hand in the search for alien intel...

Rerun: How Smoke Detectors Work

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Smoke detectors save lives, but how do they work? From photoelectric effects to nuclear radiation, we explore how smoke detectors let you know when th...

Beep - Autonomous Mobility for Al

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we delve into the groundbreaking technology behind autonomous driving vehicles in Lake Nona, a living lab community in Orlando, Flori...

Rerun: When Secrets Aren't Secret

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Washington Post published an article revealing that the CIA secretly owned and operated an encryption company for decades. How did that happen and...

TechStuff Classic: The Samsung Story Part 1

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did the company Samsung get its start? From its humble beginnings as a grocery and shipping company, we look at the complicated history of one of ...

Tech News: Elon Has Some Choice Words for ex X Advertisers

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk once again demonstrates his leadership style by telling advertisers who are pulling out of X to go eff themselves. Also, an update on the Op...

How Not to Achieve Diversity: Inventing Fake Female Keynote Speakers

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Diversity and representation is important for all types of organizations. But one company decided the solution to finding the right women to serve as ...

Smart Talks with IBM - Salesforce & IBM: Revolutionizing Experiences with Generative AI

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The capabilities of artificial intelligence are increasing at a breakneck speed. Companies must leverage generative AI to transform everyday customer ...

Why is Meta's Andy Stone wanted by Russia?

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While Meta communications director Andy Stone has ruffled more than a few feathers since joining the company in 2014, it seems that in Russia things a...

TechStuff Classic: The National Facial Recognition Database

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you an adult citizen in the US? If so, there's a 50% chance your face is in a law enforcement database. We look at this problematic law enforcemen...

Rerun: TechStuff In Front of a Green Screen

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where did green screen technology come from? How does it work? From the dawn of cinema to the latest Zoom meeting, we take a look at the tech that let...

Binance Pleads Guilty

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We get a very quick update on the OpenAI/Sam Altman situation and then turn our attention to the blockbuster news that Binance and its co-founder, Cha...

Tech News: More Aftermath From OpenAI's Chaotic Weekend

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We've got a few updates on what's going on after OpenAI's board of directors fired CEO Sam Altman (and then asked if he wouldn't mind coming back, ple...

The Fallout from OpenAI Firing CEO Sam Altman

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a dramatic turn of events, OpenAI's board of directors fired CEO and co-founder Sam Altman. Then they tried to hire him back. Then they announced a...

TechStuff Classic: Close, but No Nuclear War

18 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The world has teetered on the brink of nuclear war a few times. Sometimes, it was because of technical glitches. Sometimes, it was because of coincide...

Tech News: TikTok Protests Being Called a Gatekeeper

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

TikTok tries to convince the EU to reconsider designating parent company ByteDance as a "gatekeeper" under the Digital Markets Act. A ransomware group...

I'll Tumblr 4 Ya

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What's the story behind the microblogging site Tumblr? How did it go from the nexus of Internet culture valued at more than a billion dollars to a pro...

Smart Talks with IBM - Generative AI: Its Rise and Potential for Society

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In order to stay competitive in a rapidly changing marketplace, businesses need to adapt to the potential of generative AI. In this special live episo...

Napoleon Bonaparte and the Invention of the Can Opener

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did the famous Napoleon Bonaparte set into motion the events that led to the humble can opener? From early experiments in canning to gadgets so da...

TechStuff Classic: The Google Glass Story

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Was Google Glass an idea ahead of its time? What are its origins and where is it today?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tech News: Good Vibes for the Woz and Bye to Omegle

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Wozniak is recovering in a hospital in Mexico City and we wish him well. Internal documents from Meta show that Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly shut ...

AI and Radioactive Shoe Salesmen

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What does artificial intelligence have to do with an outdated practice that involved blasting shoe stores with radiation? Trust me, there's a connecti...

Tech News: WeOutOfWork and Getting Burned by NFTs

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

WeWork declares bankruptcy, there's a ton of AI news in the tech space and some attendees at an NFT conference received painful burns. Plus much more....

Digging Back Into Digg

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What has Digg been up to since our last episode about the site back in 2017? From shutting down a popular tool to another acquisition from a small ad ...

TechStuff Classic: The Digg Story

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It all began with a startup led by a TechTV host. Then it evolved into a massively influential site, only to seemingly implode a short while later. Wh...

Tech News: YouTube Ramps Up Strategy Against Ad Blockers

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

YouTube users with ad block software may find themselves blocked from watching videos on the platform unless they allow ads. Politicians around the wo...

A Brief History of Ad Blocking

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

First came the web ad. Then came the ad blocking software. What is the history of ad blocking? What challenges does it create for industry, and what s...

Tech News: A Spooky Halloween Tech News Episode

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From ghostly AI to hacker goblins, we get a rundown on what's going on in the tech space. The US President issues an executive order about artificial ...

Excess Babbage

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Charles Babbage was a man ahead of his time. He was an engineer, inventor, mathematician, and grouchy pants. We learn more about this historic figure ...

TechStuff Classic: How USB Ports Work

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The USB has become a standard port in tech. How did it get started and how does it work?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tech News: Hackers and Vulnerabilities and APIs, Oh My!

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pro-Russian hackers have found and exploited a vulnerability in a popular webmail app. Researchers found a very complicated way to compromise certain ...

Catching Up with the Ig Nobel Prizes

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In our third episode about the silly Ig Nobel prizes, we learn about music playing in a place you wouldn't expect, a clawed machine for changing diape...

Tech News: Poisoning AI with Digital Art

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A tool called Nightshade could give human artists the poison they need to sabotage generative AI. Google and Apple disable live traffic data in the re...

Conversation on the Brain with Guest David Eagleman

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Neuroscientist David Eagleman joins the show to talk about lighthearted topics ranging from the nature of consciousness to the intersection of technol...

TechStuff Classic: What was Gopher?

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, a text-based Internet navigation system was poised to become the primary way we interact with the net. What happened?See omnystudio....

Tech News: Hackers, National Security and You

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A special council convened to discuss how Chinese hackers pose a massive threat to national security. A hacker released information on millions of 23a...

The Skype Story: Microsoft Buys Skype. What Now?

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for 8.5 billion dollars. What happened next? What did the giant tech company have in mind, and how did things pan ou...

Smart Talks with IBM - Responsible AI: Why Businesses Need Reliable AI Governance

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To deploy responsible AI and build trust with customers, businesses need to prioritize AI governance. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm...

Kazaa, Skype, and the Worst Deal of All Time?

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How is Skype related to Kazaa? What does a peer-to-peer network do? And was the eBay acquisition of Skype really one of the worst deals in tech histor...

TechStuff Classic: TechStuff is Under Siege

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From catapults to ballista, we explore the world of siege engines. Which ones were real? Which are fantasy? And how did they work?See omnystudio.com/l...

Tech News: NPR Says X Isn't Worth It

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last April, National Public Radio (NPR) closed out its Twitter accounts. Six months later, NPR leadership says that the impact to NPR has been negligi...

Tech News: X Marks the Spot (For Disinformation)

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Intelligence researchers lament that X has become so rife with disinformation that there's no good way to use it while tracking tumultuous events like...

Ubisoft and the Skull & Bones Debacle

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2020, we did a three-part series on the history of Ubisoft. What's been going on since then? And what's the story behind the troubled developm...

TechStuff Classic: The id Software Story Part Two

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From humble beginnings to massive success, we follow the rest of the id Software story. When did the founders leave and why? And what's going on there...

Tech News: MrBeast Gets Deepfaked On TikTok

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In an episode with perhaps the most SEO-friendly title in TechStuff history, we learn about how someone used an AI-generated version of YouTuber MrBea...

More of the Ig Nobel Prize Winners

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A slightly sick Jonathan is back to talk about some past winners of the Ig Nobel Prize. Learn about how a wasabi-spraying alarm could save lives, how ...