TechStuff

Smart Talks with IBM - Hugging Face and watsonx: Why Open Source Is the Future of AI in Business

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Open-source innovation is the future of AI. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell and Tim Harford discuss the open-source AI com...

Rerun: Data Preservation and Destruction

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's hard to hold onto information. Paradoxically, it can also be hard to get rid of it. In this episode, we look at why long-term data preservation i...

TechStuff Classic: The id Software Story Part One

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

They made games like Doom and Quake, but where did id Software come from? In this episode, we explore the origins of a major name in computer games.Se...

Tech News: Hackers Gotta Hack

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chinese-backed hackers are infiltrating computer systems by compromising routers. Some security researchers say that modern GPUs can steal pixels righ...

The Ig Nobel Prize

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1991, the editor of a satirical science journal launched an award for the scientifically ridiculous (and ridiculed), the Ig Nobel Prize. Learn how ...

Tech News: The FCC Says Net Neutrality is Back on the Menu

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

During the administration of Barack Obama, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) tried to codify net neutrality into US law. Then, during the Tr...

The High Tech Heist

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On September 11th, 2023, MGM Resorts International posted that the company experienced a "cybersecurity issue." That issue links to two different hack...

TechStuff Classic: Tech Memes

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is a meme? What are some of the notable tech memes, and where do they come from? How does something become a meme?See omnystudio.com/listener for...

How Two Major Fires Changed US Patent Law

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A fire in 1836 wiped out nearly every patent on file in the United States. How did the patent office rebuild, and how did a second fire in 1877 change...

The Origins of the US Patent Office

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

US founding father Thomas Jefferson gets the credit for establishing the first process in the US for filing and granting patents. But how did patent l...

Smart Talks with IBM - Transformations in AI: why foundation models are the future

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Major breakthroughs in artificial intelligence research often reshape the design and utility of AI in both business and society. In this episode of Sm...

How Integrated Technologies and a Startup Mentality are Delivering on the Promise of Omnichannel Retail: A Conversation with Seemantini Godbole

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A world where customers can buy everything they want, whenever and wherever they want isn’t 100% there—but it’s pretty close. And perhaps no com...

A Conversation with Surf Air Mobility

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan sits down with Sudhin Shahani of Surf Air Mobility, who recently went public to talk about the future of travel. What is Regional Air Mobilit...

TechStuff Classic: The Story of Comdex

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It was once the computing conference to attend. Today, it's rapidly fading from memory. How did Comdex begin and what happened to it?See omnystudio.co...

Tech News: Apple Introduces the iPhone 15. Tari Calls it the iPhone 14.

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Apple's iPhone 15 reveal fails to impress my producer Tari. Google's antitrust trial is underway. The government starts to ask questions about AI. And...

Simplicable's Fundamental Principles of Technology

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A blog site called Simplicable outlines several "fundamental principles" of technology. We take a look at a few of them, talk about what they mean, an...

Tech News: Google's Matter of Anti-Trust

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, the US Department of Justice begins its anti-trust case against Google. Should it matter if Google commands more than 90% of the web search mar...

Did AI Write This?

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Figuring out if artificial intelligence wrote a block of text can be tricky. Some companies have created tools that claim to determine if text was lik...

TechStuff Classic: TechStuff Goes Transmitter Hunting - Part Two

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Joe McCormick and Jonathan continue their discussion about radio waves, transmitters and radio direction finding. How can you locate a transmitter and...

Tech News: A Perfect Storm Led to Microsoft's Big Breach

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How were hackers able to access important email systems belonging to big targets like the US Department of State? It turns out it was a perfect set of...

What is USENET?

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Before the World Wide Web, savvy computer users were flocking to USENET to participate in discussions on everything from the latest advance in computi...

Smart Talks with IBM - AI for Business: Multiplying the impact of AI

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As businesses adopt AI, a new era of problem-solving, innovation, and creative decision-making can be brought to scale. In this episode of Smart Talks...

Rerun: The Robots Are Coming for Your Job!

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are robots and automated systems going to replace human workers? And if so, what then? The fear about automation has a long history and it's not an ir...

TechStuff Classic: TechStuff Goes Transmitter Hunting - Part One

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Joe McCormick and Jonathan continue their discussion about radio waves, transmitters and radio direction finding. How can you locate a transmitter and...

Tech News: Meta Ignores its Oversight Board

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Meta's Oversight Board recommended that the company suspend a Cambodian leader's account, but the company has declined to acquiesce to the request. Pl...

Why are the ice cream machines at McDonald's "always" broken?

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We've all been there. It's a hot day and all we want is a cone of soft serve ice cream. But the person behind the cash register solemnly informs us th...

Tech News: AI Getting Armed and More Dangerous

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As US Senator Chuck Schumer prepares to hold a forum on the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence, the US Army and Air Force are each seeking ...

New Season of Smart Talks with IBM Coming Soon

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Smart Talks with IBM returns this September 5th. This season, host Malcolm Gladwell and a team of correspondents from Pushkin Industries explore how b...

Bad Predictions in Tech

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It turns out that it's not easy to predict what's next to happen in tech. We look at some famously off-the-mark predictions, including some that have ...

TechStuff Classic: How Video Game Emulators Work

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wanted to play classic games from old consoles or arcade machines on your computer? Then you need a video game emulator. But are they le...

Tech News: Trump's Interview on X Gets 74 Million Views. Sort of.

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Did Trump's interview really get 74 million views on X? (Probably not). American workers say TSMC management is to blame for delays with construction ...

TechStuff Tidbits: What is a Unicorn?

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2013, venture capitalist Aileen Lee coined the term "unicorn" for startups. What makes a startup a unicorn? How rare are they? And how do investors...

Tech News: Could the US Government Take Control of TikTok?

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A leaked draft agreement from 2022 reveals that US government agencies seek to have extensive oversight into and control over several TikTok operation...

An Update on The Metaverse

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 st...

TechStuff Classic: Authentication Tech and You

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is authentication? Why is it important? And what are engineers doing to make it better?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers have some disappointing news about that wonder material that appeared to be superconductive at room temperatures. Gartner says that genera...

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

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Tech News: SBF Goes to Jail

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The History of Vending Machines

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

TechStuff Classic: The History of MP3 Players

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 omny...

Tech News: The Supreme Court Hands Epic a Setback

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 sub...

TechStuff Tidbits: The One About APIs

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Tech News: AI Versus The Pope

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Rerun: TechStuff Looks Inside the Black Box

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 wh...

TechStuff Classic: The Circuit City Story Part 2

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Once the Wards Company, Circuit City really established its identity decades after it was founded. How did the company grow and ultimately die, and wh...

Tech News: Microsoft vs. Hackers

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Russ...

TechStuff Tidbits: Superconductivity and LK-99

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean for a material to be superconductive? Did a team of South Korean researchers create a revolutionary superconductive material? And wh...

Tech News: X's Sign Becomes An Ex Sign

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Machine Learning and Catastrophic Forgetting

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While an elephant may never forget, the same cannot be said for artificial neural networks. What is catastrophic forgetting, how does it affect artifi...

TechStuff Classic: The Circuit City Story Part 1

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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?...

Tech News: X Gon' Take It Away From Ya

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Chin...

TechStuff Tidbits: Biometrics

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 o...

Tech News: Elon Musk X's Out Twitter

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Little Boy and Fat Man

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 h...

TechStuff Classic: How Magnetic Storage Works

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Tech News: World Famous Hacker Passes Away

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hacker Kevin Mitnick passed away this week. Back in the 1990s, Mitnick upset a lot of powerful companies by infiltrating their computer systems and be...

TechStuff Tidbits: Perpetual Motion and Thermodynamics

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Tech News: Microsoft Scrambles to Save Activision Deal

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Microsoft's contract to purchase Activision Blizzard expires today, and Reuters reports that the company is trying to get an extension on the agreemen...

Hamlet and the Apprehension of AI

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A developer has created an AI chatbot designed to help hackers create malicious code and content. Was this inevitable? Beyond that, the "good" version...

TechStuff Classic: Bad Computer Bugs

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Tech News: Concerns about AI on the Rise

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Whatever happened to RSS?

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Tech News: TikTok in the Crosshairs

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

Chaos in the Microblogging Space

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Meta sees Twitter's struggles as an opportunity and has launched Threads. Meanwhile, services like Mastodon, Bluesky and Hive Social have attracted fo...

TechStuff Classic: Augmenting Your Reality

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is AR and how does it work? Learn about augmented reality's history and future!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tech News: Meta Pulls at Twitter's Threads

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter upsets lots of users with strange changes in process. Meta launches its Twitter competitor Threads. France passes a surveillance law that can ...

An Overview of Carbon Fiber

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is carbon fiber? What makes it special? Is it really stronger than steel? And what are some good (and maybe bad) applications for carbon fiber? ...

Rerun: Fireworks, Part Two

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where does the color come from in fireworks? How are those giant displays choreographed? We conclude our discussion on fireworks.See omnystudio.com/li...

Rerun: TechStuff Lights Some Fireworks

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do fireworks work? From the basics to fully choreographed displays, we take a look at the tech of making stuff go boom.See omnystudio.com/listener...

TechStuff Classic: The Worst Hacking Scenes from Hollywood, Part Two

01 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shannon Morse and Jonathan continue their conversation about some of the worst hacking scenes in Hollywood history and how with a little adjustment th...

RERUN: How 3-D Glasses Work

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this classic episode from 2009, Chris and Jonathan talk about 3-D glasses, awful movies from the 1980s, and whether or not 3D would become the futu...

TechStuff Tidbits: What's the difference between Intel and AMD CPUs?

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Intel and AMD have a common history, but each company has gone its own way in chip design. Why are Intel chips and AMD chips not compatible? And is th...

TechStuff Tidbits: A Bit about Bits

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What makes an 8-bit system different from a 16-bit system? Or a 64-bit system? We look at what this actually means, and how a small jump in bits resul...

TechStuff Tidbits: Logic Gates and Headache Medication

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan is loopy, but he's also logical. Or he tries to be. Between pop culture references and dad jokes, Jonathan explains what logic gates are and ...

TechStuff Classic: The Worst Hacking Scenes from Hollywood

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hacking isn't as glamorous or exciting as movies and television make it seem. Shannon Morse joins the show to talk about the worst examples of hacking...

Tech News: Musk vs Zuckerberg in a Cage Match???

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk called out Mark Zuckerberg to fight in a cage match, and Zuckerberg said he's down for it. Will we get a billionaire on billionaire beatdown...

TechStuff Tidbits: What does CPU architecture actually mean?

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What are the components that make up a CPU? What does it mean if a manufacturer used a 5 nm process to fabricate a chip? And is a multi-core processor...

Redditors Select John Oliver as Symbol of Revolution

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of subreddits continue to protest Reddit leaders' decisions to change API rules, and they have chosen the image of John Oliver to serve as p...

IBM and HBCUs: Fueling a New Generation of Cybersecurity Experts

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Education has the power to show students a path they’d never considered before. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell and Dr. La...

TechStuff Classic: The Pixar Story: Part 3

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What has Pixar been up to over the last decade? Which Pixar film has had an underwhelming performance at the box office? And what comes next?See omnys...

Tech News: Google Warns Employees Not to Use AI Chatbots (Including Google's)

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why are Google staff being told to avoid using AI chatbots when the company makes one? How are governments around the world tackling risks associated ...

TechStuff Tidbits: What was the first text-based adventure game?

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back in my day, computer games didn't have fancy graphics or immersive sound. They just had plain old text, and we liked it! We look at the origins of...

Tech News: Reddit Goes Dark

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of subreddits have switched to private in protest of Reddit's recent policy change regarding its API. Plus, Twitter's new CEO attempts to ra...

Where did E3 go?

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 2023 E3 event was supposed to happen this week, but like last year the event never happened. Now some are saying it may never happen again. What b...

TechStuff Classic: The Pixar Story: Part 2

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did the success of Toy Story affect Pixar the company? Why was there tension between Steve Jobs and Michael Eisner? And what happens when Disney a...

The Origin and Impact of Deepfake Technology

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deepfakes create a dangerous situation -- how can we trust that a recording is the real McCoy when machines can make such convincing fakes? From the h...

What was the first mp3?

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When developing the mp3 compression algorithm, engineer Karlheinz Brandenburg used a specific song to tweak settings and get them just right. What was...

Tech News: Apple Shares Its (Very Expensive) Vision

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, Apple finally unveiled its mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, which will set you back $3,500 in 2024. Plus, we learn about some new cha...

The Epic Origins of Teddy Ruxpin

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In late 1985, a company called Worlds of Wonder introduced a new toy -- a teddy bear that could tell stories and sing. It could blink and move its mou...

TechStuff Classic: The Pixar Story: Part 1

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did the Pixar studio get started? How did it evolve from a small operation to a power player in the Disney empire? And how has the company led inn...

Tech News: Why You Shouldn't Use AI Instead of People for Your Hotline

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An organization in charge of a hotline to help people with eating disorders finds out that chatbots aren't a good substitute for a human operator. A j...

Getting in Touch with Touchscreens

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What's the difference between a capacitive and a resistive touchscreen? Which came first? And are there other types of touchscreen technologies?See om...

Tech News: ChatGPT Lands Lawyer in Legal Trouble

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A lawyer finds out the hard way that ChatGPT isn't a reliable legal assistant. Nvidia's CEO says that, with the help of AI, anyone can be a programmer...

TechStuff Remembers Grace Hopper

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Grace Hopper was a Navy officer, a teacher, a computer programmer and a legend in the tech field. We look back on her life and achievements.See omnyst...

TechStuff Classic: How Tech Could Make Better Chocolate

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Temple University scientists have found a new way to improve chocolate and it involves electric fields. Learn about the technology and physics behind ...

Twitter Serves as a Shaky Stage for a Presidential Campaign Announcement

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter hit some technical snags yesterday while Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis announced his 2024 campaign. OpenAI's CEO issues a bit of a warning...

The Sad Tale of Microsoft Zune

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Microsoft jumped into the mp3 player space a little late. Apple had been producing iPods for five years when the first Zune hit shelves. But that was ...

Tech News: Meta Takes a Loss on Giphy

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Meta sells Giphy for a fraction of what it paid just a few years ago. Spain's government has it out for end-to-end encryption. And the US Surgeon Gene...

Streaming Services that Sunk

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While the streaming media landscape is crowded, it could be worse. In this episode, we look at some streaming services that didn't stand the test of t...

TechStuff Classic: How the Disney Magic Works

20 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After my recent (tenth) cruise on the Disney Cruise line, I decided to look into what makes the ship work.How does it steady itself in rough seas? How...