TechStuff

Tech News: Joe Biden Targets Social Networks in State of the Union

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The President of the United States called on Congress to create laws to protect children online. McDonald's doesn't want an add on gadget to fix ice c...

TechStuff Tidbits: What is SWIFT?

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is SWIFT, and what does a SWIFT ban actually mean? We learn about the communications system and how it facilitates the movement of large amounts ...

Tech News: Tech Strikes Back at Russia

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The tech world has clamped down on Russia in the wake of the country's invasion of Ukraine. A cryptocurrency exchange founder is going to stand trial ...

Rerun: Formula 1 - 101

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Benjamin joins the show to talk about the history and tech behind Formula 1 race cars. What sets them apart? Learn more about your ad-choices a...

TechStuff Classic: Ice Core Drilling

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do scientists retrieve ice core samples? What can we learn from them? Joe McCormick joins the show to talk about really cool historical records. ...

Tech News: Tech and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How is Russia's invasion of Ukraine affecting the tech world? Why did an American hacker decide to take down North Korea's Internet? And why is Facebo...

Audiophiles and the Perfect Sound

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Audiophiles want the best listening experience from their sound systems. The only thing in the way is the tech. We explore why getting the perfect sys...

Tech News: TikTok and Your Data

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Security researchers find that TikTok gives its Chinese parent company full access to user data. A consumer advocacy group in the EU thinks users shou...

The Rise and Fall of Sansui

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sansui was a Japanese company that, for a brief period, produced audio equipment that serious audiophiles still seek out to this day. We learn how the...

TechStuff Classic: TechStuff Gets Flushed

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do toilets work? What's the secret behind using a Japanese toilet? And can you enter a toilet race? Josh Clark joins the show. Learn more about y...

Tech News: I Never Metamate I Didn't Like

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Meta employees are now Metamates and I'm sorry. Also, we learn about how Russian hackers have stolen top US military secrets. And the US is looking at...

TechStuff Tidbits: The Problems of Obsolescence

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When tech goes obsolete, it can cause problems. Sometimes they are relatively minor -- you bought into HDDVD when you should have gone Blu-ray. But so...

Tech News: Meta Messed with Texas

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The state of Texas goes after Meta/Facebook over data privacy. The US Senate might effectively end encrypted communication in the states. And a certai...

Rerun: How Speakers and Amplifiers Work

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How does a speaker generate sound? What does an amplifier do and how does it work? We learn more about the science and tech behind our audio equipment...

TechStuff Classic: The Golden Age of Radio

12 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did broadcast radio get its start? What were the challenges and controversies? And how did the golden age fade into history? Learn more about you...

Tech News: Nintendo Gets Direct and Peloton Cycles In Place

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nintendo held one of its Nintendo Direct events yesterday and we look at a few announcements. Meanwhile, Peloton continues to have a rough week as lai...

TechStuff Tidbits: Jailbreaking

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is jailbreaking? Why would you want to jailbreak a device? And how could court decisions make jailbreaking a thing of the past? Learn more about...

Tech News: Nvidia Loses an Arm

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nvidia's plan to acquire Arm falls through. The IRS backpedals on requiring facial recognition for online users. And we hear about how Meta and Apple ...

Update: Hyperloop and the Boring Podcast

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's time to revisit the Hyperloop. What is the proposal, and how will it work? And what's up with Elon Musk's Boring Company? Learn more about your ...

TechStuff Classic: The Rise and Fall of Atari: Part Three

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In our final part in our Atari series, Chuck and Jonathan talk about the sad decline of Atari and what's left of the company today. Learn more about ...

Tech News: Investors Change Their Relationship Status With Facebook To "It's Complicated"

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, Meta/Facebook held an earnings call and things went poorly right out of the gate. By the time the call was over, the company was poised to ...

TechStuff Tidbits: Bits and Bytes

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What's the difference between bits and bytes? Has a byte always been 8 bits (no, it has not)? And is a kilobyte 1,000 bytes, or 1,024 bytes? It depend...

Tech News: Big Tech Gets Bigger

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Acquisitions are in the tech news this week, from updates on Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard to the New York Times scooping up a viral onl...

Libra - The Failed Facebook Currency

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Diem, formerly known as the Libra Association behind Facebook's Libra currency, is kaput. Learn about how folks at Facebook attempted to launch a digi...

TechStuff Classic: The Rise and Fall of Atari: Part Two

29 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Part Two of this series, Chuck and Jonathan talk about how Atari dominated video games until the crash of 1983. Learn more about your ad-choices a...

Tech News: LG Televisions and Targeted Advertising

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

LG's announcement to advertisers might mean connected televisions learn more about us than we would like. Anti-vax groups were spreading lies about CO...

TechStuff Tidbits: The Laws of Tech

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From Moore's Law to the Laws of Robotics, we take a look at some famous "laws" about technology. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...

Tech News: Crypto Winters and GPU Summers

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The recent decline in cryptocurrency value might be good news for folks looking to buy a GPU. Attorneys want to hold Google accountable for what they ...

Peloton Stalls Out

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Peloton seems to be moving backward, which is bad news for a company known for its stationary bikes. We look at the history of Peloton, the company's ...

TechStuff Classic: The Rise and Fall of Atari - Part One

22 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What's the story behind Atari? Stuff You Should Know's Chuck Bryant joins the podcast to answer this listener question. Learn more about your ad-choi...

Tech News: Roku Goes Kaput

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An issue with Roku's systems on the back end caused user devices to fail for several hours on Wednesday. Plus, news about the metaverse, crypto crimin...

TechStuff Tidbits: Patents

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are patents for? How long do they last? And what's a patent troll? We give a quick overview about patents and why they're such a big deal in tech...

Tech News: Airlines Warn 5G Could Lead to "Catastrophic Event"

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're on the eve of AT&T and Verizon switching on their C-Band 5G networks and several airlines warn that the tech could cause a "catastrophic eve...

Why are so many semiconductor chips made in Taiwan?

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The semiconductor chip shortage continues to be a huge problem for multiple industries around the world and has brought new attention to Taiwan, the m...

TechStuff Classic: The Six Simple Machines

15 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are the six simple machines and why are they so important? Joe McCormick joins the show to explain. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...

Tech News: Scams and Lawsuits

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The tech news today is filled with stories about lawsuits and scams, from Apple paying employees for the time they spent being searched to Kim Kardash...

TechStuff Tidbits: Content Farms and Clickbait

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are/were content farms, and what conditions allowed them to flourish? And what changed? From junk articles to clickbait, we look at how web sites...

South Korea Gets Tough With Apple and Google

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A law in South Korea forces Apple and Google to offer alternatives to their respective in-app payment systems. A former Amazon employee will testify t...

The DRM Episode

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Digital Rights Management has a bad reputation. Is it earned? (Yes, yes it is). We look at the history and evolution of DRM and why critics say it's b...

TechStuff Classic: What is a Common Carrier?

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The FCC Chairman has proposed reclassifying ISPs as common carriers under Title II. Wait, what does that mean? Jonathan explains. Learn more about yo...

Tech News: CES 2022 Roundup and More

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I talk about some of the stuff coming out of CES that I found interesting. Plus we hear about Google alienating its employees and get a story on an NF...

TechStuff Tidbits: Why is there no universal voltage?

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Travel the world and you'll discover that you will need some special gear to plug in your electronics as you go from place to place. Plugs, outlets an...

The Verdict is in for Theranos

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A jury returns a verdict on the case against Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos and it's a mixed bag. AT&T and Verizon both agree to delay 5G r...

Rerun: How Medieval Warfare Led to the Lawnmower

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We learn who invented the lawnmower, how lawnmowers evolved, and why we even have lawns in the first place. Hint: it has to do with castles in the Mid...

TechStuff Classic: How E-Bikes Work

01 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Electric bikes aren't a new idea. How do they work? Scott Benjamin joins the show to talk about e-bike tech. Learn more about your ad-choices at http...

TechStuff Predicts 2022

31 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a while since I did a tech predictions episode. What trends are going to be big in 2022? From Web3 to the Great Resignation, we look ahead a...

A Look Back at 2021 in Spaaace (and Beyond)

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we wrap up our look back on 2021, we talk about some of the big stories involving space missions. We also look at what Tesla was up to in 2021 and ...

2021 and Activision Blizzard's No Good, Very Bad Year

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We continue our look at the big tech stories of 2021, including a truly tumultuous year for video game company Activision Blizzard. Plus, Jonathan ran...

A Look Back on 2021: Would Facebook Lie to You? (Probably)

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's time to look back on some of the big tech stories of 2021, and golly this past year was a doozie. In this first episode, we look at tech's role i...

TechStuff Classic: TechStuff Looks at TV Connectors

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are all the connections on the back of a television? From HDMI to composite to component cables, we explain what each means. Learn more about yo...

Rerun: E-Waste and What To Do With It

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is electronic waste? What makes it so problematic? And what's the best way to deal with it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...

Rerun: Behind the Jargon of the Film Industry

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What's the difference between a Gaffer and the Best Boy? What do all the roles on a movie set actually mean? We look at the tech and terminology of fi...

Tech News: Tech Crooks and Cybercrime Stats

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos founder, awaits a jury's verdict in her wire fraud case. We learn that cyber criminals really stepped it up over the last c...

Riding the Hype Cycle

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Don't believe the hype, but believe in the hype cycle. It's a tool that describes the path a tech takes from its emergence to adoption. From 3D TVs to...

TechStuff Classic: TechStuff Listens to Negativland

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Hosler, one of the founding members of Negativland, joins the podcast to talk about audio collage, art, legal potholes and using technology to ma...

Tech News: We're Not Ready for the Metaverse

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An Intel senior VP explains why we're not technologically prepared for the metaverse. We cover some serious stories about abuse and hostile work envir...

Would TechTV Make it in Streaming Media?

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TechTV was a cable channel dedicated to tech, but ultimately a merger with G4TV would spell the end of most of the channel's programming. Could it hav...

Tech News: The Worst Security Vulnerability in a Decade

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why are security experts calling the Log4j vulnerability the worst one in a decade? Why is OSHA investigating Apple? And why did Meta revoke one Insta...

The Amazon Web Services Outage

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, December 7th, 2021, a glitch in Amazon Web Services had a massive impact on everything from smartphone apps to Walt Disney World. We learn...

TechStuff Classic: The Sony Pictures Entertainment Hack

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What exactly happened with the hack that targeted Sony? Why do some people question the official explanation that North Korea was behind it? Ben Bowli...

Smart Talks with IBM and Malcolm Gladwell - Managing supply chain volatility in the height of the shopping season

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Global supply chains have made headlines this year, with businesses in every industry and consumers all experiencing unprecedented volatility. How can...

Rerun: The Death of 3D Television

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For years, television manufacturers were pushing 3D features on TV sets. By 2017, all major companies had stopped trying. What happened with 3D TV? L...

Tech News: The 150 Billion Dollar Facebook Lawsuits

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Meta/Facebook faces a pair of class action lawsuits seeking billions in damages, alleging that the company fueled extremism and violence in Myanmar. I...

The Evil Algorithm

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the big news stories of 2021 has centered around Facebook's "algorithm." In this episode, we dive into what that actually means and how content...

TechStuff Classic: The CES Story

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for another classic TechStuff episode! In this one, Chris Pollette and Jonathan Strickland give the history of CES and what it's like to att...

What does the future of sustainability look like for your company and your customers?

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, consumers, businesses and governments are united in their sense of urgency about the sustainability of the planet. But how do we go about achie...

Will LHR tech solve the graphics card shortage problem?

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A listener asked what's the difference between LHR and non-LHR graphics cards. Who knew it would turn into a full discussion on crypto mining, hash va...

Tech News: Twitter Gets a New CEO

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Dorsey steps down as Twitter's CEO again. Former Google employees sue Google for being evil. And the FBI considers encrypted messaging services l...

BitTorrent and The Pirate Bay

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Pirate Bay turned 18 this year. We look at file sharing, copyright issues, corporate assets and the pirates who advocate for a free Internet. It's...

TechStuff Classic: TechStuff Tackles Typewriters

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Special guest Holly Frey joins the show to talk about typewriters. What's their history and what's the real scoop behind the QWERTY keyboard? Learn m...

Rerun: The History of Cyber Monday

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When did the trend of Cyber Monday begin? We take a look at the history of one of the Internet's biggest annual events. Learn more about your ad-choi...

The Dark Side of Video Game Cheaters

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From trying to scam their way onto high score leaderboards to using hacks to run rampant in online multiplayer games, we look at how cheaters have tri...

Tech News: NASA Plays Galactic Billiards With Asteroid

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

NASA launches a spacecraft that will collide with an asteroid, but on purpose. Also, Facebook executives allegedly prevented researchers from improvin...

A Brief History of Cheating in Video Games

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From the famous Konami code to the Doom modders, we look at some of the early examples of cheat codes and cheat devices in video games. Learn more ab...

Rerun: The GE of Today

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tragedies and financial crises turned what used to be General Electric's strengths into liabilities. In this episode, we learn how the once dominant c...

How a human-centered approach is building trustworthy AI.

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Creating trust and transparency in AI isn’t just a business requirement, it’s a social responsibility. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm ...

Rerun: GE and the House that Jack Built

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After World War II, General Electric would grow rapidly to the point of bloat. Then a man named Jack Welch took over as CEO and made some big changes....

Rerun: GE Through World War II

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In its first few decades, General Electric would grow into an enormous company with incredible influence in the United States. In this episode, we see...

Rerun: The Founding of G&E

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

General Electric has been around for more than 100 years. It's recently been in a bit of a slump. How did this company get started? Learn more about ...

TechStuff Classic: Taking a Ride in an Ambulance

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is ambulance technology all about? Ben Bowlin joins the show to explore this listener-suggested topic. Learn more about your ad-choices at https...

Tech News: Flying Taxis and Metaverses in South Korea

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

South Korea is barging into the future with a municipal metaverse for Seoul and an air traffic control system for flying taxis. Plus an update on Elon...

Futures That Never Were

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Science fiction writers have predicted numerous things that came true. But then there are those who have predicted stuff that didn't quite work out th...

Tech News: Freedom From Algorithms

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A proposed law in the US would make companies like Facebook give users an alternative to algorithmic-generated news feeds. The DoJ goes after ransomwa...

More of the Worst Cars of All Time

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We round out a totally-not-definitive list of bad cars with entries like the Trident, the Aztek and the Hummer H2. Plus the scandal of Dieselgate and ...

The Worst Cars of All Time

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's time to talk about some cars that, for one reason or another, people love to hate. So from the Pinto to the Trabant, join us as we look at cars t...

Tech News: Spaaaaaace Tacos

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Meta PC's owners say "Not so fast, Facebook" to a proposed name change. Google is bidding on a defense contract. A new methodology relating to quantum...

Rerun: The Max Headroom Incident

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How did hackers take over a television signal in the late 1980s? Stuff You Should Know's Chuck Bryant joins the show to talk about the Max Headroom In...

Tech News: Facebook Gets Meta

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook changed its name, but will it change its game? Also, some folks in Oregon want to know how much water Google uses. A suspicious cryptocurrenc...

The Rise and Fall of Magnavox

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We learn about how Magnavox saw a surge in consumer popularity after World War II, including how Magnavox started manufacturing televisions. We also l...

Magnavox Gets Loud (1917 - 1930)

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our history of Magnavox, we look at how the invention of the moving coil loudspeaker would form the foundation of the company. Oh, and also...

Smart Talks with IBM and Malcolm Gladwell: Quantum Computing is Tomorrow’s Computing, Today

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over the next decade, quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize the way we work and live. In this episode of Smart Talks, Malcolm talks to ...

Tech News: Facebook Tries to Save Face

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook held its quarterly earnings call and while the company is under criticism its revenue is through the roof. Also, Congress is asking social ne...

The Birth of Magnavox

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We dive into the early history of radio transmissions and learn about the founding of Magnavox. Along the way, we also learn about spark gap transmitt...

TechStuff Classic: Do We Need Humanoid Robots?

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this classic episode, Josh Clark joins the podcast to talk about humanoid robots. Why are we so concerned about building them and are they a good i...

Tech News: Mark Zuckerberg is on the Hot Seat

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Attorney General for Washington DC has named Mark Zuckerberg as a defendant in a lawsuit about Cambridge Analytica. Some companies hope to put a p...

What is the metaverse?

20 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash," we were introduced to the concept of a metaverse. Now companies like Facebook are working to make their own version...

Tech News: Investigating Amazon

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Members of Congress imply that it might be time to begin a criminal investigation into Amazon. Facebook's AI isn't up to the task of clamping down on ...

The Video Game Crash of 1983

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What caused the great video game crash of 1983 in North America? Was it too many lousy, cheap games? Was it the home computer? Was it E.T.? Or was it ...

Has the US lost the cyber war already?

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former Pentagon chief software officer Nicolas Chaillan resigned, citing frustrations regarding trying to bring the US Department of Defense up to spe...

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...