Episodes

Aug. 23, 2018

Thu. 8/23 - The Backlash Against the “App Store Tax”

Australia bans Chinese telecoms equipment, Microsoft might offer an Xbox subscription that includes the whole console, new DJI drones, Alex Stamos on hacking the 2018 election and the backlash against the “app store tax.” Li…
Aug. 22, 2018

Wed. 8/22 - Fake Russians are Back. And Now There Are Fake Iranians Also!

The fake Russians are back and they’ve brought some fake Iranians with them, Verizon throttles firefighters, Google wants to tell you something good, and day two of the Y Combinator demo days. Links:Sprawling Iranian influen…
Aug. 21, 2018

Tue. 8/21 - Netflix "Tests" an End-Run Around iTunes

Microsoft uncovers more Russian political hacking, a possible MacBook Air successor, Netflix “tests” bypassing the App Store, and are you paying for Amazon’s electricity bill? Links:New Russian Hacking Targeted Republican Gr…
Aug. 20, 2018

Mon. 8/20 - Fitness Trackers Ain't Dead Yet

Fitbit doubles down on fitness trackers, new EU regulations might be coming for web platforms, Karma is a startup selling excess food, Trip Advisor has its own fake news problem, and are women the most valuable mobile gaming…
Aug. 17, 2018

Fri. 8/17 - The Secret Netflix Subcategories

A Google smart speaker with a screen, the crypto mining fad is fading, Silicon Valley has lost a piece of its history, the secret Netflix categories and the weekend longreads suggestions. Links:Google to debut display-equipp…
Aug. 16, 2018

Tue. 8/16 - Now Bezos Wants Movie Theaters?

Amazon might buy a chain of movie theaters, why the Saudis invest the way they do, Twitter pisses everyone off because… what else is new? And reviews of the Note 9 and Android Pie are in. Links:Amazon in Running to Acquire L…
Aug. 15, 2018

Wed. 8/15 - Alexa and Cortana, BFFs

Today, Twitter takes action on Alex Jones, a new Intel chip vulnerability, Alexa and Cortana play nice together, consolidation in podcasting and a “rest and vest” for the ages. Stories from: @AnneMarieSteele, @dseetharaman T…
Aug. 14, 2018

Tue. 8/14 - Is Kevin Durant teaming up with Marc Andreessen?

NVIDIA announces its next generation GPUs, Apple wants developers to get SaaS-y, what if we just rebuilt the cable bundle with streaming channels, Tinder founders file suit and is Kevin Durant teaming up with Marc Andreessen…
Aug. 13, 2018

Tue. 8/13 - Does Google Track Even When You Say No?

Is Google tracking you even when you tell it not to? Big executive departure at Netflix, Elon expounds on taking Telsa private, and how machine learning can identify devs simply by the way they code. Links:Lenovo Launches Ul…
Aug. 10, 2018

Fri. 8/10 - Is Apple's Car Project Back On?

Is Apple’s secret car project back on? Is Elon Musk in trouble with the SEC? How many people use Apple Pay? Is Alexa coming to cars? And the weekend Longreads suggestions. Stories from: @gruber Tweets: @jbarro, @kairyssdal L…
Aug. 9, 2018

Thu. 8/09 - Galaxy Note9 Announced

The new Galaxy Note 9 is unveiled, New York City caps ride hailing companies, Discord kneecaps Steam—as expected, the continuing saga of Alex Jones and what’s up with Elon Musk now? Links:Samsung Galaxy Note9: Design, specs,…
Aug. 8, 2018

Tue. 8/8 - The Magic Leap Is Finally A Thing!

We can actually, finally find out what Magic Leap does, Snap reports earnings, Slack gets ready for war, Patreon is building a patronage empire and why you’re probably getting ripped off if you’re paying for DSL. Links:I TRI…
Aug. 7, 2018

Tue. 8/7 - Voting Via App

Voting via app will be tested during the midterms, Old Bitcoin Money and New Bitcoin money are in a power struggle, the truth about how we use Alexa, and a new combatant joins the fray in the Streaming Video Wars. Links:West…
Aug. 6, 2018

Mon. 8/6 - Everyone Bans Alex Jones

Nearly every major tech platform bans Alex Jones to one degree or another, does Facebook really want to know your bank balance, MoviePass comes with another subscription pivot, Apple’s plans for India and why $1,000 smartpho…
Aug. 3, 2018

Fri. 8/03 - Is Fortnite Bigger Than Google Play?

Fortnite snubs Google, Amazon Prime Video is coming to Comcast, Peloton raises a ton, the top ten programming languages of 2018 and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Epic Games sidesteps the Play Store w…
Aug. 2, 2018

Thu. 8/02 - Apple Hits A Trillion!

Apple hits a trillion, a midwestern unicorn cashes in, the Surface Go reviews are in, there are no perfect tools for making memes, and Tesla is adding video games to its cars. Links:Cisco to acquire Ann Arbor-based Duo Secur…
Aug. 1, 2018

Wed. 8/01 - Is Google Returning To China?

Google has a secret plan to return to China, the Apple earnings analysis, Masayoshi Son goes “Brandless” and in praise of microfilm! Links:GOOGLE PLANS TO LAUNCH CENSORED SEARCH ENGINE IN CHINA, LEAKED DOCUMENTS REVEAL (The …
July 31, 2018

Tue. 7/31 - Facebook Finds More Election "Bad Actors"

Facebook reveals fresh election meddling, Galaxy 9s might not be selling well, but Nintendo Switches sure are, and Playstation 4s still are, Uber stops truckin’ and Google Maps will predict which restaurant you’ll like. Sto…
July 30, 2018

Mon. 7/30 - Self-Driving Cars Need To Talk To Us

The king of the bitcoin miners mulls an IPO (not an ICO), the prediction market Augur gets dark, a “Netflix for gadgets” and a “Dallas Cowboys for e-sports” both raise money, advice for Twitter and Facebook, and why autonomo…
July 27, 2018

Fri. 7/27 - The Dreaded MAU Strikes Again!

Slack takes out some competitors, Twitter get its own earnings shock, Amazon is just fine, thank you very much, Stripe issues credit cards, MoviePass… still alive at the time of this recording… and the weekend longreads sugg…
July 26, 2018

Thu. 7/26 - The Greatest Loss of Market Value In a Single Day... Ever

The Facebook earnings disaster. What else? But also Qualcomm walks away from an acquisition, Amazon’s facial recognition tech seems pretty flawed, and Samsung might have invented unbreakable displays for smartphones! Links:S…
July 25, 2018

Wed. 7/25 - China to Facebook: Not So Fast!

Another internal Facebook memo leaks, China tells Facebook “not so fast,” Steam battles Discord, why the iPhone can’t compete in China, and a Y2K bug for the new millennium. Links:Departing Facebook Security Officer's Memo: …
July 24, 2018

Tue. 7/24 - Laptops Are Too Thin and Too Light!

Alphabet earnings, Google’s Translation app takes over the world, potentially two new Xbox consoles, Verizon wants to deliver TV over 5G and the thin-and-light laptop revolution has gone too far! Links:Alphabet surges to all…
July 23, 2018

Mon. 7/23 - Samsung's Big Step Toward 5G

Susan Fowler Rigetti gets a high profile new job, a Lyft and Uber driver was live-streaming without consent, Samsung takes a big step toward a 5G world, and why is Google Translate spitting out religious prophecies? Links:St…