Episodes

  • This week's Jam: there is a proposal to ban private jets, Facebook is removing its facial recognition tech, the earth's inner core is not a solid, Amazon kept driver's tips, and so much more!

    Discussion: Ban Private Jets - Link

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    Canon's Powershot PX is smart home camera for family moments - Link 'Squid Game' cryptocurrency, $SQUID, is a scam - Link Chromecast volume controls are disabled on Android 12 due to a ‘legal issue’ - Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Facebook is shutting down its face recognition system - Link The McPlant tastes just like any McDonald's burger - Link Microsoft's Mesh for Teams brings mixed reality to work - Link 'New hidden world' discovered in Earth's inner core - Link Instagram is letting people publicly participate in Stories for the first time - Link More than 140,000 Amazon drivers to be repaid nearly $60 million in alleged withheld tips - Link

    Follow Up Story

    Tesla launches Supercharger pilot program to charge other EVs - Link
  • This weeks Jam: Apple has new Macs, the Google Pixel series matures, Fisher Price releases a phone for adults, Pinterest learns a thing or two from TikTok and so much more!

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    Fisher-Price made a working Chatter telephone for adults - Link Facebook is rebranding itself as 'Meta' - Link

    Mac Event - Link

    Pixel Event - Link

    Tech News Bytes

    The Boring Company gets approval for Las Vegas public transportation system - Link Hertz Announced they Were Buying 100,00 Teslas and 50,000 of which will be rented to Uber Drivers - Link Amazon’s Clubhouse competitor may let you DJ your own radio show - Link Pinterest gets more TikTok-like with a ‘Watch’ tab for videos, announces $20M in creator rewards - The new Assassin's Creed educational tour lets you explore the Viking Age - Link Sinclair Broadcast Group hit by ransomware attack, upending local TV newscasts - Link
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  • This weeks Jam: You probably have a scary piece of tech lurking in your home right now! Pat, Alex, and Mike expose the horrifying dark side behind some common tech devices and services we use everyday.

  • This weeks Jam: Amazon fraud, people's hatred of technology in cars, scooters on sidewalks, and so much more!

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    Amazon Fraud Issues- Link The latest Microsoft Teams update is like something straight out of Black Mirror- Link

    This Weeks Discussion

    Tech in Cars- Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Chevy Bolts are a Fire Hazard and LG has to Pay Out- Link California could ban gas-powered generators and mowers by 2024- Link Acer's glasses-free 3D SpatialLabs laptop arrives this winter- Link Bird will test sensors that prevent riding on sidewalks- Link Amazon’s new work-from-home policy: let individual teams decide- Link
  • This weeks jam: Netflix botched the Seinfeld release, scientists held a fat bear contest, GM announced Ultra Cruise, Uber can now track your flight, and a slew of other stories.

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    Seinfeld' hits Netflix, but some jokes have been cropped out of view- Link
    Lime fights back against QR code snatchers- Link
    Is that bear fat or just chonky? Lasers may help scientists find out-

    Tech News Bytes

    How and when to upgrade to Windows 11- Link
    Tesla is building Model Y bodies with single front and rear castings, a manufacturing first- Link GM unveils a hands-free driving system that works in nearly all of the US and Canada- Link
    Google turns its AI on traffic lights to reduce pollution- Link European Parliament backs ban on remote biometric surveillance- Link
    Uber can now track your flight so a ride home is ready when you land-Link
  • Episode 1 is out! Follow the links below to subscribe and listen.

    Listen and Vote: factoffpodcast.com

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: Link

    RSS Feed: https://feeds.fireside.fm/factoff/rss

  • This weeks jam: the Surface and Amazon announcements, Spotify charging artists extra fees, states are banning fossil fuels and so much more!

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    This robotic backpack follows its leader wherever you may wander- Link Spotify’s New “Marquee” Promotion Feature Is Forcing Artists to Pay to Reach Fans They Already Have — As Much as $0.50 Per Click- Link Apple finally lets you rate its apps on the App Store- Link

    Surface Even Announcements

    Surface Duo 2- Link The Surface Laptop Studio- Link Surface Pro 8- Link

    Amazon Announcements

    Amazon's $250 Echo Show 15 is a giant smart display for your wall- Link Amazon Astro is an Alexa robot that roams your home- Link Amazon Glow is a kid-focused video call device with interactive activities- Link Amazon's Alexa-enabled Smart Thermostat only costs $60- Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Amazon's department store plans reportedly include high-tech dressing rooms- Link Europe may require all phone manufacturers to use USB-C charging- Link Illinois becomes 1st Midwestern state to pass a law to phase out fossil fuels- Link
  • Episode 1 is out! Follow the links below to subscribe and listen.

    Listen and Vote: factoffpodcast.com

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: Link

    RSS Feed: https://feeds.fireside.fm/factoff/rss

  • This weeks Jam: the Mustang Mach-E joins the police force, Lucid Motors handily beats Tesla on range, Alphabet beams internet across the Congo, Microsoft ditches passwords, McDonald's adds a sad meal to the menu, and so much more!

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    OpenSea admits insider trading of NFTs it promoted- Link DoorDash to offer alcohol delivery in 20 states DC, Canada and Australia- Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Michigan State Police to begin testing Ford Mach-E Interceptors- Link The Lucid Air is the first electric car with a 520-mile EPA-rated range- Link Alphabet's Project Taara is beaming high-speed internet across the Congo River- Link Hyundai puts Boston Dynamics Spot robot to work as a factory safety inspector- Link

    Tech RIP

    Microsoft's passwordless plans lets users switch to app-based login- Link McDonald's begins phasing out plastic toys in Happy Meals- Link
  • This weeks Jam: New Apple announcements, Gmail is getting video calls, the Switch had Bluetooth but now it "has" Bluetooth, the end of driver's license tests, and so much more!

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    The Gmail app takes calls now, too, because Google wants it to do everything- Link Nintendo Switch gets Bluetooth audio at last- Link

    Apple Announcements- Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Barely anyone is using Apple Pay in stores anymore- Link Hands-on with Facebook and Ray-Ban’s first pair of smart glasses- Link Amazon's palm-reading tech is heading to sports stadiums and music venues- Link Whoop’s new fitness tracker is better thanks to a battery breakthrough- Link iRobot's latest Roomba can detect pet poop (and if it fails, you'll get a new one)- Link LG claims its ‘Real Folding Window’ beats folding glass, will ship in 2023- Link

    Driver's Test RIP

    Mississippi nixes road test for new driver’s licenses- Link Crash-avoidance tech unsurprisingly benefits young drivers the best, data shows- Link Tesla Autopilot results in decreased driver attention, new study finds- Link
  • Join the jam this week as they talk about China's new video game restrictions, Amazon sues their competition, new Ai recycling methods, robotaxis, shady bait and switch tactics and so much more!

    China steps in to regulate brutal '996' work culture. Link

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    The Windows 11 upgrade situation just got less and more confusing. Link Samsung Is the Latest SSD Manufacturer Caught Cheating Its Customers. Link Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says. Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Online Trolls Actually Just Assholes All the Time, Study Finds. Link Google’s New AI Photo Upscaling Tech is Jaw-Dropping. Link #AppleToo receives nearly 500 stories of workplace issues in four days. Link 'The future of recycling': Rumpke is using AI-based sorting robots at its St. Bernard facility. Link China further slashes kids’ gaming time to just three hours a week. Link Here’s the robotaxi that will be available on the Lyft app in 2023. Link South Korea will force Google and Apple to allow third-party payments. Link Apple says Arizona and Georgia will be first to add state IDs to iPhones. Link
  • Pat, a teacher, joins us to discuss back to school tech, the hyperloop, Tesla bot, a new insulin delivery device, Amazon's new department stores, and you can take a quiz with us!

    Sh%T that will Never Happen

    Elon Musk says Tesla is working on humanoid robots- Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Amazon is reportedly planning to open mini department stores- Link OnlyFans bans 'sexually explicit conduct,' but nudity is still okay- Link Facebook is testing Reels in News Feed and Groups in the US- Link This ingestible robot delivers insulin to your body without external needles- Link Virgin Hyperloop unveils new pod concept video- Link Panasonic’s wearable speaker will literally blow your mind if I’m seeing this image right- Link

    Tech RIP

    Google is shutting down the Android Auto phone app- Link

    Back to School Tech Discussion

    Quiz Show

  • This weeks Jam: a new daytime drive-in theater, the largest new autonomous vehicle network in America, T-Mobile has multiple mishaps, 3D printing houses out of moon rocks, batteries powered by sweat and so much more.

    Dumb Tech of the Week- Double whammy edition

    T-Mobile apparently lied to government to get Sprint merger approval, ruling says- Link T-Mobile confirms data breach affects over 47 million people- Link

    Weekly Discussion

    The future of digital payments- Link/Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Wendy's plans 700 kitchens expressly for food delivery apps- Link It Sounds Like Google's Find My Network for Android Will Work Just Like Apple's- Link Samsung Display Announces Polarizer-less OLED With 25% Less Power Used- Link NASA's latest space station cargo includes a 3D printing system for lunar soil- Link Nation's largest fleet of autonomous vehicles launches in Golden, Colorado- Link Tesla Autopilot: US opens official investigation into self-driving tech- Link Your next smartwatch could be powered by SWEAT- Link Boston Dynamics Atlas Robot Does Gymnastics?- Link Loco Drive-In, the country's first daytime drive-in movie theater- Link

    Resurrected Tech

    Local and anonymous social media app Yik Yak is back- Link
  • This week: Fake prototype trucks designed to scam investors, the death of FandangoNow, pay cuts for work from home jobs, companies force you to put a camera in your bedroom, and so much more.

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    Nikola electric-truck prototypes were faked and it's founder is Currently under Investigation- Link

    Discussion of the Week

    Big Tech call center workers face pressure to accept home surveillance- Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Apple announces new iPhone features to detect child sex abuse- Link Here's everything Samsung announced at its August Unpacked event- Link AirPods will link with an Apple ID in iOS 15 to enable Find My support- Link TikTok limits the visibility of teens' videos amid safety push- Link A Powerful New Deepfake Tool Has Digitally Undressed Thousands Of Women- Link Pay cut: Google employees who work from home could lose money- Link UN report says most climate change effects are 'unprecedented' and 'irreversible'- Link Pepsi, Boston Beer team up to deliver boozy Mountain Dew- Link

    Tech RIP

    Vudu and FandangoNow merge into a single streaming service- Link

    Story Update

    Tesla quietly delays Cybertruck to 2022- Link
  • Tesla extends an olive branch to the electric vehicle industry, robots that are designed to make three point shots, wirelessly charging a car while it drives, Alexa gets a male counterpart, intel builds chips for its competitors, and our ever changing viewing habits!

    Weird Tech of the Week

    A weird new basketball playing robot: Link Link Watch Cassie the bipedal robot run a 5K: Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Elon Musk says Tesla will open its Superchargers to other EVs this year: Link Researchers are testing concrete that could charge your EV while you drive: Link Alexa finally gets a new name and voice: Intel will make Qualcomm chips in new foundry deal: Link Netflix is reportedly developing a live-action Pokémon series: Link Lucasfilm hires YouTuber who used deepfake to improve 'The Mandalorian: Link

    Summer Series- Has Covid changed our viewing habits?

    The Audience For Almost Everything has Evaporated: Link
  • This week's Jam: how the Steam Deck could become a sleeper hit, Windows is now in the cloud, drone pilots rescue lost dogs, and the ongoing chip shortage.

    Dumb Tech of the Week

    Facebook Messenger’s new sound emoji let you hear Fast and Furious quotes in your chats: Link Bird is adding a puzzle to its electric scooters to keep drunk riders off: Link A robot collision sparked a fire at the UK's top online grocer: Link

    Discussion topic

    Job-Hunters, Have You Posted Your Résumé on TikTok? Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Valve Announces the Steam Deck, a $400 Handheld Gaming PC: Link Microsoft unveils Windows 365, a Windows 10 PC in the cloud: Link English drone pilot flies heart-driven missions reuniting lost dogs with owners: Link TurboTax parent company Intuit is exiting the IRS Free File Program: Link Tesla has Powerwall backlog of 80,000 orders worth over $500 million: Link

    Summer Series: the Chip Shortage

    Chip Shortage Will Continue To Stymie Muscular Auto Recovery, While Supply Gap Inspires New Ideas: Link How and When the Chip Shortage Will End, in 4 Charts: Link

    @thefuturejam (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook)

  • This week's Jam: how Apple set a new bar for privacy, the future of telehealth post Covid, California will allow mining Lithium in a waste of a space, the danger of wet-bulb temps and the final fleet!

    Links

    Dumb Criminal’s Using Tech of the Week

    The FBI's phone for criminals included a custom version of Android- Link

    News Story Discussion

    Apple and Google Crowd out the Competition with Default Apps- Link

    Tech News Bytes

    Marvel says Black Widow made $60 million on Disney Plus Premier Access alone- Link YouTube’s TikTok competitor YouTube Shorts is rolling out globally- Link Apple’s iPhone is so good at protecting privacy, advertisers are giving up and switching to Android- Link Apple is reportedly working on a pay later feature for Apple Pay- Link Biden's wide-ranging executive order covers Big Tech, net neutrality and more- Link Scientists Studying Temperature at Which Humans Spontaneously Die With Increasing Urgency- Link Are electric bikes cheating?- Link An Incredibly Toxic Lake Will Become One of the US's First Lithium Mines- Link Cheaper than Uber': Chicago taxi business revamped with new app 'Curb'- Link MAC AND CHEESE ICE CREAM? KRAFT, VAN LEEUWEN DEBUTS ULTIMATE SUMMER COMFORT TREAT- Link

    Summer Series: Telehealth

    Telehealth: A quarter-trillion-dollar post-COVID-19 reality? These Four Telehealth Changes Should Stay, Even After the Pandemic

    TECH RIP

    Twitter is killing Fleets- Link
  • Dumb Tech of the Week

    Facebook test warns users who may have seen 'harmful extremist content'.

    Dumb Man in Tech

    TEAM TRUMP’S SOCIAL MEDIA SITE HACKED AND FLOODED WITH SONIC THE HEDGEHOG PORN HOURS AFTER GOING LIVE Trump says he will sue social media giants over ‘censorship’

    New Car Buying Concept

    Lynk & Co (Volvo) Will Make You Rethink Outdated Ideas of Car Ownership

    Tech News Bytes

    Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) Announced, Out in October 130 nations agree to support U.S. proposal for global minimum tax on corporations Pentagon cancels $10 billion JEDI cloud contract that Amazon and Microsoft were fighting over Bird plans a pilot program for electric wheelchair and mobility scooter rentals in NYC this summer TikTok increasing video length from one to three minutes Amazon kicks yet another budget electronics brand off the store Airbnb has blocked nearly 20,000 bookings across 7 US cities as part of its 'party house' ban, with almost one quarter in Phoenix Watch what you like on streaming, assuming you can find it Could Pfizer and Moderna Now Face Their Second-Worst Scenario?

    Summer Series

    6 ways the coronavirus pandemic has forever altered the retail landscape

    Touch-free shopping Acceleration of e-commerce The rise of the ‘everything store’ Sharp split between big spenders and penny pinchers Another blow for malls, department stores Casualization of clothing
  • Dumb Tech of the Week

    Listen to Spotify on this nostalgic iPod-style web music player
    Verizon seems to be making its own Alexa-based smart display Amazon is reportedly using algorithms to fire Flex delivery drivers

    Windows 11 Announced!

    Big Design Changes New Redesigned App Store...Finally Android apps are coming to the Windows Store! What needs to be sorted out and what’s confusing

    Tech News Bytes

    Google's new support website will help you locate local US food banks Google launches a new medical app—outside the United States Experimental device could treat ear infections using jets of plasma (newatlas.com) Tesla unveils its new supercomputer (5th most powerful in the world) to train self-driving AI Russian Scientists Bring 24,000-Year-Old Zombies Back to Life Study nixes life in clouds of Venus, but maybe in Jupiter's?

    Twitter Poll of the Week

    China Just Announced That It's Sending the First Humans to Mars

    Summer series

    Automation from farm to table: Technology’s impact on the food industry

    Tech Rasputin (Tech RIP)

    Robocalls are out of control. But that could change NOW!

    Follow-up Story

    Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming service is now available on iOS devices
  • Our brief list of "must have" summer gadgets and gizmos plus a few duds to steer clear from. We also give some quick recommendations for your summer trip. Finally, stick around for some bonus shenanigans to close things out.