Hands-On Tech (Audio)

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Latest Episodes:

HOT 292: Home Network Setup Advice - Intergrating Two Wi-Fi Systems in Home Network Nov 08, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a question from Bruce, who has just moved into a new home with an ASUS AX6600 XT8 AiMesh system on wired Ethernet backhaul plus two pre-installed Araknis access points, and wants to know how to combine them under a single Wi-Fi network name and manage device handoff between the two brands, or whether switching the ASUS nodes to access point mode would be the better approach.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

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Join Club TWiT Nov 08, 2026

Show notes

You can help support what we do at TWiT by joining Club TWiT. You'll get ad-free versions of our shows, access to the Club TWiT Discord, chapter markers, in-app transcripts, and custom programming such as Stacy's Book Club, Mikah's Crafting Corner, Off By One with Jeff Atwood, and the AI Users Group.

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Hands-On AI Turns AI Confusion Into AI Confidence Nov 08, 2026

Show notes

Hands-On AI is the show that turns AI confusion into AI confidence. In this trailer, Mikah Sargent lays out what the show is and isn't: short, focused episodes — most 10 to 15 minutes — that take one question, one tool, or one technique at a time. Some weeks go under the hood on what a large language model is actually doing. Some weeks get practical: the AI already in your pocket, or a model running entirely on your own computer. And some weeks are honest verdicts on the tools everyone's talking about.

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HOT 291: Internet Cookies - Browser Cookies & Online Privacy Nov 01, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Bill writes in to ask what cookies actually do, whether rejecting them on every site's banner accomplishes anything real, and whether there's a way to stop being asked dozens of times a day.

Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

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HOT 290: Protecting Yourself From Sim Swapping - Are Text Message Codes Safe? Oct 25, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a question from Otis, who relies on the 6-digit text-message codes his bank sends at sign-in but has started to worry about SIM swap attacks, and wants to know whether those codes are still worth anything and whether he can lock down his number at the carrier.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
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Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

HOT 289: Understanding Email Tracking Pixels - Are Tracking Pixels in Emails Real? Oct 18, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a question from Lyle who wants to know whether a coworker can really tell when he has opened her emails.

Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

HOT 288: Understanding What IP68 Means - Is Your Device Truly Water Resistant? Oct 11, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Clyde, who is shopping for a new phone after his last one died in a sink full of dishwater, asks what an IP68 water resistance rating actually promises, whether it wears off as a phone ages, and what to do in the first few minutes after a phone gets wet.

Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

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HOT 287: Are There Risks to Scanning QR Codes? - The Security Concerns Behind Scanning a QR Code Oct 04, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Barry asks whether anything inside a QR code can actually hurt you, or whether the real danger lies somewhere else, and what a person should check before scanning one out in the wild.

Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

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HOT 286: Shutting Down vs. Restarting Your Windows PC - Windows Fast Startup Sep 27, 2026

Show notes

On this week's Hands-On Tech, Lorraine asks Mikah whether her husband or her daughter is right about the difference between shutting down and restarting a Windows PC, and how often she should be restarting her computer and phone.

Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

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HOT 285: Are My AI Chatbot Conversations Private? - The Risks Of Sharing Information with AI Chatbots Sep 20, 2026

Show notes

In this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Wendell asks Mikah whether his wife is right that typing into an AI chatbot is no different from a Google search, and wants to know where those conversations go, who can see them, whether they're used for training, and if any settings can turn that off in both ChatGPT and Gemini.

Send in your questions for Mikah to hot@twit.tv, and he'll answer them in a future episode!

Host: Mikah Sargent

Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

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