Hands-On Tech (Video)

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Latest Episodes:

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!
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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.

Sponsor:

trustedtech.team/twit

HOT 284: Understanding How to Recover Deleted Files - Can You Recover Deleted Files? Sep 13, 2026

Show notes

On this week's Hands-On Tech, Mikah helps Harriett understand whether deleted files are truly gone when the recycle bin is emptied, and whether accidentally deleted files can still be recovered.

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.

Sponsor:

scribe.how/hot

HOT 283: Is Airplane Mode Necessary? - The Truth About Airplane Mode Sep 06, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Gene's question about whether airplane mode still serves a real engineering purpose in 2026 and what the smartest phone setup is for flying.

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 282: Why Does Every Gadget Need an App and an Account Now? - Why Your Appliance Wants Your Email Aug 30, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Joyce's question about why so many everyday smart devices now require downloading an app & creating an account, and how to opt out of sharing personal data without giving up the products' functionality

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 281: Incognito Browsing - The Truth About Private Browsing Aug 23, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Rosemary's question about what private browsing actually hides, from whom, and what it's really for.

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 280: Am I Getting True Gigabit Internet? - Gigabit Promises Aug 16, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Al's question about why their gigabit internet plan isn't delivering the promised speeds during a Wi-Fi speed test, and who's really to blame: the ISP, the router, or the device.

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.

Sponsor:

shopify.com/hot

HOT 279: Safely Ejecting USB Drives - USB Removal Myths Aug 09, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a listener's question about whether safely ejecting a USB flash drive is still necessary or just an outdated habit.

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 278: Understanding Battery Percentages - Why the Battery Percentage Shown Isn't Always Accurate Aug 02, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a listener's question about whether his phone's battery percentage is an accurate measurement, why it seems to stay at 100% for a long time before suddenly dropping to dead, and whether battery recalibration is a real fix.

Send in your questions for Mikah to answer, and any products you'd like Mikah to take a look at, to hot@twit.tv!

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.

Sponsor:

NetSuite.AI/HOT

HOT 277: Battery Overcharging Myths - Is Keeping Your Devices Plugged In Bad? Jul 26, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah settles a household debate about whether it's harmful to keep a laptop plugged in all the time, and whether battery charge limit settings are worth using.

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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