Stay ConnectedHow is technology impacting our lives, and the world? Catch up with your friends in tech as we share all the latest things we’ve learned and love about technology.
Hosted by Angharad Yeo, Tegan Jones, Rae Johnston and Amanda Yeo, Queens of the Drone Age is a peek at the insider conversations happening amongst some of Australia’s top technology experts.
Copyright: © 2023 Rae Johnston, Angharad Yeo, Tegan Jones and Amanda Yeo
It's a real big gadget chat this week - quite literally in Tegan's case because she recently got behind the wheel of the 2023 Ford Ranger Wildtrak.
It's a whole lot of ute and she took it camping in zero-reception territory to really put it to the test. We don't want to spoil the finer details (though our Patreon newsletter subscribers already got a sneak peek) but between the tech inclusions, roomy dual cabin and fancy electric tray cover - she's dubbed it her favourite vehicle review ever 👁️👄👁️.
Sadly it wasn't all joy this week, with Rad reviewing the "single most disappointing piece of tech [she's] ever purchased." We're gonna leave you all hanging on what that might be.
And in classic Amanda style, she saw the resurgence of Tamagotchi's popularity and decided to find her old Gen 2 version from the late 90s rather than dropping cash on a new one. We love a fiscally responsible Queen.
She also tries a TikTok water bottle hack where you use the Tamagotchi to remind you to stay hydrated. The results are... interesting.
And if you want more Queens and want to support the show, please consider subscribing to our Patreon so you can get access to fun stuff like our WEEKLY newsletter, exclusive Discord server and more!
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It’s February, which is a deeply upsetting thought. But it also means it’s nearly Valentine’s Day! Here at Queen’s of the Drone Age, we celebrate whatever that might mean to you.
Whether you’re buying for a loved one, some gal pals (they were just roommates) or even yourself – we have some neat gift suggestions for you.
Rae offers up the Love Box, a very cute digital message sender. Rad keeps things deeply on brand by suggesting Flapper Head, which are absolutely adult flap hats. As Rad points out, “What could be sexier than sun protection?”
So many things.
She also throws in a vote for kitsch soap dispensers and the Nanoleaf Shapes, particularly the Hexagon Starter Pack, which was personally recommended by her partner Teja.
Amanda brings it all home with scheduled emails. We promise it is very cute and not at all work-related.
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In this week's gadget chat, Rae gets into a beef with the Audio Technica AT-LP60-BT turntable and the Sonos speaker system. Specifically, in an effort to try and get the bluetooth component to work.
Meanwhile, Amanda has been getting into the new HBO The Last Of Us TV series - so we dig into how much like the game it really is. Can we avoid spoiling an almost decade-old game while discussing its TV adaptation? We try, we promise.
Also: we discussed the science behind the fungi in the story a few episodes back in our Mushroom and Fungi Halloween Special.
Then, Rad reviews the iPad 10th Gen - the cheapest full sized iPad. What's the difference? What's the plus side (besides the price)? And what are the downsides? One issue we've detected already is the potential for Wild Apple Pencils.
And if you want more Queens and want to support the show, please consider subscribing to our Patreon so you can get access to fun stuff like our WEEKLY newsletter, exclusive Discord server and more!
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We're coming to that time of year when school and uni are almost back in session. Perhaps even some of you are getting ready to get back to work. Regardless of the circumstances, January is a great period to get organised for the year, and we have some gadgets and tips to help!
Rae tells us all about the laptop stand that changed her working life... and only costs $10 from Kmart. She also chats about her conversion to GoodNotes after decades of using paper notebooks and calendars.
Tegan becomes obsessed with a slick FYY magnetic pill organiser. Stay with us here! She argues its multi-purpose use after seeing an unhinged TikTok account use it for a whole manner of wild and sometimes unnecessary things. But our girl reckons it would be great for organising daily items for your school or work bag like hair ties, phone cables, gum and panadol.
She also preaches her love for Bento-style lunch boxes and covets the fancy ones with an in-built thermos to keep your food hot.
And Amanda talks through some of her study tips from when she was studying to be a space lawyer (probably). Apparently, she used to post them on Tumblr. No, we haven't been able to find the account yet :(
And if you want more Queens and to support the show, please consider subscribing to our Patreon so you can get access to fun stuff like our WEEKLY newsletter, exclusive Discord server and more!
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This week's gadget chat is an eclectic one! Amanda kicks things off with a spoiler-free review of M3gan. If you haven't heard of it (and even if you have), we highly recommend you check out the trailer. Just try not to cry-laugh at this modern masterpiece of cinematic triumph.
Rae recently moved house, which made it the perfect time to try out the Roomba j7+ robot vacuum. On top of mapping your house and knowing what to avoid (mostly) it can run to a set schedule, spot clean on command and loads more.
And after Four-ish months of daily use, T3gan (she's re-branding) hands down her verdict on the July Carry All Backpack Series 2. After being gifted one in the middle of PAX week, she's lugged it across convention floors, used it as her only luggage for multi-night work trips and even took it to parliament during budget lockup. So is this the premium price tag worth it?
If you want more Queens and to support the show, please consider subscribing to our Patreon to access fun stuff like our WEEKLY newsletter, exclusive Discord server and more!
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The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, recently wrapped up - it is one of the biggest tech events in the world and practically takes over the entirety of Las Vegas.
You’ll see announcements of the hottest new tech coming out over the next year from big brands. But you'll also come across a lot of startups doing funky stuff, as well as some really conceptual tech that may never see the light of day. For example, this Ballie home robot that Samsung showed off at CES 2020 that we still desperately want to see on the market.
The show can get pretty weird, and so can we - so in this episode, we looked at some of our favourite weird, wacky and cooked stuff that came out of CES 2023.
Rad look at the Blok smart chopping board and the Sengled Smart Health Monitoring Light. That's a light that tracks you in your sleep.
Amanda became a fan of the Fufuly - a pillow that breathes at you - and also explained Neutrogena's Skin 360, which involves 3D-printed personalised skincare.
Rae falls in love with the L'Oreal Brow Magic - a device that prints your eyebrow makeup with a tiny inkjet printer. She also threatens her large adult son with the Mutalk - a soundproof Bluetooth microphone that fits over your whole mouth and muffles your words (or screams) from those around you.
And Tegan gets back on her BS with the Kohler aromatherapy shower pods and loses her mind over a Roland concept piano with some rather unique external speakers.
And if you want more Queens and want to support the show, please consider subscribing to our Patreon so you can get access to fun stuff like our WEEKLY newsletter, exclusive Discord server and more!
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Oh heeeeey everyone, we're back! Welcome to the first episode of Queens of the Drone Age for 2023. Well, kind of. You may have noticed a cheeky 🚨Announcement🚨 drop appear in your feeds, and if you haven't listened to it yet... we highly recommend it.
The TL;DR is that the people have spoken, and after two years of asking us, we've finally launched a Patreon! We have a full explainer in our previous episode and over on the Patreon itself. There's some cool stuff in there (and some secret things still to come) so go check it out!
As for this ep, we're back on the gadget chats! Rae bought herself a brand new fridge for the first time - the LG 847L InstaView Refrigerator. It's so fancy that some (censored) swears may have been dropped.
Tegan engages in an unsanctioned six-monthie review of the Jabra Elite 5 wireless noise-cancelling earbuds - a more affordable alternative to the likes of Apple AirPods Pro, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 and Sony WF-1000XM4. She also gets rightly roasted for being excited about the beige option.
Amanda ups the Queen's TikTok game by messing with the CapCut app, which offers more (and easier) editing options for video creation. Surprise, it's also owned by ByteDance.
And Rad drops some dollars on the Garmin DriveSmart 76 MT-S GPS after her partner gets her P Plates and legally isn't allowed to use map apps on her phone.
Full show notes are available on the Queens of the Drone Age website.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's a brand new year, and with it brings a big announcement from your favourite Queens.
We've launched a Patreon!
After two years of running the pod and being asked countless times, we're finally doing it!
We have some really fun stuff in there, including a brand new weekly newsletter and an exclusive Discord for our patron mates. You can find all of the details in this mini episode announcement and if you're keen and able to help support the show, you can find our Patreon Page right here.
As a disclaimer, the 3.5 ⭐ feet tier is a joke, unless... 👀
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In this episode from the archives, the Queens share their wholesome safe havens on the internet - from mushroom subreddits to #CleaningTok.
Amanda also shares her memories of a Yahoo Geocities page that recapped Sailor Moon episodes in the early 2000s.
Full show notes are available on the Queens of the Drone Age website.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this deep dive from the archives, the Queens are talking communication, literally.
Tegan delves into the past to chat about how carrier pigeons work and Rae explains how the Metaverse is much bigger than Facebook and was first conceptualised in the early 90s.
Full show notes are available on the Queens of the Drone Age website.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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