Tech Brew Ride Home

Latest Episodes:

(Bonus) The State Of VR Right Now Feb 20, 2021

Show notes

As mentioned, for my birthday this year I got my first VR rig, an Occulus Quest 2 because if an Apple AR/VR thingy is coming, if Facebook continues to invest in VR, then I figured it was time to, you know, not be functionally inexperienced with the space. I have a little bit of crypto to understand the space. Looking to get my hands on some NFTs to understand the space. I’ve got an onlyfans account to understand the dynamics of what works in the creator economy. And that’s the only reason, I swear. Anyway, in this episode we’re going to talk about some of the things I’ve learned and to do so, we’re going to talk to two folks. First, some of you might know Kyle Hilliard, he was for a long time the host of our Gaming Ride Home podcast, before the pandemic put paid to that show. He’s a veteran games journalist, and actually, you can still hear Kyle talk gaming on the MinnMax podcast. Link in the show notes. Kyle helps me understand the state of the industry from a developer and corporate and startup perspective. And also, we’re going to talk to Seth Rininger (@Sethmr1989) who is a kind-hearted listener to this show who, when I put out the word for someone to help me get onboarded with Oculus platform, kindly answered the call and helped guide me through getting my VR legs under me. My discussion with Seth is designed to give you an idea of where VR is at right now, in case you’re looking to give it a go yourself.

Fri. 02/19 – UK Supreme Court Officially Smacks Down Uber Feb 19, 2021

Show notes

Uber has lost one of its most significant independent contractor battles, in this case, in the UK. The Android 12 Developer Preview is here. Office 2021 is coming. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

Sponsors:

AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECH
Tovala.com/ride

Links:

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

The Bizarre Reaction To Facebook's Decision To Get Out Of The News Business In Australia (TechDirt)
Why did I leave Google or, why did I stay so long? (Noam Bardin)
Why the three biggest vaccine makers failed on Covid-19 (Financial Times)
Citibank just got a $500 million lesson in the importance of UI design (Ars Technica)
All Your Base Are Belong To Us has turned 20 (The Verge)
What Peter Jackson’s original two-movie Lord of the Rings almost looked like (Polygon)

Thu – 02/18 – Facebook Calls Australia’s Bluff; Google Pays Off Murdoch Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

I’ll do my best to explain this Australia situation with Facebook and Google. SpaceX is our interesting raise today. Nvidia unveils a line of chips just for crypto. Does Apple want to set the standards for 6G? And if remote work is the future, why is Big Tech still building so much office space?

Sponsors:

Links:

Facebook restricts users, publishers from sharing news content in Australia (AP)
Facebook calls Australia's bluff (Platformer)
SpaceX Funding Round at $74 Billion Valuation Was Led by Sequoia (Bloomberg)
NVIDIA Annoucnes CMP 30HX, 40HX, 50HX and 90HX GPUs For Mining, Cripples Hash Rate Of RTX 3060 (WCCFTech)
Apple Hiring Engineers to Develop 6G Wireless (Bloomberg)
If Work Is Going Remote, Why Is Big Tech Still Building? (Wired)

Wed. 02/17 - Epic Games Takes Its War With Apple To Europe Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

Epic Games takes its war with Apple to Europe. But Apple wins a skirmish in North Dakota of all places. New York sues Amazon over worker issues. Google maps will now let you pay for parking. Some tangible numbers about the recent NFT explosion. And why the new headphone emoji look suspiciously like AirPods Max.

Sponsors:

Tovala.com/ride
PingIdentity.com

Links:

The essay we hope to discuss on Clubhouse tonight: Why did I leave Google or, why did I stay so long? (Noam Bardin)

Tue. 02/16 – Bitcoin Crosses $50k Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

Bitcoin hits its latest, biggest milestone. A OnePlus cofounder’s latest startup is: Nothing. But it bought something: Essential. I’ll explain why this “who’s on first” routine might be interesting. Why government antitrust action has a tendency to open the litigation floodgates. And if you’ve been hearing about that new app Dispo, I’ve got an explainer for you. Cause that’s what I’m here for.

Sponsors:

Links:

Bitcoin Jumps to $50,000 as Record-Breaking Rally Accelerates (Bloomberg)
Essential is now officially owned by Carl Pei’s Nothing Technologies (9to5Google)
Microsoft’s new Office app now available on iPad (The Verge)
New Samsung laptops rumored to include OLED screens and S Pen support (The Verge)
Big Tech’s Next Big Problem Could Come From People Like ‘Mr. Sweepy’ (NYTimes)
Retro photo app is winning buzz (Axios)
The bull case for Dispo (Justin Potts)

Mon. 02/15 – First Look At xCloud Via Browser Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

We’ve got our first look at how Microsoft plans to bring xCloud to every device, even iOS. Is Facebook building a smartwatch? Maybe because they’re so pissed at Apple? Is everyone trying to scupper the Nvidia/ARM deal? And why I failed to mention that Paramount+ is the new entrant in the streaming wars.

Sponsors:

Links:

Here’s a first look at Microsoft’s xCloud for the web (The Verge)
Facebook Plans Smartwatch With Focus on Messaging, Health (The Information)
Facebook Meets Apple in Clash of the Tech Titans—‘We Need to Inflict Pain’ (WSJ)
Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm Protest Nvidia’s Acquisition of Arm Ltd. (Bloomberg)
Microsoft’s Big Win in Quantum Computing Was an ‘Error’ After All (Wired)
ViacomCBS Goes ‘All-In’ on Streaming, But Without Many of Its Top Shows (Bloomberg)

(Bonus) Is Silicon Valley "Over?" With Bloomberg's @noahpinion Feb 13, 2021

Show notes

If you want the single best person in economics twitter to follow, it’s Noah Smith, Bloomberg’s Economics Opinion Columnist. If you want to him, its @noahpinion, by the way. If you want a great substack to sign up to, try noahpinion.substack.com… the free article this week is called Triumph of the HODler’s… I hope I remember to link to it in the show notes. It’s the best summation I’ve read of what’s going on with Bitcoin at the moment. But also, as you’ll hear, he has a great new podcast with another economist I respect, Brad Delong. Noah is just a smart, smart guy. If you want a smart economics angle to anything happening in the world right now, he’s just the best. Noah and I have been friendly on Twitter over the years, occasionally exchanging DMs about obscure details about the Holy Roman Empire, but this is the first time I “met” him if you will. It’s been a while since I was sort of starstruck to interview someone, but here you go. The great Noah Smith…

Sponsors:

AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code TECH

Fri. 02/12 – Google Adds Pixel-Exclusive Photo Editing Features To Google Photos Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

Google adds some photo editing features to Google Photos that maybe points to a larger subscription play. Is Apple’s new AR app for TV+ a sign of things to come? Disney+ numbers are amazing. Apple Watch estimated numbers are impressive. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

Sponsors:

Links:

Google Photos gets new paywalled editing features for Google One subscribers (The Verge)
First Apple TV+ AR app launches with ‘For All Mankind’ backstory through mixed reality (9to5Mac)
Disney says it now has 94.9 million Disney+ subscribers (CNBC)
Apple Watch Is Now Worn on 100 Million Wrists (Above Avalon)
Bumble stock closes up 63% after soaring in market debut (CNBC)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT): Beginner's Guide (Decrypt)
20 years of orange cones: The history of VLC (Protocol)
N.Y.’s Vaccine Websites Weren’t Working. He Built a New One for $50. (NYTimes)
Cadillac Super Cruise Review: Better Than Tesla’s Autopilot (MotorTrend)
Chip Shortage Spirals Beyond Cars to Phones and Consoles (Bloomberg | Quint)
HOW SONY DESIGNED THE PS5’S ULTIMATE EASTER EGG (The Verge)
Who Really Created the Marvel Universe? (The New Yorker)

Listen to this weekend's Interesting Raise Episode by signing up right here: tech.supercast.tech

Thu. 02/11 - Facebook Wants To Copy Clubhouse Too. Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

Facebook wants to copy Clubhouse too, and meanwhile I got to try out Twitter Spaces last night. Did Microsoft make a run at acquiring Pinterest, and would the government let that happen? Is Peacock the sick man of the streaming wars? And an interesting raise around the creator economy.

Sponsors:

CalderaLab.com code TECHMEME at checkout
AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code TECH

Links:

Facebook Is Said to Be Building a Product to Compete With Clubhouse (NYTimes)
Microsoft approached Pinterest about a takeover (Financial Times)
iOS 14.5 Beta Directs 'Safe Browsing' Traffic in Safari Through Apple Server Instead of Google to Protect Personal User Data (MacRumors)
Bumble makes Wall Street debut in a milestone moment for female founders (CNN Business)
NBCUniversal’s Streaming Strategy Raises Prospect of WarnerMedia Merger (The Information)
Andreessen Horowitz Wins Deal for Creator Economy Startup Stir at $100 Million Valuation (The Information)
Machines Are Inventing New Math We've Never Seen (Motherboard)

tech.supercast.tech

Wed. 02/10 – TikTok Pardoned By Biden? Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

Maybe… the whole TikTok kabuki theater is at its endpoint. Salesforce thinks the whole concept of the “9-to-5 workday” is at its endpoint. More smoke around the Apple Goggles fire. Why you need to get hip to the concept of non-fungible tokens. And why cops have gotten hip to playing Sublime songs to prevent you from filming them.

Sponsors:

Links: