TechStuff

Latest Episodes:

Faking a DMCA Takedown to Boost Search Rankings Apr 10, 2024

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Journalist Ernie Smith got an odd DMCA takedown notice for a picture he included in his tech newsletter. It turns out that the notice was a ploy to try and trick Smith into including a backlink to another site in an effort to boost that site's search rankings. What the what?

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The Sad Tale of Virtual Boy Apr 09, 2024

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The Nintendo Virtual Boy was one of the company's infamous flops, but why? Why did the system fail so hard that Nintendo killed it off after just one year?

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Tech News: The FCC Will Vote in Favor of Net Neutrality. Again. Apr 05, 2024

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Net neutrality goes through another flip in the flip-flop history with the FCC announcing it plans to vote to reinstate some of the rules established during the Obama administration but overturned during the Trump administration. Plus, Google agrees to destroy billions of data records and Ford decides to hold off on producing EVs for a bit.

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My Test Image is the Centerfold Apr 03, 2024

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My blood runs cold, my computer memory has just been sold -- my test image is the centerfold! Today, we look at the story of the "Lenna image," a scan of a Playboy model that has been used in countless papers and articles, and why there's a movement now to bring an end to that practice.

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Corporate Espionage in the Tech Sector Apr 01, 2024

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Sometimes, folks want to take a short cut. And sometimes that shortcut is illegal. This episode is about companies, managers, employees and others who engaged in some shifty behavior to get access to data that didn't belong to them.

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Tech News: TikTok Strikes Back, AI Poses Threats, and Butts! Mar 29, 2024

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TikTok is turning up the heat on the US Senate to get a proposed bill that would ban the service tossed out. The US government announces new policies relating to the use of AI in federal agencies. And a streaming service tries to clamp down on butts.

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Did In-N-Out invent the Intercom? Mar 27, 2024

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Is it true Harry Snyder, founder of In-N-Out, invented the intercom? Not quite. But he was the first credited with using a system to create what would become the model for the modern drive-thru.

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The Weaponization of EULAs Mar 25, 2024

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The End User License Agreement is that thing you click "I agree" to without having read the whole thing. But you can be forgiven -- some companies make their EULAs freakishly long, hiding some nefarious terms in the process.

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Tech News: Tech Companies in the Hot Seat Mar 22, 2024

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The US government is cracking down on Big Tech. From a House bill that would make it illegal for data brokers to sell American citizen info to foreign adversaries to a massive monopoly lawsuit against Apple, we look at some of the battles the Tech industry faces in the near future. Plus more!

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The Rooster Teeth Story: The End? Mar 20, 2024

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After navigating numerous controversies and setbacks, Rooster Teeth attempted to return to a more stable existence. But it was not to be. The corporate overlords at Warner Bros Discovery have decided to shut down the company after it reportedly spent a decade being unprofitable.

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