What's New - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

How Square Made Its Own iPad Replacement Jun 19, 2018

Show notes

If you know the company Square, it's probably because you've paid in a store using a Square “stand,” a dock that supports a tablet, or you've swiped your card through Square Reader, a smartphone dongle that processes payments. These products have a simplistic, decidedly Apple-y aesthetic, from the simple dongle to the all-white stand that typically houses an iPad.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How Volvo's Making the Polestar 1 From an Old Concept Jun 18, 2018

Show notes

The great tragedy of the Concept Coupe was that it was never meant to be built. Drawing on the style of the vintage P1800 with a helping of American muscle—healthy haunches, slim windows—the two-door won much praise when Volvo brought it to the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was lovely, but no more than a showcase. Fans would have to settle for seeing elements of the design feed into Volvo products like the XC90 SUV and S90 sedan. Then the car world shifted.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meater Wireless Meat Thermometer Review: A Recipe for Mediocrity Jun 18, 2018

Show notes

It's pretty easy to guess how it works: the pointy end goes in the meat and it connects via Bluetooth with an app on your phone. What's pleasantly surprising is that there's a second temperature sensor at the exposed end that tells you the air temperature just outside of whatever you're cooking.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Physics of the One Goal You *Won't* See at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

On my first attempt at a corner kick in decades, the soccer ball peels up and away, well behind the goal and clear over the fence surrounding Stanton Field, the practice pitch at Santa Clara University. "Not bad," says Brandi Chastain, generously. "You've got good bend, now we just have to make sure we get you in the right direction.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vivobarefoot Primus Trail Swimrun Review: Wear Anywhere Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

Finding the perfect summer travel shoe can be an overwhelming task. No one wants to tote around a suitcase full of sneakers and sandals, but it's hard to have fun on vacation with blisters or a limp.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inside the Mad Lab That's Getting Robots to Walk and Jump Like Us Jun 14, 2018

Show notes

I stand in front of a lanky two-legged robot stomping along a treadmill. I watch, all impressed, until the researcher next to me tells me to trip it. The thing looks expensive, so I hesitate. Really, he tells me, it’s OK. And he probably knows better than I do, so I drag my boot along its shin like a good soccer trip. The robot stammers, yet recovers. And then again, and again. No matter how much I pester it, the thing just keeps stomping. I keep feeling guilty.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Self-Driving Cars Likely Won’t Steal Your Job (Until 2040) Jun 14, 2018

Show notes

The self-driving robots are coming to transform your job. Kind of. Also, very slowly. That’s the not-quite-exclamatory upshot of a new report from the Washington, DC-based Securing America’s Future Energy. The group advocates for a countrywide pivot away from oil dependency, one it hopes will be aided by the speedy adoption of electric, self-driving vehicles.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Brilliant Vigilance of Seattle's Huge New SR-99 Tunnel Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

Say there’s a fire. A fire caused by a car crash, inside a 2.5-mile tunnel under a major American city. It’s a terrifying idea, but if you want that kind of problem to ignite anywhere, it’s in the stretch of State Route 99 that, later this year, will start whisking traffic underneath downtown Seattle.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Furbo Dog Camera Review: Remotely Amuse Your Pets Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

Dog owners will go to crazy lengths to make sure that their fur-babies are entertained during the long, boring workday. I’ve frozen wet dog food in red rubber Kongs, or stuffed them full of peanut butter. I’ve hired dog walkers and pet sitters. I’ve turned on DogTV on my Roku. But my dogs were bred to herd cattle or sheep all day, and they still get bored. It’s not like they can read a magazine.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LA Is Doing Water Better Than Your City. Yes, That LA Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

"People were in dire straights. They were desperate," says Ryan Jensen of the Central Valley's Community Water Center. "Elderly people or people battling chronic illnesses that need water to be able to deal with their health issues had no access to it. There was just absolute desperation." In total, the wells at 300 properties had failed. So a local nonprofit distributed 275-gallon tanks and officials trucked in water. That didn't cut it.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices