What's New - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Why Can't America Have a Single, Interoperable Tolling System? Because Bureaucracy Nov 24, 2017

Show notes

In a perfect world, the electronic tolling infrastructure in the United States would be Mastercard seamless: Any transponder would get you through any toll plaza, debiting your account as you breeze across bridges and through tunnels with interstate abandon. But you can't. You should be able to though: In 2012 Congress passed a law requiring the nation's various electronic tolling authorities to come together and make their systems interoperable by October 2016.

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

What Amazon Echo and Google Home Do With Your Voice Data—And How to Delete It Nov 24, 2017

Show notes

Amazon Echo and Google Home—and other devices that have Alexa and Google Assistant built in—are some of the most promising new technologies to come along in years. And they’re genuinely useful to have around, whether it’s to settle a bet or help out with a recipe. But it can also feel a little creepy to have a speaker in your house that’s always listening. What exactly is it doing with that info? Where does it go? Here’s the good news.

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

Rylo Camera Review: The Best Panorama-Capture Device Out There Nov 24, 2017

Show notes

The next big thing in cameras can't be measured in megapixels or lens elements. From now on, the best camera you can buy will be the one with the best algorithms. Whether you're playing with Portrait Mode on the iPhone, stitching together huge 3D images from the Light L16, or goofing off in augmented reality, all the hard work in your pictures now happens after you hit the shutter. For a couple of ex-Instagram employees, this presents an opportunity.

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

The TSA Is Testing New Scanners to Make Airport Security More Efficient Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

It’s that time of year again. Prepare for inspection. Get to the airport hours early, just to stand in line with other sleep-deprived travelers. March forward, splay open your belongings. Separate your valuable electronics and leak-prone liquids into trays. Try to ignore the frustrated tutting of the guy behind you. This is the airport TSA shuffle we all know and abhor. But now, thanks to new technology, the experience is set to improve.

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

This Thanksgiving, Reunite With Your Long-Lost Family—Old Videogames Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

Tucked away in my mother's house, somewhere in the room that used to be mine, is a Nintendo GameCube that's not mine. My own GameCube is God-knows-where—languishing on some GameStop warehouse shelf, or in someone's garage, buried beneath an electric drill after an impulsive used-game purchase in the late 2000s. But this other GameCube, the one that's there now? I have no idea how it got into my room.

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

Mythbuster Adam Savage Has Made a Tool Bag, and It’s Beautiful Nov 22, 2017

Show notes

Adam Savage is clearly overjoyed about his new bag. I met up with the gear-obsessed designer, former Mythbusters host, and Tested.com editor-in-chief at his workshop in San Francisco to see his latest creation. He's designed his first carry-all utility bag and launched a new brand, Savage Industries, to market it. With the same childlike glee he exudes on camera, Savage flipped the thing around on the workbench, opening and closing it, zipping and unzipping, as he pointed out all the features.

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

Flight Delayed? Know Your Rights to Compensation Nov 22, 2017

Show notes

It’s that time of year again. Yes, it’ll feel great to be home, chilling out, stuffing yourself, falling asleep on the sofa. But boy, it’s going to suck getting there. That’s because 24 million people will travel on US airlines over the Thanksgiving period (up 6 percent from last year), according to the TSA. This week, even a short flight will feel like an epic journey, with many perils and demons to vanquish.

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

Review: Leica CL Nov 22, 2017

Show notes

Word of a new Leica camera leaked earlier this year. The only info one could gather from the photo blogs was that this new shooter was a compact camera that accepted L-mount lenses, and that its codename was "Clooney." Match the iconic Leica brand with a name like Clooney, and you could bet good money the thing was going to be handsome. Well, here it is, the Leica CL. And yes, it's very dapper.

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

Thanksgiving Hack: Cook Your Turkey Sous Vide Nov 21, 2017

Show notes

Maybe you like your Thanksgiving turkey dry and bland. I get it. There’s something deeply traditional about leaving the bird in the oven for hours and hours. Maybe you like the symbolism of a big bird taking up oven space, or maybe your overcooked turkey gives you an excuse to overload it with gravy. Maybe you’ve given up on bird altogether (one year, my mom served lobster for Thanksgiving. “No one likes the turkey anyway!”).

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

Surface Book 2 Review: Meet Microsoft's Beefy, Fast, Everything Machine Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

Microsoft's Surface devices defy easy description. Even Microsoft itself has never quite known what to call them. It's the one device for everything in your life. It's a tablet that can replace your laptop. It's powerful as a laptop, lighter than air. It's powered by beautiful. In reality, the Surface is all those things—and none of them. The Surface Book 2, on the other hand, is really only one thing: a laptop. A beefy, fast, get-shit-done laptop.

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