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Latest Episodes:

You Gotta Try DIY Virtual Reality, Even if You Make Hideous Things Mar 03, 2017

Show notes

I have zero virtual-reality skills. I don’t know how to work in Unity, the graphics software engine often used to make immersive worlds. I have little sense for 3-D design. But I have a secret weapon: A-Frame, an easy-to-use language released by Mozilla last winter. Based on HTML, it lets anyone quickly type commands that place blocks, spheres, and other shapes into a 3-D scene.

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Review: Nintendo Switch Mar 02, 2017

Show notes

Nintendo's Switch comes out on Friday. I've been playing with the Switch-an all-in-one gaming machine that works as both a handheld device and a TV game console-for the last two weeks. Nintendo says we can publish a review of it right now, though I have no idea why Nintendo would want us to. The company's new toy isn't finished yet.

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The Joyful Overkill of Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium Smartphone Mar 01, 2017

Show notes

Set aside the factSony has not been a part of the smartphone conversation lately. Never mind that you’re almost certainly better off with an iPhone 7 or Google Pixel. For now, just take a moment to bask in the glorious, mostly unnecessary overkill that defines the Xperia XZ Premium. Specs? Why yes, it has all of them. For its latest flagship, Sony opted for a 5.5-inch 4K display that crams in 801 pixels per inch, roughly twice what you’ll find in the iPhone 7 Plus.

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Nokia Revives Its Indestructible Candy Bar—and Shows Off Three New Phones Feb 28, 2017

Show notes

Before there was iPhone, there was 3310. After its launch in 2000, Nokia sold more than 125 million models of its indestructible candybar, turning Snake into a cultural icon and searing that tinkling ringtone permanently into the back of your mind. If you didn't own one, you probably knew someone who did. And you were probably jealous. It's been almost 17 years since the 3310 first came out. In that time the Nokia brand has been bought, sold, and stripped for parts.

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Instagram Galleries Are Yet Another Reason to Never Leave Instagram Feb 27, 2017

Show notes

Some of the best Instagram content tells a story in pictures—maybe with a snap-zoom, or a good ol’ “who wore it best” between Rihanna and Patrick the Starfish. But doingthis requires using aclunky collage-making app. That’s frustrating, because Instagramputs carousel-style ads in your feed and long alluded to making the same tools available to everyone. That’s finally changing, because Instagram now allows more than one picture per post.

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Review: Belkin Wemo Mini Smart Plug Feb 24, 2017

Show notes

Technology offers plenty of ways to smartify your home. Some prefer the DIY approach—cobbling together an array of NFC antennae and some Arduino boards to make the coffee maker deliver a fresh, hot cup at sunrise—but that’s a giant pain in the ass. Turn your lights on and off from anywhere on Earth---cool huh? Breezy set-up. Simple design. The Wemo app is delightful to use. Bark at Alexa or Google to toggle power. Connects to dozens of internet services through IFTTT.

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Cravin’ a Shavin’? We Review 4 Electric Razors for Men Feb 23, 2017

Show notes

Beards are all the rage right now, but for the baby-faced, facial hair just looks wrong. Photos of my misguided mid-’90s goatee back this up. But just because you might want a hairless chin doesn’t mean you want bother of shaving with a razor. Solution: The electric razor, Jacob Schick’s 1923 invention and the morning savior of many a lazy man. I’ve used electrics exclusively for more than a decade.

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The Cute Robot That Follows You Around and Schleps All Your Stuff Feb 22, 2017

Show notes

In the summer months of 2015, Jeffrey Schnapp and a few of his colleagues started collecting rideables. The hoverboard craze was in full swing, and OneWheels and Boosteds were showing up on roads and sidewalks. Schnapp and his co-founders rode, drove, and crashed everything they could find. For Schnapp, a Harvard professor and longtime technologist with a shaved head, pointy goatee, and a distinct Ben Kingsley vibe, this was market research.

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If You Love Driving in Hellish Traffic, Visit These Cities Feb 21, 2017

Show notes

Congratulations, Los Angeles! You’ve got the worst traffic in the world. In exchange for the sunshine, gorgeous beaches, and A-plus tacos, you’re forced to whine incessantly about all those damned cars clogging the 405. You don’t live in LA and you’re sick of hearing about how bad they’ve got it? Well, have some sympathy. You’d whine too if you spent 104 hours a year slogging through traffic.

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Not Even Street Closures Can Make San Francisco Traffic Any Worse Feb 20, 2017

Show notes

You already have yourreasons for hating San Francisco. The tech bros. The housing crisis. Twitter. The jerks on Lombard Street trying to charge a toll to drive down their stupid winding street. If you need another, consider the traffic. Oh god, the traffic. San Francisco Bay Area commuters spend an average of 78 hours creeping through gridlocked traffic each year, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

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