Cricket's Campfire

Join us as we delve into the depths of the systems that control us, the FDA, depression, and more! If you or a friend is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide hotline, they are staffed 24/7 and have a wonderful team there to help, or just listen. 800-273-8255. Transcript available on https://cricketscampfire.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

A trailer on what's coming up with Cricket's Campfire - we have a new guest, Mat Peterson, a release schedule (bi-weekly, starting October 1'st, 2021), a bit of background about where we've been and more! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

You see them every day. Blending in with the crowd. Faces on the other side of the internet, with pictures, names, words of their own. But they aren't real. They were never real. They look and act almost right… but something's off. Whether it's trying to get you to buy something, or maybe think a certain way… They want something from you. Is that person yelling about politics even real? You have to think about it because you're not sure. You settle on real. Probably. It's hard to tell these days, but… he sounded real, didn't he? They keep getting better and better. More human, and less robot. Who knows how many times you've already been fooled by them? How did we get here? Hey there everyone, welcome to crickets campfire. We were on a bit of a hiatus for personal reasons there, but we're back! And today we're going to talk about bots. I'm sure you've heard the term bots. It's a pretty common buzzword when talking about the dangers of our very internet-centric lives. To the more tech-savvy, you'll already know what those are, but for clarity for everyone else, a bot is a program. A virtual robot, who only exists digitally. Sometimes they're as simple as a few lines of text, or much more in-depth code. These tasks are almost always repetitive, boring, time consuming tasks. No human would want to go and do these things every day. So someone writes a program to do these things. It cuts down immensely on the time a person has to devote to a website or task. A lot of bots are tasked with collecting and consolidating information, collecting it from different sites, and putting it somewhere easy to find. They're good at making things neat and organized. A good bot makes your experience on the internet smooth and often safer. A chatbot can monitor live conversations and weed out trouble makers. Maybe you see a bot telling people the weather on some social media platform. We've got hundreds of millions of them. They can be so useful, and throughout your day, you're probably being helped by an unknown number of them.  But then there are the other bots. The ones that don't want you to ever know you came in contact with. Bots are set in place by bad actors. They steal your public information to sell, Email spam, lie to you, frustrate you… They're the biggest flaw to the internet.  According to a study by Imperva, in 2019 about ⅓ of all traffic on the internet was created by bots. If that sounds high, that's nothing compared to a few years ago. In 2014, only about 40% of online traffic was human. Why are there so many? Well, at the root of that are a number of reasons, but the biggest will always be the same. Money. Is something paid per view? Videos, news articles, this podcast even. Every view is a currency, exchangeable for cash. Bots can generate that so easily that it's tempting to send bots through to rake in those views. If there's something on sale that you can sell down the line for big bucks? Scalper bots will buy up every copy before a human can even try. Tickets are a huge target for this. I'm sure you've all heard about how hard it still is to buy a PS5. You can bet that some bots helped scalpers get most of those. Sometimes the motivation behind them is a little more obscure. DDoS attacks, or distributed denial of service, are when you send a huge number of bots to a site, overwhelming it, and taking it down. They can be hard to deal with, sometimes even impossible.  There are other bots that just brute-force passwords. They get an email and just try passwords till they get in. They can do a lot of damage from there. Can you even count how many accounts are tied to your email? Then there's a specific kind of nefarious bot. The ones made to look and sound like real people. They're on Twitter, parroting politics that their owners want you to believe. Telling you about how great a product is from some sketchy website. They ask innocuous questions, trying to get answers to security... Support this podcast

Have you ever questioned how it is that Google makes such an absurd amount of money? Maybe it's from their enterprise subscribers, maybe it's from selling their phones, perhaps even some sub-license contracts for Android? Nope. It's from advertising. Google is an advertising company, they're not a search engine anymore. We're digging into what it is that Google knows about me and how to help keep yourself away from their prying eyes. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Lets look at a legal battle that's been storming around Russia over the SCP Wiki on that side as well as what that means for all of the SCP sites. We're also going to cover a very mild, clean tale from their website. The original author of this piece is Voct. http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/ethics-committee-orientation (http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/ethics-committee-orientation) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

... he's coming, I think I have to go. Listen to this... it's... important!   NOTE: THIS STORY IS COMPLETELY FICTIONAL. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

I have elected to rename the podcast in the effort of expanding my ability to cover more topics. While I have appreciated covering news every day, it recently became a chore and not something I wanted to do. So, I'm going to make a few changes as we both round the corner into Season 2.  First, the publishing schedule will be bi-weekly or weekly. I will announce it as soon as I know. Second, the entire podcast has undergone a significant facelift. I have migrated hosting to a different host which allows me to expand our reach to some channels I was neglecting. As I get into Season 2, here's what I will strive to deliver. * Content that is:     * unique and enjoyable to listen to     * related to a wide variety of topics     * a narrative or fictional story     * News and other information that we find interesting     * STEM based topics and interviews     * More to come, with hopes of creating games! While I recognize this is a shift in my publishing schedule, this will allow me to produce a wide variety of content that can be enjoyed and related to on a much greater scale. My hope is to make folks laugh, happy, or have enjoyable stories to relate to when talking to friends. My passion is learning new things, enjoying people's company, telling a few jokes, reading a short story (or discussing a novel), programming and more. I want to work on those and share my passions with you. Please, join me on this journey as you and I both discover who I am. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Welcome to the final episode of Innovated Tech season 1! We're going to be trying a few other new things throughout the week, today, we'll be throwing the script away! Our topics will include a doctor that was operating during a court appearance for a traffic violation. Next up, we're going to discuss Facebook's new augmented reality glasses and incorporating facial recognition to them, potentially. After that, we'll figure out what's going on with Google's Incognito mode (private browsing) and how it isn't as private as we were led to believe. Also, does Bill Gates use Android or iOS? Finally, we're going to discuss the solarwinds123 password and how it was leaked. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

This morning we're going to spin out something brand new to our listeners and gather feedback on a poll from within Facebook. Please go and vote if you'd like to keep Fun Fact Saturday! >> Facebook Link This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Today we're covering a few interesting tidbits from the news world. First up - Twitter is working on a new safety feature that stops harassment through their platform. Then we dig into Firefox and how it's adjusted the way it handles cookies (data saved from websites) and how that impacts your security. After that, we're looking at John Deere and their relapse on a repair agreement they came to in 2018. Finally, coffee is good for you again? We're not doctors, we don't know this stuff, I found a study and it's interesting - please don't drink [more] coffee because of this! Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Facebook & Australia just can't seem to agree on what's fair for news publishers quite yet, causing what some have called the "splinternet." 3D printing folks might know that plastic can be fairly strong but it has it's limits still. A new company is coming out with a solution that involves 3D printing metal. YouTube has expanded parental controls for the "teen" group, allowing better control between "Kids" and "Adults". Finally, Fortnite has begun paying out 1,000 V-bucks or Rocket League Bucks to anyone who has purchased a blind loot-box in the past. At the end, we will feature the intro-story music as it has a didgeridoo in it! Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Today we're going to explore Stardew Valley's new boardgame and how it looks fun but could be intense. We're digging into Apple's fix for the new M1 malware, Silver Sparrow. We'll also be discussing Net Neutrality and what that's all about (hint: it's good news!). We're also going to include a bit of bonus information related to Starlink and how that is impacted by Net Neutrality. Finally, we're discussing the hidden message that was found within perseverence. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Today we're delving into a terrible Arizona prison software bug that's causing prisoners to stay in jail longer than they are supposed to. We're also going to briefly touch base on Office 365 and the receiving limit that's going to be enforced starting in April 2021. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Back to our regularly edited show! Today we're digging into how researchers have expanded their ability to communicate with the (lucid) sleeping. We're going to explain what Clubhouse is, how it got started and where it might be heading from here. This leads us handily into online content moderation and what are the moral bounds we should begin to look for that still protect our freedom of speech? Closing out the show, we'll be talking about an advancement in soft robotics - robots you can squish! Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

This is a raw episode where we feature some behind-the-scenes outtakes in the audio. Today we're gonna dig into yet another M1 vulnerability, this time related to how macOS is installed when it boots up. We're also going to take a look at 3D Printing Guns (there is a disclaimer before the topic if you would like to skip ahead) and how that's impacting us. After that, we're going to discuss the cloning of a black-footed ferret that was cloned using over 30-year-old DNA and how that may help it avoid extinction! Google this, they're CUTE! Finally, wrapping up our conversation today, you'll get a headache listening to the caffeine talking. Don't listen to it if you love your coffee. Thanks for listening to our new format! Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Today we'll be digging into a bit more of the security sector as well as exploring a little about Cryptocurrency and what happened to BitCoin! Also, it turns out that after discussing IBM Watson yesterday, IBM has announced they're considering selling Watson! ARGH! Microsoft also released additional information after they concluded the SolarWinds hack. Let's dig into it! Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Today's episode is going to feature some news from slashdot with our own spin and a bit of helpful information. We'll be digging into Microsoft Edge blocking browser notifications without you telling it to, Android 12's new development release, Microsoft Office 2021 (you still have options to avoid the subscription, shocking news to us!), Perseverance landing, and the US supply of silicon, chips, and manufacturing. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

We're covering a few news topics this morning with a brief review of what's happened over the last day or two. We'll dig into Facebook and blocking Australia, CitiBank accidentally sending 900 million dollars to a creditor instead of 7.8 million dollars, and finally the new Mars Rover - Perserverence. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

We're delving into the depths of VPN (not related to your work VPN) connections and what they do, how they help keep your data safe, and what limitations there are on VPNs in general. Is it really needed? Without it, are you safe? Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

We explore Apple's new privacy settings and their release schedule. We also explore a bit more on the M1 CPU and catch up on what we see going on in the Apple world. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast

Welcome to Innovated Tech where we dig into science and technology and how they do the things they do! Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=MLKNB3QJHQDUW) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp Support this podcast