Tech Tho(ugh)ts

(S04-S05 Interlude) Special 1 Right to Repair has become a mainstream movement. Bills have been drafted all around the United States with a common goal: being able to fix your things. ... It's just a shame it all had to go down like this. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 12 Happy New Year! Or, well, Mediocre Concerning New Year might be more accurate, for you. It's 2022 (by the time we are recording this)- and it's finally time to say goodbye to Season 4! And, what better way to say goodbye than describing the absolute backwards-logic of Apple's control over the iOS ecosystem. If you're an iOS user- well, imagine if you couldn't use the tagging feature of an entire social media website. As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 11 Well, some big names in that title. Apple has recently announced a big change to their opinion on right to repair! Meanwhile, Blizzard... .. ... wow guys, are you okay? Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 10 You all know the game about catching them all and... animal fighting rings? Well, the last couple of Pokemon generations have been... disappointing, to say the least- so let's see exactly how far they've fallen. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 9 We told you, we'd be back with this. Nintendo has made some pretty strange choices as of late. Well... actually, they've always had a few awful approaches to things. So let's get right into it, let's talk about the worse side of Nintendo. As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 11 Things have been... happening lately on the internet. No, we don't mean your local favorite meme (but man it was funny, wasn't it?) What we mean is.. sanitization, across the board. Come on in, and find out which corporations just seem to Hate Fun and Information. As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 9 Things in the Right to Repair world keep heating up! The framework laptop has arrived to change the landscape of the industry, and even some bigger companies seem to be buckling under their pressure. ...and of course, some are stringently not. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 8 [Gaming Arc 6/6] The Video Game Industry is going through an… interesting phase. Pre-orders are pushed, games are released unfinished, and even (some) major publishers seem to be dropped the ball left and right- whether it be in game quality or their morality.So, come end this journey with us: to see where the industry (from a consumer perspective) stands. As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 8 Uninterruptible Power Supplies! Little boxes that... might not be so little. They're heavy, you can plug things into them, but what makes them so important? Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 7 [Gaming Arc 5/6] Emulation. The path to play your old favorite games, even if you're missing the associated console! But, how does it even work? As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 7 Okay, the Apple in the title is just rubbing it in their faces- this minisode is about USB-C! It's a compact connector you may have seen on your smartphone (if you don't have an iPhone), laptop, and/or tablet. And just recently... well okay, Apple's been making a fuss. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 10 Meta... like the concept? Meta, like metaphysical? Meta... like... a Facebook rebrand. Well, you know them, you know we don't love them, but let's talk about all of the changes that have come with this rebrand. As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 6 Getting right into it, it's been a while since we've ragged on a company for making something explicitly.. well, planned-to-be-obsolete. So we're gonna talk... Samsung. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 5 We interrupt your regularly-scheduled gaming-arc to bring you BREAKING NEWS: Apple-- no wait hold on- we complain about Apple a lot, but (this time especially) we have a point. Apple's been touting itself as the best choice for privacy for.. quite a while. They've even been vocal about rejecting a government backdoor! ...So are they really buckling? As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 5 [Home Networks Extension] We've talked about home networks at length, and even why you should try to stick to wired connections when possible. When you don't have a clear way to route that cable, do you switch to WiFi? Or do you try... ....power...line? What? Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 5 [Gaming Arc 3/6] Arcade Cabinets? They might seem a little... niche, but some people have even been putting them in their homes as of late! Come along with us for a little journey into some (light) history, and more importantly.. how you can get the arcade experience in your home! As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 4 [Gaming Arc Minisode Extension] The venerable handheld video game console is officially a dying breed. The term "portable" has been stretched to mean bigger and bigger devices, and "true" handheld portable consoles are, seemingly, disappearing. So, let's give them a little sendoff. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 4 [Gaming Arc 3/6] We finish off our (very not) short history lesson, starting with the Seventh Generation of game consoles! Included in this episode: the Wii, Xbox 360, PS4, and mountains of complaints. As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 3 [Intel & AMD Duopoly Mini-Arc] We've yelled at Intel, now we'll yell at AMD to be fair. AMD has been innovating left and right in the PC space: their Ryzen CPUs have been displacing Intel's hold of the market, and their (RDNA2-based) GPUs have been giving NVIDIA a kick in the pants for their pricing. ...So wait, why are we complaining about them? Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 2 [Gaming Arc 2/6] The video game crash of 1983 nearly destroyed the video game market, so how did we get to a world where the latest consoles are always in high-demand? Find out as we continue our history lesson, starting with the third generation of video game consoles! As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 2 [Intel & AMD Duopoly Mini-Arc] Oh, Intel. Once a powerful CPU manufacturer... okay, they still are- but Intel has historically not tried terribly hard to improve their products. Does that sound harsh? Well, we here at Tech Tho(ugh)ts think they deserve it, and we'll start that explanation.. right now. Welcome to our first mini-arc, the Intel & AMD Duopoly. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 2 [Gaming Arc 1/6] Here we are, starting off Season 4 (y'know, without that update episode taken into account) with a bang, it's time... for GAMERS. Welcome to the gaming arc, where we're starting with a little history lesson on home video game consoles, by generation. As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 4) Minisode 1 We've had a whole episode on CPUs last season, but we never really got into the nitty-gritty of architecture. You've heard of Apple ditching their long-term relationship with Intel for something with more... ARMs- but does that make a difference to you, the consumer? Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 4) Episode 1 Welcome to Season 4 of Tech Tho(ugh)ts! We've had a great (fake) break, and are excited to start you off with an update episode. Things have been happening in the right to repair world, and it's actually for the better. (Also, some updates for your general privacy concerns!) As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA

(Season 3) Episode 26 A fond farewell for Season 3, and a look towards our future. We discuss our favorite parts of the last season, changes to the show release schedule, and our plans for an overall revamp. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 25 Welcome back to a talk on Distributed Networks, here to finally discuss Apple's Find My network, and whatever competitors we could find in the deep trenches of the internet. (There are a few! ...but not too many) As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 24 Distributed networks. A term covering... a lot of technologies: (i.e. the Internet) - but for this conversation, we'll be covering Amazon Sidewalk. How does it work, and- more importantly, does it have your best intentions in mind? As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 23 We've covered batteries- but you may be wondering... how do they charge so quickly now? Recent developments have brought down the time to charge a phone to full to 8 minutes - but how does that even work? And, well... is it safe? As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 22 Batteries- love 'em or hate 'em, they're ubiqutious in our mobile-technology world. Is the battery in your phone the same kind that is in your car? Why do things get so hot when you charge them? How can a battery be powered by acid?? Answers to that and more, in the actual episode ;p As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 21 Ah, good ol' wearable devices! There are so many options today, from the slew of Wear OS based watches, to the many fitness trackers from the usual suspects (Fitbit, Garmin)- and of course the Apple Watch. Are any of these... better than the other? And really, what makes a watch... "smart"? As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Minisode 5 HDR, a term that's been thrown around a lot regarding things like TVs, monitors, and your smartphone! It has something to do with lighting, but what- and how- does it even work? Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 3) Episode 20 Displays are everywhere! You likely use them every day, whether it's by watching TV, using your computer, or interacting with your phone- you can't really get away from them these days. There are so many kinds of displays, though- so there must be some different, right? As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Minisode 2 We've talked about GPUs being a little.. overpriced at the moment, in our episode on them. Whether or not it's post 2021 when you listen to this and the GPU shortage problem is over, you may still be curious: why are things like this right now? Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 3) Minisode 4 In our GPU episode, we've talked about DisplayPort and HDMI- the current "main" connectors out there (the ones people actually use, or at least often). However, there are still other connectors that have somehow withstood the test of time. We'll tell you about a few of them. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 3) Minisode 3 Alright, so Ray Tracing! NVIDIA's supporting it with their RTX lineup, and AMD is getting in on the action starting with the RX 6000 series! Heck, even the new consoles seem to have.... it.... but, really, who is Ray? And why are we Tracing him? Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 3) Episode 19 So here we are, throwing letters at you like no tomorrow- first CPUs, and now... GPUs. But what is this.... G? Graphs? Geography? ...Grains? ..........How about.... graphics! That's right, this is an episode on Graphics Processing Units (or as they're sometimes referred to, Video Cards!) As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 18 We seem to be finally going along the whole 'computers have lots of parts and we should talk about them' track. Considering Apple has released their "M1" CPU powered iDevices.... maybe you should know what exactly that means? If you aren't a fan of Apple, maybe you just want to know why Intel keeps releasing a new geographic feature every year or so. As always, sources available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 17 'Enhanced' Reality Arc [2/2] So, you've decided you want to get into this VR thing after all! There's so many options- do you go console, PC, or standalone headset? Sources are available on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 16 'Enhanced' Reality Arc [1/2] VR, or Virtual Reality, has become more accessible over the years. But what is it, really? Is Augmented Reality the same thing? Why are there so many versions of "reality" out there? ...You might need a philosopher for that last one, but we'll do our best to explain the rest. Sources are available on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 15 Is it that time again? You bet'cha! Google and Facebook have been announcing some new projects lately- all of which you should avoid. Why is that? Well, simple- nothing's changed, and neither of them have your best interests in mind. Check if you're affected by FLoC here: https://amifloced.org/ Sources are available on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 14 Storage Arc [BONUS] Hard drives! They've undergone quite a lot of changes over the years, from being the size of a respectable piece of furniture, to being filled with helium. They've got a long history, so let's just get into it! Sources are available on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 13 Storage Arc [3/3] We've talked about them before, so let's finally explain it! Setting up Network Attached Storage (also known as a NAS) may seem like quite a task with all of the things you need to figure out before getting started; luckily, you know a guy. (It's us, we can explain the thing) As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 12 Storage Arc [2/3] Hard drives! We rolled over the reasons you might not want to get one last episode, but there are still valid use-cases for them! So, let's figure out just what kind of spinning rust you should be looking into. As always, sources are available on our website. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 11 Storage Arc [1/3] If you've got a home computer of any type, odds are it has a Solid State Drive in it these days! SSDs are (generally) the replacement for the venerable hard drive, but what are all of these marketing terms? And how do you get the best drive for your needs? -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 10 Tech Tho(ugh)ts, being a duo of PC gamers, was inevitably going to cover RGB. It's a (somewhat) easy way to get your computer (and set up) a little flair. That is, it would be easy if RGB wasn't the pile of bickering children that it is. Strap in folks, it's time to learn just how fragmented the PC lighting ecosystem really is. EPISODE MISTAKES: We had mentioned that Youtube channel Linus Tech Tips had done performance testing of RGB software. It was actually Gamers Nexus. -- Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

Alright, so you've got yourself some ol' fashioned WiFi in your home! ....But- it doesn't seem to reach every room, and the connection's a little spotty at the edges.. Should you get a new router? (Maybe!) ...but there are other options. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Synthetic Pleasures by MOKKA

(Season 3) Episode 8 WiFi, it's that thing that you use when you go to a friend's house as to not use your data (or, maybe it's just faster than using your mobile network). You likely use it every day, but never really leave it to much thought. Does it matter what your WiFi password is?? And what the hell is a WPA?? EPISODE MISTAKES: We said that Free Geek has free hardware and is in Canada. Free Geek has donated hardware at a very reasonable, cheap price and is located in Portland, Oregon. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 9 EPISODE NOTES: This episode (9) is airing before Episode 8. Episode 8 will air next. Welcome to yet another update episode, where we tell you how things have gone horribly wrong since the last time we've broached the topic(s) of the day. That topic? Right to Repair! It's gotten worse. (also DRM, DRM is worse) Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 7 [AI Arc] 2/2 We've touched on what exactly AI is last episode, that being a bunch of machine learning models slapped into a box labeled Intelligence, Artificial (kidding). So, you could be wondering why we need to worry about ethics and AI- after all, it's not like Skynet is real or anything. ...That being said, AI can be applied to some awful things. Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

(Season 3) Episode 6 [AI Arc] 1/2 Artificial Intelligence probably brings to mind technological horrors like Skynet, Ultron, and HAL 9000. That being said, the term AI today has been applied to more than just your blockbuster movie villain. Smartphone, cameras, refrigerators, TVs, and even thermostat are all apparently sporting a whole dang artificial brain inside, apparently. The key word here, though, is apparently. So, what exactly is artificial intelligence as we know it today? Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH

So, let's say you've finally got yourself some music in a way that is most comfortable to you. Maybe you have some high quality FLACs, or even Vinyl- hey, go you! So... how should you listen to them? Maybe as you reach towards your 2009 era now off-white iPod headphones, you think... is there a better way? Well, yes. There is. :> Sources can be found on our website, as always. -- Website: https://techthoughts.gay Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/ Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH