Waves of Tech

In the final episode of the Waves of Tech, we are recapping the technology industry from 2009 to 2021. We recorded the first episode on May 20, 2009 and are formally ending the podcast on August 31, 2021. Thanks to each and every one of our family members, friends, guests, and listeners for supporting us over the last 12 years and 3 months. It has been an absolute honor to share these memories with everyone. And for one final time, thanks for tuning in and don't forget to keep on techin'

Over the weekend, a few teenagers with visual impairments wore IrisVision goggles from Virgin Media and experienced a football match in a new way. T-Mobile suffered a hacking job that exposed millions of users' data and the steps they are providing to fix the problem are both good and not enough. Mastercard announced worldwide plans to shift away from using magnetic strips on credit cards to biometric data by the year 2033. California's Prop 22 is making news again as a federal court judge has ruled the previously voted on and approved proposition as unconstitutional.

Netflix uses a series of secret codes in algorithmic programming to categorize genres and it is available for viewing online. A recent survey in enterprise business is reporting that nearly 40% of businesses do not have a chief data officer in an executive  position. A federal agency has launched a large-scale investigation into Tesla's Autopilot after numerous accidents, injuries, and deaths while utilizing the system. AMC Theaters is planning to accept bitcoin this year as the digital currency grows in popularity and stability.

Over this last week, the team has upgraded some outdated technology (desktops and mobile phones) and we share the experiences. It seems that every year there is a major dispute between a broadcast company and cable provider, and the recent spat DISH and Sinclair are having is another headline making story. The technology industry was fundamentally shifted thirty years ago when the first website was launched with the vision of Tim Berners-Lee. A recent report shows that revenue from 5G infrastructure is anticipated to reach over $19 billion globally in the year 2021.

LendingTree surveyed thousands of home sellers and it was learned that many are using secret cameras to leverage their properties, without consent from buyers and agents. A planned 1,500-person e-sports arena is being constructed in Ohio to draw more attention from the Midwest population, and we think it is a stellar idea. After years of trying to figure out the future of DirecTV, AT&T finally spun off the cable provider from their core business model. Lastly, we are learning more about what Amazon has planned for Alexa in terms of ambient computing and the future of in-home voice functionality.

A terrible AirDrop prank went very wrong when a teenager decided to share photos of an airsoft gun to those with open AirDrop functionality enabled. Wildfires are devastating the western state, yet there are several fire behavior computer modeling programs out there assisting fire managers with data and information. Technology has changed the way the summer Olympics games are both played and covered from equipment design and camera quality to biometric data and player performance.

United Airlines is looking to revolutionize regional air travel with the purchase of 100 zero-emissions, electrically powered airplanes from Sweden-based Heart Aerospace. After lingering concerns for nearly a month, the Hubble Telescope is now up and fully functioning thanks to the troubleshooting expertise of engineers. Warby Parker has updated their app to include augmented reality abilities to digitally try on glasses and have a prescription issued. Blue Origin is set to launch their New Shepard rocket with a four person crew, including Jeff Bezos and famed female NASA figure Wally Funk.

A newish app called Swimply is making waves as it offers homeowners the opportunity to rent out the backyards (pool, BBQ, spas, etc.) to visitors looking for a change of environment. The Pentagon has formally cancelled a $10 billion cloud computing contract with Microsoft raising more questions than answers. Virgin Galactic has made history with the success rocketing into space with the help of SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo then returning to Earth safe and sound.

Columbus, Ohio wrapped up their 5-year Smart City grant and we learned of the successes and failures of the process. New data is showing that consumers are shelling out upwards of $65 billions during the first half of 2021 with few indications of slowing down. Windows 11 received very mixed reactions and we shared some thoughts from what was presented. John McAfee changed the landscape of virus protection and created an industry that was essential to protecting our systems. The Hubble Telescope is experiencing some technical and computing issues and NASA is racing to ensure the system gets back online.

During a recent vacation, we learned about some unique regional technology trends happening in various states. In a funny yet bizarre petition, thousands are signing an online action to ban Jeff Bezos from returning to Earth after the Blue Origin virgin flight. The Microsoft event in which we anticipate Windows 11 to be displayed is happening this week. Several Texas residents experienced a change in their thermostat settings as it was learned that a company is remotely raising temperatures after residents entered into a promotional event. Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the world wide web, is selling the original 10,000 lines of source code as an NFT in an upcoming auction.

At Apple's WWDC last week, iOS15 was unveiled and showcased a number of new features for mobile and iPad users. With the advancements in the tablet iOS operating system, the question has been raised as to how Google and Android can compete in the tablet market in the future. The US Senate passed a bill that would boost government funding into the tech industry to the tune of $250 billion over a five year period with a focus on semiconductor manufacturing and related fields.

This week we dive into the vehicle shortage many local automotive dealerships are facing due to the semiconductor production issue. Microsoft is poised to make a significant announcement in late June regarding their famed Windows operating system. Amazon Sidewalk has hit the streets and you would probably be best served to turn off its functionality as soon as possible. The US Department of Justice successfully recovered $2.2 million worth of Bitcoin that was paid by Colonial Pipeline from their recent hack.

On Episode 532 of the Waves of Tech, we are diving into sports, electric vehicles, photo storage, and space tributes. ESPN made headlines this week by finalizing several broadcast deals that are making live sporting events their main focus. Canoo announced their van/bus electric vehicle designed around a specific lifestyle and peculiar frame. Google Photos has ended their unlimited and free cloud storage and some customers may be looking at paying for storage. Michael Collins, one of the first astronauts to conduct spaceflights, died in April and we pay tribute to his contributions to NASA and science.

ESPN made headlines this week by finalizing several broadcast deals that are making live sporting events their main focus. Canoo announced their van/bus electric vehicle designed around a specific lifestyle and peculiar frame. Google Photos has ended their unlimited and free cloud storage and some customers may be looking at paying for storage. Michael Collins, one of the first astronauts to conduct spaceflights, died in April and we pay tribute to his contributions to NASA and science.

Dell recently learned that firmware updates being pushed since 2009 had five significant security flaws that in fact were never acted upon. NBC is supplementing prime time Olympic games coverage with a dedicated Twitch channel featuring athlete interviews, highlight recap shows, and live interactive polling. Ford is set to create a ripple in the electric truck market with the announcement of their new F-150 Lightning model. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware hack is once again spotlighting the aging security and physical infrastructure in the United States. In October, Microsoft will be updating many of the original 1995 icons within Windows 10.

We dive into technology used on vacation and share what was useful and what to avoid. GM finally issued a significant software update to address the battery pack fire issue that raised much attention in 2020. On a somber note, Bill and Melinda Gates announced their pending divorce and the questions are swirling as to the impact this will have on the technology industry and The Gates Foundation. Apple releases a new product lineup and we share some of the items that caught our attention overall.

Walmart has invested $750 million into Cruise, GM’s self-driving vehicle company, as the retail giant looks to shed some costly delivery services. A horrific crash of a Tesla Model S leaving two persons dead has sparked the debate over the safety of autonomous vehicles on the market. Ingenuity took flight on Mars and became the first aircraft to make a powered and controlled flight on another planet. Amazon has reached an agreement with United Launch Alliance to send over 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit as the race from dependable, affordable, and satellite-based Internet heats up.

It was announced this week that T-Mobile is upgrading existing customers to unlimited 5G plans and trying to convince customers from competing companies to join. Segway, yes the two-wheeled transporter, is introducing a hybrid hydrogen motorcycle with top speeds at nearly 100MPH. As the semiconductor shortage continues to impact the automotive manufacturing industry, Intel is stepping to the plate to fill the gap for US-based producers. Ingenuity is forced to reschedule their first flight on Mars due to some startup complications.

LG, the world’s third largest smartphone manufacturer, is stepping out of the market entirely effective immediately to focus on smart home devices and robotics. The Google v Oracle battle over Jave code usage finally made its way to the highest court in the land and Google won with resounding numbers. Ingenuity, the helicopter partner to Perseverance, touched down this week signalling another major step in exploration of Mars. Facebook was subject to a massive hack that will be creating chaos for over 550 million of their users and their personal data.

Amazon is actively expanding their telehealth footprint with a larger rollout of Amazon Care, offering virtual chats and in-home visits to employees by chosen medical providers. T-Mobile is already shutting down their live television services after only a mere five months of offering the package to their customer base. After the Threat Analysis Group of Google discovered a major and actively exploited vulnerability in Apple’s iOS, an emergency security update was released with patches.

The Federal Communications Commission wants to hear from Americans by collecting their broadband stories in an attempt to improve mapping and access in the long term. As SpaceX gains momentum around the world, the European Space Agency is rushing to improve their satellite launching capabilities with investment and innovation. Many workers are returning to their work spaces over the next few months and finding the rhythm to working away from home again is going to be an adjustment.

We are behind the mics bringing you details on the open source industry, smart-speaker moves, industry feuds, and accessibility improvements. The United Kingdom is proving to be the center of the European Union when it comes to open source with an estimated economic impact of £43 billion and increased use in business. Production of the HomePod has been discontinued after a very short shelf life as Apple moves its attention to their HomePod Mini unit. Microsoft had a rough week with hacks associated with Exchange servers, bad patches for Teams, and a growing public feud with Google. Starbucks is moving forward with efforts to provide better accessibility to those with low vision or blindness through the use of Aria, a live person connected app to share information to store visitors.

Fry’s, a once popular electronics store, is closing the remainder of their stores after a dismal last few years. After a 90-year old customer complained about their service delivery, AT&T is quickly responding with infrastructure and fiber installation. AOL’s Instant Messenger was a massive success in the early days of the Internet and we are now learning that it almost never came to be. Microsoft’s Edge browser is taking shape with the use of Google’s Chromium as a backdrop and Legacy Edge is dying off. Malwarebytes issued their state of malware report and we learned that 2020 wreaked havoc on IT professionals with a swift transition in response to COVID-19.

Spotify announced this week the future launch of a HiFi (high fidelity) subscription service that will deliver an enhanced audio experience to their customers. Silver Sparrow, a mysterious malware, has reportedly infected nearly 30,000 Macs worldwide with a self-destruct feature that has yet to be utilized. NASA successfully landed Perseverance and Ingenuity on the surface of Mars signalling the start of another mission to understand the puzzling planet.

There is a major international shortage of conductors in the global market that is putting a new strain on the production of electronics, vehicles, devices, and systems. Microsoft is increasing their presence in Atlanta, Georgia as plans are shared on their vision of the upcoming 90-acre modern campus. All the buzz in space right now is on Mars as the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates all explore the planet’s viability for human expedition. During the last year, everything has shifted to online - working, learning, socializing - which demands us to consider how best to create a healthy and sustainable tech/life balance.

Jeff Bezos is stepping down as Amazon CEO in 5 months and Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, is taking the reins in a move that perhaps indicates the future of the e-commerce king. A 90-year old AT&T customer since 1960 took out a quarter-page ad in the Wall Street Journal to voice his displeasure with the company’s internet service. Tech companies’ commercials were front and center during the Super Bowl, highlighting some battles forth coming in 2021. Chowbotics, a robotic salad making vending machine company, has been acquired by DoorDash, signalling a unique partnership in food delivery.

Edge is rolling out a new security feature that will notify users if the accounts or passwords were potentially compromised on third-party sites. Spotify introduced classic literature as audiobooks to their users this week, signalling some attempt to compete in the market. SpaceX made history again as they launched 143 satellites into low Earth orbit during a single Falcon 9 launch. Kroger is introducing smart tech grocery carts, featuring a touchscreen, scale, and camera, to enhance the traditional shopping experience.

As tech companies begin to get anxious about calling employees back into their offices after vaccinations, about a third of polled employees are saying they would rather quit than return to the office. In Germany, the local GDPR agency issued a multi-million dollar fine to a local laptop retail for retaining and utilizing forms of intensive video surveillance on workers and customers. And in aeronautical news, Virgin successfully completed their final test of LauncherOne which sent a rocket into low Earth orbit making it one of the few corporations to do so and paving the way for work with NASA.

We kick off the new year talking about Twitch, tech resolutions, drone deliveries, and CES 2021. Twitch had its best year ever, clocking 17 billion hours watched in 2020 which is leading to the question of how they did it and how and if it can be sustained. Tech resolutions are always fun to consider, and we each share two resolutions this coming year. The FAA has passed their final rules to allow drone delivery, and we dissect these rules and share our thoughts on where the industry is moving and what must change. Lastly, CES 2021 kicked off this week, so we take a quick look at some items that have caught our attention during the first first days.

We are recapping the 2020 tech industry. SpaceX and NASA take the top mention this year purely based on their overall successes in terms of launching from American soil and the number of positive results in space travel. COVID-19 turned the tech industry in a new direction, as education, conferences, production, and more areas resulted in wholesale changes in how business is conducted and orchestrated. Big tech was once again challenged in many respects as executives and corporations felt the pressure from federal, state, and international governments. Apple turned another successful year as they turned to manufacturing their own chips and enhanced their services market. Streaming services continued to battle for money and attention as people’s viewing habits changed as a result of the pandemic and their day-to-day routines. And finally, the rollout of 5G made headlines leaving most users unhappy yet showed promise in terms of capability. SpaceX and NASA Launches

Peloton has acquired Precor for around $420 million, which will expand the capacity and manufacturing of in-home cycling equipment to meet the growing demand from Peloton users. After years of failure with making DirecTV viable, AT&T is looking to shed the service from their books as they seek bids to take over the cable offerings. As most 2021 conferences are heading, CES will be an all-digital event featuring plenty of executives and hundreds of tracks for attendees. With the holidays days and weeks away, Zoom and other video conferencing services are confident they can meet the online demand as families and friends shift to gathering online to celebrate with one another.

Major players in the industry like HP, Tesla, and Oracle are packing up their offices, leaving California, and relocating to Texas. Google experienced a major outage causing hours of disruption to personal productivity and enterprise companies. To compliment their current suite of services with a modern communication tool, Salesforce acquired Slack for a mere $27 billion. Amazon is finally rolling out Sidewalk, a mechanism to use small fractions of home Wi-Fi to connect out of range eligible devices.

In a unique play to clean up space junk, the European Space Agency is working to build a claw to grip and direct defunct satellites into Earth’s atmosphere. It’s with some anticipation that we learned Ajit Pai, FCC Chairman, is leaving his post in January which opens the doors for restatement of net neutrality regulation. Zoom reported this week that, once again, their revenue soared to record numbers as they continue to experience exponential growth during the pandemic. Apple is new circulating hardware with their latest and self manufactured M1 chip, and we hear a story of the good and bad with one such Apple setup.

We are diving into a bit of a Thanksgiving special this week. With the holidays around the corner, we share what technologies we are truly thankful and appreciative of this year. Google has teamed up with a non-profit organization to build an application to assist blind and visually-impaired runners with technology to safely traverse a course. Lime, an e-scooter company, made headlines when they announced being profitable for the first time in company history and showing perhaps a bright future. Black Friday is just around the corner and we offer up some predictions on what items may be the high sellers this season.

Google announced the launch of Google Arts & Culture, a new digital platform featuring numerous museums and artifacts from around the world. Google Photos will soon be limiting storage capacity and will transition users over into using Google One for their storage needs. Customer service continues to be particularly hard hit during the public health crisis and a few stories are shared to illustrate the issues. A former Microsoft software engineer stole millions via their online retail system which landed the individual in federal prison and may result in deportation back to his home of Ukraine.

With the holidays around the corner, a new laptop or tablet is a great gift to consider and we have some options to share. LG has introduced a high-tech designed face mask with filters, batteries, and fans to provide a virus-free breathing environment. Ransomware continues to rise in dangerous fashion with no near end in sight and it is problematic for professionals and business owners. Proposition 22 in California will ultimately decide how app-based drivers are classified and how liable companies will become.

A viral post of a 10-year old student having to walk to school to get internet access went viral and shows the growing gap of digital equity. NASA successfully landed the OSIRIS spacecraft onto an asteroid traveling at 65,000 mph and gathered some surface material for analysis. Tesla is continuing to impress as net cash flow is up and their annual manufacturing goal of 500,000 new vehicles is nearing completion.

NASA handed out another round of million dollar contracts related to battery life, cryogenic fueling systems, and power supply. With Apple making a big splash with 5G enabled phones, the question we are asking consumers is - do we actually need 5G in our life? The United States government indicted six military officers within the Russian government for their involvement and role in the world’s worst cyber attacks since 2015. Amazon is reporting another record dollar amount in sales as a result of Prime Day, netting a cool $10.4 billion in sales.

SpaceX was granted a multi-million contract to build and deliver a satellite capable of tracking missile launches from space via infrared sensors. Under Apple’s bug bounty program, five guys hacked the internal network of the Cupertino-based giant and found 55 vulnerabilities, some of which were critically severe. Amazon’s Prime Day is upon us and thousands of deals from smart home devices, school supplies, Echo products, and kitchen goods. The iPhone 12 is set to be announced this week as Apple tries to grab more of the 5G enabled phone marketplace.

Crew-1, the first official NASA commercial crew rotation mission, is set to send four astronauts to the International Space Station October 31 for science experiments and maintenance. The tech job market continues to boom under the pandemic as major growth is seen in security, retail, manufacturing, and finance. A Canadian artist has created amazing and realistic renderings of 50 plus Roman emperors through the use of machine learning, Photoshop, and historical photos. In true Amazon fashion, the company released 15 new items overnight including new Echo devices, Eero wifi systems, security systems, and much more.

We welcome Anaya Lee, Dave’s wife and Steve’s daughter-in-law, to chat about a few things. Anaya shares her in-depth story of how storage capacity on her iPhone became so problematic that even AppleCare could not diagnose the problem accurately. As a lecturer and supervising teacher at a local university in the teacher education department, Anaya has first hand experience with assisting new teachers in the classroom with distance learning and the overwhelming complications of virtual teaching. She shared her thoughts about where we are in distance learning, how teachers are succeeding, and how everyone is adapting to the difficult scenario we find ourselves in.

Food and grocery delivery services may be threatened in California after a new law is changing the manner in which these companies operate. Samsung earns a potential huge bump in recognition after earning a multi-billion contract for 5G expansion with Verizon. The United States government has determined, after a 11 month court delay, that Microsoft was properly awarded a $10 billion cloud computing contract for domestic defense work. Lastly, we learn of the mental and physical benefits of introducing virtual reality into the routine of senior citizens living in nursing centers.

The battle of ride sharing operations continues in California as we see Uber and Lyft perhaps forced out of California due to a new law. It was 25 years ago that we all experienced the release of Windows 95, so we relive that moment and share our memories. Amazon is expanding their line of Fresh grocery stores in California and are introducing their Dash Cart enabling customers instant check-out. Lastly, the FAA granted approval this week to Amazon to begin testing their drone delivery fleet, but details are limited at this time.

Airbnb has officially filed paperwork in the United States to become a publicly traded company amidst a global public health crisis. Apple is the first domestic based corporation to hit a $2 trillion valuation, thanks in major part to their surge in services and subscription revenues. Back in 2005, Apple and the US government secretly teamed up to redesign an iPod to be used as a device to detect radioactive materials. Finally, the sunset of Internet Explorer after 25 years is upon us as Microsoft is moving away from the original browser to Edge.

Amazon is looking to rebound the local mall industry buy leasing empty buildings left behind from former competitors such as Sears and JC Penney. Toshiba is no longer in the laptop business but is proving to be a very profitable and focused company through the industry worldwide. Recent surveying captured the most common tech support issues hitting users today and most are not that surprising. Famed computer scientist Frances Allen passed away at 88 and acknowledging her contributions in parallel computing is necessary.

After 500 episodes of the podcast, we briefly reminisce about the past 13 years of producing the show. Another milestone and celebration is the safe and flawless return of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule to Earth, proving their investment safe and successful. The potential banning of TikTok in the United States dominated the headlines for a few days as Microsoft pursues the acquisition. The giant tech CEOs were brought into a virtual questioning by lawmakers with little no impact after the five hour hearing. Finally, Revel’s moped service is suspended from New York City operations after a second death is reported.

Twitch gaming, voice over work, call center specifics, and the return of Dragon. In 2020, corporations have announced new streaming services with much anticipation and fanfare only to ignite the streaming wars conversation again. Twitch is an ever growing live streaming service which can be used to build community and create a positive outlet for creators and audiences alike. Running a call center is not an easy feat and Shannon provides a behind the scenes look of the difficulties of customer relationships. Lastly, the Dragon capsule is set to return to Earth next week to much fanfare, excitement, and stress.

As the workforce quickly shifted to remote work, it has come at a cost of security threats and compromised systems for IT professionals. To add to that, several VPN services were hacked that resulted in over 1-terabyte of data leaks. In international space news, the United Arab Emirates successfully launched a research probe - Hope - to Mars to gather novel science information from the planet. Web browsers have also been highly debated about in the tech industry and we rehash that conversation.

The retail giant Walmart announced a new paid subscription service, Walmart Plus, centered on grocery and general merchandise expedited delivery. As the world moves to contactless technology to limit the spread of disease, Coca-Cola has introduced a software push to make soda dispensers contactless using your cell phone and QR codes. For flight simulator fans, the news of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2020 release in August is creating heightened support and intrigue. Finally, a rare and minted condition Super Mario Bros. NES game went for a world record setting $114,000 at an international auctioning event.

Apple celebrated the iPhone’s 13th birthday and what has been such a lasting impact on the industry. Customer service continues to evade many large companies and the paying consumer is left to figure things out. In a rare event to expand their digital capabilities, Lululemon, a popular apparel company, acquired Mirror, a technology based fitness company. Lastly, Segway is officially shutting down as the once oddly weird transportation unit runs out of road.

Apartment scamming is on the rise with many renters losing out on thousands of dollars and owners managing fraudulent listings. Apple’s annual WWDC took center stage with iOS 14 updates becoming the focal point for users. For 25 years, CNET has covered the ins and outs of technology, and they recap their work with some unique throwback articles. With summer here, there is a host of new tech gadgets that are begging for our use and money.