Podcasts about Backblaze

In this episode of Command Control Power, Joe and Jerry dive into the intricacies of network monitoring, leveraging affiliate programs for additional revenue, and the challenges of managing client relationships. They discuss Jerry's struggles with dermatological prescriptions and the importance of staying updated on tech services. The conversation shifts to the mechanics of Amazon's affiliate program, their frustrations with Amazon's strict rules, and how they incorporate other affiliate programs like Backblaze and Uptime Robot into their business models. The duo also shares insights on using tools like Choosy for managing multiple browsers and discusses the pitfalls of extensions like the Honey browser extension. Finally, they highlight the importance of offering network monitoring services to clients and the strategies they use to sell these essential services.   00:00 Introduction and Opening Banter 00:13 Prescription Woes and Dermatology Services 03:12 Amazon Affiliate Program Frustrations 05:25 Affiliate Marketing Strategies and Challenges 11:43 Leveraging Chat GPT for Business Efficiency 20:13 Backblaze Affiliate Success 24:48 Honey Browser Extension Controversy 28:03 Browser Extensions: Pros and Cons 28:38 The Camel Extension for Amazon 29:22 Streamy Yard and Browser Compatibility 30:14 Choosy App for Browser Management 32:00 Affiliate Links and Malware Concerns 36:16 Uptime Robot for Network Monitoring 45:13 Challenges with Network Monitoring 51:36 The Importance of Regular Network Updates 56:37 Subscription Benefits and Conclusion

BOSSes Anne Ganguzza and Tom Dheere dive into the essential digital toolkit for today's voiceover professionals. Their lively conversation spotlights practical solutions for safeguarding valuable audio, effortlessly showcasing your work, and leveraging the power of AI to streamline your workflow. They unveil their go-to platforms for reliable cloud backups, easy video conversion for portfolio building, and AI assistants that can help with everything from crafting professional communications to generating content ideas. By sharing their tried-and-true tech arsenal, Anne and Tom empower voice actors to work smarter, not harder, and confidently navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape of the voiceover industry. 00:02 - Anne (Host) Hey, if you're looking to take your podcast to the next level, my podcast consultation coaching services teach you how to sound more authentic, develop smart strategies, and market your show effectively. Let's elevate your podcast together. Visit anneganguzza.com to get started. 00:22 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) It's time to take your business to the next level: the BOSS level. These are the premier business owner strategies and successes being utilized by the industry's top talent today. Rock your business like1 a BOSS—a VO BOSS. Now let's welcome your host, Anne Ganguzza.2 00:42 - Anne (Host) Hey, hey everyone, welcome to the VO BOSS Podcast and the Real BOSS Series. I'm here, Anne Ganguzza, with my good friend, Mr. Tom Dheere. Hello, Tom Dheere, how are you today? 00:53 - Tom (Guest) I am good. Anne Ganguzza, how are you? 00:56 - Anne (Host) I am relieved. 00:58 - Tom (Guest) Relieved? Want to know why? Yes, why? 01:01 - Anne (Host) Well, I had a scare this week where I all of a sudden went to go access one of my audio files to send to my client, and it said, "No, there's no drive." And I went, "Oh my God, I lost my drive!" And that's one of those things—I don't know if you're on an Apple Mac or any kind of computer—when all of a sudden the drive doesn't show up, you're like, "Oh my God, let me unplug it, let me replug it, let me unplug it, replug it," and you wait to hear it spin up. And back in the day, when I used to work in technology, it was a thing. Like your backup plan had to be solid because you could not lose any data, and it used to be very complex where you would have RAID systems and you would have dual backup systems, and you'd pay a lot of money to have systems backing up to other things. And I'll tell you what I got. 01:45 So, paranoid, I unplugged my drive, plugged it back in. Nothing. Same thing, did it multiple times, unplugged it from the cord, I rebooted my computer. Nothing happened. But I'll tell you, I was saved by my favorite tool in the world, which is called Backblaze, which backs up all of my data onto a cloud, and I was able to restore the data that I needed to send to my client to another external drive that I have and do it within the next couple hours. It was actually a few terabytes, right, because my drive... I put everything, Tom, and I think we can talk about this—I have, since I worked in technology, I put everything that's important on an external drive, and that drive gets backed up multiple times. And that way I don't ever have to worry about like, "Oh gosh, if I need to update my..." I never put anything important on my main computer drive, always on an external drive that gets backed up. 02:36 - Tom (Guest) Because it's easy. I think this leads into an extremely important lesson that we could just start right off with. For all you BOSSES out there: do not be 100% cloud-dependent with your data, and do not be 100% external hard drive or internal hard drive-dependent with your data. But back them up, back them up. 02:54 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Make sure that they are backing each other up. 02:57 - Tom (Guest) What I have is I have Norton 360, which is generally... Norton is known for its antivirus software, and Norton 360 does that. But what it also does is it backs up my hard drive every single day up to one terabyte. And, like you, I have very little actual data on the hard drive of my desktop computer itself. I also use Google Drive's Google Workspace. 03:22 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) If you have a Gmail account or a Gmail address. 03:23 - Anne (Host) Same thing. Yep, you can use Dropbox as well. 03:25 - Tom (Guest) Yep, you can use Dropbox as well. 03:27 You can use OneDrive, you could use Box, you could use CrashPlan, you could use Carbonite. I used to use Carbonite for a very long time, and I was very happy with it, and then I realized I had Carbonite, Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive, and I realized it was so redundant. So my primary cloud-based data storage is a combination of Google Drive with Google Workspace and Norton 360, and I also have an external hard drive which I will actually occasionally hook up and physically back everything up and put it away. So I've got like three—two cloud-based and one drive external hard drive-based—home base for all of my data, in case something bad happens with one or, heaven forbid, two of them. 04:17 - Anne (Host) It's been a lifesaver, I'll tell you what. So Backblaze—just my favorite. By the way, I'm an affiliate, guys. I'm going to put a link for you. What I love about Backblaze is that basically, you just set it to work and it works seamlessly in the background. It will always... it backs up every minute of the day. It backs up, and it doesn't take a lot of resources on your system. So every time you create a file, it's just going to be backing it up to the cloud, and then you just... it's really simple. You go to your account on the cloud and you restore it, and it basically just keeps the most current backup. 04:45 You can keep different versions of backups. If you have version one of a file, version two of a file, you can keep all the versions of your backups for up to a year. It just really depends, and it is super reasonable. I think I pay $99 a year. So I use that in combination with Dropbox. I have like three terabytes for Dropbox, and I keep all my student data on that, and that way I can share my drive with my clients and my students, and that is my Dropbox, which is always backed up, so I don't have to worry about that data either. So I use the combination, and I also have a Google Drive. So those are my cloud-based: Dropbox and Google, and then my Backblaze, which is my backup for all my drives that I have on my computer, and I only put important stuff on my external drives. That way if I need to update my operating system, I don't have to worry about restoring all the other data onto that main drive on my computer. 05:36 And you can... even with Backblaze, you can order, like I had, a four-terabyte drive or a five-terabyte drive. If the entire drive goes—which drives do, I mean, they have a lifespan—you can actually just order a replacement drive, and it ships out within two to three days. It's an encrypted drive that you can actually just plug in via USB, and then ultimately you have that mirrored drive so that you don't have to restore the data through the cloud, because sometimes if you do have five terabytes of data—let's say if you have video—it could take an awfully long time to restore through the online version, and so you can just order a drive, and I've done that two times. So that's one of my favorite tools, Tom. So what are some of your other favorite tools that you have to run your business? 06:18 - Tom (Guest) Like I said, I do use Google Drive regularly. If you have a Gmail account, I think you already get 15 gigs of storage space, but with Google Workspace, you get two terabytes for like $15 a month, and I also use it to synchronize my email. Actually, that's really exciting—the ability to synchronize my email in Gmail with my phone, my desktop, my laptop, and my tablet, so I can access my emails anytime I want. But other tools that I've really been enjoying lately: this is something that comes up a lot. Voice actors of all parts of their journey desperately want to get their hands on the finished product, which is, most of the time, the finished video of a voiceover that they did, most of the time commercials or explainer videos or things like that. 07:07 So I have a two-pronged system. Number one, I go to YouTube once a month. I'm on YouTube every day, who am I kidding? But I mean, for this exercise, I go to YouTube, and I have a list of all the voiceover jobs that I did in the previous quarter or previous month, and I look at all the front-facing stuff, all of the commercials and explainers, the things that would be normally exposed to the public—not like the e-learning modules and the internal corporate stuff—stuff that has been published publicly. 07:34 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Published publicly, exactly. 07:34 - Tom (Guest) And then what I'll do is I'll find all of them, find the ones that I can. I will save them to a playlist in YouTube, and I have a playlist for every genre of voiceover that... 07:46 - Anne (Host) I've done. Yeah, me too. 07:46 - Tom (Guest) But this is where the tool comes in. I download the YouTube video. There is a specific software that I use called Any Video Converter. We'll put the link down there. It's absolutely free. I think it's just anyvideoconverter.com. And then you download that free software, and all you do is paste the YouTube link in, and then it says, "Do you want audio only, video only, or audio and video?" You download it, and it downloads it to your computer, and then you can save it. And this is why this is really important. It's important for two reasons. Number one, a lot of us want to use professional samples of stuff that we've done to add to our demos. Yes, and we want to use it to add to our online casting site profiles, our sample lists and playlists on Voice123 and other places. But here's the other thing: YouTube videos don't necessarily stay there forever. 08:45 - Anne (Host) They're not necessarily evergreen. 08:47 - Tom (Guest) I have had multiple videos over the years where I went to go look at it, and it was gone. 08:52 Or it was linked to my website, tomdheere.com, and the video was just not there. There's just gray static, or "this video is no longer there." So what you can do is that if you keep that video by downloading it using Any Video Converter or any software of your choice, you can then upload it back to your website, right, or maybe even upload it back onto YouTube and continue to have it as part of your portfolio. 09:15 - Anne (Host) I just want to make sure that it's noted that you have permission and that it's public-facing to begin with. So make sure that it's public-facing. Sometimes, if you don't have permission from the company, it's always nice. I mean, I always, as part of my, "Thank you so much, it's been wonderful working with you," I always say, "If you have a link to the final video, I would really appreciate it. I'd love to see the final product. It was so great working with you." But a lot of times people are busy, and that doesn't happen. 09:40 And so, yeah, if it ultimately shows up on a YouTube, then ultimately it's public-facing. 09:45 And then I am assuming that it's public-facing, it's public property, and that I can take that Any Video Converter and download it. And, yeah, now you own it; you can put it back up on YouTube if you want. It's a video that's not going to disappear all of a sudden off your website if you happen to embed it. But yeah, that's a great tool, and it's wonderful to be able to show not only your demos but work that you've done, and you want that work to exist. So, yeah, that's a great. 10:08 I love that, Tom, because you actually go and actively seek it out, because sometimes I lose track of the jobs that I do, and then it's like, "Oh darn, I wish I had that job to showcase, right? Here's an example of what my voice sounds like in this particular job," or "here on this website." And I used to actually post the link or embed the YouTube link from their site onto my website, but, you're right, it disappeared from mine after a while. Sometimes people just don't keep those videos up on their YouTube, so having it for your own is a wonderful, wonderful tool, and that Any Video Converter, yeah. 10:42 - Tom (Guest) Definitely, and that task is on my monthly action plan. 10:46 - Anne (Host) It is one of the things that... 10:47 - Tom (Guest) I do every single month. It's in the tools section of my monthly action plan: "Download new YouTube videos and save to playlists." 10:54 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Wow. 10:55 - Tom (Guest) This also applies to Vimeo as well, so you could also look around, because there are some clients that prefer Vimeo over YouTube, which—it's a great platform. I love Vimeo, but YouTube just has so much more SEO clout. Well... 11:06 - Anne (Host) I love Vimeo because I use Vimeo. I have a Vimeo account as well as YouTube, but I have a Vimeo account because if you want to password protect, you can do that on Vimeo. So that helps me when I do my VO Peeps events, and people are requiring access to the videos. I password protect them. 11:23 - Tom (Guest) Well, I'll bounce the ball back to you, Anne: what is another tool that you enjoy using? 11:27 - Anne (Host) Oh my gosh, there are so many. Let's see. I'm going to say I'm going to go the AI route, and I'm going to say I have a couple of AI tools that really, really help me in crafting emails to my clients that are super fast and efficient. And they help me just... First of all, I have a professional version of ChatGPT, which I think is well worth the 20 bucks a month, and I also have CopyAI, which I pay for on a yearly basis. It uses ChatGPT, but it also has different features kind of built in. So, depending on what I want to do, it has a little more marketing aspect to it, so it can create more marketing funnels for me. If I want ChatGPT, I can ask it just about anything. But again, both of them are the premium versions, and I use it for—gosh, I use it for anything. 12:09 Sometimes I'll just ask questions and I'll say, "Hey, craft an email response to my client that includes the following points," or I'll have started a particular email, and I'm like, "You know, I just don't have the time to word this professionally." So let me cut and paste it, and I'll say, "Just reword this professionally and in my voice." So you can train your little ChatGPT AI bot to have your voice in it. And so I use it constantly for crafting professional emails and basically doing a lot of web writing that I might have to do. If I want to craft my bio, I need to create a nice bulleted course list here and that sort of thing. I'll say, "Go to this webpage and tell me what are the major points, what are the summary points of this particular course that I can then utilize." So it's just training your robot, like training your dragon, is really a wonderful thing. 12:58 - Tom (Guest) Cool. Well, I also have two favorite AI tools, both of which are parallel to the ones that you just recommended. You're a paid user for ChatGPT. I am a Gemini fan myself. Gemini is the Google-powered version of OpenAI's ChatGPT. You do need to pay for it, but if you have a Google Workspace account, like I just talked about a few minutes ago, that I use to get more drive space and synchronize all of my emails and all of my devices, you also get access to Gemini. I've been using it very heavily for the past three, four months or so. And what do you use it for? What sorts of things? I use it professionally and personally. I ask it all kinds of questions, looking for statistics or data, potential voiceover leads. And what happened was, a few months ago, I'm here in New York City. I was invited by a Google Wix co-production talking about Google Gemini and then how to use Google Gemini to write blogs in Wix—not necessarily write them for you, but like to just kind of help you come up with ideas. 14:08 Spark ideas, maybe give you some outlines, and then you can put your own creative flair and writing style in it. I will give a quick AI prompt tip. Two things. Number one, always tell your AI who they are before you ask the question. So like, if you have a question about social media, you always say, "You are a social media expert." Then you ask the question. I don't pretend to understand how any of this works, but I do know that if you kind of put them in the, for lack of a better term, "frame of mind," it will give you more accurate answers. 14:43 - Anne (Host) Give me a more professional answer, give me a friendlier, give me more conversational. Yeah, you can absolutely, and... 14:50 - Tom (Guest) Oh, I refine them constantly. What's nice about Gemini is on the left side, it has a link to every single conversation that I've had, and I refer back to them regularly. The other tip is always say please and thank you. For some weird reason, they have noticed that—and this may be a little scary—that the nicer you are when you're asking questions, the better quality you're going to get. I know that's a little creepy. 15:15 - Anne (Host) Well, yeah, you don't want to be angry. I mean, a lot of times people are like, "No, that's the wrong, you stupid idiot." You know what I mean. You should not talk to Alexa that way either, by the way. Just saying. 15:24 - Tom (Guest) Right, no, you don't want to do that either. 15:25 - Anne (Host) No, because you want them to treat you right. 15:57 - Tom (Guest) I believe there are different tiers, like there are with a lot of these programs. I just started my affiliate partnership with them, so I'm exploring all the wonderful things that it can do, but Warmy.io—that's my other favorite AI tool. Wow. 16:07 - Anne (Host) I've got one more. 16:08 - Tom (Guest) I've got one more that I use, and that's Podium. For a long time... 16:11 - Anne (Host) I've used Podium for a good year or two now, I think. Podium takes my VO BOSS podcasts and it crafts out my notes, it crafts out my show notes, it crafts out takeaways, and I found that that works the best. I mean, I can put anything into ChatGPT, but the cool thing about Podium is I can feed it an MP3. So I can take a final MP3 of my episode and I can say, "Craft out 10 takeaways from this." And ultimately I do have to go through everything. I think it's always advisable, no matter what. 16:39 If you're working with AI, you always have to go through it. You always need the human touch, right? You need to like... sometimes it'll come up with some weird things, but for the most part, it does the best summaries, and it's the only one that I have that will take an MP3 or a video and transcribe it, and then it can create a blog out of it as well, which is super powerful, because once you can get from there to the blog, then you can tweak the blog. So it really has done a lot to help me. And so that's Podium, and yes, I'm an affiliate of Podium too. 17:08 So, guys, BOSSES out there, if you find tools that you like, you can always create a little affiliate membership with that, because, I mean, even if it's a few cents a month, it's a few cents a month, and I have people who follow me that I don't steer them wrong. I'm not going to be an affiliate of a product that I don't love and that I wouldn't recommend. And so that's the way I really feel that I've gotten people who follow me that trust my recommendations and these tools that Tom and I love. I mean, we recommend them wholeheartedly. It's not something because affiliate memberships don't, I don't think, make you enough money to... you know. I mean, I'm not just going to sign up for everything and become an affiliate. 17:42 It's only going to be the stuff that I absolutely love and the stuff that I'm going to talk about. And I actually got a little key fob the other day so that people can scan the key fob, and I can become an affiliate of that, so that they can scan the key fob and go get all my contact information, go to every website that I have, and it's really a lot of fun, and I'll be testing that out at VO Atlanta, so that's going to be really cool too. So all these tools that Tom and I are talking about are stuff that we've tested and stuff that we recommend. And so, BOSSES, that's another part of your income journey really, is thinking about products you love and maybe thinking about becoming affiliates of them. Any other tools, Tom, and I've got one more that I'm going to talk about that I love. 18:21 - Tom (Guest) It's funny because I wanted to... 18:23 - Anne (Host) It might be the same one. 18:23 - Tom (Guest) Well, I wanted to say that we are recording this right now using a fabulous tool called Riverside. Yes, and I've been guest hosting on the VO BOSS for a couple of years now, and she's been using Riverside, and I think it's a fantastic program. The one that I use when I have guests, when I am doing recorded video chats, is I use StreamYard. 18:43 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) They're both very similar. 18:44 - Tom (Guest) They have their own sets of bells and whistles. Both of them are fantastic. So if you're looking to start a podcast or if you just want to record conversations, Riverside or StreamYard—both of them are fantastic. 18:55 - Anne (Host) And here's one that I think we both have in common, Tom, I know that you use it, and it is... it is my graphic wonder, Canva. 19:03 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Ah, Canva! I love Canva. 19:04 - Anne (Host) Canva changed the game, I'll tell you what. And I'm not saying that I'm a graphic artist, because nothing would ever replace my web designer, because my web designer is an amazing graphic artist. There's something about being able to see and visualize graphics and where they go and putting them together and making them look good. But if you're just a beginner and you need to do a few social media graphics, you need to do certain things like remove a background. You cannot go wrong with Canva. I've been using Canva for years. It is an absolute favorite tool of mine. 19:33 - Tom (Guest) I use it constantly. I mean, for those of you who have watched any of my how-to videos or have been in a workshop with me where I'm doing a presentation, I use Canva, I'm pretty sure. 19:43 - Anne (Host) Anne, you also have the... 19:44 - Anne (Host) Canva Pro. You have the paid version, Canva Pro. I do. 19:48 - Tom (Guest) So do I. I mean, it's got so many functions. You'd be shocked at the amount of things that it can make. I mean, I primarily use it for my how-to videos and presentations, but I also use it for making thumbnails for my YouTube videos. 20:01 - Anne (Host) Social media graphics. 20:03 - Tom (Guest) Yep, it's got a great library of content, and you can upload all of your content as well. 20:07 - Anne (Host) And also, I'm going to give myself one other plug. 20:09 - Tom (Guest) I'm going to give myself one other plug. There are a bunch of apps that you can have called up on the left side of your Canva. There is one which is to add an AI voice to your presentations, and one of my AI voices is one of those voices. So, yes, you could actually click on that. You could have me voicing your content. 20:27 - Anne (Host) Tom, I'm going to add you to my next presentation. I'm going to add Tom Dheere voice to my next presentation. But that's awesome. I love Canva and the Canva Pro. And remember, Tom, back in the day when you were creating, let's say, a website or a social media graphic and you would subscribe to these places where you could buy the rights to the graphics? Because you need to be legal about these things. You can't just be stealing graphics and downloading graphics. Canva has a great—and the Canva Pro version has a great—amount of graphics that you can use that are built within it and licensed. So you don't have to pay for another tool to get your graphics. So you can get professional graphics. If you need, like a studio graphic to put in the background of one of your social media posts, you can download it from Canva, and the license is there, and you're clear. 21:13 - Tom (Guest) Yeah, what's very interesting is that you can just run searches in their library to find graphics and stuff like that. And then, if you have the Canva Pro account—I don't know if you've noticed this, Anne—is when you click on stuff and you use it, it'll say, "You just saved this amount of money." 21:27 - Anne (Host) Oh, yeah, right. 21:28 - Tom (Guest) Right, because if you didn't have a Canva Pro account, you would have had to pay à la carte for all of these graphics, but as part of the Canva annual fee, you can get access to all of those graphics for free, and you are using them legally and lawfully. 21:40 - Anne (Host) Yeah, I love it. I love it. I love knowing that I'm using them legally and lawfully, because that used to be a worry for me. I mean, I used to be like, "Oh my God," and each graphic I would pay. Even sometimes I'd go to those websites. I think I had an Envato Elements account that, you know, I could go and get the graphics and use those for my social media. And it's just nice because it's built into Canva already, and everything that you use these days has AI built into it. 22:04 Guys, there's really not much that I think you're going to be using tool-wise that isn't going to have some sort of AI built into it. So, again, it's one of those things where I know we need to be careful of it for our voices, and we need to make sure that we're getting compensated. Make sure that any tool that you're using that has AI built into it, that you're within the confines of your own ethical thoughts and what you think is right and fair compensation. And, Tom, you're getting paid for that voice that you have in the middle of Canva, so that's good. And so tools that are ethically sourced, right, that are using AI, I think it's just going to be so embedded into a lot of our tools these days that we're not even going to notice anymore, and it's going to be like... you know, I always tell people with Voice over IP, back in the day I used to install Voice over IP phone systems, and people were like, "Oh no, it'll never work." 22:52 But honestly, that's all we use these days. There's not one phone call you make that isn't going over an internet or a network, a data line, and there are no more POTS lines that are installed. Back in the day, they were Plain Old Telephone POTS lines, P-O-T-S. And so nowadays, all of your communication goes over data lines, and that is Voice over IP. Really, same thing with AI. It's going to be embedded in just about everything that we do. So just be careful and be thoughtful. But these tools are something that I can't live without now. I mean, really. 23:23 - Tom (Guest) Me too. I don't know where I'd be without Canva and all the tools we just talked about today. 23:27 - Anne (Host) I don't know where I would be without my Alexa telling me how many ounces are in a tablespoon or how many... you know, when I need to do some simple conversion. I mean, we're talking like everyday life. So yeah, these are just some of our favorite tools. Tom, I'd love to do another episode in a few months from now to see if we've come up with any other favorite tools. 23:44 But I love sharing tech, geeky gadgets, because you're kind of a tech girl. I think we've come up with a really great list, and, guys, we'll list all of that in the show notes for you today. And thank you so much, Tom, for yet another wonderful, enlightening episode. 23:59 - Tom (Guest) Thank you, always glad to be here. 24:01 - Anne (Host) Big shout out to our sponsor, IPDTL, which I use every single day, by the way, guys. IPDTL, I use for all of my student communications. I love it. It's wonderful, people can record, it's super easy, and you can find out more at IPDTL.com. Guys, have an amazing week, and we'll see you next week. Bye. 24:21 - Speaker 2 (Announcement) Join us next week for another edition of VO BOSS with your host, Anne Ganguzza, and take your business to the next level. Sign up for our mailing list at voboss.com and receive exclusive content, industry-revolutionizing tips and strategies, and new ways to rock your business like a3 BOSS. Redistribution with permission. Coast-to-coast connectivity via4 IPDTL.

In this episode, the hosts of Command Control Power discuss their personal lives and tech experiences, including outdoor activities and everyday tech issues. They delve into a peculiar issue one encountered with a MacBook Pro during an update, which turned out to be related to Dell Display Manager. The conversation also covers Backblaze backup anomalies, Apple's migration assistant quirks, and problematic customer service interactions with vendors like Microsoft and RingCentral. To wrap up, the team reflects on the importance of considering user behavior in quality assurance for tech products and services. 00:00 Introduction and Catching Up 00:54 Unexpected MacBook Pro Issue 03:33 Dell Display Manager Mystery 05:27 Annoying Software Bugs 08:48 Client Troubleshooting Story 17:55 Apple Watch Repair Misunderstanding 23:48 Backblaze Exclusions and Concerns 25:13 MacBook Air Story and Backup Issues 26:32 Backblaze Deduplication and Support 28:15 Trust Issues with Backblaze 30:48 Considering Alternative Backup Solutions 33:53 Client Concerns and Backup Costs 41:48 RingCentral and Phone Services 49:39 Quality Assurance in Tech 52:18 Concluding Thoughts and Listener Invitation

First up in the news: Mint Monthly News, BackBlaze backups may be in trouble, you can run Arch inside Windows, Linux kernel drops 486 and early 586 support, and a new RaspberryPiOS release, and the end of Windows 10 support brings new opportunities In security and privacy: openSUSE removes Deepin Desktop over security issues, Proton threatens to quit Switzerland over new surveillance law Then in our Wanderings: Bill goes mobile, Moss plays with a Pangolin, Eric finally fixes his WiFi. In our Innards section: we talk about Virtual Machines In Bodhi Corner, just a bit about theming

  The hosts of Command Control Power discuss recent issues with Backblaze, including failed updates and poor communication, which have eroded trust among users. They delve into the technical struggles with Apple's update processes and highlight improvements to the Electronic Patch software. Jerry shares a personal story about accidentally leaving his MacBook Air on top of his car and the ensuing repair saga, illustrating the importance of awareness and preparedness in the IT field. The episode wraps up with a reflection on the frustrations and foibles that come with managing tech in today's rapidly evolving landscape. 00:00 Introduction and Greetings 00:12 Backblaze Recap: Communication and QA Issues 01:32 Backblaze Update Problems and User Confusion 03:03 Backblaze's Compromised Credentials and Communication Breakdown 05:41 Inconsistent Communication and Crowdsourcing Solutions 18:18 Apple's QA Issues and Update Problems 33:01 General Frustrations with Technology and Education 35:45 AI Tools for Coders 36:14 Introducing Trona Patch 3.0 36:50 Customizing Patch Notifications 37:23 Client Reactions to Patch 39:39 New Features in Patch 3.0 46:51 Balancing Notifications and Updates 50:39 A Funny Anecdote 51:02 The MacBook Air Incident 55:04 Restoring from Backup 01:00:49 Final Thoughts and Thanks

I'm going away on a trip for an unexpectedly long time, and you'll never guess why! (You might guess why.) Anyway, here's something to remember me by. If you've ever been worried about whether something you cared about would work out okay, email podcast@searls.co and tell me about it so that I can share your story with a bunch of strangers on the Internet. References available upon request: Nobody knows how to turn on Vision Pro I released a new gem called searls-auth Aaron's puns, ranked CodeWeavers' founder's gracious post, Whisky's Legacy, and the Spirit it Leaves Behind DeX for iPhones? Finally! A menu bar for iPads? Finally! Backblaze: the only subsidized startup pricing schemes left are the fraudulent ones! Russia moves to seize World of Tanks developer over Ukraine support Amazon To Display Tariff Costs For Consumers, Report Says (Update: They Won't) Meta's Digital Companions want to have sex with you (News+) OpenAI's chat bot will tell you that you're really good at sex But they're fixing it But Reddit fixed it better Someone made an AI better by having it argue with itself, just like humans do Coding competitions are dead and gone forever The Coravin Pivot wine preservation system is great So is this pool skimmer robot that I talked about last week but forgot about and am talking about again A book! Landed: Japan. Everything you may not need to know about buying real estate

In the tenth episode of How to Run a Law Firm in 2025, Lauren Lester and Mathew Kerbis discuss the tools and essential software in Part 2 of a two-part topic. They explore various platforms for creating, managing, and securing legal documents, including CLE materials, document automation tools like Gavel, and communication apps such as Talkroot and Google Voice. Both emphasize the importance of data security, backups, and efficient password management, highlighting tools like Backblaze and Apple's integrated solutions. Additionally, they touch on marketing strategies, including the use of Canva, MailChimp, and social media engagement to increase visibility and attract clients. The episode concludes with recommendations for accounting software like Wave Accounting and productivity tools like Alfred for Mac users. __________________________Check out my other show, the Law for Kids Podcast.Get Connected with SixFifty⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a business and employment legal document automation tool.Sign up for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gavel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an automation platform for law firms.Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Law Subscribed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to subscribe to the Substack newsletter to get notified about every episode, listen from your web browser, and for additional content.Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@lawsubscribed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠everywhere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Sign up for the Subscription Seminar waitlist at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscriptionseminar.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mathew Kerbis'⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ law firm ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscription Attorney LLC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get full access to Law Subscribed at www.lawsubscribed.com/subscribe

Andrew Darlow is a New Jersey-based photographer, inventor, author, and digital workflow coach. For over 25 years he has helped people preserve, protect and back up their irreplaceable photos, videos and other digital files. His photography, tips and reviews have appeared in many publications and media outlets, including: People magazine, Animal Planet, Reader's Digest and Professional Photographer Magazine. He is the author of four award-winning books, including his newest book: Focus and Filter. Andrew talks with me about what drew him to photography, what we lost and gained in the shift to digital photography, the improvements in phone cameras in recent years, how best to preserve your photos—and weed out the junk—and more. Episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction 01:22 Creativity explored in childhood, grandparents encouraged art. 03:57 Transition from drawing on walls to discovering photography. 05:30 Fascination with darkroom photography and its magic. 07:00 Different methods in darkroom, use of contact printing. 10:00 Engagement with photography, schools in Washington D.C. 11:27 Shift from film to digital, instant access vs. patience. 14:41 Improvement in phone cameras, use for scanning documents. 15:59 Loss of thoughtful consideration with digital photography. 19:16 Exploration of aperture and shutter priority. 21:39 Impact of phone cameras on traditional photography. 23:44 Usefulness of phone photography courses. 24:25 Concept of the best camera being the one with you. 26:11 Ethical considerations in photography, respecting subjects. 28:06 Dangers of distractions, selfies, and phone use. 30:01 Tips for safely backing up digital images. 34:06 Managing and organizing digital photo collections. 38:12 Strategies for dealing with physical photo preservation. 40:27 Importance of online backup services like Backblaze. 43:39 Overview of local and cloud backup solutions. 47:31 Andrew's upcoming projects, including course platform. 51:19 Insight into unique, personalized photography prints.   Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack. Please leave a review for this episode—it's really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you'll share it with a friend.

Join us for an engaging episode of Command Control Power as Jerry reports live from a beautiful chapel in Paris. He shares his travel experiences in the city, the challenges of walking and navigating with Apple Maps, and the frustrations with iPhone battery life. The conversation then shifts to a deep dive into tech issues, including a detailed discussion on the recent woes with Backblaze's backups, Apple's AI shortcomings, and how customer feedback plays a role in tech improvement. Tune in for insights, tech tips, and a few laughs along the way.

You're not really celebrating World Backup Day unless you've got Time Machine humming, Backblaze backing, and Synology syncing. In this week's Mac Geek Gab, you, Pilot Pete, Adam Christianson, and Dave Hamilton dig deep into layered backup strategies with tools like Arq, Hazel, and iDrive e2—plus the always-timely reminder to […]

Search for "how to journal" and you get all sorts of how-to vids. You don't need a video. Just listen to me. ;) Plus tree tapping with the Labs and using the Backblaze cloud backup.  Get My Email Newsletter: https://www.gardenfork.tv/email/ Start your Amazon shopping using our affiliate link: https://geni.us/5UWTG  Become a GF Patron! Get cool weekly pics + The After Show https://www.patreon.com/gardenfork The Tools I Use: https://geni.us/bXV6a7  GardenFork receives compensation when you use our affiliate links. This is how we pay the bills ;) GF Sweaters and T Shirts https://teespring.com/stores/gardenfork-2 Email me: radio@gardenfork.tv Watch us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/gardenfork Music used on the podcast is licensed by AudioBlocks and Unique Tracks ©2025 GardenFork Media LLC All Rights Reserved GardenFork Radio is produced in Brooklyn, NY

ShrimpShellShineShoe24!   608: In the Cloud: Troubleshooting Tech and Exploring Backups   In this episode of Command Control Power, the team discusses a range of topics from humorous backdrops and personal anecdotes about health to dealing with poor support from vendors and troubleshooting client tech issues. They highlight the importance of routine check-ups, like colonoscopies, share experiences with various backup solutions including Backblaze and Carbon Copy Cloner, and delve into the complexities of using organizational tools like OmniFocus, Monday.com, and Things. The episode wraps up with a cautionary tale about outdated routers affecting internet performance and tips for navigating client inquiries.   00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:07 Old Man Yells at Cloud 00:39 Dental Implants and Simpsons Humor 01:12 Health PSA: Colonoscopy 02:23 Backup Solutions Discussion 02:51 Carbon Copy Cloner Features 05:06 Backblaze and iCloud Storage 16:11 Encryption and External Drives 19:47 Organizational Tools: OmniFocus and Daylight 23:51 Reflecting on OmniFocus 25:13 Automation and OmniFocus Pro 26:15 Exploring Monday.com 27:19 The Things App and Emojis 28:12 The Importance of Quick Input 28:46 Handling Too Many Tasks 34:35 Dealing with Poor Support 41:17 Client Internet Troubleshooting 45:54 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts

Gleb Budman, CEO & co-founder of Backblaze, discusses the future of data storage, cloud cost optimization, and resilience against cyber threats. Gleb shares his journey of bootstrapping Backblaze, competing against AWS, and ultimately taking the company public. We explore rising storage costs, AI-driven data explosion, ransomware defense strategies, and the shift to Cloud 2.0. If you're serious about future-proofing your data, this episode is a must-listen!

In this episode of Command Control Power, the hosts delve into various technical and customer service issues they have encountered recently. They start with a detailed rant about Backblaze's abrupt change in their prorated refund policy, which affected the way they manage client licenses. The conversation shifts to issues with Amazon's high-value electronics return policy, and Sam shares a frustrating story about dealing with a delayed and ultimately lost iPhone shipment. Joe recounts a complicated man-in-the-middle scam involving Microsoft 365 and Dropbox, highlighting the challenges of protecting clients from evolving security threats. The episode ends with a discussion about Apple Business Connect and their stringent logo approval process, and a short review of the action-packed movie 'The Beekeeper'.   00:00 Introduction and Opening Remarks 00:08 Customer Support Rant: Backblaze Experience 01:26 Policy Changes and Their Impact 03:34 Challenges with Backblaze Services 12:09 Affiliate Program Issues 16:21 Amazon Return Policy Frustrations 21:26 iPhone Delivery Nightmare 27:37 AppleCare Plus Trade-In Saga 30:11 AI Response and Trade-In Deals 31:12 Apple Business Connect Webinar 33:10 Logo Upload Struggles 37:08 Verified Logo Program 41:24 Microsoft and Dropbox Scam 48:51 Scam Prevention and Security Measures 01:00:13 Scams from Nigeria and India 01:02:04 Conclusion and Movie Recommendation

ACTUOSAURES- Helldivers II et compte PSN : https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1787331667616829929- Wikipedia modifié par la Russie- Wetransfer intègre un système de paiement- Rabbit R1- Android vs iOS : qui est le plus bavard ?- Vidéo surveillance algorythmique VSA- Windows 11 s'offre de la publicité- Crypto et fraude : l'ia à la rescousse- Backblaze : des disques durs de plus en plus fiables- Sopwith de retour avec SDL : https://fragglet.github.io/sdl-sopwith/- Haut la main ! IA en local en parallèleCULTUROSAURES- Pantheon- South Park (Not Suitable for Children)- Inside Job- Chasse gardée sur Prime Video- BZZZT- Arcadian avec Nicolas CageHébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

On this Screaming in the Cloud Replay, we revisit our chat with Forrest Brazeal. When this episode first aired, Forrest was the Head of Content at Google Cloud, but today, he helps run Freeman & Forrest, an influencer marketing service focused on enterprise tech. In this trip down memory lane, Forrest goes into detail on how he is working to give back to the cloud community. Forrest discusses his time at A Cloud Guru, his time as an AWS Serverless Hero, and the technical excellence he brings to his vast-ranging and prolific content. Forrest is also a successful author of a newsletter and multiple books, including a children's book about the cloud! Needless to say, Forrest is an incredibly varied personality in the cloud community, tune in for a chance to get to know him better!Show Highlights(00:00) Intro(1:10) Backblaze sponsor read(1:36) Starting a new job as the Head of Content for Google Cloud(2:32) Forrest's background as a cloud consultant(3:57) Writing endeavors and The Cloud Resume Challenge(6:30) Being authentic and helpful in the cloud(11:43) Forrest's experiences with Google Cloud(13:18) Being a thought leader in the cloud community(16:44) The interview process for Google Cloud(20:24) Creating online cloud content(25:51) Having creative freedom at Google(29:07) The viability of Google Cloud(31:52) Where you can find more from ForrestAbout Forrest BrazealForrest is a cloud educator, cartoonist, author, and Pwnie Award-winning songwriter. He's also led some of the world's most innovative developer content and community teams at companies like Google and A Cloud Guru. LinksThe Cloud Bard Speaks: https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/the-cloud-bard-speaks-with-forrest-brazeal/The Read Aloud Cloud: https://www.amazon.com/Read-Aloud-Cloud-Innocents-Inside/dp/1119677629The Cloud Resume Challenge Book: https://forrestbrazeal.gumroad.com/l/cloud-resume-challenge-book/launch-dealThe Cloud Resume Challenge: https://cloudresumechallenge.devTwitter: https://twitter.com/forrestbrazealOriginal Episodehttps://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/creatively-giving-back-to-the-cloud-community-with-forrest-brazeal/SponsorBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/   

Corey Quinn chats with Miles Ward, CTO of SADA, about SADA's recent acquisition by Insight and its impact on scaling the company's cloud services. Ward explains how Insight's backing allows SADA to take on more complex projects, such as multi-cloud migrations and data center transitions. They also discuss AI's growing role in business, the challenges of optimizing cloud AI costs, and the differences between cloud-to-cloud and data center migrations. Corey and Miles also share their takes on domain registrars and Corey gives a glimpse into his Raspberry Pi Kubernetes setup.Show Highlights(00:00) Intro(00:48) Backblaze sponsor read(2:04) Google's support of SADA being acquired by Insight(2:44) How the skills SADA invested in affects the cases they accept (5:14) Why it's easier to migrate from one cloud to another than from data center to cloud(7:06) Customer impact from the Broadcom pricing changes(10:40) The current cost of AI(13:55) Why the scale of AI makes it difficult to understand its current business impact(15:43) The challenges of monetizing AI(17:31) Micro and macro scale perspectives of AI(21:16) Amazon's new habit of slowly killing of services(26:55) Corey's policy to never use a domain registrar with the word “daddy” in their name(32:46) Where to find more from Miles and SADAAbout Miles WardAs Chief Technology Officer at SADA, Miles Ward leads SADA's cloud strategy and solutions capabilities. His remit includes delivering next-generation solutions to challenges in big data and analytics, application migration, infrastructure automation, and cost optimization; reinforcing our engineering culture; and engaging with customers on their most complex and ambitious plans around Google Cloud.Previously, Miles served as Director and Global Lead for Solutions at Google Cloud. He founded the Google Cloud's Solutions Architecture practice, launched hundreds of solutions, built Style-Detection and Hummus AI APIs, built CloudHero, designed the pricing and TCO calculators, and helped thousands of customers like Twitter who migrated the world's largest Hadoop cluster to public cloud and Audi USA who re-platformed to k8s before it was out of alpha, and helped Banco Itau design the intercloud architecture for the bank of the future.Before Google, Miles helped build the AWS Solutions Architecture team. He wrote the first AWS Well-Architected framework, proposed Trusted Advisor and the Snowmobile, invented GameDay, worked as a core part of the Obama for America 2012 “tech” team, helped NASA stream the Curiosity Mars Rover landing, and rebooted Skype in a pinch.Earning his Bachelor of Science in Rhetoric and Media Studies from Willamette University, Miles is a three-time technology startup entrepreneur who also plays a mean electric sousaphone.LinksProfessional site: https://sada.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milesward/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mileswardSponsorBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/   

Seth Eliot, Principal Resilience Architect at Arpio, and former Global Reliability Lead at AWS, joins Corey to discuss cloud resilience. He emphasizes that Multi-AZ setups are typically sufficient, with multi-region configurations only necessary for specific risks. Seth highlights the importance of balancing cost and resilience based on business needs, while cautioning against making resilience a mere checkbox exercise. Together, they explore disaster recovery challenges, noting that many companies fail to account for real-world complexities during testing. Seth also stresses the importance of avoiding control plane dependencies and warns that poorly designed multi-cloud setups can introduce additional risks.Show Highlights(0:00) Intro(1:12) Backblaze sponsor read(1:40) Seth's involvement in the Well-Architected sphere of AWS(4:43) Well-Architected as a maturity model(6:46) Cost vs. resilience(10:37) The tension between resiliency and the cost pillar(13:26) Legitimate reasons to go multi-region (18:31) Mistakes people make when trying to avoid an AWS outage(24:07) The challenges of control planes(25:04) What people are getting wrong about the resiliency landscape in 2024(26:31) Where you can find more from SethAbout Seth EliotCurrently Principal Resilience Architect at Arpio, and ex-Amazon, ex-AWS, ex-Microsoft… Seth has spent years knee-deep in the tech trenches, figuring out how to design, implement, and launch software that's not just fast but also bulletproof. He thrives on helping teams tackle those "make or break" technical, process, or culture challenges—then partners up to solve them. As the Global Reliability Lead for AWS Well-Architected, Seth didn't just work with customers; he scaled his insights via workshops, presentations, and blog posts, benefiting thousands. Before that, as one of the rare AWS-dedicated Principal Solutions Architects at Amazon.com (yep, not AWS, but the mothership itself), he rolled up his sleeves with engineers to fine-tune the AWS magic powering Amazon.com's immense stack. Earlier? He led as Principal Engineer for Amazon Fresh and International Tech, and before that, helped bring Prime Video into homes everywhere.LinksPersonal site: https://linktr.ee/setheliotLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/setheliot/Twitter: https://twitter.com/setheliotSponsorBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/ 

On this Screaming in the Cloud replay, we're looking back to our conversation with Cassidy Williams, a Senior Director of Developer Advocacy at GitHub and the co-founder and chief product officer of Cosynd, Inc. Prior to these positions, she worked as the principal developer experience engineer at Netlify, an instructor and senior engineer at React Training, director of outreach at cKeys, a senior software engineer at CodePen, head of developer voice programs at Amazon, and a software engineer at Venmo, among other positions. Join Corey and Cassidy as they reflect on what Netlify is and what a developer experience engineer does, how JavaScript started off as a toy language and why everything that can be built with JavaScript will be moving forward, the benefits of using low-code development tools, how discovering TikTok helped Cassidy drum up a major following on social media, how Cassidy's humor is never directed at people or organizations and why that's the case, the differences between recording a podcast and live streaming on Twitch from the speaker's point of view, and more.Show Highlights(0:00) Intro(0:22) Backblaze sponsor read(0:49) What is Netlify and its role of a principal developer experience engineer(2:50) Is JavaScript the future?(7:46) Using low-code tools for web development(12:12) Having a goofy internet presence in a serious field(17:23) Social platforms as a means to teach(24:50) Twitch streaming and its inherent challenges(28:16) Cassidy's online coursework and how she answers, “So, what do you do?”(32:12) Unique ways of tracking Twitter followers(37:15) Where you can find more from CassidyAbout Cassidy WilliamsCassidy is a Senior Director of Developer Advocacy at GitHub. She's worked for several other places, including Netlify, CodePen, Amazon, and Venmo, and she's had the honor of working with various non-profits, including cKeys and Hacker Fund as their Director of Outreach. She's active in the developer community, and was one of Glamour Magazine's 35 Women Under 35 Changing the Tech Industry and LinkedIn's Top Professionals 35 & Under. As an avid speaker, Cassidy has participated in several events including the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing, TEDx, the United Nations, and dozens of other technical events. She wants to inspire generations of STEM students to be the best they can be, and her favorite quote is from Helen Keller: "One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar." She loves mechanical keyboards and karaoke.LinksTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cassidooNewsletter: https://cassidoo.co/newsletter/Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/teachers/cassidooUdemy: https://www.udemy.com/user/cassidywilliams/Skillshare: https://www.skillshare.com/user/cassidooO'Reilly: https://www.oreilly.com/pub/au/6339Personal website: https://cassidoo.coTwitter: https://twitter.com/cassidooGitHub: https://github.com/cassidooCodePen: https://codepen.io/cassidoo/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassidooOriginal Episodehttps://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/memes-streams-software-with-cassidy-williams/SponsorBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/ 

On this Screaming in the Cloud Replay, we're revisiting our conversation with Stephanie Wong. When she first sat down with Corey, she was the Head of Developer Engagement at Google, but today, she serves as the company's Head of Technical Storytelling. While Stephanie is certainly a key player at such a massive company, her passion lies in her own advocacy for women in tech as well as making tech more approachable to larger audiences. Stephanie is not one to put her job title first. Her bio covers the spread from dancer, to hip-hop medalist, to podcast host. Stephanie gives us the birds eye view on her own non-traditional and interdisciplinary path that led to her work both in and outside of Google. Stephanie's focus on producing content that reaches across a wide spectrum of participants is crucial to how she has broken the mold on what tech can do, and her lessons are ones we can all learn from.Show Highlights:(0:00) Intro(1:06) Backblaze sponsor read(1:32) Explaining the Head of Developer Engagement(2:13) Stephanie's background and authenticity in tech(7:11) Approaching developer relations from a non-”traditional” tech background(11:04) Building a personal and company online presence(14:41) Corey's perceived contradictions with Google Cloud(22:29) Through engaging your audience through media and storytelling(27:23) Helping find the next generation of tech talent(29:23) The cloud and the inflection of tech(38:51) Where you can find more from StephanieAbout Stephanie Wong:Stephanie Wong is an award-winning speaker, engineer, pageant queen, and hip hop medalist. She is a leader at Google with a mission to blend storytelling and technology to create remarkable developer content. At Google, she's created 100s of videos, blogs, courses, and podcasts that have helped developers globally. Stephanie is active in her community, fiercely supporting women in tech and mentoring students.Links:Personal Website: https://stephrwong.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/stephr_wongOriginal Episodehttps://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/breaking-the-tech-mold-with-stephanie-wong/SponsorBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/ 

The great Andy Daly joins Matt to discuss his role as Mailroom Worker in the 2011 film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Andy talks about auditioning for Michael Bay as the director sat on the floor, doing a product placement scene for an item Michael Bay referred to as “China milk,” and having a stuntman who looked nothing like him get slammed against a wall. Plus, we'll hear some fun facts from some of Andy's other roles in film and TV such as Semi-Pro, Eastbound and Down, as well as inventing Mustache TV.This episode is brought to you by Backblaze ( www.backblaze.com/iwtt ). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The great Andy Daly joins Matt to discuss his role as Mailroom Worker in the 2011 film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Andy talks about auditioning for Michael Bay as the director sat on the floor, doing a product placement scene for an item Michael Bay referred to as “China milk,” and having a stuntman who looked nothing like him get slammed against a wall. Plus, we'll hear some fun facts from some of Andy's other roles in film and TV such as Semi-Pro, Eastbound and Down, as well as inventing Mustache TV.This episode is brought to you by Backblaze ( www.backblaze.com/iwtt ). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Replay of Screaming in the Cloud, we revisit our inspiring conversation with Jackie Singh. At the time, she had recently served as a senior cybersecurity staffer at the Biden campaign. But her venerated career is considerably more than that alone. Jackie's time spent in the Army, at the DoD, and eventually at work in the commercial world allows her to bring an adroit sensibility to her work and to this episode. Jackie goes into detail on her time spent at the Biden campaign and the intricacies of working in such highly politicized, and short term, environment. The cyber security threats she faced there were paramount, to downplay it, and have given Jackie a rich and constantly developing perspective on security. That in combination with her career has helped her develop a perspective that she has kindly discussed in detail during this episode! Tune in for the whole story.Show Highlights(0:00) Intro(1:16) Backblaze sponsor read(1:42) Working for the 2020 Biden Campaign(4:45) The high-stakes world of political information security(10:08) Breaking down Jackie's impressive resume(12:38) Being the target of a far-right tabloid hit piece(16:24) Contemporary politics, bad faith discourse, and its role in tech(23:34) Common Fate sponsor read(24:03) The ethics of reporting InfoSec vulnerabilities(31:13) Explaining “threat modeling”(36:49) Where you can find more from JackieAbout Jackie SinghJackie Singh is an Information Security professional with more than 20 years of hacking experience, beginning in her preteen. She began her career in the US Army, and deployed to Iraq in 2003. Jackie subsequently spent several years in Iraq in cleared roles for the Department of Defense.She is now an independent consultant. Her passion extends to evangelizing best practices, writing and research for her blog, tweeting informative content, speaking at conferences, contributing to podcasts, and collaborating with fellow journalists and security professionals.Links:Disclose.io: https://disclose.ioTwitter: https://twitter.com/hackingbutlegalOriginal Episode:https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/security-challenges-and-working-for-president-biden-with-jackie-singh/SponsorsBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/Common Fate: http://commonfate.io/

Xe Iaso returns to Screaming in the Cloud, and it's been quite an interesting few months for them. They're now the CEO of Techaro and are back for a discussion that spans career trials, the peculiarities of AI, and the intricacies of video production. Xe shares candid insights about being laid off multiple times and how it paradoxically led to career growth (and the tricks to resume-building). Xe also highlights the nuanced world of video editing and they're learning tools like DaVinci Resolve.Show Highlights:(00:00) Intro(00:50) Backblaze sponsor read(0:52) Xe's transparency with their layoffs over the past couple of years(04:39) What Xe has been up to with their coding lately (05:05) Xe's method of addressing AI models' Strawberry Problem(10:44) Xe's use of prompt injection attacks in their resume(13:23) Why Xe has been embracing independent contracting(15:20) How Xe has been working with video(18:10) Common Fate sponsor read(19:56) The shifting nature of content creation and the need for practice(24:23) The importance of having audio backups for presentations(26:17) What Xe is building toward as a contractor(28:50) Where you can find more from XeAbout Xe IasoXe Iaso is a top voice on cloud computing, developer marketing, and shitposting. They focus on making computers easier to understand and entertaining people in the process. They also use satire as a way to cope with the surreal madness that is the technology industry these days.LinksXe's blog: https://xeiaso.net/ Friend pendant ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Q1hoEhfk4SponsorsBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/Common Fate: https://www.commonfate.io/ 

In this episode, the hosts discuss various topics from a recent travel experience in the Netherlands and Belgium, highlighting amazing Trappist beers and unique beer brewing technologies. They also dive into the new features and implications of the latest Mac OS release, Sequoia, including the practical uses of Apple's new password app, send later in iOS messages, and the game-changing iPhone mirroring feature. Additionally, the episode features insights on managing client expectations with updates, blocking the latest OS to ensure stability, and a personal account of a sudden client shutdown. The show wraps up with tips on data recovery using Backblaze and a super-fast external drive.   00:00 Introduction and Recent Trip to the Netherlands and Belgium 00:28 Exploring Trappist Monasteries and Belgian Beers 01:57 Travel Experiences in Bruges, Belgium 03:09 Challenges of Bringing Beer Back Home 05:32 In-Flight Entertainment and Raw Dogging 07:53 Sequoia Release and Technical Discussions 13:17 Managing Software Updates and Client Experiences 26:38 Daily Driver Adventures 27:06 Apple's Seamless Integration 28:01 Send Later Feature in iOS 28:26 iPhone Mirroring and Instagram 29:30 Supporting Clients Efficiently 30:02 SMS Messages on Mac 31:31 New Passwords App 33:38 Screen Capture Limitations 36:06 Hiking Directions in Maps 39:07 Client Stories and Business Practices 42:35 Data Recovery and Backblaze https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09ZRWT134/ 50:15 Wrapping Up and Teasers

In this Screaming in the Cloud Replay, we're revisiting our conversation with Miles War — perhaps the closest thing Google Cloud has to Corey Quinn. With a wit and sharpness at hand, and an entire backup retinue of trumpets, trombones, and various brass horns, Miles is here to join the conversation about what all is going on at Google Cloud. Miles breaks down SADA and their partnership with Google Cloud. He goes into some details on what GCP has been up to, and talks about the various areas they are capitulating forward. Miles talks about working with Thomas Kurian, who is the only who counts since he follows Corey on Twitter, and the various profundities that GCP has at hand.Show Highlights:(0:00) Intro(1:38) Sonrai Security sponsor read(2:40) Reliving Google Cloud Next 2021(7:24) Unlikable, yet necessary change at Google(11:41) Lack of Focus in the Cloud(18:03) Google releases benefitting developers(20:57) The rise of distributed databases(24:12) Backblaze sponsor read(24:41) Arguments for (and against) going multi-cloud(26:49) The problem with Google Cloud outages(33:01) Data transfer fees(37:49) Where you can find more from MilesAbout Miles WardAs Chief Technology Officer at SADA, Miles Ward leads SADA's cloud strategy and solutions capabilities. His remit includes delivering next-generation solutions to challenges in big data and analytics, application migration, infrastructure automation, and cost optimization; reinforcing our engineering culture; and engaging with customers on their most complex and ambitious plans around Google Cloud.Previously, Miles served as Director and Global Lead for Solutions at Google Cloud. He founded the Google Cloud's Solutions Architecture practice, launched hundreds of solutions, built Style-Detection and Hummus AI APIs, built CloudHero, designed the pricing and TCO calculators, and helped thousands of customers like Twitter who migrated the world's largest Hadoop cluster to public cloud and Audi USA who re-platformed to k8s before it was out of alpha, and helped Banco Itau design the intercloud architecture for the bank of the future.Before Google, Miles helped build the AWS Solutions Architecture team. He wrote the first AWS Well-Architected framework, proposed Trusted Advisor and the Snowmobile, invented GameDay, worked as a core part of the Obama for America 2012 “tech” team, helped NASA stream the Curiosity Mars Rover landing, and rebooted Skype in a pinch.Earning his Bachelor of Science in Rhetoric and Media Studies from Willamette University, Miles is a three-time technology startup entrepreneur who also plays a mean electric sousaphone.Links:SADA.com: https://sada.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/mileswardEmail: miles@sada.comOriginal episode:https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/gcp-s-many-profundities-with-miles-ward/SponsorsSonrai Security: sonrai.co/access24Backblaze: backblaze.com 

On this Screaming in the Cloud Replay, we revisit our fall of 2021 conversation with Chloe Condon. At the time of recording, Chloe was a Senior Cloud Advocate for Microsoft, and today, she works for Google as a Senior Developer Relations Engineer. When we spoke to her, Chloe had recently started the Master Creep Theatre (yes, with the British spelling) which is a project to bring some more creative and artistic efforts into the tech world! Given Chloe's non-traditional background she's able to bring a lot of great perspective to weaving these two worlds together. Chloe also discusses the politics of navigating DMs as a woman on the internet, fun. Her and Corey discuss internet culture in general and how to make the most of it, in spite of all the baggage. Tune in for Chloe's take!Show Highlights:(0:00) Intro(0:47) Sonrai sponsor read(1:48) Master Creep Theatre (6:16) The wide world of creepy DMs(12:21) What's the root of the creep behavior?(15:52) Harassment and privilege in tech(20:00) The fight for privacy(27:58) Backblaze sponsor read(28:24) Designing things to be more inclusive and "jerk-free"(37:49) Where you can find more from ChloeAbout Chloe Condon:Chloe is a Bay Area based Developer Advocate for Google Cloud and AI. Previously, she worked at Microsoft, as well as Sentry.io where she created the award winning Sentry Scouts program (a camp themed meet-up ft. patches, s'mores, giant squirrel costumes, and hot chocolate), and was featured in the Grace Hopper Conference 2018 gallery featuring 15 influential women in STEM by AnitaB.org. Her projects and work with Azure have ranged from fake boyfriend alerts to Mario Kart 'astrology', and have been featured in VICE, The New York Times, as well as SmashMouth's Twitter account. Chloe holds a BA in Drama from San Francisco State University and is a graduate of Hackbright Academy. She prides herself on being a non-traditional background engineer, and is likely one of the only engineers who has played an ogre, crayon, and the back-end of a cow on a professional stage. She hopes to bring more artists into tech, and more engineers into the arts.Featured in the Grace Hopper Conference 2018 gallery featuring 15 influential women in STEM by AnitaB.org: https://vimeo.com/289762602/30c246c503Links:Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChloeCondonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gitforked/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChloeCondonVideosSponsorsSonrai: http://sonrai.co/zombieBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/

Scott and Wes kick off part 1 of a 2-part series, breaking down 30 must-have apps for web developers and productivity enthusiasts. From file management tools to media utilities, they cover everything you need to supercharge your workflow. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:03 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:27 File management applications. 01:43 DaisyDisk. 04:19 Marta. 07:50 EasyFind. 10:16 Czkawka. 12:53 Backblaze. 14:40 Hazel. 17:42 AutoMounter. 18:43 Media applications. 18:52 Automator HIEC to JPG. 20:04 Rant on QuickView. 20:32 DVD idea. 22:06 IINA. 24:07 Capture One. 25:02 YouTube Enhance. 27:16 HandBrake. 28:05 MakeMKV. 30:33 Overkill for Mac. 33:42 Search by Image. 37:09 eqMac. 37:37 Utility applications. 37:52 Stats & iStat Menu. 40:19 Alternatives to popular Mac applications. 40:23 Ice. 41:03 PearCleaner. 43:08 Numi. 44:17 Bottom (btm). 44:53 Sip Color Picker. 50:25 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: Wilde Chips Wes: Apple TV+: The Big Conn Shameless Plugs Scott: Syntax on YouTube Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

On this inaugural episode of the new Hands-On Tech, Mikah Sargent explains what he uses to back up his data and answers viewers' questions about their backup needs. Host: Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: betterhelp.com/ATG

On this inaugural episode of the new Hands-On Tech, Mikah Sargent explains what he uses to back up his data and answers viewers' questions about their backup needs. Host: Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: betterhelp.com/ATG

On this inaugural episode of the new Hands-On Tech, Mikah Sargent explains what he uses to back up his data and answers viewers' questions about their backup needs. Host: Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: betterhelp.com/ATG

On this inaugural episode of the new Hands-On Tech, Mikah Sargent explains what he uses to back up his data and answers viewers' questions about their backup needs. Host: Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: betterhelp.com/ATG

On this inaugural episode of the new Hands-On Tech, Mikah Sargent explains what he uses to back up his data and answers viewers' questions about their backup needs. Host: Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: betterhelp.com/ATG

On this inaugural episode of the new Hands-On Tech, Mikah Sargent explains what he uses to back up his data and answers viewers' questions about their backup needs. Host: Mikah Sargent Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: betterhelp.com/ATG

In this Summer Replay of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey is joined by Co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, Matthew Prince. In this cost-cutting conversation from 2021, Matthew breaks down what exactly Cloudflare is up to, and how they are handling their clients' cloud cost needs. The pair focus on Cloudflare as a company and the options they are bringing to their clients. They discuss their mutual concerns with some AWS costs and why Cloudflare's suite of tools has slowly been made available over time. Turn back the clock with this fan-favorite episode for more insight.Show Highlights:(0:00) Intro(0:53) Backblaze sponsor read(1:20) Origins of Cloudflare(5:55) The Achilles Heel of the AWS cloud(10:09) What is Cloudflare R2?(12:26) Pricing philosophies in the cloud(17:35) Egress cost of the “static” internet(19:48) How Amazon's pricing harms the overall market(24:34) Firefly sponsor read(25:10) Cloudflare's endgame(28:32) Staying focused as a business(33:35) The value of providing a valuable service(37:17) “The internet is a fad.”(42:19) The strength of admitting you're wrong(43:04) Where you can find out more about CloudflareAbout Matthew Prince:Matthew Prince is co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. Cloudflare's mission is to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world's largest networks, which spans more than 200 cities in over 100 countries. Matthew is a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, winner of the 2011 Tech Fellow Award, and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Center for Information Technology and Privacy Law. Matthew holds an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was a George F. Baker Scholar and awarded the Dubilier Prize for Entrepreneurship. He is a member of the Illinois Bar, and earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago and B.A. in English Literature and Computer Science from Trinity College. He's also the co-creator of Project Honey Pot, the largest community of webmasters tracking online fraud and abuse.Links Referenced:The Cloudflare Blog: blogs.cloudflare.comSponsors:Backblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/Firefly: https://www.firefly.ai/

Social media snark and rightfully criticizing industry trends? This episode of Screaming featuring Daniel Feldman must be a match made in heaven for Corey. Daniel's wit is only matched by his engineering expertise, and his insights help us examine the current state of GenAI. This conversation breaks down how you can have fun with today's AI tools, why product excitement can often hinder advancement, and even carries a tune with a bit of karaoke. As a bonus, Daniel indulges Corey about his signature conference attire. If you ever wanted to learn more about Mr. Quinn's suit game, then this is the episode for you!Show Highlights:(0:00) Intro to episode(0:48) Who is Daniel Feldman(1:25) Backblaze sponsor read(1:51) Sounding off on social media(3:13) Having fun with AI(5:27) The origins of quackernews.com(6:36) Practical uses of AI(8:40) Enthusiasm vs. progress(12:30) AI's online backlash(15:45) AI, slideshows, and karaoke(18:14) Firefly sponsor read(18:50) Tricks to prompting DALL-E(21:32) Markdown and software update naming(25:13) Exclusionary humor in tech(26:19) reInvent and Corey's sense of fashion(28:32) Getting publicly recognized for Twitter posts(30:43) Where to find DanielAbout Daniel Feldman:Daniel Feldman is working on new projects in the service identity space. He previously was an early engineer at Scytale and deployed SPIFFE service identity at over a dozen companies. Before that, he was a principal software engineer at Veritas.Links Referenced:quakernews.comTwitter: https://x.com/d_feldmanBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dfeldman.bsky.socialMastodon: https://hachyderm.io/@dfeldmanSPIFFE: https://spiffe.io/Solving the Bottom Turtle: https://spiffe.io/book/SponsorsBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/Firefly: https://www.firefly.ai/

While we can't repeat the title of his blog post here, Nikhil Suresh recently gained notoriety for his scathing takedown of the hype surrounding GenAI. On the surface, it appears his anger lies with the tech, but that's not the case. In this episode, Nikhil explains to Corey why his frustrations are targeted at a predatory bubble swindling young professionals and investors. You'll hear their thoughts on the correlation between AI and crypto grifts, why most tech keynotes are just fluff and buzzwords, and when industry catch-all terms start to lose meaning. While GenAI may still show some promise, this week's episode breaks down why you shouldn't believe the hype.Show Highlights: (0:00) Intro to episode(0:41) Backblaze sponsor read(1:08) The origins of Nikhil's viral article(4:20) The disconnect between buzzwords and work(5:26) Throwing money at AI(7:17) AI vs. craftsmanship(13:36) The rush to get AI tools out the door(16:12) The telltale signs of bad AI content(18:50) AI, crypto, and GPU grifts(20:33) The fallout of Nikhil's blog post(22:34) Firefly sponsor read(23:10) The practicality of GenAI(26:24) GenAI presentations vs. reality(29:07) Predatory hiring practices and tech's current barrier for entry(32:03) Sturgeon's Law in the industry(35:22) Consequences of the hype cycle(38:48) The fantasy land of “conferenceware”(42:01) Where you can find Nikhil About Nikhil Suresh:Nikhil is one of the directors at an Australian data consultancy named Hermit Tech, though he's probably most well-known for writing a blog titled Ludicity. Nikhil has a background in psychology and data science.Links Referenced: https://ludic.mataroa.blog/https://www.hermit-tech.com/SponsorsBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/Firefly: https://www.firefly.ai/

Is there true value in using cloud optimization tools when they may be phased out in the near future? You may be surprised. In this Summer Replay of Screaming of the Cloud, Corey is joined by former VMware Senior Staff Engineer Bryan Liles. Since this episode was originally released, Bryan wasn't just promoted to the Vice President of Principal Engineering at VMware, he's also transitioned to a new role as a Senior Principal Engineer with AWS! Listen as the pair talk about the long-term viability of Kubernetes, what's in a tech company's name, flipping the script surrounding the discussion of diversity in the field, and why the words you use matter the most in criticism. If anything, this throwback will show the value of intention, whether in the tech industry or your everyday life. Show Highlights: (0:00) Intro to episode(0:30) Backblaze sponsor read(0:56) The struggles of setting up interview times(2:22) What Bryan does at VMware(4:14) What Kubernetes has accomplished(5:39) Corey's qualms with Kubernetes(8:16) The shelf life of Kubernetes(10:36) Optimizing Kubernetes in the cloud(13:25) What is Project Pacific?(15:28) Firefly sponsor read(16:04) Woes of the multicloud(19:09) VMware's branding and Tanzu(21:00) Mispronouncing company names(22:07) Punching down and diversity discourse in tech(25:18) Intentional language in company critiques(28:50) Learning lessons from getting fired(30:36) Where you can find BryanAbout Bryan LilesBryan Liles is a Senior Principal Engineer with AWS where his team oversees all of S3. When not working, Bryan builds and races cars and drones.Over the past 20 years, Bryan has worked around cloud technology and distributed systems. His approaches to technology are: simplify with fidelity and technology should give access to all.Links Referenced: https://vmware.comSponsorsBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/Firefly: https://www.firefly.ai/

Just because the AWS Cloud hangs above our heads, doesn't mean your bill needs to be just as sky-high. In this Screaming in the Cloud Summer Replay, Corey is joined by Airbnb Staff Software Engineer Melanie Cebula. Her job is to ensure they keep their monthly cloud bill low, and that the cost isn't just there for a temporary stay. Hear Melanie and Corey chat about the vital role engineers play in helping balance the company books, tricks to optimizing your organization's cloud spending, how inexperience can have a dangerous effect on cost-cutting, and the growing pains facing today's world of data infrastructure. We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane (just be sure you checkout on time to avoid any fees).Show Highlights: (0:00) Intro to episode(0:27) Backblaze sponsor read(0:54) The role of a Staff Engineer(2:09) Working for a large company reliant on the cloud(3:59) Melanie's Area of Expertise(5:58) Efficiently Managing AWS Bills(11:33) Optimizing cloud spend(14:50) The harmful hesitancy to turn things off(18:17) Inexperience and cost-saving measures(21:17) Firefly sponsor read(21:53) How to avoid snowballing cloud bills(23:40) Kuberentes and cloud billing(27:12) The perks of compounding microservices(29:19) Misconceptions about Kuberentes(31:10) Growing pains of data infrastructure(34:44) Where you can find MelanieAbout Melanie CebulaMelanie Cebula is an expert in Cloud Infrastructure, where she is recognized worldwide for explaining radically new ways of thinking about cloud efficiency and usability. She is an international keynote speaker, presenting complex technical topics to a broad range of audiences, both international and domestic. Melanie is a staff engineer at Airbnb, where she has experience building a scalable modern architecture on top of cloud-native technologies.Besides her expertise in the online world, Melanie spends her time offline on the “sharp end” of rock climbing. An adventure athlete setting new personal records in challenging conditions, she appreciates all aspects of the journey, including the triumph of reaching ever higher destinations.On and off the wall, Melanie focuses on building reliability into critical systems, and making informed decisions in difficult situations. In her personal time, Melanie hand whisks matcha tea, enjoys costuming and dancing at EDM festivals, and she is a triplet.Links Referenced:Twitter: https://twitter.com/melaniecebulaMelanie Cebula's website: https://melaniecebula.com/SponsorsBackblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/Firefly: https://www.firefly.ai/

Topics: -Jerry shows off his new shirt. -BackBlaze causes a major pain point for Jerry after a massive bill comes in. He has some good advice for those using BackBlaze groups. -We debate how pricing increases affect how we pass the costs along to our customers. -What is with BackBlaze's maintenance schedule happening in the middle of a work day? -Sam has a rough experience with Go Daddy when “defederating” Microsoft Office. -This customer was using Proofpoint with Go Daddy and it remained active months after we attempted to disconnect. -Go Daddy support seems to not have any understanding of the services that they are selling. -Quick Tip regarding Apple Mail and Exchange when it stops responding: Quit Mail/Calendar/Contacts, go to Activity Monitor and force quit the exchangesyncd process. Restart the apps. -Jerry shares an update about AppleCare+ and unlimited incidents. -With changes to the Print Center and the removal of individual printer apps, Joe wonders why Apple can't account for this and replace Dock items instead of leaving question marks.

Leo and Mikah tackle a wide range of tech questions from viewers, covering everything from backup strategies to AI's impact on creativity. The hosts are joined by the Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson, who shares an impressive DIY home theater, and travel expert Johnny Jet with essential tips for renewing your passport online and staying cool while traveling in Europe. Don't miss Leo and Mikah's thought-provoking discussion on the future of AI and human creativity! Google research paper suggests AI "breaking reality" is a feature, not a bug. The team discusses the implications. Mathematicians discover the fifth "busy beaver" number after 40 years. Leo attempts to explain this computational math milestone. Cloudflare launches tool to block AI bots from scraping websites, as 85% of Cloudflare customers want to block AI. Saudi Arabia aims to be the eSports capital of the world with a $60 million prize pool. Martin asks for advice on replacing his Drobo Mini for backing up 8 family members' computers. Leo and Mikah recommend using a NAS for network backups, Time Machine for local backups, and cloud services like Backblaze for offsite backup. Richard wonders if he needs to convert his hard drives from NTFS to APFS when moving from Windows to Mac for his large video collection. The hosts explain NTFS works fine on Mac and recommend using a Synology NAS with Plex as a centralized media server. Jeremy wants to set up cloud backup with versioning for his daughter's MacBook before she heads to college. Mikah suggests using Time Machine locally and Backblaze for cloud backup. The Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson showcases an impressive DIY basement home theater built for under $24K. Jim, a movie sound professional, is looking for a Windows word processor that can handle his 2000+ page book with many illustrations. The hosts caution against trying to run macOS on a PC and recommend trying LibreOffice. Matthew asks if using the Google Photos app on iPhone will create duplicates. Mikah doesn't think so but suggests running a short test. Graham wants to play Apple Podcasts on his Google Nest speakers. Leo recommends using Spotify instead since it's supported by Google speakers. Hans, a multimedia artist, shares a fascinating discussion with Leo and Mikah about AI's impact on creative jobs. While some see AI as a threat, Hans embraces it as a tool to enhance creativity. Paul troubleshoots an issue where he's not getting play-by-play audio on certain sports streams through his TV speakers, but it works through his soundbar. The hosts suggest it's likely an encoding compatibility issue with his TV. Johnny Jet shares his unfortunate tale of catching hand, foot and mouth disease right before a big trip to Europe. He offers tips on travel insurance, the risks of posting your info publicly, and renewing your passport online. Vidak from Montenegro is experiencing audio cut-outs when using his Focusrite Scarlett audio interface with his M2 MacBook Pro. Mikah suspects a software conflict and suggests troubleshooting steps to isolate the issue. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Scott Wilkinson and Johnny Jet Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2032 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsor: cachefly.com/twit

Leo and Mikah tackle a wide range of tech questions from viewers, covering everything from backup strategies to AI's impact on creativity. The hosts are joined by the Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson, who shares an impressive DIY home theater, and travel expert Johnny Jet with essential tips for renewing your passport online and staying cool while traveling in Europe. Don't miss Leo and Mikah's thought-provoking discussion on the future of AI and human creativity! Google research paper suggests AI "breaking reality" is a feature, not a bug. The team discusses the implications. Mathematicians discover the fifth "busy beaver" number after 40 years. Leo attempts to explain this computational math milestone. Cloudflare launches tool to block AI bots from scraping websites, as 85% of Cloudflare customers want to block AI. Saudi Arabia aims to be the eSports capital of the world with a $60 million prize pool. Martin asks for advice on replacing his Drobo Mini for backing up 8 family members' computers. Leo and Mikah recommend using a NAS for network backups, Time Machine for local backups, and cloud services like Backblaze for offsite backup. Richard wonders if he needs to convert his hard drives from NTFS to APFS when moving from Windows to Mac for his large video collection. The hosts explain NTFS works fine on Mac and recommend using a Synology NAS with Plex as a centralized media server. Jeremy wants to set up cloud backup with versioning for his daughter's MacBook before she heads to college. Mikah suggests using Time Machine locally and Backblaze for cloud backup. The Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson showcases an impressive DIY basement home theater built for under $24K. Jim, a movie sound professional, is looking for a Windows word processor that can handle his 2000+ page book with many illustrations. The hosts caution against trying to run macOS on a PC and recommend trying LibreOffice. Matthew asks if using the Google Photos app on iPhone will create duplicates. Mikah doesn't think so but suggests running a short test. Graham wants to play Apple Podcasts on his Google Nest speakers. Leo recommends using Spotify instead since it's supported by Google speakers. Hans, a multimedia artist, shares a fascinating discussion with Leo and Mikah about AI's impact on creative jobs. While some see AI as a threat, Hans embraces it as a tool to enhance creativity. Paul troubleshoots an issue where he's not getting play-by-play audio on certain sports streams through his TV speakers, but it works through his soundbar. The hosts suggest it's likely an encoding compatibility issue with his TV. Johnny Jet shares his unfortunate tale of catching hand, foot and mouth disease right before a big trip to Europe. He offers tips on travel insurance, the risks of posting your info publicly, and renewing your passport online. Vidak from Montenegro is experiencing audio cut-outs when using his Focusrite Scarlett audio interface with his M2 MacBook Pro. Mikah suspects a software conflict and suggests troubleshooting steps to isolate the issue. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Scott Wilkinson and Johnny Jet Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2032 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsor: cachefly.com/twit

Leo and Mikah tackle a wide range of tech questions from viewers, covering everything from backup strategies to AI's impact on creativity. The hosts are joined by the Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson, who shares an impressive DIY home theater, and travel expert Johnny Jet with essential tips for renewing your passport online and staying cool while traveling in Europe. Don't miss Leo and Mikah's thought-provoking discussion on the future of AI and human creativity! Google research paper suggests AI "breaking reality" is a feature, not a bug. The team discusses the implications. Mathematicians discover the fifth "busy beaver" number after 40 years. Leo attempts to explain this computational math milestone. Cloudflare launches tool to block AI bots from scraping websites, as 85% of Cloudflare customers want to block AI. Saudi Arabia aims to be the eSports capital of the world with a $60 million prize pool. Martin asks for advice on replacing his Drobo Mini for backing up 8 family members' computers. Leo and Mikah recommend using a NAS for network backups, Time Machine for local backups, and cloud services like Backblaze for offsite backup. Richard wonders if he needs to convert his hard drives from NTFS to APFS when moving from Windows to Mac for his large video collection. The hosts explain NTFS works fine on Mac and recommend using a Synology NAS with Plex as a centralized media server. Jeremy wants to set up cloud backup with versioning for his daughter's MacBook before she heads to college. Mikah suggests using Time Machine locally and Backblaze for cloud backup. The Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson showcases an impressive DIY basement home theater built for under $24K. Jim, a movie sound professional, is looking for a Windows word processor that can handle his 2000+ page book with many illustrations. The hosts caution against trying to run macOS on a PC and recommend trying LibreOffice. Matthew asks if using the Google Photos app on iPhone will create duplicates. Mikah doesn't think so but suggests running a short test. Graham wants to play Apple Podcasts on his Google Nest speakers. Leo recommends using Spotify instead since it's supported by Google speakers. Hans, a multimedia artist, shares a fascinating discussion with Leo and Mikah about AI's impact on creative jobs. While some see AI as a threat, Hans embraces it as a tool to enhance creativity. Paul troubleshoots an issue where he's not getting play-by-play audio on certain sports streams through his TV speakers, but it works through his soundbar. The hosts suggest it's likely an encoding compatibility issue with his TV. Johnny Jet shares his unfortunate tale of catching hand, foot and mouth disease right before a big trip to Europe. He offers tips on travel insurance, the risks of posting your info publicly, and renewing your passport online. Vidak from Montenegro is experiencing audio cut-outs when using his Focusrite Scarlett audio interface with his M2 MacBook Pro. Mikah suspects a software conflict and suggests troubleshooting steps to isolate the issue. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Scott Wilkinson and Johnny Jet Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2032 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsor: cachefly.com/twit

Leo and Mikah tackle a wide range of tech questions from viewers, covering everything from backup strategies to AI's impact on creativity. The hosts are joined by the Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson, who shares an impressive DIY home theater, and travel expert Johnny Jet with essential tips for renewing your passport online and staying cool while traveling in Europe. Don't miss Leo and Mikah's thought-provoking discussion on the future of AI and human creativity! Google research paper suggests AI "breaking reality" is a feature, not a bug. The team discusses the implications. Mathematicians discover the fifth "busy beaver" number after 40 years. Leo attempts to explain this computational math milestone. Cloudflare launches tool to block AI bots from scraping websites, as 85% of Cloudflare customers want to block AI. Saudi Arabia aims to be the eSports capital of the world with a $60 million prize pool. Martin asks for advice on replacing his Drobo Mini for backing up 8 family members' computers. Leo and Mikah recommend using a NAS for network backups, Time Machine for local backups, and cloud services like Backblaze for offsite backup. Richard wonders if he needs to convert his hard drives from NTFS to APFS when moving from Windows to Mac for his large video collection. The hosts explain NTFS works fine on Mac and recommend using a Synology NAS with Plex as a centralized media server. Jeremy wants to set up cloud backup with versioning for his daughter's MacBook before she heads to college. Mikah suggests using Time Machine locally and Backblaze for cloud backup. The Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson showcases an impressive DIY basement home theater built for under $24K. Jim, a movie sound professional, is looking for a Windows word processor that can handle his 2000+ page book with many illustrations. The hosts caution against trying to run macOS on a PC and recommend trying LibreOffice. Matthew asks if using the Google Photos app on iPhone will create duplicates. Mikah doesn't think so but suggests running a short test. Graham wants to play Apple Podcasts on his Google Nest speakers. Leo recommends using Spotify instead since it's supported by Google speakers. Hans, a multimedia artist, shares a fascinating discussion with Leo and Mikah about AI's impact on creative jobs. While some see AI as a threat, Hans embraces it as a tool to enhance creativity. Paul troubleshoots an issue where he's not getting play-by-play audio on certain sports streams through his TV speakers, but it works through his soundbar. The hosts suggest it's likely an encoding compatibility issue with his TV. Johnny Jet shares his unfortunate tale of catching hand, foot and mouth disease right before a big trip to Europe. He offers tips on travel insurance, the risks of posting your info publicly, and renewing your passport online. Vidak from Montenegro is experiencing audio cut-outs when using his Focusrite Scarlett audio interface with his M2 MacBook Pro. Mikah suspects a software conflict and suggests troubleshooting steps to isolate the issue. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Scott Wilkinson and Johnny Jet Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2032 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/all-twittv-shows Sponsor: cachefly.com/twit

Leo and Mikah tackle a wide range of tech questions from viewers, covering everything from backup strategies to AI's impact on creativity. The hosts are joined by the Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson, who shares an impressive DIY home theater, and travel expert Johnny Jet with essential tips for renewing your passport online and staying cool while traveling in Europe. Don't miss Leo and Mikah's thought-provoking discussion on the future of AI and human creativity! Google research paper suggests AI "breaking reality" is a feature, not a bug. The team discusses the implications. Mathematicians discover the fifth "busy beaver" number after 40 years. Leo attempts to explain this computational math milestone. Cloudflare launches tool to block AI bots from scraping websites, as 85% of Cloudflare customers want to block AI. Saudi Arabia aims to be the eSports capital of the world with a $60 million prize pool. Martin asks for advice on replacing his Drobo Mini for backing up 8 family members' computers. Leo and Mikah recommend using a NAS for network backups, Time Machine for local backups, and cloud services like Backblaze for offsite backup. Richard wonders if he needs to convert his hard drives from NTFS to APFS when moving from Windows to Mac for his large video collection. The hosts explain NTFS works fine on Mac and recommend using a Synology NAS with Plex as a centralized media server. Jeremy wants to set up cloud backup with versioning for his daughter's MacBook before she heads to college. Mikah suggests using Time Machine locally and Backblaze for cloud backup. The Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson showcases an impressive DIY basement home theater built for under $24K. Jim, a movie sound professional, is looking for a Windows word processor that can handle his 2000+ page book with many illustrations. The hosts caution against trying to run macOS on a PC and recommend trying LibreOffice. Matthew asks if using the Google Photos app on iPhone will create duplicates. Mikah doesn't think so but suggests running a short test. Graham wants to play Apple Podcasts on his Google Nest speakers. Leo recommends using Spotify instead since it's supported by Google speakers. Hans, a multimedia artist, shares a fascinating discussion with Leo and Mikah about AI's impact on creative jobs. While some see AI as a threat, Hans embraces it as a tool to enhance creativity. Paul troubleshoots an issue where he's not getting play-by-play audio on certain sports streams through his TV speakers, but it works through his soundbar. The hosts suggest it's likely an encoding compatibility issue with his TV. Johnny Jet shares his unfortunate tale of catching hand, foot and mouth disease right before a big trip to Europe. He offers tips on travel insurance, the risks of posting your info publicly, and renewing your passport online. Vidak from Montenegro is experiencing audio cut-outs when using his Focusrite Scarlett audio interface with his M2 MacBook Pro. Mikah suspects a software conflict and suggests troubleshooting steps to isolate the issue. Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Scott Wilkinson and Johnny Jet Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2032 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-leo Sponsor: cachefly.com/twit

This week, our predictions for the “Let Loose” iPad keynote on Tuesday! Also, some last-minute rumors of an M4 chip, alternate app stores are officially coming to iPad too, and new iOS 18 features! This episode supported by: Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com . Backblaze offers unlimited cloud backups for Macs, PCs and businesses for just $99 a year. Access your data from anywhere in the world. Get a fully-featured no-risk free trial at Backblaze.com/CultCast . CultCloth will keep your Mac Studio, Studio Display, iPhone 15 Pro, guitars, glasses and lenses sparkling clean! For a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a two free CarryCloths with any order $20+ at CultCloth.co This week's stories: Upcoming OLED iPad Pro might feature next-gen M4 chip Apple's upcoming OLED iPad Pro reportedly will begin the company's shift into AI hardware. The new tablets could sport the next-gen M4 chip to power all the AI features. EU labeling iPad a ‘gatekeeper' will bring major changes to iPadOS The iPad joined the European Union's list of “gatekeeper” platforms Monday. The designation requires Apple to make the same sorts of sweeping changes to iPadOS that the company already made to iPhone, including allowing sideloading of applications. iOS 18 might revamp many built-in iPhone apps Apple could upgrade many of iPhone's built-in apps with iOS 18 later this year. Reportedly, this includes Notes, Mail, Photos, and Fitness. AppleInsider: Apple's iOS 18 to streamline task management with unified events and reminders iPhone charger with built-in battery pack looks totally sci-fi How many times have you rushed out the door with a battery pack for your iPhone, only to discover the battery is dead as a doornail? SwitchEasy's 2-in-1 Portal solves that. This stylish MagSafe battery pack stand includes a portable power pack that is always charged and ready to go. The CultCast ‘Let Loose' Predictions For the first time in 2024, The CultCast prediction game is here as we lay down our judgements on next week's “Let Loose” iPad event. Listener score sheet

TikTok will be banned within the U.S. in nine months unless Bytedance divests, but now the government may be seeking to ban another popular Chinese product within the country. Why are a caller's photo uploads to Instagram failing? How can I get Siri to stop bringing up duplicate contacts when using it? Plus, Dick DeBartolo brings some exciting gadgets to the show, and Chris Marquardt goes over the Power photo assignment! Banning TikTok just puts a Band-Aid over social media's problems. Many people say their Apple IDs were inexplicably reset last night. A Chinese firm Is America's favorite drone maker. Except in Washington. With YouTube booming, podcast creators get camera-ready. What off-site backup options do Leo and Mikah like the most? Troubleshooting why a sound bar is no longer connecting to a caller's WiFi network automatically. Dick DeBartolo and the semi-smart lightbulb. Why are my photos failing to upload to Instagram? Is there an app that can allow me to send the same pre-recorded voicemail to those that I call? How can I get Siri to stop bringing up multiple instances of one contact when using the digital assistant? Is there a way to securely open JPGs within BItwarden without re-downloading it or opening the image externally? Why is my iPhone 11 unable to connect to my printer? Chris Marquardt and the Powerful assignment review. Why is the quality of my audio so poor when streaming through Xfinity? Is it time to upgrade my Intel iMac to the most recent Mac mini? Should I wait for Apple to refresh the Mac minis later this year? Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent Guests: Dick DeBartolo and Chris Marquardt Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2022 Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys Sponsor: mylio.com/TWIT25

This week: Forget a car — Apple thinks personal home robots are their next big thing. Plus: iPhone 16 leaks, what comes next for the M3, a big new feature lands on Vision Pro, and our solar eclipse stories and photo tips! This episode supported by: Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com . And if you would like to leave The CultClub, you can do so at unfork.thecultcast.com . Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/CultCast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Backblaze offers unlimited cloud backups for Macs, PCs and businesses for just $99 a year. Access your data from anywhere in the world. Get a fully-featured no-risk free trial at Backblaze.com/CultCast . This week's stories: With car junked, Apple robots could be Cupertino's next moonshot Teams in Cupertino are working on Apple personal home robotic devices, including a mobile robot and a table-top device with a moving display, according to a new report. iPhone 16 ‘dummy' units give us glimpse of upcoming changes Images of iPhone 16 “dummy” units have been published by a tipster with an established record. They show the redesigned camera hump reportedly coming to the two non-Pro models and other changes. New iPads won't arrive until May and we can't stop crying No new iPad models came out in 2023 at all, and the tablet drought continues. That's why there's so much excitement about the upcoming Pro and Air models. Redesign could give Apple M3 Ultra processor wicked performance boost Apple's in the process of restructuring their Apple Silicon lineup. M3 Max no longer comes with the UltraFusion interconnect. This means that the M3 Ultra chip will be redesigned as its own standalone chip, no longer being made up of 2x Max dies. Free-floating Spatial Personas arrive in visionOS 1.1 for Vision Pro Apple has made Spatial Personas, a more lifelike enhancement of the Persona feature for the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, available in the visionOS 1.1 update which came Tuesday. How to take solar eclipse photos with iPhone Photographing the solar eclipse is hard without the right tools. Here's how you can get prepared. YouTube video

This week, breaking news! The US launches huge lawsuit against Apple. Also, Apple AI might be powered by Google Gemini, all the details on AirPods 4, Epic's new game store, and a MUCH cheaper Vision headset! This episode supported by: Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com . Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/CultCast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. BetterHelp. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist, entirely online. Visit BetterHelp.com/CultCast to get 10% off your first month. Backblaze offers unlimited cloud backups for Macs, PCs and businesses for just $99 a year. Access your data from anywhere in the world. Get a fully-featured no-risk free trial at Backblaze.com/CultCast . This week's stories: Get ready for ‘the biggest AirPods launch to date' Apple could launch the AirPods 4 in two flavors later this year: one with ANC and another without. Alongside updated internals, the new earbuds purportedly will sport a sleeker new design. Blockbuster US antitrust lawsuit targets Apple's ‘iPhone monopoly' The Department of Justice and 16 state attorneys general filed an antitrust lawsuit Thursday aimed at forcing Apple to open up many aspects of its ecosystem, from the App Store to Apple Watch. Extra Ordinary: Apple's Platform Advantage iOS 18's generative AI features might use Google Gemini Apple could use Google Gemini to power the generative AI features reportedly coming this year in iOS 18. Apple and Google are reportedly in “active negotiations” about the possibility, but have not yet finalized a deal. iPhone 17's display could get a big anti-reflective upgrade A new rumor says that the 2025 iPhone might feature a “super-hard anti-reflective layer,” which is also more scratch-resistant. MacRumors: Epic Games to Charge 12% Fee for App Sales From Alternative iPhone Store Epic Games in February said that it would launch an Epic Games Store on the iPhone in the European Union. For games distributed through the Epic Games Store, Epic will collect a 12 percent share of revenue, which is the same fee that it charges on Windows and Mac machines. Tomsguide: Apple reportedly ‘accelerating' entry-level Vision Pro — and it could cost $2,000 less Apple is aiming to cut the cost of the Apple Vision Pro from $3,500 down to as low as $1,500, according to a new report. How? Apple's apparently going back to the drawing board when it comes to one of the headset's most expensive components: its two 4K micro-OLED displays.

This week, Apple dropped the M3 MacBook Air, and the specs look good! But where’s the iPad? Also, we have details on the CRAZY canceled Apple car prototypes and a folding MacBook that’s still in development, Apple’s $2 BILLION dollar legal fight with Spotify, and new features you’ll get in iOS 17.4! This episode supported by: Listeners like you. Your support helps us fund CultCast Off-Topic, a new weekly podcast of bonus content available for everyone; and helps us secure the future of the podcast. You also get access to The CultClub Discord, where you can chat with us all week long, give us show topics, and even end up on the show. Support The CultCast at support.thecultcast.com — OR at CultOf9to5MacRumors.com . Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/CultCast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Backblaze offers unlimited cloud backups for Macs, PCs and businesses for just $99 a year. Access your data from anywhere in the world. Get a fully-featured no-risk free trial at Backblaze.com/CultCast . This week’s stories: New M3 MacBook Air gets big specs boost with same awesome battery life The 2024 MacBook Air lineup launched Monday by Apple runs on the company’s M3 chip, bringing a significant performance boost to the laptop. Early benchmarks show M3 chip gives MacBook Air hefty performance boost Early benchmark scores found by mysmartprice show that the new Air scored 12,020 on the Geekbench multicore test. That’s 25% better than the M2-based MacBook Air earned on the same test, and 45% better than the M1 version from 2020. MacBook with 20-inch folding screen still on track for release The product has been on the drawing board for quite some time, but isn’t scheduled for release until 2027. The (cancelled) Microsoft Surface Neo How indecision and hubris killed the Apple car The history of the Apple car is littered with wild prototypes, astonishing hubris and a deadly dose of crippling indecision, according to a damning report that offers the best picture yet of the secretive Project Titan. Get ready for new MacBooks and iPads at Apple March event Another product we can expect in the pipeline is the OLED iPad Pro and the first 12.9-inch iPad Air. EU fines Apple 1.8 billion euros over ‘abusive’ treatment of Spotify The European Commission fined Apple more than 1.8 billion euros Monday for “abusing its dominant position on the market for the distribution of music streaming apps.†Apple calls Epic Games ‘untrustworthy,’ blocks Fortnite rerelease in EU Try these exciting iOS 17.4 features on your iPhone now Apple just dropped iOS 17.4, bringing a plethora of new features — some of which fundamentally change how the iPhone works. Monarch: Budget and track money