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Is shadow AI quietly creating risk inside your business?

The Minions made a Wi-Fi router — and somehow it's actually good. Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar are back for AwesomeCast 798 with a wonderfully strange collection of tech, gaming, nostalgia and Pittsburgh stories. Sorg discovers Solitaire Alone Together, a browser experience that recreates Windows 98-era Solitaire while letting you watch people around the world play alongside you. Katie unboxes an adorable Optimus Prime from Symbiote Studios and gets excited about an upcoming Grimlock puppet. Dave recaps completing both the 5K and 10K at Pittsburgh's Great Race and celebrates the runners who have participated since the event began. Plus: Castlevania celebrates 40 years, Call of Duty experiments with turning off goofy skins, Microsoft continues reshaping Xbox, Wendy's releases an actual emo album, Pizza Hut teams with Little Free Library, the crew talks about the future of U.S. astronaut transportation, and a viral Minions Wi-Fi 6E router turns out to have surprisingly serious hardware. It's nostalgia, gadgets, gaming, Pittsburgh and the wonderfully weird side of technology on AwesomeCast 798.

The Minions made a Wi-Fi router — and somehow it's actually good. Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar are back for AwesomeCast 798 with a wonderfully strange collection of tech, gaming, nostalgia and Pittsburgh stories. Sorg discovers Solitaire Alone Together, a browser experience that recreates Windows 98-era Solitaire while letting you watch people around the world play alongside you. Katie unboxes an adorable Optimus Prime from Symbiote Studios and gets excited about an upcoming Grimlock puppet. Dave recaps completing both the 5K and 10K at Pittsburgh's Great Race and celebrates the runners who have participated since the event began. Plus: Castlevania celebrates 40 years, Call of Duty experiments with turning off goofy skins, Microsoft continues reshaping Xbox, Wendy's releases an actual emo album, Pizza Hut teams with Little Free Library, the crew talks about the future of U.S. astronaut transportation, and a viral Minions Wi-Fi 6E router turns out to have surprisingly serious hardware. It's nostalgia, gadgets, gaming, Pittsburgh and the wonderfully weird side of technology on AwesomeCast 798.

Sorg and Dave Podnar dive into Apple Shortcuts' increasingly powerful automation tools, including a shortcut that can generate Instagram captions and hashtags from a photo and prepare the post for sharing. Then Sorg brings stories back from California: a visit to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pizzeria in Santa Monica, a wild experience aboard Universal Studios Hollywood's new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster, and a useful Nissan Rogue CarPlay setup that let him run Waze and Apple Maps at the same time. The crew also celebrates astronaut Ellen Ochoa and her Barbie tribute, discusses a $1.5 million Haas Foundation commitment to SAE University Programs, reacts to the incredible Street Fighter Guile popcorn hat, and gets into the growing problem of low-effort AI graphics appearing everywhere from small businesses to major corporations. Show Notes Apple Shortcuts automation demo: https://youtu.be/cKg04R2hMxk?is=wQoUs9u6GvQSZvDO Dave's Instagram shortcut: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/2a97e0b460d44bbdae0e035f495c0ba2 TMNT Pizzeria: https://tmntpizzeriala.com/pages/locations Sorg's TMNT Pizzeria video: https://www.tiktok.com/@sorgatron/video/7688173127259458829 Ellen Ochoa: https://depauliaonline.com/79461/artslife/ellen-ochoa-lifts-off-on-her-fifth-space-flight-this-time-in-barbie-form/ https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/05/03/ellen-ochoa-sdsu-graduate-and-first-latina-to-travel-in-space-awarded-presidential-medal-of-freedom/ CarPlay multitasking: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10176102977150724&set=gm.28688724114056113&idorvanity=323401861015051 2027 Haas registration information: https://fullsight.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CMPRGSPRT/pages/2384789512/2027+HAAS+Registration Guile popcorn hat: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1558537736313992&set=pcb.1558537776313988 Support AwesomeCast at https://www.patreon.com/AwesomeCast.

Sorg and Dave Podnar dive into Apple Shortcuts' increasingly powerful automation tools, including a shortcut that can generate Instagram captions and hashtags from a photo and prepare the post for sharing. Then Sorg brings stories back from California: a visit to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pizzeria in Santa Monica, a wild experience aboard Universal Studios Hollywood's new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster, and a useful Nissan Rogue CarPlay setup that let him run Waze and Apple Maps at the same time. The crew also celebrates astronaut Ellen Ochoa and her Barbie tribute, discusses a $1.5 million Haas Foundation commitment to SAE University Programs, reacts to the incredible Street Fighter Guile popcorn hat, and gets into the growing problem of low-effort AI graphics appearing everywhere from small businesses to major corporations. Show Notes Apple Shortcuts automation demo: https://youtu.be/cKg04R2hMxk?is=wQoUs9u6GvQSZvDO Dave's Instagram shortcut: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/2a97e0b460d44bbdae0e035f495c0ba2 TMNT Pizzeria: https://tmntpizzeriala.com/pages/locations Sorg's TMNT Pizzeria video: https://www.tiktok.com/@sorgatron/video/7688173127259458829 Ellen Ochoa: https://depauliaonline.com/79461/artslife/ellen-ochoa-lifts-off-on-her-fifth-space-flight-this-time-in-barbie-form/ https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/05/03/ellen-ochoa-sdsu-graduate-and-first-latina-to-travel-in-space-awarded-presidential-medal-of-freedom/ CarPlay multitasking: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10176102977150724&set=gm.28688724114056113&idorvanity=323401861015051 2027 Haas registration information: https://fullsight.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CMPRGSPRT/pages/2384789512/2027+HAAS+Registration Guile popcorn hat: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1558537736313992&set=pcb.1558537776313988 Support AwesomeCast at https://www.patreon.com/AwesomeCast.

The agentic era of software engineering began almost a year ago. And while much has changed in 2026, there's still a lot that hasn't been settled. One of the most important issues is how teams should collaborate. The idea of working with a spec may have considerable allure, but many questions remain: How should it be defined? Who owns it? How do we iterate with it? The fear of retreating back into waterfall is very real and requires vigilance. On this episode of the Technology Podcast, hosts Ken Mugrage and Caer Sanders are joined by former Thoughtworkers Cassie Shum (formerly VP of Ecosystem and Product Engineering at RelationalAI) and Tim Cochran (recently a Principal at AWS) to discuss their new company Praxa Inc., a venture shaped by the industry's need to rethink the way we collaborate and structure our work in a world of AI agents. They discuss today's challenges, how software engineering is changing and how Praxa can help organizations navigate this period of evolution. Learn more about Praxa: https://teaser.getpraxa.ai/

Apple finally gave the tech world its foldable iPhone, and the biggest question on AwesomeCast 796 isn't whether it looks impressive. It's whether anyone needs a $1,999 phone. Sorg, Katie Dudas and Dave Podnar spend this week's episode looking at where Apple is going next, while also catching up on Nintendo, MapQuest, Pittsburgh technology and some unusually revealing internet analytics. Siri Gets Smarter — Eventually Dave upgraded to iOS 27 and came away impressed with its speed and stability, but the headline Siri AI features come with a catch: there's a waitlist. Apple's rollout includes a more capable Siri experience, improved Visual Intelligence and upgrades to Image Playground. Sorg, who had access earlier through the beta process, says Siri already appears better at understanding spoken requests and answering questions without immediately handing everything off elsewhere. More on the Siri AI rollout: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/15/ios-27-siri-ai-has-waitlist-how-to-join/ Apple's $1,999 Foldable Experiment Then there's the iPhone Duo. The foldable became one of the episode's biggest discussions after an unlikely piece of analytics showed just how much attention Apple's announcement received: Pornhub reported a significant traffic drop when Apple revealed the device. https://mashable.com/life/pornhub-apple-event-viewers-dropped-iphone-duo Beyond the jokes, there are intriguing ideas here. Apple is using matching aspect ratios between the outside and inside displays, potentially making life easier for developers. The larger format opens up interesting multitasking possibilities, and the crew sees potential for business users, presenters and some creators. The problem is impossible to ignore: $1,999 is a lot of money for a phone. Katie compares the experience to having a dual-monitor setup in your pocket but struggles to get past the cost. Sorg sees the Duo more as Apple's latest first-generation experiment — something that may eventually trickle down into less expensive devices after early adopters figure out what the form factor is actually good for. Apple Watch Solves the “What Did They Just Say?” Problem A smaller Apple announcement may prove more immediately useful. The crew discusses an Apple Watch listening feature that can help recover something you recently heard. The example involved replaying information like restaurant specials, but Sorg immediately saw a production use for it: remembering instructions received in a noisy event environment. Sometimes the best technology feature isn't spectacular. It simply fixes a small problem that happens constantly. Nintendo Looks Back — and Forward Chachi's Video Game Minute brings an update on the White House Tetris-style game, which has now been removed. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2026/09/08/white-house-removes-controversial-tetris-style-game-from-arcade-website/ Nintendo also showed gameplay for the Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, scheduled for November 5. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-shares-the-first-gameplay-and-release-date-for-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-remake/ Sorg continues the Nintendo discussion with Mario Kart World's newly accessible recreations of classic Super Nintendo tracks and a new Metroid announcement. Mario Kart update: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1711610297636885&set=gm.2640543926409864&idorvanity=234524630345151 Nintendo Direct roundup: https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-direct-september-2026-live-report-all-the-announcements-as-they-happen?utm_source=campaigner&utm_campaign=NL_FIX_Sep_09_2026&cmp=1&utm_medium=email&Ictg=46311792229 The larger question is whether Nintendo is leaning too heavily on remakes — even as genuinely new games continue arriving beside them. MapQuest Wins With Whimsy MapQuest's unexpected comeback continues, powered partly by something its bigger competitors often lack: personality. Katie introduces two more Questies — Corgi and Black Cat — along with Rufus, the dog who inspired the Corgi design, and the upcoming Jimothy character. Future MapQuest updates are also expected to include CarPlay, Android Auto and transit improvements. Corgi and Black Cat: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdNtRdGFMqk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Rufus: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdP_UXVG4bp/?img_index=2 Jimothy: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdUwv6mp_yC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== It's a reminder that a challenger brand doesn't always have to beat Google on pure scale. Sometimes giving people a reason to care about the product is enough to get another look. From CAPTCHA to Duolingo For Hispanic Heritage Month, Dave's Awesome History segment highlights Luis von Ahn. Von Ahn came from Guatemala to Carnegie Mellon, became one of the researchers behind CAPTCHA and later co-founded Duolingo. The discussion expands into the importance of university research and how work that begins without an obvious commercial product can eventually become foundational technology. https://www.invent.org/inductees/luis-von-ahn Wrestling in a Military Hangar Sorg's Awesome Thing of the Week comes from a very different kind of technology production. The Sidekick Media crew helped capture Prospect Pro Wrestling's “Banger in the Hangar” at the 911th Air Wing. Wrestlers entered through a huge cargo aircraft, Stormtroopers showed up, the Pirate Parrot got involved, and the production took place inside an enormous working hangar. Watch the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kqJY33amJ0 It is another episode that jumps from smartphones and video games to Pittsburgh production stories — exactly the kind of wonderfully strange technology mix AwesomeCast was built for. Support AwesomeCast at Patreon.com/AwesomeCast and find more shows at www.SorgatronMedia.com.

Apple finally gave the tech world its foldable iPhone, and the biggest question on AwesomeCast 796 isn't whether it looks impressive. It's whether anyone needs a $1,999 phone. Sorg, Katie Dudas and Dave Podnar spend this week's episode looking at where Apple is going next, while also catching up on Nintendo, MapQuest, Pittsburgh technology and some unusually revealing internet analytics. Siri Gets Smarter — Eventually Dave upgraded to iOS 27 and came away impressed with its speed and stability, but the headline Siri AI features come with a catch: there's a waitlist. Apple's rollout includes a more capable Siri experience, improved Visual Intelligence and upgrades to Image Playground. Sorg, who had access earlier through the beta process, says Siri already appears better at understanding spoken requests and answering questions without immediately handing everything off elsewhere. More on the Siri AI rollout: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/15/ios-27-siri-ai-has-waitlist-how-to-join/ Apple's $1,999 Foldable Experiment Then there's the iPhone Duo. The foldable became one of the episode's biggest discussions after an unlikely piece of analytics showed just how much attention Apple's announcement received: Pornhub reported a significant traffic drop when Apple revealed the device. https://mashable.com/life/pornhub-apple-event-viewers-dropped-iphone-duo Beyond the jokes, there are intriguing ideas here. Apple is using matching aspect ratios between the outside and inside displays, potentially making life easier for developers. The larger format opens up interesting multitasking possibilities, and the crew sees potential for business users, presenters and some creators. The problem is impossible to ignore: $1,999 is a lot of money for a phone. Katie compares the experience to having a dual-monitor setup in your pocket but struggles to get past the cost. Sorg sees the Duo more as Apple's latest first-generation experiment — something that may eventually trickle down into less expensive devices after early adopters figure out what the form factor is actually good for. Apple Watch Solves the “What Did They Just Say?” Problem A smaller Apple announcement may prove more immediately useful. The crew discusses an Apple Watch listening feature that can help recover something you recently heard. The example involved replaying information like restaurant specials, but Sorg immediately saw a production use for it: remembering instructions received in a noisy event environment. Sometimes the best technology feature isn't spectacular. It simply fixes a small problem that happens constantly. Nintendo Looks Back — and Forward Chachi's Video Game Minute brings an update on the White House Tetris-style game, which has now been removed. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2026/09/08/white-house-removes-controversial-tetris-style-game-from-arcade-website/ Nintendo also showed gameplay for the Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, scheduled for November 5. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-shares-the-first-gameplay-and-release-date-for-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-remake/ Sorg continues the Nintendo discussion with Mario Kart World's newly accessible recreations of classic Super Nintendo tracks and a new Metroid announcement. Mario Kart update: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1711610297636885&set=gm.2640543926409864&idorvanity=234524630345151 Nintendo Direct roundup: https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-direct-september-2026-live-report-all-the-announcements-as-they-happen?utm_source=campaigner&utm_campaign=NL_FIX_Sep_09_2026&cmp=1&utm_medium=email&Ictg=46311792229 The larger question is whether Nintendo is leaning too heavily on remakes — even as genuinely new games continue arriving beside them. MapQuest Wins With Whimsy MapQuest's unexpected comeback continues, powered partly by something its bigger competitors often lack: personality. Katie introduces two more Questies — Corgi and Black Cat — along with Rufus, the dog who inspired the Corgi design, and the upcoming Jimothy character. Future MapQuest updates are also expected to include CarPlay, Android Auto and transit improvements. Corgi and Black Cat: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdNtRdGFMqk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Rufus: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdP_UXVG4bp/?img_index=2 Jimothy: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdUwv6mp_yC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== It's a reminder that a challenger brand doesn't always have to beat Google on pure scale. Sometimes giving people a reason to care about the product is enough to get another look. From CAPTCHA to Duolingo For Hispanic Heritage Month, Dave's Awesome History segment highlights Luis von Ahn. Von Ahn came from Guatemala to Carnegie Mellon, became one of the researchers behind CAPTCHA and later co-founded Duolingo. The discussion expands into the importance of university research and how work that begins without an obvious commercial product can eventually become foundational technology. https://www.invent.org/inductees/luis-von-ahn Wrestling in a Military Hangar Sorg's Awesome Thing of the Week comes from a very different kind of technology production. The Sidekick Media crew helped capture Prospect Pro Wrestling's “Banger in the Hangar” at the 911th Air Wing. Wrestlers entered through a huge cargo aircraft, Stormtroopers showed up, the Pirate Parrot got involved, and the production took place inside an enormous working hangar. Watch the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kqJY33amJ0 It is another episode that jumps from smartphones and video games to Pittsburgh production stories — exactly the kind of wonderfully strange technology mix AwesomeCast was built for. Support AwesomeCast at Patreon.com/AwesomeCast and find more shows at www.SorgatronMedia.com.

Episode Summary:Will and Brandt try to get through a whole episode without saying the two letters. What's your over-under on how far they got? Along the way: Will's new NDI camera rig, Apple's ten-thousand-dollar Mac Minis and a rumored rack-mount server, why local hosting keeps swinging back to the cloud, and Brandt's morning brief that grew from a chat message into a checkbox web page.Discussions Include:• Will's NDI camera overhaul, from a $200 encoder box to auto-tracking PTZ gimbals that occasionally zoom out on their own• Apple's $10K Mac Mini configurations, the rumored rack-mount Mac server, and model companies ordering them by the thousand• The expansion-and-contraction cycle of local versus cloud, from self-hosted email servers to running your own models• Buzz, Block's "Slack for agents," and why one master agent isn't enough once you're running several at once• Brandt's daily brief evolving from a chat message into a full HTML page with checkboxesQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):     "It's refreshing to talk about something that's technology based that doesn't have two letters in it." - Brandt Krueger     "Whenever I get frustrated with something in software, I now ask myself: can I just build it?" - Will Curran     "It would back up, go full speed to the point where it would pop a wheelie, and then ram itself into your furniture at full speed." - Brandt Krueger     "AI has definitely made us more organized and more productive. But then why do people feel as burnt out as they did when we didn't have this technology?" - Will CurranThing of the Episode (TOTE):     Brandt: Roborock QV 35A - https://us.roborock.com/products/roborock-qv-35a     Will: Cronometer - https://cronometer.com

AI, privacy, digital footprints, and trust take center stage as Walter Harrison explains the hidden data economy, while Dave reflects on 9/11, voting, and political fatigue.

We all know AI models are getting better at finding software vulnerabilities. But can they fix them without creating new problems? In this episode, Wade sits down with Keith Hoodlet, 1Password's Director of Security Research, to discuss new findings from Off-by-1 Labs. Plus, how quickly does good cybersecurity start saving you money?

Xbox cloud gaming limits are changing Sorg's living-room setup, MapQuest is turning navigation into a pixel-art adventure, and a rooster alarm app wants you to work for your snooze button. On AwesomeCast 795, Michael Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore gaming news, gadgets, apps, and geek culture from Pittsburgh. • Xbox Cloud Gaming limits: Sorg explains why he moved his Xbox Series S back downstairs. The hosts discuss the impact of monthly streaming allowances on long games and cloud-focused devices, plus a follow-up on Xbox's disc-to-digital licensing preview. https://www.ign.com/articles/microsoft-announces-big-changes-to-xbox-cloud-gaming-switches-to-monthly-hour-limits • Next-generation Xbox affordability: An interview about Project Helix sparks a conversation about efficiency, console prices, PC game compatibility, and unanswered disc-drive questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txuYKwrbq1M • Retro cartridges on modern computers: Sorg discovers Epilogue's GB Operator and SN Operator. The discussion covers playing existing Game Boy and Super Nintendo collections, preserving cartridge saves, and a Game Boy Camera connection. https://apple.news/A9oaGgCU0QpqcvQLP7ttlKQ • MapQuest's 8-bit personality: Katie shares her experience with pixel-style maps, Questies character avatars, playful navigation voices, CarPlay, and live radio. • Star Trek at 60: Dave reflects on the franchise's cultural impact, diverse vision of the future, and connections to real-world technology, from communicators to tablet-like PADDs. • John Snow and disease mapping: Dave's Awesome History explores the Broad Street cholera outbreak and connects historical mapping with modern wastewater surveillance and community preparedness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1854_Broad_Street_cholera_outbreak • Panic's tariff refunds: ChachiSays covers the Playdate company's decision to return tariff charges to customers. https://www.al.com/news/2026/08/tariff-refunds-sent-to-video-game-customers-not-our-money.html • The Tetris Company responds: Chachi discusses the company's statement about a Tetris-like game on the White House website. https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/tetris-company-trump-white-house-build-the-wall-game-copyright-1236851993/ • Zelda anniversary reactions: Sorg discusses the presentation's movie reveal, music-tour news, and Ocarina of Time remake footage. The hosts weigh remake pricing, revisit Nintendo memories, and talk Twilight Princess, Star Fox, and Super Mario Sunshine. https://www.theverge.com/games/991265/the-legend-of-zelda-40th-anniversary-direct • Street Fighter 6 meets the movies: Movie-actor challenger screens, including Roman Reigns as Akuma, spark excitement and memories of Street Fighter's earlier film and game crossover. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1755856245623451 • Snoopy at Starbucks: Katie highlights Great Pumpkin-inspired Peanuts merchandise, including mugs, travel cups, bags, and pins. https://about.starbucks.com/stories/2026/starbucks-and-peanuts-celebrate-fall-with-a-global-merch-collection-inspired-by-the-great-pumpkin/ • Dungeon Crawler Carl LEGO Ideas: Two fan proposals bring Carl, Princess Donut, and friends into brick form. The hosts explore a dungeon scene and larger character builds seeking community support. https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/eb3c3057-8646-45b4-86ba-dfc08ba7e7e8 https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/6e47b028-7cba-48bc-81d9-a1461bdd4d08 • Clucky's demanding wake-up call: Sorg sets up a rooster alarm app with snooze challenges, samples its loud sounds, and chooses a tilt-game mission. Katie explains how the app turns getting out of bed into an interactive routine. https://tryclucky.com Plus, Dave shares his Steelers 5K experience, and the hosts bring their usual mix of hands-on discoveries, gaming opinions, and Pittsburgh personality.

Xbox cloud gaming limits are changing Sorg's living-room setup, MapQuest is turning navigation into a pixel-art adventure, and a rooster alarm app wants you to work for your snooze button. On AwesomeCast 795, Michael Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore gaming news, gadgets, apps, and geek culture from Pittsburgh. • Xbox Cloud Gaming limits: Sorg explains why he moved his Xbox Series S back downstairs. The hosts discuss the impact of monthly streaming allowances on long games and cloud-focused devices, plus a follow-up on Xbox's disc-to-digital licensing preview. https://www.ign.com/articles/microsoft-announces-big-changes-to-xbox-cloud-gaming-switches-to-monthly-hour-limits • Next-generation Xbox affordability: An interview about Project Helix sparks a conversation about efficiency, console prices, PC game compatibility, and unanswered disc-drive questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txuYKwrbq1M • Retro cartridges on modern computers: Sorg discovers Epilogue's GB Operator and SN Operator. The discussion covers playing existing Game Boy and Super Nintendo collections, preserving cartridge saves, and a Game Boy Camera connection. https://apple.news/A9oaGgCU0QpqcvQLP7ttlKQ • MapQuest's 8-bit personality: Katie shares her experience with pixel-style maps, Questies character avatars, playful navigation voices, CarPlay, and live radio. • Star Trek at 60: Dave reflects on the franchise's cultural impact, diverse vision of the future, and connections to real-world technology, from communicators to tablet-like PADDs. • John Snow and disease mapping: Dave's Awesome History explores the Broad Street cholera outbreak and connects historical mapping with modern wastewater surveillance and community preparedness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1854_Broad_Street_cholera_outbreak • Panic's tariff refunds: ChachiSays covers the Playdate company's decision to return tariff charges to customers. https://www.al.com/news/2026/08/tariff-refunds-sent-to-video-game-customers-not-our-money.html • The Tetris Company responds: Chachi discusses the company's statement about a Tetris-like game on the White House website. https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/tetris-company-trump-white-house-build-the-wall-game-copyright-1236851993/ • Zelda anniversary reactions: Sorg discusses the presentation's movie reveal, music-tour news, and Ocarina of Time remake footage. The hosts weigh remake pricing, revisit Nintendo memories, and talk Twilight Princess, Star Fox, and Super Mario Sunshine. https://www.theverge.com/games/991265/the-legend-of-zelda-40th-anniversary-direct • Street Fighter 6 meets the movies: Movie-actor challenger screens, including Roman Reigns as Akuma, spark excitement and memories of Street Fighter's earlier film and game crossover. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1755856245623451 • Snoopy at Starbucks: Katie highlights Great Pumpkin-inspired Peanuts merchandise, including mugs, travel cups, bags, and pins. https://about.starbucks.com/stories/2026/starbucks-and-peanuts-celebrate-fall-with-a-global-merch-collection-inspired-by-the-great-pumpkin/ • Dungeon Crawler Carl LEGO Ideas: Two fan proposals bring Carl, Princess Donut, and friends into brick form. The hosts explore a dungeon scene and larger character builds seeking community support. https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/eb3c3057-8646-45b4-86ba-dfc08ba7e7e8 https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/6e47b028-7cba-48bc-81d9-a1461bdd4d08 • Clucky's demanding wake-up call: Sorg sets up a rooster alarm app with snooze challenges, samples its loud sounds, and chooses a tilt-game mission. Katie explains how the app turns getting out of bed into an interactive routine. https://tryclucky.com Plus, Dave shares his Steelers 5K experience, and the hosts bring their usual mix of hands-on discoveries, gaming opinions, and Pittsburgh personality.

Episode Summary:Will and Brandt return from the summer backlog to reveal how Brandt built his own terminal macro — type WTF, hit return — to auto-generate this show's rough cuts and notes. Will shares a parallel project automating his DJ mix uploads, and the two unpack why lower-effort models like Sonnet outperform flashier ones once a workflow is dialed in, with quick hits on Notion, AI agents, and iOS 27's new Siri.Discussions Include:• Brandt's homemade "WTF" terminal macro that auto-generates rough cuts and show notes for this very podcast• Why dialing a workflow back to Sonnet worked better than letting flashier models like Opus and Fable run the show• Will's Fade Out project, which auto-edits, tags, and publishes his DJ mix recordings end to end• Barry, Will's AI agent, and the surprisingly awkward business of having an AI negotiate with contractors• Using Notion as a shared, always-current source of truth for both work and AI agent memoryQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):     "It's taken it from about a 45-minute process to about a 10-minute process. And that's pretty good." - Brandt Krueger     "If there's something that you do that is repetitive, there is no reason why it can't be completely automated." - Will Curran     "We're a team here. Let's collaborate. Sometimes you go down a weird road that takes five minutes that would have taken me ten seconds to just do the work." - Brandt Krueger     "He has the ability to be on all the time, ask questions, get responses, respond immediately — it's freaking the crap out of contractors." - Will CurranThing of the Episode (TOTE):     Brandt: iOS 27 Beta (new Siri) - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/06/apple-unveils-next-generation-of-apple-intelligence-siri-ai-and-more/     Will: Notion - https://www.notion.com

How do you preserve physical video games in a world increasingly designed around downloads? How much would you pay for a really good keyboard? And what exactly happens when you sort the Nintendo Switch store from cheapest to most expensive? Those questions—and several much stranger ones—come up on AwesomeCast 794 with Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar. Xbox Finds a New Use for the Game Disc One of the episode's biggest discussions centers on Microsoft's Xbox Discs to Digital initiative. The concept offers an interesting middle ground between physical and digital ownership. A supported Xbox disc can be authenticated and connected to a player's digital library, potentially giving players digital access while the disc itself continues to function as the transferable proof of ownership. That last part is important. If the disc is sold and authenticated by somebody else, the digital access moves with it. For Sorg, who has stacks of Xbox One games and a console with a failed optical drive, this could solve a very practical problem. It also opens possibilities for finding inexpensive used Xbox games at stores such as GameStop and turning them into accessible digital titles. There are still questions surrounding Xbox 360 compatibility, licensing, sports games, delisted games and publisher participation, but it is a fascinating attempt to bridge two very different eras of game ownership. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/08/26/your-discs-now-also-digital/?ocid=Platform_soc_omc_xbo_fb_Photo_lrn_8.26.2 Gamers Say They Want Physical Games. Are They Buying Them? That question carries directly into this week's ChachiSays Video Game Minute. Chachi points to figures showing U.S. spending on physical video games falling to levels not seen since physical-game statistics began being tracked in 1995. Nintendo represented a sizable portion of the remaining physical market. The contradiction is hard to ignore: gamers regularly criticize publishers for abandoning physical media, but those products need enough buyers to justify continuing to manufacture and distribute them. https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/console-gaming/us-console-sales-fall-39-percent-in-july-as-memory-costs-push-average-price-to-542 Generative AI Comes to Gamescom Chachi also discusses reports of generative AI being used during development of multiple titles connected to Gamescom 2026. The larger concern is not simply whether AI tools exist inside game development. The segment focuses on how companies disclose that use, what work the systems replace, and whether developers are being transparent with their audiences. Project Zeta, Aion 2, Train Sim World 7, Crimson Desert and Crazy Taxi: World Tour are among the games brought up during the discussion. https://kotaku.com/opening-night-live-2026-genai-slop-games-geoff-keighley-2000728477 Roku City Quietly Remembers Three Entertainment Icons Katie highlights a much more thoughtful use of technology: the little visual Easter eggs hidden inside Roku City. The screensaver incorporated imagery referencing Dolly Parton and Tim Curry along with an Optimus Prime-inspired tribute to Peter Cullen. That leads the crew into memories of Cullen's massive voice-acting career and the strange experience of realizing, years later, just how many familiar childhood characters were voiced by the same small group of performers. https://www.instagram.com/p/DcrPR8alYG3/?img_index=1 From Hubble to the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Dave's Awesome History segment turns toward NASA and astronomer Nancy Grace Roman. Roman played an important role in pushing space-based astronomy forward, helping lay the groundwork for what ultimately became the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope carrying her name represents another enormous leap in what astronomers can observe. The hosts discuss its much wider field of view, the search for exoplanets, dark matter and dark energy, as well as the unusual orbital environments used by major observatories. https://www.planetary.org/articles/the-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-launch It's Already LEGO Advent Calendar Season Katie has an annual public-service announcement: if you want a particular Advent Calendar, buy it when you see it. LEGO's 2026 calendars are already appearing, including traditional Christmas offerings alongside Star Wars, Marvel and Disney sets. Waiting until December is how you end up frantically checking every store in town for the one calendar somebody decided they absolutely had to have. https://www.lego.com/en-us/search?q=advent%20calendar%202026&suggestion=true The $100,000 Keyboard Dave then discovers a corner of technology that makes even premium mechanical keyboards look inexpensive. A social video begins with keyboards priced in the hundreds of dollars, moves into models costing thousands, and eventually reaches one sitting around the $100,000 mark. At that point, calling something a “computer accessory” may no longer adequately explain what is happening. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1593262308558803 Brütal Legend Honors Tim Curry for 666 Minutes Double Fine found an extremely appropriate way to honor Tim Curry by making Brütal Legend free for 666 minutes. The Xbox 360-era heavy-metal adventure stars Jack Black and features Curry among its memorable cast. Sorg recently returned to the game and found that, despite showing its age in places, it remains surprisingly enjoyable. https://www.ign.com/articles/double-fine-productions-makes-brutal-legend-free-for-666-minutes-to-honor-tim-curry?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6a905803b9a113000189638d&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook Donkey Kong Country: CGI From Another Time Speaking of things that have aged differently, Sorg rediscovers the computer-animated Donkey Kong Country television series from the late 1990s. The show provides an incredible time capsule of early television CGI: stiff animation, questionable lip synchronization and character models that can occasionally drift into nightmare territory. And yet there is something fascinating about seeing what creators were able to accomplish with 1990s rendering technology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWpI4vahfIY Sort the Nintendo eShop From Cheap to Expensive. You Have Been Warned. There is another kind of digital archaeology available right now. Go to the Nintendo Switch store. Sort everything from lowest price to highest. Start scrolling. The result is a journey through inexpensive retro games, indie releases, zombie games, cat games, simulators, dating games, suspiciously AI-looking artwork and enough shovelware to keep the AwesomeCast crew entertained far longer than expected. There are legitimate bargains hiding in the pile—but finding them is part of the adventure. https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/sales-and-deals/#show=0&p=1&sort=pa&f=priceRangeFilter&priceRangeFilter=%240+-+%244.99 Commodore 64 Meets Cyberpunk The episode's final major retro-tech rabbit hole comes courtesy of a Cyberpunk-themed Commodore 64. The unusual crossover sends Katie and Dave back into memories of the original beige Commodore machines, while Dave recalls using GEOS for word processing and schoolwork long before the modern Windows experience became standard. https://commodore.net/store/commodore64/ Plus: Giant Medals, Slow USB-C Cables and Video Game Wrestling Dave also shows off the giant magnetic medals earned through the Pro Football Hall of Fame virtual race series. https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Canton/HOFRaceSeries Katie introduces what may become a recurring feature, “What Is Katie Labeling Now?”, after discovering one of her USB-C cables was charging her laptop dramatically slower than the others. And before any of that, the crew revisits Sorgstock and its real-life video game wrestling match, where the performers recreated all of the awkward movement, button mashing, missed attacks and controller confusion of playing a wrestling game when nobody remembers the controls. From the future of game ownership to 1980s computers and $100,000 keyboards, AwesomeCast 794 once again proves there is always something wonderfully strange happening in technology.

How do you preserve physical video games in a world increasingly designed around downloads? How much would you pay for a really good keyboard? And what exactly happens when you sort the Nintendo Switch store from cheapest to most expensive? Those questions—and several much stranger ones—come up on AwesomeCast 794 with Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar. Xbox Finds a New Use for the Game Disc One of the episode's biggest discussions centers on Microsoft's Xbox Discs to Digital initiative. The concept offers an interesting middle ground between physical and digital ownership. A supported Xbox disc can be authenticated and connected to a player's digital library, potentially giving players digital access while the disc itself continues to function as the transferable proof of ownership. That last part is important. If the disc is sold and authenticated by somebody else, the digital access moves with it. For Sorg, who has stacks of Xbox One games and a console with a failed optical drive, this could solve a very practical problem. It also opens possibilities for finding inexpensive used Xbox games at stores such as GameStop and turning them into accessible digital titles. There are still questions surrounding Xbox 360 compatibility, licensing, sports games, delisted games and publisher participation, but it is a fascinating attempt to bridge two very different eras of game ownership. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/08/26/your-discs-now-also-digital/?ocid=Platform_soc_omc_xbo_fb_Photo_lrn_8.26.2 Gamers Say They Want Physical Games. Are They Buying Them? That question carries directly into this week's ChachiSays Video Game Minute. Chachi points to figures showing U.S. spending on physical video games falling to levels not seen since physical-game statistics began being tracked in 1995. Nintendo represented a sizable portion of the remaining physical market. The contradiction is hard to ignore: gamers regularly criticize publishers for abandoning physical media, but those products need enough buyers to justify continuing to manufacture and distribute them. https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/console-gaming/us-console-sales-fall-39-percent-in-july-as-memory-costs-push-average-price-to-542 Generative AI Comes to Gamescom Chachi also discusses reports of generative AI being used during development of multiple titles connected to Gamescom 2026. The larger concern is not simply whether AI tools exist inside game development. The segment focuses on how companies disclose that use, what work the systems replace, and whether developers are being transparent with their audiences. Project Zeta, Aion 2, Train Sim World 7, Crimson Desert and Crazy Taxi: World Tour are among the games brought up during the discussion. https://kotaku.com/opening-night-live-2026-genai-slop-games-geoff-keighley-2000728477 Roku City Quietly Remembers Three Entertainment Icons Katie highlights a much more thoughtful use of technology: the little visual Easter eggs hidden inside Roku City. The screensaver incorporated imagery referencing Dolly Parton and Tim Curry along with an Optimus Prime-inspired tribute to Peter Cullen. That leads the crew into memories of Cullen's massive voice-acting career and the strange experience of realizing, years later, just how many familiar childhood characters were voiced by the same small group of performers. https://www.instagram.com/p/DcrPR8alYG3/?img_index=1 From Hubble to the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Dave's Awesome History segment turns toward NASA and astronomer Nancy Grace Roman. Roman played an important role in pushing space-based astronomy forward, helping lay the groundwork for what ultimately became the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope carrying her name represents another enormous leap in what astronomers can observe. The hosts discuss its much wider field of view, the search for exoplanets, dark matter and dark energy, as well as the unusual orbital environments used by major observatories. https://www.planetary.org/articles/the-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-launch It's Already LEGO Advent Calendar Season Katie has an annual public-service announcement: if you want a particular Advent Calendar, buy it when you see it. LEGO's 2026 calendars are already appearing, including traditional Christmas offerings alongside Star Wars, Marvel and Disney sets. Waiting until December is how you end up frantically checking every store in town for the one calendar somebody decided they absolutely had to have. https://www.lego.com/en-us/search?q=advent%20calendar%202026&suggestion=true The $100,000 Keyboard Dave then discovers a corner of technology that makes even premium mechanical keyboards look inexpensive. A social video begins with keyboards priced in the hundreds of dollars, moves into models costing thousands, and eventually reaches one sitting around the $100,000 mark. At that point, calling something a “computer accessory” may no longer adequately explain what is happening. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1593262308558803 Brütal Legend Honors Tim Curry for 666 Minutes Double Fine found an extremely appropriate way to honor Tim Curry by making Brütal Legend free for 666 minutes. The Xbox 360-era heavy-metal adventure stars Jack Black and features Curry among its memorable cast. Sorg recently returned to the game and found that, despite showing its age in places, it remains surprisingly enjoyable. https://www.ign.com/articles/double-fine-productions-makes-brutal-legend-free-for-666-minutes-to-honor-tim-curry?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6a905803b9a113000189638d&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook Donkey Kong Country: CGI From Another Time Speaking of things that have aged differently, Sorg rediscovers the computer-animated Donkey Kong Country television series from the late 1990s. The show provides an incredible time capsule of early television CGI: stiff animation, questionable lip synchronization and character models that can occasionally drift into nightmare territory. And yet there is something fascinating about seeing what creators were able to accomplish with 1990s rendering technology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWpI4vahfIY Sort the Nintendo eShop From Cheap to Expensive. You Have Been Warned. There is another kind of digital archaeology available right now. Go to the Nintendo Switch store. Sort everything from lowest price to highest. Start scrolling. The result is a journey through inexpensive retro games, indie releases, zombie games, cat games, simulators, dating games, suspiciously AI-looking artwork and enough shovelware to keep the AwesomeCast crew entertained far longer than expected. There are legitimate bargains hiding in the pile—but finding them is part of the adventure. https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/sales-and-deals/#show=0&p=1&sort=pa&f=priceRangeFilter&priceRangeFilter=%240+-+%244.99 Commodore 64 Meets Cyberpunk The episode's final major retro-tech rabbit hole comes courtesy of a Cyberpunk-themed Commodore 64. The unusual crossover sends Katie and Dave back into memories of the original beige Commodore machines, while Dave recalls using GEOS for word processing and schoolwork long before the modern Windows experience became standard. https://commodore.net/store/commodore64/ Plus: Giant Medals, Slow USB-C Cables and Video Game Wrestling Dave also shows off the giant magnetic medals earned through the Pro Football Hall of Fame virtual race series. https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Canton/HOFRaceSeries Katie introduces what may become a recurring feature, “What Is Katie Labeling Now?”, after discovering one of her USB-C cables was charging her laptop dramatically slower than the others. And before any of that, the crew revisits Sorgstock and its real-life video game wrestling match, where the performers recreated all of the awkward movement, button mashing, missed attacks and controller confusion of playing a wrestling game when nobody remembers the controls. From the future of game ownership to 1980s computers and $100,000 keyboards, AwesomeCast 794 once again proves there is always something wonderfully strange happening in technology.

Episode Summary:Recording live from Brandt's porch during Will's road-trip stop in Minnesota, the guys go behind the scenes on their setup before diving into ElevenLabs' new AI creative studio and the case for AI as history's next great democratizer of art. They swerve into deep-end territory: why human judgment beats "AI slop," Will's AI agent Barry gets sent to Barry Jail, and a spiral into simulation theory and what human purpose looks like as AI absorbs more of the work.Discussions Include:• Recording live from Brandt's porch with clip-on lavs and a DJI Mic Mini, planes and baseball games included• ElevenLabs' new creative studio for AI image-to-video generation, and Brandt's product-launch experiment with it• The historical case for AI as a democratizing force in art and creativity (Photoshop, photography, vibe coding)• Why human judgment and imperfection will keep beating "AI slop," even as generation quality improves• Will's AI agent Barry getting cautiously welcomed into the Meshtastic Discord's new "Barry Jail" channel• A deep-end swerve into simulation theory, privacy, and what human purpose looks like as AI takes on more workQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):     "They made a channel called Barry Jail... and he goes, 'All right, showing up for my parole hearing today.'" - Will Curran     "I truly thought to myself, we could be in the Matrix - like, this could really be in the Matrix." - Will Curran     "[The Pope's doctrinal note on AI] wasn't an anti-technology screed - it was just, hey, let's keep the humanity in it. I think that's a legitimate thing to raise." - Brandt Krueger     "That's where the humanity will always win over slop, because humanity will actually bother to either be imperfect on purpose, or decide the level of perfection, the level of realism." - Brandt KruegerThing of the Episode (TOTE):     Brandt: Use AI to make what you already do better     Will: Rolling out Claude Code company-wide

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar are back for another round of geeky tech, gadgets, games, collectibles, and Pittsburgh happenings. The episode opens on a somber note with a tribute to Dolly Parton and the impact of her philanthropy, including her work supporting childhood literacy. Then the crew gets into everything from simulated RC racing and Apple's latest Macs to a life-size Grogu, Linux history, Pokémon fossils, GTA VI leaks, and gaming at Pittsburgh International Airport. Topics discussed include: Remembering Dolly Parton – The crew reflects on Parton's passing, her charitable legacy, her support of literacy programs, and the positive impact she made far beyond entertainment. RC racing meets full-size driving simulators – Sorg discovers first-person RC car racing setups that combine tiny vehicles, onboard cameras, and full simulator rigs. The conversation explores CloudRC, RC aircraft, and whether experiences like this could become the next arcade, mall, or Dave & Buster's attraction. Apple updates the Mac mini and Mac Studio – Dave breaks down Apple's new Mac hardware, including the M6 chip, pricing, local AI performance, and the ability to combine machines over Thunderbolt 5. The crew discusses why local AI processing could become increasingly important for businesses dealing with cloud costs, privacy, and sensitive data. Pokémon Fossils invade Chicago – Chachi reports from the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum, where fossils inspired by the games are compared with real paleontology. The exhibit even includes Pokémon GO bonuses and limited merchandise. Dungeon Crawler Carl and 3D printing – Katie opens her mysterious box of 3D-printed creations from Chachi's Plastic Fun Time shop, including Dungeon Crawler Carl characters, ornaments, magnets, Pokémon-inspired pieces, the infamous Rock Lobster, and more. Linux turns 35 – Dave traces the unlikely chain of events connecting AT&T antitrust action, UNIX, GNU, Linus Torvalds, and the operating system that became one of the foundations of modern computing. There's even a bonus discussion about Linux running on a Sega 32X. Kingdom Hearts expands – Chachi's Video Game Minute covers a 2027 release window for Kingdom Hearts 4 and a planned animated Kingdom Hearts series for Disney+. Mattel builds its own game studio – Mattel is expanding its internal video game operation with hundreds of developers and new games based on properties including UNO and Hot Wheels. GTA VI leaks and the digital ownership fight – The show looks at reported leaks of Grand Theft Auto VI material tied to protests over digital-only game distribution and the broader debate over whether players actually own their digital purchases. Transformers comes to Minecraft – Sorg and Katie explore the Transformers content available through the Minecraft Marketplace, including G1-inspired characters, story-based gameplay, combat modes, and plenty of temptation for Transformers fans. A nearly life-size Ultimate Grogu – Hasbro Pulse has a roughly 14.6-inch animatronic Grogu featuring movement, sounds, multiple interaction modes, cosplay-friendly settings, and a $599.99 price tag. Nature Calls restroom finder launches – The crowdsourced restroom-finding app discussed on an earlier AwesomeCast is now available, helping users locate bathrooms, water fountains, porta-potties, and other facilities. Gaming at Pittsburgh International Airport – Sorg checks out Gameway, a gaming lounge at Pittsburgh International Airport offering video games, snacks, drinks, and another option for travelers with time before a flight. Disney characters meet NFL teams – Disney and the NFL have teamed up for team-specific character merchandise. The Pittsburgh Steelers get Pete, while other combinations include Captain America with the Patriots, Thor with the Vikings, Darth Vader with the Raiders, and more. The crew also checks in on their recent Pittsburgh Shootout adventures and previews more of what's happening around the Sorgatron Media universe. RC Racing / CloudRC https://www.instagram.com/reels/Db2l4aVjpRO/ https://store.cloudrc.com/ Plastic Fun Time 3D Prints https://plasticfuntime.etsy.com/ Apple Mac mini / Mac Studio Updates https://www.wired.com/story/apple-announces-m6-and-m5-ultra-mac-mini-mac-studio/ 35 Years of Linux https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/linux-was-announced-by-linus-torvalds-35-years-ago-today-humble-os-started-with-10-000-lines-of-code-but-has-now-grown-to-40-million-dominates-global-infrastructure Kingdom Hearts Announcements https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/games-d23-digital-entertainment/ Mattel Game Studios https://kotaku.com/the-toy-maker-behind-barbie-and-hot-wheels-wants-to-make-its-own-video-games-2000724968 GTA VI Leak Story https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/hacker-leaks-gta-vi-gameplay-and-map-to-protest-digital-only-release-claims-pre-orders-are-a-legacy-of-physical-game-releases Transformers Minecraft https://www.facebook.com/reel/1056475313409694 Nature Calls Restroom Finder – iOS https://apps.apple.com/us/app/find-toilets-nature-calls-run/id6790583853 Ultimate Grogu https://www.hasbropulse.com/product/star-wars-ultimate-grogu/G44835S00 Pittsburgh Airport Gameway https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcbcVbCBU34/?igsi=MTJweXZ1N2N4cTZ1dg== https://www.facebook.com/reel/1089385550715987 Disney x Pittsburgh Steelers https://www.nflshop.com/pittsburgh-steelers/disney/t-36604861+c-1202616796+z-8-2894738209?ab=%7Bwt-static_graphic%7D%7Bpt-TLP%7D%7Bal-HMB%7D%7Bct-Pittsburgh_Steelers_disney%7D

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar are back for another round of geeky tech, gadgets, games, collectibles, and Pittsburgh happenings. The episode opens on a somber note with a tribute to Dolly Parton and the impact of her philanthropy, including her work supporting childhood literacy. Then the crew gets into everything from simulated RC racing and Apple's latest Macs to a life-size Grogu, Linux history, Pokémon fossils, GTA VI leaks, and gaming at Pittsburgh International Airport. Topics discussed include: Remembering Dolly Parton – The crew reflects on Parton's passing, her charitable legacy, her support of literacy programs, and the positive impact she made far beyond entertainment. RC racing meets full-size driving simulators – Sorg discovers first-person RC car racing setups that combine tiny vehicles, onboard cameras, and full simulator rigs. The conversation explores CloudRC, RC aircraft, and whether experiences like this could become the next arcade, mall, or Dave & Buster's attraction. Apple updates the Mac mini and Mac Studio – Dave breaks down Apple's new Mac hardware, including the M6 chip, pricing, local AI performance, and the ability to combine machines over Thunderbolt 5. The crew discusses why local AI processing could become increasingly important for businesses dealing with cloud costs, privacy, and sensitive data. Pokémon Fossils invade Chicago – Chachi reports from the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum, where fossils inspired by the games are compared with real paleontology. The exhibit even includes Pokémon GO bonuses and limited merchandise. Dungeon Crawler Carl and 3D printing – Katie opens her mysterious box of 3D-printed creations from Chachi's Plastic Fun Time shop, including Dungeon Crawler Carl characters, ornaments, magnets, Pokémon-inspired pieces, the infamous Rock Lobster, and more. Linux turns 35 – Dave traces the unlikely chain of events connecting AT&T antitrust action, UNIX, GNU, Linus Torvalds, and the operating system that became one of the foundations of modern computing. There's even a bonus discussion about Linux running on a Sega 32X. Kingdom Hearts expands – Chachi's Video Game Minute covers a 2027 release window for Kingdom Hearts 4 and a planned animated Kingdom Hearts series for Disney+. Mattel builds its own game studio – Mattel is expanding its internal video game operation with hundreds of developers and new games based on properties including UNO and Hot Wheels. GTA VI leaks and the digital ownership fight – The show looks at reported leaks of Grand Theft Auto VI material tied to protests over digital-only game distribution and the broader debate over whether players actually own their digital purchases. Transformers comes to Minecraft – Sorg and Katie explore the Transformers content available through the Minecraft Marketplace, including G1-inspired characters, story-based gameplay, combat modes, and plenty of temptation for Transformers fans. A nearly life-size Ultimate Grogu – Hasbro Pulse has a roughly 14.6-inch animatronic Grogu featuring movement, sounds, multiple interaction modes, cosplay-friendly settings, and a $599.99 price tag. Nature Calls restroom finder launches – The crowdsourced restroom-finding app discussed on an earlier AwesomeCast is now available, helping users locate bathrooms, water fountains, porta-potties, and other facilities. Gaming at Pittsburgh International Airport – Sorg checks out Gameway, a gaming lounge at Pittsburgh International Airport offering video games, snacks, drinks, and another option for travelers with time before a flight. Disney characters meet NFL teams – Disney and the NFL have teamed up for team-specific character merchandise. The Pittsburgh Steelers get Pete, while other combinations include Captain America with the Patriots, Thor with the Vikings, Darth Vader with the Raiders, and more. The crew also checks in on their recent Pittsburgh Shootout adventures and previews more of what's happening around the Sorgatron Media universe. RC Racing / CloudRC https://www.instagram.com/reels/Db2l4aVjpRO/ https://store.cloudrc.com/ Plastic Fun Time 3D Prints https://plasticfuntime.etsy.com/ Apple Mac mini / Mac Studio Updates https://www.wired.com/story/apple-announces-m6-and-m5-ultra-mac-mini-mac-studio/ 35 Years of Linux https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/linux-was-announced-by-linus-torvalds-35-years-ago-today-humble-os-started-with-10-000-lines-of-code-but-has-now-grown-to-40-million-dominates-global-infrastructure Kingdom Hearts Announcements https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/games-d23-digital-entertainment/ Mattel Game Studios https://kotaku.com/the-toy-maker-behind-barbie-and-hot-wheels-wants-to-make-its-own-video-games-2000724968 GTA VI Leak Story https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/hacker-leaks-gta-vi-gameplay-and-map-to-protest-digital-only-release-claims-pre-orders-are-a-legacy-of-physical-game-releases Transformers Minecraft https://www.facebook.com/reel/1056475313409694 Nature Calls Restroom Finder – iOS https://apps.apple.com/us/app/find-toilets-nature-calls-run/id6790583853 Ultimate Grogu https://www.hasbropulse.com/product/star-wars-ultimate-grogu/G44835S00 Pittsburgh Airport Gameway https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcbcVbCBU34/?igsi=MTJweXZ1N2N4cTZ1dg== https://www.facebook.com/reel/1089385550715987 Disney x Pittsburgh Steelers https://www.nflshop.com/pittsburgh-steelers/disney/t-36604861+c-1202616796+z-8-2894738209?ab=%7Bwt-static_graphic%7D%7Bpt-TLP%7D%7Bal-HMB%7D%7Bct-Pittsburgh_Steelers_disney%7D

Episode Summary:Will lays out a bold prediction: AI and data centers are about to become America's next partisan flashpoint, and he and Brandt spend the episode stress-testing it, untangling water-usage myths, nuclear-power FUD, and a Texas gas-turbine site making neighbors sick with infrasound. They land on Jevons Paradox to explain why efficiency won't shrink data center demand, sketch out a mainframe-to-local-compute future for AI, then close with a vertical USB-C cable stand and Brandt's new favorite TSA-proof gun case lock.Discussions Include:• Will's prediction: AI and data centers becoming the next big partisan flashpoint in the US• Untangling the data center water-usage debate — golf courses, evaporative cooling, and a contested Georgia well-water case• Nuclear power as a cautionary parallel for FUD and outdated public perception• Infrasound from gas-turbine-powered data centers making nearby residents sick• Jevons Paradox, and why more efficient AI won't shrink data center demand, it'll grow it• The mainframe-to-personal-computer analogy for where local vs. cloud AI compute is headedQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):     "I believe that AI, and specifically data centers, are gonna be the next partisan issue in the United States that will divide down party lines." - Will Curran     "The technology and the plans for modern nuclear reactors, by all indications, are incredibly safe. But nobody cares." - Brandt Krueger     "We know gas turbines are bad for the environment, but have you heard about infrasound?" - Will Curran     "As we got more and more efficient at how we burned coal, it was supposed to bring down the coal use - and it didn't go down, it went up." - Brandt KruegerThing of the Episode (TOTE):     Brandt: Cedar Mill TSA-approved gun case lock - https://www.amazon.com/Cut-Resistant-MonoShaft-lock-gun-case-padlock/dp/B0CNBKXH4B     Will: Vertical USB-C cable stand - I couldn't find it, and Will never sent it - BK ;)

We're back for a brand-new season!

We've been thinking a lot recently about the status of code in a world where it's increasingly written and read by AI. Could the spec, for instance, become the primary way we interface with software systems? And if it does, will that mean humans no longer need to look at code at all?  At present, the idea of not looking at our code seems fanciful, possibly dangerous, but even within Thoughtworks there are conflicting perspectives about whether this might change. To some, code will always remain the primary artifact; to others, its role in how we build software is about to undergo a significant transformation. On this episode of the Technology Podcast, Thoughtworks' Caer Sanders and Razin Memon join host Ken Mugrage for a debate about how the relationship between developers and code might — or might not — change in the final years of this decade. For Caer, despite the clear capabilities of AI, paying attention to code will always matter; for Razin, meanwhile, code's relevance is likely to decline as harnesses become more sophisticated and specification techniques evolve.  Whatever your view, listen for a frank and open discussion about an issue that will ultimately determine what the future of software engineering actually looks like. Listen to our episode on harness engineering from May 2026: https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/podcasts/technology-podcasts/what-harness-engineering Read a recent blog post on thoughtworks.com arguing we still need to design code for humans: https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/programming-languages/should-still-design-code-humans

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore an AI pocket pet that grows up with its owner, clues pointing toward camera-equipped Apple AirPods, TikTok's concerning voice-call feature, robots building electric vehicles, changes to YouTube view counts, retro Mario experiments, and more technology news from Pittsburgh. This week's stories and gadgets: Pittsburgh Shootout preview: Sorg and Katie prepare to photograph the independent Formula SAE-style event at Summit Point Motorsports Park after the former Pittsburgh Raceway property was sold for a data center. Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meals: Katie arrives with McDonald's crossover toys and begins the hunt for the complete collection, including Hello Kitty Godzilla, Chococat with SpaceGodzilla, and Kuromi with Mechagodzilla. TikTok voice-call warning: Dave demonstrates how TikTok users can make direct voice calls and explains why parents should review the feature. Users can go to Profile, Settings and Privacy, Notifications, and Voice Calls to limit notifications to no one, people they follow, or everyone. The calling capability itself may still remain available. See the settings reference used during the show. Drive through Google Street View: Hop Earth turns real-world map data into a browser-based driving game. Sorg attempts to create a Pittsburgh route while discovering that the experimental experience can be demanding on a computer with too many open tabs. Awesome Person of the Week: Dave celebrates Pittsburgh-area chemist Stephanie L. Kwolek, whose persistence and polymer research at DuPont led to the development of Kevlar. ChachiSays Video Game Minute: Ohio is suing Roblox over allegations involving investor disclosures and protections for children. A real Freddy Fazbear's Pizza experience inspired by Five Nights at Freddy's is planned for a New Jersey mall in 2027. The FAA recruited more than 2,000 gamers as prospective air traffic controllers following a change in recruitment strategy. An AI Tamagotchi that grows up: Sweekar is an interactive AI pocket pet that progresses from baby to child, teenager, and adult. Its personality develops according to how its owner interacts with it, and it can recognize people, remember interests, offer reminders, tell stories, use an accompanying app, and wear collectible outfits. Apple's possible camera-equipped AirPods: A video discovered inside a macOS update appears to demonstrate visual intelligence through AirPods. The hosts discuss the possibility of tiny cameras helping users identify objects and places, along with the major privacy questions Apple would need to address. The product remains speculative. AllTrails Hidden Tracks: Katie highlights Hidden Tracks from AllTrails, a collection of crowdsourced alternatives to heavily visited national parks and trails. Fandom becomes a business: A creator turned a niche idea involving Dungeon Crawler Carl-themed commentary and cosplay into a successful subscription project. The hosts examine the creator's reported early results and the growing economy around fan-made merchandise and content. Super Mario Bros. Wonder on the SNES: The hosts play with a fan-made Super Nintendo-style demake featuring Wonder Flowers, Drill Mario, Bubble Mario, and a Bowser Jr. battle. Robots inside Hyundai's EV factory: Dave takes the show inside Hyundai's Georgia Metaplant, where autonomous sleds move vehicles between workstations and Boston Dynamics robot dogs assist with quality inspections. YouTube is changing how views appear: YouTube plans to align its public view counting more closely with TikTok and Instagram by counting a view when playback begins. Creator earnings will continue to depend on engaged Shorts views and watch hours, making engagement more important than the public total. Dave celebrates the iPhoneography Podcast passing 100,000 plays and shares highlights from a recent conversation with photographer Jefferson Graham. Support AwesomeCast and receive bonus aftertalk content at https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast.

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore an AI pocket pet that grows up with its owner, clues pointing toward camera-equipped Apple AirPods, TikTok's concerning voice-call feature, robots building electric vehicles, changes to YouTube view counts, retro Mario experiments, and more technology news from Pittsburgh. This week's stories and gadgets: Pittsburgh Shootout preview: Sorg and Katie prepare to photograph the independent Formula SAE-style event at Summit Point Motorsports Park after the former Pittsburgh Raceway property was sold for a data center. Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meals: Katie arrives with McDonald's crossover toys and begins the hunt for the complete collection, including Hello Kitty Godzilla, Chococat with SpaceGodzilla, and Kuromi with Mechagodzilla. TikTok voice-call warning: Dave demonstrates how TikTok users can make direct voice calls and explains why parents should review the feature. Users can go to Profile, Settings and Privacy, Notifications, and Voice Calls to limit notifications to no one, people they follow, or everyone. The calling capability itself may still remain available. See the settings reference used during the show. Drive through Google Street View: Hop Earth turns real-world map data into a browser-based driving game. Sorg attempts to create a Pittsburgh route while discovering that the experimental experience can be demanding on a computer with too many open tabs. Awesome Person of the Week: Dave celebrates Pittsburgh-area chemist Stephanie L. Kwolek, whose persistence and polymer research at DuPont led to the development of Kevlar. ChachiSays Video Game Minute: Ohio is suing Roblox over allegations involving investor disclosures and protections for children. A real Freddy Fazbear's Pizza experience inspired by Five Nights at Freddy's is planned for a New Jersey mall in 2027. The FAA recruited more than 2,000 gamers as prospective air traffic controllers following a change in recruitment strategy. An AI Tamagotchi that grows up: Sweekar is an interactive AI pocket pet that progresses from baby to child, teenager, and adult. Its personality develops according to how its owner interacts with it, and it can recognize people, remember interests, offer reminders, tell stories, use an accompanying app, and wear collectible outfits. Apple's possible camera-equipped AirPods: A video discovered inside a macOS update appears to demonstrate visual intelligence through AirPods. The hosts discuss the possibility of tiny cameras helping users identify objects and places, along with the major privacy questions Apple would need to address. The product remains speculative. AllTrails Hidden Tracks: Katie highlights Hidden Tracks from AllTrails, a collection of crowdsourced alternatives to heavily visited national parks and trails. Fandom becomes a business: A creator turned a niche idea involving Dungeon Crawler Carl-themed commentary and cosplay into a successful subscription project. The hosts examine the creator's reported early results and the growing economy around fan-made merchandise and content. Super Mario Bros. Wonder on the SNES: The hosts play with a fan-made Super Nintendo-style demake featuring Wonder Flowers, Drill Mario, Bubble Mario, and a Bowser Jr. battle. Robots inside Hyundai's EV factory: Dave takes the show inside Hyundai's Georgia Metaplant, where autonomous sleds move vehicles between workstations and Boston Dynamics robot dogs assist with quality inspections. YouTube is changing how views appear: YouTube plans to align its public view counting more closely with TikTok and Instagram by counting a view when playback begins. Creator earnings will continue to depend on engaged Shorts views and watch hours, making engagement more important than the public total. Dave celebrates the iPhoneography Podcast passing 100,000 plays and shares highlights from a recent conversation with photographer Jefferson Graham. Support AwesomeCast and receive bonus aftertalk content at https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast.

Episode Summary:Brandt and Will open with Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO and what a hardware-first successor means for the future of on-device AI, then dig into Anthropic's newly revealed Mythos model, its eye-popping valuation, and Firefox's haul of 275 zero-days found with it. The back half turns practical: Will makes the case for "owning your own memory," and both trade tips on Claude chat vs. Cowork vs. Code and the caveman token-saving skill.Discussions Include:• Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO, and what a hardware-focused successor means for Apple's AI ambitions• Anthropic's Mythos model: its trillion-dollar-plus valuation, deliberate limited release, and Firefox's 275-bug haul• "Own your own memory": building a personal Obsidian/Markdown knowledge base so your AI agent knows you better• Claude power tools: Karpathy's CLAUDE.md, the "superpowers" planning-and-QA skill, and the caveman token-saving skill• AI-trained chroma keying from Corridor Crew, and the growing backlash against gas-powered data centersQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):     "What if my grandma's dying wish was that I could install malware on my friend's computer?" - Brandt Krueger     "You need to be owning your own memory." - Will Curran     "It's not going to escape, but people are going to come up with their own versions of it, and that's going to be trouble." - Brandt Krueger     "A token is a word - every word it writes and every word it reads is a token." - Will CurranThing of the Episode (TOTE):     Brandt: Chat vs. Cowork vs. Code token strategy - I couldn't find a URL ;) - BK     Will: Caveman skill for Claude Code - https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman

Sorg and Dave Podnar are back for another AwesomeCast packed with Pittsburgh tech, gaming, streaming, photography, AI, retro media, and a surprisingly practical app for finding a bathroom when you really need one. The episode starts locally with Dave highlighting Stormfreak, a Pittsburgh-area weather enthusiast who has built a following on Reddit by offering practical, level-headed forecasts without the sensationalism that often accompanies severe weather coverage. That leads into a bigger conversation about how Reddit, YouTube, and independent creators increasingly fill information gaps once occupied by traditional specialty television. Sorg then takes a trip back to the video-store era with Binge Buster, a web experience that lets users browse movies available on their existing streaming subscriptions in an interface inspired by wandering through the shelves of a physical rental store. Gaming takes over a large part of the conversation, including EA going private in a massive Saudi-backed deal, Netflix getting an extended GTA 6 preview, Atari showing signs of financial improvement, the possibility of accessing Xbox and PC Game Pass titles on Linux and Mac through the XODUS project, new content for the original Quake, and Sorg's experience comparing Xbox cloud gaming with NVIDIA GeForce NOW. Then things get weird in the best possible way: Diablo is heading to amusement-park Halloween events, while a permanent Freddy Fazbear's Pizza experience complete with animatronics is planned for American Dream. Dave also shares his latest experience with Adobe Project Indigo, including computational photography, AI photo critiques, and the increasingly blurry line between traditional editing and generative AI. The episode wraps with two ideas that bring physical experiences back into a digital world: Pittsburgh's Lost Lizard renting VHS, DVD, and even Betamax tapes, and Nature Calls Run, an upcoming crowdsourced app designed to help runners, cyclists, travelers, and people with medical needs locate bathrooms, water, and other resources. Stories, Gadgets & Topics Discussed 300–600mm iPhone zoom lens — Dave points listeners toward iPhonography Podcast co-host Greg McMillan's detailed look at an enormous telephoto solution for iPhone photography. Stormfreak and Pittsburgh weather on Reddit — Dave highlights the local forecaster's calm, practical approach to Pittsburgh weather and the community that has formed around his posts. They discuss how independent online weather coverage can sometimes be more useful than national television coverage when people need highly local information. The changing role of specialty media — Sorg and Dave compare today's creator-driven information sources with the original promise of channels like The Weather Channel, Discovery, TLC, and Food Network. Binge Buster — Sorg tries a streaming discovery site that recreates some of the experience of browsing a video store. Users select the streaming services they already subscribe to and browse movies through virtual box art, descriptions, genres, trailers, staff picks, and more. https://bingebuster.net/ Awesome Person of the Week: Lewis Latimer — Dave profiles the inventor, draftsman, engineer, and patent expert whose work intersected with both Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent and the development of more durable electric-light filaments. Slice on Broadway pizza sauce — Dave discovers jars of Slice on Broadway's original pizza sauce while shopping at Labriola's Italian Market. EA goes private — Chachi's Video Game Minute covers EA completing its reported $55 billion sale to a Saudi-backed buyer and what private ownership might mean for the future of EA's games and monetization. Netflix and GTA 6 — Netflix is set to feature an extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI on August 27, prompting discussion about whether GTA really needs any additional publicity. Atari's financial comeback — Atari reports its strongest annual revenue in roughly a decade, giving Sorg and Dave an opportunity to talk about the strange history of the Atari name, its changing ownership, and the collection of gaming properties associated with it over the years. Xbox games potentially coming to Linux and Mac through XODUS — Sorg discusses an open-source reverse-engineering project designed to make compatible Xbox and PC titles accessible beyond Windows, including the possibility of accessing portions of a user's existing Microsoft gaming library. Xbox backward compatibility — The conversation touches on original Xbox and Xbox 360 games potentially becoming increasingly accessible through Microsoft's PC ecosystem. New Quake content decades later — Quake continues receiving new content around its 30th anniversary, giving players another reason to revisit the classic first-person shooter. NVIDIA GeForce NOW vs. Xbox cloud gaming — Sorg compares his experience streaming games like Doom: The Dark Ages and Forza Horizon, finding GeForce NOW's higher-end hardware particularly impressive for demanding, fast-moving games. Do you still need a gaming PC? — Cloud gaming raises a bigger question: if a service already supports hundreds of games in your library and provides continuously upgraded hardware, does spending thousands on a dedicated gaming PC still make sense? Diablo invades Cedar Point and Six Flags — Blizzard's Diablo becomes part of the Halloween amusement-park experience, leading to a conversation about licensed haunted attractions and the changing amusement-park industry. Cedar Fair/Six Flags consolidation and disappearing amusement parks — Dave looks back at the history of older amusement parks, including Pittsburgh-area memories of White Swan Park and the larger trend of parks disappearing as land was redeveloped. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza becomes real — A permanent Freddy Fazbear's Pizza experience featuring animatronic stage shows is planned for American Dream in 2027. Naturally, Sorg and Dave wonder whether anybody involved has actually learned the lesson of Five Nights at Freddy's. American Dream as the modern destination mall — The conversation expands into how malls are evolving from shopping centers into entertainment destinations with theme parks, water parks, skiing, restaurants, attractions, wrestling events, and other experiences. Adobe Project Indigo — Dave continues experimenting with Adobe's computational photography app, particularly challenging lighting situations and shooting directly toward a sunset. AI-powered photography reviews — Project Indigo can analyze a photo and provide feedback, giving photographers another way to evaluate composition and possible improvements. When an AI edit becomes a different photograph — Dave demonstrates an AI edit that substantially changes clouds and the sky, prompting an important conversation about the difference between enhancing a photograph and generating new visual information. AI quietly becoming another editing tool — Sorg shares his experience using AI to quickly create client graphics and discusses how generative tools increasingly feel less like a separate novelty and more like another part of a production workflow. Lost Lizard brings video rentals back to Pittsburgh — A Lawrenceville business is renting VHS tapes, DVDs, Betamax tapes, and even retro video games. The concept triggers plenty of nostalgia for independent video stores and their wonderfully strange horror collections. Physical media versus digital ownership — Reports of purchased digital movies disappearing from user libraries lead to a larger discussion about what consumers actually own when they "buy" a digital movie. Movies Anywhere and fragmented digital libraries — Sorg discusses the usefulness of synchronizing eligible purchases across services while acknowledging that licensing can still make digital ownership complicated. Maybe it's time to buy DVDs again — The uncertainty of digital licenses gives physical media another unexpected advantage: nobody can remotely remove a disc from your shelf. Nature Calls Run — An upcoming Pittsburgh-created app will crowdsource public restrooms, water sources, and other useful resources for runners, cyclists, travelers, parents, and anyone suddenly asking the most important question of the day: "Where can I go?" https://naturecallsapp.com/ Restroom access as an accessibility and medical issue — The app also plans to educate users about restroom-access laws affecting people with conditions including Crohn's disease and IBS. GCXC running events — Dave also discusses upcoming Pittsburgh-area races and the community surrounding GCXC events. https://gcxc.com/events-pa Support AwesomeCast: https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast

Episode Summary:Brandt and Will trade war stories on the gap between AI hype and AI reality: Brandt's saga of nursing a decade-old, server-killed Oculus Go back to life with Claude Code, the "caveman concept" for cutting token waste, and why Claude keeps giving up and trying to open Chrome. Will breaks down Anthropic's new (and deliberately withheld) Mythos model, plus his own iMessage-agent setup via BlueBubbles. They wrap with confidently-wrong AI moments and this week's Things of the Episode.Discussions Include:• Claude Cowork vs. Claude Code vs. Claude chat, and when to reach for each• The "caveman concept": talking to your AI simply to burn fewer tokens• Resurrecting a 10-year-old, server-bricked Oculus Go using Claude Code, ADB, and a custom APK• Anthropic's Mythos model, its bug-hunting/exploit-chaining chops, and Project Glasswing• When AI is confidently wrong (and how to stop it defaulting to "just open Chrome")Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):     "It is so stupid sometimes... but at the same time, it is also still really, REALLY stupid sometimes." - Brandt Krueger     "There's two types of people in this world: people who use AI to learn everything, and people who use AI to learn nothing." - Will Curran     "It flippin' writes its own APK... " - Brandt Krueger     "Definitely the power is on the code side of things. It's much smarter." - Will CurranThing of the Episode (TOTE):     Brandt: Oculus Go hacking project - https://www.ebay.com/b/Oculus-Go-VR-Headsets/183068/bn_7115189259     Will: BlueBubbles - https://bluebubbles.app/

Sorg and Dave Podnar are back for another AwesomeCast packed with Pittsburgh tech, gaming, streaming, photography, AI, retro media, and a surprisingly practical app for finding a bathroom when you really need one. The episode starts locally with Dave highlighting Stormfreak, a Pittsburgh-area weather enthusiast who has built a following on Reddit by offering practical, level-headed forecasts without the sensationalism that often accompanies severe weather coverage. That leads into a bigger conversation about how Reddit, YouTube, and independent creators increasingly fill information gaps once occupied by traditional specialty television. Sorg then takes a trip back to the video-store era with Binge Buster, a web experience that lets users browse movies available on their existing streaming subscriptions in an interface inspired by wandering through the shelves of a physical rental store. Gaming takes over a large part of the conversation, including EA going private in a massive Saudi-backed deal, Netflix getting an extended GTA 6 preview, Atari showing signs of financial improvement, the possibility of accessing Xbox and PC Game Pass titles on Linux and Mac through the XODUS project, new content for the original Quake, and Sorg's experience comparing Xbox cloud gaming with NVIDIA GeForce NOW. Then things get weird in the best possible way: Diablo is heading to amusement-park Halloween events, while a permanent Freddy Fazbear's Pizza experience complete with animatronics is planned for American Dream. Dave also shares his latest experience with Adobe Project Indigo, including computational photography, AI photo critiques, and the increasingly blurry line between traditional editing and generative AI. The episode wraps with two ideas that bring physical experiences back into a digital world: Pittsburgh's Lost Lizard renting VHS, DVD, and even Betamax tapes, and Nature Calls Run, an upcoming crowdsourced app designed to help runners, cyclists, travelers, and people with medical needs locate bathrooms, water, and other resources. Stories, Gadgets & Topics Discussed 300–600mm iPhone zoom lens — Dave points listeners toward iPhonography Podcast co-host Greg McMillan's detailed look at an enormous telephoto solution for iPhone photography. Stormfreak and Pittsburgh weather on Reddit — Dave highlights the local forecaster's calm, practical approach to Pittsburgh weather and the community that has formed around his posts. They discuss how independent online weather coverage can sometimes be more useful than national television coverage when people need highly local information. The changing role of specialty media — Sorg and Dave compare today's creator-driven information sources with the original promise of channels like The Weather Channel, Discovery, TLC, and Food Network. Binge Buster — Sorg tries a streaming discovery site that recreates some of the experience of browsing a video store. Users select the streaming services they already subscribe to and browse movies through virtual box art, descriptions, genres, trailers, staff picks, and more. https://bingebuster.net/ Awesome Person of the Week: Lewis Latimer — Dave profiles the inventor, draftsman, engineer, and patent expert whose work intersected with both Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent and the development of more durable electric-light filaments. Slice on Broadway pizza sauce — Dave discovers jars of Slice on Broadway's original pizza sauce while shopping at Labriola's Italian Market. EA goes private — Chachi's Video Game Minute covers EA completing its reported $55 billion sale to a Saudi-backed buyer and what private ownership might mean for the future of EA's games and monetization. Netflix and GTA 6 — Netflix is set to feature an extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI on August 27, prompting discussion about whether GTA really needs any additional publicity. Atari's financial comeback — Atari reports its strongest annual revenue in roughly a decade, giving Sorg and Dave an opportunity to talk about the strange history of the Atari name, its changing ownership, and the collection of gaming properties associated with it over the years. Xbox games potentially coming to Linux and Mac through XODUS — Sorg discusses an open-source reverse-engineering project designed to make compatible Xbox and PC titles accessible beyond Windows, including the possibility of accessing portions of a user's existing Microsoft gaming library. Xbox backward compatibility — The conversation touches on original Xbox and Xbox 360 games potentially becoming increasingly accessible through Microsoft's PC ecosystem. New Quake content decades later — Quake continues receiving new content around its 30th anniversary, giving players another reason to revisit the classic first-person shooter. NVIDIA GeForce NOW vs. Xbox cloud gaming — Sorg compares his experience streaming games like Doom: The Dark Ages and Forza Horizon, finding GeForce NOW's higher-end hardware particularly impressive for demanding, fast-moving games. Do you still need a gaming PC? — Cloud gaming raises a bigger question: if a service already supports hundreds of games in your library and provides continuously upgraded hardware, does spending thousands on a dedicated gaming PC still make sense? Diablo invades Cedar Point and Six Flags — Blizzard's Diablo becomes part of the Halloween amusement-park experience, leading to a conversation about licensed haunted attractions and the changing amusement-park industry. Cedar Fair/Six Flags consolidation and disappearing amusement parks — Dave looks back at the history of older amusement parks, including Pittsburgh-area memories of White Swan Park and the larger trend of parks disappearing as land was redeveloped. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza becomes real — A permanent Freddy Fazbear's Pizza experience featuring animatronic stage shows is planned for American Dream in 2027. Naturally, Sorg and Dave wonder whether anybody involved has actually learned the lesson of Five Nights at Freddy's. American Dream as the modern destination mall — The conversation expands into how malls are evolving from shopping centers into entertainment destinations with theme parks, water parks, skiing, restaurants, attractions, wrestling events, and other experiences. Adobe Project Indigo — Dave continues experimenting with Adobe's computational photography app, particularly challenging lighting situations and shooting directly toward a sunset. AI-powered photography reviews — Project Indigo can analyze a photo and provide feedback, giving photographers another way to evaluate composition and possible improvements. When an AI edit becomes a different photograph — Dave demonstrates an AI edit that substantially changes clouds and the sky, prompting an important conversation about the difference between enhancing a photograph and generating new visual information. AI quietly becoming another editing tool — Sorg shares his experience using AI to quickly create client graphics and discusses how generative tools increasingly feel less like a separate novelty and more like another part of a production workflow. Lost Lizard brings video rentals back to Pittsburgh — A Lawrenceville business is renting VHS tapes, DVDs, Betamax tapes, and even retro video games. The concept triggers plenty of nostalgia for independent video stores and their wonderfully strange horror collections. Physical media versus digital ownership — Reports of purchased digital movies disappearing from user libraries lead to a larger discussion about what consumers actually own when they "buy" a digital movie. Movies Anywhere and fragmented digital libraries — Sorg discusses the usefulness of synchronizing eligible purchases across services while acknowledging that licensing can still make digital ownership complicated. Maybe it's time to buy DVDs again — The uncertainty of digital licenses gives physical media another unexpected advantage: nobody can remotely remove a disc from your shelf. Nature Calls Run — An upcoming Pittsburgh-created app will crowdsource public restrooms, water sources, and other useful resources for runners, cyclists, travelers, parents, and anyone suddenly asking the most important question of the day: "Where can I go?" https://naturecallsapp.com/ Restroom access as an accessibility and medical issue — The app also plans to educate users about restroom-access laws affecting people with conditions including Crohn's disease and IBS. GCXC running events — Dave also discusses upcoming Pittsburgh-area races and the community surrounding GCXC events. https://gcxc.com/events-pa Support AwesomeCast: https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast

Harness engineering is still a new concept, but already we've noticed a challenge being consistently faced by technology leaders: how can a harness be used at scale across an organization to ensure consistency and controllability without undermining autonomy? To some extent it's a discussion that's reminiscent of platform engineering and, before that, DevOps, but, given the nature of AI agents, it's also unique to this particular moment. On this episode of the Technology Podcast, host Ken Mugrage is joined by guests Thomas Squeo (Chief Technology Officer and Head of Advisory for the Americas) and Matt Kamelman (Innovation Choreographer) to explore why it's so important to scale harnesses effectively and the steps and processes that will allow you to do just that. Thomas and Matt recently wrote an article outlining how organizations should think about what they call 'enterprise harness engineering'; here, they unpack their ideas and explore what's required of engineering leaders and their teams. Read Thomas' and Matt's article: https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/articles/operating-system-enterprise-ai

What happens when a PC gamer turns downloadable Steam games into physical cartridges? Sorg, Katie Dudas and Dave Podnar explore that inventive project alongside an AI-generated reality show starring romantic fruits, Xbox's possible plan for preserving physical game collections, Fitbit's long-awaited Apple Health support and a 9,000-pound rocket stage headed for the Moon. The crew also discusses a travel app that automatically tells stories based on your location, the staggering first imagery from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Kevin Mitnick's legacy in cybersecurity and several troubling decisions from the video game industry. Stories, Gadgets and Topics Discussed Katie's Brother P-touch label maker: Katie shows how she is using built-in symbols—including cameras, computers and warning icons—to organize and identify equipment, drives and other technology. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory reveals an enormous view of the universe: Dave follows up on the observatory's 3.2-gigapixel LSST camera and an image containing approximately 650,000 galaxies. The hosts discuss the astonishing detail available when zooming into tiny sections of the image, the observatory's planned decade of data collection and how AI could help scientists examine datasets too large for humans to process manually. See the Vera C. Rubin Observatory imagery Wrinkles turns city exploration into a location-aware audio tour: Katie introduces Wrinkles, a travel app that automatically shares historical facts, local stories and hidden details as users walk through supported cities. The app uses AI-generated voices, but its information is drawn from curated sources such as historians, museums and local organizations. Creators and tourism groups may also be able to build their own tours and experiences. Explore the Wrinkles travel app A PC gamer creates physical Steam cartridges: Sorg examines a DIY project that stores individual Steam games on inexpensive 128GB, 2.5-inch SSDs. A script detects the drive when it is inserted, connects the game to the owner's Steam library and launches the title—creating something close to a modern PC game cartridge. The discussion considers storage costs, portability and whether physical presentation can make digital collections feel more permanent. See the DIY Steam cartridge project Kevin Mitnick and National Social Engineering Day: Dave looks back at famed hacker-turned-security-consultant Kevin Mitnick, whose birthday on August 6 inspired National Social Engineering Day. The hosts explain how attackers can bypass strong technology by manipulating employees, customer-service representatives and other people into revealing passwords, resetting accounts or granting access. Learn about National Social Engineering Day Read Kevin Mitnick's congressional testimony ChachiSays Video Game Minute—“Doubling Down on Dumb Decisions”: Sony acknowledges the backlash surrounding its move away from physical PlayStation discs but plans to continue moving in that direction. Read the Sony physical-media story Electronic Arts reportedly rewarded its CEO with a major compensation increase following the success of Battlefield 6 while developers responsible for the game faced layoffs. Read about the EA compensation and layoffs August Interactive is working with NASA on Moonbase Y, a game designed to encourage children to plan, collaborate and invent solutions for a future lunar colony. Learn about Moonbase Y Xbox considers converting physical games into digital licenses: A reported Xbox disc-to-digital program could allow owners of original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs to access compatible digital copies on newer hardware or PC. The hosts discuss game preservation, license transfer, resale and whether Microsoft's approach inspires more confidence in the long-term future of an Xbox library. Read about Xbox's reported disc-to-digital plan Fitbit data can finally sync with Apple Health: Fitbit users can now consolidate more of their fitness information inside Apple Health. The hosts discuss the convenience of keeping activity, blood-pressure readings and medical information in one location, while noting that some measurements—including heart-rate variability—may not transfer yet. Learn how to sync Fitbit with Apple Health A SpaceX rocket stage is headed for the Moon: A roughly 9,000-pound piece of space hardware is expected to strike the lunar surface. Although the collision is accidental and likely will not be visible to the naked eye, lunar orbiters may be able to document the crater and debris, turning the impact into an unexpected scientific experiment. Read about the lunar impact Fruit Love Island and the strange appeal of AI reality television: Sorg introduces an AI-generated dating show starring anthropomorphic fruits and vegetables. The hosts examine its bizarre character designs, inconsistent AI visuals, audience voting, reality-show storytelling and surprisingly organized production workflow. They also debate whether projects like this are disposable “AI slop” or useful experiments in storyboarding, character consistency and accessible video production. Watch Hasan Minhaj react to Fruit Love Island Visit Fruit Love Island Watch the Fruit Love Island video Support AwesomeCast and receive the ad-free edition at Patreon.com/AwesomeCast. AwesomeCast is supported by Slice on Broadway, serving Pittsburgh podcasting with the perfect pepperoni pizza for more than a decade. Visit SliceOnBroadway.com.

What happens when a PC gamer turns downloadable Steam games into physical cartridges? Sorg, Katie Dudas and Dave Podnar explore that inventive project alongside an AI-generated reality show starring romantic fruits, Xbox's possible plan for preserving physical game collections, Fitbit's long-awaited Apple Health support and a 9,000-pound rocket stage headed for the Moon. The crew also discusses a travel app that automatically tells stories based on your location, the staggering first imagery from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Kevin Mitnick's legacy in cybersecurity and several troubling decisions from the video game industry. Stories, Gadgets and Topics Discussed Katie's Brother P-touch label maker: Katie shows how she is using built-in symbols—including cameras, computers and warning icons—to organize and identify equipment, drives and other technology. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory reveals an enormous view of the universe: Dave follows up on the observatory's 3.2-gigapixel LSST camera and an image containing approximately 650,000 galaxies. The hosts discuss the astonishing detail available when zooming into tiny sections of the image, the observatory's planned decade of data collection and how AI could help scientists examine datasets too large for humans to process manually. See the Vera C. Rubin Observatory imagery Wrinkles turns city exploration into a location-aware audio tour: Katie introduces Wrinkles, a travel app that automatically shares historical facts, local stories and hidden details as users walk through supported cities. The app uses AI-generated voices, but its information is drawn from curated sources such as historians, museums and local organizations. Creators and tourism groups may also be able to build their own tours and experiences. Explore the Wrinkles travel app A PC gamer creates physical Steam cartridges: Sorg examines a DIY project that stores individual Steam games on inexpensive 128GB, 2.5-inch SSDs. A script detects the drive when it is inserted, connects the game to the owner's Steam library and launches the title—creating something close to a modern PC game cartridge. The discussion considers storage costs, portability and whether physical presentation can make digital collections feel more permanent. See the DIY Steam cartridge project Kevin Mitnick and National Social Engineering Day: Dave looks back at famed hacker-turned-security-consultant Kevin Mitnick, whose birthday on August 6 inspired National Social Engineering Day. The hosts explain how attackers can bypass strong technology by manipulating employees, customer-service representatives and other people into revealing passwords, resetting accounts or granting access. Learn about National Social Engineering Day Read Kevin Mitnick's congressional testimony ChachiSays Video Game Minute—“Doubling Down on Dumb Decisions”: Sony acknowledges the backlash surrounding its move away from physical PlayStation discs but plans to continue moving in that direction. Read the Sony physical-media story Electronic Arts reportedly rewarded its CEO with a major compensation increase following the success of Battlefield 6 while developers responsible for the game faced layoffs. Read about the EA compensation and layoffs August Interactive is working with NASA on Moonbase Y, a game designed to encourage children to plan, collaborate and invent solutions for a future lunar colony. Learn about Moonbase Y Xbox considers converting physical games into digital licenses: A reported Xbox disc-to-digital program could allow owners of original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs to access compatible digital copies on newer hardware or PC. The hosts discuss game preservation, license transfer, resale and whether Microsoft's approach inspires more confidence in the long-term future of an Xbox library. Read about Xbox's reported disc-to-digital plan Fitbit data can finally sync with Apple Health: Fitbit users can now consolidate more of their fitness information inside Apple Health. The hosts discuss the convenience of keeping activity, blood-pressure readings and medical information in one location, while noting that some measurements—including heart-rate variability—may not transfer yet. Learn how to sync Fitbit with Apple Health A SpaceX rocket stage is headed for the Moon: A roughly 9,000-pound piece of space hardware is expected to strike the lunar surface. Although the collision is accidental and likely will not be visible to the naked eye, lunar orbiters may be able to document the crater and debris, turning the impact into an unexpected scientific experiment. Read about the lunar impact Fruit Love Island and the strange appeal of AI reality television: Sorg introduces an AI-generated dating show starring anthropomorphic fruits and vegetables. The hosts examine its bizarre character designs, inconsistent AI visuals, audience voting, reality-show storytelling and surprisingly organized production workflow. They also debate whether projects like this are disposable “AI slop” or useful experiments in storyboarding, character consistency and accessible video production. Watch Hasan Minhaj react to Fruit Love Island Visit Fruit Love Island Watch the Fruit Love Island video Support AwesomeCast and receive the ad-free edition at Patreon.com/AwesomeCast. AwesomeCast is supported by Slice on Broadway, serving Pittsburgh podcasting with the perfect pepperoni pizza for more than a decade. Visit SliceOnBroadway.com.

How do I decide which supplements and health technologies are worth my time and money? Discover the 10 questions I ask before I use or recommend anything. When you're a parent searching for ways to support your child's health, it can be overwhelming. There are supplements, therapies, devices, technologies, practitioners, protocols, and products everywhere you look. Each one may come with impressive testimonials, promising research, or claims that it could make a difference. But how do you know what is truly worth your time, money, and attention? As an autism specialist with decades of experience in holistic health and working with families, I have learned that I can't simply look at a product and ask, “Does this sound good?” Before I consider adding a supplement, health technology, or other product to my program, I do my own research and evaluation. I look at the science. I investigate the company. I look at how the product is made. I consider safety, quality, cost, ease of use, and whether it is genuinely practical for the families I serve.  Because something can be innovative, popular, or expensive—and still not be the right quality or the right fit for every individual and their unique needs. Most importantly, I ask whether it makes sense. And I don't just recommend something and send families on their way. When I believe in a product or technology, I use it myself and share it with my family so I can have firsthand experience with it and understand how it fits into real life. I like to approach anything in life with an open mind. I can't even count how many potentially valuable options I may have missed if I hadn't been open to looking into it further and trying them for myself, because first-hand experience is important to me too.  Here are 10 of the questions I ask before I trust  Is There a Scientific Rationale Behind It? The first question I ask is: Does this make scientific and biological sense? I have a very curious mind. I'm interested in understanding how something is supposed to work. What is the proposed mechanism? What biological pathway or process is involved? Is there credible research supporting the underlying science? I don't believe that one study or one testimonial is enough to make a decision. I want to look at the bigger picture. I also consider what type of evidence exists. Is there peer-reviewed research? Human research? Laboratory research? Research on the specific product or technology? Or is the evidence primarily based on anecdotal reports? These are all different levels of evidence, and I believe it's important to understand the difference. When I evaluate something new, I want to know not only what the company says it does, but also whether the science behind the concept is reasonable and supported by evidence...   Click Here or Click the link below for more details! https://naturallyrecoveringautism.com/251

Can AI make you better at Photoshop instead of replacing Photoshop? Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore that question on AwesomeCast 789 as Sorg shares a workflow for turning AI-generated concepts into editable graphics while keeping control of the final design. The crew also gets into Pittsburgh technology history with plans to preserve Westinghouse's Atom Smasher, the impressive Commercial Street Bridge replacement, and the accessibility origins of the modern audiobook. Then the geekery kicks into high gear: Xbox expands its classic-game preservation efforts to PC, Hasbro combines Transformers with Jem and the Holograms, LEGO brings Smart Play to Star Trek, Robosen releases an Optimus Prime robot designed to reopen childhood wounds, and Universal plans movies based on ten Atari properties. Plus, Chachi has gaming headlines involving Hasbro, Steam Deck and Atari, and the crew discusses the backlash surrounding a $58,000 humanoid robot proposed for use in a New York school district. It's Pittsburgh technology, AI creativity, retro gaming, accessibility, robots and pop-culture nostalgia on AwesomeCast 789.

Cloud was one of the main drivers of the early waves of AI adoption. However, as AI has become more and more embedded in systems and devices — in both consumer and enterprise contexts — it's becoming a bottleneck. This isn't just about costs (although yes, that issue is certainly surging up the agenda), it's also about how we optimize our architectures and improve device performance. This is why conversation is turning to hybrid AI: embracing a hybrid approach that combines proprietary cloud services with local or on-device AI can help organizations deliver better experiences for users, whether they're consumers, other businesses or internal teams. One company exploring this space is electronics giant Lenovo. In this episode of the Technology Podcast, host Prem Chandrasekaran is joined by Girish Hoogar, Lenovo's Global Head of Technology for Cloud and Software, to discuss why the company is embracing hybrid AI, how it's approaching implementation and what the implications are for other technologists. As industry attention turns to local AI, listen for a first-hand perspective on what the trend actually means for engineering teams and their organizations.

This week on AwesomeCast 788, Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore the growing appeal of retro technology, screen-free devices, customizable gadgets, and digital tools that give users more control. Katie begins with Mama's Night Off, a browser game inspired by Dungeon Crawler Carl and the Maeve Chocolate Dirty Shirley bar. Dave introduces Garmin's new screenless fitness tracker, an alternative to smartwatches and subscription-heavy wearables. Sorg shares his experience setting up RetroArch on Apple TV, including its wide range of supported systems, open-source games, ROM management, controllers, and the tinkering required to make everything work. The conversation expands into the tension between digital convenience and physical ownership. The hosts discuss GameStop's response to Sony's physical-media decisions, the rapid progress of PlayStation 5 emulation, and why consumers are returning to CDs, vinyl, cassettes, retro games, and other physical formats. They also have an extended discussion about generative AI, creative production, AI-assisted image editing, automation tools, corporate responsibility, electrical-grid pressures, and the rapid construction of data centers. The hosts examine the difference between rejecting AI entirely and learning how to use it responsibly while still demanding accountability from businesses and government. Later, the show looks at NASA's Psyche spacecraft capturing a Mars flyby, Pittsburgh movie history through the Pastfinders app, a minimalist flip phone for people who want fewer distractions, a development board that turns old Nintendo Wii Remotes into customizable controllers, and Google Photos restoring a traditional search option alongside Ask Photos. Stories and Gadgets Discussed Awesome Things of the Week Mama's Night Off and the Maeve Chocolate Dirty Shirley Bar Katie shares a browser-based game connected to Dungeon Crawler Carl. Players fire magical projectiles at cherries to help create Mama's Dirty Shirley. The hosts discuss the game's intentionally retro presentation and voice work by Jeff Hays. Play the game and view the chocolate bar: https://maevechocolate.com/products/virgin-dirty-shirley/?game Garmin's Screenless Fitness Tracker Dave introduces Garmin's wearable fitness tracker designed without a screen. The device offers health and activity tracking without requiring users to wear a full smartwatch. The hosts discuss its approximately ten-day battery life, Garmin Connect compatibility, optional Garmin Connect+ subscription, and Garmin's reputation for durable hardware and direct fitness feedback. Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/2219713/garmin-finally-made-a-screenless-fitness-tracker/ Garmin product information: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1989182/#specs RetroArch on Apple TV Sorg explains how RetroArch can turn an Apple TV into a multi-system retro-gaming device. The software supports numerous systems, including Nintendo, Sega, arcade, PlayStation-era platforms, and older computer games. The hosts discuss Bluetooth controllers, open-source games, shareware versions of Doom and Wolfenstein, storage limitations, organizing ROM libraries, and troubleshooting incompatible files. Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/retroarch/id6499539433 Supported platforms: https://www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms Awesome Person of the Week Ralph Teetor and the Invention of Cruise Control Dave highlights engineer Ralph Teetor, who became blind as a child and later earned engineering degrees. Frustrated by the repeated acceleration and deceleration of drivers, Teetor developed an early version of cruise control. The hosts discuss the evolution from basic speed control to adaptive cruise control and its relationship to modern driver-assistance systems. Teetor later served as president of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and an SAE award for educators bears his name. Automotive Hall of Fame: https://automotivehalloffame.org/honoree/ralph-r-teetor/ Chachi Says Video Game Minute Playing GTA III and Vice City Inside GTA: San Andreas A PC mod allows players controlling CJ in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to walk up to an in-game television and launch GTA III or Vice City. The hosts compare the concept to a video-game version of Inception. https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/gta-3-and-vice-city-are-now-playable-inside-san-andreas-a-mod-lets-you-revisit-liberty-city-and-vice-city-without-leaving-san-andreas GameStop's CEO Responds to the Decline of Physical Games GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen argues that Sony reducing physical-disc support will not significantly hurt the company because new video-game sales represent a relatively small portion of its business. The discussion includes GameStop's continued interest in eBay and the changing economics of physical game retail. https://www.ign.com/articles/gamestop-ceo-ryan-cohen-insists-sony-killing-physical-discs-doesnt-matter-at-all-because-video-game-sales-make-up-so-little-of-his-business PlayStation 5 Emulation Progress Developers are making progress booting PlayStation 5 titles through multiple emulation projects. Two-dimensional games are advancing more quickly, while fully rendering complex three-dimensional games remains a significant challenge. The story sparks a broader conversation about game preservation, physical ownership, digital licensing, and consumer distrust. https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/playstation/ps5-emulation-ramps-up-in-wake-of-sonys-end-to-physical-media-ps5-titles-now-booting-across-different-emulators-with-rapid-community-development-for-both-2d-and-3d-games AI, Creative Work and Data Centers The hosts discuss the growing use of AI-assisted tools in image editing, video production, business documents, email, captions, background extension, and design mockups. Sorg explains how AI can help reformat posters for different social-media dimensions without replacing the original creative work. The discussion distinguishes generative AI from other machine-learning tools, such as automated transcription, rotoscoping, search, and image organization. Dave raises concerns about social-media challenges potentially being used to gather free voice-training data. The group discusses how Google, Adobe, Canva, and other platforms increasingly build AI functions directly into existing software. The hosts argue that professionals cannot simply ignore the technology, but they should evaluate where it is appropriate and disclose its use when needed. The discussion also addresses the electrical demands of new data centers, corporate incentives, local government decisions, environmental protections, grid capacity, and the disproportionate placement of industrial infrastructure near lower-income communities. Their central argument is that rapid technological growth must be accompanied by accountability, regulation, public representation, and responsible development. NASA Psyche Mars Flyby NASA's Psyche spacecraft used a Mars flyby as a gravitational assist while traveling deeper into the solar system. The mission captured detailed images and a time-lapse view of Mars during the maneuver. Dave highlights the value of scientific exploration driven by curiosity and the desire to understand more about the universe. https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/psyche/2026/07/17/nasas-psyche-mission-delivers-mars-flyby-data-time-lapse-video/ Pittsburgh Bridges on Film and Pastfinders Sorg highlights a collaboration between Pastfinders and the Pittsburgh Film Office focused on Pittsburgh bridges featured in movies and television. Examples discussed include locations connected to Mayor of Kingstown, Sweet Girl, Jack Reacher, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Dark Knight Rises, Dogma, The Silence of the Lambs, and Mindhunter. The hosts discuss how the Pastfinders app sends location-based notifications about historical sites, movie locations, landmarks, and unusual local stories. Pastfinders: https://www.pastfinders.app/ Pittsburgh Film Office bridge-tour post: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1458603939638716&set=pcb.1458603999638710 The Light Flip Minimalist Phone The hosts examine a modern minimalist flip phone inspired by classic designs. It uses physical buttons, T9-style typing, a small screen, and a dedicated operating system rather than standard Android. The group discusses the appeal for people who want calls, messages, navigation, and limited apps without carrying a high-powered smartphone. They also consider whether younger users might adopt simpler phones to reduce social-media use and screen time. https://9to5google.com/2026/07/21/light-flip-minimalist-phone-announcement/ OpenMote: Repurposing the Nintendo Wii Remote Sorg introduces OpenMote, a drop-in development board that turns a Nintendo Wii Remote into a customizable controller. Demonstrations include pointing the remote at lamps to control them. The hosts brainstorm uses for smart-home controls, games, production equipment, lighting effects, custom 3D-printed controllers, and event technology. OpenMote: https://openmote.io/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio Instagram demonstration: https://www.instagram.com/reels/Da8p5B7PNKP/ OpenMote Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openmote.io/ Google Photos Restores Classic Search Google Photos is adding an option that lets users choose between the newer Gemini-powered Ask Photos experience and a more traditional search interface. The hosts discuss why some users prefer entering straightforward terms rather than asking an AI-generated question. The change becomes an example of why providing a choice can reduce frustration when companies add AI to familiar products. https://9to5google.com/2026/07/20/google-photos-classic-search-toggle/ Also Discussed The return of CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, retro games, and physical media. The difference between owning digital media and licensing access to it. Consumer distrust of large technology companies. The space required to store large physical-media collections. Using Gemini to interpret business acronyms and generate a first draft of a statement of work. Severe-weather alerts and Katie briefly leaving the podcast during a tornado warning. Dave's upcoming races, including the Two-Face Race and Trick or Trot 5K. The next AwesomeCast interview with Spotter Global and its technology for detecting drones and identifying operators. Support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast Discover more from the Sorgatron Media Podcast Network: https://sorgatronmedia.com

This week on AwesomeCast 788, Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore the growing appeal of retro technology, screen-free devices, customizable gadgets, and digital tools that give users more control. Katie begins with Mama's Night Off, a browser game inspired by Dungeon Crawler Carl and the Maeve Chocolate Dirty Shirley bar. Dave introduces Garmin's new screenless fitness tracker, an alternative to smartwatches and subscription-heavy wearables. Sorg shares his experience setting up RetroArch on Apple TV, including its wide range of supported systems, open-source games, ROM management, controllers, and the tinkering required to make everything work. The conversation expands into the tension between digital convenience and physical ownership. The hosts discuss GameStop's response to Sony's physical-media decisions, the rapid progress of PlayStation 5 emulation, and why consumers are returning to CDs, vinyl, cassettes, retro games, and other physical formats. They also have an extended discussion about generative AI, creative production, AI-assisted image editing, automation tools, corporate responsibility, electrical-grid pressures, and the rapid construction of data centers. The hosts examine the difference between rejecting AI entirely and learning how to use it responsibly while still demanding accountability from businesses and government. Later, the show looks at NASA's Psyche spacecraft capturing a Mars flyby, Pittsburgh movie history through the Pastfinders app, a minimalist flip phone for people who want fewer distractions, a development board that turns old Nintendo Wii Remotes into customizable controllers, and Google Photos restoring a traditional search option alongside Ask Photos. Stories and Gadgets Discussed Awesome Things of the Week Mama's Night Off and the Maeve Chocolate Dirty Shirley Bar Katie shares a browser-based game connected to Dungeon Crawler Carl. Players fire magical projectiles at cherries to help create Mama's Dirty Shirley. The hosts discuss the game's intentionally retro presentation and voice work by Jeff Hays. Play the game and view the chocolate bar: https://maevechocolate.com/products/virgin-dirty-shirley/?game Garmin's Screenless Fitness Tracker Dave introduces Garmin's wearable fitness tracker designed without a screen. The device offers health and activity tracking without requiring users to wear a full smartwatch. The hosts discuss its approximately ten-day battery life, Garmin Connect compatibility, optional Garmin Connect+ subscription, and Garmin's reputation for durable hardware and direct fitness feedback. Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/2219713/garmin-finally-made-a-screenless-fitness-tracker/ Garmin product information: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1989182/#specs RetroArch on Apple TV Sorg explains how RetroArch can turn an Apple TV into a multi-system retro-gaming device. The software supports numerous systems, including Nintendo, Sega, arcade, PlayStation-era platforms, and older computer games. The hosts discuss Bluetooth controllers, open-source games, shareware versions of Doom and Wolfenstein, storage limitations, organizing ROM libraries, and troubleshooting incompatible files. Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/retroarch/id6499539433 Supported platforms: https://www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms Awesome Person of the Week Ralph Teetor and the Invention of Cruise Control Dave highlights engineer Ralph Teetor, who became blind as a child and later earned engineering degrees. Frustrated by the repeated acceleration and deceleration of drivers, Teetor developed an early version of cruise control. The hosts discuss the evolution from basic speed control to adaptive cruise control and its relationship to modern driver-assistance systems. Teetor later served as president of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and an SAE award for educators bears his name. Automotive Hall of Fame: https://automotivehalloffame.org/honoree/ralph-r-teetor/ Chachi Says Video Game Minute Playing GTA III and Vice City Inside GTA: San Andreas A PC mod allows players controlling CJ in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to walk up to an in-game television and launch GTA III or Vice City. The hosts compare the concept to a video-game version of Inception. https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/gta-3-and-vice-city-are-now-playable-inside-san-andreas-a-mod-lets-you-revisit-liberty-city-and-vice-city-without-leaving-san-andreas GameStop's CEO Responds to the Decline of Physical Games GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen argues that Sony reducing physical-disc support will not significantly hurt the company because new video-game sales represent a relatively small portion of its business. The discussion includes GameStop's continued interest in eBay and the changing economics of physical game retail. https://www.ign.com/articles/gamestop-ceo-ryan-cohen-insists-sony-killing-physical-discs-doesnt-matter-at-all-because-video-game-sales-make-up-so-little-of-his-business PlayStation 5 Emulation Progress Developers are making progress booting PlayStation 5 titles through multiple emulation projects. Two-dimensional games are advancing more quickly, while fully rendering complex three-dimensional games remains a significant challenge. The story sparks a broader conversation about game preservation, physical ownership, digital licensing, and consumer distrust. https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/playstation/ps5-emulation-ramps-up-in-wake-of-sonys-end-to-physical-media-ps5-titles-now-booting-across-different-emulators-with-rapid-community-development-for-both-2d-and-3d-games AI, Creative Work and Data Centers The hosts discuss the growing use of AI-assisted tools in image editing, video production, business documents, email, captions, background extension, and design mockups. Sorg explains how AI can help reformat posters for different social-media dimensions without replacing the original creative work. The discussion distinguishes generative AI from other machine-learning tools, such as automated transcription, rotoscoping, search, and image organization. Dave raises concerns about social-media challenges potentially being used to gather free voice-training data. The group discusses how Google, Adobe, Canva, and other platforms increasingly build AI functions directly into existing software. The hosts argue that professionals cannot simply ignore the technology, but they should evaluate where it is appropriate and disclose its use when needed. The discussion also addresses the electrical demands of new data centers, corporate incentives, local government decisions, environmental protections, grid capacity, and the disproportionate placement of industrial infrastructure near lower-income communities. Their central argument is that rapid technological growth must be accompanied by accountability, regulation, public representation, and responsible development. NASA Psyche Mars Flyby NASA's Psyche spacecraft used a Mars flyby as a gravitational assist while traveling deeper into the solar system. The mission captured detailed images and a time-lapse view of Mars during the maneuver. Dave highlights the value of scientific exploration driven by curiosity and the desire to understand more about the universe. https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/psyche/2026/07/17/nasas-psyche-mission-delivers-mars-flyby-data-time-lapse-video/ Pittsburgh Bridges on Film and Pastfinders Sorg highlights a collaboration between Pastfinders and the Pittsburgh Film Office focused on Pittsburgh bridges featured in movies and television. Examples discussed include locations connected to Mayor of Kingstown, Sweet Girl, Jack Reacher, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Dark Knight Rises, Dogma, The Silence of the Lambs, and Mindhunter. The hosts discuss how the Pastfinders app sends location-based notifications about historical sites, movie locations, landmarks, and unusual local stories. Pastfinders: https://www.pastfinders.app/ Pittsburgh Film Office bridge-tour post: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1458603939638716&set=pcb.1458603999638710 The Light Flip Minimalist Phone The hosts examine a modern minimalist flip phone inspired by classic designs. It uses physical buttons, T9-style typing, a small screen, and a dedicated operating system rather than standard Android. The group discusses the appeal for people who want calls, messages, navigation, and limited apps without carrying a high-powered smartphone. They also consider whether younger users might adopt simpler phones to reduce social-media use and screen time. https://9to5google.com/2026/07/21/light-flip-minimalist-phone-announcement/ OpenMote: Repurposing the Nintendo Wii Remote Sorg introduces OpenMote, a drop-in development board that turns a Nintendo Wii Remote into a customizable controller. Demonstrations include pointing the remote at lamps to control them. The hosts brainstorm uses for smart-home controls, games, production equipment, lighting effects, custom 3D-printed controllers, and event technology. OpenMote: https://openmote.io/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio Instagram demonstration: https://www.instagram.com/reels/Da8p5B7PNKP/ OpenMote Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openmote.io/ Google Photos Restores Classic Search Google Photos is adding an option that lets users choose between the newer Gemini-powered Ask Photos experience and a more traditional search interface. The hosts discuss why some users prefer entering straightforward terms rather than asking an AI-generated question. The change becomes an example of why providing a choice can reduce frustration when companies add AI to familiar products. https://9to5google.com/2026/07/20/google-photos-classic-search-toggle/ Also Discussed The return of CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, retro games, and physical media. The difference between owning digital media and licensing access to it. Consumer distrust of large technology companies. The space required to store large physical-media collections. Using Gemini to interpret business acronyms and generate a first draft of a statement of work. Severe-weather alerts and Katie briefly leaving the podcast during a tornado warning. Dave's upcoming races, including the Two-Face Race and Trick or Trot 5K. The next AwesomeCast interview with Spotter Global and its technology for detecting drones and identifying operators. Support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast Discover more from the Sorgatron Media Podcast Network: https://sorgatronmedia.com

AwesomeCast 787 gets practical, futuristic and increasingly strange as Sorg, Katie Dudas and Dave Podnar explore family-safe phones, connected health gadgets, USB-C mysteries, robotic limbs, Instagram's latest AI privacy controversy and Fortnite's revealing new take on the DC Universe. Sorg also begins downloading the iOS 27 public beta during the show, despite Katie's warnings and a few concerns being saved for the Patreon aftertalk. Stories and Gadgets Discussed A wireless microphone saves the podcast: When Dave's regular microphone setup breaks, he switches to a compact dual wireless microphone system that connects through USB-C. The plug-and-play backup works with phones and laptops without a complicated setup. Omron 7 Series Bluetooth blood pressure monitor: Dave reviews a new connected blood pressure monitor after getting inconsistent readings from an older device. He highlights its larger arm cuff, support for two users, storage for multiple readings, three-reading averages, Apple Health integration and the ability to export results for a doctor. https://amzn.to/4yncwxY Pinwheel phones, watches and home phones for kids: Katie introduces Pinwheel's managed technology ecosystem for children and teenagers. Parents and caregivers can control approved contacts, monitor texts, restrict social media, set bedtime schedules, review locations and gradually unlock features as a child gets older. The company also offers a standalone smartwatch and a Wi-Fi-powered corded home phone that brings back the satisfaction of dramatically hanging up. https://www.pinwheel.com Kennywood's reopening and the mystery bag gamble: Sorg recounts a delayed visit to Kennywood after a water-main break interrupted opening day. His $5 mystery merchandise bag produced a Kennywood gaiter, a vintage postcard and a Jack Rabbit 100th-anniversary pin. Awesome Person of the Week — Rory Cooper: For Disability Pride Month, Dave profiles inventor, engineer and Paralympic medalist Rory Cooper. After becoming paralyzed while serving in the military, Cooper designed a lighter wheelchair and built a career improving mobility technology. His Pittsburgh work includes the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a collaboration involving the University of Pittsburgh and the Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.invent.org/inductees/rory-cooper WhatCable diagnoses confusing USB-C connections: Sorg tests a free Mac utility that reveals what connected USB-C cables, chargers, docks and ports can actually do. The app displays negotiated speeds, charging details, supported USB standards and potential bottlenecks—useful for anyone wondering why a drive, monitor or video device is underperforming. https://www.whatcable.uk/ LEGO's Fast & Furious Toyota Supra MK4: Katie finds a new LEGO Speed Champions version of Brian O'Conner's Toyota Supra from The Fast and the Furious. The set includes the bright orange movie car and a Brian O'Conner minifigure in his signature T-shirt and jeans. https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/the-fast-and-the-furious-toyota-supra-mk4-77260 Speed and racing technology at the Carnegie Science Center: The hosts preview an upcoming speed-focused exhibit featuring an interactive track and specialized vehicles connected to the Petersen Automotive Museum. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1PZqTmHP4J/?mibextid=wwXIfr Using AI to teach respectful sports camera work: The team examines guidelines designed to prevent women athletes from being sexualized through revealing angles and unnecessary slow-motion replays. Sorg discusses turning the concept into an AI-generated pro wrestling camera guide that can help videographers recognize respectful framing, understand consent and avoid exploitative shots. https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1uwaxzx/some_of_the_new_guidelines_that_have_been/ Instagram reverses its public-profile AI remix feature: Dave explains the backlash surrounding a Meta AI feature that could use images from public Instagram profiles in AI creations without first requiring users to opt in. The hosts discuss predictable abuse, privacy risks and why technology companies need more diverse voices involved before launching features like this. Meta subsequently disabled the feature. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2026/07/13/meta-disables-ai-feature-instagram-backlash/90899917007/ Jizai Arms bring Doctor Octopus technology closer to reality: A Japanese research project demonstrates wearable robotic arms that can be attached, removed and exchanged between users. The hosts debate whether the project represents meaningful cyborg research, performance art or technology created without enough consideration for how the public will interpret it. https://jizai-arms.com/ Additional commentary: https://www.instagram.com/refashionedhippie/ Fortnite launches “Hot Bat Summer”: Batman, Harley Quinn, Catwoman and Poison Ivy receive beach-ready DC skins in Fortnite. The discussion naturally turns toward the absurdity of a game where swimsuit Batman can share a battlefield with Bugs Bunny, Homer Simpson and an armed dog in a bee costume. https://www.polygon.com/fortnite-hot-bat-summer-skins-dc-batman-harley-quinn-catwoman-poison-ivy/ A shirtless protester attacks a Waymo vehicle: Video of a man climbing onto and damaging a Waymo in East Hollywood launches a wider conversation about autonomous vehicles, public surveillance, camera networks and the lack of privacy in modern public spaces. The hosts also discuss how easily hacked or deleted accounts can remove years of digital purchases. https://kotaku.com/shirtless-man-starts-butlerian-jihad-against-waymo-in-east-hollywood-2000715911 Support AwesomeCast and receive the Patreon aftertalk at: https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast AwesomeCast is part of the Sorgatron Media Podcast Network: https://www.sorgatronmedia.com Production services provided by Sidekick Media Services: https://www.sidekickmediaservices.com Supporting Pittsburgh podcasting with the perfect pepperoni pizza: https://www.sliceonbroadway.com

AwesomeCast 787 gets practical, futuristic and increasingly strange as Sorg, Katie Dudas and Dave Podnar explore family-safe phones, connected health gadgets, USB-C mysteries, robotic limbs, Instagram's latest AI privacy controversy and Fortnite's revealing new take on the DC Universe. Sorg also begins downloading the iOS 27 public beta during the show, despite Katie's warnings and a few concerns being saved for the Patreon aftertalk. Stories and Gadgets Discussed A wireless microphone saves the podcast: When Dave's regular microphone setup breaks, he switches to a compact dual wireless microphone system that connects through USB-C. The plug-and-play backup works with phones and laptops without a complicated setup. Omron 7 Series Bluetooth blood pressure monitor: Dave reviews a new connected blood pressure monitor after getting inconsistent readings from an older device. He highlights its larger arm cuff, support for two users, storage for multiple readings, three-reading averages, Apple Health integration and the ability to export results for a doctor. https://amzn.to/4yncwxY Pinwheel phones, watches and home phones for kids: Katie introduces Pinwheel's managed technology ecosystem for children and teenagers. Parents and caregivers can control approved contacts, monitor texts, restrict social media, set bedtime schedules, review locations and gradually unlock features as a child gets older. The company also offers a standalone smartwatch and a Wi-Fi-powered corded home phone that brings back the satisfaction of dramatically hanging up. https://www.pinwheel.com Kennywood's reopening and the mystery bag gamble: Sorg recounts a delayed visit to Kennywood after a water-main break interrupted opening day. His $5 mystery merchandise bag produced a Kennywood gaiter, a vintage postcard and a Jack Rabbit 100th-anniversary pin. Awesome Person of the Week — Rory Cooper: For Disability Pride Month, Dave profiles inventor, engineer and Paralympic medalist Rory Cooper. After becoming paralyzed while serving in the military, Cooper designed a lighter wheelchair and built a career improving mobility technology. His Pittsburgh work includes the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a collaboration involving the University of Pittsburgh and the Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.invent.org/inductees/rory-cooper WhatCable diagnoses confusing USB-C connections: Sorg tests a free Mac utility that reveals what connected USB-C cables, chargers, docks and ports can actually do. The app displays negotiated speeds, charging details, supported USB standards and potential bottlenecks—useful for anyone wondering why a drive, monitor or video device is underperforming. https://www.whatcable.uk/ LEGO's Fast & Furious Toyota Supra MK4: Katie finds a new LEGO Speed Champions version of Brian O'Conner's Toyota Supra from The Fast and the Furious. The set includes the bright orange movie car and a Brian O'Conner minifigure in his signature T-shirt and jeans. https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/the-fast-and-the-furious-toyota-supra-mk4-77260 Speed and racing technology at the Carnegie Science Center: The hosts preview an upcoming speed-focused exhibit featuring an interactive track and specialized vehicles connected to the Petersen Automotive Museum. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1PZqTmHP4J/?mibextid=wwXIfr Using AI to teach respectful sports camera work: The team examines guidelines designed to prevent women athletes from being sexualized through revealing angles and unnecessary slow-motion replays. Sorg discusses turning the concept into an AI-generated pro wrestling camera guide that can help videographers recognize respectful framing, understand consent and avoid exploitative shots. https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1uwaxzx/some_of_the_new_guidelines_that_have_been/ Instagram reverses its public-profile AI remix feature: Dave explains the backlash surrounding a Meta AI feature that could use images from public Instagram profiles in AI creations without first requiring users to opt in. The hosts discuss predictable abuse, privacy risks and why technology companies need more diverse voices involved before launching features like this. Meta subsequently disabled the feature. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2026/07/13/meta-disables-ai-feature-instagram-backlash/90899917007/ Jizai Arms bring Doctor Octopus technology closer to reality: A Japanese research project demonstrates wearable robotic arms that can be attached, removed and exchanged between users. The hosts debate whether the project represents meaningful cyborg research, performance art or technology created without enough consideration for how the public will interpret it. https://jizai-arms.com/ Additional commentary: https://www.instagram.com/refashionedhippie/ Fortnite launches “Hot Bat Summer”: Batman, Harley Quinn, Catwoman and Poison Ivy receive beach-ready DC skins in Fortnite. The discussion naturally turns toward the absurdity of a game where swimsuit Batman can share a battlefield with Bugs Bunny, Homer Simpson and an armed dog in a bee costume. https://www.polygon.com/fortnite-hot-bat-summer-skins-dc-batman-harley-quinn-catwoman-poison-ivy/ A shirtless protester attacks a Waymo vehicle: Video of a man climbing onto and damaging a Waymo in East Hollywood launches a wider conversation about autonomous vehicles, public surveillance, camera networks and the lack of privacy in modern public spaces. The hosts also discuss how easily hacked or deleted accounts can remove years of digital purchases. https://kotaku.com/shirtless-man-starts-butlerian-jihad-against-waymo-in-east-hollywood-2000715911 Support AwesomeCast and receive the Patreon aftertalk at: https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast AwesomeCast is part of the Sorgatron Media Podcast Network: https://www.sorgatronmedia.com Production services provided by Sidekick Media Services: https://www.sidekickmediaservices.com Supporting Pittsburgh podcasting with the perfect pepperoni pizza: https://www.sliceonbroadway.com

AwesomeChat welcomes Frédéric Guitton of iTargetGolf to talk about the future of interactive golf technology and how driving ranges are becoming more social, competitive, and game-like. Frédéric explains how iTargetGolf uses interactive targets, animated lights, in-bay feedback, and integrations with systems like Toptracer, TrackMan, and Inrange to make golf practice feel more like a real-life video game. We also discuss Cash Cup Golf, a new hole-in-one skills game using RFID-enabled balls and video validation to create prize-based golf challenges. This episode explores gamified sports, golf entertainment, customer engagement, worldwide virtual competitions, and the business of building technology for outdoor venues. Learn more about iTargetGolf at www.ITargetGolf.com

AwesomeChat welcomes Frédéric Guitton of iTargetGolf to talk about the future of interactive golf technology and how driving ranges are becoming more social, competitive, and game-like. Frédéric explains how iTargetGolf uses interactive targets, animated lights, in-bay feedback, and integrations with systems like Toptracer, TrackMan, and Inrange to make golf practice feel more like a real-life video game. We also discuss Cash Cup Golf, a new hole-in-one skills game using RFID-enabled balls and video validation to create prize-based golf challenges. This episode explores gamified sports, golf entertainment, customer engagement, worldwide virtual competitions, and the business of building technology for outdoor venues. Learn more about iTargetGolf at www.ITargetGolf.com

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Send us Fan MailAshley Pyle joins Joey Pinz for a deep conversation on leadership, AI adoption, competitive drive, systems thinking, and what it really takes to scale both people and organizations.

What is code? It might sound obvious, but if you scratch the surface it becomes more difficult to articulate precisely what we mean. AI is complicating the picture further and changing the relationship developers have with code: when large amounts of executable code can be generated from high-level descriptions, what does it even mean to write code?  On this episode of the Technology Podcast, host Alexey Boas is joined by Thoughworks Distinguished Engineer Unmesh Joshi to discuss what code actually is and what it means to write, test, review and maintain code today. Building on Unmesh's recent article 'What is Code?' for martinfowler.com, this discussion dives into one of the fundamental building blocks of software while also thinking through the implications for 2026's engineering challenges. Read Unmesh's article on martinfowler.com: https://martinfowler.com/articles/what-is-code.html

This week on AwesomeCast, Sorg is joined by Dave Podnar while Katie is on assignment. The crew digs into practical tech, gaming platforms, open-source operating systems, sports broadcast innovation, retro-inspired phones, and one very funny automated social media mistake involving DoorDash, soccer, and T-Pain. Stories and gadgets discussed: Dave's Awesome Thing of the Week: Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones Dave finally upgrades from cheap running headphones to the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, praising the open-ear / bone-conduction-style design for running safety, comfort, sweat management, USB-C charging, and situational awareness. Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2HKCMBP?maas=maas_adg_api_582366218564361552_static_9_129&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas&aa_campaignid=lv_IGvrl5TTBxiweexlXK&aa_adgroupid=lv_fdLHIcjvJhpJZvQxFb&aa_creativeid=lv_MMLFRb8MTdZvGlnqFv&gad_campaignid=23921418215&gbraid=0AAAABDw_RJg26Vr6MY-sVAPsmwCxwK4mX&gclid=CjwKCAjw3ejRBhAdEiwADkqPn36qoEfzRElmQ3e9OXSxZdGKjw0DyckEdeqo82D8qqlMdTFDyLXuXhoCVn8QAvD_BwE&th=1 Valve opens the door to SteamOS installs on AMD PCs Sorg talks about Valve allowing SteamOS installs on normal PCs with AMD GPUs, giving PC gamers a way to build their own living-room Steam Machine instead of buying Valve's new box. The conversation also touches on Steam Deck, Linux gaming, Proton, GPU costs, tariffs, and the economics of gaming hardware. Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/steam-machines/valve-greenlights-steamos-installs-on-normal-pcs-with-amd-gpus-so-you-can-go-make-your-own-steam-machine-if-you-dont-wanna-fork-over-usd1-049/?brid=YWdncwFV2uAIYy2jMECl21FxWfGS Bazzite as an open-source SteamOS-style alternative Sorg brings up Brother Sorg's recommendation of Bazzite, a Linux-based gaming OS with Steam gaming mode and support for launchers like Xbox Game Pass, Battle.net, EA, Epic Games Store, GOG, Rockstar, and Ubisoft Connect. Link: https://bazzite.gg/ Pride Month tech history: Jon “maddog” Hall Dave spotlights Jon “maddog” Hall, a major Linux and Unix figure, sharing stories about Hall's long programming history, his connection to Linus Torvalds, and the importance of recognizing LGBTQ contributors in technology history. Article: https://www.lpi.org/blog/2025/09/10/a-lifetime-in-code-jon-maddog-hall-reflects-at-linuxfest-northwest/ Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=758QuvXrttM Chachi Says Video Game Minute: GTA 6, Nex Playground, and Ubisoft news Chachi covers three gaming stories: GTA 6 cover art and pre-orders, the Nex Playground motion-based console for kids, and the death of Claude Guillemot, co-founder of Ubisoft. GTA 6: https://www.ign.com/articles/gta-6-cover-artwork-revealed-pre-orders-begin-june-25 Nex Playground: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx50rrz7zro Claude Guillemot: https://apnews.com/article/france-assassins-creed-ubisoft-plane-crash-2df2ea469c3fca0a45c38ae8805a6033 Baja SAE filmed on a “gas station camera” Sorg highlights a low-fi, retro-looking Baja SAE reel from Fairfield University, celebrating the charm of VHS-style and “bad camera” aesthetics in modern social media content. Link: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZ6BjfCtzo-/ World Cup referee technology, digital twins, sensors, and 3D body scans Sorg discusses advanced soccer officiating tech, including camera sensors, player tracking, digital twins, and automated offside detection that can help reduce blown calls and give officials faster alerts. Link: https://apple.news/ABeSFqwyjRpehEy0x8Nc9nQ Ribbie turns MLB games into pixel-art broadcasts Dave shares Ribbie, a fan-built project that uses real-time Major League Baseball data to recreate live games as a retro 16-bit-style baseball broadcast. The conversation connects it to vibe coding, AI-assisted development, and new ways fans can build creative sports experiences. Link: https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/ribbie-turns-real-time-baseball-stats-into-arcade-like-pixel-art-broadcasts/ Commodore phone brings retro branding to a distraction-light flip phone Dave and Sorg look at the Commodore phone, a Sailfish OS-based flip phone designed as a step above a dumbphone, with calls, texting, maps, music apps, Uber/Lyft, classic Commodore games, and limited/no social media access. Link: https://order.commodore.net/callback-audio/?brid=YWdncwHwIXnsUg8Nsyh9q_45Lj2C DoorDash accidentally tags T-Pain in soccer posts The episode wraps with a funny social media fail where DoorDash appears to tag T-Pain instead of soccer player Tim Payne during World Cup-related posts. Sorg and Dave discuss automation, agency workflows, social scheduling, and why T-Pain's response made the whole situation better. Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ56tKCnedX/?brid=YWdncwG5YHkt5InxWn1IZ1Apa3Gc&img_index=2

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Shane Tews — Non-Resident Senior Fellow at AEI and the person who explained the internet to Capitol Hill No Password Required Season 7: Episode 7 – Shane Tews Shane Tews is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where she focuses on cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, and internet governance. She is also President of Logan Circle Strategies, a strategic advisory firm working at the intersection of technology and policy. Before her think tank work, Shane helped introduce modems to the George H.W. Bush White House, walked the halls of Capitol Hill explaining the internet to blank-staring legislators, and spent years at VeriSign helping shape the foundational frameworks of how the internet would be governed. In this episode, Shane traces her unlikely path from the Bush administration to becoming one of Washington's most trusted voices on tech policy. She breaks down why regulating outcomes rather than inputs is the only sensible approach to technology governance, why the US and EU are operating from fundamentally different innovation philosophies, and why a national privacy bill is long overdue. She also explains why most organizations and individuals are far less protected than they think and why nobody knows who to call when something goes wrong. Jack Clabby and co-host Kayley Melton talk with Shane about legacy system vulnerabilities, the cybersecurity implications of agentic AI, and what policymakers absolutely must get right over the next decade. She also reflects on what the CISA reauthorization limbo means for companies that don't even know they've lost liability protection. In the Lifestyle Polygraph, Shane reveals she has 20,000 emails across eight accounts, admits she fakes laughs at bad jokes out of Midwestern politeness, shares her obsession with The Bear and Peaky Blinders, and tells us about her children's book project using Google Omni called "Shane on a Train." Follow Shane on LinkedIn and on X at @ShaneTews. Find her work at AEI.org and TechPolicyDaily.com. No Password Required is presented by ThreatLocker   In this episode: Shane's path from the George H.W. Bush White House to becoming Capitol Hill's go-to internet explainer (00:34 - 02:22) Why the Clinton-era multi-stakeholder model got internet governance right and what that means for policy today (04:40 - 06:13) The case for a national privacy bill and why 50 state standards aren't working (07:24 - 09:27) What AEI covers and how Shane thinks about riding the top of the wave across the entire tech policy stack (09:35 - 11:23) Legacy systems, vendor debt, and why outdated software is the easiest entry point for bad actors (11:30 - 13:34) The gap between how protected people think they are and how exposed they actually are, including a generational perspective on MFA (14:07 - 16:25) The biggest disconnect between everyday cyber reality and the policy world (16:59 - 20:35) Government readiness for a major cyber attack and why most people don't have a plan (20:54 - 22:32) How the US and EU innovation philosophies differ and why Europe's banking system is the real tech problem (22:41 - 25:38) The DeepSeek false narrative and where the US is leading vs. reacting on AI (25:45 - 29:21) The shift from AI features to AI coordination and what agentic AI means for cybersecurity permissions (29:28 - 32:16) What policymakers must get right on AI over the next 10 years (32:25 - 34:11) The Lifestyle Polygraph: inbox chaos, fake laughs, The Bear, and Shane on a Train (00:04 - 12:48)   Timestamp Highlights: (00:34) Shane's origin story: modems at the White House and blank stares on the Hill (04:40) Why the internet got policy right early on and what we can learn from it (07:24) The case for harmonizing breach standards with a national framework (11:30) Legacy systems and vendor debt as the easiest attack vectors (14:07) The real gap between how protected people think they are and how exposed they actually are (20:54) Government cyber readiness: do you know who to call when something goes wrong? (22:41) US vs. EU innovation: why Europe's banking system is the real tech problem (29:28) Agentic AI and the cybersecurity risks of permissions you forgot you gave (32:25) What policymakers must get right on AI over the next decade (06:44) Shane on a Train: using Google Omni to write a children's book series   Resources & Links: AEI.org — Shane's think tank home base TechPolicyDaily.com — Daily tech policy coverage ThreatLocker — Supporter of this podcast Cyber Florida — The Mother Ship  

Database branching has, for a long time, been a troublesome piece in the modern developer workflow puzzle: a good idea in principle but in practice a slow and often expensive challenge. Get it right and you can accelerate productivity and remove bottlenecks; get it wrong and you're potentially creating all sorts of trouble for yourself, from privacy risks to additional complexity. However, things are changing. Thanks to the emergence of new platforms such as Neon, Supabase and Databricks Lakebase, branching a database can become as familiar to developers as managing code branches and multiple environments with, say, Git and Terraform.  On this episode of the Technology Podcast, host Ken Mugrage is joined by his Thoughtworks colleague Cam Casher and Databricks' Kevin Hartman to discuss the work Thoughtworks and Databricks have been doing together on Lakebase. They discuss the platform, their experience using it with Spotify's Backstage and the opportunities database branching can offer software engineering teams in an increasingly AI-assisted and agentic world. Read Cam and Kevin's recent series on using Databricks Lakebase with Backstage: https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/data-engineering/backstage-lakebase-databricks

Anyone can build software with AI now, and millions of people are giving it a try. But when AI can spin up an app in minutes, are security risks slipping through the cracks?

In our World Password Day Special, we're digging into credentials, identity, and authentication  — and where security is  heading next.