Podcast appearances and mentions of Tom Merritt

We share our feelings about Moltbook, a Reddit-like site for AI agents from popular AI assistant platform OpenClaw. Komei asked what steps any of us have taken to make provisions for our accounts after we die. And the Information reports Nvidia will not be introducing any new GPUs in 2026. Is this the final nail in the coffin for the DIY PC enthusiast hobby? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

The Nintendo Switch is officially the company's best-selling console, and Firefox will get an AI kill-switch feature in the next version of its browser later this month.Starring Jason Howell and Tom Merritt.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Merritt and Jenn Cutter look back on the biggest tech stories of January. Starring Tom Merritt and Jenn Cutter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A study by SEO tools company SE Ranking found that Google's AI Overview relied heavily on YouTube channels as “trusted medical sites” over traditional medical sites to pull information to answer user queries. Is this a cause for concern and should the company be more transparent on where its AI tools are pulling answers from? Robb shares his experience with Samsung's Dex since getting back from CES. Is it ready to replace his main laptop? Tesla says it will stop producing the Model S and Model X to free up factory space for its Optimus humanoid robots. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Tasia Custode, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Meta is bringing a paid subscription plan to its marquee apps, and Andy Beach tells us about why Bandcamp's ban on AI music is just the beginning.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Andy Beach.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bandcamp announced on Reddit Tuesday that AI-generated music would not be allowed on their platform. Will other platforms like Spotify or Apple Music follow suit? And Apple has officially teamed up with Google to use Gemini to power Apple Intelligence. Plus Substack introduced a beta app for Apple TV and Google TV, letting subscribers watch creator videos and livestreams on a television. Is this a sign that Substack feels the future is video? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Nica Montford, Len Peralta, Roger Chang Joe. To read the show notes click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Realme's P4 Power smartphone touts a whopping 10,001mAh battery capable of more than three days on a charge, and Andy Beach tells us why we shouldn't call things “AI”.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Andy Beach.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Smartglasses companies XREAL and Viture are getting ready to duke it out in court, and Dr. Niki shares what kinds of biomechanics robotics she saw at SICB.Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt, and Dr. Niki.Show notes found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OpenAI releases ChatGPT Translate, its version of Google Translate. How does it compare and can it successfully compete against the search giant? Social news aggregation and discussion platform Digg has officially relaunched. What's it look like? Is an LLM's output protected by the US Constitution's first amendment? And are we witnessing a growth in independent media? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Andrea Jones-Rooy, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Apple targets digital creatives with the debut of its "Apple Creator Studio" subscription package, and Moxie Marlinspike is bringing end-to-end encryption to the open-source AI chatbot world with the release of Confer.Starring Jason Howell and Tom Merritt.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bodie Grimm sifts through the car tech talk, we make chip news interesting, and so much health tech.Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Allison Sheridan, Bodie Grimm, Roger Chang, Joe, Amos.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We cover the latest chip announcements from Nvidia, Intel and AMD, the latest health tech including a pee analyzer, a mirror that predicts your future health by looking at you, and loads of new EVs. Plus a keyboard PC, eyeglasses that focus for you, Bosch's cordless vacuums, personal all-in-one safety device, and Allison and Steve's CES items that pique their interest. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Allison Sheridan, Bodie Grimm, Roger Chang, Joe, Amos Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

CES 2026 is starts next week! We give you a preview of what to expect from this year's show and important details about what the DTNS crew will be doing at the show. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Roger Chang, Joe Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

2026 is shaping up to be banner year for the AI industry. Or is it? Our predictions panel share their thoughts on what next year will bring for AI, smartphones, streaming and algorithms.Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Scott Johnson, Ron Richard, Amos. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year our predictions panel gave two predictions about what the future of tech would like in 2025 all the way back in December of 2024. What terrible and exciting things do we foresee and what did we get wrong? Find out!Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Justin Robert Young, David Spark, Roger, Joe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Merritt and Jenn Cutter look back on the biggest tech stories of the year. Starring Tom Merritt and Jenn Cutter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Holiday season is filled with tech gifts from friends and family. So we put together this special gift support show to share our tips and experiences on supporting people who need might need a little more help with their gifts.Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Jason Howell, Trisha Hershberger, Rich Stroffolino, Roger Chang, Joe.Show notes found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The DTNS crew and several folks from the audience share their thoughts on great tech gifts they've got, or are hoping to get for the holidays.Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Jason Howell, Amos, Roger Chang, Bradd, Gary, Bill, Benjamin, HitNRun Tony, Brian, Kory, Joe.Link to the Show Notes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FCC is blocking sales and imports of new foreign-made drones, and OpenAI warns AI browsers may never fully stop prompt injection.Starring Jason Howell and Tom Merritt.Links to the stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Samsung announced the 2nm Exynos 2600 for some of the Galaxy S26 devices in 2027, and Jason shares his first impressions after 48 hours with the RayNeo X3 Pro smart glasses.Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt and Justin Robert YoungShow notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Facebook is testing a £9.99 monthly subscription that would limit how many links non-paying users can share in posts, with capping at two links per month. OpenAI announced that developers may now submit apps to ChatGPT, and those apps will be featured in an app directory, available from the tools menu and at chatgpt.com/apps. David Spark explains the difference between attending a trade show and successfully attending one. And is Netflix and Instagram coming for YouTube? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, David Spark, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

LG plans to show off its first Micro RGB TV at CES 2026, and Dr Niki tells us about a treatment for Huntington's Disease.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Dr Niki.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OpenAI released GPT 5.2 and teased an Adult Mode arriving early 2026, and Scott Johnson tells us why the Game Awards is an early sign of a gaming slowdown.Starring Jason Howell, Jenn Cutter, Tom Merritt and Scott Johnson. Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Android is getting emergency live video support for life saving help when its needed, and Rivian is developing its own in-house self-driving AI chip for its EVs.Starring Jason Howell, Jenn Cutter,Tom Merritt and Andy Beach.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OpenAI and Disney signed a three-year licensing deal that lets ChatGPT and Sora generate images and videos. Project Aura from Xreal will use Android XR, the same OS as on the Galaxy XR, but in a glasses form factor. Are we getting to the point of no return where AI generated video and images will be indistinguishable from real video and images? And what are RAM prices soaring and what can consumers expect to pay for memory in the upcoming year? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Patrick Norton, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Nvidia can sell its H200 GPUs to companies in China, and Australia's social media ban for users under the age of 16 is in effect.Starring Jason Howell and Tom Merritt.Links to storied discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apple Interface Chief Alan Dye just got poached by Meta, and Andy Beach tells us about AI assisted diner tags on Open Table.Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt and Andy Beach.Show notes found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meta Platforms Inc. is planning significant budget cuts as high as 30%, for its metaverse initiative. Why has Netflix killed the ability to cast content from your phone to most TVs and streaming devices? YouTube said it will take steps to comply with Australia's ban on allowing users of its service who are younger than 16, but doesn't believe it should be considered a social media platform. TikTok introduced a “Nearby Feed” in the U.K., France, Italy, and Germany, giving users a location-based stream of local posts. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Nica Montford, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Amazon brings AI customization to its AWS clients with Nova Forge, and Apple changes up its AI leadership as John Giannandrea announces his retirement.Starring Jason Howell and Tom Merritt.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Merritt and Jason Howell look back on the biggest tech stories of November.Starring Tom Merritt and Jason Howell.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Google is about to rent its Tensor Processing Units to Meta, and the White House launched its AI-focused Genesis Mission to tackle energy needs.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt and Mishaal Rahman.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Beach shares more details about Warner Music's new AI deal, and Apple just released a new iPhone grip that's aimed at accessibility.Starring Jason Howell, Jenn Cutter, Tom Merritt and Andy Beach.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Google has updated Quick Share to work with Apple's Airdrop. Does Nvidia's strong earnings report this week, mean that AI's bubble is about to burst. Flock's cloud-connected cameras are a popular tool for American police departments to capture images of vehicles and cross-reference them against national and state crime databases. But there use creates a number of privacy concerns as Shannon Morse explains. Swatch's AI‑DADA lets owners prompt AI‑DADA with their own idea, and gives them a unique-to-them watch design. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Shannon Morse, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

I came back from the UK expecting to ease into the week, and instead I walked straight into one of the wildest legislative twists I have seen in years. The Epstein files bill (HR 4405) cleared the House by way of a discharge petition and did so with only a single vote against it. I'll admit — did not take this seriously when it first appeared. I assumed it would stall in committee or die somewhere between the House and Senate. And now that I'm holding the text of the bill in my hands, it is obvious that this is very real and very close to becoming law. Donald Trump has already said he will sign it, and with a nearly unanimous House vote, it's hard to imagine the Senate blocking it.This portion of our story really begins last Tuesday when House Democrats released a new batch of Epstein related emails. The headline was an email in which Epstein told an associate that Donald Trump knew about his behavior and had spent time at his house with a girl later identified as Virginia Giuffre, though crucially, this email did not accuse Trump of participating in abuse. However, with the House reopened and Adelita Grijalva finally sworn in as its newest member, the discharge petition managed to mass on the exact same day — despite reports that Trump immediately called people like Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace urging them to pull their signatures.Politics Politics Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Trump's reaction also says a lot here. On Thursday, Trump was furious, calling allies to warn them that he would rescind endorsements if they voted for the petition. The White House framed the anger as frustration that Republicans had given Democrats a politically useful victory. But by Friday, Trump reversed himself and said everyone should support the release since there was nothing to hide. Late Sunday, he doubled down again, telling reporters the files were long overdue and that Pam Bondi should open new investigations into Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, and Reid Hoffman. It was at that point that it became obvious that the bill was going to sail through. Even Speaker Mike Johnson voted for it — an unusual action considering discharge petitions are mechanisms designed to bypass the Speaker.The bill itself is sweeping. It orders the Attorney General to turn over internal DOJ communications related to charging decisions, investigations, destruction of records, detention details, and Epstein's death. It blocks the government from withholding records due to embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity. Only material that qualifies as child sexual abuse imagery or details an active investigation can be withheld.The winners in all of this are obvious. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna get enormous credit for pushing the discharge petition from the beginning. They stared down the White House and they won. The losers are just as clear. Trump took the biggest political hit because this never needed to become a fight in the first place. If he wanted the files released he could have released them. The notion that people like Kash Patel and Pam Bondi were acting on their own is nonsense. They do not freelance on something this sensitive. Trump might be trying to rewrite the narrative, but the timeline speaks for itself.Personally, I think the files have never been released because the conclusion reached is messy rather than clean. We know Epstein abused underage girls. We know Ghislaine Maxwell helped facilitate it. The open question is whether other powerful people committed crimes that can be clearly proved. If the files contain only partial hints or ambiguous associations, releasing them will satisfy no one. People will assume something is missing, especially considering just how conspiratorial this entire story feels. People build their own conclusions in the absence of official clarity, as we've seen since the death of Epstein himself.Still, the fact remains that this administration took an enormous and unnecessary political loss by fighting transparency that it had promised during the campaign. They went from inviting influencers to the White House for binders labeled Phase One to issuing a one page memo suggesting there was nothing further to see. We do not know what will emerge when the full set of records is released. We do know that the political consequences of this episode are locked in place. Everyone who pushed for transparency won. Everyone who resisted it lost. And once the documents are public nobody will be able to put the lid back on whatever comes next.Chapters00:00:00 - Intro00:03:38 - Epstein Files00:20:44 - Update00:22:36 - Saudi Crown Prince00:26:51 - Texas Maps Blocked00:28:09 - Tariff Checks00:31:10 - UK Politics, AI, and More with Tom Merritt01:09:36 - Wrap-up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe

Microsoft announces Agent 365 and Google Drops Gemini 3, and Justin Robert Young explains why a US congressman is complaining about AI in video games.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Justin Robert Young.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meta announced Thursday it's redesigning Facebook Marketplace with collaborative tools. Spotify is launching a feature for its audiobooks, called Recaps, which will appear once you've listened to about 15-20 minutes of a book. Molly Wood discusses how power is the biggest barrier to AI infrastructure growth, not chips. And has Google recently made an about-face when it comes to how it handles Android apps, especially sideloaded ones? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Molly Wood, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Grand Theft Auto 6 gets yet another delay in pursuit of perfection, and Amazon launches Bazzar as it seeks to compete directly with Shein and Temu.Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt, and Andy Beach.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apple might soon introduce low cost laptops to go head to head with ChromeBooks, and TikTok announced its first US awards show for recognizing excellent creators on its platform.Starring Jason Howell and Tom Merritt.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Merritt and Jenn Cutter look back on the biggest tech stories of October. Starring Tom Merritt and Jenn Cutter.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the Xbox hardware long for this world? Recent moves by Microsoft seem to suggest it may not be. Can fitness trackers really help you reach your fitness goals? Mattress company Eight Sleep added an “outage mode” to its smart beds after an AWS outage left thousands of users unable to adjust temperature or incline settings. And OpenAI launched, ChatGPT Atlas, its chromium based web browser this week. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Nicole Lee, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Napster is back again with a holographic AI agent for your MacBook, Apple is giving iOS users a toggle switch to make Liquid Glass easier to use.Starring Jason Howell and Tom Merritt.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OnePlus unveiled a big OxygenOS 16 release coming with the OnePlus 15, and Andy Beach talks about the Screen Actors Guild's first AI casting.Starring Jason Howell, Jenn Cutter, Tom Merritt and Andy Beach.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spotify is co-creating opt-in "artist-first" AI products along with some of the biggest studios, and DoorDash is using Waymo's robotaxis to autonomously deliver food in Phoenix.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Sean Hollister.Show notes found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pinterest added new feed controls, including limiting AI-generated content in their recommendations. Windows 10 officially went out of support on Tuesday, October 14th. What does this mean for folks still using Windows 10? Allison Sheridan explains why you should consider getting a USB Cable tester and a multimeter. Plus is Netflix trying to steal some of YouTube's market share by bringing video podcasts to the platform? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Allison Sheridan, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

New York City files a lawsuit against Facebook, Google, Snapchat, and TikTok, alleging their platforms are fueling a youth mental health crisis. During OpenAI Dev Days keynote, CEO Sam Altman announced a few new products for ChatGPT users and developers. Discord says around 70,000 global users may have had their government ID photos, names, usernames, emails, the last four digits of credit cards, and IP addresses exposed. And Synology walks back its policy of forcing users of its Plus series of NASs to use Synology branded drives. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Len Peralta, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

OpenAI Dev Day brings broader app integration support into ChatGPT, and a fitness sensor kit by Output Sports that replaces expensive diagnostic equipment.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Darragh Whelan.Links to the stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Ek is out as CEO of Spotify but he isn't going far, and Eóin Tuohy from Sports Impact Technologies talks about his wearable that quantifies head impacts in field sports.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Eóin Tuohy.Links to storied discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Merritt and Jenn Cutter look back on the biggest tech stories of September. Starring Tom Merritt and Jenn Cutter.Links to stories covered in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nvidia is set to invest $100 billion in OpenAI as it works toward a gigawatt of new infrastructure per week, and GitHub is rolling out new security controls for NPM.Starring Jason Howell and Tom Merritt.Show notes found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meta leaked its monocular smartglasses ahead of Meta Connect 2025, and Dr. Niki talks all about Robot Antelopes.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Dr. Niki.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.