Podcast appearances and mentions of Tom Merritt

Google is updating Gemini to automatically remember past conversations without prompting. Eric Migicovsky is bringing back the Pebble watch, e-paper screen, and everything. Rumors abound regarding the next version of the Xbox gaming console becoming more PC like. Scott Johnson is here to explain. Amazon is expanding its same-day delivery grocery service with the inclusion of perishable items like produce, meats and frozen food. Can Amazon crack the supermarket code? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Reddit announces its will block the Internet Archive to prevent AI scraping of its data, and Samsung's new Micro RGB TV is an affordable $32,000!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.

Starbucks Korea implemented a ban on customers bringing desktop PCs, desk partitions, printers and power strips to the coffee stores. Google is rolling out “preferred sources” in Search, enabling users to pick news outlets they want featured most. Sling TV will now sell access to its service on a 24-hour, weekend, or weeklong terms. And would you pay for the ability to turn your videos into a VHS-like viewing experience? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

ESPN and Fox Sports are both offering new streaming sports packages. After 34 years, AOL pulls the plug on its dial-up internet service. Reddit blocks most of archive.org's “Wayback Machine” from indexing its content. And Nvidia unveiled new AI models and infrastructure for robotics, including Cosmos Reason. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Netanyahu's latest move isn't subtle. He wants Israel to take full control of the Gaza Strip — dismantle Hamas, free hostages, and install a non-Hamas civilian government. On paper, it sounds like a decisive endgame. In practice, it's a minefield. The UN, the UK, and even some of Israel's own military leaders are warning this could be catastrophic, both humanitarian and legal. We're talking about tens of thousands of troops pushing into Gaza City, uprooting a million residents to the south, and expanding a controversial aid network that's already replacing the UN in distribution.I can't say I'm shocked. From the moment October 7th happened, this was always one of the plausible end states — Hamas removed from power entirely. What I didn't anticipate was Iran's weakened state factoring into the timing, or the fact that Israel might see that as a green light to act more aggressively. The trouble is, any operation that moves into the areas where hostages are held risks killing them outright. That's going to split Israel politically, because it forces a brutal question: if you were willing to risk their deaths now, why didn't you do it immediately after the attack?And that's before you even get to the problem of what comes after. Hamas leaders can't make a deal and then just go live quietly in Gaza. They'd have to leave. But where? You don't walk away from martyrdom rhetoric on Monday and spend Tuesday at Mario World in Orlando. Gaza under Hamas isn't just a state — it's a criminal syndicate, and that makes any negotiated exit almost impossible. Which means, if this plan goes forward, it's going to be bloody, messy, and controversial from the start.Trump's Putin PlayTrump's continuing to signal he'll meet with Putin “very soon,” possibly in the UAE. Early talk was that Zelensky would be part of a three-way summit, but Trump has apparently dropped that stipulation. Predictably, the Kremlin is treating this like a win, while critics warn it could legitimize Russia's aggression and undermine NATO. That's the Beltway framing.From what I'm hearing, it's not that simple. Trump has actually been harder on Putin lately than some people realize — moving nuclear subs into range, green-lighting sanctions, and generally signaling that he's done being strung along. This isn't 2018 Helsinki. It might be Trump testing whether Putin will only make a deal after feeling genuine pressure.None of this means a breakthrough is coming. It probably isn't. But it does mean Trump wants to own the narrative — that he's the guy who ends wars through direct negotiation. And until Ukraine or Gaza is resolved, his foreign policy record will feel incomplete. I think he knows that, and I think that's why this meeting's on the table at all.FBI Assisting in Locating Texas DemsIn Texas, the Democratic walkout drama is back, with Senator John Cornyn confirming the FBI is helping locate them. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is playing host, calling the state's collection of Democrats “refugees,” which is absurd. They're not refugees. They're political props in his own long-term campaign plans.Here's the thing — if you believe in what you're doing, you should want to get arrested. That would make this story bigger, not smaller. It's the most potent form of protest they've got. Instead, they're hiding out in hotels, funded by Beto O'Rourke's PAC, doing nothing to energize the very voters they're supposedly defending.They could be knocking on doors in the districts that are about to be carved up, rallying people who are about to lose representation. If they got dragged back to Austin by Texas Rangers in the middle of that, it'd be front-page news. Instead, we've got photo ops in Chicago. It's the same mistake they made in 2021 — swapping a real fight for a symbolic one, and then acting surprised when nothing changes.Chapters00:00:00 - Intro00:03:48 - Interview with Michael Cohen and Tom Merritt00:21:29 - Update00:21:57 - Gaza00:29:30 - Trump and Putin00:32:41 - Texas Dems00:36:07 - Interview with Michael Cohen and Tom Merritt (con't)01:01:12 - 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

Black Hat 2025 roundup with David Spark with highlights from the annual InfoSec event in Las Vegas. Edison Research finds podcast listening has grown across all age groups especially among people aged 18-29. Why is OpenAI seeing backlash with the roll out of GPT-5? And its Friday David shares one of his popular Security Games with the show. Can you guess the right answer before we do? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, David Spark, 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!

Apple will manufacture all of its iPhone and Apple Watch glass at a Corning facility in the US, and Dr. Niki explains why putting wires in mouse eyes might be a good thing.Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt and Dr Niki.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will the integration of ads into the prompt results from LLM ChatBots eventually degrade the quality of their output? OpenAI announced GPT-5, the latest model and successor to GPT-4. On Wednesday Duolingo announced it beat its quarterly revenue estimates despite backlash earlier in the year when it's CEO would replace contract workers with AI. And Peloton says it's shifting from a pure cardio focus to a broader wellness strategy. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Disney plans to shut down the standalone Hulu app and merge it into the Disney+ app next year. Google says internal findings contradict a Pew Research report saying people clicked on fewer links when using Google's AI overviews. Scott gives us the highlights from Augmented World Expo 2025. And does toxic social media impact young and older users differently? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Cloudflare calls out Perplexity for evading no-crawl directives, and Windows XP and Clippy are coming for your feet!Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Ryan Whitwam.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

X is working to restore the Vine video archive according to CEO Musk. Lenovo's rollable screen laptop is real and you can buy it. Amazon is splitting up its podcast acquisition Wondery. And does AI have a place in memorializing loved ones who've passed on? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Justin Robert Young, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Reddit wants to position itself as a search engine. On its latest earnings call Apple appears to be ready to go all in on AI. Fast Company reported ChatGPT users noticed their private chats were showing up in search engine results. And its Friday and we end the week with a three questions designed to stoke thoughtful and introspective debate. 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!

Microsoft joins the $4 trillion club with Nvidia, and Dr. Niki talks about using computer models for the discovery of archeological history.Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt and Dr. Niki.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of Meta's Q2 earnings, Mark Zuckerberg published a vague vision for “personal superintelligence”. Sensor Tower shows an increase in downloads for generative AI apps. Are the days of console exclusivity for games coming to a close? And with the release of Windows on Arm versions of Adobe's popular creator apps is there enough reason to get people to consider a Windows Arm laptop? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Apple is closing one of its stores in China for the first time, and Tom's getting the new Elgato Facecam 4k with 49mm lens support.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Jason Koebler.Links to stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cash App launches a new payment option that supports Apple Pay and Google Pay for the first time. Elgato has launched the Facecam 4K webcam that allows users to attach 49mm lens filters. OpenAI introduces a new Study Mode feature that lets students be queried by an LLM instead of just regurgitating information. And we test our understanding of texting etiquette. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Tom finds a way to turn MP3 files into a podcast. Justin discusses the idea behind the trend of AI assisted manifestation. Visualizing success in order to be successful. Microsoft launches a new experimental “Copilot Mode” in its Edge browser. And how OpenAI and Google are making shopping the next frontier for their LLM platforms. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Justin Robert Young, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

X is testing to see if Community Notes can help find the posts everyone likes. App developers are pushing back against Microsoft's controversial Recall feature. How is AI slop impacting the infosec world? And its Friday and Tom has conjured up a new Quiz to help end the week. 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!

A research team discovers that AI models can inherit risky behaviors from other models. Common Sense Media asked 1060 US teens how they used AI. We examine and discuss their responses to high profile questions. What's the buzz surrounding the latest crowdfunded gaming handheld, the OneXSugar – Sugar 1. And a research team at Meta develops a wristband that lets you interact with a computer using just hand gestures. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Lucid Air finally gets access to the Tesla Supercharger network but with a catch , and Nothing announces a brand new budget smartwatch called the CMF Watch Pro 3.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.

Researchers at La Sapienza University in Rome, Italy have developed “WhoFi,” a method to identify individuals based on how their physical bodies alter Wi-Fi signals. The UK government has signed a statement of intent to use OpenAI's products in public services. Nate Lanxon is here to detail his journey to moving his digital music collection to Apple Music without losing all his collected user and usage data like playlists, most listened to songs, artists etc. Why are so many people putting odd shots of mirrors they want to sell on Facebook? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Nate Lanxon, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Google' announced the date for its big Made By Google event in New York, and Dr. Niki gives an update on science funding in the US.Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt, and Dr. Niki.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has Steam's new publishing rule given third-party electronic payment processors control over game listings? Casting has been announced for the Legend of Zelda movie. We pick our fantasy cast. Seagate's HAMR-based hard drives are now available to consumers, with 30TB models going for $600. And does Razer's new Core X V2 signals a new start for eGPUs? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Reddit implements age verification checks in the UK, and Google strikes a deal with Brookefield for hydropowering a few of its AI facilities in Pennsylvania.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.

Reddit has started age verification checks for UK users to comply with the Online Safety Act. Uber will partner with Baidu to let people schedule rides with its robo-taxis outside the US and China. Microsoft is testing energy saver settings based on your workflow instead of just your battery level. And are accented AI voices an important feature for users? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Would you use Google's NotebookLM as a destination for information and not just a tool? What is “Crypto Week” in the US House of Representatives and who does it benefit? Justin explains. The Commodore 64 Ultimate is the first new hardware from Commodore's new management. And two brother-in-laws from Michigan got so fed up with Xfinity they made their own fiberoptic ISP. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Justin Robert Young, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Samsung says it's Trifold smartphone is expected sometime this year, and Dr. Niki talks about Colossal's plans to genetically engineer moa birds. [23:06]Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt and Dr. Niki.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Samsung and Epic Games reach a settlement ahead of Unpacked, and Tom breaks down the mystery behind the major Bitcoin transfer from the weekend.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.

Sony is bringing one of its exclusive titles to the Xbox Series X|S for the first time, and Dr. Niki talks about why we should welcome biodegradable robot overlords. Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt and Dr. Niki.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apple is reportedly considering Claude and ChatGPT for a big Siri rehaul, and Justin Robert Young explains why the ELVIS act was soundly rejected from the Big Beautiful Bill.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Justin Robert Young.Links to the stories discussed in this episode can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would you trust your next vacation to an AI travel agent? Tom shares his experience with the Xreal One Pro AR glasses. Nica explains how technology could shake up the beauty industry. And what roles would you use a LLM Chatbot as surrogate for a real human? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Nica Montford, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Tom Merritt sits down for part two of his conversation with Kevin Metcalf to talk about AI controversies in education for both students and teachers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Brushwood joins us to explain how he uses camera robots to help him with his podcasting setup. Is it too soon to call Microsoft Copilot+ PCs a failure? Google Labs launches Doppl, a new experimental iOS and Android app that lets you virtually try on outfits via AI generated images of yourself. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Brian Brushwood, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Creative Commons launched CC Signals to do for datasets what it did for creative works, and Dr. Niki discusses why seals are learning to play video games.Starring Jason Howell, Jenn Cutter, Tom Merritt and Dr. Niki.Show notes can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the broader Microsoft strategy behind the new Xbox branded MetaQuest 3S headset? Insta360 has a new wearable wireless mic about the size of an Apple AirTag and weighs only 7.9 grams, with 10 hours of battery life, and a 300-meter range. Why are Several major automakers including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Polestar, and Renault saying no to CarPlay Ultra support? And Microsoft adds yet more ways to get security updates for Windows 10 after its EOL on Oct 14th. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Anthropic latest court ruling has big implications for the legality of training AI models with copyrighted works, and Andy Beach shows how individual creators are using AI like a paintbrush.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Andy Beach.Links to the stories discussed in this episode cn be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate Google Earth's 20th anniversary we discuss some of the new features the service offers. Amazon will expand same day delivery to reach more than 4,000 more small towns and rural areas in the US by the end of next year. We discuss PCMag's latest tech etiquette survey. Are you being rude with your phone? Former marketing executive at Google and Facebook, Eric Antonow created the Metha-phone as a tongue-in-cheek way to wean people off their phones. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Can Tesla's upcoming robotaxi service make in-roads into the Austin market? Justin thinks so. Tom gives us the latest on AI regulation in Congress's upcoming budget bill. Bloomberg reports Apple is considering acquiring Perplexity AI. And why is the world's largest and most powerful digital camera on the top of South America's Andes? Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Justin Robert Young, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

CEO of Cloudflare, Matthew Prince, stated in an Axios article that search traffic referrals have plummeted as people increasingly rely on AI. Meta announced new Oakley smart glasses starting at $399. We talk to Andrew Mayne about his interview with OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman. And its Friday we test your knowledge of shave headed tech CEOs. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Andrew Mayne, 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!

Plus new AR glasses, a smart home hub from Eufy and more.Starring Tom Merritt, Jenn Cutter, and Patrick Schlott.Links to stories in this episode can be found here.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy expects the company's corporate headcount to shrink in the coming years as generative AI tools take over some tasks. Netflix signs a deal with French network TF1 to stream its broadcast channels in France. Mattel and OpenAI have a new partnership that will see the toy maker integrate OpenAI's products into its design process and power new toys. And Xbox announces a new partnership with AMD that will see AMD hardware in the next-gen Xbox and the system NOT locked into one store. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Plus Dr. Niki helps us understand why certain scientific studies are given the green light.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Dr. Niki.Links to stories in this episode can be found here.

Oxford's Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found that for the first time a majority of Americans got their news via social media over TV, direct websites and apps. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is telling countries they need to develop Sovereign AI. We explain what that is and what it can mean for AI development. Is the best way to store renewable energy sand? Finland thinks so. Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Roger Chang, Joe. To read the show notes in a separate page click here! Support the show on Patreon by becoming a supporter!

Plus Andy Beach helps us understand why Hollywood is hiding its AI obsession.Starring Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, and Andy Beach.Show notes can be found here.

Also, Dr. Niki checks in on the state of US science funding, and why Android is killing Instant Apps.Starring Tom Merritt, Huyen Tue Dao, and Dr. NIki.Show notes can be found here.

Yahoo Mail tries to appeal to younger users with AI features, and Congressional Dish's Jennifer Briney explains why a US budget bill is aiming to ban regulation of AI.Starring Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Tom Merritt, and Jennifer Briney.Show notes can be found here.

The ongoing Los Angeles protests started with ICE raids. Not a new thing in concept, but a new thing in tone and target. We're talking work sites, immigration courts, restaurants — not jails or prisons, not the places where even the most progressive voices might begrudgingly agree law enforcement has some claim. But California law has essentially blocked ICE from accessing inmates for deportation. So instead of going after the people most would agree should be first in line, they're now going after people in public-facing jobs and community spaces. It's one thing to talk about enforcement — it's another when that enforcement happens where families eat or work.And that's the flashpoint. Trump said he'd deliver the biggest deportation effort in U.S. history. That promise means numbers, and numbers mean sympathy eventually bleeds in. I assumed it would come when a grandma running a family bakery got dragged out on camera. Instead, we're here — people in court, people in the kitchen, being targeted. This was always going to happen. When you aim big, you eventually hit someone the public doesn't want you to hit. And in a city like L.A., that means people are going to show up in the streets.Violence, Protest, and the California ReflexProtesting in California isn't unusual. It's part of the culture. Go look at Instagram stories from anyone in L.A. or the Bay Area — if something controversial is happening, people are in the streets. It's not performative in a bad way; it's performative in the literal sense. It's how people express politics. But with that comes another layer. The violence.There's a slice of every major California protest that's just there for the bricks, the Molotovs, the chaos. Whether they're accelerationists or just anarchists, they're consistent. And that's the problem. The damage they do isn't proportional — it's cinematic. It's what ends up on cable news and social media. And if the goal is to change hearts and minds about immigration policy, burning cop cars and smashing windows makes that harder, not easier.Where Are the Adults?This is where leadership matters. Donald Trump's giving about 20% of his attention to this. Maybe less. He's more engaged with Iran and China. The ICE moves feel reflexive, not strategic. They hit resistance, they escalate. Federalizing the National Guard, deploying Marines — it's blunt-force governance. It's power without precision. What you really need is coordination with the local officials. Instead, we've got a shouting match.Gavin Newsom says “arrest me.” Karen Bass echoes that. But neither is engaging with the reality on the ground. They're acting like Trump is literally smashing windows. And maybe that's useful for the national narrative, but it's not leadership. The onus is on them — Newsom, Bass, the people closest to the problem — to take the lead in condemning the violence. But they won't even acknowledge it. And so we spiral.The truth is, most of these protests are peaceful. But the few that aren't are the ones that define the story. That was the lesson of 2020. And yet here we are again, learning it all over. It's a noble cause, absolutely. But when you ignore the violence — when you pretend it doesn't matter — you lose the moral high ground. And right now, nobody's looking particularly adult in the room.Chapters00:00:00 - Intro00:01:33 - LA Protests00:18:45 - Interview with Rep. Greg Steube00:38:58 - Update00:39:26 - BBB Provisions00:42:25 - Recission Package00:48:28 - LA Protest Polling00:50:19 - Interview with Tom Merritt01:28:53 - 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

IBM announced plans to build its major Quantum computer called Starling, and Dr. Niki explains why we want to edit the genomes of spiders.Starring Jason Howell, Tom Merritt, and Dr. Niki.Show notes found here.

And beyond the new Liquid Glass design and other OS announcements, there's a new robot pizza maker and an Xbox gaming handheld.Starring Tom Merritt, and Sarah Lane.Show notes can be found here.

Also, drone delivery is becoming more common, and an advance in sintronics brings shepherd, faster, more power-efficient memory closer. Starring Tom Merritt and Huyen Tue Dao. Show notes can be found here.