Podcasts about VR

It's Friday the 13th, which means superstition is in the air and chaos is basically guaranteed. On today's daily comedy show, the Rizzuto Show crew dives headfirst into weird news, questionable relationship advice, and a story so bizarre it sounds like it came from a comedy movie.First up: dating red flags.A listener asks whether being 42 years old with no serious relationships or kids is automatically suspicious when dating. That simple question turns into a full breakdown of modern dating culture, the rise of the “incel” label, and why people today seem to struggle more than ever when it comes to relationships. The conversation includes honest advice, uncomfortable truths, and the realization that sometimes the best way to learn dating is just by getting rejected a few times and surviving it.Then the show stumbles into one of the strangest crime stories imaginable.Somewhere between Los Angeles and Dallas, a freight train shipment went missing… but this wasn't electronics or luxury goods. Thieves stole over $250,000 worth of high-tech male sex toys. The crew investigates the product itself, debates how advanced this technology has become, and wonders what kind of criminal mastermind plans a heist around self-pleasure devices.Naturally, that leads to an even bigger discussion about VR technology, internet culture, and whether modern convenience might actually be ruining people's chances of forming real relationships.But the show takes a heartfelt turn when a listener calls in to talk about dating while dealing with prostate cancer and caring for a parent. The crew shares advice, encouragement, and a reminder that even in the middle of a ridiculous daily comedy show, real moments and real connections still happen.And then comes the biggest moment of the episode.After teasing it all morning, the show finally reveals that one member of the crew has life-altering news — and the announcement sends everyone into celebration mode. Suddenly the conversation turns to baby showers, dad jokes, and the realization that the Rizz Show family is officially getting bigger.From stolen trains to serious conversations to one huge surprise announcement, this episode is everything you'd expect from a chaotic daily comedy show that somehow manages to balance ridiculous humor with real moments.Welcome to another completely normal day with The Rizzuto Show.Follow The Rizzuto Show → https://linktr.ee/rizzshow for more from your favorite daily comedy show.Connect with The Rizzuto Show Comedy Podcast online → https://1057thepoint.com/RizzShow.Hear The Rizz Show daily on the radio at 105.7 The Point | Hubbard Radio in St. Louis, MO.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

GET TICKETS FOR THERAPY GECKO LIVE: therapygeckotour.com A caller off 40 shots of fireball whisky explains why he may be done for, and we read viewer mail about the abominable snowman, VR chat legends, how much to reveal about yourself to your family, and more. Put the cap back on the thing please. I am a gecko. Send an email to therapygeckomail@gmail.com to maybe have it possibly read on the show potentially. GET BONUS EPISODES: therapygecko.supercast.com FOLLOW ME ON GECKOGRAM: instagram.com/lyle4ever GET WEIRD EMAILS FROM ME SOMETIMES BY CLICKING HERE.Follow me on Twitch to get a notification for when I’m live taking calls. Usually Mondays and Wednesdays but a lot of other times too. twitch.tv/lyleforeverSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lucile Bellan se confie sans filtre sur le désir, l'amour, le sexe… et la violence du regard des autres.Dans cet épisode des Confessions du Désir (Le Son du Désir), on parle de génération porno/VR, de fantasmes, de libertinage, de politique… et de reconstruction. Pour aller plus loin et écouter les histoires audio érotiques immersives, retrouve tout ici : https://www.lesondudesir.frJournaliste, autrice, podcasteuse, Lucile Bellan décortique l'intime depuis des années. Ici, elle raconte ce qui la fascine (et l'inquiète) dans la sexualité d'aujourd'hui : filtres, dysmorphophobie, archétypes irréels, baisse du désir et du passage à l'acte chez les plus jeunes… et ce que ça dit du monde.On aborde aussi :Sexe & politique : est-ce que le plaisir a une couleur politique ?Libertinage : bourgeoisie, codes, clubs, ouverture queer, “sex parties” inclusivesHarcèlement en ligne & Ligue du Lol : rester “perméable” malgré le dangerÉcriture & désir : son projet de fictions en live via WhatsApp (romance lesbienne, “Largué”, communauté)l'insta de Lucile Bellan : https://www.instagram.com/lucilebellancelui du Son du Désir : https://www.instagram.com/lesondudesir/

ILP# 437 3/8/2026https://lordsofgaming.net/LORDS AFTER DARK on Insider Game App! ANDROID: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.insidergaming.appIOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/insider-gaming/id67539846481) ADVANCEDGG Use Code "IRONLORD" for 10% off https://advanced.gg/pages/partner-ironlords?_pos=12) VALARI PILLOW Use Code "ILP15" valari.gg/?ref=ironlordspodcastroundtable3)  ILP MERCH: https://ironlordspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/collections/allsofgaming.net/4) NZXT & IRON LORDS PC Use Affiliate LINK: https://nzxt.co/Lords5) HAWORTH Gaming Chairs & ILP Use Affiliate LINK: https://haworth.pxf.io/4PKj7M*********************************************************[00:00] Intro, Banter, and Life Updates (Dieting, TV shows, and Movies)[06:46] What the Lords Have Been Playing (Enchanted Arms, Minishoot)[11:00] Deep Dive into Resident Evil 9[43:00] Super Chats & General Industry Talk (Capcom's hot streak, GTA 6 expectations)[01:05:22] Major Topic 1: Project Helix (Xbox's Next-Gen Hybrid Console & Asha Sharma's Announcement)[01:13:00] Live from GDC: Cog drops in to give on-the-ground updates[01:38:48] Hilarious Detour: Picking a costume for Cog (Road to Cologne)[01:41:46] Continuing the Project Helix discussion (PC integration, exclusives, and the console war)[02:40:16] Major Topic 2: PlayStation Leaving PC? (Discussing Jason Schreier's report about Sony pulling major single-player titles like Ghost of Yōtei from PC)[03:11:00] Major Topic 3: Steam Machine Delayed (Valve pushing back the timeline and ceasing production on older Steam Decks)[03:19:30] Major Topic 4: Slay The Spire 2 (Early Access impressions and comparing its massive player counts to Marathon)[03:30:10] Outro & Wrap-up*********************************************************Welcome to The Iron Lords Podcast!Be sure to visit www.LordsOfGaming.net for all your gaming news!ILP Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6XRMnu8Tf1fgIdGlTIpzsKILP Google Play:play.google.com/music/m/Iz2esvyqe…ron_Lords_PodcastILP SoundCloud: @user-780168349ILP Itunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/iron-…uiR-IgF6cE9EQicIILP on Twitter: twitter.cm/IronLordPodcastILP on Instagram: www.instagram.com/ironlordspodcast/ILP DESTINY CLAN:www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Detail/178626The Iron Lords and the Lords of Gaming have an official group on Facebook! Join the Lords at:www.facebook.com/groups/194793427842267www.facebook.com/groups/lordsofgamingnetwork/Lord COGNITO--- twitter.com/LordCognitoLord KING--- twitter.com/kingdavidotwLord ADDICT--- twitter.com/LordAddictILPLord SOVEREIGN--- twitter.com/LordSovILPLord GAMING FORTE---twitter.com/Gaming_ForteILP YouTube Channel for ILP, Addict Show & all ILP related content: www.youtube.com/channel/UCYiUhEbYWiuwRuWXzKZMBxQXbox Frontline with King David: www.youtube.com/@xboxfrontlineFollow us on Twitter @IronLordPodcast to get plugged in so you don't miss any of our content.

Third-party risk is no longer a background concern for healthcare organizations -- it is a frontline challenge. Jason Kor, Principal at HITRUST, works on the company's third-party risk management team, helping enterprises understand the security risk embedded in their supply chains. The numbers tell a stark story: according to Security Scorecard, 99% of the world's 2,000 largest companies are actively connected to a vendor that has experienced a breach in the past 18 months. And Verizon's Data Breach Investigations Report shows that the share of breaches tied to a third party has doubled year over year. HITRUST exists precisely to help organizations move from awareness to action. HITRUST will be at HIMSS 2026 in Las Vegas, March 9-12, at Booth 11307. Stop playing whack-a-mole with vendor risk -- step into the VR challenge and win prizes. For organizations already holding a HITRUST certification, the team has something else waiting: a trophy recognizing the commitment to independent, external audits and rigorous security standards. For those exploring certification for the first time, the booth is a chance to understand how HITRUST compares to alternatives like SOC 2 questionnaires -- and why scalability and risk reduction make it the stronger choice for supply chain assurance. Kor puts it plainly: the audits are time-consuming and expensive because they are effective. And at the end of the process, someone reads that report and makes real business decisions based on what it contains. Two major themes converge at this year's event: supply chain risk and AI. HITRUST has already launched an AI security assessment offering, and new CSF releases are on the horizon, including a report center feature enabling online review of assessments for anti-fraud and continuous monitoring purposes. On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, from 11:10 AM to 11:30 AM, Kor will deliver a 20-minute session titled "Understanding AI Security Risk -- The New Blind Spot in TPRM and Supply Chain Resilience." The session addresses a rapidly evolving challenge: as organizations build their own generative AI tooling -- or work with third parties that have integrated AI into their products -- questions around data sovereignty, input handling, and model provenance become critical, especially in healthcare where electronic health information is at stake. Also on the HIMSS 2026 agenda from HITRUST: Ryan Patrick, Executive Vice President of TPRM Customer Solutions, joins John P. Houston of UPMC and Chuck Christian of Franciscan Health for a Brunch Briefing titled "Building Secure, Compliant, and Resilient Healthcare Systems Together" on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 11:45 AM at Level 1, Casanova 505. The session offers practical strategies, frameworks, and real-world lessons for organizations looking to reduce risk, enhance protection, and advance trust in an evolving threat and regulatory landscape. This is a Brand Spotlight. A Brand Spotlight is a ~15 minute conversation designed to explore the guest, their company, and what makes their approach unique. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/creation#spotlight GUEST Jason Kor, Principal, HITRUSThttps://www.linkedin.com/in/securityconsultantcissp/ RESOURCES HITRUST: https://hitrustalliance.net Jason Kor Session -- Understanding AI Security Risk -- The New Blind Spot in TPRM and Supply Chain Resilience (Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM): https://app.himssconference.com/event/himss-2026/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNDMyMTMxOA== Building Secure, Compliant, and Resilient Healthcare Systems Together -- Brunch Briefing (Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM): https://app.himssconference.com/event/himss-2026/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfNDMzNzQwMQ== HIMSS 2026 Global Health Conference and Exhibition: https://www.itspmagazine.com/cybersecurity-technology-society-events/himss-global-health-conference-amp-exhibition-2026 Are you interested in telling your story? ▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full ▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight ▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlight KEYWORDS Jason Kor, HITRUST, Sean Martin, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand spotlight, third-party risk management, TPRM, supply chain risk, healthcare cybersecurity, HIMSS 2026, AI security, generative AI risk, HITRUST CSF, cybersecurity certification, data sovereignty, electronic health information, vendor risk management Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Ruff Talk VR podcast we have another stacked edition of VR news! Including news on Walkabout Mini Golf's next DLC course - Passport Hollywood! We also talk news on Pico's next headset, Project Swan, which is also coming to North America! As well as new game launches such as RAGER on PS VR2 and Peak Rhythm! Upcoming games such as The Amusement and Affected: The Asylum. Game updates to games such as Prison Boss Prohibition, and much more!Use code RUFFTALKVR at checkout to save on any game or hardware on the Meta Quest store and help support the show!Showcase application form: https://forms.gle/tnPhzKezn3WuJpCU9Big thank you to all of our Patreon supporters! Become a supporter of the show today at https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvrDiscord: https://discord.gg/9JTdCccucSPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvr0:00 - Episode Start1:45 - Walkabout Mini Golf Passport Hollywood Announcement4:50 - Le Dino Labo Out Now8:10 - RAGER PS VR2 Out Now11:40 - Peak Rhythm Out Now13:40 - Affected: The Asylum 19:55 - Pico's Next Headset Project Swan23:00 - RUMBLE27:45 - Prison Boss Prohibition Custom Game Modes30:25 - nDreams Announces Restructure 32:40 - Darts VR2: Bullseye 38:20 - Puzzling Places PCVR40:25 - Interlocked: Puzzle Islands 43:45 - The Amusement48:00 - March Horizon+ GamesIf you enjoy the podcast be sure to rate us 5 stars and subscribe! Join our official subreddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/RuffTalkVR/Support the show

In this episode, we welcome Amy Landecker, actor, writer and director of the new feature, For Worse. Amy is known for critically-acclaimed roles in projects such as A Serious Man, Dan in Real Life, Doctor Strange, I Love My Dad, “Transparent,” “Sneaky Pete,” “The Handmaid's Tale,” and “Your Honor”. In our conversation, she shares on the inspiration and the making of her directorial debut, For Worse. Amy also speaks about the financing, casting, and production of this independent romantic comedy.“The Making Of” is presented by AJA:Butcher Bird Studios solves common video routing and I/O challenges with AJAStep inside Butcher Bird Studios' hybrid production environment with Technical Director Brian Druckman and Executive Producer MeeRa Kim. They explain how KUMO SDI routers and Io 4K Plus help their team deliver flexible routing, low-latency monitoring, and streamlined I/O inside and outside the studio. Read the full interview.Michael Bauman Wins American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Award for “One Battle After Another”The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) presented Michael Bauman its 2026 theatrical feature film award for “One Battle After Another.” The 40th ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton, also recognized Mátyás Erdély, ASC, HSC for “Orphan” in the Spotlight Award category, and Mstyslav Chernov and Alex Babenko for the documentary “2000 Meters from Andriivka.” Winners in the television categories included Adam Newport-Berra for “The Studio,” Pete Konczal, ASC for “Black Rabbit, Alex Disenhof, ASC for “Task” and Christophe Nuyens, SBC for “Andor.” In the music video category, Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC won for Taylor Swift's “The Fate of Ophelia.”Read more here Cinema Audio Society Announces Winners of the 62nd Annual CAS AwardsF1, The Pitt, The Studio and KPop Demon Hunters Among Top HonoreesThe Cinema Audio Society (CAS) revealed the winners of the 62nd Annual CAS Awards tonight at the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom. The evening honored excellence in sound mixing across motion pictures, television, and non-fiction programming, with industry leaders and acclaimed filmmakers gathering to celebrate the art and craft of sound.Read more hereNow with Massive 8TB Capacity—Thunderbolt 5 SpeedThe OWC Envoy Pro Ultra now comes in a new 8TB capacity, pairing enormous space with next‑generation Thunderbolt 5 performance. With real‑world speeds over 6000 MB/s and a rugged, bus‑powered design, it's perfect for 4K/8K workflows, on‑location shoots, and fast media offloads. High‑speed, high‑capacity, and ready for serious creative work. Browse hereCine Gear ConnectMarch 28, 2026 | Brooklyn, NYRegistration is now open for Cine Gear Connect New York 2026, presented by Universal Production Services. Designed for professional filmmakers and photographers who prize depth over breadth, this intimate one-day gathering will bring together industry creative professionals in Industry City, Brooklyn, NY for a focused, immersive experience unlike any other. Visit hereA New Solution from Videoguys: Power your most demanding creative workflows with the G-RAID PROJECT 2, a high-performance 2-bay storage system built to handle massive 4K, 8K, and VR video projects with ease. Featuring 7200RPM Ultrastar enterprise-class hard drives, Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, and RAID 0 pre-configured for maximum speed and efficiency, it delivers fast data transfers up to 520MB/s to keep your editing and archiving workflows moving without interruption. If you're ready to expand your storage and streamline your production workflow, learn more about the G-RAID PROJECT 2 and other professional media solutions at Videoguys today.Visit here Podcast Rewind:March 2026 - Ep. 123.Advertise in The Making Of:Feature your products or solutions in The Making Of and reach 255,000 film and TV industry each week. To explore a partnership, email mvalinsky@me.com today. Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe

Chapter 3 In the near future, reality is boring, and the "OmniNet" is everything. The Aether Dynamics corporation runs the world. But rendering photorealistic VR for billions of users requires processing power that silicon chips can't handle. Scott Foster is about to discover a secret that changes everything. Where that change takes place? Well, that's up for interpretation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Use code RUFFTALKVR at checkout to save on any game or hardware on the Meta Quest store and help support the show!Showcase application form: https://forms.gle/tnPhzKezn3WuJpCU9This is a bonus episode on the podcast feed of our YouTube Live community hangout from Saturday! Come hangout with us during the live which is usually Sunday at 3pm ET (Exact details weekly are on our Discord). Listen as we hangout and talk VR with some of our community!Big thank you to all of our Patreon supporters! Become a supporter of the show today at  https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvrDiscord: https://discord.gg/9JTdCccucSPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvrIf you enjoy the podcast be sure to rate us 5 stars and subscribe! Join our official subreddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/RuffTalkSupport the show

Listen, there is still bad news. More AI stuff and more studio closings and people losing their jobs. It's still pretty bleak. And it isn't likely to change for quite some time. But, in an effort to not yet again sound like a broken record of just horrible news every week, I'd like to pose a question to you. If you could wipe the memory of any game you've played, so that you could experience it again for the very first time, what would you pick? What game made such an impression on you that going through it again, with a fresh mind and fresh eyes, would be your choice? Half-Life 1/2 were amazing games with mechanics we'd never seen before at the time, but if only your memory of it was wiped, would it be what it was then by playing it today? I had a few picks for myself. Mark Of The Ninja was one. It's a game I've not played in a long time and would likely feel like playing it for the first time. Another was Bioshock Infinite (probably Bioshock 1, as well). Those two games, while playing them wouldn't seem at all much different than anything else out there…it's their stories that I want to experience again for the first time. And it's a bit hard for me to find something else like that – although I'm sure they exist. I just can't think of them at the moment. Maybe Braid. Maybe. So let us know what your picks are. And maybe for a little bit we aren't thinking about job losses and AI running up the tab on all our fun stuff and everything else going on at the moment. At least for a little bit. At this point playing ANY Splinter Cell game would feel like I'm playing it for the first time again. Ubisoft, it's been 4,584 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released. Also, there's been 1,626 job losses in the gaming industry since January 1, 2026.

Join us as we explore the latest in VR and XR technology, including Apple Vision Pro, Steam Frame, Pico Project Swan, and industry trends. Discover insights from experts on hardware innovations, software updates, and the future of immersive experiences.VR, XR, Apple Vision Pro, Steam Frame, Pico Project Swan, VR hardware, VR software, industry trends, immersive technologyKey topics:Apple Vision Pro immersive fidelitySteam Frame wireless PC VR and foveated streamingPico Project Swan and Pico OS 6VR industry trends and hardware developmentsSoftware updates and platform improvementsFoveated streamingSplit computing in VROS and hardware integrationChapters:00:00 The Evolution of VR Experiences00:10 Exploring the Apple Vision Pro02:50 Steam Frame: Anticipation and Expectations05:26 Foveated Streaming and Its Impact08:02 The Future of VR Headsets10:49 Pico Project Swan: A New Contender13:18 Meta's Next Steps in VR23:14 Pico's New OS and Hardware Innovations25:16 Dual Chip Design and Performance Enhancements27:27 Pico's Global Strategy and Market Positioning29:59 The State of VR Gaming and Industry Challenges34:19 Comparing Apple Vision Pro and Quest 3 Experiences37:33 Meta's Future in VR and Gaming46:42 nDreams downsizes and the Impact of the Metaverse Boom

In this episode of the Day One Patch Podcast, we break down some major shifts happening across the gaming industry. Xbox has officially confirmed Project Helix, its next-generation console that will reportedly play both Xbox and PC games - potentially blurring the line between console and PC gaming more than ever before. What does this mean for the future of hardware, exclusives, and the traditional console model?Meanwhile, PlayStation may be pulling back from bringing its big single-player titles to PC, signaling a possible return to stronger console exclusivity after several years of expanding onto the platform. We discuss why Sony might be changing course and what this means for players.We also cover the unfortunate shutdown of Highguard, as developer Wildlight prepares to take the servers offline while releasing one final update for the community.Plus, in this week's Video Game Fun Fact, we look back at Virtuality VR, the ambitious 1990s arcade virtual reality system that tried to bring VR to gamers decades before the modern VR boom.All that and more - including what we've been playing - on this episode of the Day One Patch Podcast.

The Captain's Table is a podcast dedicated to talking with the Star Citizen Community about the development and news of Star Citizen. This week we talk about about The future of VR in Star Citizen and Squadron 42.--------------------------------------------SUPPORT THE PUB--------------------------------------------Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheAstroHistorianPaypal: https://streamelements.com/theastropublive/tipMembership: https://www.youtube.com/TheAstroPubLive/joinMerch: https://www.designbyhumans.com/shop/TheAstroPub/Star Citizen Referral Code: STAR-KG7S-NNP || https://robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist?referral=STAR-KG7S-NNPB --------------------------------------------CONNECT WITH THE PUB--------------------------------------------Twitch || https://www.twitch.tv/TheAstroPubGameplay Youtube || https://www.youtube.com/TheAstroPubLiveLore Youtube || https://www.youtube.com/TheAstroHIstorianCaptain's Table Youtube || @TheCaptainsTablePodcast Star Citizen Organization || https://discord.gg/2RTdvkfrnaDiscord || https://discord.gg/0iuqxYzXv07XK3Qo

Chapter 2   In the near future, reality is boring, and the "OmniNet" is everything. The Aether Dynamics corporation runs the world. But rendering photorealistic VR for billions of users requires processing power that silicon chips can't handle. Scott Foster is about to discover a secret that changes everything. Where that change takes place? Well, that's up for interpretation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chris starts off with a show-and-tell, and then Jack explains why he's the "Fruit King". There's a discussion about VR tech in sports, and eventually TV-Talk: Paradise(no spoilers), Shrinking(No Spoilers), and Matt makes a case for "The Paper" and the Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. Before a new Meme Game, Jack has a Rant on "backing in" and proper parking lot etiquette. Become a Patron at JayandJack.comWrite us an email at RCADCast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram at RCADCastAnd leave us an iTunes review

Chris starts off with a show-and-tell, and then Jack explains why he’s the “Fruit King”. There’s a discussion about VR tech in sports, and eventually TV-Talk: Paradise(no spoilers), Shrinking(No Spoilers), and Matt makes a case for “The Paper” and the Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. Before a new Meme Game, Jack has a Rant […]

Chris starts off with a show-and-tell, and then Jack explains why he's the "Fruit King". There's a discussion about VR tech in sports, and eventually TV-Talk: Paradise(no spoilers), Shrinking(No Spoilers), and Matt makes a case for "The Paper" and the Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. Before a new Meme Game, Jack has a Rant on "backing in" and proper parking lot etiquette. Become a Patron at JayandJack.comWrite us an email at RCADCast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram at RCADCastAnd leave us an iTunes review

Dit is de gehele uitzending van dr Kelder en Co waar Jort Kelder belt met Kamerlid Pepijn van Houwelingen (FvD) over het terughalen van de Nederlandse goudvoorraad die in de VS ligt. Te gast is prof. dr. Haroon Sheikh (VU) over de oorlog in het Midden-Oosten en raketten die nu ook op de Golfstaten terecht komen. Wat betekent dat voor de toekomst van bijv. Dubai? De jonge dr. Evy van Weelden heeft onderzoek gedaan naar de hersenactiviteit tijdens de trainingen van piloten met een VR bril. En prof. dr. Janka Stoker (RuG) doet al jaren onderzoek naar leiderschap, maar hoe moet Nederland bestuurd worden met de door Jetten zo gewenste 'egoloze ministers'? 

This compilation contains 5 chapters.Episodes included:1. The Math (March 03, 2026)2. A Productive Meeting (March 04, 2026)3. A Cold Killer (March 05, 2026)4. The Spring (March 06, 2026)5. South (March 06, 2026)---Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-thieves-guild--6141933/support.Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.----CREDITS ✍️ Writer: Jake Kerr

ENTERTAINING SHORT FILMS is a new category on the RPA Network, which features indie short films for your enjoyment! We applaud these creators! Set in a suffocating, over-commercialized future, a young boy's desire for success and status leads him into a terrifying and deadly new reality through the lens of a mysterious VR game. His desperate father must now race against both time and technology to save his dying son. But the boy is the only one who can save himself — before becoming another faceless pawn of the Forest King.

USE CODE 'STREAM7' FOR A FREE WEEK OF ADULT TIME!On this week's episode, host Bree Mills is joined by Kenna James and Millie Morgan! The three kick things off with a game of Would You Rather, where they discuss clown porn, before diving into their collaboration on the bondage scene "Bound to Please Her" for the LEZ BE BAD series and what it's like prepping and shooting bondage and kink scenes, then getting into the acting side of prn and their individual journeys acting, Kenna doing stunt work with her partner, Millie taking a fan's virginity and working with fans, learning her sexuality on camera, looking at fans' d*ck pics, before sliding into a game of SXLINE from sex d*t com where they answer fan questions about sex and boundaries, prn bucket lists, sex tapes, and MUCH MORE!Kenna James: https://www.instagram.com/realkennajames/Millie Morgan: https://www.instagram.com/milliemorganofficial/Bree Mills: https://www.instagram.com/thebreemills/ The Adult Time Podcast: https://bemyfan.com/TheAdultTimePodcastABOUT ADULT TIME:Adult Time is a digital subscription platform for a new era of adult entertainment. We are a brand built by people who believe in a future where mature audiences can safely, securely, and proudly have a place in their lineup for premium adult content. In addition to our addictive programming, Adult Time is dedicated to creating a personalized content experience for all our viewers with 400+ channels, 60,000 episodes, and VR and interactive toy integration.

In the unforgiving expanse beyond the cabin, survival hinges on a single, precious commodity: water. Ralan, Philos, and Rebecca find their dwindling supplies promising a bleak future on the treacherous Dragon Road. With their last drops disappearing, a desperate detour is made, guided by an unexpected glimmer of hope – a hidden spring that could be their salvation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-thieves-guild--6141933/support.Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.----CREDITS ✍️ Writer: Jake Kerr

The unforgiving plains stretch endlessly south, marked only by the dying grass and the desperate hoofprints Ralan, Rebecca, and Philos track relentlessly. Their mission to reclaim what was stolen takes an unexpected turn when they stumble upon a camp teetering on the edge of oblivion, a handful of survivors whose starvation-hollowed eyes offer a stark reflection of the land's indifference.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-thieves-guild--6141933/support.Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.----CREDITS ✍️ Writer: Jake Kerr

Who dares to make predictions in the current landscape? We do!  Our Predictions are back. Will our track-record continue on a high or will we be fundamentally wrong? Listen in to our Predictions for 2026 Navigation: Intro What will 2026 be all about? AI, AI and … more AI The big Hardware movements Of Start-ups and VCs Regulatory & Geopolitical Headwinds… and the Wars Fintech, Crypto and Frontier Tech Conclusion Our co-hosts: Bertrand Schmitt, Entrepreneur in Residence at Red River West, co-founder of App Annie / Data.ai, business angel, advisor to startups and VC funds, @bschmitt Nuno Goncalves Pedro, Investor, Managing Partner, Founder at Chamaeleon, @ngpedro Our show:   Tech DECIPHERED brings you the Entrepreneur and Investor views on Big Tech, VC and Start-up news, opinion pieces and research. We decipher their meaning, and add inside knowledge and context. Being nerds, we also discuss the latest gadgets and pop culture news Subscribe To Our Podcast Bertrand Schmitt Introduction Welcome to Tech Deciphered Episode 74. That would be an episode about some predictions about 2026. What will be 2026 all about? I guess this year is probably starting with a bang. We saw the acquisition of xAI by SpaceX. We saw an acquisition from Grok by NVIDIA. What’s your take about what would be the big themes in 2026? I guess it would be for sure about AI and space. Nuno Goncalves Pedro What will 2026 be all about? Yeah. I predict a year that will be a little bit more of a year of reckoning in some way. There will be a lot of things that I think we’ll start seeing through. The fact that we are in the midst of an amazing transformational era for technology, the use of AI, but at the same time, obviously, a ridiculous bubble that is going alongside it as we’ve discussed in previous episodes. I think that we’ll start seeing some early reckonings of that, companies that might start failing, floundering, maybe a couple of frauds along the way, etc. I’ll tell you what I will not make many predictions about today, which is geopolitics. Geopolitics, I will not make predictions at all. Who the hell knows what’s going to happen to the world this year in 2026? I don’t dare making any predictions on that. Back to things where I would make predictions. I think on AI, we’ll have a little bit of reckoning. We’ll talk about it a little bit more in detail during this episode. Interesting elements around the hardware and physical space. Physical space, we just dedicated a full episode to it. We won’t go into a lot of details on that, but definitely on the hardware side, we’ll talk a little bit more about it. The VC landscape is going through an incredible transformation. We’ll talk about it today as well and some of our predictions for this year. What will happen to the asset class? It seems to be transforming itself dramatically. Obviously, that has a very direct impact on startups, so we’ll talk about that as well. And then to close a little bit the chapter on this, we will address some regulatory and geopolitical, let’s call it, headwinds without making maybe too many complex predictions. We shall see. Maybe by that time of the episode, we will be making some predictions. You guys should stay and listen to us, and maybe we will actually make some predictions about the geopolitical transformations that we will see this year in the world. Then last but not the least, we’ll talk about fintech, crypto, frontier tech, and a couple of other areas before concluding the episode. A classic predictions’ episode. We normally have a pretty good track record on some of these, but right now, the world is going a bit interesting, not to say insane. Bertrand Schmitt Yes, and going back to some news, Groq technically was not acquired, but, practically, it’s as if it got acquired. I’m talking about Groq, G-R-O-Q. The AI semiconductor company focused on inference AI, and it was late December. It was a way to end the year. This year, we started again with an acquisition of xAI by its sister company, SpaceX. I guess that’s where we are starting. AI, AI and … more AI We are going to start on AI. That’s definitely the big stuff. Everything these days, I guess, is about AI or has to have some connection with AI, or it doesn’t matter. I think every company in the world has seen that. You have to have the absolute minimum on AI strategy. You better execute on this strategy and show results, I would say. For the companies that were not AI native, you truly have to have a way to transform yourself. I guess at some point, the stretch might be too much, and it’s not really reasonable. Then you maybe better stay on what you are doing, especially if you’re in tech, you better be moving faster to AI. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Just to highlight, and I think throughout the episode, you’ll see that there’re obviously a lot of implications that would manifest themselves into capital markets. I mean, we’ll specifically talk about VCs and startups later on. But the fact that everything needs to be AI, the fact that there’s so much innovation happening right now, in my opinion, and this is maybe the first pre-topic to AI, is we’ll see a tremendous increase in M&A activity this year across the board. I mean, we’ve seen already some big acquihires we mentioned in some of our previous episodes, but we’ll see a lot more activity on M&A this year. Normally, that’s a precursor to the opening of capital markets. I predict also that there will be a reopening of the IPO market that never really reopened last year, to be honest. M&A, a lot more, reopening of the IPO market. Normally, it happens in the second or third quarter of the year. That’s what my M&A friends tell me. First quarter of year, everyone’s figuring out stuff. Then last quarter of the year, things should be more or less closed. Maybe the third quarter is the big quarter. We shall see. But definitely, as a precursor to our conversation today, I think we’ll see a lot of M&A, and we’ll see reopening of the IPO mark. Bertrand Schmitt I guess last year was not as big as you could expect on M&A given the tariff situation announced in April and May. I mean, it became quite tough to do IPO in such market conditions. Definitely, we can hope for something dramatically different in 2026. I guess talking about public markets and IPO, I guess the big one everyone is waiting for is SpaceX. SpaceX getting even more interesting with its xAI acquisition. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Do you think that because of the acquisition, it’s more likely that it will happen this year, or because of the acquisition, it’s less likely that it will happen this year? Bertrand Schmitt That’s a good question. My guess is the acquisition of xAI is all about xAI needing more financing and cheaper financing. This acquisition is a pathway to that. SpaceX being a much bigger company, a company that is also making much more revenues. I could bet that there is higher probability that, actually, SpaceX will go public in order to finance itself. At the same time, will it have enough time to prepare itself for the IPO given this acquisition just happened? Can they do that in 6 months? I mean, if anyone can do it, I guess it’s Elon Musk. It’s a strategy to present an even more attractive company with an even more interesting story, a story of vertical integration from AI to space. I guess the story as it’s presented itself right now, it’s one about having your AI data centers in space. Because in space, you have much better solar energy production with solar panels. You have a perfect cooling situation because you are in space. Thanks to Starlink, you have the mean to communicate between the satellites and with Earth itself. I think if someone can pull up a story like AI data center in space, I guess Elon Musk can. There is, of course, a lot of questions about is it practical? Is it economical? Yes. I certainly agree. I’m not clear on the mass, and can you make it work? Again, I mean, Elon Musk single-handedly, with SpaceX, managed to transform the space market on its head. I mean, they are the biggest satellite launching company in the world. They have the most satellites in the world. I mean, I’m not sure I would bet against him, and I guess I would probably believe that he could pull up something. Time frames, different story. The 2-3 years data center in space for AI as cheap as on Earth, I have more trouble with that one. I mean, it’s a usual suspect with Elon Musk. You promise something unachievable in a few years, but, ultimately, you still manage to reach it in 5 or 10. Again, I would not bet against the strategy. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Yeah. I’ve talked to a couple of space experts, people that have launched rockets, and have worked JPL, NASA, and a couple of other places, etc. For what it’s worth, their feedback is, “No way in hell, and we’re decades away.” We’ll see. I mean, to your point, Elon has pulled very dramatic stuff. Not as fast as he normally says he’s going to pull it, but within a time span that we all see it. Difficult to bet against him. In terms of actually the prediction, maybe to respond to the prediction as well, will SpaceX IPO? I’m going to make a prediction that has a very high likelihood of missing the mark, but I think Tesla’s going to buy and merge them both into it. It’s going to become a public company through Tesla. That’s my hypothesis. Bertrand Schmitt No. That’s supposed to be it. That’s how you solve that. Nuno Goncalves Pedro And Elon controls the whole universe. X, xAI, Tesla, SpaceX, all under one umbrella beautifully run. And SolarCity is well in there, of course, so wonderful. Bertrand Schmitt That’s possible. Certainly, you are not the only one thinking Tesla will acquire or merge with SpaceX. To remind everyone, Tesla is around 1.3, 1.5 trillion market cap. Depending on the day, SpaceX seems to be valued at similar range, 1.2, 1.3 trillion. It looks like it’s the most valued private company at this stage. These are companies of similar size, so that’s one piece of the puzzle. When you think about the combined company, we could be talking about a 3 trillion entity. Playing right here with the biggest companies in the marketplace today. Nuno Goncalves Pedro With a couple of tweets from Elon, it will rapidly get to 4 to 5 trillion. Bertrand Schmitt That’s so tricky. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Yes. On AI and back to AI, one thing I think that we’re about to see is this will probably be the year of agentic AI. Obviously, we predict a lot of growth on that side of the fence, in particular on the enterprise B2B side. We see a lot of opportunities coming through. From our perspective, at least at Chamaeleon, we generally believe that there’s going to be a lot of movements on agentic AI. It’s also going to be probably the year of the first big fails of agentic AI that will be newsworthy. There will be some elements about that loop and how it gets closed that will happen. I think we might see some scandals already. We’re already seeing the social network of bots talking to bots. We will see other scandals going on this year even in the consumer space and in the bot to bot space, which we now can talk about or in the AI agent to AI agent space. My prediction is we will see some move forwards. There’ll be some dramatic funding rounds along the way. We’ll see a couple of really cool things out of the gates coming out that are really impressive, but we’ll also see the first big misses of the technology stack. I don’t think we’ll go fully mainstream yet this year, so it’s probably maybe something more for 2027 along the way. That would be my prediction again. I think enterprise will lead the way. We’ll definitely see a lot of stuff on consumer as well that is cool. Then we’ll all have our own personal assistance in our hands, basically, literally in our phones. Bertrand Schmitt Going back to agentic AI, we also started the year with some pretty dramatic move. I mean, the launch of Clawdbot, renamed OpenClaw. I mean, this stuff took fire in like a week or 2. It was coded by just one person who actually didn’t even code the product but used AI to build the product, 100% used AI, proposing some new ways also to leverage AI to do coding. He has a pretty unique approach. It’s not vibe coding. I would say it’s a better way to do that. Then the surprising evolution with the launch of a social network for AI agents, Moltbook. I mean, this stuff, probably there is some fake in it. But at the same time, I think it’s quite impressive because it’s the first time we see truly 100,000 plus agents communicating directly to each other. Yeah. I mean, that’s the first time we see surfacing the possibility of some sort of hive mind on the Internet. It’s pretty surprising. Right now, all of this is a hack done in a few days. By end of year, by 2 years, 3 years, we might discover that, actually, the best approach to AI might not be the AI assistant like we are doing today, but a combination of hundreds of thousands of AI working closely together. We might be witnessing the first sign of new intelligence in a way. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Things like this social network might either be Skynet, the beginning of Skynet. They might be the beginning of Her, or they might just be a fad and nothing really happens. It’s just interesting to see what these agents are doing. Bertrand Schmitt Totally. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Obviously, there are real and clear and present dangers of some of the integrations of AI we’re seeing in the market. Interesting enough, and I’ll ask you for your prediction a bit, Bertrand. I think we’ll probably see the first big mishap of AI being used in some infrastructural decision in the age of AI. I mean, we’ve seen AI issues in the past and software issues in the past. We talked in previous episodes about that as well. Mishaps of software that have led to people dying. But I think probably the first big mishap will happen this year as well. Very public mishap of the use of AI and serve its interactions with infrastructure or something that’s very platform related, etc, that will have big impact that everyone will notice. That’s my prediction for the year as well. We’ll have the first big oops moment, as I would call it, for AI in this new age of full on AI. Bertrand Schmitt I would say first some perspective. I think today, people are not using AI directly for life and death decision, at least not that I’m aware. We’re not going to let AI fly a plane, for instance, tomorrow so you can be, reassured. At the same time, given there is such a race to AI, there definitely might be some mistakes. We were talking about the social network for AI agents, Moltbook. Apparently, all the keys used to secure the AI were shared by mistake because it was not properly locked down. We can see that indirectly, mistakes will be made for sure. Two, it’s highly probable that some people will trust AI too much to do some stuff, and this stuff might not work and might have some grave consequence. Hopefully, there is not so much of this. Hopefully, it’s mostly AI used for the good. But you’re right. I mean, at some point, the more we use the technology, the more there would be issue. I mean, it’s highly probable. Nuno Goncalves Pedro That will lead me to another prediction, which is, and we’ll talk about more of it later, but it probably will lead to the first significant movement in terms of regulatory environment certainly in the US at some point if it happens in the US in particular, where there will be some movement that will be like, “Hey, you guys can’t do this anymore.” Because this will probably emerge from mismanaged interfaces. From systems having access to stuff that they shouldn’t have access to in the first place. Talking a little bit more about what’s happening in AI. You’ve already mentioned some of the issues that relate actually to security and cybersecurity. We keep talking about AI. We keep talking about all these infrastructure pieces and platforms that are being built. I think we’ll have a lot more incidents like the one you just mentioned where things will be shared that shouldn’t have been shared, where people will break systems and get into it, etc. Let’s see where that takes us, which is a little bit ironic because, obviously, with AI, the promise is that cybersecurity becomes more robust as well because there’re agents working on our behalf on the cybersecurity side. There’s also agents working on the other side. Bertrand Schmitt It’s a constant race. It’s the attackers, defenders. Each time you have new technology, you have a new race to who is going to attack or defend the best. Each new wave of technology, it’s an opportunity to challenge the status quo. Nuno Goncalves Pedro The attackers have been winning, and I feel they’ll continue winning in 2026. I think it’s going to still be a year of attack. We’ll see more and more breaches, more and more stuff that will happen. Bertrand Schmitt I don’t know if they will win. I mean, it’s normal that they win once in a while. For sure, some infrastructure is not updated as it should. Some stuff are not managed as it should, so there will always be breaches. I don’t know if things are dramatically going to change because, again, everyone who cares who is going to update his infrastructure with AI for defense. There is no question that you have no choice. We will see. That I don’t know. For sure, AI will be used to attack directly with AI. Maybe you’re able to do bigger, larger scale attack. Or thanks to AI, you are simply able to create new type of attacks more easily. AI can be used behind the scene as a way to prepare and organise new type of attacks, even if it’s not used directly live in the battle. Nuno Goncalves Pedro One topic that we’ll come back to later is the geopolitics of everything, but maybe more broadly. On the geopolitics of AI, it’s very clear that we have an arms race going on. Obviously, the US on the one hand, China on the other hand is the two extremes, putting tremendous amount of capital into data centers just at the base of that infrastructure. Chipset development, chipset access, a huge theme in terms of the export restrictions, etc, that are being forced by the US. I think it will continue. From a European standpoint, obviously, they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, to be very honest. Let’s see what happens on that side of the fence. My view of the world is that certainly from a US and China perspective, we’re going to see a lot more movements in 2026, like big movements. The Chinese movements we always see in delay.  It takes us a couple of months, sometimes even more than that to understand exactly what’s going on. I think we’re going to see some huge moves this year in terms of the States, the United States of America, and China really pouring capital into the creation of the next big winners around AI. I think the US is obviously more visible. We see a lot of these companies. We’ve just discussed xAI and its acquisition by SpaceX or merger. I don’t know what they’re calling it exactly. Effectively, on the China side, the movements I think are already very big. As I said, it will take a while to figure out exactly what those moves are. One thing that I propose is that at some point, China will have very little dependency on chipsets from the US. I’m not sure it’s going to happen this year, but I think the writing is on the wall. Irrespective of any other geopolitical issues that is coming to the fore at this moment in time. That’s one of the key areas or in arenas of fight. Bertrand Schmitt It makes sense. If you are China, you will look at what happened. You would think that you cannot just depend on the largest of one country. It makes rational sense, the same way it makes rational sense for the US to limit exports to China because there is value to delay some peer pressure that could use these technologies for good but also for bad. If you were an ally of the US, that would be one thing. But when you are not an ally of the US, that certainly should be a different perspective. Maybe one last point concerning agents, I think there will be a lot that will revolve around coding. We can see OpenAI with Codex. We can see Cloud with code. There was, of course, [inaudible 00:18:28] that was trying to be big on agentic coding. I think agentic coding was one of the big transformation in 2025 and is going to get bigger in 2026. I think for a lot of people who do coding, there was a radical transformation in terms of what you can achieve, what you can do, how much you can trust AI to help you code. I start to think we might see this year, the replacement of not just one AI replace one coder, but one AI replace a full team because of the new ability to manage that at scale. Coding might be a common activity where you are going to think about outcomes, think about objective, think about how you organise, but not really coding by itself anymore. A big change, like you used to code, directly your hand on the stuff, but step by step, everyone is going to become a manager of agent. I think in one year, we saw enough transformation to think that in the coming year, the transformation can be even more dramatic. Nuno Goncalves Pedro The big Hardware movements Now switching gears to hardware. Obviously, a lot of movements in 2025 and over the last few years. One piece of thesis that we’ve had long-standing at Chamaeleon is that we will see the emergence of AI devices. Some of them have been tremendous failures as we discussed in the past. I predict that we’ll have a couple of really interesting full stack AI devices in the market this year. Why does that matter? Because, as many of you know, obviously, there’s compute that can happen in data centers and cloud infrastructure all over the world, but also there’s compute that can happen at the edges. The more you can move to the edges and the more you can create devices that actually allow you to have user experiences that are very distinctive at the edge, the more powerful some of these devices might become. I predict Apple will not be the first to launch anything on this. I predict probably OpenAI, after the acquisition of IO, will maybe not launch something this year, but will announce something this year. I’ll step back on that prediction. They’ll announce something this year, but maybe not launch. But we’ll start seeing some devices that have some interesting value in the market, probably devices that are AI devices, but they are very focused on very specific user flows, and so very much adequate to specific activities. I won’t make a prediction on that, but I think areas that would make sense for that to happen would be obviously around fitness, health, et cetera, et cetera, where we already have the ascendancy of products like Oura Ring and others out there. Definitely, that’s one area that might have quite a lot of developments. I think AI-first devices, devices that are very focused on compute at the edges, providing user flows that are AI-enabled to end users, we’ll see a lot more of that and a lot more activity this year. Again, I don’t think Apple will be necessarily ahead of the game. Again, maybe OpenAI will give us something to at least think about and look forward to. Bertrand Schmitt First, I’m not sure it will be that transformational because if it’s not in your phone, in your pocket, there is only so much you can do with it, and there is only so much computing power you will have. I’m doubtful it would be really impactful this year. Nuno Goncalves Pedro I feel we’ve been discussing this shift of paradigm in input and output. For me, some of these devices could lead to that shift. Because, again, a mobile phone is not a great long-term paradigm for the usage that we have because it’s really constrained by the screen. The screen is really what takes most of the battery life away. If we didn’t have that screen, what could we do? If we have the block that is as big as a mobile phone, and it didn’t have a screen, it was just compute, that’s a mini computer, a microcomputer. Bertrand Schmitt That’s a fair point, but I don’t see that transformation this year. That’s really more my point. I can see that you can have AI-enabled smart glasses, and it’s clear there is a race to AI-enabled smart glasses. My point is more to go beyond the gadget, it would take quite a while. It would need to have cameras. It would need to analyse what you see. It would need to hear what you hear. Again, it might come, but then at some point, it would be okay, what do you do with it? We have the example of the movie Her. That’s showing Her what it could be. There are definitely possibilities. It’s clear that if you take the big VR headset like the Apple Vision Pro, there is a failure from that perspective in the sense that I think it’s a great, amazing device. The big problem is that it’s doing way more that makes sense. I think there will be a clearer separation between your smart AR glasses that has to be light, that has to be always unconnected, and that’s primarily there to help you make sense of the world around you. The true VR headset that doesn’t really require much in terms of AI, and it’s just there to immerse you in a different world. For this, we know, unfortunately, in some ways, that there is not a lot of demand for it. Maybe there is little demand because you are too hidden in your own world. The technology is not working well enough yet. There are a lot of reasons. But I think Apple trying to do both at the same time, AR and VR, with the Vision Pro, was a pretty grave structural mistake. I think we would see a clearer line of separation between the two. There is bigger market opportunity for AR glasses. That, I certainly agree. There is opportunity to connect that to a computing device. As you talk about, your glasses are your screen, your phone becomes something in your pocket connected to your glasses. Nuno Goncalves Pedro For me, Apple has their way of doing things. From the perspective of what you said, they normally really plan their devices. Even if it’s a big shift in terms of a new area, like they tried with the Vision Pro, and we criticised them for launching it as a device that should have been more of a dev device that they really launched as a full-on device, but that’s their playbook, classically. I think Apple needs to change how they put products out and how they experiment with those products, et cetera. I think they have enough money to be doing everything all the time and figuring it out. If they don’t want to put it out, then they need to do a lot more hell of testing internally with their silos, but they should be playing across all these arenas, VR, AR, everything. They just should put devices out that are either ready for prime time, or they should call it something else. They should call it like this is a dev device or whatever it is. Bertrand Schmitt I agree with you. My complaint is more that it was marketed as a consumer device when it was not. It was a true developer device. Two, they tried to mix the two at once, and it made no sense. No one is going to walk in their home or in the street with their Vision Pro on their head. You have to be deranged, quite frankly, to have use cases like this. I think that for me is a crazy mistake from a company like Apple that prides itself in pure UI, pure user interface, very well-designed device for one specific use case, not mixing the two use cases. We still don’t have Macs with a touchscreen, you know?  We still don’t have an iPad with a good OS that makes use of this great hardware. For some strange reason, they decided to mix everything in the Vision Pro with a device that weighs a ton on your head and is so uncomfortable. That’s why, for me, I’m like, “Guys, what is wrong? Why did you let this team run crazy?” I hope at some point, Apple will go back to the drawing board. My understanding is that that’s what they are doing. They are going to have two devices, one smart glasses, an evolution of the Vision Pro, just focus on VR. They might actually abandon the concept of the pure VR-oriented headset. Because, from a market size perspective, it might not be big enough for Apple, quite frankly. Nuno Goncalves Pedro I read on all of the above, and people at this point was like, “Why are then players like Samsung and others not doing it. LG, et cetera?” Because those players historically have not invented new categories. They’re amazing at catching up once the category is invented, and then they scale the hell out of it, and that’s what these companies have been exceptional at. I wouldn’t see a dramatic innovation, I think, in terms of devices coming from any of the big ones on that side of the fence. Not to disrespect them in any way, but I think that’s not been their playbook ever. Again, if the origination doesn’t come from a start-up or from an Apple, I don’t see those guys going after it. My bet is that we’ll see some start-up activity and, again, hopefully, some announcement from IO now within the OpenAI world. Bertrand Schmitt I would slightly disagree with you. I see where you are coming from. But take the Samsung Galaxy Note, that sudden much bigger headphone that no one was doing that was launched by Samsung, at some point, it forced Apple to launch an iPhone Max. Let’s look at the Z Fold that Samsung launched 7 years ago, copied by everyone. Now Samsung launching a trifold. Apple has still not launched their foldable phone. I think there is a mix, actually, of sometimes- Nuno Goncalves Pedro For me, that’s not a proper new category. It’s still a mobile phone. It just happens to have a screen that folds in half. Bertrand Schmitt The iPhone was still a mobile phone, you could argue.  Nuno Goncalves Pedro No. I think the iPhone was…  I could actually agree with you on that point. Maybe Apple is not as innovative in that case. I think what Steve Jobs was exceptionally good at in terms of his ability as this master product manager was to be an exceptional curator of user flows and user experiences, and creating incredible experiences from devices based on that. That was his secret sauce. Could you say, “Wasn’t all of this stuff already around?” It was. You just put it all together very neatly and very nicely. But if you’re talking about significant shifts in how a category is done, the iPhone was a significant shift in how the category was done. The Fold is still an interesting device. I actually have a Fold right now in front of me. The 7 that you highly recommended to me that we both got, the Z Fold 7. I think they do amazing devices. I don’t think they normally are the most innovative players. Then, when they come to innovation, it comes from technology edges. Obviously, they have Samsung Display, there’s a bunch of other things. They had the ability to do foldable screens in-house themselves. Bertrand Schmitt I don’t disagree with you. I think there is an interesting situation where some companies have some strengths, another one has some strengths. My worry with Apple is that this was not demonstrated with the Vision Pro. The Vision Pro was a hot pot of technologies barely integrated together, with use cases absolutely not well-defined and certainly not something that makes sense for most of us. There is a question of has Apple lost it? While Samsung actually keeps doing their own stuff, that, yes, might be more minor improvements, but at least they are doing it. Because it looks like Apple is missing the train on even the minor improvements. By the way, you might not be aware, but Samsung launched its Vision Pro competitor. Interestingly enough, it might be a better product in some ways, being much lighter and much more comfortable. Nuno Goncalves Pedro We should play around with that and report back to our listeners. Of Start-ups and VCs Moving to venture capital and the startup ecosystem and what’s happening there, I think it is very much a bifurcated environment, and it’s bifurcated for both VCs and for startups. If you’re a startup in the AI space, and you have the hottest team since sliced bread, and you can create FOMO at the speed of light, you can raise ridiculous rounds. Five hundred million at the $3 billion, or $4 billion, or $5 billion valuation, and you still haven’t really even started. First round, you can raise 500 million. That’s back to the whole discussion on Bubble and where are we, et cetera. Some of these companies might actually become huge, some of them might not. But definitely, we are seeing really the haves and have-nots on the startup ecosystem with incredible teams raising a lot of money very, very early on or mid-stage if they’ve already existed for a while, and then the rest not being able to raise. We see a lot of non-necessarily AI sectors, some of the areas of SaaS that don’t necessarily have AI in it, or fintech, or the consumer space that are really, really struggling. If you don’t have an AI story for your startup right now, it’s extremely difficult to raise money unless your numbers are just the best numbers ever. That’s, I think, the first part of the element of bifurcation that we’re seeing today. The second element of bifurcation that we’re seeing today in terms of fundraising is for VCs themselves, and really propelled by the large VC firms raising more and more capital in recent orbits, announcing 15 billion across funds raised. Lightspeed, I think, had made an announcement a couple of weeks ago as well. They’ve raised a bunch of money as well. The big guys are all raising a lot of money. At some point in time, the question some of you might ask is, “These VCs are redeploying more and more money if they have a couple of billion for a VC fund. How does that look like? Is that still VC?” My perspective, I’ve shared before in some of our previous episodes, is that that’s no longer venture capital. At that point in time, we’re talking about something else. Private equity hedge funds, if you want to call them, maybe funds that are really driven by growth investment or late-stage investment. If you have a couple of billion under management, you’re not going to make your returns by writing a $3 million check in a series seed and leading that round.  That has implications for everyone in the ecosystem. It has implications for smaller funds that obviously have a lot more difficulty in raising capital. It’s difficult to differentiate. Last but not least, also for startups that really continue searching for that capital that is out there. Andreessen Horowitz, for example, runs Speedrun, which is a great program for companies around consumer in particular. Initially, it was a lot for gaming. But at some point in time, Andreessen Horowitz could decide that they don’t want to invest more in you. They just put money from Speedrun, which is obviously a very small check compared to the very large checks they could write mid to late stage and that will have an effect on you as a startup. What happens at that point in time if Andreessen Horowitz is not backing you up in later stages? More than that, what happens if I can’t get these big funds interested in me? Are the small funds still valuable to me? Punchline, my view is yes. Obviously, we’re a smaller fund, so there’s parochial interest in what I’m saying. Small funds can still create a ton of value for you, also in terms of credibility, ability to accompany you in those first stages of investment, and the ability to bring other larger investors later down the road as well. There’s definitely a big movement happening in terms of the fundraising for VC funds, which we shouldn’t neglect, which is the big guys are raising a lot more capital and are therefore emptying the market to smaller funds that are having more and more difficult raising at this point in time. We had discussed that there would be a need for concentration in the industry, that micro funds would need to concentrate, and we didn’t have the space for so many micro funds as we had around. But the way it’s happening is extremely dramatic at this moment in time. I think it will continue through 2026. Bertrand Schmitt Remember a few years ago, with the rise of AI, there was more and more of the question about, “What’s the point of SaaS at this stage?” Because SaaS was around for 15 years. Basically, how do you come up with something new that was not already tested, validated by the market? How do you bring something new? We say this was reinforced to the power of 10. If your product is not clearly built from the ground up for a new use case enabled by AI, anyone could then might have built your product 5, 10 years ago, and therefore, why now has no clear answer, and it’s a big problem. I’m still surprised myself to still see some entrepreneurs where you talk to them about AI because you don’t see them in the deck, and they explain to you, “It’s not yet there,” and you’re like, “What’s wrong with you guys?” Fine. Do whatever you want. Do a small business and whatever, but don’t think you can come up pitch and raise without an AI story. The second category is people who come with an AI story, but you can feel very quickly, I guess you saw that many times, Nuno, where just a story layered on top with little credibility. It’s not better. It’s not enough to just have a story. Your business needs to be radically built differently or radically proposing some brand-new use cases that were impossible to solve 5 years ago. Nuno Goncalves Pedro To stack up on that, absolutely in agreement. If you’re just adding to the story, and it’s an afterthought, and you’re just trying to make the story somehow gel, once you go into one or two layers of due diligence, your investors will very quickly realise that you’re not really AI-first or dramatically AI-enabled or whatever. It’s just you’re sort of stacking something on top of another thesis. It needs to make sense from the product onwards. It’s not just, let’s just put it together with chewing gum, and magically, people will give you money. It was true also if we remember the good old crypto blockchain days, where everyone’s investing in crypto. A lot of stories that didn’t make much sense. In that sense, it’s not very different. I would go one step further. I think in the world of the VC winter that we’re a little bit in, where it’s more and more difficult if you’re a smaller fund to raise your fund at this moment in time, there’s a lot of sources of distinctiveness still talked about, like proprietary networks, access to deal flow, fast track record, all that stuff that really, really matters. But our bet continues at Chamaeleon continues being that you need to be AI-first as a VC fund yourself. You need to have core advantages in using not only readily-available AI tools or third-party available AI tools, data sources, technology stacks, but actually building your own stack over time, which is what we did with Mantis at Chamaeleon. Again, just to reinforce that, I think we’re at the beginning of that stage. We, Chamaeleon, are ahead of the game, but we think that the rest of the market will have to move towards that as well. Still, to be honest, very surprising to me to see that many significant large players are doing very little still around some of these spaces. They have data scientists. They’re running some tools. They’re running some analysis and all that stuff, but it’s still, again, back to the point I was making for startups, all glued up with chewing gum. It doesn’t all come together nicely, which it does need to from a platform standpoint. Bertrand Schmitt It’s quite surprising. I agree with you that some VC funds might think that they can do business as usual in that brand-new world. It’s difficult to believe. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Maybe moving a little bit toward the capital formation piece. We already discussed the M&A space really accelerating. We’ve also discussed the IPO market and some predictions on that. Secondaries, there’s obviously a lot of liquidity coming from secondaries from mid to late stage. I think it will continue throughout the rest of 2026. A lot of activity in buying, selling in secondaries as some asset managers are becoming more distressed, as some very high net worth individuals and family offices are becoming more distressed as well, at the same time, where there’s a lot of opportunities to potentially arbitrage around some investments. I believe a lot of money will be made and lost this year by decisions made this year, just to be very, very clear in terms of equity, purchases, et cetera. Exciting year ahead of us. Definitely a very, very interesting market ahead of us. Secondaries, M&A, growth, and late-stage investing, also, early-stage investing will continue just for those that were wondering. Last but not least, the public markets, the IPO market as well. Bertrand Schmitt One of the big questions for the IPO market would be, will SpaceX go public? Would it be good for the startup ecosystem? Because suddenly that they go public, it would be to raise money. If they raise money, will there be any money left for anybody else? That would be an interesting test of the market. For sure, it would be proof that market are risk on financing a new IPO like this one. Or as you said, maybe there is no IPO, and it’s a merger with Tesla. Time will tell. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Regulatory & Geopolitical Headwinds… and the Wars Moving maybe to our topic of regulation and geopolitical headwinds, as we’re seeing … definitely not tailwinds. The Google antitrust verdict and, obviously, the remedies are expected to come forward now, and a lot of people are saying, “There are some risks of structural separation.” What do you think? Is it cool, but nothing will happen in the end dramatically? Alphabet or Google? I’m not sure, actually. It’s Google LLC. I think that’s the case. It’s The United States versus Google LLC. Bertrand Schmitt I’m not sure. Personally, I’m not a big fan. I think there needs to be a better way to manage some anticompetitive behavior. I’m not a big fan. There was this temptation to do that for Microsoft 25 years ago. Look at what happened. No one needed to buy Microsoft to leave space for others. I see the same with Google, and I guess they are happy to not be the number 1 in AI today, but to have an open AI in front of them. Even if they are doing a great job, by the way, to move forward and go faster and faster. Personally, quite impressed now with some of what they have released. Gemini 3 is doing great from my perspective. I’m not a big fan of this. I think to be clear, it’s important that bigger companies don’t behave anticompetitively, but at the same time, we need to find the right approach where it’s not about breaking these companies, and it’s also not about forbidding them to do acquisitions. Because then you end up with what NVIDIA just did with a $20 billion acquihire IP licensing type of acquisition, because they didn’t want to have the uncertainties. They didn’t want to wait 1–2 years in order to acquire the people and the technology, so they organised it in a different way. But I don’t like that. I think they should be able to acquire companies without facing so much uncertainty. To be clear, it’s not new. Uncertainty when you are Google, NVIDIA, or others, it happens. It has happened for a decade plus, 2 decades. I think there needs to be, for sure, some safety valves. At the same time, we want an efficient capital market. An efficient capital market need companies that can acquire other companies. If you don’t do that efficiently, it will be worse for the entrepreneurs, it will be worse for the investors, it will be worse for everybody. I think we have not reached a good equilibrium from my perspective. We need more efficient acquisition process. And at the same time, we need to also enforce faster anticompetitive behavior. Because what you talk about concerning Google, this is a case that was what? That is 10 years old. You see what I mean? This is way too long. If you’re a startup, you are dead by then. It’s like the story of Netscape facing Microsoft. They were dead long after the fact. I think we need a different approach. I’m not sure the best answer. I’m not sure we’ll get a better approach. There are probably too many vested interest. My hope is that it will get better with this current administration because, certainly, the past administration was very anti acquisition and efficient markets. Nuno Goncalves Pedro We’ve talked about the European Union AI Act a bunch of times, so I don’t want to spend too many cycles on that. The only effect that I would say is we are seeing in very slow motion the splitting of the Internet. I once had Tim Berners-Lee, by the way, shouting at me that we were going to break the Internet when we were applying for the .mobi top-level domain. I was part of that consortium that eventually did get the .mobi top-level domain, and I had him shouting at us. But, apparently, this is going to split the Internet, Tim. So in case you’re listening. Because it will create all these different rules. If your data is relating to consumers there, then it’s treated in a different way, and The US is… Well, obviously, we have the case of California with its own rules and laws. I don’t know. I feel we’re having a moment of siloing that goes beyond economic and geopolitical siloing. It will also apply to the digital world, and we’ll start having different landscapes around it. We’ll see how this affects global expansion of services, for example, around AI, particularly for consumer, but I don’t foresee anything dramatically positive. Recently, we had the whole deal around TikTok finally having a solution for their US problem where there’s now a US conglomerate magically that owns it. The conglomerate doesn’t magically own it, they just straight up own it for the US. But it was driven by many of these concerns around data ownership. Where’s the data? Where is it based? I think a lot of other concerns that have to do with the geopolitics of China, obviously, being the basis of ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, that still is a significant owner, by the way, in TikTok in US. Then also the interest in the economics of making money out of something as powerful as TikTok, to be honest, in The US. Just to be clear, I don’t think this was all about the best interests of consumers. It was also about money. Just follow the money. Bertrand Schmitt There are for sure, some powerful interest at play. But let’s be clear. I think one is data, as you rightfully said, but the other one is algorithm. It’s not as if China is authorising any competitor on its territory. They have blocked access to most of the Internet platforms from the US, either finding new rules or just trade blocking them. So I don’t think it’s fair competition. You don’t want some of that data in China about the US or European consumer. Three, it’s about the algorithm. If suddenly, you are a foreign power, and you can as we know in China, you better follow what’s required of you from the Chinese Communist Party. You cannot take a chance with influencing other stuff like elections in other countries. It’s fair from the US perspective. One could even argue it’s fair from a Chinese perspective to want that. I think the only one in the middle who doesn’t really know what they want is Europe because on one side, they want to benefit from American platforms, on the other end, they want to have some controls. On the other end, they don’t create the environment for startups to flourish. So in that weird situation where they have to accept some control by the big US providers and either provider of underlying infrastructure or provider of consumer business facing services. Then they try to regulate them. But I think they are misunderstanding the power relationship, and I think some of this regulation would get some blowback, at least by the current administration. Just, I believe, this morning, there was some news around X being under a criminal investigation in France. This is not going to end well for the French startup and VC ecosystem. This is not going to end well for France and Europe when you depend so much from your American friends. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Regulation will be weaponised. Regulation constraints around exports, all of this will be weaponised geopolitically, and the bigger guys will normally win. I think that’s normally what we’ve seen. Just on TikTok just to… And you guys, if you’re listening to us, just see if you see a pattern here, but obviously, 19.9% still owned by ByteDance of the TikTok entity in the US. It was initially said that 80% of the TikTok entity is owned by non-Chinese investors. Initially, people were saying US investors, and then they changed it to non-Chinese because MGX, I think, has 15% of it. MGX is based in the UAE, connected obviously to Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund. Silver Lake is in there, I think, with 15% as well. Oracle as well with 15%. Those three are the big bucket owners together, 45%. Silver Lake having collaborated with MGX before, and I’m sure a lot of connectivity there. Then you still see a pattern in this in terms of shareholders. If you don’t, then just Google it. Dell Family Office, Vastmir Strategic Investments, which is owned by billionaire Jeff Yass, Alpha Wave Partners, obviously involved with a bunch of things like SpaceX and Klarna, Virgoli, Revolution, which is Steve Case’s, a former founder of AOL, is also in there. Meritway, which is managed by partners, I think, of Dragonair. Vinova from General Atlantic, an affiliate of General Atlantic. Also, NJJ Capital, which I believe is Xavier Nil, the French billionaire that founded Iliad. Mostly American, I think, if the math is correct. 80% non-Chinese, which was what mattered, I think, in many cases. But do see if you saw a pattern in most of those investors. I won’t say anything more than that. Maybe moving to other topics, maybe just to finalise on regulation and geopolitics. In geopolitics, we should talk about wars if we predict anything. Not that we are nasty and one want to be negative, but what the hell is going on? Will we have ending to the wars we already have ongoing or not? But before that, the struggles on the App Stores, I think, will continue both for Apple and for Google Play Store. The writing’s on the wall, the EU keeps pushing it dramatically and Apple keeps just doing stuff. I’m on the board of an App Store company. Apple just creates all these things that basically make you not really… It doesn’t work. You can’t provision then an App Store on Apple devices. On iPhones, et cetera. We’ll see how that will continue going, but I feel the writing’s on the wall. Both Apple and Google will have to open up a bit more of their platforms. I’m not sure it will have a huge impact in the medium to long term, but definitely we need to see more openness in access to apps as given by the two big platform owners, Apple and Google, out there. Bertrand Schmitt Let’s be clear. Google is way more open than Apple. We both have Android devices. You can install alternative app stores. It’s a different ballgame by very far. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Google does other nasty stuff. It’s public. You can check which board I’m a part of. You can see what that company has done towards Google over time. But to your point, yes. It is true that Google has been more open than Apple, but Google has done their own things. Just to be very clear, so I’ll just leave that caveat bracketed there for people to think about it and maybe read a little bit about it as well. Bertrand Schmitt I can say that, me, from my perspective, that path of total control that Apple has been going through on all their devices, that includes macOS, pushed me to, over the past 2, 3 years, to completely live and abandon the Apple ecosystem. I just couldn’t accept that level of control, that golden handcuff approach of the Apple ecosystem, each their own obviously, they are golden, their handcuffs, but they are still handcuffs. Personally, that pushed me way more to Linux, Android, Windows, back to Windows after all these years. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I want to pick my devices. I want to pick what I install on them, and I don’t want to be controlled like this by just one entity for all my tech devices. For me, at some point, it was just not acceptable anymore. It’s still very warm, very golden handcuffs, but for me, they were just handcuffs at this stage. Yes, what they are doing with the App Store is very typical of that mindset. I think it’s quite sad because I think it started with good intention in some ways. “We need a new computing paradigm, we need to make things smoother and safer,” but it has really become a way to control your clients. For me, it has reached a point where it’s just way too much. Nuno Goncalves Pedro There’s obviously the great power comes great responsibility that uncle Ben told Spider-Man or Peter Parker. But there’s also with great power comes shitload of money, and control. So it’s like, “Yeah. Should we open the server? Do we want to delay opening it up?” “Yeah.” Anyway, it is what it is. Maybe let’s end on the more difficult note of the episode, which is going to be around wars. What’s our prediction? Will we have an end to the Gaza situation with Israel? Will we have an end to Ukraine and, obviously, Russia? What will happen in Iran? Those are the three big, big conflicts right now. Then, obviously, if we want to add just bonus points, what’s going to happen to Greenland, and what’s going to happen to Taiwan, and what’s going to happen to Venezuela? Let’s throw the whole basket in there. We’ve never had like… Let’s talk about all these territories and all these countries. At some point in time, I’m saying this in a light manner, but it’s obviously more tragic than it should be light, and people are dying, and there’s a lot of implications of all of that that is happening right now. Do you have any predictions, Bertrand, for this year? Bertrand Schmitt No. It’s tough to predict on an individual basis. I think on a more bigger picture basis is on one side, obviously, the rise of China on one side. You have also the rise of other countries like India, while very indirectly connected to some of these conflicts are still part of the game, buying oil from Russia, for instance. At the same time, I think overall, the US is more clear about with the sheriff in town. I think it’s good because in some ways, you cannot pay for the goods, you cannot have such a massive advantage versus nearly every other country on earth and just not be clear about who is the boss in some ways. As a result, what are the rules of the game and how it should be played? The US is not alone, obviously, you have China, you have Russia, you have India, you have Europe. You have different other countries. But at some point, it’s not good when countries are not rational and are not clear. I think I prefer the current situation where things are more clear and where you have to assume responsibilities about what you are doing. It’s time to be rational again about how the world behave. Yes, the concept of power and balance of power. I think there has been that dream, maybe mostly coming from Europe, about the end of history. I think that’s simply not the case. It’s not the end of history. It’s still about the balance of power. It has always been about the balance of power. If you are dumb enough to think it was not about that anymore, I just have a bridge to nowhere to sell you. I don’t have specific prediction, but I think it’s clear there is a new sheriff in town. There is a new doctrine about the Western Hemisphere that has been in some ways resurrected on the [inaudible 00:51:35] train, and I think we’ll see more of it. I think at this point, the biggest question is for the Europeans. What do they want to do? Because right now, their position of being a dwarf militarily while being a pretty big giant economically, I don’t think it works. Nuno Goncalves Pedro I agreed on everything that you said. I do have predictions. I’ll stick a flag on the ground just with my predictions. Bertrand Schmitt Good luck. Nuno Goncalves Pedro They are mostly positive. I do think we’ll see an end or, for the most, end to the two big conflicts, the one in Gaza and the one in Ukraine. I think Ukraine will end up in readjustment of territory and splitting between Russia and the Ukraine, but the end of hostilities, I think that we will see an end to the conflict in Gaza also with a readjustment on what that will mean for the Palestinian territories and the Palestinians in general. That I’m not sure, but I feel that there will be an end to those two big conflicts. Iran, I have no clue. I will not put a stick on the ground that I have no clue. There are so many things that could go wrong there. I’ve been reading some really interesting thoughts about even some aggressive thoughts that this might be the time to really change regimes in Iran and for the US to have a bit more of an aggressive stance. I really don’t have a perspective. Obviously, there’s a lot at stake there. Then, if we talk about the other parts, Greenland, I will not opine too much on. Maybe we’re done for now. Maybe there’ll be some other concessions to the US that weren’t already there in the ’50s. Taiwan, I won’t bet either. I’m sad to say I think it might happen at some point in time, but I’m not sure when and what would drive it. Last but not the least, Venezuela is my only really negative prediction. I feel it will continue to be a significant dictatorship as it was before managed enough by other people with the difference now that it has a tax to be paid to the US in the form of oil of some sort, etcetera, and maybe gas, maybe other things as well that it didn’t have before. That’s probably my most negative prediction for the coming year on the geopolitical side. Bertrand Schmitt Without going into detail, I would mostly agree with what you shared. At least that makes sense. But as we know, it’s not always what makes sense, but what might happen. I can tell you 100% I would not have guessed this operation against Maduro. This was so well done, well executed, and shocking at the same time that it’s… I think it shows that it’s hard to guess some of this stuff because there are certainly some new ways to wage limited war, for instance. So it’s certainly interesting, and we certainly need to get used to pretty bombastic statements. But for Venezuela, I don’t think it can be worse than what it was before. I’m probably more optimistic that gradually it can get better. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Just to put perspective on why we’re not making predictions on some of these elements, I think this is a funny story, but I was in Madeira. Actually, first time I was in Madeira, although I’m originally from Portugal. I’ve never been to the islands. Obviously, as you guys know, or some of you might know, there’s a lot of connection between Madeira and Venezuela. There’s a lot of immigration from Madeira Islands to Venezuela. One of my Uber or Bolt drivers there in Madeira was Venezuelan. Was born in Venezuela, but Portuguese descent, et cetera. He was telling me this was still last year. Late last year. Because I told him I lived in US, et cetera, and he was like, “Oh, hopefully, Trump will get Maduro out of there.” In my mind, I was like, “Dude.” No disrespect to the gentleman, but it’s like, “Okay. Mike, your perspective on geopolitics is maybe a little bit exaggerated.” And a couple of days later, we know what happened. When geopolitical decisions are better predicted by some probably very astute Uber drivers, you’re like, “Maybe I shouldn’t make a bet. I have no clue what’s going to happen, no clue what’s going to happen in Greenland, et cetera.” Anyway, a couple of predictions on that element. Bertrand Schmitt That’s why it’s so right. You have to be careful with the prediction, but it doesn’t remove the fact that I think nations and companies that have to play a global game have to understand in some ways what is the game, what are the powers in place, what could happen potentially, but also be realistic. Not be about wish and dreams, but more about, what’s the power relationship? Who has the money? Who has the means? Who has the capacity to do this or that? Because if you start that way, at least the scope of what’s possible, what’s reasonable is more and more clear more quickly. Some stuff like happened with Maduro, I would never have predicted, but for sure, if there’s one country that can do this sort of stuff, it’s the US. I’m not sure anyone has a technology and the means in terms of support infrastructure to do something like this. It’s tough to predict what will happen a year from now for any specific country, but I think that even trying to get a better understanding about the forces in play and their capacity and understanding and accepting that at some point, it’s all about real politic and relationship of power, the more your eyes would be wide open about what’s possible versus simple, wishful thinking. Nuno Goncalves Pedro Fintech, Crypto and Frontier Tech Moving maybe to our last section around fintech, crypto, and frontier tech. For me, just two very quick predictions, views of the world. I think on the frontier tech side, I won’t make a prediction. I will just tell you all to go and listen to our episodes, the one on infrastructure, which is immediately prior to this one, and the episodes that we’ve had around a couple of other topics including AI, what’s the future of your children, because I think they illustrate a lot of the points that we’re seeing and manifesting themselves over the next year and over the next 2 or 3 years as well beyond that. I feel those tomes are complete in and out of themselves, so you can just go and listen to them. Then my second comment is on crypto. I feel crypto has become of the essence, particularly under the current administration in the US, very favored. Obviously, we are now in a world where crypto is just part of the economic system, and I think we’ll see more and more of that emerging, and in some ways, crypto is becoming mainstream. Question is what blockchains will be the blockchains of the future? Obviously, there’s a bunch of bets put out there. We, ourselves, as Chamaeleon, have one investment in one of the significant bets in the space. But besides that, who’s going to win or not, we feel that we’re past the crypto winter. It’s now mainstream days, and we’ll see a lot more activity in there. Bertrand Schmitt I must say with crypto, I’m a bit confused. As you say, we are past the crypto winter. There is much less uncertainty in regul

Rogers needs to disappear entirely. Stripped of his dream of leading The Thieves Guild and nursing the sting of betrayal, he rides into the anonymity of the outer fields, a man with nothing left to lose and a burning desire to reclaim what was stolen. His journey for solitude, however, is violently interrupted when he stumbles upon a wrecked tavern – a scene of carnage that wasn't a brawl, but something far more chilling.The local whispers paint a picture of a mysterious woman: a silent, efficient "cold killer" who metes out brutal justice with surgical precision, leaving only wreckage and fear in her wake. She's an enigma with blood on her blade, and for Rogers, whose mind is now sharpened by loss and a thirst for vengeance, she might just be the unexpected solution to his very big problem.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-thieves-guild--6141933/support.Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.----CREDITS ✍️ Writer: Jake Kerr

When interiors meet intention: a dynamic panel on how color theory, holistic living, sustainable materials, and design thinking come together to redefine residential spaces for 2025 and beyond. Sherwin Williams set out to cover Earth with beautiful colors over 150 years ago. 1866, Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams founded the company in Cleveland, Ohio, on a mission really. And the result is a company dedicated to delivery of the  best in paints, coatings and related products to discerning clients all over the world. That dedication was evident from the start with the hiring of Percy Neyman, the very first chemist employed by an American paint manufacturer. Sherwin Williams continues to set the bar high and provide the design community with the essential tools to create superior projects. Sherwin Williams is commitment to supporting the design community, which is why they sponsor programs, like this one. They are also dedicated to a betterment philosophical approach which is why they selected ‘wellness” as the topic for this talk.Thank you Sherwin Williams for your tireless support. In this timely conversation, experts from across interior design and sustainable living explore what it means to design for wellness in 2025. Moderated by Sue Wadden and Ashlynn Bourque of Sherwin-Williams, the panel features voices from: Jeanne Chung (Cozy, Stylish, Chic) — known for crafting spaces that blend comfort, style, and emotional balance. Julee Ireland (Julee Ireland Design Studio) — bringing a refined, intentional aesthetic rooted in longevity and livable elegance. Greg Roth (CarbonShack) — spotlighting eco-conscious material sourcing, sustainable practices, and climate-aligned living environments. Together they examine how interior design can be a catalyst for holistic living — from color palettes that promote calm and emotional balance, to spatial planning that supports aging in place, to circadian lighting and neurodiversity-friendly layouts. The discussion underscores a rising trend: residential interiors inspired by hospitality, wellness, and sustainability principles. Listeners will come away with fresh ideas on turning their homes into future-proof sanctuaries — design-forward, earth-conscious, and emotionally attuned. Health span-focused design: Designing spaces that help residents live longer, healthier lives at home. Aging in place: Home layouts that accommodate long-term functionality and wellness. Home gyms, saunas, cold plunges: Integrating spa-level wellness amenities in private residences. Dual kitchens: Inspired by Italian family homes for multigenerational living. Collaboration with architects: Designers as integral contributors to maximize natural light and spatial flow. VR visualization: Helping clients experience proportion, scale, and sightlines before construction. Problem-solving as designers: Addressing unforeseen construction issues creatively while maintaining aesthetics. Circadian lighting: Lighting systems (e.g., Lutron Ketra) that mimic natural light patterns to support sleep and productivity. Plant-based fabrics (hemp, bamboo, kelp): Sustainable, high-performance materials. Evidence-based color design: Physiological effects of color on multigenerational inhabitants. Neurodiverse design considerations: Minimizing overstimulation in homes for ADHD, dementia, or sensory sensitivity. Hospitality influence on residential design: Bringing experiences from wellness hotels into private homes. Storytelling & provenance: Educating clients about material sourcing and sustainable practices. Sustainability education: Visiting factories, quarries, and trade shows to understand materials and processes. Relevant Web Links Lutron Ketra Lighting: https://www.lutron.com/en-US/Products/Pages/WholeHome/ketra/overview.aspx Round Top Market (antiques & sustainability): https://roundtoptexasantiques.com Hemp & sustainable fabrics: https://www.hemp-trade.com

Send a textEver been told your pain is “just a flare,” even when your labs look calm? We sit down with Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Dr. Xiao Jing (Iris) Wang to unpack why symptoms can linger after inflammation is under control—and what to do about it. From constipation myths to the real mechanics of bloating, this conversation reframes gut discomfort through muscles, nerves, and breath, not just meds.Dr. Wang breaks down pelvic floor function in clear, memorable language. Learn how the puborectalis sling preserves continence, why years of urgency or “holding it” can hardwire a constant clench, and how that leads to straining and incomplete emptying. She shares practical paths to diagnosis without over-reliance on expensive tests, smart ways to find qualified pelvic PT, and simple at-home tactics like an optimized toilet posture, the “anti‑Kegel,” and biofeedback fundamentals. We also explore why J‑pouch patients need their own testing norms and a different definition of “normal.”Then we tackle bloating. Groundbreaking research shows many visibly distended bellies aren't full of excess gas—the diaphragm is pushing down while the abdominal wall pooches out. Dr. Wang demonstrates how diaphragmatic breathing can retrain this pattern and why yoga, gentle twists, and abdominal massage move trapped gas better than most medications. Finally, we zoom out to the brain. When the gut's “fire” is out but the alarm keeps blaring, neuromodulators, gut-directed hypnotherapy, and virtual reality can close the pain gates. You'll hear how VR helps patients navigate bathroom anxiety, tolerate unsedated procedures, and feel safer in their own bodies.Finally we talk to Dr. Wang about the genesis of her children's book called "Boo Can't Poo." It's a humorous story about a constipated ghost named Boo and his efforts to get his bowels back on track. It's a great read for parents who are working to potty train their toddlers but also for all us to re-learn how to poo! If you've wondered whether your pain is real when scans look fine, this is your validation and your roadmap. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help more listeners find practical relief and a new way to think about gut health.Links: Boo Can't Poo bookYoga poses for constipation- Yoga JournalMore yoga poses for constipation- Verywell HealthResources on disorder of the gut-brain axis and more from GI PsychologyLet's get social!!Follow us on Instagram!Follow us on Facebook!Follow us on Twitter!

VR industry veterans Waylon Fisher and Brandon Egolf share hard-earned lessons from launching one of the first VR arcades in the U.S., navigating market swings and COVID, and publishing multiple Quest top sellers. They break down whether making a VR game in 2026 is a smart bet—and what developers need to get right to survive and win.Learn more about WaylonLearn more about BrandonLearn more about usJoin the next episode of the Indie Game Guildhall LIVE every Wednesday at 12pm EST on our Discord channel to answer your own burning questions and be immortalized in the recordings.

Sorg, Katie, and Dave Podnar hit the week's tech and geek headlines: Nintendo's Virtual Boy revival on Switch, Apple's latest product wave (including iPhone 17e and iPad Air updates), and a troubling report about Meta AI smart glasses and human review. Plus Dunkin's giant drink bucket, MuppetVision in VR, Adobe's AI video-editing experiments, Pokémon nostalgia gadgets, Xbox 1440p cloud streaming, a Marvel retro collection, and a Women's History Month spotlight on Grace Hopper.

In this conversation, Andy Baker, lead developer at OpenBrush, and Sutu, a renowned digital artist, discuss the evolution of OpenBrush, a powerful VR creative tool. They explore its features, the experiences of artists using it, and the collaborative workflows it enables. The discussion also covers the importance of publishing and sharing creations, the future of VR as a creative medium, and the potential for community engagement. The guests emphasise the accessibility of VR and the transformative power of creating in 3D.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter

What happens when you send an unassuming accountant to face down one of the city's most dangerous power players? Guildmaster Vesper makes a bold move against Karch, the cunning Merchant Guild leader who tried to use him as a puppet. Expecting a battle of wits and veiled threats, Vesper dispatches his mild-mannered deputy, Odo, with a crucial message and a mountain of debt. But as Vesper soon learns, true power doesn't always roar; sometimes, it meticulously adds up the numbers.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-thieves-guild--6141933/support.Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.----CREDITS ✍️ Writer: Jake Kerr

Most mainstream phone options are kind of the same, year in and year out — but that doesn't mean there's no innovation to be found. The Verge's Allison Johnson is at Mobile World Congress, and joins the show to report on all the modular phones, robot phones, small phones, big phones, and (alas) 6G phones set to hit the market this year. After that, The Verge's Jess Weatherbed explains the phenomenon of the gadget strap, and makes the case that they're an increasingly useful accessory as our phones become even more important to our daily lives. (Yes, even if you have pockets.) Finally, The Verge's Jay Peters helps David answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about whether the metaverse, however you want to define it, is ever going to be realized. Further reading: Oh great, here comes 6G  Honor claims its Robot Phone will launch later this year  Lenovo made a Franken-laptop with modular ports and a second screen  Vivo's next phone will launch with a professional camera rig  Tecno's latest concept phone is lit by neon  Honor's Magic V6 is the first foldable with an IP69 rating  The Motorola Razr Fold is shaping up to be pure flagship Xiaomi's super-slim power bank costs extra in orange.  Honor's thinnest tablet doesn't come cheap.  Peak Design has wearable gadget straps for people who hate bags  Apple's misunderstood crossbody iPhone strap might be the best I've seen  Meta confirms Reality Labs layoffs and shifts to invest more in wearables Meta's VR metaverse is ditching VR Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if we could safely practice real-world situations before our students ever experience them?In this episode, I'm joined by Marsha and Rita from Floreo to talk about how virtual reality is supporting autistic learners in building social, communication, safety, and life skills. Floreo is a VR platform that allows learners to step into immersive environments like airport security lines, grocery stores, and even digital conversations, all while being coached in real time by a therapist, teacher, or parent.What I love most is how functional these lessons are. From responding to TSA questions to recognizing red flags in online interactions, these scenarios reflect the real challenges our students face. We also discuss the growing research behind VR-assisted therapy, including published studies showing improvements in social skills and skill maintenance.We talk through how VR can fit naturally into speech therapy and ABA sessions, with pre-teaching, guided practice, and generalization built in. Plus, we cover funding options, including school-based access and the temporary VR-assisted therapy billing modifier 0770T.Technology is powerful when it's clinically driven, and this conversation highlights how innovation can truly empower our learners.#autism #speechtherapyWhat's Inside:How VR supports social, communication, and life skillsResearch behind VR-assisted therapyWays to integrate VR into speech and ABA sessionsMentioned In This Episode:FloreoVREarn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech ConnectionABA Speech: Home

This episode of the Achieve Results Now podcast features hosts Mark Cardone and Theron Feidt as they dismantle the myth that self-doubt is a reason to stop. Instead, they reframe it as a "signal for growth" and provide a tactical blueprint for using impostor syndrome as high-octane fuel for your next level of success. Episode Highlights The Growth Signal: Why feeling like a "fraud" is often proof that you are pushing into new, higher levels of capability. Facts Over Feelings: How to silence the internal critic using a "receipts file" of your past wins. The Speed Cure: Why the gap between a thought and an action is where self-doubt thrives—and how to close it. The 3-Step Action Plan 1. Reframe the "Fraud" Signal Stop viewing fear as a warning to retreat. Instead, treat it like a GPS signal or a VR boundary. When you feel that "buzz" of self-doubt, it simply means you've reached the edge of your current comfort zone. High achievers feel this consistently; the difference is they lean into it rather than running away. 2. Deploy Your Evidence Log Feelings are fickle, but facts are fixed. To combat the feeling of inadequacy, maintain a "receipts file" a notebook or digital log of your wins, successful projects, and moments of discipline. The 3-Fact Minimum: Before a big meeting or event, list three concrete reasons why you earned your seat at the table. Truth-in-Advance: Use "I am" statements to prime your brain for the role you are stepping into. 3. Outrun Doubt with Speed Self-doubt requires time to breathe. The longer you wait to act, the louder the doubt becomes. The 24-Hour Rule: Take a "first domino" action within 24 hours of having a new idea to gather data and build momentum. The "Do It Badly" Rule: Stop using perfectionism as a mask for procrastination. Unless you're performing surgery or flying a plane, give yourself permission to produce a "garbage" first draft to get the ball rolling. Public Accountability: Tell a coach or your team what you're doing to ensure you stay committed when the initial excitement fades. "Self-doubt survives and thrives in the time period between when we have the thought and when we do the thing." ARN Suggested Reading: Blessings In the Bullshit: A Guided Journal for Finding the BEST In Every Day – by Mark Cardone & Theron Feidt https://www.amazon.com/Blessings-Bullshit-Guided-Journal-Finding/dp/B09FP35ZXX/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=blessings+in+the+bullshit&qid=1632233840&sr=8-1 Full List of Recommended Books: https://www.achieveresultsnow.com/readers-are-leaders Questions? 1.   Do you have a question you want answered in a future podcast? 2.   Go to www.AchieveResultsNow.com to submit. Connect with Us: Get access to some of the great resources that we use at: www.AchieveResultsNow.com/success-store www.AchieveResultsNow.com www.facebook.com/achieveresultsnow www.twitter.com/nowachieve Thank you for listening to the Achieve Results NOW! Podcast.  The podcast that gives you immediate actions you can take to start seeing life shifting results NOW!

Merchant Guildmaster Karch wakes to a beautiful morning, feeling victorious after navigating Ness's worst period. Secure in his tower, he believes he's finally past the worst of Larsen's legacy. But some threats don't carry swords; they carry satchels stuffed with numbers. When an unassuming, ancient man from the Craft Guild named Odo arrives, Karch assumes it's routine tedium. He couldn't be more wrong.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-thieves-guild--6141933/support.Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.----CREDITS ✍️ Writer: Jake Kerr

Karrie Shao chats with writer and narrative designer Cara Ellison. Together they discuss her path from television to games; the global development scene and the difficulties facing developers today; her desire to bring local culture to the global stage; and her work with Fireproof Games on the D.I.C.E. Award winning VR title, Ghost Town.  Episode Host: Karrie Shao Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and leaving us a rating and review. Support the show and get all of our episodes early/ad-free: https://bit.ly/4kU34Lt Follow us: linktr.ee/AIAS Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

ILP# 436 3/1/2026https://lordsofgaming.net/LORDS AFTER DARK on Insider Game App! ANDROID: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.insidergaming.appIOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/insider-gaming/id67539846481) ADVANCEDGG Use Code "IRONLORD" for 10% off https://advanced.gg/pages/partner-ironlords?_pos=12) VALARI PILLOW Use Code "ILP15" valari.gg/?ref=ironlordspodcastroundtable3)  ILP MERCH: https://ironlordspodcast-shop.fourthwall.com/collections/allsofgaming.net/4) NZXT & IRON LORDS PC Use Affiliate LINK: https://nzxt.co/Lords5) HAWORTH Gaming Chairs & ILP Use Affiliate LINK: https://haworth.pxf.io/4PKj7M*********************************************************00:00 - ILP#436 Pre-show28:14 - ILP 436 Intro42:29 - Arkheron Demo Impressions49:09 - Echo Generation 2 Demo Impressions1:11:00 - RAZER KITSUNE 2XKO Fight Stick & Wolverine V3 PRO1:19:19 - Ultros Impressions1:29:34 - Towerborne Impressions1:31:49 - Advancedgg.com Use CODE IRONLORD1:33:01 - Road to Germany Challenges & PATREON1:51:39 - Resident Evil Requiem Impressions2:33:41 - Insight Gaming (Todd) Guest for RE9!3:28:22 - Marathon Server Slam Impressions4:11:39 -Asha Sharma Interview Controversy/Sarah Bond Blame?5:18:40 - PlayStation Ditching PC Ports? ft Gaming Forte6:08:28 - ILP#436 Outro*********************************************************Welcome to The Iron Lords Podcast!Be sure to visit www.LordsOfGaming.net for all your gaming news!ILP Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6XRMnu8Tf1fgIdGlTIpzsKILP Google Play:play.google.com/music/m/Iz2esvyqe…ron_Lords_PodcastILP SoundCloud: @user-780168349ILP Itunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/iron-…uiR-IgF6cE9EQicIILP on Twitter: twitter.cm/IronLordPodcastILP on Instagram: www.instagram.com/ironlordspodcast/ILP DESTINY CLAN:www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Detail/178626The Iron Lords and the Lords of Gaming have an official group on Facebook! Join the Lords at:www.facebook.com/groups/194793427842267www.facebook.com/groups/lordsofgamingnetwork/Lord COGNITO--- twitter.com/LordCognitoLord KING--- twitter.com/kingdavidotwLord ADDICT--- twitter.com/LordAddictILPLord SOVEREIGN--- twitter.com/LordSovILPLord GAMING FORTE---twitter.com/Gaming_ForteILP YouTube Channel for ILP, Addict Show & all ILP related content: www.youtube.com/channel/UCYiUhEbYWiuwRuWXzKZMBxQXbox Frontline with King David: www.youtube.com/@xboxfrontlineFollow us on Twitter @IronLordPodcast to get plugged in so you don't miss any of our content.

On this episode of the Ruff Talk VR podcast we are kicking off the week talking all the latest VR news! Including new VR games such as Fixer Undercover and Titan Isles on PS VR2. Upcoming VR games such as Iron Guard Salvation. Newly announced games like Thief Simulator VR: Heist Crew. Updates to games such as Forefront and Laser Dance. Steam Next Fest demos including TMNT: Empire City. Headset teases, and much more!Showcase application form: https://forms.gle/tnPhzKezn3WuJpCU90:00 - Episode start0:40 - Fixer Undercover10:45 - Titan Isles Out Now On PS VR213:15 - Forefront Major Update and Price Increase18:45 - Thief Simulator VR: Heist Crew 22;30 - Iron Guard Salvation on PS VR230:15 - TMNT Empire City Steam Next Fest Demo33:10 - Zombie Army VR Losing Co-op36:30 - Laser Dance Major Content Update38:20 - Meta Next Headset Graphic43:40 - Blade And Sorcery: Nomad Sentara Update45:00 - Raceclub on Meta Quest47:30 - The Midnight Walk Permanent Price Decrease48:55 - Echoes of Mora Release Date Use code RUFFTALKVR at checkout to save on any game or hardware on the Meta Quest store and help support the show!Big thank you to all of our Patreon supporters! Become a supporter of the show today at https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvrDiscord: https://discord.gg/9JTdCccucSPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvrIf you enjoy the podcast be sure to rate us 5 stars and subscribe! Join our official subreddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/RuffTalkVR/Support the show

VR burnout isn't about caring too little. It's about caring so much… while buried in documentation. In this episode of Manager Minute, VR counselor Stephanie Nelson shares how she built VocRehabTools.com — a free collection of smart, practical tools (both AI-powered and non-AI) designed to give counselors their time back.

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash Published 2 March 2026 e545 with Andy and Michael – Get to talk about mostly non-AI topics this week, as we look at a cool kickstarter, Titan, that is building out a futuristic gauntlet. Do you want a forearm mounted drone? Is so, go check it out, along with the opportunity for community modules. Very cool! We then dip back into the world of AR and VR, as people speculate how Apple’s rumored AR glasses may benefit from the recent acquisition of Q.AI. We spend some time thinking of how a new App can help identify if you are around someone who has smart glasses on. (Even if Michael get’s the TV show reference wrong – and after an exhaustive search he can’t find the right one). We also discuss Disney’s deal to relaunch the Muppets in VR Ride as a VR app. Moving on to some cool artistic visions we look at both video and photographic way of seeing the world. Before moving back to tech with amazing upgrades to robots on Mars. Millions of miles away NASA is repurposing a chip on a robotic helicopter to improve the location information of a rover. While closer to home, robots are fixing potholes. We end with a story about a fellow geek accidentally hacking over 7,000 home based vacuum robots. Selected Links Electronic Gauntlet Kickstarter AR / VR Apple AR Glasses App warns you if someone is wearing smart glasses Muppets in VR Art https://mastodon.social/@sheepfilms/116132499996224901 https://www.youtube.com/embed/ctPqNSrmknA?si=M9ThvKmyB8YuLByk Olympic from a different perspective Robots Upgrades on Mars Pot hole Robots Vacuum Army

This is an original story that I have been working on for a while. A little out of the norm. I hope you guys enjoy it. In the near future, reality is boring, and the "OmniNet" is everything. The Aether Dynamics corporation runs the world. But rendering photorealistic VR for billions of users requires processing power that silicon chips can't handle. Scott Foster is about to discover a secret that changes everything. Where that change takes place? Well, that's up for interpretation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Use code RUFFTALKVR at checkout to save on any game or hardware on the Meta Quest store and help support the show!This is a bonus episode on the podcast feed of our YouTube Live community hangout from Saturday! Come hangout with us during the live which is usually Sunday at 3pm ET (Exact details weekly are on our Discord). Listen as we hangout and talk VR with some of our community!Big thank you to all of our Patreon supporters! Become a supporter of the show today at  https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvrDiscord: https://discord.gg/9JTdCccucSPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvrIf you enjoy the podcast be sure to rate us 5 stars and subscribe! Join our official subreddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/RuffTalkSupport the show

In 1995, a film predicted POV recording technology, VR experiences you can buy on the black market, deepfake manipulation, police brutality caught on camera, and a society addicted to experiencing other people's lives through a screen. It starred Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, and was written by James Cameron. Almost nobody saw it.   Strange Days bombed at the box office, nearly destroyed Kathryn Bigelow's career, and has been virtually impossible to find ever since, as right now no streaming service carries it. But everything it warned us about has come true, and somehow the reality is worse than the fiction.   MonteCristo, Thorin, and Richard Lewis make the case for why this is one of the most important sci-fi films ever made. We get into the SQUID tech that directly inspired Cyberpunk 2077's Braindances, the darkest plot device in sci-fi, Ralph Fiennes as the perfect cyberpunk noir anti-hero, Angela Bassett's tragically wasted career as an action star, the Rodney King and OJ parallels baked into the script, and a long conversation about how AI, social media, and surveillance culture have made this film more relevant than ever.   Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars in 1995 and called it a future cult classic. He was right. Again.   Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with Mando and get 20% off + free shipping with promo code FOURPLAY at https://shopmando.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'd love to be able to write one of these and NOT talk about how bleak things are, but that ain't happening this week. There's more studio closures and people losing their jobs. More price increases or flat out shortages because of RAM due to AI – which is also a part of the job losses. Microsoft just made a big shakeup in their leadership, which brings us back to AI again given who took over the Xbox side of things there was formally the head of AI for Microsoft. Like I said, it's not great news. And hasn't been for a while. On the less important side of things but adding a cherry on top of the news – we almost certainly now know we'll likely never get that Bloodborne remake. But we came close. I'd say it's great to be back but I really wish things weren't so bad right now – and that extends beyond the world of gaming at the moment given the recent news. I'd love to be able to have a show where we played something fun and didn't feel guilty telling you about it without remembering how horrible things currently are. And normally I'm not this much of a Debbie Downer in my write up's but THAT'S HOW BAD THINGS ARE! Look, if you want a break away from the bad news, gaming isn't a bad place to start, but at this point I'd recommend anything – hell, you got a good book sitting around? READ IT! A new demo from the next fest to try out? PLAY IT! Whatever you need to do to keep you mentally healthy right now, just give it a go and fall into that world instead of this one at the moment. Also, there's still no Splinter Cell – because I have to keep the tradition going I guess. Ubisoft, it's been 4,577 days since a new Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, BBC radio drama, or VR exclusive) was released. Also, there's been 1,525 job losses in the gaming industry since January 1, 2026.

In this episode of Mission Matters, ⁠Adam Torres⁠ interviews ⁠Erick Montgomery⁠, Founder & Executive Producer of Wheel Media Productions, as part of the AFM series. Erick shares insights into his VR-based project Modern Glyphs, discusses immersive storytelling, spatial audio, and how emerging technologies can enhance—rather than replace—strong character-driven narratives. Follow Adam on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/⁠ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: ⁠https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://missionmatters.com/⁠ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode the hosts evaluate a $2.1M virtual reality forklift training business generating $600K+ in annual profit and debate whether it's a durable industrial SaaS opportunity—or a niche hardware rental play facing automation headwinds.Business Listing – https://flippa.com/12243476-8-y-o-virtual-reality-training-and-workplace-development-platformWelcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.Looking to build a professional website in minutes? Try Wix: https://wix.pxf.io/c/6898629/3115214/25616?trafcat=templateHubSpot is the backbone for how businesses scale without chaos. Try them out here: https://go.try-hubspot.com/OeG9Vr

Pioneering scheme transforms mental health care in Bradford. The NHS Trust is using projects including allotment visits, canal-side walks and VR headsets showing footage of the local moors, as part of its treatment for patients suffering from a range of mental health problems. Practionioner Cathy Schofield shares how this could become the future of NHS mental health care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices