Tag Archives: Apple

PTJ 374: BADGE IN

November 16, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser shares his love for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. J.D. keeps the Trek vibe going with a short news roundup that includes a report on Humane’s new $700 wearable AI pin that brings to mind a Next Generation communicator badge — with a whole lot of AI under the hood. Beam up for PTJ 374!

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
• Silicon Valley’s Big, Bold Sci-Fi Bet on the Device That Comes After the Smartphone (The New York Times)
• Humane AI Pin (with video)
• Former Apple designers launch $700 Humane AI Pin as smartphone replacement (CNBC)
• Apple Plans Ambitious iOS 18 and macOS 15 Updates, Seeks to Squash Bugs (Bloomberg)
• Payments app Zelle begins refunds for imposter scams after Washington pressure (Reuters)
• Meta Threads users can now stop their posts from showing on Instagram (The Verge)
• Genetic testing company 23andMe denies data hack, disables DNA Relatives feature (USA Today)
• 23andMe data theft prompts DNA testing companies to switch on 2FA by default (TechCrunch)
• Netflix to Prioritize Scripts for Wednesday Season 2 & Stranger Things Final Season (MovieWeb)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 372: Nothin’ But Bluesky Do I See

September 14, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

El Kaiser and J.D. discuss life after the Bird-Themed Microblogging-Service-Turned-24th-Letter-Of-The-Alphabet platform, as well as reviews of the new biography of said platform’s owner. Also in the news: A big cyberattack in Las Vegas, cable spats and a possible preview of interoperability in messaging platforms. All this and more as we prepare for Audio Interface October here on PTJ 372!

• MGM Resorts Suffers Cybersecurity Attack, System Outage Reported (Casino.org)
• Elon Musk Wants to Save Humanity. The Only Problem: People.
(The New York Times)
• Let’s put a stake in the ‘great man’ biography — starting with Isaacson’s ‘Elon Musk’ (The Los Angeles Times)
• Twitter appears to throttle New York Times (Semafor)
• 4 years after launch, Nintendo is ending Mario Kart Tour content (VideoGamesChronicle)
• Disney, Charter Settle Cable Dispute Hours Before Debut of ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ (Variety)
• WhatsApp lays the foundation for supporting messages from other chat apps (9to5Google)
• Amazon to require some authors to disclose the use of AI material (APNews)
• Apple Fall 2023 Event on September 12 (Apple)

@prrosado.bsky.social
@jdbiersdorfer.bsky.social

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 371: RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES

August 31, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer 3 Comments

As August winds down and product announcements are scarce, El Kaiser dives into Season 1 of Only Murders in the Building for a properly depicted New York City apartment-living experience. In the meantime, J.D. reads up on the latest in drones ‘n’ cloud headlines, as well as news of the continuing nostalgia for the Atari 2600. All this and more on PTJ 371!

• “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
• Walmart and Wing set to expand drone delivery together in Dallas metro (Wing blog)
• A.I. Brings the Robot Wingman to Aerial Combat (The New York Times)
• Updates to our storage policy on Dropbox Advanced (Dropbox blog)
• Apple Bets on Revamped iPad Pro to Reignite Sluggish Tablet Sales (Bloomberg)
• ‘We’re Winning’: Apple Formally Endorses Right to Repair Legislation After Spending Millions Fighting It (404 Media)
• Max To Offer 24/7 Live News Streaming Service With “CNN Max”
• Launching On September 27 As Part Of An Open Beta In U.S. (Warner Brothers Discovery Press Room)
• Amazon Luna and LG Electronics team up to launch Luna on LG Smart TVs (Amazon Luna blog)
• Atari launches replica 2600 console to go with all its replica 2600 cartridges (Ars Technica)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 370: SPACE WARS AND MOON BASES

August 14, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

Which is better — paying big bucks for the in-theater movie experience, or waiting a couple months and watching the flick at home? Are streaming services jacking their monthly prices too high for the average consumer? What’s with all this renewed global interest in the Moon and what’s going on with our Mars missions? And: are we ready to see holiday merch for sale while we’re in Back to School shopping mode? El Kaiser and J.D. discuss all of these pressing topics — and more — on Episode 370 of Pop Tech Jam!

• “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
• Barbie’s So Big, Folks Made It Their First Theatrical Pandemic Movie (Gizmodo)
• ‘Sharknado’ Channels ‘Barbie’ as B-Movie Hit Gets New Poster, Trailer Ahead of 10th Anniversary Theatrical Release – Exclusive (The Hollywood Reporter)
• ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ Set for Digital Home Release Aug. 29 (MediaPlay News)
• Hollywood calls time on golden era of cheap streaming (Financial Times)
• Mark Zuckerberg-Elon Musk Cage Fight Update: Speculation Grows That Tech Tycoons Could Slug It Out In Rome’s Ancient Colosseum (Deadline)
• Apple Plans Major ‘Watch X’ Overhaul for Device’s 10-Year Anniversary (Bloomberg)
• Forget Black Friday: The holiday shopping season starts now
(Axios)
• A Time Capsule of Human Creativity, Stored in the Sky (The New York Times)
• Moon Missions (NASA)
• Mars Sample Return Mission (NASA)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 369: Think Pink

August 1, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser shares his love of My Hero Academia and open-backed headphones for audio-mixing. Meanwhile, J.D. goes to a movie theater for the first time since 2019 to observe the fuss over the Barbie movie — a film that seems to be outperforming both Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford this summer. All this and more on PTJ 369!

• My Hero Academia (Viz)
• Barbie’s Box Office In Weekend 2 Is Bigger Than Most 2023 Movies’ Opening Weekends (MovieWeb)
• Twitter Becomes X: The Future Of The ‘Everything App’
(Search Engine Journal)
• Twitter Threatens Legal Action Against Nonprofit That Tracks Hate Speech (The New York Times)
• Letters from the lawyers: Musk threatens CCDH with brazen attempt to silence honest criticism. (Center for Countering Digital Hate)
• Apple says it’s aware of a bug that may affect Screen Time restrictions for kids (Engadget)
• A Tech Checklist for the Dark Side of Summer Weather
(The New York Times)
• Did a Houston Woman Bake Bread in Her Mailbox? (Snopes)
• Grado Labs SR125x
• Austrian Audio Hi-X65 Headphones
• Sennheiser Sennheiser Audiophile Headphones

Announcement, Podcast

PTJ 366: The Return of Pop Tech Jam

June 13, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer 8 Comments

After a year trapped in The Joker’s lair, El Kaiser and J.D. staged a daring escape through Gotham’s subway tunnels …oh, never mind.

After a year of life events and work schedules GETTING IN THE WAY OF THINGS, El Kaiser and J.D. are back with some thoughts on recent developments in the technology and pop-culture worlds.

We’ve missed y’all.

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 365: On the Big Apple Bus

June 11, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer 4 Comments

El Kaiser and J.D. find a few minutes to discuss Apple’s various announcements from this month’s World Wide Developers conference — along with a roundup of recent TV-viewing options. Boot up PTJ 365 right here!

Apple unveils new ways to share and communicate in iOS 16 (Apple)
iPadOS 16 Preview (Apple)
watchOS 9 Preview (Apple)
Apple forgot about tvOS 16, but here’s everything new (9to5Mac)
macOS Ventura brings powerful productivity tools, new Continuity features to Mac (Apple)
Apple unveils M2 with breakthrough performance and capabilities (Apple)
A pple unveils all-new MacBook Air, supercharged by the new M2 chi p (Apple)
WWDC 2022 recap: iOS 16, new MacBook Air, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9 and more (Tom’s Guide)
7 Biggest Disap pointmen ts of Apple’s WWDC 2022 (Gizmodo)
Android 13: Everything we know about Google’s next big release (Android Authority)
Here’s everything new in Android 13 Beta 3 (9to5Google)
How Updates in iOS 16 and Android 13 Will Change Your Phone (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 364: Yo! Can We Get a Little Help Here, Obi-Wan Kenobi?

June 2, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

June is here, and with it, the old-new adventures of a certain Jedi Master — and plenty of other fine programs to stream. El Kaiser and J.D. also mull recent tech news, and, for the audio-curious, El Kaiser discusses the digital audience interfaces he uses in his recording work. You can find it all here on PTJ 364!

OBI-101: Everything You Need to Know About Obi-Wan Kenobi (StarWars.com)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+)
Russian Doll (Netflix)
Elon Musk Is Right to Pay Far Less for Twitter, E xperts Say (Business Insider)
Twitter shareh old ers s ue Elon Musk and Twitter over chaotic deal (CNBC)
SEC looms over Musk-Twitter deal (The Hill)
Elon Musk to Workers: Spend 40 Hours in the Office, or Els e (The New York Times)
Twitter fined $150m in US for selling users’ data (BBC News)
Twitter to pay $150 million penalty for allegedly breaking its privacy promises – again (Federal Trade Commission)
PSVR 2 may release in early 2023 — ‘depending’ on game development (Laptop Mag)
Apple’s RealityOS for rumored headset appears in trademark application (The Verge)
What’s Coming in Apple (AAPL) iOS 16? Is iPhone 14 Getting an Always-On Screen? (Bloomberg)
Apple can’t dodge rival app store Cydia’s antitrust lawsuit (Reuters)
Google I/O 2022 Live Blog (CNet)
Google Translate Glass es (YouTube)
Google TV’s new app launches on the iOS App Store with the ability to use a mobile device as a remote (TechCrunch)
Google is combining Meet and Duo into a single app for voice and video calls (The Verge)
Sheryl Sandberg Is Leaving Facebook at a Perilous Moment (Bloomberg)
Amazon to pull Kindle out of China, other businesses to remain (Reuters)
Amazon is launching an invite-based ordering option, starting with the PS5 and Xbox Serie s X (TechCrunch)
This double-bladed lightsaber measures 6.5 feet long and costs $500 (The Verge)
“Star Wars” The Black Series Third Sister Reva Lightsaber (Hasbro)
RØDE AI-1
Focusrite Scarlett Solo
F ocusrite Scarlett 2i2

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 363: Bye, ’Pod

March 4, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this episode, El Kaiser and J.D. catch up after an unintentional hiatus to discuss current events — including Elon Musk’s fluctuating deal to buy Twitter, the rapid demise of CNN+ and Apple’s decision to retire the iPod after 21 years. Spin up PTJ 363 right here!

Hackers R eplac e Russian TV Schedules During ‘Victory Day’ With Anti-War Messages (InfoSecurity)
Anon ym ous Hacks 2 Russian Industrial Firms, Leak 112GB of Data for Ukraine (HackRead)
Why BBC Revived Shortwave Radio Dispatches in Ukraine (The New York Times)
BBC News la unches ‘dark web’ Tor mirror (BBC News)
Inside the Implosion of CNN+ (The New York Times)
Elon Musk says he might try to renegotiate $44B Twitter deal for less (The Washington Post)
Twitter CEO fires back at Elon Musk, who responds with poop emoji (MarketWatch)
Apple’s iPod Announcement
Farewell to the iPod (The New York Times)
Apple to discontinue the iPod after 21 years (BBC News)
The iPod is dead (TechCrunch)
Apple Together Brings Corporate Workers Into the Union Effort (WIRED)
Netflix Exploring Live Streaming For First Time; Unscripted & Comedy (Deadline)
The Week in Business: Crypto’s ‘Death Spiral’ (The New York Times)
Cryptocurrencies Melt Down in a ‘Perfect Storm’ of Fear and Panic (The New York Times)
Crypto crash: Stablecoin collapse sends tokens tumbling (BBC News)
E.U. Takes Aim at Social Media’s Harms With Landmark New Law (The New York Times)
The Digital Services Act package (European Commission)
Uber Eats Dabbles With Delivering Food Via Robots (Gizmodo)
Royal Mail wants fleet of 500 drones to carry mail to remote UK communities (BBC News)

‘The Batman’ Review: Robert Pattinson Goes Darker Than ‘Dark Knight’ (Variety)
The Book of Boba Fett (Disney+)

Set Your Schedule in Your Smartphone’s Free Calendar (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 362: New Galaxies

February 15, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Samsung has kicked off the year in new phone hardware with updates to its Galaxy line — including a $1200 Ultra model that comes with five cameras, a stylus and a 6.8-inch screen. El Kaiser and JD ponder the possibilities, along in a roundup of other tech headlines and a preview of this year’s new crop of emoji (disco ball!) coming to iOS and Android. El Kaiser also continues his exploration of Marvel and DC Comics adaptations for the big and small screens. All this and more on PTJ 362!

Crypto apps soar in popularity after Super Bowl splurge (The Block)
Microsoft announces new app store principles, aligning with Open App Ma rkets Act (The Washington Post)
Open App Markets Act (Congress.gov)
Tinder to Eliminate Age-Based Pricing for Premium Features (PCMag)
New s From Tinder Newsroom
Making ‘Dinobabies’ Extinct: IBM’s Push for a Younger Work Force (The New York Times)
Everything you need to know from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event (The Verge)
Apple unveils contactless payments via Tap to Pay on iPhone (Apple)
Apple debuts Tap to Pay feature for iPhone, here are the details (9to5Mac)
Apple’s ‘realityOS’ for Rumored AR/VR Headset Referenced in Source Code (MacRumors)
Peloton co-founder steps down after rough ride (AP News)
Amazon and Nike exploring Peloton takeover, reports say (BBC News)
For the first time in its history, Facebook is in decline. Has the tech giant begun to crumble? (The Guardian)
Meta SEC Form 10-K 2021
Meta says it may shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe (CNBC)
We’re Fine Without Facebook, German and French Ministers Say (Bloomberg)
See All 37 New Emojis Coming to Your Phone in Apple’s iOS 15.4 Update (Business Insider)
Emoji Version 14.0 (Emojipedia)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+ Originals)
Peacemaker (HBO Originals)
DC Comics TV
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain. (The New York Times)
Martin Scorsese’s fight against Marvel isn’t really about Marvel movies (Vox)
Tom Holland hits back at Martin Scorsese’s comments that Marvel films aren’t “cinema” (NME)

The independent audio magazine devoted to mashing up pop culture, technology and more. J.D. Biersdorfer and Pedro Rafael Rosado are your hosts. It's an Internet Radio revolution!