This week J.D. and Pedro get some skin in the game!
El Kaiser explains what software skins are in his latest Tech Term segment and J.D. runs down how to modify the look of your email client and web browser. And of course, we snark things up over a huge pile of tech news.
Pop Tech Jam: The Podcast Revolution Continues
You date someone and suddenly they cut off all contact. Texts are ignored, calls are unanswered. No explanation for the disappearing act. That poor confused, and propably angry soul, has just been “ghosted” and in this world, there are two types of people: ghosters and ghostees. El Kaiser explains how it is actually harder than ever to completely shut someone out of your life these days.
The iOS and Android have more in common than most people think. On this weeks episode, J.D. looks at the similarities between the two dominant mobile operating systems.
We also offer up a late summer hunk of tech news and shenanigans.
POP | TECH | JAM: Same as it ever was…
The Ashley Madison Hackpocalypse shows no signs of fading away, Google has brought back its Map Maker tool (now with adult supervision) and the Japanese have sent whiskey into space. J.D. and El Kaiser march through these stories and more in the weekly roundup of geek news.
Technology has changed many aspects of daily life — including how we express ourselves through music, art, photography and more. Laura M. Holson drops by to discuss how people are finding outlets for their creativity with mobile apps. If you want to play along at home, check these out:
• DubSmash lets you lip-sync the hits in Vine-like clips. (Check out how much fun the the stars of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Agent Carter had with the app this summer — and now there’s even a contest for charity brewing.) Oh, and it’s free for Android and iOS.
• GarageBand is music-making software for OS X and iOS and even if you don’t know the first thing about multitrack recording or writing your own songs, you’ll learn fast with this gem of a program. It’s $5 if it didn’t already come on your device and the help guide can be, well, helpful.
• Paper By FiftyThree is a free drawing, sketching and brainstorming app for the iPad.
• Frontback uses your smartphone’s front and rear cameras to take two images that are then shared as a single photo or video. It’s free for Android and iOS.
• Disney Frozen: Story Theater lets you create your own stories using characters and props from Disney’s unstoppable 2013 animated ice-princes film. (Yeah, good luck getting THAT SONG out of your head now.) The app is $5 for the iOS device of your choice, but that doesn’t mean it’s ad-free, as a disclaimer on the site warns: Before you download this experience, please consider that this app contains advertising for the Walt Disney Family of Companies.
• Buddha Board goes beyond the mobile app and lets you get the Zen with a $35 piece of hardware designed to let you live in the moment.
This week it’s all about fun on the best tech-themed podcast in the known universe. Don’t fret, it’s not all shenanigans.
Do we talk about robots?
Yes.
Do we discuss Microsoft 10?
Of course we do.
Is there a short conversation about toast?
You bet there is!
Stop reading this and click the play button already. If you’ve made it this far you know you wanna listen…
On this very special HeadStepper Media crossover event we are joined by singer, songwriter and blogger Janifer Cheng to talk about her new podcast co-hosted by none other than El Kaiser himself.
The Mass Invasion podcast and blog is simply pure, unadulterated geekery. Their mission is to up your pop-culture game but before that happens, you all must answer one very simple question.
Are you in?
This week J.D. has tips on how to squeeze as much battery life out of your mobile devices as possible and El Kaiser has issues with a an article about podcasting in the latest…issue…of the venerable Popular Mechanics.
In the news, pop music star Taylor Swift takes on Apple; Jay Z’s music service Tidal loses another CEO; Verizon completes deal for AOL; Facebook’s face recognition algorithm is frighteningly accurate; and Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan knows a thing or two about a certain web-slinger.
It’s the first week of the new year so you know what that means! No silly, it’s CES 2015 and we’ve dedicated SEVEN HOURS of non-stop coverage on this week’s show!!!!! All the vaporware and useless doodads you can handle on one endless episode…
Nah, we wouldn’t do that to you guys.
This week El Kaiser offers up his first Tech Term of the New Year and J.D. helps us avoid the flu with online options that can keep you from getting sick.
Oh yeah, and we talk about the goings on at that little party in the Nevada desert.
Thinksound, the eco-friendly headphone manufacturer, has updated its flagship series of earphones with the release of the Rain2 and El Kaiser has a review. Have you ever dreamt of taking a musical journey back in time AND to another country? No. Okay, this is a bit awkward. Well, anyway, J.D. tells us about a sites that will let you listen to radio from various decades and a multitude of countries.
Oh yeah, and we also have a cubic buttload of tech news…
Please subscribe, rate and review Pop Tech Jam at iTunes, Stitcher Radio or any of the many podcast directories featuring the show. To those of you who already have, we extend our deepest and sincerest thanks. This is a labor of love for me and J.D. and getting that feedback from you helps us attract attention from new listeners and potential advertisers which in turn helps us keep doing what we do.
We can’t stop being amazed by the support you’ve shown us since the announcement was made that our old New York Times radio show would be back with a new name and a new attitude. We promise to keep producing the show for as long as we can but the reality is that to compete with the media powerhouses and podcast factories churning out cookie-cutter marketing spiels masquerading as Internet radio we need all of you to keep spreading the word.
You know we’re more than just a tech podcast. It’s time to let the rest of the world in on the secret. The Pop Tech Jam revolution will not be televised…it will be podcasted.
J.D. channels her inner-superhero and gives us the lowdown on comic book tablet apps while Pedro gets into the groove with Android music players. In the news, Google passes Microsoft to become the second biggest technology company in the world; Facebook tries to calm privacy concerns; and the White House thwarts a cyber attack.
