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Episode 487 – Fake Ads, Instant Photos and Dust Bunnies

This week on TechtalkRadio, Andy Taylor, Shawn DeWeerd and Justin Lemme get together for a wide-ranging conversation that begins with Shawn’s continuing cleanup after a basement flood—and quickly turns into a discussion after Andy notes that some Home Repair Companies are using A.I. to create recreations of home disasters focusing on how artificial intelligence is changing the media we see and hear every day.

Andy brings up the growing number of AI-generated television commercials, including ads where the visuals—and possibly even the music—have that unmistakable AI feel. Shawn talks about his experience creating parody music with Suno and how, after spending hours working with the platform, he has begun recognizing certain rhythms, vocal inflections and other characteristics of AI-generated music. The discussion raises a bigger question: as AI-generated images, music and video become more convincing, will we constantly wonder whether what we’re seeing and hearing was actually created by a person?

Andy also shares a positive use for generative AI: using Suno to turn lyrics written for a man’s 70th birthday into a personalized song for a video presentation. It’s an example of where AI can become a genuinely useful creative tool rather than simply replacing traditional content creation.

Justin demonstrates just how quickly generative AI works by creating a ridiculous AI advertisement during the show. The conversation then moves into Grok inside Tesla, with Justin explaining how he can talk to the AI from his car, ask questions and even use it to help with navigation. That leads the guys into comparing the strengths of Grok, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Microsoft Copilot—and how different AI platforms may be better suited for different jobs.

Photography gets plenty of attention, too. Andy talks about using Photoshop, Lightroom and AI tools such as Gemini to restore old family photographs, and the guys discuss why vintage Polaroids can be especially difficult to clean up without changing the character of the original image. Shawn makes the case for leaving many Polaroids alone—the imperfections, light leaks and unusual colors are part of what makes instant photography special.

That conversation leads naturally into the new Pokémon and Polaroid collaboration, including special-edition Polaroid Go cameras, Pokémon-themed designs and collectible film frames. The crew also talks about how something that was once considered inexpensive instant photography has become a much more costly hobby.

Later, the discussion turns practical when a listener asks about improving a home network. Justin explains the advantages of mesh Wi-Fi, discusses options including Orbi and TP-Link, and raises concerns about how some big-tech-connected networking products may handle user data. The conversation expands into online privacy, targeted advertising and the desire some users have to reduce their dependence on companies such as Google, Amazon and Meta.

The guys also dig into Wi-Fi 7, explaining an important point that’s easy to overlook: buying a Wi-Fi 7 router doesn’t automatically make everything faster. To take advantage of multi-gigabit Internet service, switches, network adapters, computers and other hardware throughout the network also need to support those faster speeds.

Justin brings some humor to emergency preparedness with the story of testing a small hand-crank/solar NOAA weather radio with his son just as a real flash-flood warning sounded. The frightening alert tones weren’t a malfunction—they’re deliberately designed to grab attention and activate Emergency Alert System equipment.

The show also ventures into radio communications as Shawn discusses GMRS and FRS radios, repeaters and the FCC’s concerns about large networks of linked GMRS repeaters. Shawn explains how linking repeaters across large areas can tie up frequencies shared with ordinary FRS walkie-talkies, creating interference and regulatory concerns.

The guys also share some tips about the importance of keeping your computers free of dirt and dust and share a couple or ways to do that.

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Episode 454 – “Apple’s New iOS, AI Shenanigans, and Roku Lights Up the Room!”

This week on TechtalkRadio, Andy Taylor and Shawn DeWeerd unpack iOS 26 after Apple’s recent wave of updates. Shawn—who’s been living on the beta—explains why the OS now feels “built for two-handed use,” with core actions and search shifting to the bottom of the screen. For anyone returning from Android or upgrading older iPhones, it’s less about flashy features and more about retraining muscle memory: new-message buttons, close icons, and search live where your thumbs naturally are.

From there, the conversation widens to the state of AI. Andy contrasts the speed and usefulness of Google’s Gemini for quick studio lookups with Siri’s slower responses, while both hosts wrestle with where AI is genuinely helpful versus where it still feels off. Practical wins include Lightroom’s AI noise reduction, using AI to wrangle manuals and code snippets, and Google’s NotebookLM—now with interactive “ask-as-you-listen” study sessions. On the flip side: AI-generated images still struggle with fine details and text, and accuracy gaps make “AI slop” risky for mission-critical work.

In smart home talk, Shawn revisits Wyze’s value gear—cameras, bulbs, and a new palm-vein recognition lock—plus the subscription math behind Cam Plus. He argues for a simple but powerful upgrade: first-class RTSP so users can record to their own NAS and keep footage off the cloud by default. Listener Q&A rolls through texting mysteries (blue vs. green bubbles and how RCS now bridges some features with Android), and the looming Windows 10 end-of-support date. They weigh Extended Security Updates versus buying new machines, and when Rufus can help install Windows 11 on borderline hardware—while warning that not every system will make the cut.

To cap it off, the guys look at Roku’s first projector (1080p with Roku OS, auto-focus/keystone, Bluetooth private listening), share a handy tip for listening through headphones via the Roku app, and flag a recent Plex security incident—change your password and be cautious with the latest Roku Plex app update if you’re seeing stutters or crashes.

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New Show Added! Episode 313 – Taking Out The Polaroid!

In this week’s show, Shawn, Broadway, and Andy share some reasons for the recent downturn in Crypto and what may have fueled this. El Salvador decides to adopt Crypto as a form of currency and when they gift the citizens digital currency, the citizens opt to pull the money out and use it rather then left it grow. This could be a fueling of that downturn. Andy’s Daughter Scarlett has been creating artwork and John shares info on how it could be used as an NFT to increase her exposure and even sell some of her creations. John recommends OpenSea.IO and explains the process would require a Digital Wallet and shares info on MetaMask. John also shares the darker sides though of transactions and reminds us it is The Wild West.

Shawn shares info on a new microphone he picked up at a great price. The Blue Yeti X World of Warcraft USB Edition. While Blizzard has been dealing with a PR Nightmare, Logitech G The Parent company of Blue has been selling these at an amazing price and the sound quality is top notch. Later in the Show, Shawn gives us an Audio Demonstration of the settings for the microphone. Shawn also shares his love for Cameras and purchases a new Version of The Polaroid Now Camera and breaks down why and how it works. Shawn also tells us about the Polaroid Go and how much smaller it is then the Polaroid Now. Andy shares a device he purchased from Amazon which looks like a regular quality Ink Pen however it is fitted with an Audio Recorder to record meetings and conversations. Top Gun Maverick has been once again delayed now till Memorial Day, May 27th of 2022. The announcement of the moving of the release date for Top Gun Maverick has now also moved the Top Gun Expansion Pack for Microsoft Flight Simulator as well.

Apple announces they will be holding an Apple Event on the 14th, and many are speculating it could be the 4 different rumored versions of the iPhone 13. The crew talks about the discussion about Satellite delivered signal and what that could mean. Broadway shares with us why he may not want to be connected in rural areas that have no service. Andy tells us about a story out of Samsung and South Africa where a Riot occurred, and TVs were looted from a Warehouse. Technology on these TV’s is enabling them to be shut down once on and connected to the Net, basically bricking the sets. John tells us how technology has a Management Information Base and with this gives the Manufacturers the ability to shut them down.

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Latest Radio Show! Episode 291 – It’s a Mandalorian Thing…You Wouldn’t Understand!

In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Andy Taylor, Shawn DeWeerd, Justin Lemme, Broadway and Amanda are all together on the show. We share news that Ryan of RyaStream should be coming back on the show soon to talk about Streaming, Video Games and Simulations and what he’s has been doing since he last appeared on the show. A Couple of Weeks ago, we got word that Broadway testing positive for Covid-19. He is recovering and visits the show to talk about what has happened since that diagnoses, how he discovered it and where he felt it could have been contracted. Shawn tells us about covering the Notre Dame vs Clemson game and how many people ran onto the field and now concerns that the number of people which took to the field on the win have alerted health officials. Amanda tells us about Distance Learning and some of the problems that can arise. Justin gives us a status update about his newly purchased TV and the best show he has watched on it. The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 1. Amanda tells us about AMSR and how calming the channel can be and how to find it. Justin talks about his FireTV device and how lately it seems to be failing.

The Crew pays respect to the passing of Alex Trebek and Andy shares word that Alex’s last project outside Jeopardy was an appearance in Free Guy, and upcoming movie starring Ryan Reynolds. Lots of talk about people checking out Parler. Shawn is still off Social Media and talks about how refreshing the step back has been.

The talk focuses on the Xbox and with the release this week, which one to chose from. A Walk down memory lane has everybody sharing the first console experiences. Andy talks about iOS 14.2 out now and how some have found the Secret Button, Back Tap. Justin shares a website, Nasa’s Interactive Fire Map. A map which shows any wildfires throughout the world.

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New Show Added! My Blueberry Needs a Reboot!

In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Shawn, Amanda, Broadway and Andy talk about Zoom Fatigue and how some are tiring of the many Zoom Concerts and Entertainment Events after working an entire day with Zoom Meetings. The future of Education is discussed with Shawn and Amanda and how the reopening of schools is impacted by Covid-19. Amanda shares how teachers are planning to get ready for returning to the classroom. Amanda talks about the Minecraft Community with Social and Emotional learning with packs that are downloadable. We learn about The Mindful Knight to learn and play the game.


Amanda shares some info on her new Headphones from Steel Series, The Arctis 7. Shawn and Broadway talk about what a good product it is. The Headphones Amanda purchased is Wireless which Andy wasn’t a fan of in the past however the technology has gotten much better. Andy shares some info on a new tool for Data Recovery from Microsoft and how to get it. If you have ever deleted a file accidentally and removed it from the Recycle bin, the App is called Windows File Recovery. What are the problems that could arise with easy to use file recovery?


Do you have Old Tech? How much is it worth? The guys talk about how hard it can be to get rid of Tech that has piled up over the years. The guys talk about building older generation machines for the playing of older games. Shawn gives us a great solution with gog.com (Great Old Games) for downloading and playing your favorite old games for a small fee. Arcades have also popped up and Shawn talks about one in Chicago called Headquarters, Broadway about one in Texas called Pinballz and for Tucson, Cobra Arcade.

Andy quizzes the crew about the Anniversary of the iPhone from 13 years ago. They all talk about the Phone Tech before the iPhone and how the way to really get a short message was using the Nextel service. Andy raves about Kevin James short films on YouTube, some fun stuff!

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