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Episode #430 – Do You Remember Your First Computer?

In this week’s TechtalkRadio show, Andy and Shawn revisit the USB hub Andy purchased from a discount store—and this time, they crack it open! They discuss their experiences with USB hubs and the potential dangers of using unverified or suspicious USB devices. They emphasize the importance of purchasing from reputable vendors and being cautious when using public USB ports.

Thinking about getting a new laptop? Shawn shares his recent purchase of a Lenovo ThinkPad T17 for his in-laws, explaining how it met their budget and needs. He walks through some of the challenges they faced while setting up the new computer, particularly issues with transferring settings and favorites—most of which revolved around Microsoft’s OneDrive. After some configuring, the laptop was set up to their liking, and Shawn details a few of the key steps he took.

Andy is joined by Micki and Steve, showrunners and producers of the upcoming Vintage Computer Festival SoCal, taking place in Orange, California, on February 15th and 16th, 2025. The event, expected to draw over a thousand attendees, stems from the organizers’ passion for vintage computing and their goal of fostering a community for enthusiasts. Inspired by similar events nationwide, they have been working on this festival for about four years. Attendees can expect to see a variety of vintage computers and related memorabilia while sharing their experiences and memories of their first computers. The organizers also run a YouTube channel, VintNerd, where they share their interests and conduct fascinating interviews. Check them out at www.youtube.com/@TheVintNerd and on their website at https://thevintnerd.com/index.html.

Andy and Shawn return to discuss their love for electronics and tinkering. Andy shares his experience with Elenco Snap Circuits, including the Top Secret Spy Kit and the Snap Circuits Jr. Explorer Kit. These STEM-focused kits allow users ages 7 to 107 to experiment with circuits—no soldering required! Andy demonstrates one of the projects he built with the Spy Kit: a motion detector, which turned out to be a fun and rewarding project.

Shawn also shares some exciting news—he will be attending the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas for the first time! He looks forward to networking and learning about the latest in broadcasting technology.

Finally, Andy and Shawn discuss a book called Computer Engineering for Babies and its educational value in teaching young children the basics of computer functions in an engaging and accessible way.

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Episode #429 – Would You Like One Monitor or Two…Or Four?

In this week’s episode, Andy, Justin, and Matt eagerly tune in as Shawn finally reveals the conclusion to last week’s DJI cliffhanger! The new DJI Flip—a compact take on the DJI Spark—boasts similar flight times and camera resolutions, with pricing at $439 for the drone and controller, or $639 for the full bundle with a screen. Shawn also stresses the importance of responsible drone usage, reminding listeners to respect privacy and airspace laws.

The conversation takes off with the latest GPU story, as the newly launched RTX 5090 and 5080 have gamers camping outside stores in a frenzy to get one. The guys wonder if the buyers are snagging them for personal use, or is this just another scalping fiasco? The team draws parallels to console shortages and even Pokémon card restrictions, debating how retailers are handling high-demand products.

Shifting gears to AI, the crew discusses DeepSeek and the growing role of AI in content creation. Matt highlights a wild case of a writer using ChatGPT to generate five movie scripts with only three edits needed. But is Hollywood doomed? Justin argues that most audiences don’t care who’s behind the script—as long as the story and actors deliver. The debate even touches on actors’ likeness rights, with throwbacks to Crispin Glover’s legal battle over Back to the Future 2 which was settled out of court and Robin Williams’ famous Disney dispute after Aladdin.

A listener emails in with a classic dilemma: One big monitor or two smaller ones? Matt breaks it down—if color accuracy matters, go with a high-quality monitor. If not, a large-screen TV might do the trick. The team discusses setups, from Andy’s 39-inch curved LG to Shawn and Justin’s multi-monitor rigs, even bringing up Samsung’s Odyssey Ark 55-inch ultra-wide as a crazy alternative which can even display as 4 monitor screens!

Finally, Andy goes bargain hunting, scoring a $5 USB hub from a discount store. The catch? It’s from an unknown brand, made in Thailand, and has potential security risks. Shawn, Matt, and Justin voice concerns, recalling an FBI case where hacked cables were found stealing data. Will Andy’s find be a deal or a disaster? He promises to crack it open and report back next week!

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Episode 428 – So You Want to Start a Podcast?

For this Week’s TechtalkRadio Show, Justin and Andy listen in to Shawn as he discusses his role in providing technical support for Notre Dame sports broadcasts, particularly hockey which is his favorite sport to cover. The guys discussed the challenges and opportunities of podcasting as many people are looking at ways to podcast. Shawn shared his experience with the Athletics Department at the University, which started a podcast called “Wake Up the Echoes” that took off quickly. With some wanted to develop shows, The group discussed the importance of content and the shift towards live video and short-form content.

With TikTok in the News recently, The team discussed the topic of social media, with Justin emphasizing the importance of curating one’s social media feed to avoid unwanted content. Shawn also shared his limited use of social media platformswith the exception of Reddit and Snapchat. Justin highlighted the potential for social media to become an echo chamber if not managed properly. Shawn shares that he stopped using Facebook in early 2020 and noticed changes in his habits and mindset. While initially driven by muscle memory to open social media apps, he found himself completing more meaningful projects at home. Andy discusses the prevalence of ads and sponsored content on platforms, suggesting blocking unwanted connections.

Justin expresses uncertainty about TikTok’s future amidst data privacy concerns and speculations about tech company motives, but admits to rarely using TikTok himself.With a walk down memory lane, Andy, Shawn, and Justin discussed the evolution of social media platforms and their impact on society. They reminisced about the rise and fall of various platforms such as Myspace, Vine, and Google+. Shawn shared his experience with BBSs and LiveJournal, while Justin talked about the shift from AOL chat rooms to Skype. The conversation also touched on the addiction-like withdrawal symptoms some people experienced when TikTok was temporarily banned. Justin shared his efforts to reduce his family’s reliance on social media, while Shawn and Andy discussed the cultural significance of social media platforms in college life.

A Listener Question from Palm Desert has a listener that uses her PC laptop extensively, and has run out of USB slots due to the addition of a camera and a backup drive. Andy and Justin suggest using a powered USB hub to add more ports. They recommend brands like Belkin, Logitech, and Anker. Andy had a hard drive failure and was able to use EaseUS Data Recovery Software to recover data. Justin shares his positive experience with Easeus, a data recovery software. Andy advises being redundant with backups and not relying solely on one backup device.

Gaming is a topic justin loves to shares and discussed his return to the game Project Zomboid, which involves surviving a zombie apocalypse. He mentioned that the game is available on Steam and has undergone significant changes in the past five years. Andy and Shawn discussed the value of Steam compared to Xbox Game Pass

Shawn discussed his recent purchase of a Lenovo ThinkPad T16 for his father-in-law, who was concerned about the end of Windows 10 support. Shawn sought advice from Matt and Justin, who recommended the ThinkPad due to its durability and cost-effectiveness. The ThinkPad features a 13th Gen Intel I7 processor, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Windows 11 Pro, Wi-Fi 6, and a 16-inch display. Shawn also discussed the need for data transfer from the old system to the new one, with Andy suggesting the use of PC Mover for program migration. Shawn agreed to keep the new system minimal to avoid bloatware.

Andy discusses his friend who wants to keep her old computer because it has a DVD drive, even though most modern laptops no longer come with built-in DVD drives. Shawn explains why manufacturers removed the optical media option due to DVD drives taking up significant space in laptops with the concept that more users will use streaming technology for music and movies. To wrap up this Weeks Show, Andy, Shawn, and Justin discussed various topics including retro technology, camera technology, and photography. Justin shared his experience of indoor skydiving on his birthday, which he found to be a thrilling experience. The conversation then shifted to the resurgence of small cameras and the benefits of detaching photography from smartphones. Shawn emphasized the importance of being physically engaged with taking photos and the nostalgic value of physical cameras. The Recent Wildlife Photography Winner was announced and can be found at https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com Shawn promised that next week he will tell us more about a New drone from DJI!

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Episode #427 – Choosing Your Adventure! The Consumer Electronics Show 2025!

In this weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Andy and Justin look at the bog week with the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Social Media has helped to get the content and features out for CES which last year included, which Andy recently discovered, the innovative Hyundai Mobion vehicle. This Awesome Concept vehicle can turn all four wheels to allow sideways movement. Justin agreed that cars are evolving into mobile computers. During the segment Andy welcomes Paul Sanchez to the show, a former Co-Worker to both Andy and Justin from the KLPX/KFMA Days at Lotus Broadcasting. Paul since leaving radio has become an Emmy award-winning videographer and recently started up ThockHaus is at CES and tells us more about being at the show and what Thockhaus is all about with focus on mechanical keyboards and their potential for widespread use due to health benefits.

Paul discussed one such device for those with limited arm movement, creating a full 16 key layout keyboard and track pad. Andy asked about the potential for health-focused features in these keyboards, particularly for those with Parkinson’s. Paul suggested that a standard switch would be more suitable for such users, and showed a custom 8 keyboard with ceramic keycaps. Justin praised the resurgence of mechanical keyboards and Paul’s role in expanding their use cases. Paul also mentioned a new magnetic switch unveiled by Epo Maker, which he believes is better than the standard Hall effect switch.

Shawn joins Andy and Justin with Justin sharing his experience with his son’s new smartwatch, The TickTalk Watch,which allows him to text and call approved contacts, but also noted the potential for addiction and misuse. The group agreed on the need for education on technology etiquette and boundaries, with Shawn suggesting that this could be a valuable program for youth. They also discussed the challenges of balancing online learning with traditional teaching methods, and the importance of teaching children about responsible use of technology.

Andy got a chance to speak with Patrick Pannett, Senior Director, Industry and Policy Communications at the Consumer Technology Association, discussed the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 in Las Vegas. Patrick shared that the Consumer Technology Association, which has been around for over a century, organizes CES to set the agenda for the year ahead in technology. The association, based in DC, works with its membership of over a thousand companies, including many small to medium-sized businesses, to advocate for their interests and help them navigate the competitive and regulated tech environment. Patrick also highlighted the Eureka Park at the Venetian, a popular area for startups to showcase their products and potentially secure partnerships. They discussed the future of technology, focusing on the convergence of AI, health, and smart homes. Patrick highlighted the development of plant buddies that use AI to monitor and improve plant care, and the emergence of smart home technologies They also discussed the integration of health technologies, such as Abbott’s lingo for monitoring blood sugar, and the potential for future technologies like full detection sensors. The conversation also touched on the evolution of home entertainment systems, the role of smartphones in translation and augmented reality, and the excitement around CES’s massive show floor.

Justin, Andy, and Shawn take on a listener question about gaming options for a PC. Justin recommends starting with Steam for accessing a vast library of games. Other platforms like Xbox Game Pass, Blizzard, and GOG are also mentioned, providing rental and purchase models. Shawn and Justin reminisces about getting game demos in cereal boxes as a kid, While Andy goes way back to 45rpm Records on Cereal Boxes which has Justin want to know what a 45RPM is!

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News13 Segment – Backup to the Future! Keep Your Digital Life Safe!

For the Segment in Studio at News13, We took a Look at a couple of great resources for storing your digital memories. While we have said there are great options for storing your images and even videos and documents in the cloud, this shouldn’t be the end all. If there is an Internet Outage, or a Hack, you could still lose access to that data. Redundancy is the key with today’s data and a mobile solutions from SanDisk which allows you to back up quickly with a Laptop or Desktop.

Up first to look at is The SanDisk Extreme Go Portable SSD, a Solid State Device that can easily be carried in a laptop bag. It features Drop Protection and IP55 Water and Dust Resistance, X-Ray Protection and even comes with a 5 year limited warranty. It can also be Hardware Encrypted with a password so you can count on the data to be viewable by you alone. If you have lost data, recover it with the 2 year subscription for RescuePro Deluxe, which can be great to use on those files you accidentally deleted. It come with a USB C Cable and Connector if your system does not have C. – It also works with both Mac and PC. The Suggested for the 1TB Model is under 80.00

For those using their system desktop, we love the new SanDisk Desk Drive SSD. A Space saving desktop companion that does not take up a lot of desk apsce. Available up to 8TB, we looked at the 4TB Model and were amazed by the speed and how easy it was to get up and get going with it. Compact for the Desktop, Tyler made a good point that past options for some storage devices were as big as the box the Desk Drive Shipped in!

Depending on your drive in your system and transfer speeds this can backup up about 4x faster than a desktop HDD, with read speeds up to 1000 MB/s. Backing up is done by moving files or using the downloadable Acronis® True Image for Western Digital backup software which can be used on the Mac or PC. The Suggested for this is around 300.00

For More Check out https://www.sandisk.com