The Blog for the TechtalkRadio Show
For this Weeks TechtalkRadio, Everybody is on Vacation! So we feature past moments including interviews with the man that created Leap Pad and a discussion about NordVPN and a pretty good Website of the Week! Fun Listening on this Weeks Flashback Show – In the First Segment we discussed AI Creation with Midjourney – We wanted to feature these again since..well, they are horrifying!
For this week’s TechtalkRadio show, Shawn DeWeerd in his Bucc-ees gear and Andy Taylor discussed the latest advancements in technology. Shawn shared his recent trip to Canada, where he visited Evertz, a broadcast vendor looking ahead to the next five years in broadcast technology. He mentioned that they’ve been using EXE 1.0 with great success, but after a seven-year process, it’s time to focus on the future.
Shawn and Andy delved into the evolution of broadcast technology, particularly the transition from analog to digital, and the potential roles of 8K and 4K in the broadcast spectrum. Shawn explained that 1080P HDR offers excellent quality with less bandwidth compared to 8K and 4K.
Andy, considering switching from Cable TV to YouTube TV, raised the concern about rising internet service prices as more users cut the cord. Both agreed that price increases are likely. Andy then updated listeners on his efforts to upgrade a machine to Windows 11. He discussed the TPM 2.0 module he purchased to facilitate the upgrade on his six-year-old system and emphasized the importance of using the PC Health Check tool on Windows 10 to prepare for Windows 11. Despite his excitement over the new TPM 2.0 and a new motherboard case, Andy discovered that his Intel i7 6600 processor isn’t on the list of certified processors for Windows 11 and no processors on the approved list will fit the Asus Z170A Motherboard. While it is something to gripe about, Shawn stressed the importance of security in the newer generation processors, even though it’s challenging, for future Windows versions.
During the show, Shawn, located in South Bend, IN, had to attend to a weather situation. After a break, he returned to discuss the NOAA Weather Radio and the Radar Omega app, which tracks storms and storm chasers. The app costs around $8 and provides live streaming from storm chasers.
Andy decided to explore Wubuntu, a Linux distribution resembling Windows 11. Although a review he read wasn’t favorable, there have even been warnings posting about installing it. While Andy says he has enjoyed the process now he is considering trying Neptune, a Debian Linux distribution.
Shawn shared his experience updating an old iPod Touch through Moonlit.Market, which gives new life to outdated tech. He also tells us about Elite Obsolete Electronics (EOE), a site for finding hard-to-get parts for a wide array of gear, available on the web at EOE.works.
This week’s show wraps with Andy sharing news about Redbox and Crackle’s going away as highlighted in this Variety Article Link, while Shawn is surprised by the longevity of Homestar Runner, a game from 20 years ago that continues to release new content.
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In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, We learn a little about Shawn’s Bucc-ees Outfit his mom got him and how Shawn has been traveling for work. Taking a flight on Delta, Shawn was happy to find out that Delta Airlines will hand out trading cards. The guys talk about tracking aircraft if you are traveling or a friend or family member is, you can easily follow the flight using websites and apps such as FlightAware or ADSBExhange. Andy talks about how the web can also help locate aircraft you have possibly flown in and tells the story of how while in Civil Air Patrol he co-piloted a Cessna 172 and was able to locate that aircraft today with the tail number. Microsoft faced an outage earlier in the week on its X-Box Live Service and it serves as a reminder for having physical media instead of relying on the cloud. This applies to Movies and Series we have come to rely on from streaming services. The guys share a couple of ways to make sure you can view your content that you have purchased using MakeMKV and Handbrake as possible resources. Shawn built a Raspberry Pi Media Player for handling digital playback. For Games, so many have only been released Digitally and the guys talk about the last versions they bought for consoles and PC. Shawn tells us about a great Website for Older games, GOG Games has older titles for purchase – Andy wants to get a copy of one he played a lot, RedneckRampage.
Andy started a new project this past week to downsize from the massive Cooler Master HAF932 to a smaller case. This was all in part to begin to move to Windows 11. Using the Asus Z-170A after purchasing the TPM 2.0 Header the goal would be to Upgrade to Windows 11. Andy gets the Fractal G Mid Tower Case and gets everything moved and cleaner. After deciding to do this, he realized with the 480GB with only 60GB left, he would have to update the Drive as well for more space. Andy updates to a 1TB but has an issue in cloning the drive and find Partition Wizard Mini Tool was the solution he needed. This does pose the question of instead of cloning an older drive, reinstalling Windows from scratch gets rid of the bloat. Some points to consider regarding the software are discussed.
RealVNC has eliminated the home plans for the service which enabled connecting to other computers. As Shawn pointed out, this was a great way to take care of family members’ computers remotely. The Cost for the new plan is discussed and the problem with TeamViewer and a Security Breach is discussed. DJI is still under the scrutiny of the US Government and the latest is discussed here and how that would affect this that want to use a drone, The Countering CCP Drone Act could ban the sales of DJI products in the US. Andy gives us a look at the Camp Snap Camera and why many are excited about this very different digital camera. The Screen Free Digital Camera allows the user to experience the taking of the photo and enjoy the moment without looking at what was captured. Gizmodo put together a list of Cool Gadgets for the past month of June, this includes the Insta360 Go 3S which is a small action camera.
Shawn shares a Website of the Week with us, A fun site to prank a friend or co-worker with, https://whitescreen.online The Site gives you various options to feature update screens, blue screen, broken screen and many others.
Tune in, Stream or Download the latest in our discussion of Tech and other fun discussions!
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For this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Justin is still trying to get his studio put back together after a water pipe mishap and Shawn is in Florida for a Work Assignment! Andy found a show that didn’t get posted from Last year and it is airing and now available to listen to
In this Episode, Camping and Photos, Redditt, Free TV’s and Connecting with Viewers on Live Streams, Starlink and using PCMover!
Since we decided to Air a Lost Show, Here’s a few Photos from the Archives to Enjoy!
Have a Great Week!
Andy Taylor
For the Monday Morning Tech Segment on News13, @techtalkradio decided to focus on the Monsoon Storms and how these storms common to the Southern Arizona Area can affect our electronics.
If you have invested in a big screen television, not connecting it to safe source for electrical power can be a big mistake. As more and more want to enjoy a Large Screen Television with 4k or 8k OLED, Soundbars and Consoles we should be thinking of how it is plugged in. During Monsoon Storms and even other times throughout the year, we get power surges, these surges can take out that 80″ television OLED just as it could a 19 inch tv is you haven’t taken an extra step and purchased a Surge Protector with a High Joule Rating and not just a power strip. It is recommended you use a Joule Rating of 2000-4000 joules to protect your devices and cost wise for these, they can run from 25 to 99 dollars depending on the number of outlets and of course Joule rating. Also important is to remember, these will not last forever. Over time that Joule protecting can deteriorate and a good surge protector can visually let you know when it is time. GE, APC, Monster and CyberPower all produce some fine devices.
Also, if you are going to a coffee shop or even traveling, a nice device from Philips is the Cube, this give you a minor amount of protectiion which is better then plugging directly into the wall. I would recommend having your devices fully charged so you don’t have to plug into an outlet but if you have to, this can help. You could also carry an extra higher Joule Rated product in your laptop bag.
For the Best protection for your PC’s. Macs and other devices, APC – American Power Conversion from Schneider Electric can be a great source with its Uninterruptible Power Supplies. In this segment we are sharing a Backup UPS from APC – The BN1500M2 which is a Ten Outlet device designed for Home and Small and Medium Businesses. With this you get 10 total outlets, 6 of those outlets with both surge and battery backup as well as 4 surge-only outlets. Also on board are 2 USB ports (Type-C and Type-A) that allow you to charge mobile devices. This is a great solution for your Computer and Routers, the Joule Rating on this is just under 1100. Another point to remember, it is not recommended to plug a UPS into a Power Strip, this could void a warranty or protection guarantee.
With a UPS In most situations, if your power goes out, You will be able to finish your work and shut down your system. A High End Gaming PC could be given just under half an hour to finish and then Shut down. The BN1500M2 sells for about 215.00 Find out more on the APC Website including how to protect this devices in the Summer Storms! https://www.apc.com
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