In this weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Andy, Shawn and Justin take on one of the big stories in the news with the recent drone sightings over the East Coast, with Shawn clarifying that while there are indeed drones, some of the reported sightings could be helicopters. Justin shared his concerns about the presence of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) near the US Capitol, which he believes should not be ignored. The hosts also touched on the topic of misinformation surrounding these sightings. This is course causes speculation about the possibility of extraterrestrial life, with Justin suggesting that the objects could be alien technology. Andy mentioned the possibility of drones being used for surveillance or warfare, and Shawn noted that the quality of the amateur videos was not impressive. They also discussed the military’s response to the sightings, with Justin questioning why the military was not commenting on the situation. The conversation ended with a discussion about the capabilities of larger drones, with Shawn noting that they could potentially fly for extended periods of time. Shawn also suggested that some drones could be built without GPS geofencing. Andy wondered if this could lead to changes in legislation for drone usage and the overall feeling is Yes.
The group speculated about the possibility of an elaborate prank or a serious government cover-up, and decided to keep an eye on the situation.

In last week’s Show, Justin was trying to decide on his next vehicle and shares that the purchase of a 2025 Toyota Camry XLE, a hybrid vehicle, after selling his 2017 Ford Explorer was made. He mentioned that the new car has a 12.3-inch touch screen infotainment system, HD radio, Sirius XM, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, full surround cameras, and a panoramic moonroof. Andy wondered if for long trips would he prefer the Tesla or Hybrid Camry. Justin does enjoy the convenience of self-driving features with the Tesla and traveling adds a minimal time for recharging.

A Listener question opens up a fun discussion on naming your Wi-Fi SSID. In the Segment a listener was asked by a neighbor about sharing his Wi-Fi. The group advised against it, citing potential misuse of bandwidth and exposure to legal issues. They also shared their Wi-Fi network names, with Justin’s being “The Wu-tang LAN” and Shawn’s being “Land before time”. The team also encouraged listeners to share some of the fun SSID names they have seen. Another listener question wonders about the benefits of OpenOffice as an alternative to Microsoft Office. They emphasized the benefits of open source software, such as community-driven development and potential for better support and feature requests. However, they also cautioned against downloading software from unverified sources and stressed the importance of due diligence in researching and selecting software. Shawn shared again with us a great website for finding open source software https://www.alternativeto.net

With YouTubeTV raising its Monthly Plan Cost, The team discussed their streaming services and the increasing costs associated with them. Andy mentioned that he was considering switching to YouTube TV but was hesitant due to the price increase. Shawn shared that they were sharing the cost of various streaming services among family members. The team also discussed the inconvenience of ads in some streaming services and the potential of physical media sales increasing due to internet outages. Andy, Shawn, and Justin discussed the recent launch of OpenAI’s free search feature for Chat GPT, which allows users to search for images and information.

Justin shared two websites of interest for the Website of the Week: https://www.everyhex.codes, a website that provides every color imaginable with its hexadecimal code, and https://www.openmhz.com , a website that allows users to listen to unencrypted police, fire, and EMS radio channels. They also discussed the possibility of using an SDR device to capture local radio frequencies and share them on Openmhz.com. Lastly, they shared their Christmas wishes, with Shawn wanting the High Speed Photo Scanner we shared from Epson earlier this year, The FastFoto 680 and Justin hoping for the Denver Broncos to make it to the Super Bowl!