Scented Dice, AI Lies & Bubble Pop Addictions – EP480

This week on TechtalkRadio, Andy Taylor and Shawn DeWeerd explore the tech, gaming, and gadget stories making headlines — along with one of the most creative gaming accessories we’ve ever featured. From addictive mobile games and ultra-thin laptops to AI assistants that still get things wrong, this episode blends humor, nostalgia, and real-world techtalk.

Andy and Shawn discuss the surprisingly addictive Bubble Pop Origin mobile game, the new ASUS Zenbook A16 with its stunning 3K OLED display and Snapdragon AI-powered processor, plus what Apple may reveal during WWDC. The conversation also dives into Copilot, Gemini, ChatGPT, and why AI tools still require a healthy dose of skepticism. Along the way, the hosts reminisce about retro computers, Windows XP builds, DOS gaming, wired keyboards, old MP3 players, and classic gaming memories.

Special guest Brent Critchfield from Studio Woe joins the show to talk about his unique “Baron Smelly Bones” scented gaming dice currently launching on Kickstarter. The discussion covers how the dice were created, why smell can enhance tabletop gaming experiences, and the incredible reactions gamers have had to scents inspired by coffee, fire, storms, forests, and magical spells.

The episode also features a bizarre Microsoft Teams story involving fired IT workers accidentally recording their own cybercrime confession, a look at the upcoming game Mouse PI for Hire, thoughts on Plex media servers, and anticipation for The Mandalorian and Grogu arriving in theaters.

If you love gaming culture, gadgets, retro tech, AI discussions, tabletop gaming, and fun conversations about the ever-changing world of technology, this week’s TechtalkRadio has something for you.

TechtalkRadio #Technology #Gaming #AI #ASUS #WWDC #DungeonsAndDragons #Kickstarter #Plex #Steam #RetroGaming #ChatGPT #TabletopGaming #TechPodcast

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Table Top RPG’s – The Theater of the Mind

For this week’s TechtalkRadio show, Shawn talks with Andy about attending GenCon in Indianapolis and some of the highlights of this event centered around the world of Tabletop Role Playing Board Games. Brandon Sanderson has had one of these RPG’s based on his Stormlight Archive Novel Series and Shawn was given the ability to test out the title before its availability on Kickstarter. Shawn gives us an explanation of the D20 Dice and how this all plays into the world of Role-Playing Gaming. As Shawn explains, the Dice tells the story in the gameplay. The gameplay is explained and as Andy asks, does the game ever end? How can somebody get into experiencing Tabletop RPG’s and we find it’s easier now then versus 5 years ago. Shawn recommends the Dungeons and Dragons Series 5 Starter Kit. For those that want to play some of these with friends across the country a Virtual Tabletop can make this possible. Andy wonders why GenCon can continue while E3 has seemed to end. Shawn shares some links to get more info, boardgamearena.com and boardgamegeek.com. Shawn dropped a few bucks on purchases from vendors and shared with us what he bought; Everdell the Complete Edition is a huge set. Shawn recommends checking out GenConTV on YouTube. Andy notes that while some may wonder what RPG’s play in the Tech World, The Big Bang Theory Show has the characters playing them. This also gives Andy the chance to mention the return of the entire series Silicon Valley on Max.  Shawn wraps the segment talking about how to begin playing and some websites to check out.   

A brand-new TV from TCL is available. This 115 Inch QD-Mini LED TV and when purchased the buyer could get a ticket for attending the Super Bowl or a Hollywood Movie Premiere however the pricing is around 20k for this TCL TV. Intel has had some issues with its 13th and 14th Generation Raptor Lake processors and Microcode. Shawn tells us about this issue and how it needs to be addressed. The CEO of Logitech did an interview with The Verge and discussed the concept of a Subscription based model for hardware centered around the mouse, dubbing it the Forever Mouse. A few hours after recording this weeks show, the Company is saying this this Will Not be happening. Andy talks of how he was not a fan of the Subscription model for Software such as Adobe and Intuit QuickBooks. The reminds Shawn and Andy of the HP Instant Ink Subscription model. 

Reaching into the Big Hat for Questions to the show starts with a question from Cecilia about helping her son connect his Nintendo Switch to a Chromebook to stream his gameplay. Shawn doesn’t recommend doing this with a Chromebook. However, if need be, her son could download OBS and purchase a capture card to try the stream.  Shawn recommends a PC or Mac but also has a plan for a stream and support it with Social Media Marketing. Listener Kerry asks about using her phone as a hotspot for her Roku TV and not getting the best results. Shawn shares how this is going to be dependent on the signal strength on the smartphone. Possible choices could be Starlink, HughesNet which Andy talks about Solis Wi-Fi Hot Spot. 

Shawn wraps the show with his Wyze Guy Update, the company hasn’t made may announcements lately however the New Wyze 3.0 App is available.    

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