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Episode 462 – I Don’t Want to Become a Meme!

For this Week’s TechtalkRadio Show, Andy Taylor and Shawn DeWeerd take a look at some of the big stories including Andy thinking about a purchase of the Meta Ray Ban AI Smart Glasses which helped develop this week show title. “I Don’t Want to Become a Meme” The guy’s circle back to the continuing coverage of the now-infamous Coca-Cola AI holiday ad—which featured glitchy puppies, rubbery robot-people and just noticed vanishing truck axles. While Andy enjoyed the ad for its holiday message one listener had asked about the Ad he did think delivers and for the best of his knowledge, No AI! The Amazon Ad with the three-woman wanting to reminisce about the younger year having fun on the Snowy slopes of a hill and George Martins In my life in the background. It hits the mark.  The conversation also connects to a bigger conversation about “AI slop” in gaming. They talk about a story of Call of Duty Black Ops 7 and how studios may be leaning on AI for icons and posters which could signal job losses for artists and developers, however this causes growing backlash from fans who are paying real money but getting soulless, auto-generated content in return.

Shawn breaks down how AI could be creeping into sports broadcasting with auto-generated stats, highlight reels, and even generated “hyper frame rate” replays that could blur the line (literally) between what happened and what the algorithm invented. They compare that to AI-created commercials that feel emotionally sterile, and now creepy apps that could let you “talk” to A.I. Generated deceased loved ones. Not Good?  Andy mentions how the number one movie this month in 1984 was The Terminator. Sky Net? Also, this causes a flashback to the days when Control Shift Face was creating some great Deepfake videos and the guys look at Deep Fake versus full generation.

Listener questions bring things back to practical tech. Abigail from Green Valley asks how to safely get online with her iPad away from home, and the guys walk through options like cellular iPads, iPhone hotspots, VPNs, and even the rumored cheaper Apple MacBook with built-in cellular. Ted from Sahuarita writes about undeveloped 35mm film, and Shawn shares his experience using Indie Film Lab to bring old rolls back to life. There’s also a fun shout-out to Chase Roberts’ new STEM kids’ book Simple Machines Made Simple, plus mentions of David Pogue’s upcoming Apple book and a nostalgic look at classic computer magazines such as Computer Shopper versus today’s Newly announced Computer Gazette.

The show wraps with a run of rapid-fire topics: Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses and the mental burden of living in a world where anyone can secretly film you and turn you into a meme, thus the Show Title; Blue Origin joining SpaceX in the reusable rocket game; Black Friday safety tips to avoid phishing and sketchy Wi-Fi; and a quick look at the Fi Mini GPS pet tracker for runaway dogs and cats.

It’s a another hour of TechtalkRadio that bounces between “wow, that’s cool” and “wow, that’s terrifying” Give a Listen any Comments or Questions Email us techguys@techtalkradio.com

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Episode 461 – Comedy Wildlife, OpenShot & The Midwest Freeze: Tech You Need This Week!

For this week’s Techtalkradio Show, it kicked off with 2 climates, pitting Andy Taylor’s sunny Arizona desert against Shawn DeWeerd’s brutal, snowy reality near South Bend, Indiana. Shawn described his location as a literal “frozen tundra,” buried under nearly a foot of snow, Shawn shared a couple of photos and suggested a real-time look at the Campus via an EarthCam feed.

The most epic cold-weather story involved a collegiate rugby championship at Notre Dame, where players, during a massive blizzard, played for hours in shorts, proving that some athletes are simply built differently (and that their tech gear is, thankfully, heated!). This extreme weather made Shawn the resident expert on staying prepared—and served as a stern reminder for everyone in snowy climates: always brush the snow off your car!

Shawn and Andy then continued the discussion the latest Coca-Cola commercial, debating whether the oddly animated people and the controversial ending were a genuine AI mistake or a brilliant-if-cynical guerrilla marketing play to get everyone talking. One of Andy’s favorites has returned, the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photo Contest, which captures animals in hilariously awkward poses. The show then gave listeners the inside track on creative tools, with Andy praising the powerful new features of Adobe Premiere and introducing OpenShot as a free option for video editing beginners, while Shawn gave a shout-out to the enduring favorite, DaVinci Resolve.

Finally, the discussion turned to the ever-evolving world of digital consumption and convenience. They raised eyebrows at the newest, and arguably most irritating, advertising trend: “pause ads,” which ambush viewers with a static commercial the moment they hit the pause button on their streaming service. Despite this, Shawn expressed his enthusiasm for the community of hobbyists who are dedicated to tracking down and restoring abandoned Redbox kiosks—a fun bit of tech nostalgia. To cap off the show, they covered Microsoft’s launch of the App Pack, a new tool that seems to be directly competing with the beloved, time-saving app installer, Ninite, offering Windows users an easy way to set up a new computer.

Got a question for the show? Email techguys@techtalkradio.com, and catch more at techtalkradio.com.

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Episode 458 – “The Cloud Crashed: When the Net Goes Dark.”

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For this week on TechtalkRadio, Andy Taylor and Shawn DeWeerd tackle the story that shook the web — the massive AWS outage that left millions wondering if their internet had vanished. The pair break down what really happened when Amazon’s U.S. East-1 region went down and how a simple DNS failure can ripple through nearly every service we use. From Coinbase and Reddit to Roku, Robinhood, and even smart-home devices, the hosts explain how so much of our digital life runs through the same narrow pipes — and why that can be a dangerous single point of failure.

With streaming services sputtering and smart devices silent, Andy and Shawn turn their attention to the unexpected hero of the week: physical media. They discuss why DVDs and Blu-rays are making a quiet comeback and share the tools that make it easy to preserve your collection — from MakeMKV for ripping discs to HandBrake for compressing files and Plex for organizing your own personal streaming library. It’s a reminder that having your favorite shows and movies on hand (and not in the cloud) can be both nostalgic and smart in 2025.

The episode also dives into practical Windows tips, including Microsoft’s WinGet — a built-in command-line updater that keeps your apps current with a single command. Shawn tests it live on air and finds nearly half of his software out of date. Andy also fields listener questions about Windows 11 S Mode, breaking down who it’s for, why most users eventually turn it off, and how Microsoft’s locked-down environment compares to the open flexibility we’re used to.

Screenshot of TV.Garden
Screenshot of Windows Package Manager WINGET
Screenshot of Explore.Org

Finally, the hosts spotlight two incredible websites that make technology feel fun again. TV.garden lets you spin a virtual globe and watch free, live television from countries all around the world — a discovery that had Shawn geeking out over obscure motorsport streams. And Explore.org offers a front-row seat to nature through hundreds of live animal cams, from Alaska’s famous Fat Bears to serene ocean sanctuaries. Whether the cloud is crashing or calm, Andy and Shawn remind us that tech should connect, entertain, and inspire — even when the net goes dark.

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News13 Segment – Slamming the Receiver: Why We Miss Old-School Phones!

We had some fun this week with the Tech Segment on News13 with Carsyn Currier even though a couple of mishaps made it even more fun. Live TV, What can you do! At least we take a step back in time as we explore the fun side of nostalgic technology!

From rotary phones and corded handsets to cassette tapes and even classic floppy disks, old-school gadgets are making a comeback in surprising ways.

I get to give a quick look at how the Cell2Jack device ($40) lets you connect your smartphone to a vintage rotary or corded phone via Bluetooth, so you can actually make and receive calls the old-fashioned way. Plus, check out the Van Sicklen handset ($20 at Target) for a cool retro vibe and that unmistakable ring.

Sometimes when I am going through the Videos I Find Screen Grabs which give me a good laugh at the Silliness that can happen, Always a lot of fun.

Whether you remember stretching cords across the living room or dramatically slamming the receiver to end a call, this segment is a reminder of why we love bringing back the past. Watch now and relive the charm of yesterday’s tech—updated for today.

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Episode 455 – Smart Homes, Dumb Drivers:The Crash Caught on Camera!

Andy, Shawn, and Justin open with Justin’s recent DDoS nightmare and use it to explore how IoT botnets form, why firmware updates and password changes are essential, and why cheap “set it and forget it” devices can be ticking time bombs. They compare off-the-shelf routers like ASUS, Netgear, and Linksys with more advanced options such as Ubiquiti and the open-source pfSense (“PF-chance,” as Justin puts it), which can turn an old PC into a powerful firewall/router—perfect for those willing to tinker. Tips include scanning with Fing, segmenting devices on VLANs, and avoiding ISP-provided routers.

Listener Q&A shifts the discussion to Windows 11: Home vs. Pro, and the frustration that Remote Desktop is missing in Home. Andy shares his Rufus experiment installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, while the team stresses the importance of BIOS and driver updates. The highlight is Shawn’s story about Driver Easy, which rescued a high-end transcoding PC that Windows updates had slowed to a crawl—finding 15+ outdated drivers and restoring its performance instantly. Justin explains how techs can use short-term Driver Easy licenses to fix customer machines without constant overhead.

But the big highlight comes from Justin’s own Reolink security camera: it captured a shocking moment when a car slammed into his neighbor’s $100K Nissan GT-R while it was being loaded for transport. The video proves why quality security cameras matter, and sparks a bigger conversation about Wyze vs. Reolink setups, VLAN security, and why having your own footage is worth every penny.

They wrap up with cool new tools — from DJI’s latest drones to lightningmaps.org, a live weather tracker that shows real-time lightning strikes. Whether you’re into gadgets, gaming, or just want smarter home security, this episode is packed with stories you don’t want to miss.

Be Sure to Check out the Video Version of this Show on the Website for Footage of that Crash!

Got a question for the show? Email techguys@techtalkradio.com, and catch more at techtalkradio.com.

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