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New Show Posted – Episode 402 “Go Cloak Yourself”

In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Justin tells Shawn and Andy about the Busted water heater in his basement and damage it has done to the area. Andy wonders if there is a Home Monitor that could have told him on the water leak/pressure issue. Justin talks about A Smart Valve Sensor on the Water Heater and how it works. Justin tells us about the products for creating a If this Than That system for all in the home. He tells us about Zigbee, Z-Wave found at https://www.z-wave.com and Matter found at https://csa-iot.org/all-solutions/matter/ . Justin has been checking out videos from Reed at Smart Home Solver on YouTube, found here https://www.youtube.com/c/smarthomesolver and while the idea of Home Automation can help in many ways, Self-Autonomy is something Shawn is not ready to give up yet. Justin likes how Home Assistant works great. Listener Question from Jennie on adding a Hub to her Mac and what could be solutions. Andy and Shawn look at products from EZ-Quest at https://www.ezq.com and another resource is Sabrent at https://www.sabrent.com 

Justin shares a laugh with his new shirt of Vault Boy from Fallout and tells us how he has got back into the game playing Fallout 76. He has even been buying merchandise based on the game. Justin makes a friend using voice chat in the game, Jay Dawg, and the guys discuss how having the voice connections can help a game become even more exciting. Shawn does a breakdown on the history of in-game chat from AOL Messenger to MSN Messenger, ICQ, Mumble, Ventrilo, TeamSpeak, Skype and then now Discord.

Rumblings about Microsoft Co-Pilot Recall and how it could screen shot everything done on the computer to aid AI to make your experience faster. Would this cause people to move to Mac or Linux? Shawn’s upset at the feeding of Ads in the OS Interface Start Menu. What are the downsides to moving to Linux?

A listener Rodney in Sahuarita heard the story about the NSA recommending Restarting the Smart Phone at least Once a Week and wants to know if that should be done with the Computer. The guys agree it should be done once a week and they discuss why. Andy mentions Hibernation, meaning Sleep, and Justin schools Andy on why hibernation is so bad. The discussion focuses on an update to the Terms of Use agreement which has upset some users which could appear to give Adobe a right to see your created content. Also, a Story about Ansel Adams and an image created by AI and sold on Stock Images which were taken down when found they were very close to Adams Images.

With Father’s Day around the Corner, Andy shares some products he featured on News13. The Anker 521 PowerStation for portable power can be found at https://www.anker.com and the SteelSeries Arctis 5x Headphones can be found at https://www.steelseries.com. Andy also talks about the TPM2.0 Module he will be doing a video of hopefully allowing a Windows 11 Update on an Older Motherboard. Justin wraps with our Website of the Week, https://www.cloaked.com This allows you to create identities for filling out forms or even Phone Numbers, As Shawn says It Worked for the Romulans!

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Mothers Day Tech Ideas – News 13 Segment Canon Ivy2 and Logitech Universal Folio

For this Weeks Segment of Talking Tech on News13, Andy Taylor reminds us that It probably doesn’t need to be said but just in case for Mothers Day Tech Gift Ideas, The Tech Behind Robotic Floor Vacuums, Tech Toasters or a New Outdoor Cam is cool, not always the great idea for Mom. Activision Blizzard had a story last year about the growing numbers of Mom’s that are Gamers! While we may not recommend an RTX4090 or new Console, We looked a little differently this year at some great accessories.

First Up, If Mom has a Tablet and doesn’t like using the On Screen Keyboard, a Nice alternative is available in the Universal Folio from Logitech. The Universal Folio can work with both iPads and Androids like the Samsung Tab. Using Bluetooth technology, The Universal Folio connects from the Keyboard to the Tablet and allows you to use the keyboard on the Folio which also doubles as a Stand for the Tablet. Extremely long battery life with Two Lithium Coin type batteries and nice for using just about anywhere, the List price for the Universal Folio is about $60.00

We also have the Canon IVY 2 mobile printer. Print Small Size photos from your Smartphone and even edit this and artistically add clip art, frames etc. The App has many features and when you are ready, print to the small mobile printer, it will deliver a 2x3inch print using ZINK technology. Zink Means Zero Ink. The Glossy Photo paper is sticky backed if you want to stick them on something. It comes with 10 print pages and 100 more could be purchased for about 50 bucks. It’s a lot of fun to be creative with the prints and hand them out to friends. The Printer itself sells for about 80 bucks, this was a big hit at the station as we took photos and were able to hand them out.

Andy TaylorTechtalkRadio, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Check out the Latest Show! Episode 396 – The Car Is Trying To Kill Us!

In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Andy, Justin and Slick reflect on the past week of Tax Filings on the 15th of the Month which gives us a chance to look back on Justin and Misa’s purchase of a Tesla Model Y. While Justin shares that some of the Tax Benefits of an Electric Vehicle like the Tesla have begun to fall away. Justin shares some of the info around the car including the Full Self Driving features which when first used, had some less then desirable experiences. Earlier this Month a software update for the Full Self Driving feature has been pushed for a new version. Even with his earlier experience he was able to take a drive from Denver to Broomfield using Full Self Driving and had a great experience with this new update. The guys talk about spotting the Tesla Cyber Truck and with the weight of the Electric Vehicles how this has affected tire longevity. Justin shares a story of a man who was in a medical emergency and his Tesla drove him to the emergency room of the local hospital. Slick asks Justin about regenerative braking and how that works to recharge the vehicle.  



Justin shares a question from Scott in Tucson about Adding multiple drives with the same files and is looking for a way to dwindle the duplicate files down. Andy recommends looking at Roxio NXT 9 Pro and as a part of the toolbox, Bulk File Renaming and Duplicate File finder is available as part of the Suite. Also recommended is AlternativeTo.Net for locating open-source software as alternatives. Justin does a google search on SourceForge.Net and find a few solutions including DupeGuru which has some great reviews. It is recommended to trend lightly when google searching for programs due to malware and infected programs, RESEARCH! Darlene sends a question about Small Diskettes and how to read data off them without the reader. Justin recommends a USB 1.44 reader which can be purchased from a Computer Repair Shop, always a good way to support local business or of course Amazon. 

Forbes put together an Article about Streaming Options for Television which may be a surprise to some. Aside from the Cost of services which continue to increase such as Netflix, Disney +, Paramount Plus, Hulu there are Free Services with Ads such as Crackle, Tubi, Plex and Pluto.TV. In the Article, Pluto which is owned by Viacom – Parent Company of Paramount offers great programing. Slick shares his top services including Xumo, Roku and Pluto.TV. Surprisingly, Pluto has been around for 10 years, and some have never experienced the interface. Andy recommends taking a look with a smart tv or even tablet at the Pluto Interface. 

Justin is happy about ATSC 3.0 and in some markets, it is available already. In an Article at TheVerge.Com, one addition to this format for Over the Air television is from a company called Roxy working with NBC Universal which could in some way give users the DVR capabilities.   

Fallout Official Trailer


The new Series Fallout has debuted on Amazon Prime and Justin is loving the show along the same story line universe of the Popular Video Game Fallout. The Gritty show though is geared at grownups, Justin admits being so excited about the series not realizing its  intensity having his 7 year old watch it with him, that ended pretty quickly. 

Andy shares some info on the Insta360 X4 new 8K Camera which can deliver some amazing video and photos but also has options such as Timed Capture and Gesture Controls to capture a photo. Justin likes the 4k Capabilities and tells us why.  

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New Show Posted – Episode 395 – Duct Tape Fixes Everything!

In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Andy, Shawn, Justin and Matt recap the past weeks Solar Eclipse which Shawn experienced in 100% Totality. Shawn tells us about the foreboding incident with a broken water pipe and then making his way to the Indianapolis 500 Speedway to camp out for the party type atmosphere. The Video and Photos Shawn and his friends captured were amazing. Shawn breaks down the cameras he was shooting with and noted the best images he captured came from some of his cheapest and older cameras including the Nikon Cool Pix P900, Nikon D7000 and Nikon P850 Full Frame. Shawn also shares some of the lenses he used with the cameras including the filter. Shawn’s Friend Steve shot with a Canon 70D connected to a telescope! Steve also uses a 800mm Prime with a doubler taking it to 1600mm on a Canon R5.

Camera Setups to Capture the 2024 Eclipse at the Indianapolis Speedway

The video captured of the Diamond Ring that Shawn captured is breathtaking. Shawn’s friend Dustin launched a Drone and talked about seeing the shadow move over the ground. Andy talks about his cousin Maria in California that captured some impressive shots with her Samsung S24 using the Solar Glasses over the lens.

Camera Gear Ready
Maria captured this image with the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Solar Glasses over the Lens

Shawn tells us about the atmosphere at the event and the applause which broke out during the Diamond Ring. Andy wonders about some of the bizarre stories surrounding the eclipse and Shawn tells a story of a woman who reportedly was trying to give her money away for what she thought could be the end of life for us all, when that didn’t happen, she wanted her money back? Also, some people were having migraines after, Matt and Shawn tell a related story regarding pressure changes. Either way some great images to share, be sure to check out the images on our Blog at blog.techtalkradio.com

The Video Shawn put together of the Eclipse 2024!

Justin tells us about a Water issue he dealt with, and the guys talk about filing insurance claims and USAA insurance. Andy talks about the New Google Find My Device Network feature which is now available giving users the ability to locate phones, tablets, earphones now even when not connected to the Web or offline. The guys share how they may or may not use this feature.

Listener Estella in Tucson wants to know how to keep Air pods in her ears which tend to fall out. Matt tells us about his problem with this due to ear shape which has his Air Pods “Shawshanking for Freedom”. Matt recommends using a smaller tip for the ear while Justin suggests Duct Tape which honestly fixes everything.      

Listener Bob has been called upon by his Parents to fix their computer. They have a habit to throw everything to the desktop of the computer and Bob is having an issue explaining it to his folks. This prompts Justin to ask us how many icons we have on our desktop. Matt has nothing on his desktop while Andy and Shawn have about 40-50 and Justin has three. Matt tells us about Hell Driver 2 the Game for grown ups and why it is a lot of fun.  

There is a lot of talk with Microsoft developing Windows 12 although the company is quiet about it, the Guys talk about what they would like to see in what Windows 12 could be. Wrapping the Show the guys talk about a Story at MacRumors, some owners of the Apple Vision Pro have reported health issues with use of the Vision Pro, Andy compares this to the Opti Grab fallout featured in the Movie The Jerk. Andy also shares that Artifact has been saved from going away with a purchase by Yahoo.   

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New Show Posted! #394 – The Worst Car You Ever Had?

In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show, Andy, Shawn and Matt get together to go over the trends in Tech. Matt tells us about waking up a few weeks back to his Wife’s Jeep getting rear ended while parked in front of their residence, <Video Above> all captured on the Ring Dash Cam. While we could expand on the importance of Video Doorbell Technology instead, we discuss the process of buying a vehicle. Is it Safe to buy a vehicle on Facebook Marketplace? Matt tells us about his history with Carfax and working with AAMVA and why Carfax is always a great idea. This also allows the guys to talk about some of the First and Worst Cars they have ever had.  

Photo of the Nasa Website for The Upcoming Solar Eclipse

Southern Arizona is getting 68% and Denver where Matt is, seeing 64% Totality for the upcoming Solar Eclipse. Shawn will experience 100% and is taking the trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a large get together of those experiencing the Eclipse.  Shawn tells us some points to consider if wanting to take a photo or video of the Eclipse and how to create a Pinhole Box. Matt tells us during the eclipse, the Silence is deafening and the light shadows on the ground are different. A Great website is https://eclipse-explorer.smce.nasa.gov/ to check out how it will effect different zones. Matt mentions the center of X will be in Carbondale. Be Sure to Check back here for photos from the Event.

Photo of the Zone 2 Wireless Headset from Logitech

Listener Trisha in Vail sends in a question about the Defragmenter and wonders if it should still be done. Matt gives us a breakdown on where that utility went to and what is was used for. Dale asks about Outdoor Camera’s that could Zoom in, Shawn refers to Ubiquity or Unify as a source due to the home security options not really allowing a Zoom feature. Andy shares headphones to test out from Logitech, the Zone 2 Wireless. Bluetooth Capable headphones with a boom arm with 4 discrete microphones for AI Noise Reduction to eliminate background sounds. Andy calls these the most comfortable headphones he has ever worn. This works out great with a question from Stephanie wondering about headphones and wearing a hat. Andy tries this but doesn’t understand the assignment. Doh. Air Pods would be an option and a recent story in the Tech blogs are Apple should be releasing a lower cost Air Pod. Google Incognito wasn’t as incognito as users expected and what this means. 

Matt tells us about a recent story of Glass Door not as anonymous as those posting on the site believed. The guys share a password generator focusing on kids to get them to understand and learn the importance of passwords available at https://www.dinopass.com. Also coding for kids with https://www.codemoji.com This fun website can help the kids understand coding and its importance.

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