The Tech Ranch "Guru of Geek" Marlo Anderson

Summary:In this podcast episode, hosts Steve and Marlo and guest Kevin Burkhart discuss a variety of topics, ranging from the progress being made in the electric airplane industry to the potential benefits of flying cars for transportation efficiency in large cities. They also touch on the possibility of using a catapult system for electric-powered aircraft takeoff to conserve energy and discuss the implications of the recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank, which impacted many tech companies. The conversation also delves into the current state of autonomous vehicles and the potential for increased efficiency as technology advances.Transcript:







Did you know today is National Pie?







Kevin Burkhart in with us this morning as well.







and National Potato Chip Day. I mean, yes. And potato chip. We got both food groups represented. Well, I, yeah, well see I did that too. I, I, I fell into that trap also, , and then I remembered, wait a minute, we just had a national pie day and then I looked closer and went, oh, pie day as in math 3 1 4.







You know, this is actually the, the bigger, bigger national day of the two though. Well, I know it is, but I like pie. Well, yeah, so you have the, you have that reason to go on half pie. People across the country will be eating pie day to celebrate pie day. That, that’s what I fell back into. It’s like, you know what, I’m gonna have another pie day.







Yeah, I’m, I’m going to go to half pie. Just put 3.14 on the pie and whipped cream or something like that and then Oh yeah. Okay. Great marketing piece. Any restaurants out there listing? You should sell a slice of pie for $3 and 14 cents a day. That’s a good idea. Yes. See, you can double dip on pie day. See, I think there’s all kinds of ways to utilize this.







Yeah. Yeah. Hey, as long as they got a piece of pie, I’m happy. Banana cream, coconut cream. That reminds me, I, I was at Perkins just the other day ordering a, a whole pie. And the lady said, do you want it sliced? I said, sure. She says, do you want to cut into four slices or six? I said, you better make it four. I don’t think I could eat six







man, after my own heart. There we go. Okay. I wanted to talk a little bit about the time change. Of course. Uh, it’s weird this year. Normally I don’t, uh, have to deal with this, but um, cause I’m a morning person anyway. But the time change this year, kind of, kind of, I don’t know if it’s snuck up on me, caught me a little off guard.







Um, just a little outta sorts with the time change this here. First of all, because there’s eight feet of snow on the ground, it doesn’t feel like it should be time to set the clocks forward. I don’t think. Maybe that’s part of it. I think it is because I, Sunday night I was ready to go to Ben went, wait a minute.







It’s still way too light out. And yeah. And then Monday morning it was like, oh. Do I have to get outta bed now? I mean, it really is, you know, uh, according to, I forget what they call it for the weather service for the seasons, you know, we have the, the seasons that fall on the dates, right? So we’re almost to, we’re almost to spring, but there’s like the calendar spring or whatever they call it, which is actually, actually the first one.







Yeah. That comes up on the 20th is actual Spring. Spring. But they have, uh, you know, March 1st is actually supposed to be the whatever spring is, whatever it is. But anyway, uh, it’s like pie day. There’s more than one. That’s right. That’s right. . There’s more of everything now , I,

Summary:Hosted by Steve Bakken and Marlo Anderson, this technology podcast episode covers a range of topics related to technology, equipment and the film industry. The hosts discuss the potential of advanced technologies, such as prosthetic limbs that can restore communication between different parts of the body. The conversation also looks at the use of 3D printing to create medical devices, building materials and even houses. In addition, they discuss the potential for a film industry in North Dakota and the need for lawmakers to create tax credits to attract more films to the state.















Transcript:Hello. You haven’t been here for a while. I know. Tech stuff. Did you miss me? Yes, he did. Yes. I hope so. A lot. Not, not only is Randy, the, the operations manager for this station, but he’s also our engineer. And one of the things that you’re tasked to do is move some of the snow around here because we’ve got a tower out back.







Well, no, no, hold on. Second you transmitter site. But what, but you have to move snow quite often to do your work. To do your job. I, I have in the past moved snow. Yes. Okay. So, so have you ever wondered how they measure snow? I figure just take a yard stick. Go out in the yard and measure the, that’s the unscientific way.







Measure the, the snow, right? Well, it depends if the wind’s warm, I just kind of if’s a drift. I look at how much is built up on my truck hood. Well, yeah, that’s kind of the easy way I do it too, which I, I look at my patio do. Yeah. Yeah. Your, what’s your grill or your table or, yeah, a little of all of it, I guess.







And, and if there’s, if there’s stuff that’s stacking up, I know I got a little bit, the grill’s a good indicator. Yeah. Grill’s a good indicator. Yeah. Unless it’s on, yeah, that’s slightly less accurate at that point. It’s not as accurate. That way the grills on, if you’re cuddle on the ground, then if you were grilling, not accurate at all.







So it’s interesting. I was just digging up this information. So of course there’s a difference between snowfall and snow depth. . So a lot of people don’t realize this, but snow is compressible. So if you have two 10 and a half inch snowfalls, it may only accumulate to 17 inches. Well, and you see that because they run  on the weather, right?







They run the snow depths. Right. And, you know, typically, you know, good snow depth and Bismark  on, on average, cuz they average it out  is eight to 12 inches. Cuz that’s good for the spring. Well we’ve got way more snow than that, but that’s the actual snow cover. Right. So I think this is where it really gets difficult too, because I’m thinking to myself, like right now, what, what have we had this year?







75 inches last I saw, we were on number nine. We were in the number nine position of all time snowfalls over a winter. Okay. Oh, for the entire winter. Yeah. I think we’re gonna get. Cracking the top five. Well, you know, with day, just a day and tomorrow and Thursday every day there’s an two or three or four snow in the forecast.







So, and, and now they’re talking depending on where it tracks the Colorado Lo for Friday into the weekend. I mean this is, this is crazy, but you know what it reminds me of? So I was in Grand Forks in 97. Yes. Except every weekend. We had a blizzard in 97. And actually here it was like every day we were pushing like one or two inches of snow.







That’s why we broke a record here. Cause it wasn’t like it was, we had some big storms,

Summary:







During this episode, hosts Marlo Anderson and Steve Baker covered a range of topics, starting with a weather update about a winter storm warning in Bismarck and the use of heads-up displays to enhance driving during storms. They then discussed the potential control the Chinese government may have over the social media platform TikTok, as well as the dangers of deep fakes and cybersecurity breaches. The hosts also talked about The Boring Company’s tunneling technology, specifically its potential to alleviate traffic congestion using electric and potentially autonomous vehicles. The conversation also touched on advancements in prosthetics, including artificial limbs that can provide sensation and the possibility of grafting skin over them in the future.Transcript:







Other breaking news, the actual one, of course, blizzard warning, starting at 11 o’clock this morning. As of right now, it’s scheduled, that system that was supposed to stay south along the north and South Dakota border is kind of slid to the north.







And now Bismarck is right on the edge of the six to 10 inches possible of snowfall and Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Yeah. Yeah. It was just a winter weather advisory. The last I heard. Then I noticed the winter storm warning. Now we’re at a blizzard warning. It’s supposed to kick in at 11 o’clock this morning.







We’ll talk to the National Weather Service later in the program. Find out. But you don’t even seriously snowblower. It’s a blizzard warning. Now, we’re now making this up. No. Oh, cuz we make up a lot of stuff on this show. We, we do, but no, this is an accident. For real. For real. Yeah. Okay. I was shit about that.







I just find it amazing that in today’s world that we can be surprised by weather sometimes, especially they missed with this one. Blizzards. Yeah. This one was kind of a big miss. I can understand like the occasional thunderstorm that pops up and surprises people or tornado or whatever. But it seems with surprise tornado.







Yeah, but surprise blizzard. What? And the worst part is you don’t even have your snowblower. No, I don’t have a snowblower. So you lent it to somebody. Yeah. You know, so my question is, contractually, if you lend a piece of equipment like that to somebody, isn’t it an incumbent upon them to, when they return it to snowblower your driveway?







I actually think I should have first dibs on it. So before they even do their own, they should bring it to my house and do mine so that when I leave tomorrow morning that my lawn or my, driveway will be sparkling clean of no snow. You know What else to get your driveway sparkling clean of no snow.







What’s that? He had a yabo. That’s true. There’s yabo again. Plug for an endorsement there. We need to get ahold of those people. Yeah. It, you know, I, it’s just a cool machine. It is. I do have, the, oh my goodness. The badger, they sent me a lawnmower, you know? Right. Yes. So we have to install that one of these days.







I actually think that, okay. You get the badge, get the arvo. I’m putting, I’m putting Jim with the city on, on the spot here, but I think he told me the other day that I could have part of Dykes Sean Park Really? And put the, to put the badger in. I’m just saying. That’d be, it’d be fun. It’d be a fun place to experiment with it.







Right. Say Mandan Parks and Rec a little money, or, I think so, yeah. At least around the bandshell area there. Right? Well, it would always be nice and groomed and yeah. Do you think somebody would steal it though? Mm I think there,

Traveling is a passion that many people enjoy, but as we age, it can become more challenging to explore the world. Beeyonder is a virtual tour company that offers live and interactive virtual tours around the world with local qualified tour guides. In an interview with the Guru of Geek, Marlo Anderson, Camille Scannell from Beeyonder explained that they primarily target seniors aged 55 and above, providing them with equal access to travel opportunities.







Beeyonder currently offers 430 virtual experiences in over 60 countries, with local guides on the ground giving walking tours as if the tourists were there in person. Participants can ask questions and interact with the guides, making it a more engaging experience. Beeyonder’s focus on accessibility has made them a popular choice among seniors, especially those who are not able to travel in person due to health or mobility issues.













Camille shared a story of a client who was an avid traveler but had to stop due to age-related health issues. Taking virtual tours with Beeyonder allowed her to revisit destinations she had traveled to in the past and explore new ones she was never able to visit. The tour guides’ engaging personalities and highly trained skills in keeping participants engaged make the tours a worthwhile experience.







Beeyonder’s founder, Brittany Palmer, was inspired to create the company due to her own experience as a bilateral amputee with other disabilities that limit her travel options. Her mission with Beeyonder is to provide equal access to travel opportunities for everyone, regardless of their physical limitations.







If you’re interested in taking a virtual tour with Beeyonder, you can check out their experiences and book a tour with a local tour guide on their website. Beeyonder’s commitment to accessibility and equal access to travel opportunities makes them an excellent choice for seniors and anyone who loves to explore the world.







As Camille Scannell from Beeyonder said in the interview with Marlo Anderson, “We are all about accessibility, bringing equal access to travel opportunities.”

Summary







In this podcast episode, the speakers discuss the potential of AI technology to create unique works without plagiarism by learning an individual’s writing style. They talk about the recent case where a Bing AI got angry at a user and insulted him, and conclude that the AI can detect a person’s tone of voice and is likely to respond accordingly. They also talked about how businesses and authors can use this technology to reduce costs, and the use of AI in scanning financial information. Their conversation also shifted to the case of Gonzalez versus Google, which questions the liability of online platforms for the content posted by their users. The potential outcome of the case may affect free online posting and lead to more censorship. Also, listen closely for an exciting announcement!







Transcript







Marlo.







You’re sitting over there giggling for some reason. I, I don’t know why. . I don’t know either. You, you got this cat that ate the canary look about you this morning, Tuesday. Well, you, I, uh, I hate to admit this, but I like snow. I do too. I don’t like the 30 below windchill we’re gonna get later this year. That, that I don’t like either.







But I snow all you want. As long as it’s, you know. Yeah. That 27 degrees and snowing. 24 to 20. Perfect. Yep. I’ll take that all the time. Yeah. And not too windy. The issue right now of course is, you know, if we’re actually getting 10 inches snow, I didn’t even know all this until I walked in here. We got snow, globe snow going right now.







That’s cool. Yeah. But, uh, yeah. 10 inches of snow. I need, I need to hurry up. I have an invention. I’m working. I need to hurry and get that done. I know you do. We gotta work on that. So, uh, I wanna talk about, uh, your ev story, your charging story, because apparently that won’t go away, . And, and we’re gonna get an update on that cuz you know that 10 minute story that we turned into an hour last week, over an hour, actually over an hour and, and it’s still going folks.







Yeah. Uh, we’ll find out about that, uh, in just a little bit. But I wanna give you an opportunity to rant a little bit this morning. You’re not ranting kind of mood. I am in a ranting kind. You get that ranting look about you. Well, you know, I love technology as you know, but there are some times that maybe not so much.







So are you getting angry? Like the ai? I’m just not, no. Okay, just checking. We’ll talk about that. Yeah. A little bit too. Um, rule two 30 s on the, on the thing today. Robo calls. We’re gonna be talking about those because I just had another one of those. I bet you’d like to make money off of those. My Google listing is apparently needs to be verified.







Yeah, obviously you should probably get that verified you money off of that. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. We’ll talk about that too. Yeah, we’ll talk about that too. So, yeah, so my rant, you know, um, This has been going on for a little bit already, I guess, but I love the sensors in my car, but one particular set of sensors this time of year, I do not like.







And that is the tires, the air pressure tires. Yeah, I knew it. I knew it. And I’m like, why did they not assume that the tire pressure or the temperature outside would go up and down? And maybe, maybe they do, but I’m tired of filling my tires up so the sensors go off and then when it gets warm outside then, then it’s like, you know, I think my ultimate is 2.4 for tire pressure.







And of course then it gets up to 2.83 and then you’re like, yeah,

Today’s episode begins by discussing electric vehicles. Marlo mentions the potential dangers of e-vehicles in accidents, including fires, and the need for better training and equipment for emergency responders to deal with such incidents. They also address the problem that electric scooters and bicycles often catch fire in urban areas and that firefighters need different protocols for these types of incidents.







The issue of electronic devices, such as cell phones and golf carts, catching fire due to faulty chargers is also mentioned. They advise that people should be careful when purchasing chargers, especially when buying from convenience stores, and to go for brand-specific chargers rather than the cheapest ones. A European standard has been passed which requires all devices to have USB-C and USB-E, which will force even American devices to adopt the standard, reducing the occurrence of fires. Marlo also mentions that the USB cubes used for charging devices are disappearing and being replaced by USB-C. They predict that by 2024, most devices will have USB-C, which will be a great thing for consumers, and advises people to get a USB-C cord now if they have the option.







Steve and Marlo also speak about Microsoft and Google are both pushing AI technology with the integration of AI into their search tools. While Microsoft is only now investing billions of dollars in AI, while Google has been doing so for years. AI technology is a fast-changing industry and its potential implications of it are unknown. While the technology is exciting, it is uncertain how companies will adapt, especially since there are still inaccuracies with AI and it is unclear how and if they will be fixed.







__Transcript:







And uh, Marlow, are you a little bit sore this morning? I, I, I have you fully recovered from, uh, the flag football game at the Pro Bowl on Saturday or Sunday? , were you, were you playing in that, uh, You were a goalpost, right?







Oh, yeah. I could , I could have, right? I mean, , I got, I got patted down once or twice. That’s it. Oh, there you go. Well, busy weekend in Las Vegas with the Pro Bowl being there. Uh, a lot of festivities going on. Uh, did you catch any of those? So I haven’t been, I’m actually done here for work, you know. Oh, it’s a boy crap existence.







You missed the flag football game. Oh, well, yeah, I know, I know. You know, I don’t even, wasn’t even well attended there. I got here yesterday. There’s nobody here. It’s just, I don’t know. I it’s really quiet right now. I, I didn’t even turn it on. I, I have no idea. I, I, if, if there were fans or anything, it was like, really flag football.







No, uh, not going there. Yeah. But, um, okay, so you’re in Vegas this week, of course. Uh, maybe doing a little filming for the new television show. Yes. But, uh, uh, you know, I gotta throw the little tech stuff in and, and of course you got a little excited when I told you I’m, I’m in the brand new Pole Star Yeah.







Volkswagen by Volkswagen. And I’m actually driving right now in the streets of Vegas talking to you from this. So the car is very quiet. I mean, it’s like an EV where it’s very quiet like most of the time. I don’t know if it’s even on . Um, I mean that is, that, that’s, that’s probably what’s weird about it.







You, you’re, you know, you stop. I don’t even know if I have it turned off when I park it in a parking garage. It’s just kind of weird in that regard. You walk away and go, did I shut my car off? I don’t remember. I, I don’t know.