In Tech Today In Tech Today

It's been a few weeks since we ended season 1. Have you missed us? We've missed you!

We're still in between seasons, but as we promised in episode 20, we thought you deserved some bonus episodes to keep your technology podcast thirst quenched. Here's the first bonus episode filled with some of the latest tech news, as well as an update on where we're at with the production of season 2!

Firstly, we take a look at the recent ridiculousness that was Amazon Prime Day. In the lead-up, it was touted by the online retail giant as the biggest sales day since Woolworths went bust. Except, it wasn't. In the UK, the deals were a little bit disappointing, and in the US, Amazon was hit by massive allegations that it had inflated prices before the sale, only to drop them on the day in a bid to make the deals seem better than the were!

Also in Amazon news, small business that sell on the website are up in arms in the US over plans to extend the company's no-reason returns policy to all marketplace sellers. They say it will 'crush' their business, but the fact is this kind policy is the law in the EU. Has it crushed small businesses there?

We also look at news that a Tesla has broken the car's distance record and driven more than 1,000 km - or almost 700 miles - along with alarming, but not surprising, research that far too many of us are losing sleep to binge watching shows on services like Netflix or Amazon Prime.

At the end of the show, there's also an update on the production of our second season. We're quite excited about it, and we want you to be as well!

Recorded on 7 August 2017 at Park Town Studios, London, England. All rights reserved.

Music: "Nano Hoedown", "Wagon Wheel", "Wagon Wheel - Electronic"; Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It's the last episode of our first season! We're taking a break for a few weeks to prepare a bigger, better, shinier second season of In Tech Today.

In the meantime, we discuss the Petya cyberattack this week, which brough Ukraine and much of Europe to its knees. What was it, how did it spread, and where did it come from? We also ask if cyberwarfare is the new means of attack between countries, and whether there is any way to protect yourself from other states playing dirty tricks.

It's also the iPhone's 10th birthday! This revolutionary device, released in 2007 by Steve Jobs at Apple, is definitely the modern smartphone's ancestor. How revolutionary was the device? How good was the first one? And, is Apple still innovating like they did all those release cycles ago?

Our techno dinosaur Michele also has a question about her internet speed. Her broadband sucks, and she wants to know if she can improve it. Listener Andy also has a question about encrypting his external USB hard drives to protect his data.

Recorded on 30 June 2017 at Park Town Studios, London, England. All rights reserved.

Music: "Nano Hoedown", "Wagon Wheel", "Wagon Wheel - Electronic"; Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This is the episode where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.

For starters, it's being released six days late because the audio file was incomplete. Then, there was no live stream of this episode because no matter where we positioned the router, it did not play ball. And there isn't even a pre-recorded video version of the episode because technology clearly hates us.

Still, we salvaged what we could for this episode and most of it is here for your listening pleasure! This week, after spending days on trains where internal temperatures were approaching 40 degrees Celcius, we ask why the London Underground is still not airconditioned, or even ventilated, in this day and age? It turns out the answer is entirely to do with a major technological limitation when it comes to cooling.

We also look at the scandal-ridden omnishambles that is Uber, after co-founder Travis Kalanick resigned as chief executive after a slew of scandals at the 'ride sharing' (ahem, taxi) company. What does the future hold for Travis and Uber, and will it be the same company without him?

Our techno dinosaur is also wondering what she can do to ensure she's on the right side of the new EU rules regarding mobile roaming when she goes on holiday.

Recorded on 22 June 2017 at Park Town Studios, London, England. Released many days later. All rights reserved.

Music: "Nano Hoedown", "Wagon Wheel", "Wagon Wheel - Electronic"; Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This week, In Tech Today started a new Instagram account. Two minutes later, it was banned from the platform. As it turns out, it's a problem affecting thousands of Instagram users, and it could affect YOU! How is it happening, what did we have to do to solve the issue, and do the powers that be at Instagram and Facebook need to fix it?

Also, Transport for London (TfL) has launched a new chatbot, allowing you to chat to an artificial intelligence on Facebook Messenger and ask about the bus timetable. We want to know what TfL is trying to achieve with this, when there are already a million and one ways to check the bus network. Is another layer of automation in customer service just going to serve to peeve people off?

We also take a look at BT's latest superfast broadband technology and have a whinge at how bad consumer broadband is in the UK, and our Techno Dinosaur, Michele, has heard a rumour that she could be inadvertently scratching her laptop hard drive. Is this true? Could you be accidentally destroying the data on your computer?

Recorded on 15 June 2017 at Park Town Studios, London, England. All rights reserved.

Music: "Nano Hoedown", "Wagon Wheel", "Wagon Wheel - Electronic"; Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Britons - including honorary locals Josh and Ed - headed to the polls today after an election campaign that involved both some seriously positive and negative attention on some of the world's largest tech companies. What did Facebook, YouTube and others do to try and get out the youth vote, and will it make a difference to the result?

Also, this week was Apple's annual World Wide Developers' Conference, and they finally took the wraps off its HomePod speakers, which feature Siri in a bid to compete with the established Google Home and Amazon Echo products. But, at an eye-watering $349 and with Siri's - and even Apple's - reputation in the toilet, is it too little, too late, and just too high a price tag?

Finally, Michele our Techno Dinosaur bought a new phone recently, but she's having trouble getting her contacts transferred over from her old handset. And Oli makes a guest appearance on our Dinosaur segment as he tried to work out how to best keep his photos all in one place.

Recorded on 8 June 2017 at Park Town Studios, London, England. All rights reserved.

Music: "Nano Hoedown", "Secret of Tiki Island", "Wagon Wheel", "Wagon Wheel - Electronic"; Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Josh and Ed discuss the 'Great British Airways Meltdown', in which a power surge caused the airline's computer system to completely fall over, grounding all of its flights worldwirde for an entire day.

What actually happened, why did it happen, and could it have been prevented? Also, does this prove the point that we shouldn't be over-reliant on technology in general?

Also, as of 15 June, mobile roaming charges in the EU are going to be a thing of the past, thanks to some serious work by the European Commission and the good grace of the mobile companies to come to an agreement.

What does this mean for the average mobile user? Does it mean you should still have a mobile roaming package? And, just how much will the mobile companies restrict what you can do with your SIM card when you cross borders?

Finally, our techno dinosaur Michele is thinking about upgrading her television, and she isn't sure if a smart TV is worth it. We try to help her make a decision.

Recorded on 1 June 2017 at Park Town Studios, London. All rights reserved.

Music: "Nano Hoedown", "Wagon Wheel", "Wagon Wheel - Electronic"; Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/