Technology Blows

Dan Slimmon
  • 4.6 (7)
  • TECHNOLOGY

Technology: where does it come from? How does it work? And why is it so shitty? Tune in every week for true stories about the technological marvels that plague our lives, from Bluetooth to QR codes to Clippy.

  1. 6D AGO

    Cookies: How Ad Platforms Steal Your Mind (Part 1)

    The web didn't have to be this way. Friend-of-the-pod CJ Horton joins us for a look at cookies: the completely reasonable web protocol that became host to the parasitic ad industry. References: "Lou Montulli: Sexiest Internet Mogul." People. 15 November 1999.https://adtech.org/best-demand-side-platforms/https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-agencies-use-cellphone-location-data-for-immigration-enforcement-11581078600http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/07/undeletable-cookie/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/google-delays-third-party-cookie-death-again-now-scheduled-for-2025/https://arxiv.org/abs/cs/0105018https://blog.chromium.org/2020/04/temporarily-rolling-back-samesite.htmlhttps://blog.google/products/ads/next-steps-transparency-choice-control/https://blog.google/products/chrome/building-a-more-private-web/https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2109https://digiday.com/uk/all-you-need-to-know-about-europes-data-privacy-regulations/https://github.com/w3c/web-advertising#ideas-and-proposals-links-outside-this-repohttps://github.com/w3c/web-advertising/blob/main/OnlineAdvertisingParticipants.mdhttps://github.com/w3c/web-advertising/blob/main/rtb-use-case.mdhttps://github.com/w3c/web-advertising/blob/main/understanding-privacy-advocates.mdhttps://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/investing-in-mobile-future-with-admob.htmlhttps://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/general-information/why-should-i-register-on-imdb/GHB62T7USTMYMCDC?ref_=helpart_nav_3#https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ietf-http-wg/1995OctDec/0458.htmlhttps://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ietf-http-wg/1995OctDec/0501.htmlhttps://privacysandbox.google.com/blog/privacy-sandbox-next-stepshttps://privacysandbox.google.com/cookies/storage-access-apihttps://privacysandbox.google.com/protections/privacy-budgethttps://safety.google/safety/ads-data/https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/jetlaw/vol1/iss1/4/https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/9560818?hl=enhttps://techcrunch.com/2009/11/09/google-acquires-admob/https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/your-privacy-policy-doesnt-mean-a-thing-regulating-privacy-on-the-web/https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2965https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265https://w3cping.github.io/privacy-threat-model/https://web.archive.org/web/19991127212505/http://www.networkadvertising.org/https://web.archive.org/web/20000815060418/http://www.cookiecentral.com/faq/#2.3https://web.archive.org/web/20090627105722/http://www.cookiecentral.com/faq/#2.3https://web.archive.org/web/20100830143434/http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/article.php/3895466https://web.archive.org/web/20110530020518/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/25/microsoft-security-idUSN2517397120110525https://web.archive.org/web/20120119215316/http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/article.php/3877261https://web.archive.org/web/20131209210402/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9918582-57.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20141127185609/http://www.computerworld.com/article/2510494/data-privacy/microsoft-disables--supercookies--used-on-msn-com-visitors.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20170906230653/http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/M/magic-cookie.htmlhttps://webkit.org/blog/10218/full-third-party-cookie-blocking-and-more/https://webkit.org/blog/9661/preventing-tracking-prevention-tracking/https://www.baekdal.com/thoughts/the-original-cookie-specification-from-1997-was-gdpr-compliant/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/computer-internet/computer-use-1984-2009.htmlhttps://www.cnet.com/news/privacy/google-finds-apple-safari-anti-tracking-feature-actually-enabled-tracking/

    1h 8m

  2. JAN 7

    Kalshi: the Betting App that's Helping to Destroy Democracy

    Kalshi: is it "the first federally regulated prediction market," or just a shittier FanDuel? Join me and friend-of-the-pod Jeff Bonhag to learn: What modern science has in common with rolling fox knucklesHow Kalshi DOSed the Commodity Futures Trading CommissionWhy Donald Trump Jr is so interested in making prediction markets a thingReferences: https://blockworks.co/podcast/empire/fbd446de-a7e3-11f0-8d81-6380135dcd93 https://businesslawreview.uchicago.edu/print-archive/event-contracts-are-step-too-far-derivatives-regulation https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article-abstract/281/1784/20133305/77153/Decision-accuracy-in-complex-environments-is-often https://comments.cftc.gov/PublicComments/ViewComment.aspx?id=70788https://epicwins.io/2025/10/12/kalshi-raises-300m-and-expands-to-over-140-countries/ https://frontofficesports.com/kalshi-hit-with-nationwide-class-action-over-illegal-sports-betting/ https://gamblingharm.org/kalshi-college-ambassadors-program/ https://german.yale.edu/sites/default/files/hayek_-_the_use_of_knowledge_in_society.pdf https://mickbransfield.com/2025/08/11/summary-of-legal-actions-involving-kalshis-sports-event-contracts/https://news.kalshi.com/p/kalshi-cnn-prediction-market-partnership https://nexteventhorizon.substack.com/p/kalshi-and-tareks-not-so-excellent-pr-adventure https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empire/id1554930038?i=1000731608313 https://readwrite.com/kalshi-sued-massachusetts-illegal-sports-gambling/ https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/07/why-political-betting-markets-are-failing.html https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.41256/gov.uscourts.cadc.41256.1208669739.0.pdf https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2023/11/kalshi-sues-cftc-over-election-betting-bid-denial-00124658 https://time.com/7095708/financial-scam-political-prediction-election/ https://users.wfu.edu/strumpks/papers/JEP_2004.pdf https://web.stanford.edu/~csimoiu/doc/wisdom-of-crowds.pdf https://www.axios.com/2024/04/10/us-legal-betting-prediction-market-events-kalshi https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-05-26/kalshi-s-stock-market-of-the-world-let-s-you-bet-on-anything https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-02/kalshi-s-top-lawyer-quits-to-become-leader-of-doge-team-at-sec https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-20/kalshi-pulls-announcement-of-xai-tie-up-hours-after-touting-deal https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-20/hedge-funds-are-wooed-by-startup-to-bet-millions-on-real-events https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/29/this-new-exchange-lets-investors-vote-yes-or-no-on-major-events-to-hedge-their-portfolios.html https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/09/kalshi-expands-election-betting-options-cftc-complains.html https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/13/kalshi-names-donald-trump-jr-as-strategic-advisor-to-prediction-market-firm.html https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/04/cnbc-and-kalshi-strike-exclusive-partnership.html https://www.cnbc.com/video/2025/12/04/on-kalshi-there-is-no-house-anybody-can-win-says-ceo-tarek-mansour.html https://www.covers.com/industry/kalshi-faces-class-action-over-alleged-unlicensed-sports-betting-nov-28-2025 https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/data-centers-and-water-consumption https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/02/19/will-prediction-markets-live-up-to-the-hype https://www.fastcompany.com/91399289/kalshi-prediction-markets-sports-gambling https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciapark/2025/12/02/how-kalshis-luana-lopes-lara-cofounder-went-from-professional-ballerina-to-worlds-youngest-self-made-woman-billionaire/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2021/12/01/from-fintechs-crypto-top-...

    1h 25m

  3. 12/31/2025

    Scantron: the Little Green Sheet that Ruined Education

    This week we're joined by Brandon Romano to learn about Scantron: the company that made ubiquitous standardized testing possible. Find out: How standardized tests were graded in the 1500s (hint: it involved throwing corpses over walls)Why the hideous pseudoscience of eugenics is weirdly load-bearing for the SATHow Scantron uses infrared light to transmute those little number-2 pencil marks into college rejection lettersReferences: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/09/schools-standardized-testing-assessment-ai-future/675366/ https://blog.collegeboard.org/everything-you-need-know-about-digital-sat https://edscoop.com/scantron-how-colleges-handle-old-unwanted-tech/ https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/12/scantron-technology-creates-more-efficient-testing https://gizmodo.com/5908833/the-birth-of-scantrons-the-bane-of-standardized-testing https://patents.google.com/patent/US3050248A/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US3900961A/en https://scantron.com/ScanToolsPlus/Help/v8/LINK/content/apicontent/overview/scanner_technology_overview.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20120403020015/http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/testscore/ https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/10/LazarinOvertestingReport.pdf https://www.cxomagazine.com/reimagining-data-intelligence-through-human-centered-innovation-and-ethical-ai/ https://www.edutopia.org/blog/dark-history-of-multiple-choice-ainissa-ramirez https://www.ipmetrics.net/blog/litigation/case-law/scantron-patent-marking/ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/william-sanders-obituary?id=17291417 https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/orangecounty/name/michael-sokolski-obituary?id=8415721&fhid=3071 https://www.newspapers.com/image/402857246/?match=1&terms=Scantron https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/s/BdPM5tl48r https://www.reddit.com/r/fgcu/comments/320qqk/whats_up_with_having_to_buy_our_own_scantron/ https://www.scantron.com/blog/meet-mary-michael-sellers/ https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300026399/chinas-examination-hell/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85gAfiJGpVM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqRdrXUaESg

    1h 16m

  4. 12/17/2025

    Shazam (Part 2)

    This week and last, I'm joined by singer-songwriter Rachel Kiel to talk about Shazam: the massive data analytics platform that occasionally tells you the names of songs. Find out: How they use computers to turn all your favorite songs into constellationsWhat other things you can Shazam, if you're not a music personWhat Shazam likes to do in its spare time, when you think it's not listening anymoreReferences: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/11/24/shazam-for-ios-will-listen-to-songs-for-longer-before-giving-uphttps://appleinsider.com/articles/24/05/22/shazam-can-now-run-in-the-background-with-live-activitieshttps://daniellenewnham.medium.com/fostering-innovation-and-choosing-the-right-founding-team-6287f7eed9fhttps://d3.harvard.edu/platform-digit/submission/shazam-predictive-analysis-for-the-music-industry/https://patents.justia.com/inventor/avery-li-chun-wanghttps://profwurzer.com/shazams-ip-fortress-layered-protection-built-a-billion-dollar-app/http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/12/the-shazam-effect/382237/https://venturebeat.com/social/shazam-american-idol/https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/14/shazam-names-that-tune-drawing-in-money-and-users.htmlhttps://www.computerweekly.com/news/450409644/How-Shazam-handles-its-data-reserveshttps://www.ee.columbia.edu/~dpwe/papers/Wang03-shazam.pdfhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/averywang08/https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/s/uX3Gjl7FUmhttps://www.seti.org/people/avery-wang/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3hNkU03sLAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0m-G6iwrCw

    52 min

  5. 12/10/2025

    Shazam (Part 1)

    This week and next, I'm joined by singer-songwriter Rachel Kiel to talk about Shazam: the massive data analytics platform that occasionally tells you the names of songs. Find out: How they use computers to turn all your favorite songs into constellationsWhat other things you can Shazam, if you're not a music personWhat Shazam likes to do in its spare time, when you think it's not listening anymoreReferences: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/11/24/shazam-for-ios-will-listen-to-songs-for-longer-before-giving-uphttps://appleinsider.com/articles/24/05/22/shazam-can-now-run-in-the-background-with-live-activitieshttps://daniellenewnham.medium.com/fostering-innovation-and-choosing-the-right-founding-team-6287f7eed9fhttps://d3.harvard.edu/platform-digit/submission/shazam-predictive-analysis-for-the-music-industry/https://patents.justia.com/inventor/avery-li-chun-wanghttps://profwurzer.com/shazams-ip-fortress-layered-protection-built-a-billion-dollar-app/http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/12/the-shazam-effect/382237/https://venturebeat.com/social/shazam-american-idol/https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/14/shazam-names-that-tune-drawing-in-money-and-users.htmlhttps://www.computerweekly.com/news/450409644/How-Shazam-handles-its-data-reserveshttps://www.ee.columbia.edu/~dpwe/papers/Wang03-shazam.pdfhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/averywang08/https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/s/uX3Gjl7FUmhttps://www.seti.org/people/avery-wang/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3hNkU03sLAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0m-G6iwrCw

    1h 1m

  6. 12/03/2025

    Clippy

    It looks like you're trying to listen to a podcast. Would you like some help with that? Join me and my guest Dana Vannen Anderson for the bizarre and frequently cringe story of Clippy, the paperclip that us helped write a thousand letters. Find out: Where we got the notion that your computer should act like a personWhy Microsoft ditched the idea of Clippy ever shutting the fuck upWhat celebrated actor brought the paperclip to life for Office XP's mortifying launch campaignReferences: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1301.7385https://jesse.cafe/blog/packard-bell-navigator/https://guidebookgallery.org/tutorials/packardbellnavigator39/gettingstarted https://web.archive.org/web/20110504005120/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2008/04/-quot-clippy-quot-update-now-with-organizational-anthropology/8006/ https://web.archive.org/web/20110124023627/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chris_pratley/archive/2004/01/31/65479.aspx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHgzgbLwhKM#t=1m41s https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/07/chatgpt-lawsuit-suicide-coach https://web.archive.org/web/20070212204645/http://lis.dickinson.edu/Technology/Training/Tutorials/MsOffice/assistant.htmhttps://web.archive.org/web/20010812061222/http://www.microsoft.com/office/clippy/https://web.archive.org/web/20190214194638/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/techtalk/2005/12/16/pm-at-microsoft/https://web.archive.org/web/20121024125147/http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-255671.htmlhttps://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2022/08/origin-story-of-clippy-the-microsoft-office-assistant https://magnus919.com/2025/05/the-rise-and-fall-of-clippy-from-microsofts-bold-vision-to-internet-legend/ https://spir.aoir.org/ojs/index.php/spir/article/view/10923/9596 https://www.newspapers.com/image/1143853682/https://www.newspapers.com/image/295620970/https://www.newspapers.com/image/770293367/https://www.newspapers.com/image/658114957/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-05-03-clippy-campaign.htm https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/191666.191703https://archive.org/details/g4tv.com-video4080 https://hardcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/p/042-clippy-the-fcking-clown

    1h 20m

  7. 11/19/2025

    Washing machines

    Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of squeezing/agitation! This week, Rit Breisler and I discuss washing machines. Learn: What fluid the ancient Romans used instead of detergent (hint: you're not gonna like it)What your washing machine's onboard computer is for (hint: computers don't wash clothes)Why washing machines have gotten so much more efficient in the last half century (hint: it's not the smartphone apps)References: https://eaglesanddragonspublishing.com/ancient-everyday-pee-and-laundry-in-the-roman-world/https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/washing-machines-vintage-photos/https://patents.google.com/patent/US966677A/enhttps://www.vox.com/future-perfect/374286/degrowth-economic-growth-washing-machines-electricity-global-povertyhttps://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-one-how-the-catholic-church-84227953/https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-two-how-the-catholic-church-84310436/https://appliance-standards.org/blog/new-spin-clothes-washer-efficiency-coming-january-2018https://home.howstuffworks.com/washer7.htmhttps://automaticwasher.org/threads/when-did-ge-start-using-electronics.62935/https://www.embedded.com/the-role-of-mcus-and-psocs-in-making-home-appliances-smarter/http://www.oldandinteresting.com/history-of-washing-clothes.aspxhttps://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/technology/technology-terms-and-concepts/washing-machine#2896500105https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/1862_London_Exhibition:_Catalogue:_Class_VIII.:_Richard_Lansdalehttps://patents.google.com/patent/US921195 https://patents.google.com/patent/US2165884https://web.archive.org/web/20130523165728/http://gogd.tjs-labs.com/show-picture?id=1129064419 https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/project/national-na-v81/2264 https://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/how-long-should-a-washing-machine-last/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225802892_Electricity_and_water_consumption_for_laundry_washing_by_washing_machine_worldwide https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312150735.htm https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_the_magic_washing_machinehttps://academic.oup.com/book/10245

    1h 18m

  8. 11/12/2025

    Jira (Part 2)

    Jira: the bloated tick gorging itself on the software industry. Join me and CJ Horton to learn about: Henry Gantt, the absolute chart simp who gave your boss the idea to ask you about your progress every half hourInfinite backlogs: where hope goes to quietly dieThe heartbreaking story of a billionaire's impostor syndromeReferences: https://www.seangoedecke.com/seeing-like-a-software-company/https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/atlassian-mike-cannon-brookes-and-scott-farquhar/id1150510297?i=1000508150130https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNBmHXS3A6Ihttps://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/inside-the-atlassian-fallout-between-mike-cannonbrookes-and-scott-farquhar/news-story/ed90506fec79ee023d6f856592893c21https://www.realestate.com.au/news/37yearold-scott-farquhar-pays-more-than-70-million-for-derelict-fairfax-mansion-elaine/https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/project-management/history-of-project-management-software/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21573727.2011.609558https://confluence.atlassian.com/jira064/jira-3-0-release-notes-720413090.htmlhttps://confluence.atlassian.com/jira064/jira-4-0-release-notes-720413371.htmlhttps://confluence.atlassian.com/jira064/jira-5-0-release-notes-720413987.htmlhttps://confluence.atlassian.com/jira064/jira-6-0-release-notes-720413895.htmlhttps://confluence.atlassian.com/jirasoftware/jira-software-8-0-x-release-notes-957981626.htmlhttps://confluence.atlassian.com/jirasoftware/jira-software-9-0-x-release-notes-1142227613.htmlhttps://confluence.atlassian.com/jirasoftware/jira-software-10-0-x-release-notes-1416825224.htmlhttps://confluence.atlassian.com/jirasoftware/jira-software-11-0-x-release-notes-1587939582.html

    55 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Technology: where does it come from? How does it work? And why is it so shitty? Tune in every week for true stories about the technological marvels that plague our lives, from Bluetooth to QR codes to Clippy.

Information

  • Creator
    Dan Slimmon
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dan Slimmon
  • Show Website
    Technology Blows

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