Brad & Will Made a Tech Pod.

Brad Shoemaker, Will Smith
  • 4.7 (491)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Each Sunday, Brad Shoemaker and Will Smith discuss a new technology topic. Come for the long-form conversations about virtual reality, space travel, electric cars, refresh rates, and a whole lot more. Support the pod on Patreon: http://patreon.com/techpod

  1. 320: Maybe Somebody Hates Brian Eno

    6H AGO

    320: Maybe Somebody Hates Brian Eno

    We're back to start the new year with the second and final installment of our ranking of startup sounds. To close out the tier list we consider later consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, more recent Windowses that we didn't even realize had startup sounds, most of the handhelds from Nintendo and Sony, and even some offbeat entries like Analogue's FPGA consoles and older operating systems like BeOS and OS/2. It's an aural extravaganza! The final tier list: https://tiny.cc/tp320-sounds Support the Pod! Contribute to the Tech Pod Patreon and get access to our booming Discord, a monthly bonus episode, your name in the credits, and other great benefits! You can support the show at: https://patreon.com/techpod

    1h 6m
  2. 319: An Amuse-bouche for Your Device

    12/28/2025

    319: An Amuse-bouche for Your Device

    As is tradition (?) around here, over the holidays we're doing another extended ranking, and this year it's a two-part tier list of... every startup sound we could find across video game consoles, handhelds, and computer operating systems. Where does a startup sound end and menu music begin? Is it possible for a sound to sound the way that khakis look? Just how dank is the Dreamcast sound, anyway? We explore those and other questions in this part one of two! The tier list as of the end of this episode: https://tinyurl.com/tp319-sound-tiers-684jfsdi Support the Pod! Contribute to the Tech Pod Patreon and get access to our booming Discord, a monthly bonus episode, your name in the credits, and other great benefits! You can support the show at: https://patreon.com/techpod

    1h 5m
  3. 318: System B or systemd?

    12/21/2025

    318: System B or systemd?

    As the end of the year rolls up on us, we attempt a little personalized year-in-review, looking back at 2025 without dwelling on the various tech crises we've already talked about ad nauseam. Instead we focus on things we thought were cool or uplifting this year, including Will's ongoing Linux desktop adventures, the inevitability of electric cars (and bicycles), when it's worth it to buy the good earbuds, convenience improvements in screen protectors, rediscovering the joy of CRTs and nerdy community, plus some listener nominations and a couple of Andy Rooney-esque rants for good measure. Linux Unplugged podcast on bcachefs: https://linuxunplugged.com/644 Switch 2 grips Will mentioned: https://amzn.to/48IpFXE Support the Pod! Contribute to the Tech Pod Patreon and get access to our booming Discord, a monthly bonus episode, your name in the credits, and other great benefits! You can support the show at: https://patreon.com/techpod

    1h 16m
  4. 317: Schrödinger's AirPod

    12/14/2025

    317: Schrödinger's AirPod

    It's briskly, unusually cold here in the Bay Area this year, so what better time to crack open another tray of cold opens for your bite-size listening pleasure. This time we discuss such micro-topics as what happens when the building fire alarm gets too old, the joy of a temperature-controlled bed, remotes that nag too much, yet another way Windows 11 is worsening, when good naps go bad, the mystery that is NixOS, and more. The possible future Windows 11 GUI we mentioned: https://mastodon.online/@grumpy_website/115673036992705122 Support the Pod! Contribute to the Tech Pod Patreon and get access to our booming Discord, a monthly bonus episode, your name in the credits, and other great benefits! You can support the show at: https://patreon.com/techpod

    1h 13m
  5. 316: I Don't Like the Sparkle

    12/07/2025

    316: I Don't Like the Sparkle

    Things are getting so dire in the PC-building space that we had to revisit the subject again this week, primarily to discuss the sudden and shocking end of longtime RAM and SSD maker Crucial, with a deeper dive into the way the memory supply chain works and a glimpse into a very dark future where building your own PC might be out of reach for many. We also dig into some new reporting about the Steam Machine's HDMI output, and why open gaming platforms are going to be in conflict with proprietary HDMI standards going forward. Plus, the latest AI nonsense (and how to work around it) in Firefox and Google News. NOTE: We're working on freeing ourselves from the need for Adobe products, so bear with us if the podcast sounds a little different this week. Feedback welcome! Crucial press release: https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business GamersNexus video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A-eeJP0J7c Steam Machine and HDMI 2.1: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/12/why-wont-steam-machine-support-hdmi-2-1-digging-in-on-the-display-standard-drama/ Disable Firefox AI features: https://flamedfury.com/posts/disable-ai-in-firefox/ The Verge on Google News AI headlines: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/838354/googles-ai-news-bot-is-still-confused-but-no-longer-replacing-our-headlines Support the Pod! Contribute to the Tech Pod Patreon and get access to our booming Discord, a monthly bonus episode, your name in the credits, and other great benefits! You can support the show at: https://patreon.com/techpod

    1h 3m
  6. 315: Work-in-Progress Till I Die

    11/30/2025

    315: Work-in-Progress Till I Die

    The end of November brings a fresh crop of your questions, this month addressing subjects like getting lost in a corporation's Kafka-esque support infrastructure, video game voice chatting with Internet celebrities, how often to change your CPU paste, consumer tech that we think has plateaued, trenching Ethernet cable for an intra-yard network, the very cool concept of all-sky cameras, the glory of text expansion, and a bunch of other topics! Support the Pod! Contribute to the Tech Pod Patreon and get access to our booming Discord, a monthly bonus episode, your name in the credits, and other great benefits! You can support the show at: https://patreon.com/techpod

    1h 12m
  7. 314: We Hope, We Wish, We Ask, We Request

    11/23/2025

    314: We Hope, We Wish, We Ask, We Request

    It's a news roundup this week, with a ton of recent goings on to discuss, including the sudden explosion in RAM prices (and a similar looming problem with SSDs), Microsoft announcing plans to shove AI agents directly into the Windows taskbar, Google killing off first-gen Nest thermostats (with some open options for resuscitating them), and ongoing changes in compatibility for third-party Switch 2 docks. Plus, with Thanksgiving coming up in the U.S., we dig into another round of tech we're thankful for. RAM/SSD price news: https://www.pcmag.com/news/ssd-storage-prices-to-climb-as-ai-demand-meets-tight-nand-supply Agentic Windows impressions: https://www.theverge.com/report/822443/microsoft-windows-copilot-vision-ai-assistant-pc-voice-controls-impressions No Longer Evil: https://nolongerevil.com/ Sett Thermostat: https://sett.homes/ Switch 2 dock news: https://kotaku.com/nintendo-just-blocked-third-party-switch-2-docks-and-it-sucks-2000644081 Support the Pod! Contribute to the Tech Pod Patreon and get access to our booming Discord, a monthly bonus episode, your name in the credits, and other great benefits! You can support the show at: https://patreon.com/techpod

    1h 32m
  8. 313: Chan's on the Move

    11/16/2025

    313: Chan's on the Move

    It seems like this week's big salvo of Valve hardware announcements is all anyone's talking about right now, particularly the Steam Machine, and who better to fill in a bunch of hands-on details with that li'l box, plus the new Steam Frame VR headset and refreshed Steam Controller, than our old friend Norm Chan of Tested.com, who went up to Valve to see it all. If you want to hear about everything from the Steam Machine's performance and potential price to the Frame's x86 emulation and foveated remote streaming, plus a ton of stuff in between, listen to this podcast! Tested's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@tested Support the Pod! Contribute to the Tech Pod Patreon and get access to our booming Discord, a monthly bonus episode, your name in the credits, and other great benefits! You can support the show at: https://patreon.com/techpod

    1h 23m
See All (330)

Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
491 Ratings

About

Each Sunday, Brad Shoemaker and Will Smith discuss a new technology topic. Come for the long-form conversations about virtual reality, space travel, electric cars, refresh rates, and a whole lot more. Support the pod on Patreon: http://patreon.com/techpod

Information

  • Creator
    Brad Shoemaker, Will Smith
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    330
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2019 Brad & Will Made a Tech Pod.
  • Show Website
    Brad & Will Made a Tech Pod.

You Might Also Like