Mr. Fred's Tech Talks

Fred Aebli

Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks is your backstage pass to the world of coding, tinkering and technology made simple, fun, and family-friendly. Hosted by Mr. Fred (a former Marine officer turned college professor and lifelong tech tinkerer), each bi-weekly, 10–15 minute episode breaks down real-world tech topics into bite-sized lessons you can use today. Whether you’re a parent trying to understand what “JavaScript” really means, a teacher looking for fresh STEM activities, or a kid who dreams of building your own game or robot, Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks delivers: Clear, jargon-free explanations of coding languages, tools and AIBehind-the-scenes stories from tech history (like the 64 KB computer that landed on the Moon)Hands-on project ideas and step-by-step tips you can try at home or in the classroomInspiring interviews and sound bites from the pioneers who built our digital world Come for the “Tech Tip of the Day,” stay for the celebratory sound bites and community call-outs. Subscribe now on Acast and join a growing community of curious minds because at GetMeCoding.com, I believe that everyone can learn to code, explore technology, and build confidence…one byte at a time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Jun 19

    From Atari to AI, Part 3: The Doorway Moment

    Before Wi-Fi, smartphones, and AI tools that answer in seconds, getting online meant connecting a computer to a modem, plugging into a phone line, and hoping nobody picked up the phone in the other room. In this episode of Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks, Mr. Fred continues the From Atari to AI series with Part III: The Doorway Moment. This time, the story moves from the Timex Sinclair to the Christmas gift that changed everything: the Commodore 64. From there, Mr. Fred shares what it was like to connect through a modem, explore CompuServe, deal with the limits of dial-up, head to college with an IBM PS/2 Model 25, and later discover how digital communication changed the workplace during active duty in the Marine Corps. Along the way, we pause to explain what a modem actually did, why dial-up made those strange sounds, and how the movie WarGames gave many people a memorable picture of computers talking over phone lines. But this episode is not just nostalgia. It is a bridge to today’s AI moment. Just like dial-up once made computers feel connected to something bigger, AI now feels like another doorway. It is faster, more powerful, and a little unnerving. But the lesson remains the same: tools can help us, but humans still own the judgment, responsibility, and final decision. In This EpisodeMr. Fred explores: How the Commodore 64 became a major step beyond the Timex SinclairWhat a modem is and why it converted digital data to analog signals and back againHow dial-up, CompuServe, and phone lines shaped early online experiencesWhy early technology was exciting, limited, and sometimes boringWhat college computing looked like with an IBM PS/2 Model 25 and computer labsHow active duty introduced lessons about spreadsheets, email, reach, and responsibilityWhy AI feels like another “doorway moment”What parents, students, and teachers can learn from earlier technology shifts If this episode brought back a memory of dial-up, CompuServe, early email, computer labs, or someone yelling for you to get off the phone line, share it with someone who remembers that era too. And if you are raising or teaching kids in this AI moment, visit GetMeCoding.com for more coding ideas, family-friendly tech guidance, and resources to help kids become creators, not just consumers. Website Linkhttps://www.getmecoding.com CONNECT Website: https://www.getmecoding.com Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com FOLLOW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetMeCoding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmecoding Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeCoding LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfred77/ Follow, rate ★★★★★, and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

  2. Jun 12

    From Atari to AI, Part 2: Programming the Machine

    In Part 1 of From Atari to AI, we talked about Atari, arcades, joysticks, cartridges, and the magic of playing the game. But in Part 2, something changes. This episode is about the moment technology stopped being something we only played with and became something we could create with. Mr. Fred shares memories of learning to program on the Timex Sinclair 1000, receiving a BASIC programming book from one of his mother’s coworkers, building a text adventure game with a friend, saving code on cassette tapes, and later experiencing the Apple IIe in a high school computer science classroom. Along the way, we explore why that blinking cursor mattered so much. A game console said, “Here is the game. Play it.” A computer said, “Here is the machine. Tell it what to do.” That shift from player to maker is at the heart of this episode and at the heart of GetMeCoding. In this episode: The difference between playing a game and programming a machineWhy the blinking cursor felt like an invitationMemories of the Timex Sinclair 1000Learning BASIC from an old-school programming bookBuilding a text adventure game on Saturday morningsSaving code on cassette tapesThe Apple IIe and turtle graphics in high schoolWhy coding helps kids build confidence, patience, and problem-solving skillsThis week’s screen-free Tech Challenge: Be the Computer Whether you grew up with BASIC, Apple IIe, cassette tapes, or you are simply curious about how we got from early home computers to today’s AI tools, this episode is a fun look back at the moment many of us realized: Technology was not magic. It was something people made. And maybe we could make something too. Tech ChallengeBe the Computer One person acts as the programmer. The other person acts as the computer. The programmer gives step-by-step instructions for a simple task, such as drawing a square, walking across the room, stacking cups, or making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The computer can only do exactly what the programmer says. No guessing. No filling in the blanks. Then debug the instructions and try again. It is a fun, screen-free way to teach sequencing, precision, debugging, and computational thinking. CONNECT Website: https://www.getmecoding.com Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com FOLLOW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetMeCoding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmecoding Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeCoding LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfred77/ Follow, rate ★★★★★, and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min

  3. Jun 5

    From Atari to AI, Part 1: When Technology Came Home

    Before smartphones, apps, YouTube, and AI chatbots, there was a box connected to the family television, a joystick with one button, and a generation of kids discovering that technology was not just something you watched. It was something you controlled. In Part 1 of the From Atari to AI series, Mr. Fred goes back to the moment technology first came home. From saving quarters for Atari 2600 cartridges at Kmart to the glowing magic of mall arcades like Aladdin’s Castle, this episode explores how early games and shared tech experiences sparked curiosity, pattern recognition, problem-solving, and a lifelong love of learning. This is not just nostalgia. It is the beginning of a bigger story about how kids move from playing with technology to wondering how it works — and eventually learning how to build with it. In this episode, Mr. Fred talks about: The Atari 2600 and how it changed the family living roomWhy early video games were simple but powerful learning experiencesThe social magic of arcades like Aladdin’s CastleHow games like Pac-Man and Galaga taught pattern recognition and strategyWhy every generation has a “gateway technology”How curiosity can move kids from consumers to creatorsThis week’s Tech Challenge: The First Tech Wow If you grew up with Atari, arcades, early video games, or simply want to help kids understand technology instead of just consume it, this episode is for you. CONNECT Website: https://www.getmecoding.com Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com FOLLOW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetMeCoding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmecoding Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeCoding LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfred77/ Follow, rate ★★★★★, and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    18 min

  4. May 24

    Memorial Day Is Different: Remembering Those Who Never Came Home

    There is a funny thing we do with our phones. We back up everything. Photos. Videos. Contacts. Documents. Messages. Voice memos. The random screenshots we forgot we even took. But Memorial Day asks us to think about a different kind of memory. Not the kind stored in the cloud. The kind we carry. In this special Memorial Day episode of Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks, Mr. Fred takes a respectful pause to reflect on the meaning of the day. He explains the important difference between Armed Forces Day, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day, and why Memorial Day is specifically set aside to remember those who died while serving our country. As a former Marine officer and the father of an active duty Marine officer, Mr. Fred shares how service, sacrifice, and remembrance are deeply personal. This episode also brings in a meaningful technology connection. In an age where we can scan letters, preserve old photographs, digitize records, and share family stories across generations, technology gives us powerful tools to help preserve the legacy of the fallen. But technology cannot remember for us. It can store the data. It can preserve the record. But only we can preserve the meaning. This Memorial Day, may we pause, remember, and carry forward the stories of those who never came home. Episode Notes / BulletsIn this episode: The difference between Armed Forces Day, Veterans Day, and Memorial DayWhy Memorial Day is a solemn day of remembranceA personal reflection from Mr. Fred as a former Marine officer and military dadHow technology can help preserve military stories, photos, letters, and recordsWhy digital archives matter, but human memory matters moreA simple Memorial Day tech tip for families, students, and educators Tech TipUse technology this Memorial Day to remember someone specifically. Look up the story of someone from your town or region who gave their life in service. Search a local memorial. Scan an old photo. Preserve a letter. Record a family story. Help make sure their name and sacrifice are not forgotten. Call to ActionIf this episode helped you pause and remember, please consider sharing it with someone else who may need that same pause this Memorial Day. You can also visit GetMeCoding.com for more episodes, resources, and reflections on technology, learning, and the world our kids are growing up in. CONNECT Website: https://www.getmecoding.com Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com FOLLOW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetMeCoding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmecoding Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeCoding LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfred77/ Follow, rate ★★★★★, and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15 min

  5. May 20

    The Email That Got Me: Canvas, Phishing, and Social Engineering

    It was finals week. Students were trying to submit work, check grades, finish projects, and prepare for graduation. Then Canvas, the learning management system used by many schools and universities, became part of a major cybersecurity story. In this episode of Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks, Mr. Fred breaks down the recent Canvas breach and uses it as a teaching moment for students, parents, educators, and anyone who uses email, school platforms, or online accounts. But this episode is not just about hackers or software. It is about the human side of cybersecurity. Mr. Fred shares how students and faculty experienced the confusion in real time, how communication from schools and vendors mattered, and why stress, urgency, and uncertainty can make people more vulnerable to cyberattacks. He also shares something personal: during the same stressful environment, he fell for what appeared to be a phishing email that looked legitimate and seemed connected to a real student issue. That is the heart of this episode. Cybersecurity is not always a high-tech movie scene. Sometimes it is an email. Sometimes it is a nervous student. Sometimes it is a rushed decision. Sometimes it is realizing that even people who teach cybersecurity can get caught when the story feels believable. In this episode, you’ll learn: What happened with the Canvas cybersecurity incidentWhy social engineering is so effectiveHow phishing emails use urgency, trust, and timingWhy AI may make scam messages more convincingWhy we should avoid speculation while still understanding the risksWhat students, parents, teachers, and families can do to stay saferHow to use the “pause test” before clicking, entering a code, or approving a request This week’s Tech Challenge is the Social Engineering Audit: find one suspicious email, inspect it carefully, and look for signs of urgency, fear, curiosity, or pressure without clicking anything. If this episode helps you think differently about cybersecurity, share it with a student, parent, teacher, coworker, or anyone who has ever clicked something a little too fast. And as always: Keep learning. Keep questioning. And keep building. CONNECT Website: https://www.getmecoding.com Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com FOLLOW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetMeCoding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmecoding Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeCoding LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfred77/ Follow, rate ★★★★★, and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

  6. May 14

    Code, Curiosity, and the Courage to Keep Building: A Conversation with Dr. Hal Smith

    What does it look like when someone has spent decades writing real software, then walked into a classroom to help the next generation figure it out? In this episode, Mr. Fred sits down with a longtime colleague, Dr. Hal Smith, a professor of Information Sciences and Technology, former software developer at Raytheon, and yes, a ukulele player, for one of the most honest and wide-ranging conversations the show has had yet. Dr. Hal traces his journey from a Cub Scout field trip to a power facility, where a computer playing Hangman lit a spark, to programming on a Timex Sinclair, learning Basic in a Cornell enrichment class, and eventually writing missile guidance algorithms in Tucson, Arizona. He talks about what industry taught him that no textbook could, including the time he had to debug a compiler and the time he built a globe display for a ground-based radar tracker from scratch. But this conversation goes deeper than origin stories. Mr. Fred and Dr. Hal dig into the real challenges of teaching software development today: the students who arrive expecting to build video games by week two, the disconnect between how young people experience technology and what a first-semester class actually looks like, and why the elegance of code still matters even in an age of AI. They also tackle the big questions parents and students are asking right now. Should kids learn to code? Are we too late? What does AI mean for the future of software development? And is curiosity something that can be taught, or does it have to be sparked? This one runs longer than a typical episode, and every minute is worth it. Whether you are a parent wondering where to start, an educator trying to keep up with a world that will not slow down, or a curious person who has always wondered how the tech around you actually works, this conversation is for you. CONNECT Website: https://www.getmecoding.com Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com FOLLOW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetMeCoding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmecoding Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeCoding LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfred77/ Follow, rate ★★★★★, and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 20m

  7. May 4

    May the Fourth Be With the Builders

    Today is May the Fourth, and for Mr. Fred, that means more than just Star Wars jokes, lightsabers, and fun social media posts. In this special episode of Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks, Mr. Fred looks at Star Wars through the lens of technology, coding, artificial intelligence, Disney Imagineering, and the future of young builders. Star Wars has always been a technology story disguised as an adventure. From the Death Star’s catastrophic design flaw to R2-D2’s creative problem-solving, the galaxy far, far away gives us a fun and surprisingly useful way to talk about how we build, why we build, and what happens when powerful tools are created without enough wisdom behind them. Mr. Fred also gives a personal nod to his son, whose birthday falls on May the Fourth, and celebrates former student and friend, who now works in Disney Imagineering in systems automation. This episode explores how Disney gets STEM right, why storytelling makes technology more meaningful, and how today’s kids are already becoming builders through coding toys, robotics, AI tools, games, and hands-on tinkering. And of course, there is a May the Fourth Tech Challenge: pick one piece of Star Wars technology, find its real-world equivalent, and ask what it would take to close the gap. May the Fourth be with you. Always. Links mentioned: GetMeCoding.com https://www.getmecoding.com/ Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks Podcast Home https://www.getmecoding.com/podcast-mr-freds-tech-talks/ How A Walt Disney World Vacation Can Inspire Learning https://www.getmecoding.com/5-must-see-stem-related-disney-attractions/ What Is a Database? A Simple Explanation Using Star Wars https://www.getmecoding.com/what-is-a-database-a-simple-explanation-using-star-wars/ The 2026 Coding Toy Idea Book for Kids https://www.getmecoding.com/episode-26-2026-coding-toy-idea-book/ Coding Toy Idea Book 2026: The Best Coding and STEM Toys for Kids https://www.getmecoding.com/best-coding-toys-2024/ STEM Activity: Build a Model of Disney’s Rockin’ Roller Coaster https://www.getmecoding.com/stem-activity-rocknrollercoaster/ Explore coding courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com/ Keep learning. Keep questioning. And keep building. CONNECT Website: https://www.getmecoding.com Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com FOLLOW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetMeCoding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmecoding Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeCoding LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfred77/ Follow, rate ★★★★★, and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    22 min

  8. Apr 28

    How Netflix, YouTube & Spotify Know What You Want

    How do Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify seem to know exactly what you want next? It’s not random and it’s not your phone listening. Ever feel like your phone knows you better than your friends? You watch one video… and suddenly you’re two hours deep. You hear one song… and your playlist is perfect. You browse one product… and it follows you everywhere. That’s not random. It’s recommendation algorithms. In this episode of Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks, we break down how platforms like YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon decide what to show you next—and why it works so well. You’ll learn: What recommendation algorithms actually are (in plain English)The difference between collaborative filtering and content-based filteringHow your behavior shapes what you see every dayWhy it sometimes feels like your phone is listening—even when it’s notHow to take back control and become a more intentional user This isn’t about fear or hype. It’s about understanding the technology you interact with every single day and using that knowledge to your advantage. 🎯 TECH CHALLENGE 💡 Try the “Algorithm Audit” For the next 24 hours, ask yourself: Why is this being shown to me?Do I actually want this?Did I choose this—or did it lead me here?You might be surprised by what you notice. 🌐 Learn more: https://www.getmecoding.com 🎓 Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com 🎤 Book Mr. Fred to speak: https://www.getmecoding.com Interested in bringing this kind of conversation to your school, workplace, or church? Visit GetMeCoding.com and let’s connect. CONNECT Website: https://www.getmecoding.com Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com FOLLOW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetMeCoding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmecoding Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeCoding LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfred77/ Follow, rate ★★★★★, and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    17 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
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About

Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks is your backstage pass to the world of coding, tinkering and technology made simple, fun, and family-friendly. Hosted by Mr. Fred (a former Marine officer turned college professor and lifelong tech tinkerer), each bi-weekly, 10–15 minute episode breaks down real-world tech topics into bite-sized lessons you can use today. Whether you’re a parent trying to understand what “JavaScript” really means, a teacher looking for fresh STEM activities, or a kid who dreams of building your own game or robot, Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks delivers: Clear, jargon-free explanations of coding languages, tools and AIBehind-the-scenes stories from tech history (like the 64 KB computer that landed on the Moon)Hands-on project ideas and step-by-step tips you can try at home or in the classroomInspiring interviews and sound bites from the pioneers who built our digital world Come for the “Tech Tip of the Day,” stay for the celebratory sound bites and community call-outs. Subscribe now on Acast and join a growing community of curious minds because at GetMeCoding.com, I believe that everyone can learn to code, explore technology, and build confidence…one byte at a time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Fred Aebli
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Fred Aebli
  • Show Website
    Mr. Fred's Tech Talks