HQ, selfie authentication, and solar panels turning air into water The Vergecast

Let get this out of the way: Nilay and Dieter are not on the show this week.

But really, we’ve got a great show hosted by Verge podcast professionals Lauren Goode and Casey Newton. Oh and Paul is still here, too!

So what are we talking about on the show today? Well, a lot. Lauren, Casey, and Paul analyze the news that was at the top of the site this week, including a glitch that left American Airlines without pilots during the week of Christmas; a rundown of the new trivia app HQ; and the reveal of the man who deactivated Trump’s Twitter account briefly a few weeks ago.

Also, Lauren gives us a closer look into the newest episode of her video series Next Level, which deals with solar panels that turn air into drinking water.

There’s a whole lot in between that, like Paul’s weekly segment “Whiskey pods? No.” So, listen to it all, and you know what? You’ll get it all.

02:56 - Google might merge back with Nest to make more smart home products

10:23 - The man who deactivated Trump’s Twitter account has revealed himself

17:35 - HQ

25:35 - Facebook uses selfies as login authentication for suspicious activity

29:02 - Verge holiday book recommendations

32:00 - ‘Only a few hundred’ American Airlines flights still lack pilots after massive computer glitch

34:27 - Inside the decade-long fight to expose Morgan Marquis-Boire

38:53 - Next Level season 2 episode 3

52:07 - Paul’s weekly segment “Whiskey pods? No.”

55:56 - Amazon unveils $250 AI camera and machine learning tools for businesses

1:04:50 - Is now a good time to buy a new phone / laptop / TV?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices