Refresh Computers Tech Talk

David Leavitt

Audio files of our weekly radio show on WDBO where we talk about your electronic life. Help and advice are given on a range of technical issues from computers to everything internet-related.

  1. 5天前

    You Can Preserve Family Memories With Tools You Already Own

    Send us Fan Mail Your family memories are sitting on borrowed time. Those shoebox photos fade, VHS tapes get sticky, and the players you need to watch old camcorder footage are getting harder to find every year, especially in Florida heat and humidity. We walk through a realistic, do-it-now approach to digitizing old photos and home movies so you can preserve them, share them, and stop worrying that one failed device will erase decades. We also get specific about tools and workflows that actually work. We talk about the Google PhotoScan app for glare-free photo capture, when a flatbed scanner is the better move, and how AI photo restoration can help clean up scratches, creases, and blur after you digitize. If DIY is not your thing, we discuss mail-in digitizing services and the big tradeoff that comes with shipping your originals. From there, we zoom out to the “keep it safe and easy” side of tech: why cloud backup (think OneDrive-style syncing) beats a single external drive for most people, plus the surprisingly advanced technology running Orlando theme parks. We compare park apps for live wait times, maps, mobile food ordering, Lightning Lane, Universal’s newer Express Pass Now, virtual queues, and even facial recognition style entry options. We close with a simple but crucial reminder: turn on Find My iPhone or Find My Device before your phone gets lost or stolen. Subscribe for more practical tech help, share this with someone who has a box of photos in a closet, and leave us a review with the one memory you most want to protect. Support the show Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RefreshComputers/ Track us on X at https://x.com/RefreshStores

    40 分钟

  2. 5天前

    When Tech Moves Faster Than People Can Learn

    Send us Fan Mail DJI is getting pulled off US shelves, and that’s not just “drone hobbyist” news. We walk through what the DJI ban means for anyone who flies for fun, shoots video at weddings, inspects roofs and job sites, or depends on drones for fast situational awareness. Adam shares why DJI became the go-to brand in the first place, and we dig into the real reason this story keeps coming back: national security concerns tied to data, GPS location, video capture, and how regulators treat connected hardware on covered lists.  We also connect the ban to the bigger drone ecosystem, including FAA realities like registration thresholds, pilot licensing, and the Remote ID era where newer drones broadcast identifying info. Then we zoom out to the future: drone delivery is expanding through programs like Amazon Prime Air and Walmart’s partnership with Wing, rolling into more cities and reshaping expectations around “get it to my yard in 30 minutes” convenience.  To balance the big-picture news, we shift into practical, everyday tech help. We share “hidden” accessibility features on iPhone, Android, and Windows that make devices easier for everyone: magnifier and zoom tools, shortcut buttons, live captions for calls and videos, hearing aid integration, sound recognition alerts, and voice control for anyone who struggles with small screens or dexterity. We wrap with a money-saving Windows tip: the built-in Snipping Tool can record your screen as a video, great for training or showing a tech exactly what’s going wrong.  If you found this useful, subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, share the episode with a friend who’s stuck on a tech problem, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Support the show Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RefreshComputers/ Track us on X at https://x.com/RefreshStores

    41 分钟

  3. 6月21日

    Florida Lightning Season Tech Survival Guide For Homes And Small Businesses

    Send us Fan Mail One lightning flash down the street can quietly take out a TV, a router, and the computer you rely on for work and you won’t always know why it happened. We live in Florida, where thunderstorms are frequent and the power grid is constantly fluctuating, so we decided to get practical: what actually hurts electronics, what protects them, and what mistakes people keep making without realizing it. We break down the three big culprits: nearby lightning strikes that send surges through power, cable, and older phone lines; everyday grid spikes and dips that slowly degrade sensitive parts; and the surge that can hit when power comes back after an outage. We also talk about how heat and humidity shorten the life of laptops and phones, why swollen batteries are a serious safety issue, and why a cheap power strip is not the same thing as a surge protector. If you want better uptime, fewer fried components, and less risk of corrupted storage, we explain when a UPS battery backup makes sense and why you should never daisy chain power strips or surge protectors. Then we tackle a wallet-drainer: printer ink. We dig into why ink can cost absurd amounts, how some manufacturers block third-party cartridges, and what actually saves money long term, including laser printers with toner and tank style inkjet printers like EcoTank and MegaTank. We close with a simple tip that could genuinely save your life: setting up Medical ID on iPhone or Android so first responders can see critical information from your lock screen. If this helped, subscribe for more weekly, real-world tech advice, share it with someone who lives through storm season too, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. Support the show Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RefreshComputers/ Track us on X at https://x.com/RefreshStores

    40 分钟

  4. 6月20日

    Your TV Takes Screenshots Unless You Turn It Off

    Send us Fan Mail Your smart TV isn’t just “smart” anymore, it may be reporting back what’s on your screen. We walk through how Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) works, why it can track far more than streaming apps, and why that data is valuable enough to help drive down TV prices. Then we get practical: we share where these settings hide, what they’re often called by brand, and the extra privacy switches that matter like interest-based ads and voice remotes with always-listening microphones. From there, we zoom out to the bigger problem: home network security. We explain why locking down Wi‑Fi is more than changing a password, and why putting smart TVs, doorbells, cameras, speakers, printers, and thermostats on a guest network can add real device isolation. If you’ve got a home office or a small business setup, we also talk about why conference room TVs and “connected” displays deserve the same privacy attention as your computers. We also dig into the end of cell phone dead zones as satellite-to-phone service expands, what it can do now (including richer messaging), what still blocks it (like roofs and tunnels), and where it’s heading next. Finally, we wrap with a Windows 11 favorite: Phone Link, which lets you text from your keyboard, see phone photos instantly, share clipboard items, and even take calls from your PC. Subscribe, share this with a friend who just bought a new TV, and leave us a review so more people can find these privacy and security tips. What device in your house do you trust the least right now? Support the show Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RefreshComputers/ Track us on X at https://x.com/RefreshStores

    41 分钟

  5. 6月14日

    06-14-26 Why Passwords Are Dying And What Replaces Them

    Send us Fan Mail Passwords are turning into a liability, and not because you are “bad at security.” The rules changed. AI-driven guessing, phishing, and nonstop automated attacks are making the old “strong password” playbook harder to live with and easier to break. So we talk through the shift that Apple, Google, and Microsoft are already pushing hard: passkeys and passwordless authentication. We explain what a passkey actually is, why it is tied to your device, and why it helps protect you even when a website gets breached. We also get honest about the transition pains. What happens if you lose your phone? What if you prefer a physical security key? Where do passkeys “live,” and why do they feel easier once you set them up? Along the way, we share practical guidance for saying yes to passkey prompts now, so you are not forced to learn it later in a rush. Then we zoom out to the rest of your tech life. We walk through Refresh Plus, our service designed to feel like having an IT person at home, with remote support, background hardware diagnostics, and antivirus protection. After that, we shift into hurricane season tech prep: backing up your data before a storm, using surge protection and a UPS battery backup correctly, keeping phones charged, using the right alert and weather apps, and staying sharp for scams that surge after storms. We wrap with a quick, real-world phone storage fix, including why some apps and photo settings quietly eat massive space. Subscribe to Tech Talk with Refresh Computers, share this with someone who still reuses passwords, and leave us a review so more people can find the show. Support the show Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RefreshComputers/ Track us on X at https://x.com/RefreshStores

    42 分钟

  6. 6月13日

    06-13-26 Smart Glasses Go Mainstream

    Send us Fan Mail Smart glasses are not a sci-fi flex anymore. They look like normal Ray-Bans or Oakleys, but they behave like a wearable computer with speakers, a mic, a camera, and an AI assistant that is always within reach. We share what it is actually like to use Meta smart glasses day to day, from answering calls with your phone in your pocket to taking hands-free photos and video the moment something happens, plus quick “look and ask” questions like identifying landmarks and plants. We also get honest about the downsides: real battery life versus the advertised numbers, what it means when your prescription eyewear has to go on a charger, and the awkward moments when a physical button can accidentally trigger a photo or video. From there we dig into the privacy and security concerns that come with a camera pointed wherever you look, why recording lights are not a perfect solution, and how public spaces and businesses may start setting new rules around smart glasses. Then we shift to the AI browser war of 2026. We talk about what it means when browsers become agentic, how Google’s Gemini is changing search and browsing, and why OpenAI’s Atlas concept hints at a merged “browser plus ChatGPT” desktop experience. The convenience is real, but so is the tension around memory, tracking, and the level of access an AI browser may need to truly do work for you. We wrap with a practical Windows tip you can try today: using Task Manager to disable unnecessary startup apps so your PC boots faster. Subscribe for more weekly tech news and hands-on tips, share this with a friend who loves gadgets, and leave a review with the one feature you want from smart glasses or AI browsers next. Support the show Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RefreshComputers/ Track us on X at https://x.com/RefreshStores

    41 分钟

  7. 6月7日

    06-07-26 Humanoid Robots For Sale

    Send us Fan Mail Humanoid robots are no longer a “someday” product, they’re showing up in real shopping carts with real price tags. We walk through what you actually get when a humanoid robot costs $18,000 to $20,000, starting with the Unitree G1 and the sensors that try to keep it upright and aware, like depth cameras and 3D LiDAR. We also talk candidly about the gap between flashy demos and everyday home reality, including the risks of falls, stairs, and how much trust you should place in a machine that’s still learning its way around the world. We then compare that to the next wave of home assistant robots, including the 1X NEO, and why the idea of monthly AI updates is both exciting and unsettling. If your car can feel different after an over-the-air update, what happens when the same update lands on a robot that folds laundry, carries items, or moves around your house? We also dig into the robot subscription model and the uncomfortable question of whether features could become paywalled by task over time. After all the robot talk, we bring it back to what people need right now: dependable computer repair, real troubleshooting, and the right to repair movement sweeping across the US. We explain why being able to fix what you own matters for your wallet, your freedom to choose local repair, and the planet through reduced e-waste. Finally, we share a practical Wi-Fi security tip that pays off immediately: use your router’s guest network to isolate smart home and IoT devices from the laptops and phones that hold your most important data. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review with the tech topic you want us to tackle next. Support the show Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RefreshComputers/ Track us on X at https://x.com/RefreshStores

    40 分钟

  8. 6月6日

    06-06-26 Your Computer Is Already AI Ready If It Runs Windows 11

    Send us Fan Mail Siri has been “fine” for timers and quick lookups, but AI has moved on and Apple can’t afford to stay in catch-up mode. We dig into why Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is such a big moment, and why the most interesting rumor is also the most uncomfortable one: Siri may get its new brain from Google Gemini. That would make Siri far more conversational and useful, but it also forces the hard conversation about privacy, data access, and what happens when Apple’s privacy-first story meets Google’s data-driven business model. We also answer a question we hear constantly at the shop and on the hotline: is your computer AI ready? Most of the time, yes. We explain why today’s popular AI tools run in the cloud, what that means for your hardware, and why the real dividing line is often Windows 11 versus an internet-connected Windows 10 machine that’s aging out of security support. If your PC feels slow, we talk through the boring but effective fixes that still matter, like SSD upgrades and memory. Then we zoom out to the infrastructure powering everyone’s prompts: AI data centers. We break down what’s actually different about AI facilities, why NVIDIA-class GPUs drive up electricity demand, what’s real and what’s hype about water usage, and how Florida’s SB 484 aims to stop data center buildouts from quietly pushing infrastructure costs onto households. We wrap with a Windows productivity trick you can use immediately: clipboard history with Windows key plus V. Subscribe for more practical tech talk, share this with a friend who’s confused about “AI PCs,” and leave a review so more people can find the show. What do you want us to test or explain next? Support the show Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RefreshComputers/ Track us on X at https://x.com/RefreshStores

    41 分钟
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关于

Audio files of our weekly radio show on WDBO where we talk about your electronic life. Help and advice are given on a range of technical issues from computers to everything internet-related.

信息

  • 创作者
    David Leavitt
  • 活跃年份
    2023年 - 2026年
  • 单集
    160
  • 分级
    儿童适宜
  • 版权
    © 2026 Refresh Computers Tech Talk
  • 节目网站
    Refresh Computers Tech Talk