Technology Blows

Dan Slimmon
  • 4.6 (7)
  • TECHNOLOGY

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

  1. Horizon Worlds: Mark Zuckerberg's legless VR utopia (Part 2)

    4D AGO

    Horizon Worlds: Mark Zuckerberg's legless VR utopia (Part 2)

    Suit up, jack in, and Zuck out. I'm joined by guest Anderson Gronvold as we abandon meatspace for metaspace. Find out why you can't afford to miss out on Meta's flagship VR experience. Legs optional! 🦵 References: Harris, Blake J. (2019). The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook, and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality. Dey Street Books. https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/creating-jobs-europe-metaverse/  https://apnews.com/article/the-facebook-papers-maid-abuse-94909f43c725af09522704348e35bd25  https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/09/facebook-reveals-staffing-plan-to-be-your-vr-chat-concierge-service/  https://atlantablackstar.com/2026/01/25/mark-zuckerberg-under-fire-after-hiring-trumps-former-adviser-as-meta-president/  https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.mit.edu/dist/0/833/files/2020/05/ST_Construc-and-reconstruc-of-self.pdf  https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/joeroganexperience/episodes/1863---Mark-Zuckerberg-e1mu8n0  https://epublications.marquette.edu/zuckerberg_files_videos/250/  https://fortune.com/crypto/2023/07/28/snoop-dogg-metaverse-nfts-sandbox-price-declines/  https://games.slashdot.org/story/99/10/15/1012230/John-Carmack-Answers  https://gizmodo.com/meta-horizon-worlds-sees-10x-growth-since-december-1848562017  https://kotaku.com/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-vr-oculus-quest-2-cha-1848436740  https://kotaku.com/fortnites-latest-crossover-is-martin-luther-king-1847563562  https://kotaku.com/meta-connect-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-vr-feet-legs-1849643784  https://kotaku.com/the-metaverse-is-already-here-for-cows-and-it-s-very-sa-1848335331  https://medium.com/@gobblegobble/mocap-the-money-part-c16b78de6170  https://medium.com/the-lab-apply-digital/metaverse-review-horizon-worlds-b9f003ea84af  https://observer.ug/business/facebook-and-content-moderation-why-its-always-under-attack/  https://patents.google.com/patent/US10192403B2/en  https://patents.google.com/patent/US10909405B1/en  https://patents.google.com/patent/US10976826B1/en  https://patents.google.com/patent/US3050870A/en  https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/09/vr-zuckerberg-shares-details-on-some-of-facebooks-ai-aid-to-the-red-cross-in-puerto-rico/  https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/10/zuckerberg-apologizes-for-his-tone-deaf-vr-cartoon-tour-of-puerto-rico-devastation/  https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/13/facebook-mulled-multi-billion-dollar-acquisition-of-unity-book-claims/  https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/06/meta-integrating-venues-into-horizon-worlds/  https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/jordan-peele-nope-meta-virtua-reality-horizon-worlds-1235313750/  https://washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/07/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-kids-safety/  https://web.archive.org/web/20220216143908/https://www.vox.com/recode/22776461/facebook-meta-metaverse-monopoly  https://web.archive.org/web/20220817170129/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-selfie-horizon-worlds/  https://web.archive.org/web/20230921175333/https://ai.meta.com/blog/powered-by-ai-oculus-insight/  https://web.archive.org/web/20240912192513/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/4/hot-or-not-website-briefly-judges/?page=1  https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/myanmar-facebooks-systems-promoted-violence-against-rohingya-meta-owes-reparations-new-report/  https://www.androidcentral.com/quest-2-2021-most-sold  https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-12-15/the-metaverse-via-oculus-is-awkward-if-you-re-a-woman-and-beware-of-griefers  https://www.businessinsider.com/stolen-data-of-533-million-facebook-users-leaked-online-2021-4  https://www.buzzfeednews.c...

    1h 6m
  2. Horizon Worlds: Mark Zuckerberg's legless VR utopia (Part 1)

    FEB 11

    Horizon Worlds: Mark Zuckerberg's legless VR utopia (Part 1)

    Suit up, jack in, and Zuck out. I'm joined by guest Anderson Gronvold as we abandon meatspace for metaspace. Find out why you can't afford to miss out on Meta's flagship VR experience. Legs optional! 🦵 References: Harris, Blake J. (2019). The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook, and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality. Dey Street Books. https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/creating-jobs-europe-metaverse/  https://apnews.com/article/the-facebook-papers-maid-abuse-94909f43c725af09522704348e35bd25  https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/09/facebook-reveals-staffing-plan-to-be-your-vr-chat-concierge-service/  https://atlantablackstar.com/2026/01/25/mark-zuckerberg-under-fire-after-hiring-trumps-former-adviser-as-meta-president/  https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.mit.edu/dist/0/833/files/2020/05/ST_Construc-and-reconstruc-of-self.pdf  https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/joeroganexperience/episodes/1863---Mark-Zuckerberg-e1mu8n0  https://epublications.marquette.edu/zuckerberg_files_videos/250/  https://fortune.com/crypto/2023/07/28/snoop-dogg-metaverse-nfts-sandbox-price-declines/  https://games.slashdot.org/story/99/10/15/1012230/John-Carmack-Answers  https://gizmodo.com/meta-horizon-worlds-sees-10x-growth-since-december-1848562017  https://kotaku.com/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-vr-oculus-quest-2-cha-1848436740  https://kotaku.com/fortnites-latest-crossover-is-martin-luther-king-1847563562  https://kotaku.com/meta-connect-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-vr-feet-legs-1849643784  https://kotaku.com/the-metaverse-is-already-here-for-cows-and-it-s-very-sa-1848335331  https://medium.com/@gobblegobble/mocap-the-money-part-c16b78de6170  https://medium.com/the-lab-apply-digital/metaverse-review-horizon-worlds-b9f003ea84af  https://observer.ug/business/facebook-and-content-moderation-why-its-always-under-attack/  https://patents.google.com/patent/US10192403B2/en  https://patents.google.com/patent/US10909405B1/en  https://patents.google.com/patent/US10976826B1/en  https://patents.google.com/patent/US3050870A/en  https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/09/vr-zuckerberg-shares-details-on-some-of-facebooks-ai-aid-to-the-red-cross-in-puerto-rico/  https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/10/zuckerberg-apologizes-for-his-tone-deaf-vr-cartoon-tour-of-puerto-rico-devastation/  https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/13/facebook-mulled-multi-billion-dollar-acquisition-of-unity-book-claims/  https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/06/meta-integrating-venues-into-horizon-worlds/  https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/jordan-peele-nope-meta-virtua-reality-horizon-worlds-1235313750/  https://washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/07/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-kids-safety/  https://web.archive.org/web/20220216143908/https://www.vox.com/recode/22776461/facebook-meta-metaverse-monopoly  https://web.archive.org/web/20220817170129/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-selfie-horizon-worlds/  https://web.archive.org/web/20230921175333/https://ai.meta.com/blog/powered-by-ai-oculus-insight/  https://web.archive.org/web/20240912192513/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/4/hot-or-not-website-briefly-judges/?page=1  https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/myanmar-facebooks-systems-promoted-violence-against-rohingya-meta-owes-reparations-new-report/  https://www.androidcentral.com/quest-2-2021-most-sold  https://www.businessinsider.com/stolen-data-of-533-million-facebook-users-leaked-online-2021-4  https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/how-fake-news-and-online-hate-are-making-life-hell-for  https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/mark-zuckerbeg-apology-myanmar-ngos-insufficient...

    1h 8m

  3. JAN 28

    Keurig: the Coffee Maker for People who Don't Give a Shit

    Give the gift of convenient garbage, with Keurig. This week, Xiao Yu joins us as we explore: How Keurig was born out of antisocial office culture and a deep ambivalence for qualityThe fascinating career of hippie-turned-billionaire-a*****e-turned-has-been Bob StillerHow digital rights management disrupted the beverage industryReferences: Campbell's soup in a Keurig: https://youtu.be/N46K2CDoD0Mhttps://abcnews.go.com/Business/mr-coffee-inventor-convinced-joe-dimaggio-pitchman/story?id=32871845 https://archive.boston.com/business/articles/2011/08/07/the_inside_story_of_keurigs_rise_to_a_billion_dollar_coffee_empire/?page=full https://babelniche.com/2012/03/10/keurig-dumps-inventor-builds-millions-of-junk-coffee-makers/ https://commercial.keurig.com/content/sustainability https://cornercoffeestore.com/who-invented-the-keurig-coffee-machine/ https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/delaware/dedce/1:2010cv00841/44982/337/ https://patents.google.com/patent/US5325765A/en?assignee=keurig&oq=keurig&sort=old https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2019046361A1/en https://slate.com/technology/2017/05/the-supreme-court-says-third-parties-can-sell-printer-cartridge-ink.html# https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.427726/gov.uscourts.nysd.427726.1937.1.pdf https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/beverages/keurig-agrees-to-settle-indirect-buyers-antitrust-class-action-lawsuits-for-31m/ https://translate.google.com/?sl=nl&tl=en&text=keurig&op=translate https://web.archive.org/web/20141227222021/http://www.keurig.com/content/oops https://web.archive.org/web/20150427124823/http://investor.keuriggreenmountain.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=899238 https://web.archive.org/web/20151006153447/http://investor.keuriggreenmountain.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=930847 https://web.archive.org/web/20160315033607/http://m.consumergoods.edgl.com/MagazineDetailPage.aspx?article=46137 https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/k-cup-creator-john-sylvan-regrets-inventing-keurig-coffee-pod-system-1.2982660 https://www.coffeehabitat.com/2011/09/k-cups-recycling/ https://www.coffeehabitat.com/2014/03/greenwashing-at-keurig-green-mountain/ https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/keurig-20-machines-to-feature-rfid-limited-k-cups-030314.html https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4353695/1937/in-re-keurig-green-mountain-single-serve-coffee-antitrust-litigation/ https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2014/keurig-recalls-mini-plus-brewing-systems https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2012/05/10/why-green-mountain-coffee-founders-woes-are-a-cautionary-tale-for-the-suddenly-stock-rich/ https://www.keurigdrpepper.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Keurig-Green-Mountain-Sustainability-Report-2013.pdf https://www.motherjones.com/food/2014/03/coffee-k-cups-green-mountain-polystyrene-plastic/ https://www.npr.org/2025/08/25/g-s1-85104/dr-pepper-keurig-peets-purchase-merger-split https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/business/energy-environment/04coffee.html https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/single-serve-coffee-brewers-make-convenience-costly.html?ref=dining https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/business/energy-environment/keurigs-new-k-cup-coffee-is-recyclable-but-hardly-green.html https://www.rockpapercoffee.com/news/details/get-around-the-keurig-20-drm-restrictions.html https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352550921001160 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1418135/000141813522000005/R27.htm https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/the-abominable-k-cup-coffee-pod-environment-problem/386501/ https://www.theguardian.com/l...

    1h 24m

  4. JAN 21

    Cookies: How Ad Platforms Steal Your Mind (Part 2)

    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 19m

  5. JAN 14

    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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
See All (17)

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 s****y? 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
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dan Slimmon
  • Show Website
    Technology Blows

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