Total Mikah (Audio‪)‬ TWiT Tech Podcasts: Audio

The Federal Trade Commission bans an app from being offered to minors. A beloved DVD rental service files for bankruptcy. An old website publication has been resurrected as an 'AI-zombified' website. And what Samsung announced at its latest Galaxy Unpacked event.

Amanda Silberling joins Mikah this week on Tech News Weekly! Amanda talks about the FTC banning the app NGL from offering its social app to minors following a ruling that the company tricked users into paying its $9.99 monthly subscription.
Mikah talks about Chicken Soup For The Soul Entertainment, the company that owns the DVD rental service Redbox. It is now filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy following a filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection initially.
Christina Warren stops by to discuss how a company brought back an old website as an 'AI-zombified' publication, using content pulled from other website publications under the bylines of former authors who wrote for the publication, including Christina herself!
And finally, Jason Howell returns to TNW to talk with Mikah about everything Samsung announced at its recent Galaxy Unpacked event, including the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Ring devices.
Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guests: Christina Warren and Jason Howell

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:
lookout.com
panoptica.app
e-e.com/twit
1password.com/twit

You can join Apple's Developer program without needing to pay the annual account fee. Save for app distribution, a free Apple Developer account gives you access to the company's documentation, video resources, and beta software.

Apple Developer - https://developer.apple.com

Host: Mikah Sargent

Want access to the video version and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

In this episode of iOS Today, hosts Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard dive into the second half of the 2024 Apple Design Award winners, covering the categories of Social Impact, Visuals and Graphics, and the new Spatial Computing category. They discuss standout apps and games that push the boundaries of design and functionality across Apple's platforms, including innovative uses of Apple Vision Pro technology.

Social Impact category winners:

Gentler Streak: A fitness app that takes a more compassionate approach to fitness tracking

The Wreck: A narrative game exploring themes of grief and sisterhood

Visuals and Graphics category winners:

Rooms: An 8-bit style room design app with social features

Lies of P: A Pinocchio-inspired action game with stunning visuals

Spatial Computing category winners:

djay: A DJ app that creates an immersive turntable experience in Apple Vision Pro

Blackbox: A puzzle game that cleverly uses device sensors and features

Shortcuts Corner:

Discussion of how to add custom app icons to shortcuts in iOS 17 and 18

Rosemary and Mikah also addressed a listener question about the potential of AI-enhanced Siri to provide personalized recommendations based on user data, discussing the possibilities and limitations of such features.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Want access to the video version and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

You can also contribute to iOS Today by sending an email to iOSToday@TWiT.tv.

Leo and Mikah tackle a wide range of tech questions from viewers, covering everything from backup strategies to AI's impact on creativity. The hosts are joined by the Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson, who shares an impressive DIY home theater, and travel expert Johnny Jet with essential tips for renewing your passport online and staying cool while traveling in Europe. Don't miss Leo and Mikah's thought-provoking discussion on the future of AI and human creativity!

Google research paper suggests AI "breaking reality" is a feature, not a bug. The team discusses the implications.
Mathematicians discover the fifth "busy beaver" number after 40 years. Leo attempts to explain this computational math milestone.
Cloudflare launches tool to block AI bots from scraping websites, as 85% of Cloudflare customers want to block AI.
Saudi Arabia aims to be the eSports capital of the world with a $60 million prize pool.
Martin asks for advice on replacing his Drobo Mini for backing up 8 family members' computers. Leo and Mikah recommend using a NAS for network backups, Time Machine for local backups, and cloud services like Backblaze for offsite backup.
Richard wonders if he needs to convert his hard drives from NTFS to APFS when moving from Windows to Mac for his large video collection. The hosts explain NTFS works fine on Mac and recommend using a Synology NAS with Plex as a centralized media server.
Jeremy wants to set up cloud backup with versioning for his daughter's MacBook before she heads to college. Mikah suggests using Time Machine locally and Backblaze for cloud backup.
The Home Theater Geek Scott Wilkinson showcases an impressive DIY basement home theater built for under $24K.
Jim, a movie sound professional, is looking for a Windows word processor that can handle his 2000+ page book with many illustrations. The hosts caution against trying to run macOS on a PC and recommend trying LibreOffice.
Matthew asks if using the Google Photos app on iPhone will create duplicates. Mikah doesn't think so but suggests running a short test.
Graham wants to play Apple Podcasts on his Google Nest speakers. Leo recommends using Spotify instead since it's supported by Google speakers.
Hans, a multimedia artist, shares a fascinating discussion with Leo and Mikah about AI's impact on creative jobs. While some see AI as a threat, Hans embraces it as a tool to enhance creativity.
Paul troubleshoots an issue where he's not getting play-by-play audio on certain sports streams through his TV speakers, but it works through his soundbar. The hosts suggest it's likely an encoding compatibility issue with his TV.
Johnny Jet shares his unfortunate tale of catching hand, foot and mouth disease right before a big trip to Europe. He offers tips on travel insurance, the risks of posting your info publicly, and renewing your passport online.
Vidak from Montenegro is experiencing audio cut-outs when using his Focusrite Scarlett audio interface with his M2 MacBook Pro. Mikah suspects a software conflict and suggests troubleshooting steps to isolate the issue.
Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Scott Wilkinson and Johnny Jet

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2032

Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-mikah

Sponsor:
cachefly.com/twit

Four thousand people were arrested in a crackdown on online scam networks. What's the best way to get started working in IT? What are good alternatives to the Windows Mail app? And Mikah and Leo give their recommendation for a Wi-Fi system that's great for older users.

Nearly 4,000 arrested in global police crackdown on online scam networks.
I paid $365.63 to replace 404 Media with AI.
Microsoft tells Texas agencies they were exposed in Russian hack.
NASA and SpaceX misjudged the risks from reentering space junk.
The White House will host a conference for social media creators.
Apple explores novel method for making iPhone batteries more replaceable.
A caller is taking an online course to get a certification towards working in the field of IT and has started to look at online jobs. They found a job they are interested in, but it's asking for five years of experience, and the caller will only have this certification when applying. How can they find the ideal job to start their career in the IT field?
Shele wonders how they can back up their iPhone data to network-attached storage rather than through iCloud.
Nate uses a Mac and a Windows machine with multiple hard drives connected to it. Whenever he reboots his Mac though, the Windows machine with the drives goes offline, and he has to reconnect them every time manually. Is there a way to reconnect the drives automatically?
Nate is also wondering why when driving in his vehicle and as he gets close to his house, Siri activates from his iPhone and takes over the audio in his vehicle?
Jeff is having issues getting back into his email account after supposedly violating the email providers' service agreement.
Jim has a website for wedding officiation. However, when people try to visit his website, the server can't be found unless they add "https://" to the URL. What's preventing people from visiting Jim's website?
Kevin writes in to try to find alternatives to Windows's Mail app after being mandated to switch from it to Microsoft Outlook.
David calls in trying to understand why he can only update the operating system through the command line when running Linux Mint.
James calls in looking for a recommendation for a Wi-Fi system he can install for his parents and have them manage it themselves rather than relying on James.
Andrew is looking for recommendations for his next laptop and to see if there's any spamware protection he can install for his Pixel 8.
Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2031

Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/total-mikah

Emily Dreibelbis joins us this week on Tech News Weekly! We are starting to see some effects following Elon Musk's decision to lay off the entire Tesla Supercharger team. Which businesses have begun to benefit from the AI Boom that we're in? What Netflix has learned since expanding from streaming video content into the world of video game publication. And the Recording Industry Assocation of America (RIAA) sues Udio and Suno.

Emily Dreibelbis talks about the fallout from Elon Musk's firing of Tesla's Supercharger team and how car companies that have agreed to use Tesla's Supercharger are starting to be impacted by the change.
Mikah shares an article from The New York Times about businesses profiting from Artificial Intelligence.
Netflix is best known for starting out in the DVD rental business and its vast streaming library. Now, it has entered the video game publishing world, and has learned a lot since delving into it.
Finally, Kate Knibbs from WIRED joins the show to discuss the Recording Industry Association of America's lawsuit against the AI generative music platforms Suno and Udio.
Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Dreibelbis

Guest: Kate Knibbs

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:
zscaler.com/zerotrustAI
wix.com/studio