Category Archives: Episode Links

PTJ 369: Think Pink

August 1, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser shares his love of My Hero Academia and open-backed headphones for audio-mixing. Meanwhile, J.D. goes to a movie theater for the first time since 2019 to observe the fuss over the Barbie movie — a film that seems to be outperforming both Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford this summer. All this and more on PTJ 369!

• My Hero Academia (Viz)
• Barbie’s Box Office In Weekend 2 Is Bigger Than Most 2023 Movies’ Opening Weekends (MovieWeb)
• Twitter Becomes X: The Future Of The ‘Everything App’
(Search Engine Journal)
• Twitter Threatens Legal Action Against Nonprofit That Tracks Hate Speech (The New York Times)
• Letters from the lawyers: Musk threatens CCDH with brazen attempt to silence honest criticism. (Center for Countering Digital Hate)
• Apple says it’s aware of a bug that may affect Screen Time restrictions for kids (Engadget)
• A Tech Checklist for the Dark Side of Summer Weather
(The New York Times)
• Did a Houston Woman Bake Bread in Her Mailbox? (Snopes)
• Grado Labs SR125x
• Austrian Audio Hi-X65 Headphones
• Sennheiser Sennheiser Audiophile Headphones

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 368: “Quadio! Hie thee hither to Threads!”

July 15, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser and J. D. discuss the potential impact of the current writers’ and actors’ strikes on the entertainment industry, as well as the emergence of Threads as a challenge to Twitter in the micro-blogging Thunderdome. And, ever the sonic connoisseur, El Kaiser also explores the modern-era revival of an old 1970s audio format: Quadrophonic surround sound. All this and more on Episode 368!

Links to Things We Mentioned

• Hollywood actors guild votes to authorize strike, as writers’ strike continues (Associated Press)
• The 2023 WGA Strike for Dummies (Vulture)
• Writers Guild of America East
• Writers Guild of America West
• Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
• Barry on Max
• Elon Musk’s Twitter: Everything you need to know, from layoffs to verification (TechCrunch)
• Threads Review: How Meta’s New App Stacks Up Against Twitter (The New York Times)
• Quadrophonic Sound (Nostalgia Central)
• Rhino Records Quadio Bundle

Episode Links

PTJ 367: Sounding Off!

June 27, 2023 J.D. Biersdorfer 4 Comments

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and J.D. ruminate on flimsy smartphones and even flimsier superhero movies. And El Kaiser offers advice to a PTJ listener about finding an affordable microphone for podcasting at home.

Links to Things We Mentioned in the Episode:
• Shure Microphones
• Yeti Microphones
• RIP to my Pixel Fold: Dead after four days (Ars Technica)
• How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Swallowed Hollywood (The New Yorker)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 365: On the Big Apple Bus

June 11, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer 4 Comments

El Kaiser and J.D. find a few minutes to discuss Apple’s various announcements from this month’s World Wide Developers conference — along with a roundup of recent TV-viewing options. Boot up PTJ 365 right here!

Apple unveils new ways to share and communicate in iOS 16 (Apple)
iPadOS 16 Preview (Apple)
watchOS 9 Preview (Apple)
Apple forgot about tvOS 16, but here’s everything new (9to5Mac)
macOS Ventura brings powerful productivity tools, new Continuity features to Mac (Apple)
Apple unveils M2 with breakthrough performance and capabilities (Apple)
A pple unveils all-new MacBook Air, supercharged by the new M2 chi p (Apple)
WWDC 2022 recap: iOS 16, new MacBook Air, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9 and more (Tom’s Guide)
7 Biggest Disap pointmen ts of Apple’s WWDC 2022 (Gizmodo)
Android 13: Everything we know about Google’s next big release (Android Authority)
Here’s everything new in Android 13 Beta 3 (9to5Google)
How Updates in iOS 16 and Android 13 Will Change Your Phone (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 364: Yo! Can We Get a Little Help Here, Obi-Wan Kenobi?

June 2, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

June is here, and with it, the old-new adventures of a certain Jedi Master — and plenty of other fine programs to stream. El Kaiser and J.D. also mull recent tech news, and, for the audio-curious, El Kaiser discusses the digital audience interfaces he uses in his recording work. You can find it all here on PTJ 364!

OBI-101: Everything You Need to Know About Obi-Wan Kenobi (StarWars.com)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+)
Russian Doll (Netflix)
Elon Musk Is Right to Pay Far Less for Twitter, E xperts Say (Business Insider)
Twitter shareh old ers s ue Elon Musk and Twitter over chaotic deal (CNBC)
SEC looms over Musk-Twitter deal (The Hill)
Elon Musk to Workers: Spend 40 Hours in the Office, or Els e (The New York Times)
Twitter fined $150m in US for selling users’ data (BBC News)
Twitter to pay $150 million penalty for allegedly breaking its privacy promises – again (Federal Trade Commission)
PSVR 2 may release in early 2023 — ‘depending’ on game development (Laptop Mag)
Apple’s RealityOS for rumored headset appears in trademark application (The Verge)
What’s Coming in Apple (AAPL) iOS 16? Is iPhone 14 Getting an Always-On Screen? (Bloomberg)
Apple can’t dodge rival app store Cydia’s antitrust lawsuit (Reuters)
Google I/O 2022 Live Blog (CNet)
Google Translate Glass es (YouTube)
Google TV’s new app launches on the iOS App Store with the ability to use a mobile device as a remote (TechCrunch)
Google is combining Meet and Duo into a single app for voice and video calls (The Verge)
Sheryl Sandberg Is Leaving Facebook at a Perilous Moment (Bloomberg)
Amazon to pull Kindle out of China, other businesses to remain (Reuters)
Amazon is launching an invite-based ordering option, starting with the PS5 and Xbox Serie s X (TechCrunch)
This double-bladed lightsaber measures 6.5 feet long and costs $500 (The Verge)
“Star Wars” The Black Series Third Sister Reva Lightsaber (Hasbro)
RØDE AI-1
Focusrite Scarlett Solo
F ocusrite Scarlett 2i2

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 363: Bye, ’Pod

March 4, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this episode, El Kaiser and J.D. catch up after an unintentional hiatus to discuss current events — including Elon Musk’s fluctuating deal to buy Twitter, the rapid demise of CNN+ and Apple’s decision to retire the iPod after 21 years. Spin up PTJ 363 right here!

Hackers R eplac e Russian TV Schedules During ‘Victory Day’ With Anti-War Messages (InfoSecurity)
Anon ym ous Hacks 2 Russian Industrial Firms, Leak 112GB of Data for Ukraine (HackRead)
Why BBC Revived Shortwave Radio Dispatches in Ukraine (The New York Times)
BBC News la unches ‘dark web’ Tor mirror (BBC News)
Inside the Implosion of CNN+ (The New York Times)
Elon Musk says he might try to renegotiate $44B Twitter deal for less (The Washington Post)
Twitter CEO fires back at Elon Musk, who responds with poop emoji (MarketWatch)
Apple’s iPod Announcement
Farewell to the iPod (The New York Times)
Apple to discontinue the iPod after 21 years (BBC News)
The iPod is dead (TechCrunch)
Apple Together Brings Corporate Workers Into the Union Effort (WIRED)
Netflix Exploring Live Streaming For First Time; Unscripted & Comedy (Deadline)
The Week in Business: Crypto’s ‘Death Spiral’ (The New York Times)
Cryptocurrencies Melt Down in a ‘Perfect Storm’ of Fear and Panic (The New York Times)
Crypto crash: Stablecoin collapse sends tokens tumbling (BBC News)
E.U. Takes Aim at Social Media’s Harms With Landmark New Law (The New York Times)
The Digital Services Act package (European Commission)
Uber Eats Dabbles With Delivering Food Via Robots (Gizmodo)
Royal Mail wants fleet of 500 drones to carry mail to remote UK communities (BBC News)

‘The Batman’ Review: Robert Pattinson Goes Darker Than ‘Dark Knight’ (Variety)
The Book of Boba Fett (Disney+)

Set Your Schedule in Your Smartphone’s Free Calendar (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 362: New Galaxies

February 15, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Samsung has kicked off the year in new phone hardware with updates to its Galaxy line — including a $1200 Ultra model that comes with five cameras, a stylus and a 6.8-inch screen. El Kaiser and JD ponder the possibilities, along in a roundup of other tech headlines and a preview of this year’s new crop of emoji (disco ball!) coming to iOS and Android. El Kaiser also continues his exploration of Marvel and DC Comics adaptations for the big and small screens. All this and more on PTJ 362!

Crypto apps soar in popularity after Super Bowl splurge (The Block)
Microsoft announces new app store principles, aligning with Open App Ma rkets Act (The Washington Post)
Open App Markets Act (Congress.gov)
Tinder to Eliminate Age-Based Pricing for Premium Features (PCMag)
New s From Tinder Newsroom
Making ‘Dinobabies’ Extinct: IBM’s Push for a Younger Work Force (The New York Times)
Everything you need to know from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event (The Verge)
Apple unveils contactless payments via Tap to Pay on iPhone (Apple)
Apple debuts Tap to Pay feature for iPhone, here are the details (9to5Mac)
Apple’s ‘realityOS’ for Rumored AR/VR Headset Referenced in Source Code (MacRumors)
Peloton co-founder steps down after rough ride (AP News)
Amazon and Nike exploring Peloton takeover, reports say (BBC News)
For the first time in its history, Facebook is in decline. Has the tech giant begun to crumble? (The Guardian)
Meta SEC Form 10-K 2021
Meta says it may shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe (CNBC)
We’re Fine Without Facebook, German and French Ministers Say (Bloomberg)
See All 37 New Emojis Coming to Your Phone in Apple’s iOS 15.4 Update (Business Insider)
Emoji Version 14.0 (Emojipedia)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+ Originals)
Peacemaker (HBO Originals)
DC Comics TV
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain. (The New York Times)
Martin Scorsese’s fight against Marvel isn’t really about Marvel movies (Vox)
Tom Holland hits back at Martin Scorsese’s comments that Marvel films aren’t “cinema” (NME)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 361: Webb Slingers

January 24, 2022 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As 2022 spins up, El Kaiser and J.D. check in on NASA’s big new fancy space telescope and other recent tech headlines. This week’s episode also features some thoughts on The Expanse and tips for adjusting your privacy settings in Android 12 and iOS 15. You can find it all here on PTJ 361!

“Spider-Man: No Way Home”: All the Box Office Records Broken (The Hollywood Reporter)
“The Book of Boba Fett” (StarWars.com)
“Book Of Boba Fett:” Every Star Wars Easter Egg & Reference In Episode 1 (ScreenRant)
“Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett” Episode 1 Easter Eggs Explained (Den of Geek)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope mission: Live updates (Space.com)
Where Is Webb? (NASA)
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on YouTube
Why the James Webb Space Telescope looks like that (Vox)

James Webb Telescope Arrives at Its Destination (The New York Times)
$130 billion wiped off crypto markets in 24 hours as bitcoin, ether drop to multi-month lows (CNBC)
D igital Services Act: regulat ing platforms for a safer online space for users (News | European Parliament)
MEPs adopt Digital Services Act with significant last-minute changes (EURACTIV.com)
How the U.S. Messed Up Its New 5G Rollout: ‘It Wasn’t Our Finest Hour’ (The Wall Street Journal)
Why Airlines Are Worried About 5G (The New York Times)
Apple Nears First Product Launch of 2022, With 5G iPhone SE and New iPad on Tap (Bloomberg)
CES 2022 News (The Verge)
Augmented Reality Theater Takes a Bow. In Your Kitchen. (The New York Times)
Robot vacuum cleaner escapes from Cambridge Travelodg e (BBC News)

PSA: You’ll miss 25 minutes of The Expanse’s final season if you don’t pause it (The Verge)
The story of the fight to archive the internet (TechRadar)
Internet Archive 25th Anniversary (Internet Archive)
The Internet Archive
How to Use Your Phone’s Privacy-Protection Tools (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 360: All Hailing Frequencies Open

December 11, 2021 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

El Kaiser and J.D. are back with a new episode and the opportunity to praise the work of Nichelle Nichols, the trailblazing actress who portrayed Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek as she retires from public life. Also in the mix: a discussion of recent headlines, including Big Tech’s increasingly warm seat in front of government regulators, and El Kaiser takes a listen to a new pair of Bowers & Wilkins Bluetooth headphones. All this and more on PTJ Episode 360 !

A New Tesla Safety Concern: Drivers Can Play Video Games in Moving Cars (The New York Times)
Instagram will bring back a chronological feed in 2022 (Engadget)
Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri Says Tech Companies Must Earn Liability Shield (Bloomberg)
What we learned at Congress’ much-anticipated summit of crypto execs (TheBlock)
House Hearing on Financial Innovation and Digital Currency (C-SPAN video)
Europe Pushes New Rules Turning Gig Workers Into Employees (The New York Times)
Epic v. Apple ruling put on hold after appeals court grants a stay (The Verge)
Kuo: Apple AR Headset to Feature Advanced Hand Gesture Controls and Object Detection (MacRumors)
Twitter Tests New, TikTok-Like Full-Screen Display for Explore (Social Media Today)
Roku, Google settle messy battle over YouTube distribution (Axios)
Verizon overrides users’ opt-out preferences in push to collect browsing history (Ars Technica)
Nichelle Nichols honored as she makes final Comic-Con appearance (TheGrio)
1977 NASA Recruitment film with Nichelle Nichols (YouTube)
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Bluetooth headphones

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 359: Face Plant

October 22, 2021 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Facebook’s very bad month continues after more testimony and interviews by Frances Haugen, the whistleblower and main source behind The Wall Street Journal’s “Facebook Files” series — as well as a report from its own Oversight Board about the company’s lack of transparency. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss it all along other recent tech headlines, including Apple’s second fall product event and Google’s new Pixel phone. And for audio fans looking for great big sound on a budget, El Kaiser has a review of the Status Flagship ANC Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones. Headphones, earbuds, speakers — no matter how you listen, PTJ 359 is here!

Whistle-Blower Says Facebook ‘Chooses Profits Over Safety’ (The New York Times)
Gone in Minutes, Out for Hours: Outage Shakes Facebook (The New York Times)
The Facebook Files (The Wall Street Journal)
Facebook Struggles to Quell Uproar Over Instagram’s Effect on Teens (The New York Times)
Oversight Board demands more transparency from Facebook (Oversight Board)
Facebook Is Weaker Than We Knew (The New York Times)
Mark Zuckerberg Breaks Silence on Facebook Whistleblower Testimony, Media Reports (The Wall Street Journal)
The tech billionaire aiding the Facebook whistleblower (POLITICO)
Why Facebook is rebranding (Platformer)
Sinclair Problems: Ransomware Hack and Sports Commissioners Criticism (The Hollywood Reporter)
Mastodon’s Founder Says Trump’s New Social Network Is Just Mastodon (VICE)
Amazon unveils Black Friday-worthy deals earlier than ever (About Amazon)
Windows 11: A new era for the PC begins today (Windows Experience blog)
Microsoft now lets you test Android apps on Windows 11 (The Verge)
Pixel 6: Everything to know about Google’s newest phone (CNet)
Android 12 is live in AOSP! (Android Developers Blog)
Google dropping Play Store subscription fee to 15% for devs (9to5Google)
In worst Apple event ever, the tech giant becomes a parody of itself (Mashable)
Apple’s Device Shortages Threaten Record-Setting Holiday Season (Bloomberg)
Status Flagship ANC headphones

The independent audio magazine devoted to mashing up pop culture, technology and more. J.D. Biersdorfer and Pedro Rafael Rosado are your hosts. It's an Internet Radio revolution!