Tag Archives: Amazon

PTJ 345: At Last

October 19, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

What day is it? Does it matter? Time may be a flat circle that got hit by the Covid Truck for many people, but things have happened this month: Apple finally rolls out its four iPhone 12 models, Facebook finally bans Holocaust-denial content and and a House committee finally produces its report on Big Tech and monopoly. El Kaiser and J.D. muse upon it all, along with with a new set of headphones that gets the Rosado Review. Hear it all on PTJ 345!

• Six Russian GRU Officers Charged in Connection with Worldwide Deployment of Destructive Malware and Other Disruptive Actions in Cyberspace (United States Department of Justice)
• The Citizen Browser Project—Auditing the Algorithms of Disinformation (The Markup)
• Facebook says it rejected 2.2m ads for breaking political campaigning rules (The Guardian)
• Twitter, Responsibility, and Accountability (Stratechery by Ben Thompson)
• Apple Launches ‘Apple Music TV,’ a 24-Hour Music Video Livestream (Variety)
• Apple introduces iPhone 12 Pro an d iPhone 12 Pro Max with 5G (Apple Newsroom)
• Apple announces iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini: A new era for iPhone with 5G (Apple Newsroom)
• Apple introduces HomePod mini: A powerful smart speaker with amazing sound (Apple Newsroom)
• Removing Holocaust Denial Conten t (About Facebook)
• Why Facebook Can’t Fix Itse lf (The New Yorker)
• The new Nest Thermostat: more energy savings for more people (Google Nest)
• Amazon’s Latest Gimmicks Are Pushing the Limits of Privacy (WIRED)
• Amazon launches an AR app that works with new QR codes on its boxes (TechCrunch)
• The House Antitrust Report on Big Tech (The New York Times)
• Google’s merger with ITA helped it grow into the giant that the Justice Department is scrutinizing (The Washington Post)
• E U targets Big Tech with ‘hit list’ facing tougher rule s (Financial Times)
• Exclusive: TikTok rival Triller explores deal to go public – sources (Reuters)
• Disn ey reorganizes to focus on streaming, direct to consumer (CNBC)
• AKG K553 MKII Headphones

Episode Links

PTJ 341: Tick Tock

July 21, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

How long until a hacked social-media platform causes real damage in the world? Are TikTok’s days in the US numbered? Is time running out for political ads on Facebook? Is anybody watching Quibi? El Kaiser and JD have questions — and opinions. Also, what local stores and restaurants are still open as the COVID-19 pandemic eases up or crashes down around the country? Just dial up PTJ 341 to find out answers to at least some of these questions!

Stories in This Week’s News Segment

An update on our security incident (Twitter)
Hackers Tell the Story of the Twitter Attack From the Inside (The New York Times)
EBay Nears Deal to Sell Classified-Ad Unit to Adevinta (The Wall Street Journal)
Spotify Fans Can Better Connect to Creators With New Video Podcasts (Spotify)
Apple commits to be 100 percent carbon neutral for its supply chain and products by 2030 (Apple)
TikTok: Amazon says email asking staff to remove app ‘sent in error’ (BBC)
TikTok Users Respond to Potential Ban (The New York Times)
DNC and RNC warn campaigns about using TikTok (CNNPolitics)
House votes to ban TikTok on federal devices (Politico)
Under fire from Washington, TikTok touts U.S. job growth (Axios)
Facebook Considers Banning Political Ads Before US 2020 Election (Bloomberg)
Facebook’s Civil Rights Meeting Didn’t Go Well (The New York Times)
SiriusXM Is Buying Stitcher in Deal Worth Up to $325 Million (Variety)
Apple allocates more than $400 million to combat California housing crisis (Apple)
Is Anyone Watching Quibi? (Vulture)
Quibi App Free Trial to Paying Customer Conversions Very Low (Vulture)
The Data-Driven Tech Engine at the Heart of Hollywood’s Content Factories (The Wall Street Journal)
Top Ubisoft Executives Out Amid Allegations Of Company-Wide Misconduct (Kotaku)
Mozilla suspends Firefox Send service while it addresses malware abuse (ZDNet)
Linux team approves new terminology, bans terms like ‘blacklist’ and ‘slave’ (ZDNet)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

COVID-19 Google Maps updates

Episode Links

PTJ 339: Power to the People

June 8, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Welcome to June here in the year 1918 + 1929 + 1968! El Kaiser and J.D. drop in for a quick roundup of tech news, including rising tensions at social media companies, ongoing pandemic fallout and the newfound popularity of… online word-processing software. Take a break and dial up PTJ 339!

Doctor Who
How Google Docs became the social media of the resistance (MIT Technology Review)
Early Facebook Employees Disavow Zuckerberg’s Stance on Trump Posts (The New York Times)
Facebook Employees Stage Virtual Walkout to Protest Trump Posts (The New York Times)
Facebook removes nearly 200 accounts tied to hate groups (Associated Press)
Civil rights leaders blast Facebook after meeting with Zuckerberg (Axios)
Snap will stop promoting Trump’s account after concluding his tweets incited violence (The Verge)
Read: Transcript of Mark Zuckerberg’s meeting with Facebook employees (Vox)
Google in $5bn lawsuit for tracking in ‘private’ mode (BBC News)
Amazon warehouse workers’ lawsuit alleges ‘sloppy contact tracing’ (CNBC)
Zoom won’t encrypt free calls because it wants to comply with law enforcement (The Next Web)
Airbnb Joins Vacation-Rental Sites Seeing Surge in Summer Demand (Bloomberg)
CES set for an in-person event in 2021 (TechCrunch)
Someone Is Putting Cowboy Hats on Pigeons in Las Vegas (The New York Times)
You are probably spreading misinformation. Here’s how to stop. (The Washington Post)
Snopes.com
Let’s Clean Up the Toxic Internet (The New York Times)
How Russian Facebook Ads Divided and Targeted US Voters Before the 2016 Election (Wired)
Congress just published all the Russian Facebook ads used to try and influence the 2016 election (Vox)
Misinformation About George Floyd Protests Surges on Social Media (The New York Times)

Episode Links

PTJ 332: Anti-Virus Software

April 13, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its spread, Apple and Google join forces to create a platform to track the disease — even though privacy advocates have concerns. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the program, along with the other tech headlines of the week. And, with network connectivity more important than ever, El Kaiser offers some tips on getting the most out of your home Wi-Fi. It’s all here waiting for you in PTJ 332!

Links to News Stories Discussed on This Episode

Coronavirus Contact Tracing: Apple and Google Team Up to Enable Virus Tracking (The New York Times)
How Apple and Google are tackling one of the toughest parts about tracking COVID-19 exposures (The Verge)
Apple and Google detail bold and ambitious plan to track COVID-19 at scale (Ars Technica)
Coronavirus: UK confirms plan for its own contact tracing app (BBC News)
Britain’s NHS working with Google, Apple on app to track coronavirus contact: Sunday Times (Reuters)
Contact Tracing in the Real World (Light Blue Touchpaper)
ACLU White Paper: The Limits of Location Tracking in an Epidemic (American Civil Liberties Union)
Apple Maps will soon display COVID-19 testing locations (9to5Mac)
PayPal, Intuit QuickBooks approved for coronavirus small-business loan (CNBC)
Warehouse workers are forcing Amazon to take COVID-19 seriously (The Verge)
Robots Welcome to Take Over, as Pandemic Accelerates Automation (The New York Times)
Apple Plans IPad-Like Design for Next IPhone, Smaller HomePod (Bloomberg)
Screen time is nothing to feel guilty about during the coronavirus — for adults or kids (The Washington Post)

Episode Links

PTJ 330: Pity the world

April 1, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As the COVID-19 virus batters the global economy, El Kaiser and J.D. continue to self-isolate and offer up their own ideas to keep from getting too shackwacky. This week’s episode also takes a quick look at recent technology news, including two online gifts from Sir Patrick Stewart. PTJ 330, engage!

Candor: 267 companies have frozen hiring, 44 had layoffs, 36 rescinded offers, 111 are hiring (VentureBeat)
Record Jobless Claims Are Overwhelming States’ Aging Tech (WIRED)
Exclusive: Amazon entices warehouse employees to grocery unit with higher pay (Reuters)
Coronavirus Causes Dip in Podcast Listening (WWD)
Funding and grants for businesses and crisis response (Google Keyword blog)
Coronavirus: NHS turns to big tech to tackle Covid-19 hot spots (BBC News)
Apple releases new COVID-19 app and website based on CDC guidance (Apple)
Business on top, pajamas underneath: Walmart is selling work shirts, but not so many pants (The Washington Post)
Museum challenges people to recreate works of art at home (Yahoo)
Sir Patrick Stewart is reading sweet Shakespeare sonnets during social distancing (Entertainment Weekly)
“Sonnet I” by William Shakespeare
How to watch ‘Star Trek: Picard’ on CBS All Access for free (Fast Company)

Episode Links

PTJ 329: Root, Root, Root for the Home Team

March 22, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As more states and cities tell citizens to stay out of public places and do their part to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, El Kaiser and J.D. fire up the microphones in their respective recording bunkers to discuss the latest tech news. El Kaiser also offers his pro tips for looking and sounding better on those office video-conference meetings, and J.D. has a few ideas for parents trying to keep the kids busy after they’ve finished their online lessons for the day. It’s all here on PTJ 329 — right in the comfort of your own home!

Links to Stories in This Week’s Episode

Google’s coronavirus website finally launches alongside enhanced search results (The Verge)
Google’s COVID-19 information page
Delivering information and eliminating bottlenecks with CDC’s COVID-19 assessment bot (The Official Microsoft Blog)
Apple updated Siri to help people who ask if they have coronavirus (CNBC)
Internal memo: Jeff Bezos tells Amazon employees he’s ‘wholly focused’ on the COVID-19 crisis (GeekWire)
A message from our CEO and founder (Amazon)
Netflix to Cut Streaming Video Bit Rates in Europe for 30 Days (Variety)
Mass move to work from home in coronavirus crisis creates opening for hackers: cyber experts (Reuters)
How Zoom Became King of the Quarantine Economy (Adweek)
‘Zoombombing’: When Video Conferences Go Wrong (The New York Times)
Emergency Support for Workers in the Creative Community (Netflix)
Exclusive: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers (Reuters)
New MacBook Air has more to love and is now just $999 (Apple)
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with LiDAR Scanner and trackpad support in iPadOS (Apple)
Believe it: Orchestra plays Beethoven 9th from their homes (Slipped Disc)
Must Watch: Toronto vs Rotterdam in The Home-Play Finals (Slipped Disc)

#StayHome Projects to Keep You (or the Kids) Busy

Make Your Own Animated Movies, Frame by Frame (The New York Times)
How to Add Hollywood Special Effects to Your Videos (The New York Times)
How to Take Music Lessons Whenever (and Wherever) Works for You (The New York Times)
How to Rescue, Repair and Revive Old Family Photos (The New York Times)
Can You Draw This? Of Course You Can! (The New York Times)
From Camera Roll to Canvas: Make Art From Your Photos (The New York Times)
Get Those Records, Tapes and CDs Onto Your Smartphone (The New York Times)

Episode Links

PTJ 326: Who’s Zoomin’ Who?

February 13, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Greetings from the depths of February, where El Kaiser shares an appraisal of his recent binge-watching content, The Good Place and Letterkenny. February also means Mobile World Congress — but not this year, thanks to concern over the coronavirus. After a stroll through the other recent tech headlines, J.D. also offers a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint about protect you and yours from an increasingly common bank scam. Punch up PTJ 326 to hear it all!

“The Good Place” (NBC)
“Letterkenny” (Hulu)
The world’s biggest phone show has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns (The Verge)
Coronavirus: Sony and Amazon pull out of major tech show (BBC News)
Samsung’s new phones bring flip screens, 100-times zoom — and $1,400 price tags (The Washington Post)
Foldable Phones Are Here. Do We Really Want Them? (The New York Times)
Facebook will pay Reuters to fact-check Deepfakes and more (TechCrunch)
Facebook’s Twitter and Instagram accounts hacked (BBC News)
Ransomware Attacks Grow, Crippling Cities and Businesses (The New York Times)
In Amazon’s Bookstore, No Second Chances for the Third Reich (The New York Times)
Google Maps is turning 15! Celebrate with a new look and features (Google)
15 weird Google Maps stories to celebrate the 15th anniversary (Mash Viral)
Online Dating: The Virtues and Downsides (Pew Research Center)
This App Automatically Cancels and Sues Robocallers (VICE)
Do Not Pay / Robo Revenge

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

Episode Links

PTJ 323: Years and Years

December 17, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As 2019 winds down, so does another decade of consumer technology. After a quick tour through recent headlines, El Kaiser and J.D. reflect on the highs and lows of the past 10 years in the world of gadgets and services. Come take a trip down geek memory lane here on PTJ 323!

Links to Stories in This Week’s News Segment

Our Progress on Leading the Fight Against Online Bullying (Instagram)
An update to our harassment policy (Official YouTube Blog)
Google and YouTube moderators speak out on the work that’s giving them PTSD (The Verge)
Twitter’s Jack Dorsey created a walled internet garden. Then he realized he hated tending it. (NBC News)
@jack on Twitter
Amazon sellers can’t use FedEx Ground for Prime shipments (CNN)
New Orleans cyberattack: Recovery process will last week or more, FBI aiding investigation (NOLA.com)
The world’s first 3D-printed neighborhood is being built in Mexico for families living on $3 a day (CNN)
Alexa can now respond in the voice of Samuel L. Jackson — here’s how to set it up (NBC News)

The Tech of the Decade

The 10 Best Gadgets of the 2010s (Time)
iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, and more: the 100 gadgets that defined this decade (The Verge)
The Most Iconic Tech Innovations of the 2010s (PCMag.com)
The Biggest Tech Product Flops of the 2010s (PCMag.com)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint, Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 322: Disney, Plus…

November 22, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and J.D. offer their initial impressions on The Mandalorian, the new Disney+ live-action show set in the Star Wars universe. After a quick trip through recent tech headlines, J.D. also supplies a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint about getting started with touch-screen drawing apps. Use the Force and punch the button for Episode 322!

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Show

“The Mandalorian” (Disney+)
An update on our political ads policy (Google Keyword blog)
Hey Google, play me the news (Google blog)
Spotify turns its personalization technology to podcasts with launch of Your Daily Podcasts (TechCrunch)
Uber Embraces Videotaping Rides, Raising Privacy Concerns (The New York Times)
Uber safety push includes plans to start audio recording rides in the U.S. (The Washington Post)
How Attackers Could Hijack Your Android Camera to Spy on You (Checkmarx)
U.S. approves first licenses for tech sales to Huawei (The Washington Post)
PayPal to acquire shopping and rewards platform Honey for $4B (TechCrunch)
Doorbell camera footage can be kept by police forever and shared with whomever they’d like (The Washington Post)
Amazon Announces New Fire TV Blaster, Giving Users Voice Control Over TVs and Cable Boxes (The Streamable)
Dead musicians are taking the stage again in hologram form. Is this the kind of encore we really want? (The Washington Post)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

Can You Draw This? Of Course You Can. (The New York Times)

Episode Links

PTJ 320: The Ups and Downs of Package Delivery

October 28, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser continues his foray into the world of wireless Bluetooth earbuds after the weekly news roundup with J.D. And in these news this week: The stress of Internet shopping on New York City streets, more software updates from Apple and a leak peak at Windows 10X.

1.5 Million Packages a Day: The Internet Brings Chaos to N.Y. Streets (The New York Times)
UPS gets government approval to become a drone airline (Associated Press)
UPS and CVS plan to deliver prescriptions via drone (Engadget)
Microsoft wins $10 billion JEDI defense cloud contract, beating Amazon (CNBC)
Spotify Technology S.A. Announces Financial Results for Third Quarter 2019 (Spotify)
Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 13.2 With New Emoji, Deep Fusion for iPhone 11, Siri Privacy Options, and More (MacRumors)
Apple reveals new AirPods Pro, available October 30 (Apple)
Molly Russell: Instagram extends self-harm ban to drawings (BBC News)
Facebook takes down false ad from PAC on Republican Graham (Reuters)
Facebook alters video to make people invisible to facial recognition (VentureBeat)
Exclusive: Google owner Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit (Reuters)
How 18 Malware Apps Snuck Into Apple’s App Store (Wired)
Google CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledges employee trust issues in closed-door meeting (The Washington Post)
Windows 10X details revealed in major leak (MSPoweruser)
Samsung Galaxy Buds

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!