Tag Archives: Instagram

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, 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 358: Sound Check

September 17, 2021 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser takes a listen to several USB microphones designed for podcasting and J.D. hauls out the headlines for a discussion of recent consumer-technology news — including The Wall Street Journal’s inside look at Facebook. All this and a whole lot more on PTJ 358!

Th e Facebook Files (The Wall Street Journal)
From Instagram’s Toll on Teens to Unmoderated ‘Elite’ Users, Here’s a Break Down of the Wall Street Journal’s Facebook Revelations (Time)
Facebook shields millions of VIP users from moderation protocols (CNBC)
Smart Glasses Made Google Look Dumb. Now Facebook Is Giving Them a Try. (The New York Times)
Tech Giants Used ‘Loopholes’ to Duck Merger Reviews, FTC Says (Bloomberg)
FTC warns health apps to notify consumers impacted by data breaches (The Hill)
Activision Blizzard sued again, this time for labor violations (The Verge)
Adobe adds payment services via PayPal to its Adobe Commerce platform (ZDNet)
Why Apple Didn’t Lose in the Epic Games Ruling (The New York Times)
In Epic vs. Apple Court Fight, a Win for App Developers (The New York Times)
Judge Gonzalez Rogers Decision in Epic Games v. Apple
Epic Games appeal
Anonymous leaks gigabytes of data from alt-right web host Epik (Ars Technica)
The iPhone 13 is a pitch-perfect iPhone 12s (The Verge)
Everything Announced at Today’s Apple Event (MacRumors)
Factbox: Top announcements from Apple event (Reuters)
Inspiration4: Why SpaceX’s first all-private mission is a big deal (MIT Technology Review)
Inspiration4 (SpaceX)
Neat Microphones Beecaster
Audio Technica AT2020USB+
Rode Podcaster
Shure MV7

Episode Links

PTJ 354: Infrastructure, Weak

May 13, 2021 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

This month’s Colonial Pipeline hack, the massive bot farm lurking on Facebook last fall and Amazon’s constant battle with counterfeit products illustrate the huge vulnerabilities that exist in many U.S. companies as the world grows ever more digital. But in cheerier news, El Kaiser and J.D. also discuss the country’s broadband connectivity fund to help narrow the digital divide and kweliTV, a streaming service that highlights authentic Black stories. El Kaiser also shares his views on Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and a new Android tablet from Samsung. Come join us here on PTJ 354!

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+)
Cyberattack Forces a Shutdown of a Top U.S. Pipeline (The New York Times)
Hacking group DarkSide responsible for Colonial Pipeline shutdown (CNBC)
FCC approves $7B broadband connectivity fund (CNET)
This is a map of America’s broadband problem (The Verge)
Sony Warns Tight PlayStation 5 Supply to Extend Into Next Year (Bloomberg)
Next-Gen PlayStation VR Is 4K Plus Eye-Tracking & Vibration (UploadVR)
Apple vs Epic Court Case Roundup (Kotaku)
Amazon blocked 10 billion counterfeit listings and spent $700M fighting fraud on its site last year (GeekWire)
Researchers Say They’ve Uncovered a Massive Facebook Bot Farm From the 2020 Election (Mother Jones)
Inside a Facebook bot farm that pumps out 200k+ political posts per month (Comparitech)
Facebook wants to make sure you’ve read the article you’re about to share (The Verge)
WhatsApp will gradually stop you calling or messaging contacts if you don’t agree to its new privacy policy (Business Insider)
WhatsApp FAQ
Dozens of state AGs asked Facebook to cancel plans for kids Instagram (Protocol)
She was tired of seeing Black stereotypes on TV. So she started her own streaming service. (CNN)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 / S7+
Apple iPad

Episode Links

PTJ 344: Power Plays

September 25, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

Labor Day has been here and gone for weeks now, so El Kaiser and JD get back to business with a pile of news, including the new PlayStation and Xbox consoles arriving on November and recap of Apple’s September event. And because the year is only going to get more intense from here, this week’s episode also offers suggestions for science-fiction television entertainment to temporarily make you forget the current state of this world. Come on along for PTJ 344!

Nintendo Said to Boost Switch Production by Another 20% (Bloomberg)
PlayStation 5 preorders: Sony reveals release date and price (VentureBeat)
Microsoft reveals Xbox Series S specs, promises four times the processing power of Xbox One (The Verge)
Xbox Series X launches on November 10th for $499 (The Verge)
Microsoft is adding EA Play to Xbox Game Pass (Engadget)
Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media and its game publisher Bethesda Softworks (Microsoft)
Microsoft to acquire Elder Scrolls, Fallout, other hit games in $7.5B deal for Bethesda Softworks parent (GeekWire)
A closer look at Luna, Amazon’s cloud gaming service (Engadget)
Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite announced, start at $30 (CNBC)
Amazon announces all-new Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Dot with Clock (CNBC)
Amazon Unveils Drone That Films Inside Your Home. What Could Go Wrong? (The New York Times)
Amazon Ring security drone and swiveling Echo Show push the boundaries of surveillance, agai n (The Washington Post)
Guitars Are Back, Baby! (The New York Times)
Windows 10 running Android apps via Your Phone is fully rolled out – and the feature will soon get even better (TechRadar)
The new Surface Duo (Microsoft)
Streaming service Quibi explores strategic options, including sale —WSJ (Reuters)
Mozilla shuts down Firefox Send file transfer service after malware abuse (CNet)
Google ‘formally’ bans stalkerware apps from the Play Store (ZDNet)
EU regulator orders Facebook to stop transferring user data to America (Seeking Alpha)
Twitter rolls out new security features to prevent Election Day chaos (The Verge)
Improved Account Security during the 2020 US Election (Twitter)
Facebook Moves to Limit Election Chaos in November (The New York Times)
New Steps to Protect the US Elections (Facebook Newsroom)
Facebook to pay users to quit the app as part of election study (Business Insider)
New Facebook and Instagram Research Initiative to Look at US 2020 Presidential Election (Facebook Newsroom)
The Washington Post’s Elizabeth Dwoskin (Twitter)
September 15th Apple Event (Apple)
Apple Event 2020: Here’s everything that was announced (CNBC)
Justice Dept. Plans to File Antitrust Charges Against Google in Coming Weeks (The New York Times)
“Star Trek: Discovery” Returns October 15 (Star Trek)
Baby Yoda has returned to redeem this terrible year in “The Mandalorian” season two trailer (Lainey Gossip)
‘She-Hulk’ Disney Plus Series Casts Tatiana Maslany in Lead Role (Variety)
Chadwick Boseman’s legacy can be continued (CNN)
It’s Hard to Make Dignity Interesting. Chadwick Boseman Found a Way. (The New York Times)
Dame Diana Rigg: Avengers, Bond and Game of Thrones actress dies at 82 (BBC News)

Science-Fiction TV Shows for Escaping Reality

“Doom Patrol” (HBO Max)
“Thunderbirds” (Amazon Prime)
“Doctor Who (BBC)
“Battlestar Galactica” (SYFY)
“Watchmen” (HBO)
“The Expanse” (SYFY)
“The Bionic Woman” (NBC)
The Best Sci-Fi TV Shows to Binge-Watch Right Now (TV Guide)
20 Sci-Fi Shows Like “Westworld” Totally Worth Watching (Men’s Health)
The Best Sci-Fi Shows on Netflix (Thrillist)
“Thunderbirds” (Nostalgia Central)
“The Expanse” Is the Best Science Fiction on TV (The Mary Sue)
“The Bionic Woman and Feminist Ethics: An Analysis of the 1970s Television Series” (Google Books)

Episode Links

PTJ 343: Battle Royale

August 20, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Epic Games has fired antitrust shots at Apple and Google over their app stores, Facebook does a bit of cleaning and fans of Microsoft Fight Simulator can take to the virtual skies again in a glorious new version of the program . Meanwhile, back on the ground, El Kaiser has thoughts on Star Wars: Resistance and J.D. shares some tips on what to do with your old gear after you upgrade to new stuff. All this and more, right here on PTJ 343!

Star Wars: Resistance (StarWars.com)
Epic used its playbook for Fortnite events against Apple and Google (The Verge)
Apple’s Epic retaliation: Unreal Engine on iOS and Mac in jeopardy (VentureBeat)
Epic Games’ Fortnite lawsuits against Apple and Google, explained (Polygon)
“Nighteen Eighty-Fortnite” (YouTube)
Apple tells Epic ‘we won’t make an exception’ for Fortnite (The Verge)
Facebook restricts more than 10,000 QAnon and US militia groups (The Guardian)
QAnon: Facebook takes action on conspiracy groups (BBC News)
Facebook algorithm found to ‘actively promote’ Holocaust denial (The Guardian)
A Single Way to Log Into Oculus and Unlock Social Features (Oculus)
A Facebook Account Will Be Mandatory for Future Oculus Devices (Gizmodo)
Instagram launches QR codes globally, letting people open a profile from any camera app (The Verge)
A more detailed, colorful map (Google blog)
TikTok announces a deal with UnitedMasters, its first music distribution partnership (TechCrunch)
TikTok Starts Website to Take on Rumors, Misinformation (Bloomberg)
Cops in Miami, NYC arrest protesters from facial recognition matches (Ars Technica)
Save 50%: CBS and Showtime bundle offer now available for Apple TV+ subscribers (9to5Mac)
Microsoft outlines its IE, legacy Edge phase-out timetable (ZDNet)
Microsoft Flight Simulator: The entire world in a game (BBC News)
Opinion | I Tried Microsoft’s Flight Simulator. The Earth Never Seemed So Real. (The New York Times)
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator (Steam)
Protect Your Privacy and the Environment While Upgrading Your Gear (The New York Times)

Episode Links

PTJ 342: Summer Grilling

August 4, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

The recent weather across much of North American isn’t the only thing that’s been a little toasty — TikTok, Big Tech and the kids who hacked Twitter last month are also feeling the heat. El Kaiser and J.D. take in the latest headlines from the technology world and also offer more tips for entertaining yourself in a partially closed pandemic city. Come join us here on PTJ 342!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Returns On Disney+ (StarWars.com)
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is a new Clone Wars spinoff coming to Disney Plus in 2021 (The Verge)
Microsoft to continue discussions on potential TikTok purchase in the United States (Microsoft blog)
With TikTok, ‘Uncool’ Microsoft Aims for the Love of Tweens (The New York Times)
Florida Teenager Is Charged as ‘Mastermind’ of Twitter Hack (The New York Times)
Three Individuals Charged For Alleged Roles In Twitter Hack (Department of Justice)
Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google grilled on Capitol Hill over their market power (The Washington Post)
New Pixels—and new prices—are here (Google Keyword blog)
Google Pixel 4A Review: At $350, a Win for Those on a Budget (The New York Times)
A partnership with ADT for smarter home security (Google Keyword blog)
More Than 1,000 Companies Boycotted Facebook. Did It Work? (The New York Times)
Is Your Chip Card Secure? Much Depends on Where You Bank (Krebs on Security)
Instagram morphs into an information powerhouse (Axios)
‘An Incredible Day’: Splashdown Concludes NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 (NASA)
NASA, ULA Launch Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission to Red Planet (NASA)
The Official Guide to New York City (NYCgo.com)
Self-Guided Walking Tours of NYC (FreeToursByFoot.com)
Self-Guided Walking Tours (GPSMyCity.com)

Episode Links

PTJ 333: ‘MYST’ E-Memories

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

As much of the United States drifts into its second month of lockdown to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the joy of playing old predictable games in decidedly unpredictable times. This week’s episode also includes a roundup of the past week’s technology news and a sharing of feelings about the Titans show on DC Universe. Spin up PTJ 333 to hear it all!

Links to News Stories Discussed on This Week’s Show

Apple iPhone SE 2020 update (MacRumors)
Zoom’s Security Woes Were No Secret to Business Partners Like Dropbox (The New York Times)
Virtual Nightlife Grows Past DJ Livestreams to Paid Zoom Clubs (Bloomberg)
Walmart is selling its on-demand video service Vudu to Fandango (TechCrunch)
Facebook removes some events calling for protests of stay-at-home orders (NBC News)
Facebook to Introduce an App for Gaming (The New York Times)
Mark Zuckerberg: How data can aid the fight against covid-19 (The Washington Post)
Instagram founders launch COVID-19 spread tracker Rt.live (TechCrunch)
‘One World’ concert raises more than $127m for WHO emergency response fund (CNN)
San Diego Comic-Con Canceled Amid Coronavirus Pandemic (The Hollywood Reporter)
The Entire Weekend Box Office Report Is From a Single Drive-In in Florida (ScreenCrush)
Domestic 2020 Weekend 16 (BoxOfficeMojo.com)

Retro Games for Uncertain Times

The Comfort of Childhood Media During Lockdown (The New York Times)
Myst
How to Find the Video Games of Your Youth (The New York Times)
Some Alternatives for the Bored Gamer (The New York Times)
It’s a Perfect Time to Play Video Games. And You Shouldn’t Feel Bad About It. (The New York Times)
How to Run Old Games on Your Modern PC (PCMag.com)
Castle Wolfenstein (1984) in the Internet Archive
Return to Castle Wolfenstein on Steam
The Internet Archive Software Collection
Untitled Goose Game

Episode Links

PTJ 327: It’s Baaaaaacon!

February 27, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 1 Comment

As El Kaiser and J.D. discuss in the week’s news, the global spread of the coronavirus is starting to take a bite out of the tech industry in multiple ways. But hey, the news wasn’t all bad — a major fast-food chain is now selling a bag of bacon as a tasty snack. Just hit the Play button on PTJ 327 to hear it all, plus a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint about reining in your phone’s constant alerts and notifications.

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Show

Apple’s Cook Calls Coronavirus a ‘Challenge’ at Shareholder Talk (Bloomberg)
Coronavirus clouds Apple’s timeline for new iPhones (Reuters)
Apple will surprise everyone with a new iPhone next month, and now we know even more about it (BGR)
The best Apple rumor right now is Gmail (The Verge)
Facebook cracks down on ads about coronavirus (Business Insider)
It’s Facebook vs. the Bloomberg Campaign vs. the Internet (The New York Times)
Google Translate adds five languages (The Keyword)
PSA: Google Nest Cam outage takes down live video, history (9to5Google)
Inside ‘Amazon Go Grocery’: Tech giant opens first full-sized store without cashiers or checkout lines (GeekWire)
Clearview AI: Face-collecting company database hacked (BBC News)
Dunkin’ Snackin’ Bacon

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

How to Take Control of Your Notifications (The New York Times)

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)

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!