TechStuff

From LRADs to the dreaded "brown noise," we look at attempts to weaponize sound. Is it possible? What effects can sound have on the body? And how much do we not know? (Hint: The answer is "A lot.")

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's nothing like wearing noise cancelling headphones while on a noisy flight. But what technology lets you listen to your sweet tunes while eliminating the loud hum of an aircraft?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year, analysts predicted that OpenAI would need a large injection of investments to stay afloat. This week, OpenAI closed on a 6.6 billion dollar investment round. What's next? Plus, Elon Musk holds a recruitment event for xAI, the governor of California vetoes an AI safety bill and more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI is hard. How hard? Your company can hit a valuation of more than one billion dollars one moment and you're out of business the next. We look at two digital health companies that went from the highest highs to the lowest lows.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hydroelectric power harnesses the energy of water to generate electricity, but how? From turbine design to dynamos, we look at the components that make hydropower work.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta held its Connect conference this week and showed off some chonky augmented reality glasses, among other things. Plus, OpenAI shakes things up and DoNotPay agrees to, well, Pay.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time named the Sony Walkman number 47 on a list of the 50 most influential gadgets of all time. How did the Walkman become a thing, and what influence has it had on how we experience music? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where did CAPTCHAs come from? What purpose do they serve? How do they relate to artificial intelligence? And why are some of them so doggone hard?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel is allegedly behind an attack on Hezbollah involving exploding pagers. How did that happen? In other news, Microsoft wants to reopen a nuclear power plant to supply electricity to power-hungry AI data centers. Plus much more! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there a link between social media use and mental health challenges? We look at a meta-analysis and use some critical thinking to tackle the issue. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does "the ghost in the machine" mean? From philosophy to artificial intelligence, we explore this idiom to understand what it means, how it's used and if the dream of strong AI is realistic.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've got a lot of stories about artificial intelligence to talk about this week. Plus, Xbox holds more layoffs, Sony announces a new PS5 model, and for the first time, private citizens go on a space walk. Plus much more! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happened to plasma televisions? Where did they come from? Let's learn how plasma TVs work and why the industry abandoned this technology. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Paypal is a 70+ billion dollar company, but how did it start out? And why are the founders sometimes referred to as the Paypal Mafia? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brazil's Supreme Court has shut down access to X after Elon Musk defied some questionable court orders. The US Department of Justice says that an American media company was secretly generating propaganda on behalf of Russia. And a musician used bots to both generate and listen to music for nearly a decade before being accused of fraud.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Microsoft's dual-screened tablet concept to a holographic video game system, we take a look at some tech projects that died on the vine.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.