This Week in Google (Audio)

TWiG 595: Welcome to the Fetaverse - POTUS transition on Twitter, Brave adds IPFS, Bernie mitten memes

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 20:08:45 PST

President pardons ex-Google engineer Anthony Levandowski
The reset of presidential Twitter accounts
A notable drop in misinformation attributed to Twitter's Trump ban
Google cuts off another AI expert in the company
Google Research report shows its accomplishments in AI
Google tests blocking news from search in Australia
youtube-dl reinstated thanks to the EFF
U.S. judge in Facebook antitrust lawsuits sets March, April deadlines for responses
Turkey slaps ad ban on Twitter under new social media law
Cory Doctorow on the Deplatforming of the (former) President
TikTok users make Bridgerton, the Musical
Discuss 22-year-old Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem "The Hill We Climb"
Biden Has a Peloton Bike. That Raises Issues at the White House
Biden SEC pick is no stranger to crypto
Trump administration adds China's Comac, Xiaomi to Chinese military blacklist
In hidden message on White House website, Biden calls for coders
Brave becomes first browser to add native support for the IPFS protocol
Developer Makes Interactive Map of Parler Videos From Capitol Hill Riots
MIT review has a guide to ethical online investigation
Bernie mitten memes!
Chrome 88 rolling out with a number of changes
Gmail now lets you resize Google Chat, Rooms in the web sidebar
Google cuts off acceess for Chromium browsers to sync, other services
The Google Play Store adds icons to show chart position changes
Google rolling out Winter Seasonal Savings to Nest Thermostats
Google previewing new Nest Hub alarms with more customization, tones, and 'Sunrise'
Google Maps making streets, nature much more detailed
Google Store stops selling the two-year-old Pixel USB-C earbuds
Stadia's new State Share features lands with the release of Hitman 3
The Complete List of Trump's Twitter Insults (2015-2021)
Malwarebytes says it was hacked by group that breached SolarWinds, via Azure and Office 365 exploits
Trump seeks to curb foreign cyber meddling on last day in office
Pocket Casts is up for sale nearly three years after acquisition by public radio consortium

Picks:

Ant: Thank you to the Heroes image
Stacey: $10 GE grow light
Jeff: Digital reading exploded during the pandemic
Jeff: Netflix has reached 200 million customers

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

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TWiG 594: Chastity Does Not Come Cheap - Tech reaction to DC insurrection, CES 2021, sea-shanty TikTok

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 21:06:18 PST

A look at Sea-shanty TikTok!
How Twitter, YouTube, Parler, Amazon, and AirBnB responded to DC insurrection
Jeff Jarvis talks about Parler and Trump on BBC
Angela Merkel does not agree with Twitter deplatforming Trump
Is Leo missing anything by not being on Twitter?
Mike Masnick weighs in on Twitter's Trump ban
The cybersecurity scenario from the DC riot is a nightmare
The Digital Consumer Electronics Show 2021 is just not the same
TCL shows off its rollable and scrollable prototypes
LG gives a release date for its rollable device
Razer unveils a smart mask that is quite innovative
Android Auto to gain wallpaper support
Guest Mode, aka Incognito Mode, is out on Assistant speakers
Google fixes a bug in its Android COVID-19 API
Google Meet now has a troubleshooting menu
YouTube includes a new hashtag section
Google Maps shows a 2020 Timeline update
Weber has acquired smart oven maker June
WhatsApp exodus leads to spike in users for Signal
Craig Newmark funds Commission on Information Disorder
Former Trump cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs hired by SolarWinds
Github fired an employee for warning co-workers about Nazis
Quibi sold for less than $100M to Roku

Picks:

Mathew: My new favorite word
Jeff: $428b in shopping returns
Ant: Tourbox NEO

Photo by Kyle Mills on Unsplash

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, and Ant Pruitt

Guest: Mathew Ingram

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

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itpro.tv/twit promo code TWIT30

TWiG 593: That's Not Sweet Tea - Google employees unionize, Twitter locks Trump's account, vaccine source code

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 19:49:18 PST

Google employees move toward unionizing.
Facebook and Twitter remove President Trump's speech.
Google Nest has new security cameras coming in 2021.
Nest Hub will likely have Soli radar functionality.
Amazon is prepping a sleep apnea device using millimeter-wave radar.
Leo is getting the Bose Sleepbuds II.
Twitter buys social audio app Breaker.
Ratatouille the Musical earns $1 million.
Twitter is relaunching its verification system.
Reverse engineering the COVID vaccine source code.
2020 was a good year for publishing.
Google Docs gets Smart Compose.
Wear OS will support third-party Tiles.
Google Podcasts on the web adds subscription feeds.
January Pixel phone update improves auto-brightness.
Chrome OS Camera will support QR code scanning.
Samsung announces its Galaxy S21 event for this month.
Julian Assange's extradition to the US is blocked.
Bean Dad and his apology.
Why is Jack Ma lying low?
AI is getting really good at drawing things from words.
Jeff's post-Section 230 dystopia.

Picks of the week:

Stacey: Aquanta water heater controller
Jeff: 2020 2as the unhappiest year on Twitter in 12 years.
Ant: Take a look at this awesome Snowflake photography!

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

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TWiG 592: Hats on Sticks - Origins of Reddit, Substack and the future of journalism, Amazon buys Wondery

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 19:56:44 PST

Boston Dynamics robots do a little dance.
Google brings TikTok and Instafram into its video carousel.
TikTok Ratatouille musical tickets are for sale.
Reddit is buying Dubsmash to compete with TikTok.
Amazon is buying podcast network Wondery.
An album entitled "Okay Google Play Music"
How trustworthy are news sources anymore?
A debate around the role of content production.
Google Cloudprint is no longer.
Google Store now has a subscriptions section.
Android Smart Selection has a new conversion function.
Google removed ultra-wide astrophotography from the Pixel 5.
Google Photos has a "year in review" story.
Google Assistant sings a New Year song. And it is bad.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 leaks.
Substack author is making a million dollars.
The glut of content between podcasts and newsletters.

Picks:

Stacey - Hoobs.
Jeff - Where are tech workers moving?
Ant - Canvas on Netflix.

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

TWiG 591: Best of 2020 - The Best TWiG Moments of the Year!

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:00:00 PST

Leo Laporte takes us through some of the best moments from the past year. 2020 highlights include:

"Brand Twitter".
Coronavirus guidance recommendations.
All kinds of great pies.
Getting magnets stuck up the nose.
Jeff's interview of the voice of Steak-Umms.
God tries to strike Jeff Jarvis dead.
Screaming on rollercoasters.
Happy birthday Jeff.
Taxidermy options for Stacey.
Rating Zoom backgrounds.
Leo's Scottish voice.
Ant discusses growing up with Chadwick Bozeman.

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

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TWiG 590: The Enlarged Bicep of Reason - Google outages, Facebook ads against Apple, Google WFH, Blob Opera

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 18:53:19 PST

Google outages, Facebook ads against Apple, Google WFH, Blob Opera

The Blob Opera.
Facebook goes after Apple in newspaper ads.
Facebook is a Doomsday Machine.
Apple's big mobile ad industry change.
Facebook's new TLDR service to summarize the news.
Facebook's Super to compete with Cameo.
Two big Google outages and how it affects business.
Google's WFH strategy is becoming more permanent.
64-camera lighting rig that trained portrait lighting AI.
Google Photos gets a bunch of new features.
Google acquires Neverware.
Google Design Best of 2020.
Apple TV app coming to Chromecast.
Some Google One tiers getting a 50% price cut.
Nest Hub Max can now make Zoom video calls.
Google Home Max is now dead.
December Pixel feature drop is out.

Picks of the week:
Stacey's pick: The Spritzer.
Jeff's number: MacKenzie Scott gives away $4b to 300+ orgs in four months.
Ant's pick: Budget-friendly camera gimbal from Feiyutech.

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

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TWiG 589: Forty-Six States and Guam - Facebook antitrust charges, Google search in 2020, Election ad ban

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 20:05:35 PST

Facebook antitrust charges, Google search in 2020, Election ad ban

The firing of Google AI scientist Timnit Gebru.
FTC sues Facebook on charges of antitrust.
Google's look at the year in search for 2020.
Google will lift its election ad ban.
Facebook's Supreme Court is underway.
WhatsApp going after Apple regarding privacy labels.
Stadia is letting users play Cyberpunk 2077 early.
YouTube now supports HDR for live streams.
Apple Music support comes to Assistant speakers.
SmartThings can control Google Nest devices.
Fuschia is opened to community involvement.
TikTok ban is halted by a judge.
TikTok is not the best place for financial advice.
Ratatouille the musical is evolving beyond TikTok.
What is Revenge Bedtime Procrastination?
Warner Bros bringing all 2021 films to HBO Max.
Dionne Warwick is winning on Twitter.
Reddit's most upvoted 2020 picture.
It's officially not OK to make calls on planes.

Picks:
Mathew - Julia Stiles in Ghostwriter in 1994.
Leo: NandGame is a fun tool to teach computer science.
Jeff: 52 things Tom Whitwell learned in 2020.
Ant: Free assets from Adobe, and appreciation of Darien Rencher.

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, and Ant Pruitt

Guest: Mathew Ingram

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

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TWiG 588: I'm Still Good Boi - Salesforce buys Slack, Amazon hiring spree, Microsoft and workplace surveillance

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 22:00:08 PST

Salesforce buys Slack, Amazon hiring spree, Microsoft and workplace surveillance

Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The latest word on Tony Hsieh.
Amazon looking to buy Wondery.
Salesforce is acquiring Slack.
Amazon is hiring like crazy.
Amazon is in trouble with a workers union.
Inspiring kids to follow their passion.
Google Authenticator for iOS gets a big upgrade.
Google Health tool can plan for your medical visits.
Google is shutting down Poly, we hardly knew ye.
Winners of Google's Best of Play Awards 2020.
Learn how to learn.
Googe's gift guide monitors trending items.
The Biden's dogs have a Twitter account.
President Trump has a plan to end Section 230.
Microsoft feature is a workplace surveillance tool.
American's aren't OK with phone tracking.
The top TikTok videos of 2020.

Picks of the week:
Stacey: OLLIVAN Plant Monitor.
Jeff: Captcha can tell if you are American.
Ant: Some good audiobooks to fall asleep to.
Leo: Deepmind AI is accelerating drug discovery.

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

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TWiG 587: Counsel of Open Source Poobahs - RCS Gets E2EE, Pulling Back on AMP, AWS Outage

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 18:27:48 PST

RCS Gets E2EE, Pulling Back on AMP, AWS Outage

The effects of a massive AWS outage.
TikTok and the creation of Ratatoullie the Musical.
RCS is finally getting end-to-end encryption.
AMP preferential treatment is about to go away.
Google is opening up Chromium Project to the community.
Google Stadia is one year old but is it any good?
Tree Canopy Lab aims to map trees into cities.
Project Guideline enables the blind to run in marathons.
French publishers will be paid by Google for search and news results.
Comparing social media companies against each other.
Stories vs. Fleets.
Buzzfeed buys Huffington Post.
Assistant and Fi get some new family-focused features.
Google Meet attendance reports rolling out for some.
Google Hangouts say goodbye to group video calling.
Google Pay now carries a 1.5% fee on instant transfers.
Chrome updates will bring tab search and Chrome Actions.
Just do a search for Happy Thanksgiving.

Picks of the Week

Ant: I love seeing a creator's professional GROWTH
Jeff: Robotaxi's can now charge for rides in California.
Stacey: Nanoleaf Essentials bulbs.
Jason: Pet portraits for the holidays at Crown & Paw.

Hosts: Jason Howell, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

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TWiG 586: Makeup As a Service - Google Pay, Fleets, L'Oreal Digital Makeup

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 17:59:10 PST

Google Pay, Fleets, L'Oreal Digital Makeup

Nest outage takes out security cameras
Fleets are Twitter's version of Snapchat's disappearing posts
Say hello to the new Google Pay
What is an Internet Bank?
Google Photos is no longer free. Is this evil?
Google is mysteriously uploading data
Apple and Google are thinking about 6G
L'Oreal introduces digital makeup
The story of SAGE
YouTube kills Rewind 2020
What is your Zoom strategy for Thanksgiving?
Amazon Pharmacy offers free prescriptions for Prime members
Google Changelog: Barely Blue | TVA Solar Farms | Chimera | RIP Expeditions | Assistant Driving Mode | Tab Search
The sound of the end of WW1

Picks of the Week
Stacey's Thing: Ring Mailbox Sensor
Jeff's Stuff: Masks fuel Etsy surge (via Ben)
Ant's Stuff: Musicians Share How The Songs Happened

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google.

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