• How big of a priority is Amazon's home robot, the Vesta? Eugene Kim from Business Insider has the inside scoop.
• Surveillance camera company Verkada was hacked giving unprecedented access to sensitive video feeds around the world.
• Amazon publishes its own books but bypasses Libraries for digital distribution and that hurts those who can't afford to buy books.
• Meaghan Tobin from Rest of World talks about the potential impact of the new Instagram Lite app in India.
• Karen Hao from MIT Technology Review wrote a months long investigation into the competing forces within Facebook fighting for social good and business growth.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Eugene Kim, Meaghan Tobin, and Karen Hao

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• Ian Sherr from CNET breaks down the amendment to an Arizona bill that might influence the battle between Epic Games, Google, and Apple.
• Lance Ulanoff, writing for Medium, gives a deep dive explanation of Non Fungible Tokens and how they are being used in the creative space.
• Square announced its majority stake in the Tidal music streaming service, and Alex Wilhelm from TechCrunch has some thoughts on what it could mean.
• Jason is flabbergasted by the use of AI to analyze and animate recordings of piano performances.
• Mikah details TALON, an enormous collection of AI-powered surveillance cameras blanketing much of the US.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Ian Sherr, Lance Ulanoff, and Alex Wilhelm

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• Alex Kantrowitz from Big Technology Podcast talks about how Facebook and Australia have made amends in the News Feed dust-up.
• Karl Bode wrote for VICE about the changes that are imminent in the California courts to bring Net Neutrality back into the limelight.
• Jason and Mikah discuss some changes hitting Android and how updates differ between iOS and Android.
• Mikah details Twitter's breaking news of a paid subscription model for followers called Super Follow.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Alex Kantrowitz and Karl Bode

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First, computer security technologist Bruce Schneier joins Tech News Weekly to talk about Bloomberg's new report regarding supply chain attacks. Back in 2018, the outlet claimed major tech companies had servers compromised by surveillance devices — now it's doubling down.

Then, Rene Ritchie provides an update on the Epic Games vs. Apple saga. After attempting to introduce some legislation at the state level in the United States, the company has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the EU.

Then, Debugger's Angela Lashbrook stops by to explain some of the ways our increased screen time is affecting us during the pandemic. Lashbrook also shares some advice on ways to mitigate those effects and what we can expect when things "return to normal."

Lastly, Jason shares his excitement and lack thereof about the updates coming to the Oculus Quest 2 and Mikah talks about Facebook and Google's handling of new legislation in Australia.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Bruce Schneier, Rene Ritchie, and Angela Lashbrook

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• A water treatment plant in Florida was hacked and was nearly poisoned as a result. Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai from VICE has the details.
• Janhoi McGregor from Forbes talked to PlayStation 5 scalpers to understand their bot systems and found out that they feel misunderstood.
• A lawyer went viral when his courtroom Zoom video placed a kitten in his place. Thomas Smith from Debugger found out how he did it.
• Android users of Slack might want to change their password after login credentials were stored in plain text on device.
• A Beverly Hills Cop played a popular Sublime song when he knew he was being live-streamed by a civilian.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, Janhoi McGregor, and Thomas Smith

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First, Fast Company's Harry McCracken stops in to discuss the news out of Amazon — Jeff Bezos recently announced he's stepping away from the CEO role and Andy Jassy will be taking his place. McCracken tells us about Jassy and what a Jassy-lead Amazon may look like.

Then, Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica talks about his time playing the ever-elusive, ever-asked-for remaster of Goldeneye 007. What's it like? Are there big heads? Machkovech waxes ecstatic about the game.

Then Geoffrey Fowler from The Washington Post joins us to share his findings regarding Apple's new App Privacy Labels for apps in the App Store. Despite the outward appearance that apps are accurately reporting their data-collection practices, Fowler discovered otherwise.

Lastly, Jason shares a feel-good story about meme stonks and Mikah gets all excited about Apple's rumored mixed-reality headset.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Harry McCracken, Sam Machkovech, and Geoffrey Fowler

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• Will Oremus from OneZero shares his story about how Nextdoor directly impacted a local school referendum and how the service is in many ways impacting local journalism.
• Apple had a record-breaking holiday quarter and Dan Moren from Six Colors shares what's working so well for Apple even during a global pandemic.
• What does Reddit have to do with Gamestop's big Wall Street push? Brandon Kochkodin from Bloomberg explains why Redditors might be getting such a bad rap.
• Mikah discusses the details that Apple shared about its upcoming App Tracking Transparency feature.
• Jason gives a first look at the new Samsung Galaxy S21+ smartphone.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Will Oremus, Dan Moren, and Brandon Kochkodin

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First, Rene Ritchie stops in to discuss the latest Apple rumor. The company is reportedly working on a virtual reality headset, but this may be but a first step in a larger, augmented-reality-focused project.

Then, David Imel of Android Authority details his Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review. What's the best feature on Samsung's new flagship? What misses the mark? Imel has your answers!

Lastly, Debugger's Thomas Smith warms us up with his crypto-mining-meets-gardening operation. Between tomatoes, chickens, and graphics cards, this is a story you're going to want to hear!

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Rene Ritchie, David Imel, and Thomas Smith

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• Visa won't be buying plaid after all.
• Will Trump snap back at social media now or is it too late?
• CES 2021 is done. Was it as effective in its digital form?
• Apple's major racial equity and justice initiative is detailed.
• And Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S 21 series.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Alex Wilhelm, Emily Birnbaum, and Jason Hiner

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

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• Dave Gershgorn of Medium's OneZero publication stops by to talk about Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook's response to President Donald Trump's actions regarding the insurrection and invasion of the capitol building. Gershgorn also details his investigation of XRVision, the company purportedly responsible for identifying alleged ANTIFA participants in the invasion on Capitol Hill.
• Writer and director Sam Lucas Smith talks about his upcoming movie, "OK Google", which stars YouTube sensation Rebecca Black. The dark comedy centers around a rogue digital assistant come to life.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Dave Gershgorn and Sam Lucas Smith

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

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