After a couple of follow up articles from last week’s show with Michael R & Ian on the Unity & AR headset front, Michael and Michael launch into the world of stationary bikes and how virtual reality is augmenting the exercise experience.  Penn & Teller’s Desert Bus resurfaces after the team talk about a Roller Coaster Tycoon custom build that takes 12 years to ride.

The co-hosts take a look at Bjørn Karmann’s intriguing post about #ProjectAlias, a mod that allows users to craft a custom wake-word for their smart speaker using a raspberry pi.

Rounding out this week’s episode is a discussion on charging electric vehicle batteries as fast as it would take to fill up with a tank of gasoline and Nike’s commercial version of the Back to the Future auto-lacing basketball shoes. 

Selected Links

VentureBeat article: Improbable promises long-term support for Unity — https://venturebeat.com/2019/01/17/improbable-promises-long-term-support-for-unity/ 

The Verge article:  AR headset company Meta shutting down after assets sold to unknown company — https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/18/18187315/meta-vision-ar-headset-company-asset-sale-unknown-buyer-insolvent 

The NextWeb tweet:

Roller Coaster Tycoon enthusiast created a coaster that takes 12 years (and real bladder control) to ride https://t.co/glXPMYPbpX

— TNW (@thenextweb) January 16, 2019

Roller Coaster Tycoon — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RollerCoaster_Tycoon 

Desert Bus for Hope — https://desertbus.org 

Road to VR post: https://www.roadtovr.com/ces-2019-nordictrack-making-vr-exercise-bike/ 

NordicTrack — https://www.nordictrack.com 

Peloton — https://www.onepeloton.com 

Vive headset — https://www.vive.com/us/ 

#ProjectAlias tweet by Bjørn Karmann:

Proud to anounce: #ProjectAlias a parasite for the surveillance age that lets you be in controle of your smart home device. Check out the project at https://t.co/p3T57qp4Gc pic.twitter.com/nugeSUGWaB

— Bjørn Karmann (@BjoernKarmann) January 14, 2019

#ProjectAlias — http://bjoernkarmann.dk/project_alias 

TechCrunch article: GBatteries let you charge your car as quickly as visiting the pump — https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/15/gbatteries-let-you-charge-your-car-as-quickly-as-visiting-the-pump/ 

GBatteries — https://www.gbatteries.com 

Tesla Model S – Battery Swap video —

TechCrunch article: Nike’s auto-laced feature — https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/17/nikes-auto-laced-future/ 

Nike Adapt BB — https://news.nike.com/news/nike-adapt-bb 

Forbes article:  Nike’s Self-Lacing HyperAdapt Sneakers Are Returning in 2019 —