Technorama

Episode 778: Ow! Stupid Lego!

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  • QOTW: You’ve just been hired to design the worst possible “smart” kitchen gadget. What is it?
  • Forgotten voice mail from Gary in Jacksonville
    • On This Day In History for August 20, 2025

    This is the 232nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 133 days remaining in 2025.

    • It was on this date in 1858, that Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, alongside Alfred Russel Wallace’s same theory.
    • 143 years ago today, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture debuted in Moscow, Russia.
    • August 20, 1920, The first commercial radio station, 8MK (now WWJ), began operations in Detroit.
    • Also today in 1926, Japan’s public broadcasting company, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) was established.
    • It was 50 years ago today that NASA launched the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars.
    • 48 years ago today, NASA launched the Voyager 2 spacecraft.

      • Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

      • English mathematician and academic, Thomas Simpson, born on this date in 1710.
      • Czech astronomer and educator, Christian Mayer was born 306 years ago today.
      • Finnish architect and academic, co-designed the National Museum of Finland, Eliel Saarinen, born on this date in 1873.
      • H. P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, novelist was born on that same date in 1890.
      • Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American architect and furniture designer, designed the Gateway Arch, was born 115 years ago today.
      • Japanese chemist, engineer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, Hideki Shirakawa is 89 today.
      • Also born on that same date in 1938,  French military officer and astronaut, Jean-Loup Chrétien.

        • Listener Birthdays

        Aug

        • 20 – Jedi_Kez (aka Brian From Winnipeg)
        • 22 – Zoidberg [1967]
        • 22 – Kyle Slingo
        • 22 – AlchemyDragon
        • 24 – Kira Fiore (Krazy Joe & Christine’s daughter)
        • 25 – David “Grizzly” Smith from Grizzly’s Growls podcasts
        • 27 – Chuck’s forgotten iPod
        • 30 – Maximilian Björsten, Stockholm Sweden
        • 31 – Tim Downing

          • Sep

          • 1 – David Kloempken
          • 2 – Scott Tyler
          • 4 – Kyra Vega
          • 5 – Ben Vaughan (benvon) [1977]
          • 6 – Susan Murph (SusietheGeek) How to Grow Your Geek Podcast
          • 6 – Brad Miller

            • And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for August 20, 2025

            • If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our website and look for the Birthday Calendar link.
              • News
              • AOL will end dial-up internet service in September, 34 years after its debut — AOL Shield Browser and AOL Dialer software will be shuttered on the same day | Tom’s Hardware
              • James Webb Finds Evidence of Free-Floating Planets So Large They Can Gather Their Own Planetary Systems
              • ‘Astonishingly rare’ The Hobbit book sells for ‘record-breaking’ sum
                • Hacks & Strange Stories
                • Google’s Gemini AI tells a Redditor it’s ‘cautiously optimistic’ about fixing a coding bug, fails repeatedly, calls itself an embarrassment to ‘all possible and impossible universes’ before repeating ‘I am a disgrace’ 86 times in succession | PC Gamer
                  • Shout out to the chat room

                  Watch us live every Sunday night at 8:30PM ET on Facebook. Go to Join our page and get notified automatically. Join us on the live chat!

                  Remember When
                  • 1976 film helps you learn computing terms – Boing Boing
                    • Thank you Patrons!

                    This show is brought to you by… YOU! Thank you to our Patrons who enable us to keep the show running and bring you special episodes.

                    Alexis DuranAmber ElstadAmy BowenAvner BravermanBen VaughanBrad MillerBrian BrownChris MartinezChris McDanDMan CoyerDean JensenDenise InglisGary LindrosJason PollardJohn CliffordJohn NobleJorge SchrauwenKrazy JoeKyle NishiokaLeonMark KilfoilMike WillsSaturday Morning MediaStephen WescheSteve CodySteve TherrienSteve WebbStewe LundinTim CookYour Name Here

                    If you want to become a patron, visit our Patreon Page. We’ve got various levels of donations and in return we have various patron packages including a special “after show” we record just for the patrons! patreon.com/technoramapodcast 

                    Pass me the remote
                    • Kreg
                      • The Fantastic Four – Theater
                      • The Naked Gun – Theater
                      • Happy Gilmore 2 – Netflix
                      • Untamed – Netflix
                      • Wednesday – Netflix
                      • Chuck
                        • Zero Day – Netflix 
                        • Marco Polo – Netflix
                        • Conversation with A Killer: Son of Sam Tapes – Netflix
                        • Rogue Agent – Netflix
                        • Ripley – Netflix
                          • Question of the week
                          • As NASA’s Head of Snacks for the inaugural Mars colony, which single snack food would you prioritize for interplanetary survival, and how would you present your choice to the crew?
                            • Patreon Topic this week
                            • Meshtastic
                            • Travel router
                              • End of Show Stuff

                              We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:

                              • Visit our Amazon page for recommended books, toys, and other fun stuff!
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                                  • You can help support us:
                                  • How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micropayment on Patreon!
                                  • Links to the articles and items referenced in the show can be found on our website
                                  • www.chuckchat.com

                                    • Also Thanks to

                                    • Everyone who sent us links during the week
                                    • Those who joined us to watch live on Facebook!
                                    • You, for downloading and listening

                                      • Tell a friend about Technorama and…

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                                      TechnoramaBy Chuck Tomasi and Kreg Steppe
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