Not To Be Technical

Nafis, Gary & Charlie just got back from Montreal and share some stories, including a fantastic life hack. We also dive into a potential recession, 3D-printing an ear, and Instagram updates. Here's the breakdown.  

• Revealing our shocking life hack for any airline flight. 
• Gary is a big Splitwise and GamePigeon app guy now. 
• Why we recommend Montreal and a few interesting incidents that occurred. 

Polls:

• Recap: What age range were you in when you got your first phone?
• Just posted: How terrible is this podcast art Nafis and Charlie commissioned for $50 a year ago from Fivver.com? 

Marketing Team Updates:

• We're still looking for a Social Media Graphic designer for a project.
• Stickers are still available! 

Trending Tech:

• Is a recession coming? We share some data and some of the insights from leading tech CEOs. 
• Doctors successfully transplanted a 3D-printed ear made from human cells
• Instagram's two updates - 
  • Increased character count for usernames from 30 to 64
  • Feeds will now show Amber Alerts for missing children in a user's area

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There have been massive tech layouts in recent months and we dive into the reasoning why, but first...

Nafis still feels hypnotized and finally gives Charlie his respect. (1:25)

Follow-Ups: 

• Charlie has officially won the Yelp Elite competition and shares what it is like to be Elite. Nafis claims he is in a new competition with another person.  (3:15)

Marketing Updates:

• We out here with podcast stickers. Reach out on Instagram if you want some. (9:34)
• Real billboards with our faces can be seen during rush hour on the Turnpike in South Florida.  (10:07)
• We are actually looking to hire someone for social media creative and will throw down some MAJOR money. Charlie also has an opportunity for anyone in the digital marketing industry to work with Nafis. (12:12)
• The guys recount their experience with a freelancer they hired to make podcast art, which was disgusting.  (13:25)

Trending Tech:

• Uber Eats is launching its autonomous fleet of delivery vehicles and drones for a limited test in California.  (17:48)
• Elon Musk is threatening to call off the deal with Twitter due to a disagreement on the number of fake accounts or bots on the platform.  (24:14)
• We discuss mass tech job layoffs and why this is happening. (28:43)
• YouTube's new "Most Replayed" feature they stole from a popular website. (35:12)
• Peloton's Rower is being teased at their annual "Homecoming" event. (39:44)

 Nafis' Weak Book Recommendation: The Future is Faster Than You Think

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Mother's Day is here and we have an extensive, last-minute gift guide, but first...

Nafis recounts getting hypnotized on stage by a comedian/hypnotist named Flip Orley and the lasting effects of it. (2:07)

Follow-Ups:

• Our Yelp Elite competition is heating up and one of us has been nominated and recommended to Fort Lauderdale's Yelp Elite Chapter. (9:40)

Marketing Team Updates:

• Stickers are here - reach out on Instagram if you want some! (14:30)
• Facebook killed its own podcast platform after less than a year.  (16:35)
• We are on a whole ass billboard in Fort Lauderdale.  (19:51)

Trending Tech:

• CNN+ was killed only 23 days after launch.  (21:47)
• Paramount Plus subscribers have grown to nearly 40 million. (24:21)
• Netflix is cracking down on account sharing and will charge a fee soon. (30:22)
• With the rising use of smartphones among tweens, we share some data and recount our experiences. (34:00)

Mother's Day Gift Guide (43:08):

• Air Fryers or Coffee Bean Grinders
• Hot Tip: get a gift for mom, not for the household. 
• Home Meal Food Kits: HelloFresh, BlueApron, GreenChef, or Gobble
• House Cleaning - Use Thumbtack.
• A MasterClass subscription
• Recently - turns photos into a magazine.
• Spa Sets, Oil Diffusers, Air Purifiers, or Eye Massagers.
• "Save for a Rainy Day" gifts: Amazon Alexa Devices, iPads, AirTags, Apple Watches, or Kindles.
• Tri-Fold Lighted Mirror
• An actual experience and spending time with Mom! Don't sleep on Groupon for ideas.

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Robocalling and spam texts are bullying Americans every day, but RoboKiller might be able to help. We touch on Netflix's recent woes, subscription fatigue, and the latest with Elon Musk and Twitter. Here's the breakdown:

• Nafis has always been a bully. We dive into his bullying of his former friend "Bowie" at age seven and what he made him do.  (1:32)

Follow-Ups:

• Poll Recap: Are you on BeReal yet or what?  (8:40)
• BeReal's insane growth since our last episode.  Add us here:  
  • Charlie: bere.al/scholz
  • Nafis: bere.al/nafisahmed

Trending Tech:

• The latest with Elon Musk's bid to buy Twitter and how they responded with a $420 a share "poison pill." (14:17)
• Netflix's stock has drastically dropped; we dive into why and the general trend of subscription fatigue.  (18:08)
• Robocalling and spam texts are worse than ever. We discuss what's happening and how an app, RoboKiller, can help. (27:51)

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BeReal is our favorite new social media app, and we explain why everyone should use it and add us immediately. But first, 

Nafis is relaxed, primarily due to an odd couples massage experience with Charlie. (1:35)

Follow-Ups:

• Ep. 40 - The Publix Gift Card Giveaway winner is @dvars,  proof will be posted. (16:52)
• Ep. 35  - Truth Social is truthfully doing terrible in every way. (18:08)

Trending Tech:

• Elon Musk's 9.2% ownership stake ($3B) in Twitter and why it isn't a big deal.  (22:20)
• A hot tip from Nafis for scanning PDFs quickly with your phone. (31:32)
• We dive into how the @bereal_app works and how much we enjoy using it. (36:23)
  • Add Charlie - https://bere.al/scholz
  • Add Nafis - https://bere.al/nafisahmed

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Uber and NYC Taxis are merging, while TikTok and Playstation Plus are expanding features and offerings. We dive into this, and so much more. Here's the breakdown.  

• Nafis is excited about a local VR studio (VR Player 1), his new Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset, and a VR pay-per-view adult entertainment experience he had. (2:39) 

Follow-Ups:

• We announce the winner of the $50 Publix Gift Card giveaway.  (7:45)
• From Ep. 12 - Spotify expands ‘Blend’ playlists to work with up to 10 people, including the music taste of some artists. (9:50)

Anonymous Listener #1's Pet Peeves & Hot Takes:

• Gary Mann and his schedule (13:40)
• Little white dogs (15:13)
• Burger King (16:01)
• Publix American Cheese Singles (16:50)

Trending Tech: 

• Playstation Plus' new tiers launch in June with 700+ games included in subscription prices. (26:08)
• TikTok's new Library feature connects to GIPHY, memes, clips from shows, and more to make video creation easier. (32:40)
• Uber is integrating over 14,000 NYX Taxis into its app. We discuss the history of Uber and Taxis, as well as Airbnbs and hotels. (34:43)

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Daylight Savings looks like it will stick around for the long haul, and hopefully, single parents will do the same on the new dating app, Stir. Here's the breakdown. 

• An update on Gary Mann.  (1:22)
• Charlie and Nafis are held accountable for their Yelp Review Contest and the Publix Gift Card Giveaway. (3:25)

Follow-Ups:

• Poll: Do you cheat on your hairstylist or barber? (8:08)
• More companies are joining Uber and Lyft with fuel surcharges.  (12:54)

Trending Tech:

• Stir, a dating app for single parents, has been released by the makers of Tinder and Hinge.  (20:20)
• Amazon closed an $8.5 billion deal to acquire MGM Studios. (27:00)
• Daylight Savings Time may become permanent, and we give a history lesson.  (34:30)

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Gas prices are affecting everything right now, Uber & Lyft especially. We also dive into some new iOS features and a merger of streaming apps. But first... 

• Nafis shares a tense situation when he is caught being unfaithful to Mike with Eric. (2:53)
• Charlie opens up about leaving Andy after a 6-year relationship. (7:03)

Follow-Ups:

• Poll: Is Nafis sexier without his glasses? (9:50)
• Poll: Does anyone even like baseball? (11:44)
• Nafis' LimeWire story from Ep. 37 - other long lost internet memories (12:20)

Trending Tech:

• Uber & Lyft are adding a "temporary fuel surcharge" because of rising gas prices. (17:49)
• iOS 15.4 is out with security measures for AirTags and mask detection for Face ID (22:38)
• Facebook on TikTok? (26:40)
• HBO Max and Discovery Plus will merge into one app (29:33)

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This week's Apple Event showcased a new budget iPhone SE and iPad Air, among other things like green colors and baseball. But first... 

• Nafis "pranked" people while going out on the town in Miami. (1:19)
• Charlie is getting a lot of hate for gas prices. (6:26)

Follow-ups:

• Poll: Is it normal to get ghosted on OfferUp constantly? (10:56)
• The Batman had a crazy box office opening, but the guys didn't get the Little Cesear's movie tie-in, Calzony. (13:09)

Trending Tech:

• Tinder users can now run in-app background checks. (14:37)
• LimeWire is relaunching as an NFT marketplace for more than a decade since being shut down. (17:56)
• Nafis is fixated on a past LimeWire memory that he needs to share as a form of therapy. (19:20)
• Instagram content can be tagged by "Enhanced Tags" for crediting photographers, songwriters, or other creative artists. (23:32)

Apple's March 2022 Event (26:04):

• iPhone SE (30:46)
• Mac Studio and Studio Display Monitor (33:32)
• iPad Air w/ M1 Processor (37:33)

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Most people write every day, so why not automate it with an A.I.-powered writing assistant? We dive into some free and paid options, but first...

• Nafis is feeling sexy with his contacts.
• Charlie has been getting ghosted on OfferUp for weeks.

Trending Tech:

• TikTok upped their max video length again. This time the cap is 40x longer. We discuss why they would do this and how they end up profiting.
• Disney decided to establish an odd partnership with Mozilla Firefox, of all companies, to promote their upcoming Pixar film' Turning Red'. 
• The new Batman movie is getting great early reviews and has an odd partnership of their own that involves a "Calzony." 
• Amazon and Teledoc have a more beneficial partnership to allow patients to have medical appointments via voice on Alexa devices. 

Main Topic:

• A.I. powered Writing Assistants like Grammarly and Writer.com 

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