Tech News Weekly (Video)

Twitter's new audio tweet feature might be ripe for abuse, we get a preview of Apple's WWDC, there's a new prescription for ADHD: a video game, and a Google team has created Pinterest but automated.

• Motherboard editor-in-chief Jason Koebler joins us to ask and help answer the question: How is Twitter going to moderate its new voice recordings?
• Zac Hall of 9to5Mac stops by to give us a preview of what we can expect at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference.
• Jason talks about a new FDA-approved treatment for ADHD and it's a video game.
• Mikah shares "Keen," an experiment from Google that's like Pinterest, but automated.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Jason Koebler and Zac Hall

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Smartphone convergence, Android 11 Beta.

• Apple announced that they would be sunsetting iBooks Author and iTunes U, but the writing was on the wall.
• Amazon banned police use of its Rekognition facial recognition technology for one year while it waits for Congress to implement stronger regulations.
• Daniel Bader from Android Central details the new features of Android 11 Beta 1, and what consumers can get excited about when its officially released later this year.
• On CNET's 25 year anniversary, Brian Cooley talks about how the smartphone revolution could easily have never happened if convergence wasn't embraced early on.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Daniel Bader and Brian Cooley

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The founder of Black Tech Pipeline joins us to talk about the org., Facebook may be a better social media platform for educating others, and what you need to do to protect yourself digitally before leaving the house.

First, Pariss Chandler, the creator of #BlackTechTwitter and founder of Black Tech Pipeline, shares the origin story of the organization, how to join, and how to help elevate Black voices online and in tech roles.

Then, OneZero's Joshua Adams joins the pair to explain how Facebook can be a better platform for educating others on racial injustice. He also talks about his upcoming book and shares his thoughts on memes and their role in messaging.

Lastly, Nathan Sheard of the Electronic Frontier Foundation details methods of digital defense. Before you leave the house, Sheard shares the steps you need to take to protect yourself.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Pariss Chandler, Joshua Adams, and Nathan Sheard

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

Trump's social media Executive Order, HBO Max vs Disney+, IGTV monetization.

• Emily Birnbaum from Protocol talks about what she learned after securing an early version of the Executive Order that threatens to control how social media platforms operate.
• HBO Max hopes to have a launch that rivals Disney+, and Joan Solsman from CNET breaks down why the two are actually pretty different.
• Instagram is finally giving content creators a way to monetize their media through the platform. Ashley Carman from The Verge talks about the way that will happen on IGTV.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Emily Birnbaum, Joan Solsman, and Ashley Carman

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

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Twitter is testing a new reply system that lets users choose who can and can't reply to them, students are failing AP tests due to a new, allegedly better image format, and a brief look at the potential future of the theater.

First, Jason strikes up a conversation about Twitter's new reply system — some users are now able to limit who can reply to a given tweet.

Then, Mikah applauds Netflix's latest announcement wherein the company says it will remove unused Netflix accounts — no need to pay for a subscription you aren't using.

Then, The Verge's Monica Chin joins the pair to reveal a new and troubling situation for students taking AP tests remotely: the iPhone's default HEIC image format is causing those students to fail their tests.

Finally, freelance writer Eric Ravenscraft pops in to talk about his article in OneZero regarding the future of movie theaters and our movie-watching experiences.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Monica Chin and Eric Ravenscraft

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

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Hacking Coronavirus research, Spatial VR Meetings, Elon Musk's Tesla tantrum.

• Laura Hautala from CNET talks about how the US is accusing China of hacking into Coronavirus vaccine research.
• Devindra Hardawar from Engadget spent time inside Spatial's VR teleconferencing software and right now might be its moment.
• Sam Abuelsamid from Guide House Insights details Elon Musk's Twitter tantrum and suit against Alameda County aimed at reopening the Tesla plant.
• A new PlayStation 5 demo was released in a collaboration with Epic Games and Unreal Engine 5 and it is breathtaking.
• OpenAI researchers created Jukebox, an open-source algorithm that mimics and creates original music from all genres convincingly.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Laura Hautala, Devindra Hardawar, and Sam Abuelsamid

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

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What you need to know about Apple & Google's COVID-19 exposure tracking tech, the gig economy is in flux thanks to COVID-19, and some employers are trying to maintain employee productivity while they're working from home.

• First, lead editor of 9to5Mac, Zac Hall, joins us to walk us through Apple & Google's COVID-19 exposure logging APIs — does it require an app? What are the privacy implications? How does it all work? Hall answers all.
• Then, Jason and Mikah discuss COVID-19's impact on the gig economy — ride-hailing services are floundering while delivery services seem to be thriving.
• Lastly, Drew Harwell from the Washington Post joins us to talk about the ways employers are keeping track of their employees who are working at home. Is it surveillance? Are there too many meetings? Harwell details the measures.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Zac Hall and Drew Harwell

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Bias and AI, online test proctoring, troubleshooting home Wi-Fi.

• Dave Gershgorn from OneZero talks about how bias can creep into AI systems and what can be done to prevent it.
• With schools moving online more now than ever, Monica Chin from the Verge shines a light on the invasive practices of remote proctoring services.
• Wi-Fi in the home can be a big challenge, but it might not be the problem. Geoffrey Fowler from the Washington Post walks through how to troubleshoot your Wi-Fi connection.
• Contact Tracing apps are starting to be used by the public, all of them employing different methods of tracking and raising eyebrows in the process.
• Google Meet just opened up its suite to all users for free in a bid to beat Zoom at the game Google helped to create.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Dave Gershgorn, Monica Chin, and Geoffrey Fowler

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Airbnb's Uncertain Future Due to COVID-19, Ethical Online Purchases, Virtual Live Concerts, and Wi-Fi 6E.

• James Temperton of Wired joins us to talk about how Airbnb is navigating the novel coronavirus.
• Megan Morrone of Medium's OneZero publication shares her tips for ethical online purchasing.
• Jason rocks out when he learns musicians are streaming concerts from home (and gives you some tips on how to watch and support them).
• Mikah looks longingly toward the future now that the FCC has approved unlicensed use of the 6GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi connectivity.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: James Temperton and Megan Morrone

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

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The low-cost iPhone SE, Minecraft RTX Beta is live, Apple/Google's contact tracing plan, Animal Crossing: New Horizons as pandemic medicine, Playstation 5's holiday release changes.

• Unemployment checks are delayed for some and the ancient COBOL programming language is to blame.
• With last week's news of Google and Apple's collaboration on a contact tracing system for tracking COVID-19 spread, many people are concerned about their privacy.
• Dan Moren from Six Colors talks about the newly announced iPhone SE, Apple's lowest-cost smartphone in its catalog.
• In gaming news, Sam Machkovech from Ars Technica is blown away by the new Minecraft RTX Beta that brings complex lighting effects into the experience to give it a notable facelift. Also, PlayStation 5 might be in low supply during its holiday release. Finally, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is turning into the game to beat during the quarantine.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Dan Moren and Sam Machkovech

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

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