Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/

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It’s pretty easy to take the everyday conveniences of life for granted, it’s something we all do. Alec from Technology Connections is here to fix that, and his fascination for the mundane is the source of some of YouTube’s best content to date.

Alec’s insatiable curiosity illuminates the importance of humanity’s greatest inventions, the interconnectedness of the modern world, and why nobody cares about any of it. Matt and Kevin talk about their attempts to bring that curiosity to your TV set – something Bjork could tell you a lot about. We also figure out why Alec is the internet’s resident dishwasher expert, and how you’ve probably been using them wrong.

Not all inventions are as perfect as they should be, though, and can openers are certainly behind the curve. Alec flexes his technological muscles by bringing us the can opener of the FUTURE. It turns out people really had “built a better mousetrap” to get you your Campbell’s soup, but nobody is using it yet.

It’s easy to appreciate a great technological leap, especially when you can think of the alternative to using it. That gets a little tougher to do in the online era. Sure, the internet is amazing, but what is the alternative? What did the computer replace? Does Alec hate digital photographers? We just don’t know.

We talk about so many of technology’s advancements, but the reality is that it’s slowing down. Kevin highlights the struggles that tech companies are having today, and we give consumers the credit they’re due for realizing when they’re being swindled. We also get deep into the supposed uselessness of the Metaverse, and how it does the opposite of what we all need right now.

Our patrons close out the episode with some excellent questions for Alec about Tech Connections videos of the past, They Might Be Giants, and the never ending war of belts versus suspenders. Thanks to everyone who joined us for the live show, and a special shoutout to our patrons who make this show happen every week, you’re the best.

Join us next week for another installment of TCU RULES FOR LIFE. See you there.

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CREDITS: 

Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor 

Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU 

"Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  

Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  

Opening Animation: Kidmograph 

City Animation: Eric Langlay 

"The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. 

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