The Lighthouse IT Podcast

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - July 11th, 2025

This week, Matt and Griff dive into:

🏎️ Apple's F1 Movie Races to the Big Screen, and Controversy

🪦 RIP Blue Screen of Death. Meet Its Dark Successor

🖼️ PNG Format Is Back, and It's Better Than Ever

🗣️ Branding 101: Should Your Company Yell or Whisper?

🤑 Cloudflare Tells Bots to Pay Up

📈 Bots Buying Ads? Google's Agent2Agent Advertising Revolution

💧 16 Billion Passwords Leaked?! Not So Fast.

https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-podcast-2/apple-s-f1-play-blacksod-png-3-0-bots-paying-up-agent2agent-ads-410

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - June 27th, 2025

This week, Matt and Griff dive into critical cyber alerts as the "Scattered Spider" group targets insurance firms and CISA issues urgent warnings for TP-Link and Zyxel devices. In the gaming world, a new handheld war begins with the Microsoft/Asus ROG Ally taking on the record-breaking Nintendo Switch 2. Plus, we break down Google's new conversational AI search, Meta's shift to Reels on Facebook, and the arrival of ads in WhatsApp.

https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-podcast-2/scattered-spider-handheld-wars-and-the-future-of-ai-search-407

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - June 13th, 2025

This week, Matt and Griff discuss the future of AI, spacey software loopholes, Apples rebranding, Gen Z's surprising take on data privacy and why your LinkedIn post probably isn't going viral.

https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-podcast-2/claude-4-forever-trials-gen-z-data-deals-linkedin-algorithm-seo-2-0-405

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - May 30th, 2025

This week, Matt and Griff talk about how HBO is renaming itself again, the Pope's trading card craze, Collage students using AI to "cheat", Apple and BYOD, Coinbase's breach due to bribery, Regeneron buying 23andMe, why your IT budget might be dangerously low, and much more! 

https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-it-podcast-2/holy-cards-cheating-grads-coinbase-bribery-buying-23andme-it-cuts-400

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - May 16th, 2025

This week, Matt and Griff discuss:

🕹️ How Gemini 2.5 Pro beat Pokémon Blue

🎵 The Janet Jackson Song Crashed Laptops for 9 Years

🔑 OpenAI's Restructuring and Microsoft Holding the Keys

📊 AI Usage Stats in 2025: Beyond Search and Code

🔍 When AI Workers are coming and the Security Risks

⚖️ The new App Store Freedom Act

🛻 The Slate Auto Debut, A $20K EV Pickup

⁠https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-it-podcast-2/how-a-song-crashed-hdds-app-store-freedom-an-ev-truck-ai-shakeups-395

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - May 2nd, 2025

This week, Matt and Griff delve into how Sam Altman stresses the unexpected computational cost of digital politeness in AI interactions, security vulnerabilities, such as a critical flaw in CentreStack and Triofox, and an unconfirmed Oracle Cloud breach. Also, Apple is looking at new Vision models to advance their AR technology, how iPadOS might soon resemble MacOS, and global manufacturing shifts due to tariffs. In the realm of antitrust, Meta faces scrutiny from the FTC over acquisitions, while Google is challenged for monopolistic practices in ad tech. Shifting strategies emerge as OpenAI considers browser ventures and Google navigates privacy and global platform dynamics. Lastly, social media platforms like LinkedIn and Pinterest are now focusing on user education to enhance content creation and marketing skills, reflecting an evolving landscape in digital communication and learning.

https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-it-podcast-2/security-scares-politeness-costing-ai-and-tech-industry-shakeups-390

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - April 18th, 2025

This week, we discuss the latest tech breakthroughs, as well as some history. They explore Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration, where past and present CEOs reflected on the company's influential history and future potential. The launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 boasts some upgrades and exciting new games. Additionally, Roblox's collaboration with Google to provide immersive ads aimed at Gen Z, alongside YouTube's "Inspiration" tab for content creation. Finally, focusing on cybersecurity, there is a potential vulnerability associated with Palo Alto's GlobalProtect, and Google introduces Sec-Gemini v1, an AI model designed to bolster cybersecurity defenses!

https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-it-podcast-2/microsofts-50th-switch-1-5-roblox-google-partner-youtubes-ai-388

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - April 4th, 2025

This week, we discuss a wide range of developments in the tech world, first the Pebble Smartwatch. The Core 2 Duo ($149) is bringing back the nostalgia of the original Pebble with the same black-and-white e-paper display and a battery life lasting over 30 days. The addition of an in-device speaker for chatting with AI assistance is a modern touch. The Core Time 2 ($225) is a more featured-rich option with a touchscreen, color e-link display, heart rate monitor, and a metal frame. This makes it more competitive in the current smartwatch market while holding onto the simplicity that made Pebble popular.

In other news, Microsoft announced that Skype would officially shut down on May 5, 2025. With Zoom's rise in popularity during the pandemic and Microsoft shifting its focus to Teams, Skype's decline reflects the rapid pace of the change in communications technology.

23andMe, the popular genetic testing company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is seeking a court-approved sale. This raised concerns about the privacy of genetic data, especially since some countries outside the U.S. don't have the same strong protections in place. Genetic data's use in non-health-related contexts is still a growing issue.

Roku's new startup video ads that play before the home screen loads have sparked frustration among users, with some threatening to switch to other platforms. Roku has already rescinded the change. While Roku might adjust this strategy, it signals a broader trend of increasingly aggressive advertising in streaming services, which could alienate viewers in the long term.

Meta plans to introduce millions of AI-generated profiles that will engage on Facebook and Instagram, mimicking real users. These profiles will feature realistic bios and images, leading to the potential for widespread misinformation. This move adds concerns about AI's impact of social media and the authenticity of online interactions.

Open-source developers have reported AI web crawlers are consuming an increasing amount of website traffic, which is causing issues for community-managed resources. These crawlers are essentially contributing to what resemble DDoS attacks, overloading servers and disrupting access. New tools are being developed to defend against these crawlers, but industry leaders have yet to adopt better practices to address this growing problem. 

https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-it-podcast-2/23andme-bankruptcy-skype-shutting-down-pebble-watches-meta-bots-379

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - March 21st, 2025

This week, we discuss the massive security update for Windows; make sure you install it as soon as possible! Additionally, more security updates include a new VMware exploit that has been discovered and patched. We now have the first reported incident of an AI-created ransomware attack, with the unfortunate victim being Sorbonne University. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is teaming up with Digg founder Kevin Rose to revitalize Digg with a focus on AI innovation. Automakers are latching onto the idea of advertisements in cars; however, safety experts point to a recent glitch as an example of how this can be dangerously distracting while driving. Flashes has just launched to the public as a Bluesky-based photo-sharing app that seeks to compete with Instagram. Meta is testing a new chatbot AI built specifically for businesses to enable more engagement with their customers. Google is in an interesting position, with some research showing it might be losing its position as younger generations prefer AI to traditional search, but at the same time, Google Search grew by 21% in 2024. Google's response to this is to further pursue AI with the intention of introducing AI-only search results.

https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-it-podcast-2/ai-search-ai-social-media-ai-ransomware-in-car-ads-378

The Lighthouse IT Podcast - March 7th, 2025

This week, Matt and Griff discuss their favorite computer manufacturer, Framework, and their upcoming releases. To no one's surprise, another Fortinet vulnerability has been discovered and patched, but not that many people have installed the patch. While cybersecurity knowledge is becoming more common, it does not always apply to new technology, as many employees are inputting sensitive data into AI prompts with little concern for security. Taiwan has detained a Chinese-crewed ship that it suspects has been the cause of several sabotaged underwater cables. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has confirmed their plans to launch paywalled subreddits sometime this year. Reports say that Apple Maps is reevaluating how it will handle paid search ads for local searches, possibly leading to more ads on the platform. AI continues to make itself more inescapable as Bing's new Copilot Search copies Google's AI Overviews formula. Speaking of Google, they have backtracked on earlier statements and have introduced a new policy to track users across all their devices with no ability to opt-out. LinkedIn is adding analytics for your comments, so now you can check things like how many people have viewed it, and Instagram is also updating its comments by allowing brands to pin paid comments to the top of posts and Reels.

https://hub.lighthousesol.com/blog/lighthouse-it-podcast-2/framework-fans-copilot-search-fortinet-vulnerability-ai-security-377