Google's new $400 Pixel 3a has a great camera AND a headphone jack!!! Google's smart home products are all Nest now, Lenovo's IdeaPad S940 reviewed, and Microsoft PowerToys goes open source!!! All that and more on TWiCH, This Week in Computer Hardware episode 516! 
  
Hosts: Patrick Norton and Sebastian Peak 
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This Week in Computer Hardware 516: Pixel 3a: 3.5mm of Headphone Heaven!

Leo Laporte brings some of the most interesting personalities in technology together to talk about the most important issues. Fun, relaxed, informative and always entertaining, count on TWiT for the best tech podcasts in the world.

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Need a Linux distro to clean up after a ransomware incident? We've got CSI Linux! Want to run a newer mainline kernel with a RHEL derivitave? Rocky's doing it! And Nvidia has hired a Nouveau developer, the 6.10 kernel may have a blue screen of death, and Gentoo bans AI code! For tips we have nmon to build-your-own top, the final staps to re-sizing a virtual machine drive, and obfuscate for doing a bit of image redaction. Find the show notes at https://bit.ly/3Ju3l6G and see you next week! 
Host: Jonathan Bennett 
Co-Hosts: Rob Campbell and Jeff Massie 
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Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Untitled Linux Show 148: Gonna Cost 64 ARMs

 
Cops can force suspect to unlock phone with thumbprint, US court rules 
TikTok 'ban' passes in the House again 
Senate reauthorizes FISA spy program, but not before its midnight expiration 
Surveillance Law Section 702 Keeps Us Safe 
Netflix (NFLX) earnings Q1 2024 
Americans' New TV Habit: Subscribe. Watch. Cancel. Repeat. 
How One Author Pushed the Limits of AI Copyright 
Amazon Prime Memberships in US Gain 8% to New High After Lull 
Tesla recalls all 3,878 Cybertrucks over faulty accelerator pedal 
Tesla asks shareholders to approve Elon Musk's nixed $56 billion pay plan 
Cool or creepy? Microsoft's VASA-1 is a new AI model that turns photos into 'talking faces' 
GPT-4 can exploit real vulnerabilities by reading advisories 
Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robot goes electric 
Schools Want to Ban Phones. Parents Say No. 
Host: Leo Laporte 
Guests: Jason Howell, Abrar Al-Heeti, and Mikah Sargent 
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This Week in Tech 976: Serial Churners

Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent dive into a variety of engaging tech topics, from controversial phone bans in schools to the future of AI and data privacy. The duo also tackles listener questions on VPNs, mobile hotspots, Apple App Store subscriptions, and more. Special guest Rod Pyle joins to discuss the latest updates on Voyager 1 and the Mars Sample Return mission. 
Mobile Phones in Schools: Leo and Mikah discuss the growing controversy around schools banning phones to prevent students from being distracted in class, despite parents' concerns about wanting to stay connected with their children. 
Biometric Security and Privacy: A recent court ruling determined that police officers can compel suspects to unlock their phones using biometric data like fingerprints, sparking a debate about privacy rights and the Fifth Amendment. 
TikTok Ban Passes in the House Again: The hosts examine the implications of the U.S. House of Representatives once again passing a ban on TikTok, which is now headed to the Senate as part of a foreign aid package. 
John asks how to ensure that a VPN is truly protecting his privacy, and Leo explains the importance of trust in a connected world. 
Eric inquires about using NFC chips to log onto Wi-Fi networks with an iPhone, and Mikah clarifies that this feature is not currently available on iOS devices. 
Limitless: Leo pre-ordered a new wearable device called Limitless, which uses AI to record and transcribe conversations while respecting privacy by requiring consent from participants. 
Space expert Rod Pyle joins the show to discuss the latest developments with Voyager 1's corrupted memory and NASA's decision to cut ties with JPL for the Mars sample return mission due to cost and time concerns. 
Dan experiences issues with his mobile hotspot disconnecting when using his computer, and the hosts troubleshoot potential solutions, including checking for metered connections and power-saving settings. 
Fernando inquires about running local AI models for his work at a hospital, and Leo provides insight into retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and various open-source AI options like Dot. 
Tim asks about using multiple payment methods for Apple App Store subscriptions, and Mikah explains the workaround of manually reordering payment methods. 
Steve wants to move his photos from Google Photos to a hard drive, and Leo recommends using Mylio to easily import and manage the photos from Google Takeout. 
A listener, also named Tim, asks for recommendations on moving their DNS hosting away from Google while still supporting dynamic DNS updates, and the hosts suggest using Cloudflare or a router with built-in dynamic DNS support. 
Shelly experiences issues with mismatched drive sizes when attempting to clone her hard drives, and Leo advises using a sector-by-sector copying tool or rsync for more precise duplication. 
Hosts: Leo Laporte and Mikah Sargent 
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Show notes and links for this episode are available at: https://twit.tv/shows/ask-the-tech-guys/episodes/2021
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Ask The Tech Guys 2021: Warp Glorp

Unless you've been living under a big red Martian rock, you've likely heard that NASA's Mars Sample Return mission is in trouble. The robotic program has its roots in the 1960s, when NASA started thinking about sending robots to fetch Mars soil even before Mariner 4's first flyby of the planet. The Russians pondered it as well, as the Chinese and Japanese are today. The problem? It's really hard, with multiple spacecraft, possibly on different launches, rendezvousing around the Red Planet to accomplish. And then there are the concerns about the safety of returning possible pathogens to Earth (that said, I could use an extra tentacle). But the showstopper, as usual, is cost—and NASA's not happy. We invited the original Space Ace reporter, Leonard David, to join the discussion. 
Headlines: 
NASA gives green light to Dragonfly, a nuclear-powered helicopter mission to Saturn's moon Titan, set to launch in 2028 and arrive in 2034 
New images from the Perseverance rover reveal the crash site of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, showing scattered debris and broken rotor blades 
NASA continues to study the Orion spacecraft's heat shield, which experienced more erosion than expected during the Artemis 1 mission, raising concerns for future crewed missions 
Main Topic: Mars Sample Return Mission 
Leonard David expresses frustration with NASA's recent announcement of significant cost increases and delays for the Mars Sample Return mission 
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that the current estimated cost of $11 billion is too high and called for innovative ideas from industry and academia to reduce costs and accelerate the timeline 
They discuss the scientific importance of returning Martian samples to Earth but question whether the current approach is the most effective way to search for life on Mars 
Leonard suggests that advancements in miniaturized instruments could allow for more comprehensive life detection experiments directly on the Martian surface, reducing the need for sample return 
The conversation touches on the potential for international collaboration and competition in Mars exploration, with China, Japan, and Russia planning their own missions 
Rod highlights the critical role of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Mars exploration and expresses concern about the potential loss of expertise if the MSR mission is scaled back or cancelled 
The TWiS crew concludes by emphasizing the need for a clear, sustainable strategy for Mars exploration that balances scientific objectives, technological capabilities, and budgetary realities 
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik 
Guest: Leonard David 
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This Week in Space 107: Mars Sample Return Blues

Boston Dynamics introduced a new robot that has caught the attention of many people. How is Microsoft's AI Copilot impacting the coding industry? What are TikTok Notes? And what in the heck are Super Apps? 
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins us this episode to discuss Boston Dynamics' introduction of its latest robot, the Atlas, and how it's a vast improvement over its previous robots. 
Mikah Sargent talks about how Microsoft's AI Copilot is impacting the coding industry by automating coding aspects and saving engineers time. 
Karissa Bell of Engadget joins the show to talk about TikTok's latest experiment, TikTok Notes, and how it is similar to Meta's Instagram. 
Finally, Lisa Eadicicco of CNET explains what Super Apps are and why the idea of Super Apps is starting to make news lately. 
Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy 
Guests: Karissa Bell and Lisa Eadicicco 
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 
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This Week in Computer Hardware 516: Pixel 3a: 3.5mm of Headphone Heaven!

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