Episode Summary:

Brandt and Will trade war stories on the gap between AI hype and AI reality: Brandt's saga of nursing a decade-old, server-killed Oculus Go back to life with Claude Code, the "caveman concept" for cutting token waste, and why Claude keeps giving up and trying to open Chrome. Will breaks down Anthropic's new (and deliberately withheld) Mythos model, plus his own iMessage-agent setup via BlueBubbles. They wrap with confidently-wrong AI moments and this week's Things of the Episode.

Discussions Include:

• Claude Cowork vs. Claude Code vs. Claude chat, and when to reach for each
• The "caveman concept": talking to your AI simply to burn fewer tokens
• Resurrecting a 10-year-old, server-bricked Oculus Go using Claude Code, ADB, and a custom APK
• Anthropic's Mythos model, its bug-hunting/exploit-chaining chops, and Project Glasswing
• When AI is confidently wrong (and how to stop it defaulting to "just open Chrome")

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):

     "It is so stupid sometimes... but at the same time, it is also still really, REALLY stupid sometimes." - Brandt Krueger

     "There's two types of people in this world: people who use AI to learn everything, and people who use AI to learn nothing." - Will Curran

     "It flippin' writes its own APK... " - Brandt Krueger

     "Definitely the power is on the code side of things. It's much smarter." - Will Curran

Thing of the Episode (TOTE):

     Brandt: Oculus Go hacking project - https://www.ebay.com/b/Oculus-Go-VR-Headsets/183068/bn_7115189259
     Will: BlueBubbles - https://bluebubbles.app/

Episode Summary:

Will and Brandt continue to dig into the rapidly evolving world of agentic AI, with Will sharing hard-won lessons from burning through his OpenAI Codex quota and the growing appeal of Claude Cowork's new ability to run and manage tasks remotely from your phone. They also cover NVIDIA's OpenClaw announcement (NemoClaw), debate the rising anti-AI movement, and draw parallels between today's AI shift and the early days of the internet.

Discussions Include:

• Managing AI credit quotas and the real cost of letting autonomous agents run unsupervised
• Claude Cowork's remote phone control and what it means for agentic AI reaching everyday users
• NVIDIA's OpenClaw fork and why a trusted brand name accelerates enterprise adoption
• How AI is changing the way we write, type, and interact with technology, including the death of the emdash
• The anti-AI movement, AI slop, and why ignoring this technology may not be a long-term option

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):

     "My OpenClaw setup is a very capable executive assistant with the knowledge of the entire internet. And it runs 24/7." - Will Curran

     "Nvidia wants to be the Levi's of the gold rush providing the picks and shovels and blue jeans." - Brandt Krueger

     "It's like saying you're against the calculator when the calculator is sitting right there and can do the math problem for you." - Will Curran

     "It's a paradigm shift. It is a big deal. It's not just a hype train. It's really changing the way that people are working." - Brandt Krueger
     (note that "paradigm shift" was said in a snotty tone and not seriously)

Thing of the Episode (TOTE): 

     Brandt: Rhino USA Folding Survival Shovel with Pick - rhinousainc.com/products/rhino-usa-survival-shovel 
     Will: Project Nomad - projectnomad.us

Episode Summary:

Will and Brandt celebrate their 250th episode by diving into their AI platform journeys, with Will sharing his switch from ChatGPT to Claude and his experiments with agentic AI systems. The conversation explores Claude Code features, OpenClaw setups, and the future of AI assistants running automated workflows. They also discuss the challenges of building complex automation systems and share their latest tech recommendations.

Discussions Include:

• Will's migration from ChatGPT to Claude and the reasons behind the switch
• Building agentic AI workflows with OpenClaw and automation systems
• The evolution of AI coding assistants and Claude Code capabilities
• Audio and video routing in home studios using NDI and Dante protocols
• Roborock vacuum recommendations and smart home automation

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):

"Hardware is always gonna do a better job than software. That's why everything in my studio is hardware routed." - Brandt Krueger

"I had my own personal Claude $20 a month plan and was loving that. I quit it because I was like, oh we've got this enterprise ChatGPT. And like a week later, I reupped my Claude plan. I was like no, not for my daily driver." - Brandt Krueger

"My journey into Claude was primarily driven by the desire to find a better technology to try to improve my OpenClaw setup." - Will Curran

"Claude doesn't have any native image generation but honestly, the interface is fantastic. I get better answers." - Will Curran

And here's the referenced Claude "Hedcut" image showing it can't do image gen:

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Episode Title:
A Meshtastic New Career Move

Episode Summary:

Will walks Brandt through the ins and outs of Meshtastic, an off-the-grid mesh networking technology that allows users to send messages and share locations without relying on cellular networks or the internet. The duo explain how the decentralized system works by creating a network of independent nodes that relay messages across the airwaves. Plus, Brandt announces his exciting move from live event production into event tech as the new Director of Industry Relations & Partnerships at EventMobi.

Discussions Include:

• What Meshtastic is and how it uses free 915 MHz radio spectrum for decentralized messaging
• The node-based mesh network concept and how it differs from traditional cellular reliance
• Real-world setup and configuration of your first Meshtastic node
• Practical applications for events, natural disasters, and off-grid team communication
• Brandt's transition to EventMobi and the future of event technology

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):

"Meshtastic essentially is an off the grid way to message and share your location without the use of a cell network, internet, or anything like that." - Will Curran

"The people are the network. So you're not relying on T-Mobile. You're not relying on any kind of AT&T or anybody like that." - Brandt Krueger

"Hugely excited that you are now in that role and I know you're gonna do wonders- you're gonna kill it completely." - Will Curran

Episode Summary:

Will and Brandt swap real-world stories about AI tools going off the rails, from hallucinated brand standards and fabricated form fields to image compression issues that break OCR workflows. They compare experiences across ChatGPT, Claude, and other platforms, unpack why defaults and guardrails matter, and discuss when advanced modes like agent or thinking actually help. Along the way, Will shares hands-on wins using Cursor and home automation, while Brandt highlights the risks of AI making things up instead of admitting uncertainty. 

Discussions Include:

• Brandt’s experiences with ChatGPT hallucinating brand standards and form data when source files or images were unreadable
• Will and Brandt comparing Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, projects, GPTs, and agent mode behavior
• The dangers of AI defaults, image compression, and systems that refuse to say “I don’t know”
• Will’s recent successes using Cursor, Home Assistant, and automation powered by AI tools

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):

“So I fed it a blank document and it completely made up an entire brand standard and held me to it as I wrote my document.” - Brandt Krueger

“Rather than saying, I don’t have any data, it just completely made stuff up.” - Brandt Krueger

“AI right now is just trying to be so helpful that they have programmed it to not say, I don’t know.” - Will Curran

“The fact that I have to go in here and say, do not make things up, is terrible for consumers.” - Brandt Krueger

Episode Summary:
Will and Brandt reunite to kick off a new season by unpacking their favorite and most practical takeaways from CES, from stair climbing robot vacuums and smart mobility devices to breakthrough display tech and unexpected innovations. Along the way, they reflect on Brandt’s career transition, changing media coverage at CES, and how emerging tools like vibe coding and home lab setups are empowering individuals to build exactly what they need.

Discussions Include:

• Brandt Krueger’s departure from his full time production role at EideCom and what comes next
• CES trends around robots, AI, and devices that genuinely improve daily life
• Notable tech highlights including Roborock’s stair climbing vacuum, smart mobility aids, next-generation TV displays, and E-Ink signage
• Vibe coding, Raspberry Pis, and why building small personal tools may be the future of software

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):
“I feel like usually CES gets a lot more mainstream coverage, but it definitely didn’t feel like that this year.” - Brandt Krueger

“I want to talk about the things that I think actually really are cool, not just everything that happened.” - Will Curran

“The future of coding is make your own stuff, scratch your own itch and make it do exactly what you want.” - Brandt Krueger

Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ on TWiT, along with some other great coverage of CES 2026:
https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1066?autostart=false

Brandt just popping in to say "We're still here!" and will have exciting news shortly. Stay tuned!

Episode Summary:

We kick off with an impressive AI-generated intro from Suno's newly released V5 model, showcasing how far AI music creation has come. The conversation quickly shifts to hands-on hardware reviews, with Will sharing his one-week impressions of the iPhone 17 Pro Max (in orange) and both of us discussing the new AirPods Pro 3. From iOS 26 performance quirks to the practical realities of running beta software on production devices, we cover the full spectrum of Apple's latest releases. The episode wraps with an extended discussion on electric vehicle charging strategies, vehicle-to-grid technology, and why Brandt might finally be warming up to those Rivian headlights.

Discussions Include:

• Suno's V5 model release and whether the $20/month subscription is worth it for better AI music generation
• Real-world impressions of iPhone 17 Pro Max and iOS 26 after a week of daily use
• AirPods Pro 3 features, including hearing aid functionality and adaptive transparency mode
• Electric vehicle charging economics and the future of vehicle-to-grid technology

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):

• "You handed a caveman a flame- and then took it away from him." - Will Curran
• "I noticed that iOS 26 just runs better on it. This is what I'm noticing- with my being in the iPhone upgrade program is that I'll do the beta, I run it on my 16 Pro or Pro Max, whatever it is, and I notice slight performance issues." - Will Curran
• "Every time [a Rivian] drives by me and I'm like, well, it's actually not that bad looking. It's like, it's wearing me down... I can't get past the headlights. Weeelllll, I might be able to get past the headlights." - Brandt Krueger
• "So the guy basically insinuates 'I'm on the employer's dime. I'm going to be charging my car and then I'll just go back and sell it back to the grid and make a profit,' heheh..." - Will Curran

Episode Summary: 
Brandt and Will kick things off with more AI-generated podcast music experiments, comparing Suno and Eleven Labs for creating that perfect intro sound. The conversation shifts to Meta's latest copyright controversies involving torrented content, then lands squarely in Apple territory as Will unboxes his brand new iPhone Pro Max live on the podcast. Between discussions of Colorware customization options for black AirPods, and iOS 26 installation regrets, we explore the tension between AI creativity and copyright protection, all while celebrating (and occasionally lamenting) our gadget obsessions.

Discussions Include:

• The challenges of getting AI music generators to understand style without naming specific artists
• Meta's latest copyright troubles and what they might mean for AI training on music
• Will's live unboxing of the new AirPods Pro 3 in orange, complete with first impressions
• Colorware customization pricing and the eternal quest for black AirPods
• Why you shouldn't install iOS 26 on production devices (Will learned this the hard way)

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):
 "I love music and all of this kind of stuff. And I get it, right? We don't want to be able to just type in, make a Fatboy Slim song... But I'm just trying to say, I like the style of Fatboy Slim. I'm not trying to pass anything off as being a Fatboy Slim song." - Brandt Krueger

"It is crazy how smart the AI is getting now though, if you ask it to describe the music, it pulls out specific instruments and notes and stuff like that." - Will Curran

"Do not install it on your production machines. I made a really dumb decision." - Will Curran (regarding MacOX Tahoe)

"I've never liked the [AirPod] design with that stick sticking out. Like as dorky as my Bose look... I mean, on the plus side, you can see it sticking out of a tech's ear from 20 feet away." - Brandt Krueger

Episode Summary:
Brandt Krueger and Will Curran break down Apple's latest iPhone 17, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and AirPods Pro 3 announcements, finding the keynote more ordinary than expected after two years of blockbuster reveals. The conversation explores whether Apple's product lines are converging toward price point differentiation rather than feature distinction, examines the surprisingly pro-level camera capabilities that could replace traditional rigs, and debates the durability of the impossibly thin iPhone Air. Along the way, they discuss vapor cooling, the "plateau" (not a camera bump), concert etiquette, and why Brandt still refuses to wear white electric toothbrush heads in his ears.

Discussions Include:

• The iPhone 17 Pro's cinema-grade camera features like GenLock and multi-camera sync that are targeting professional videographers and content creators, potentially replacing traditional camera rigs in tight spaces
• Whether the ultra-thin iPhone Air can survive "BendGate 2.0" and if sacrificing camera capability for sleekness makes sense when you'll just throw a case on it anyway
• Apple's product differentiation strategy shifting from features to price points, with specs becoming more similar across the lineup except for camera count and storage tiers
• The AirPods Pro 3's heart rate sensing feature raising questions about redundancy in the Apple ecosystem when most users already have an Apple Watch for fitness tracking

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):
"It's not a camera bump, ladies and gentlemen. It's a plateau." - Brandt Krueger

"I am not going to stick an electric toothbrush head in my ear. Just not. I'm just not." - Brandt Krueger (on AirPods)

"I started thinking to myself, I'm looking at my studio and I'm going like, maybe I just put up iPhones. Like- in the end they all wirelessly communicate to my Mac." - Will Curran

"They said something that really made me sad and I hope to God it's not right. They said 'This feature is great for concerts where you can record your reaction and the stage' and I go no no no no no." - Will Curran

"It felt kind of ordinary, to be perfectly honest." - Brandt Krueger (on the overall keynote)