YAK ABOUT TODAY

David starts with the subject that is on most folks minds this week, which is navigating the websites to get signed up for the COVID vaccine . On "Tips & Yak Tricks" we learn how to use our smartphones for Wi-Fi Calling, and we discover how pervasive data gathering is and how to turn off location services on our aps to secure our privacy.

David kicks off a new season of Yak About Today in Tech, teaching the wiser generation to become more savvy in tech. We learn to not be afraid of technology and to understand that it is like driving a car. We don't need to know how to repair our cars to drive them, and we don't need to know how to program a computer to operate one.
In Tech News we learn how to make wise choices in accessing cable TV, and in Tips & Tricks, David shares how to read ebooks for free or even turn them into audio books, as well as some tips on internet safety regarding passwords and how to avoid scams.

David and Stephanie Tell Thanksgiving Stories. The good, the bad, the funny, the emotional. And looking past this year to the Thanksgiving we hope for in the future.

This weeks show was recorded a few days after the election and David & Stephanie discuss post election stress and try to put it all in perspective. They both conclude that whichever way the results fall, "It's going to be alright". Stephanie discusses gender roles throughout history from ancient times right through today. The focus year this week is 2008 which was also a monumental election with the Democratic party choosing between two firsts, an African American or a woman to be their party's standard bearer. David continues the theme of the election relaying how after the long election and serving as a poll watcher in his county , the whole process has left him feeling numb. Stephanie concludes  with something good, which is sitting on her back deck in a gentle mist, observing nature and her Spanish Oak which makes her feel good.

Stephanie & David's conversation this week ranges from baby boomers who are not all at a place that they had envisioned, a discussion of the cultural, newsworthy events and musical highlights of the decade of 1975-1985 to Stephanie sharing her lifetime love of poetry featuring a current poet she has recently found.

With this week's show being just a few days before the election, both Stephanie and David have decided that it is time to disengage from the constant political anxiety. David discusses being a poll watcher in his community during the early voting and Stephanie has decided to get involved in local grass roots state politics after the election. This week we look back at the decade of 1965-1975 and a discussion of the similarities between then and now. David talks about his recent physical and how he found it amusing how his doctor told him he is basically healthy with a great future. Stephanie agrees that we all constantly need to think about our future at all stages of our lives. Stephanie concludes with positive thoughts about all the joyful things about being human.

This week's conversation begins with Stephanie telling David about her pre-Halloween fun experience of socially distancing with friends on paddle boats all wearing witches hats, around Lake Austin, which leads to a discussion of retail stores pushing holiday decorations earlier and earlier each year. David brings back "Yak About Tech" to talk about this years newly introduced iPhones as well as his Apple Ecosystem. The look back is to 2000 and the fear of computer systems crashing. It was the year that PlayStation 2 was introduced and the year that the presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was heard in the Supreme Court in December. Stephanie concludes this week's program back on the subject of Halloween and how she gave out candy in past years rather than healthy treats but not this year, due to the pandemic.

This week's ongoing conversation between two friends begins with David and Stephanie discussing their exhaustion with current politics, and how the early voting has finally begun as the political season draws to a close. The look back is to 1978, the start of video games, and an early version of personal computers. It was the year of Jim Jones and his cult in Guyana and the year that Saturday Night Fever dominated the box office and the music scene with the Bee Gees soundtrack. They both agree that the song of the year was Lionel Richie's Commodores with "Three Times A Lady". This week David reflects on the different perception of time from when back in Junior High School, time seemed to take forever and how today refilling his two week pill box seems to happen every day. They both agree that one childhood year feels like ten adult years. Stephanie concludes with a discussion of her lifelong love of little things that fit in the palm of her open hand from childhood right through today.

This week, David celebrates a big birthday and Stephanie thinks that David may have stumbled upon the secret to aging well. The discussion turns to a re-examination of social media after Stephanie gets locked out of Instagram and decides to take a break. The year is 1979, the introduction of the Sony Walkman and the Knack with "My Sharona", Michael Jackson's, "Off the Wall", and Stephanie recalls rollerskating in Venice Beach while David was living an artsy and decadent life, directing a play in London. We conclude this week's conversation with David thinking about history and the possibility of history repeating itself, while Stephanie is looking for something good coming out of the pandemic.

Here you go:

Today's never ending conversation starts with David and Stephanie both agreeing that they had good weeks when not watching or reading the news on a daily basis. David laments how the pandemic has forced the cancellation of performing arts in New York City and elsewhere. Today's look back is on 1974, the year that Gerald Ford became president after the resignation of Richard M. Nixon, and Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavy weight title when he refused to take the step forward at his local draft board. Stephanie's commentary this week reflects on the lack of reporting of a family life and the lack of humanity in today's White House, unlike any administration in recent memory. And David finishes by expressing his joy at doing the show each week with Stephanie.