Instagram surprised everyone this week with the release of IGTV - a stand alone long-form video application for content creators and consumers. The Facebook Marketplace is a feature of the social media giant that is often under reported on but has some great benefits for buyers and sellers of goods. Following their acquisition of Time Warner, AT&T released a privacy policy update. The FAQ page is one of the most comprehensive pages out there. And finally, AppNexus has been bought by...

A United States federal judge approved the merger of AT&T and Time Warner Cable. In effect, AT&T owns distribution, content, and media rights to nearly 100 companies across the world.  Moreover, Comcast and Disney are battling for the acquisition of a 21st Century Fox stake to add additional content and rights to the asset class. This all may spell trouble for consumers as net neutrality regulations are set to expire thanks to the Federal Communication Commission.  Next, the CIO of...

The United States is now owner to the most powerful supercomputer in the world - Summit. The computer has the ability to compute 20 quadrillion calculations in just one second and is optimized for artificial intelligence specific applications. The gig economy is changing the way people lives their lives, travel, and earn an income. A couple is using Rover and Taskrabbit to earn a living while traveling around the in their RV. In 2015, a young teen struggling with depression and attempted...

We dive into what the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) are and how it is affecting companies, benefiting consumers, and changing the definition of personal data. L’Oreal, the French health and beauty giant, is adapting their digital strategy to include augmented reality to allow their customers the ability to virtually try-on makeup and hair products. The United States’ Senate passed a resolution to reinstate the Open Internet Order, with little hope of it moving forward. Google...

Adobe is offering the suite of Creative Cloud to educators for an absurd discount - $5 per student per year. Students will have access to Lightroom, Audition, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and more. In net neutrality news, the United States Senate has forced a vote on the floor to reinstate the 2015 Open Internet Order. The ongoing battle over net neutrality between the FCC, the federal government, states, general public, and the tech industry is quickly coming to a boil. Square, the popular...

We are celebrating another milestone on the podcast - the 400th episode! Over ten years ago, we hit record with no idea of where this podcast would go and it’s been an adventure. First up, we discuss how tech has changed since our first episode and then dive into a celebration of the iMac turning 20 years old this month. Last week, Twitter internally exposed the passwords of their 330 millions users. We tell you what you need to know and what to do to protect yourself. Google is set to...

Apple has issued a memo (which was in fact leaked) warning employees that the leaking of confidential and sensitive information is punishable with termination, fines, jail time, and more. The cost of your Amazon Prime membership has been increased by 20% after Amazon executives stated that more digital, shipping, and delivery options are rising in cost. T-Mobile and Sprint announced a multi-billion dollar merger that would instantly rank the new company as the second largest mobile provider...

Chevrolet and Shell have partnered to provide drivers to ability to pay for gas inside their vehicle via the infotainment center. With a modest rollout in three cities, look for the nationwide announcement soon. The state of California is moving forward with their own version of net neutrality in response to the FCC’s rollback of internet protections earlier this year. The Hubble Space Telescope celebrated 28 years in orbit this week. The telescope has amazed scientists, astronomers, and...

Facebook Messenger is a great way to communicate, and in this story Steve shares how the application brought together friends that haven’t spoken in 25 years. Apple Music continues its accelerated growth in the streaming service market, boasting a subscribing base of over 40 million, and becoming more and more competitive with Spotify. In Australia, a 57 year old victim’s Apple Watch data was used to solve her 2016 murder. ESPN has entered the digital content streaming business with ESPN+,...

Google has removed the ‘View Image’ function, safeguarding image rights and limiting image piracy, after after facing an antitrust lawsuit filed by Getty Images. The State of Oregon has signed a bill enacting their own form of net neutrality that prohibits state agencies from working with internet providers that choose to throttle websites, limit access, and treat traffic unequally. Dubai is running a test program for digital license plates that is being aimed at reduced emergency response...

The Facebook data mishandling is still at the top of the discussion list as we share our thoughts on the matter, how that fits into their business model, and why things will not change. A number of technology companies played pranks on April Fools’ Day, creating some fun and entertaining concepts on social media that had customers laughing. A UK-led experiment is tackling the problem of the millions of items of space junk floating in orbit causing several safety and hazard situations. And...

We are featuring CUE18 conference conversations with a technology coordinator, an IT coach, an institute director, and fellow podcasters. CUE (Computer Using Educators) recently celebrating 40 years of bringing technology resources and tools to educators, administrators, students, and attendees. In the four conversations from the halls of the event, we explore a wide range of topics - professional development, infrastructure decision making, teaching digital citizenship, serving as a...

Data loss is very common and strikes at inopportune times, causing stress and anxiety. With that said, March 31 is World Backup Day so join the movement! Toys R Us, an iconic American toy store, is officially closing after 70 years of service after failing to adapt to digital commerce. Ford is making a major change in the way buyers may purchase their vehicles - online dealerships with locked-in pricing, real time inventories, and no awkward sales interactions. Apple has developed a...

We are talking all about protecting ourselves, our data, our privacy, and our privileges. Robocalls, spam messages, and fraud attempts are rising day-by-day. Find out how to prepare and protect yourself from these types of calls. 2018 is shaping up to be a banner year for cyber-attacks, with an estimated 11 billion individual malware attacks anticipated. Learn what is coming and what can be done. California is introducing legislation - Right to Repair - mandating manufacturers to provide...

We are chatting about the future of the motorcycle industry, Amazon’s push into the security business, and people running into glass walls at Apple Park. Harley Davidson invested heavily in Alta Motors and are actively designing an electric model motorcycle to add to their inventory. This signals a small but significant change in the motorcycle industry. Amazon has purchased Ring, the internet-connected leader in security systems. The retail giant is hoping to utilize Ring and its home...

A group of former executives having formed a advocacy group to combat the growing teen smartphone and social media addiction issue. After the Parkland shooting, students are taking to social media to demand change regarding gun policy and organizing marches. Corporations are now denouncing and ending their relationship with the NRA as an act of corporate online social activism to a degree which we have never seen. Over 40 companies are pushing the latest in messaging technology - Rich...

First up, Intel’s impressive drone show during the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony caught the attention of many by setting a new World Record with 1,218 drones flying simultaneously. In preparing for the Olympics many athletes, including the US ski team, utilized virtual reality technology to train and prepare for their events. Falcon Heavy launched last week to much fanfare and celebration, proving that space exploration and scientific discovery is still only in its infancy. To those...

The US Justice Department is charging two individuals for their involvement in a highly organized ATM jackpotting scheme for being in possession of over $9,000 cash and devices using for hacking. On the way to Vegas, Tesla has constructed another massive Supercharge power station for its consumers and they continue to build a network of electrical infrastructure. If you are curious why your Amazon Echo or Echo Dot did not trigger during the Super Bowl ad it’s because Amazon uses digital...

Microsoft issued an emergency update to their softwares after Intel’s buggy Spectre fix caused spontaneous rebooting, data loss, and complete PC failure. In their search to find the perfect location for HQ2, Amazon has narrowed the list of cities to 20. But, many are concerned about the e-commerce giant coming to their city and growing the housing crisis, increasing income inequality, and changing the real estate and affordable housing market. Jackpotting, the hacking scheme that spits...

We chatting about the major implications of Spectre and Meltdown. Both of these vulnerabilities in computer security are critical to understand, both from a technical side and a user security side. Spectre and Meltdown tear at the fundamental core of how we build and operate our computing systems over the past twenty years. Amazon Go opened in Seattle with much praise and excitement, showing that a grocery store can function without checkout lines and workers. Microsoft is attempting to...

We are back after a brief hiatus! We dive right into the decision from a high school to ban UberEATS from delivery food to students after it disrupted the classroom setting and created headaches in the office. Roku announced two new technologies that creates a new whole-home integrated home entertainment ecosystem made up of smart TVs, soundbars, voice assistant, and smart speakers. Facebook Pixel is causing major headaches for some users and we breakdown what you can do to fight back...

Rick is joined by former college coach and now top football analyst, Rick Neuheisel. Rick talks to current football analyst Rick Neuheisel about the teams, their strengths and what they need to do be holding the iconic Coaches’ Trophy (aka) crystal ball trophy when the season is over.

We are diving head first into the New Year with a look back at technology of the past that shaped today’s world and a look forward with some predictions as to what is to come. The year 1997 proved to be very innovative for the technology industry. We experienced Windows 95 Upgrade (startup and access), the Palm Pilot (synchronized data), Netscape (web browser battles), Real Player (music streaming), and much more. Moving into 2018, we throw out predictions related to data hacking, net...

We are featuring conversations with exhibitors from the floor of the 2017 California STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Symposium. With these conversations you will learn about the wide range of products and services in the educational technology industry currently that are shaping the classroom. We connected with companies working directly with the International Space Station, the National Science Foundation, and higher educational institutions. It’s evident the wide...

On this special edition of The Waves of Tech, we are featuring conversations with organizers and attendees from the 2017 California STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Symposium. With these conversations you will learn a lot about the symposium from a variety of perspectives, such as the importance of collaborating in the educational tech space and the power of professional development. We cover a variety of relevant topics in education - preparing the future workforce,...