Pop | Tech | Jam

Like Clippy in a Microsoft Teams background, El Kaiser and J.D. are back after a somewhat inadvertent hiatus! The new season of Pop Tech Jam kicks off with El Kaiser's thoughts on the most recent Suicide Squad reboot/remake/reimagining and includes J.D.'s usual roundup of technology and nerd news headlines — plus some tips for tidying your phone's home screen and making the most of shortcut menus and widgets. Join us here on PTJ 356!

In this week's episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the headlines from the world of tech, including the U.S. government's own Bitcoin grab as it claws back the Colonial Pipeline ransom. El Kaiser would like Batman to have at least one nice day and J.D. ambles through the major announcements from this year's Apple's World Wide Developers Conference. Just push play to hear it all on PTJ 355!

This month's Colonial Pipeline hack, the massive bot farm lurking on Facebook last fall and Amazon's constant battle with counterfeit products illustrate the huge vulnerabilities that exist in many U.S. companies as the world grows ever more digital. But in cheerier news, El Kaiser and J.D. also discuss the country's broadband connectivity fund to help narrow the digital divide and kweliTV, a streaming service that highlights authentic Black stories. El Kaiser also shares his views on Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and a new Android tablet from Samsung. Come join us here on PTJ 354!

On this week's episode, El Kaiser and JD ponder the purple iPhone and Apple's other pile of spring product announcements, as well as other headlines from around the tech world. And space nerds everywhere celebrated NASA's historic week as the Ingenuity helicopter took its inaugural flight on Mars — and then another — all while bringing a little piece of American aviation history along for the ride.Spin up PTJ 353 to hear it all!

New stuff! We finally have lots of new products to talk about! El Kaiser and JD discuss a flurry of hardware announcements from several tech companies, as well as Google's new FLoC tracking system and the results of Amazon's union vote, El Kaiser also shares his thoughts on HBO's His Dark Materials series and JD has tips for home design before you actually move into the home. Join us here on PTJ 352!

After a seven-month commute through space, NASA's Perseverance rover is due to arrive on Mars next week! So, some science to go with our science-fiction television on this week's episode, as El Kaiser shares his thoughts regarding later seasons of The Expanse on Amazon Prime and WandaVision on Disney+ . And J.D. has a smattering of tech news, including reports that Twitter is looking at subscription possibilities, along with resources on how to find out when you and your family can get the Covid-19 vaccine. It's all here on PTJ 350!

As the last week of January rolls in, so do the Internet themes and memes — including TikTok's flirtation with sea shanties and the cold-weather fashion of Senator Bernie Sanders. El Kaiser and J.D. ponder the latest Web whimsy, as well as Google and Apple's fight against the ongoing problems of the world, other tech news and fun things to do with your smartphone's camera. Hear it all on PTJ 349!

After long, unintended absence, El Kaiser and J.D. are back to praise The Mandalorian, chew on the news, talk audio hardware and mourn the loss of the iconic radio telescope at Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory. As 2020 continues its quest for Worst Year Ever (Modern Edition), we remind ourselves to stay flex in the Q-Zone. PTJ 346 is here for you.

What day is it? Does it matter? Time may be a flat circle that got hit by the Covid Truck for many people, but things have happened this month: Apple finally rolls out its four iPhone 12 models, Facebook finally bans Holocaust-denial content and and a House committee finally produces its report on Big Tech and monopoly. El Kaiser and J.D. muse upon it all, along with with a new set of headphones that gets the Rosado Review. Hear it all on PTJ 345!

Labor Day has been here and gone for weeks now, so El Kaiser and JD get back to business with a pile of news, including the new PlayStation and Xbox consoles arriving on November and recap of Apple's September event. And because the year is only going to get more intense from here, this week's episode also offers suggestions for science-fiction television entertainment to temporarily make you forget the current state of this world. Come on along for PTJ 344!

Epic Games has fired antitrust shots at Apple and Google over their app stores, Facebook does a bit of cleaning and fans of Microsoft Fight Simulator can take to the virtual skies again in a glorious new version of the program . Meanwhile, back on the ground, El Kaiser has thoughts on Star Wars: Resistance and J.D. shares some tips on what to do with your old gear after you upgrade to new stuff. All this and more, right here on PTJ 343!

The recent weather across much of North American isn't the only thing that's been a little toasty — TikTok, Big Tech and the kids who hacked Twitter last month are also feeling the heat. El Kaiser and J.D. take in the latest headlines from the technology world and also offer more tips for entertaining yourself in a partially closed pandemic city. Come join us here on PTJ 342!

How long until a hacked social-media platform causes real damage in the world? Are TikTok's days in the US numbered? Is time running out for political ads on Facebook? Is anybody watching Quibi? El Kaiser and JD have questions — and opinions. Also, what local stores and restaurants are still open as the COVID-19 pandemic eases up or crashes down around the country?

As a boycott from major advertisers heats up, Facebook announces it will finally start taking action against hate and harmful posts. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss The Social Network's latest moves, along with the other tech news of recent days, like Apple's World Wide Developers Conference announcements and product updates from Google. J.D. also spins up a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint about searching newspaper archives for mention of your ancestors back in their day. PTJ 340 is right here ready to go!

Welcome to June here in the year 1918 + 1929 + 1968! El Kaiser and J.D.  drop in for a quick roundup of tech news, including rising tensions at social media companies, ongoing pandemic fallout and the newfound popularity of... online word-processing software. Take a break and dial up PTJ 339!

Twitter’s act of adding fact-checking labels to a couple of presidential tweets set off a storm in the social-media world — almost at the same time real-life stormy weather caused officials to scrub the NASA-SpaceX launch to the International Space Station, the first on an United States rocket since 2011. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss it all ahead of America’s rescheduled return to space this weekend. Blast off with PTJ 338!

Are podcasts The Next Big Thing — again? With Spotify, Amazon and Apple all scrapping to get big names and fresh content while throwing around big money, it sure seems like something’s going on. After El Kaiser and J.D. roll through the rest of the week’s headlines, El Kaiser also offers a few suggestions for remote podcasting software. It’s all right here in PTJ 337 from the comfort of your own home!