Podcasts by POP | TECH | JAM

BADGE IN from 2023-11-16T22:11:27

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser shares his love for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. J.D. keeps the Trek vibe going with a short news roundup that includes a report on Humane's...

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF ROBO-WEEBLE from 2023-09-29T22:20:41

On this week's extra-chatty episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the New York Police Department's new security robot on patrol in Times Square, as well as new artificial voice tec...

Nothin' But Bluesky Do I See from 2023-09-14T17:18:16

El Kaiser and J.D. discuss life after the Bird-Themed Microblogging-Service-Turned-24th-Letter-Of-The-Alphabet platform, as well as reviews of the new biography of said platform’s owner. Also in...

Ride of the Valkyries from 2023-08-31T18:23:12

As August winds down and product announcements are scarce, El Kaiser dives into Season 1 of Only Murders in the Building for a properly depicted New York City apartment-living experienc...

SPACE WARS AND MOON BASES from 2023-08-16T11:45:43

Which is better — paying big bucks for the in-theater movie experience, or waiting a couple months and watching the flick at home? Are streaming services jacking their monthly prices too high fo...

Think Pink from 2023-08-01T19:37:09

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser shares his love of My Hero Academia and open-backed headphones for audio-mixing. Meanwhile, J.D. goes to a movie theater for the first time since 2019 ...

"Quadio! Hie thee hither to Threads!" from 2023-07-18T22:59:29

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser and J. D. discuss the potential impact of the current writers' and actors' strikes on the entertainment industry, as well as the emergence of Threads a...

Sounding Off! from 2023-06-30T07:17:43

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and J.D. ruminate on flimsy smartphones and even flimsier superhero movies. And El Kaiser offers advice to a PTJ listener about finding an affordable microphone...

The Return of Pop Tech Jam from 2023-06-14T00:09:17

After a year trapped in The Joker’s lair, El Kaiser and J.D. staged a daring escape through Gotham’s subway tunnels ...oh, never mind.

After a year of life events and work schedules GETTIN...

On the Big Apple Bus from 2022-06-13T18:40:04

El Kaiser and J.D. find a few minutes to discuss Apple's various announcements from this month's World Wide Developers conference — along with a roundup of recent TV-viewing options. Boot up PTJ...

Yo! Can We Get a Little Help Here, Obi-Wan Kenobi? from 2022-06-08T08:42:24

June is here, and with it, the old-new adventures of a certain Jedi Master — and plenty of other fine programs to stream. El Kaiser and J.D. also mull recent tech news, and, for the audio-curiou...

Bye, ’Pod from 2022-05-19T03:25:01

On this episode, El Kaiser and J.D. catch up after an unintentional hiatus to discuss current events — including Elon Musk's fluctuating deal to buy Twitter, the rapid demise of CNN+ and Apple's...

New Galaxies from 2022-02-18T12:03:17

Samsung has kicked off the year in new phone hardware with updates to its Galaxy line — including a $1200 Ultra model that comes with five cameras, a stylus and a 6.8-inch screen. El Kaiser and ...

WeBb Slingers from 2022-01-27T22:15:57

As 2022 spins up, El Kaiser and J.D. check in on NASA's big new fancy space telescope and other recent tech headlines. This week's episode also features some thoughts on The Expanse and...

All Hailing Frequencies Open from 2021-12-15T09:54:11

El Kaiser and J.D. are back with a new episode and the opportunity to praise the work of Nichelle Nichols, the trailblazing actress who portrayed Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek as ...

Face Plant from 2021-10-27T15:50:07

Facebook's very bad month continues after more testimony and interviews by Frances Haugen, the whistleblower and main source behind The Wall Street Journal's "Facebook Files" series — as well as...

Sound Check from 2021-09-21T19:15:40

On this week's episode, El Kaiser takes a listen to several USB microphones designed for podcasting and J.D. hauls out the headlines for a discussion of recent consumer-technology news — includi...

Looking for Satellites from 2021-09-03T22:40:23

Changes are coming to the way the big app stores do business, the U.S. government spins up a fellowship program for new technologists and children in China get their gaming time regulated — El K...

Season's Greetings! from 2021-08-22T08:56:38

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 recen...

The Empire Hacks Back from 2021-06-10T06:45:28

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 r...

Infrastructure, Weak from 2021-05-14T22:28:55

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 m...

Deep Purple from 2021-04-27T08:25:39

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 e...

What the FLoC? from 2021-04-15T06:28:36

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 syst...

Going Places from 2021-04-02T04:57:55

Red Rover from 2021-02-10T20:51:53

After a seven-month commute through space, NASA's Perseverance rover is due to arrive on M...

Now, Voyagers from 2021-01-28T01:44:40

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 ...

Beer Me, Rosie from 2021-01-13T17:52:20

Out With a Bang from 2020-12-24T12:10:08

Pour One Out for Arecibo from 2020-12-11T17:20:56

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 ...

At Last from 2020-10-20T11:45:05

What day is it? Does it matter? Time may be a flat circle that got hit by the Covid Truck for ...

Power Plays from 2020-09-29T04:20:48

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 Ap...

Battle Royale from 2020-08-24T04:51:53

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 gl...

Summer Grilling from 2020-08-06T23:33:29

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 Kais...

Tick Tock from 2020-07-25T04:04:16

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?...

Money Walks from 2020-07-03T09:03:37

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,...

Power to the People from 2020-06-10T09:12:03

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 fall...

Flight CLUB from 2020-05-30T04:02:15

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 s...

Pod People from 2020-05-27T02:54:55

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....

Slice of Life from 2020-05-19T01:57:52

Thinking of spending some of your inside time recording a podcast or your own music? After a tour through the week's technology headlines with J.D., El Kaiser offers some shopping tips on microp...

Going Batty from 2020-05-09T20:56:22

Comic-book worlds (and their heroes) are great for passing the time or taking your mind to new places when you're stuck inside — and this week's episode offers insights on the Batwoman ...

Grand Central Tracin' from 2020-05-01T22:24:53

Contact tracing! It's all the rage around the world as countries try to track the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus though voluntary smartphone apps. In this week's news segment, El Kaiser and ...

'MYST' E-Memories from 2020-04-24T14:07:42

As much of the United States drifts into its second month of lockdown to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the joy of playing old predictable games in ...

Anti-Virus Software from 2020-04-16T04:19:18

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its spread, Apple and Google join forces to create a platform to track the disease — even though privacy advocates have concerns. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss th...

Shack Wacky from 2020-04-09T04:11:21

As much of the country continues huddling at home to avoid spreading the coronavirus, El Kaiser and J.D. keep themselves busy with a look at the recent technology news — including the Zoom boom ...

Pity the World from 2020-04-01T05:55:42

As the COVID-19 virus batters the global economy, El Kaiser and J.D. continue to self-isolate and offer up their own ideas to keep from getting too shackwacky. This week's episode also takes a q...

Root, Root, Root for the Home Team from 2020-03-23T08:22:52

As more states and cities tell citizens to stay out of public places and do their part to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, El Kaiser and J.D. fire up the microphones in their re...

Going Viral from 2020-03-16T23:15:13

With COVID-19 disrupting life all over the world, El Kaiser and JD get socially distant and take to their respective bunkers to discuss the pandemic's effect on life, work and everything. Click ...

It’s Baaaaaacon! from 2020-03-01T02:56:26

As El Kaiser and J.D. discuss in the week's news, the global spread of the coronavirus is starting to take a bite out of the tech industry in multiple ways. But hey, the news wasn't all bad — a...

Who's Zoomin' Who? from 2020-02-17T10:09:18

Greetings from the depths of February, where El Kaiser shares an appraisal of his recent binge-watching content, The Good Place and Letterkenny. February also means Mobile Worl...

Fan Dance from 2020-01-31T06:58:12

On this week's show, El Kaiser holds forth on the current state of three of his favorite things: DC Comics, Doctor Who and Star Wars. J.D. has a quick roundup of recent tech ne...

In With the New! from 2020-01-12T18:20:46

2020 is here and with it, new laws and other rules that might make life as a technology consumer a little easier. After a quick recap of the recent headlines by J.D., El Kaiser shares his advent...

Years and Years from 2019-12-23T08:26:24

As 2019 winds down, so does another decade of consumer technology. After a quick tour through recent headlines, El Kaiser and J.D. reflect on the highs and lows of the past 10 years in the world...

Disney, Plus... from 2019-11-26T10:17:11

On this week's episode, El Kaiser and J.D. offer their initial impressions on The Mandalorian, the new Disney+ live-action show set in the Star Wars universe. After a quick trip through...

What's In Your (Digital) Wallet? from 2019-11-12T05:48:02

On this week's episode, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss recent happenings at Twitter, Apple's housing project, YouTube's redesign and new smartphone apps from Google that are supposed to make you use...

The Ups and Downs of Package Delivery from 2019-10-31T05:36:22

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser continues his foray into the world of wireless Bluetooth earbuds after the weekly news roundup with J.D. And in these news this week: The stress of Internet sho...

Secrets and Lies from 2019-10-23T04:33:34

El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the recent technology headlines, including Facebook’s wobbly Libra cryptocurrency, yet another iOS 13 update and political chaos around the globe. Also, there's a gian...

Honk If You Love ‘Untitled Goose Game’ from 2019-10-08T00:33:59

As crisp autumn breezes swirl through New York City at last, El Kaiser and J.D. get back to business, pondering new studies on social media's effect on news and mental health, Apple's bugfest o...

Candied Apples from 2019-09-14T17:19:45

Brand new iPhones in pastel-candy colors, two deluxe "Pro" models with three cameras on the back and a spiffy new iPad were in Apple's basket of fall announcements this week — along with an upda...

Jacked from 2019-09-02T06:15:52

As The Summer of 2019 winds down, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss (among other things) the buzz around Apple's annual fall iPhone event, Twitter's account security issue with one of its major users, ...

Rise Up from 2019-08-12T02:38:23

Hoverboard travel is here! In experimental trips across the English Channel, anyway. El Kaiser and J.D. take off through the week's headlines, including more accusations of retaliatory workplac...

All Aboard the Claim Train! from 2019-07-31T08:00:20

Pop Tech Jam returns from Summer Vacation Phase 1 to buckets of money from the Equifax data-breach settlement — or alleged buckets of money. While El Kaiser files his Equifax claim onli...

Bye, Design from 2019-07-06T01:06:11

On this week's episode. El Kaiser and JD discuss Jony Ive's departure from his long-time design post at Apple, Facebook’s attempts at civil rights and the latest in cat-flap technology. And, aft...

Call the Law from 2019-06-26T06:55:13

Big Government finally seems to be paying attention to Big Tech, but will anything actually change? El Kaiser and JD discuss some of the assorted bits of legislation aimed at regulating intrusiv...

Slide Tackle from 2019-06-19T05:49:28

On this week's show, JD takes a short break from watching the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 to round up some news with El...

Apple-Picking Time from 2019-06-06T20:00:55

El Kaiser and J.D. were off binging Good Omens, but finished just in time for Apple's 2019 edition of its World Wide Developers Conference. This week's episode discusses the major announcem...

Vaporized from 2019-05-22T20:24:14

Game of Thrones may be over on HBO, but El Kaiser and J.D are still here talking tech, pop culture and everything else in between. This week’s episode ponders the blacklist effect on Ch...

Separation Anxiety from 2019-05-14T10:00:10

El Kaiser and JD finally got out of Avengers: Endgame and are back in the recording bunker to discuss recent...

Winging It from 2019-05-02T06:27:28

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the current legal heat on Facebook over data privacy and misuse of its customer’s personal information. Google’s delivery drone program and Sam...

Internet Cleanup in Aisle Three! from 2019-04-18T08:37:20

Freshly returned from spring break, El Kaiser and JD jump into the week's headlines — including government attempts to regulate technology platforms and robots rolling through Walmart. JD a...

Green Apples from 2019-03-27T19:34:24

El Kaiser and J.D. wade through the highlights of Apple’s big March 25 event, which brought three new subscription services, a revamped TV app and…a new Apple credit card. And for those who don’...

Singing Backup from 2019-03-22T10:16:03

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and J.D. work through the recent headlines — the good, the bad and the completely horrible — and offer a few tips for backing up personal content you’ve posted ...

PTJ 303: Fire in the Troll Hole! from 2019-03-14T07:34:56

Can Big Tech get busted up and does Facebook’s pivot to privacy seem legit? El Kaiser and J.D.  roll through the recent news, stopping to ponder the “Save the Internet” Act, a slew of new s...

PTJ 302: Social Disorder from 2019-02-26T08:50:51

Has social media become more trouble than it’s worth? El Kaiser and J.D ponder the topic while discussing virtual-reality pioneer Jaron Lanier’s 2018 book, “Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Socia...

PTJ 301: Golden "Opportunity" from 2019-02-19T15:14:20

As NASA declares its Mars Opportunity rover's mission to be over, El Kaiser and J.D. raise a glass to the plucky little machine who did far more than what was expected of it — and sent back so m...

PTJ 300: Close Comfort from 2019-02-11T04:35:56

As Pop Tech Jam hits the canonical 300-episode mark, El Kaiser and J.D. ponder the skill (or lack thereof) needed to create a good grilled-cheese sandwich — before discussing the week's technolo...

PTJ 299: Tumblin’ Down from 2019-02-04T06:37:39

The winter temperatures in the American Midwest may have plummeted, but in the technology world, it's Apple and Facebook bouncing off the floor — and into each other over user privacy. El Kaiser...

PTJ 298: Over Easy from 2019-01-25T08:07:32

Famous eggs, self-delivering scooters, rabbit-ears making a comeback and YouTube triesto ban stupidity — El Kaiser and JD catch up on a big pile of technology news from the past week or two. And...

PTJ 297: Yes, It's Time for Our Annual Smart Toilet Update from 2019-01-13T04:47:33

Early January is here at last and El Kaiser and J.D. are ready to explore all the unique creations launched on the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. And as with Listen

PTJ 296: "Ring Out the False, Ring In the True!" from 2018-12-29T02:46:50

As 2018 comes clanging to a close. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss Amazon's healthy holiday sales, Instagram's effects on people, Snapchat's "dog lenses" and a new essay that wonders just how much of...

PTJ 295: Smokin'! from 2018-12-20T05:24:25

The year is winding down, but the movie selection at the local cineplex is heating up with several sizzling releases this month. Also in the hot seat: Google's CEO Sundar Pichai, who got to have...

PTJ 294: Location, Location, Location from 2018-12-13T12:57:27

Of course, your apps are tracking you! El Kaiser told you that years ago, but The New York Times now fills in the details. J.D. rounds up the headlines from the past two weeks for discussion and...

PTJ 293: Mars, In Sight! from 2018-11-22T05:41:02

Facebook's horrible, bad, no-good, you-brought-it-on-yourself-pal year continues with major revelations about how the company handles its problems and Apple's iPhone orders have dipped, but at l...

PTJ 292: Know When to Hold 'Em, Know When to Fold 'Em from 2018-11-13T06:25:57

Smartphones that open up into mini-tablets are on the way, thanks to several companies gearing up to expand the traditional rectangular slab into new form factors. Samsung had a big ev...

PTJ 291: Walk This Way from 2018-11-04T20:29:40

There's been a lot of movement in the tech world the past week — Google employees got to their feet to protest the company's treatment of women, Apple rolled out new hardware and Facebook got sl...

PTJ 290: Foibles&Fables from 2018-10-20T19:49:59

Facebook's public-relations department probably had another busy week, with all sorts of walkbacks and investigations concerning the company's products and practices. El Kaiser and J.D. dis...

PTJ 289: October Surprises from 2018-10-15T08:19:52

Apple possibly giving away stuff for free! A Windows 10 update that ate people's files! Crackdowns on cyberbullying and political spam on social media! Some surprises are better than others, but...

PTJ 288: Hot New Suits for Fall from 2018-10-06T20:35:21

It's not just the leaves starting to waft through the air here in North America — plenty of lawsuits are swirling as well. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss some of the bigger ones, including lega...

PTJ 287: Say “Hey,” Kids from 2018-09-25T05:21:29

If it's September, Apple has a new iPhone to sell you. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss this year's crop of gear, along with news from FitBit, Amazon and GoPro. And, as election season looms clos...

PTJ 286: Antisocial Media from 2018-09-13T06:24:55

Hot times were had on Capitol Hill at the Senate and House hearings with leaders of Facebook and Twitter — but not with Google, which declined the invitation to come testify about such thin...

PTJ 285: Hashing It Out from 2018-09-05T07:59:06

While the tussles between politicians and Big Tech heat up as August sizzles to a close, El Kaiser and J.D. sip fizzy water in the shade and explore the accusations and rebuttals coming from bot...

Introducing American Innovations from 2018-09-01T22:09

American Innovations is hosted by Steven Johnson and will take give you a different outlook on how we got to today. Subscribe to American Innovations on Apple Podcasts or wherever you’re listeni...

PTJ 284: Rock the Vote from 2018-08-27T03:05:25

Election security — or lack thereof — dominated the headlines this week as social-media platforms moved to boot trolls and industry leaders met to discuss what to do with the U.S.midterms loomin...

PTJ 283: Pop the Cork from 2018-08-07T04:15:06

Celebratory adult beverages were likely consumed around the technosphere these past few days as Apple became the first trillion-dollar company, Motorola announced 5G phone hardware was on the wa...

PTJ 282: Confidence Level from 2018-07-31T04:00:14

On this week's episode, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the things that are making the tech world shake, rattle and roll — including Amazon's facial recognition software not passing muster with the A...

PTJ 281: The Jet Set from 2018-07-23T03:53:21

In this week's show, J.D. and an overworked El Kaiser discuss the week's news, including Google's big fine and Amazon Prime Day's big fail. There's also an exciting turn of events for those wish...

PTJ 280: Purge Surge from 2018-07-17T23:09:14

Several companies have now stepped up the fight against fake news — most noticeably, Twitter, as the service finally began to delete fake accounts and return follower totals back to the realm of...

PTJ 279: The Long Arm of the Law from 2018-07-09T21:11:11

In that quiet time of the year between developer conferences and the back-to-school sales, product announcements are scarce — but the hazy, lazy days of summer are no vacation for the legal...

PTJ 278: Fun with FragChucks from 2018-07-02T05:18:06

On this week's episode, El Kaiser discusses his return to gaming and adventures with ha...

PTJ 277: Magic to Do from 2018-06-23T20:55:49

It's been a week of heavy legal news, deals and global affairs — almost enough to make you want to escape to a fantasy realm to take a break over a pint of butterbeer. El Kaiser and J.D. sort th...

PTJ 276: Game On! from 2018-06-19T03:53:21

A judge cleared the way for AT&T and Time Warner to merge, Apple plans to reinforce its iPhone security, Microsoft made a bunch of announcements — but hey, here comes the annual E3 event to ...

PTJ 275: Apple v. Facebook from 2018-06-08T18:06:07

If it's early June, odds are the technology-news business will be dominated by announcements coming out of Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference. However, new revelations about Faceboo...

PTJ 274: Golden State from 2018-06-06T04:40:45

Even without the NBA finals in the mix, it's been a busy time out in California with a fierce net-neutrality bill passing a hurdle in t...

PTJ 273: Still the Right Stuff from 2018-05-21T05:28:59

Yanny or Laurel? El Kaiser was too busy mixing up podcasts to weigh in, and J.D. thought the whole thing was dumb and tuned into Listen

PTJ 272: Foiled Again! from 2018-05-13T07:10:30

This past week saw two big developer conferences unload several boxes of announcements, as Google I/O and Microsoft Build fought for media attention like Listen

Hand of F8 from 2018-05-08T04:06:37

Fresh off the latest Facebook user-abuse apology media tour and visit with the U.S. Congress, Mark Zuckerberg made a slew of announcements at this week's F8 Developers Conference in California, ...

On the Hook from 2018-05-02T04:53:59

California fires a shot across the bow of the FCC's net neutrality repeal, Amazon's Alexa has a new do-it-yourself project for users and even aquariums aren't safe on the Internet of Things. El ...

Flying Solo from 2018-04-11T04:24:28

Mark Zuckerberg lands in the Congressional hot seat this week over Facebook’s role in user privacy protection and the social network’s influence on life, culture and election interference. After a ...

Rock ‘Em, Shock ‘Em from 2018-04-07T01:48:22

El Kaiser and J.D. return from Spring Break and head right into the news of the week, which includes Spotify’s initial public offering, an iPad update from Apple, background information on the late...

PTJ 267: Facebork from 2018-03-21T03:33:01

As The Social Network once again finds itself in the hot seat over user privacy, El Kaiser and J.D. ponder the big picture and Facebook’s effect on civic affairs. After the weekly roundup of tech n...

PTJ 266: Brought to You By the Letters “P” and “S” from 2018-03-13T06:13:17

A preview peep of the new Android P operating system has arrived for developers and Microsoft is adding an “S” mode to the next version of Windows 10. El Kaiser and J.D. also discuss other letters ...

PTJ 265: Just Over the Ridge from 2018-03-05T18:28:22

Congratulations to the sound team on Dunkirk for the Oscars — we here at Pop Tech Jam had a feeling you were going to win! But now that we know who won the 2018 Academy Awards, life is still full o...

PTJ 264: Now Departing from 2018-02-26T01:03:21

Going . . . going . . . gone. Twitter finally swooped into action and chopped off thousands of bot accounts and other automatons that were violating its rules. SpaceX fired off another rocket and t...

PTJ 263: Put a Ring on It from 2018-02-17T05:53:52

Google delivers on its commitment to block intrusive ads in the Chrome browser, Microsoft plans to unleash a Beast Mode for Windows 10 power users and Apple. . . well, Apple’s just staining the fur...

PTJ 262: Waiting In the Sky from 2018-02-12T05:12:53

The Space Race is back on — and Elon Musk’s own cherry-red Tesla Roadster is the pace car of the 21st century, having been shot into orbit around the sun by its owner. This week, El Kaiser and J.D....

PTJ 261: DISCOVERIES from 2018-02-03T20:14:29

On this week’s episode. El Kaiser shares his thoughts after a binge of Star Trek: Discovery and J.D. explores a new way to find things that interest you on Instagram. A roundup of the week’s tech n...

PTJ 260: WHOPPERS from 2018-01-29T05:47:06

The backlash against the Federal Communication Commission’s rollback of net neutrality regulations continues — even a certain monarchy-themed hamburger establishment has weighed in with a video. El...

PTJ 259: Face Time from 2018-01-19T02:26:15

Whether it be tech giants facing Congressional committees or the Google Cultural Institute showing people the power of facial-recognition algorithms, El Kaiser and J.D.  have things to say about it...

PTJ 258: Welcome Our *Newest* Robot Overlords from 2018-01-16T05:33:55

The annual Consumer Electronics Show wrapped up in Las Vegas last week, leaving El Kaiser and J.D. plenty of new gadgets to mull, from “intelligent” toilets to high-concept “social-empathy robots.”...

PTJ 257: Lucha Libre from 2018-01-05T13:15:38

The new year is here and so far, 2018 is already throwing its five moves of doom around the ring: Massive security flaws in the world’s computer processors, a giant lawsuit against Spotify, the gov...

PTJ 256: Age/Old Problems from 2017-12-24T23:28:38

As the tired old year of 2017 limps toward the exit, it seems fitting that age discrimination is in the news this week — both for smartphones and human job-seekers. El Kaiser and J.D. sort through ...

PTJ 255: Boom or Bust? from 2017-12-10T18:45:05

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin is all over the news this month, and El Kaiser and J.D. discuss some of the more recent developments, along with the Consumer Reports verdict on the iPhone X and the lega...

PTJ 254: Charge! from 2017-11-20T05:03:09

Net neutrality is on the ropes, Twitter is yanking back some of those Blue Badges of Verification, Project Loon is bringing Internet connectivity back to parts of Puerto Rico and Amazon’s cashier-r...

PTJ 253: Trolling Right Along from 2017-11-07T07:10:41

It’s been a heavy week of Congressional hearings over foreign influence in a U.S. election and another terrorist attack in New York City — and technology was all over both events. El Kaiser and J.D...

PTJ 252: Naughty Bunnies from 2017-10-30T03:51:27

It’s nature gone wild: The Bad Rabbit ransomware is having a mad hop through corporate networks around the world and rubber fish are lip-syncing Amazon’s Alexa. Meanwhile, Google wants to secure yo...

PTJ 251: The One After the 250th Episode from 2017-10-23T02:52:05

El Kaiser and J.D. are back this week with the usual suitcase full of technology news to unpack, including Samsung’s announcement that its Bixby virtual assistant is open (source) for business.  An...

PTJ 250: “El Kaiser, Did We Forget to Mention This Was Our 250th Episode?” from 2017-10-06T20:03:05

Google took its turn spewing out the fall product lineup this week, with the Pixel 2 phone, Pixelbook laptop, Pixel Pen Stylus — and a whole bunch of Google Home offerings — announced. Meanwhile, Y...

PTJ 249: “Alexa, Activate My New York Comic Con Badge!” from 2017-10-02T05:21:24

It’s not just the abundance of pumpkin spice revving up the Big Apple air the first week of October — it’s the buzzy excitement of New York Comic Con returning once again to the Jacob K. Javits Cen...

PTJ 248: Knock, Knock from 2017-09-23T20:22:01

Who’s there? It’s this week’s episode of Pop Tech Jam, with ideas for coping with the current state of the world. From SEC hackers to Nest’s new indoor/outdoor security system to Equifax still doin...

PTJ 247: Hello, Epic Equifail! Goodbye, Cassini! from 2017-09-18T05:25:18

As the scale of the epic security fail at the Equifax credit bureau comes into focus, El Kaiser and J.D. throwback to Episode 159 and a previous conversation about freezing your credit to ice out i...

PTJ 246: What’s the Frequency, Siri? from 2017-09-11T17:08:04

After a two-week summer vacation, El Kaiser and J.D. return to the studio to catch up on the week’s technology news: Facebook ‘fesses up to a chunk of Russian ad buys during the election, Amazon lo...

PTJ 245: Blasts From the Past from 2017-08-17T00:02:29

You have your good history and you have your bad history — and both kinds are mashed up here this week on Pop Tech Jam. The violent protests in Charlottesville last weekend were amplified in all di...

PTJ 244: Across the Universe from 2017-08-09T22:24:27

Whether it be The Defenders kicking butt across the New York City zone of the Marvel Universe or NASA’s assorted spacecraft exploring the real universe, this week’s episode of Pop Tech Jam has you ...

PTJ 243: Sound and Fury from 2017-08-03T01:23:30

After a discussion about the stirring audio mix used to back the film Dunkirk,  El Kaiser and J.D. make a lot of noise about this week’s technology news — including new government regulation around...

PTJ 242: So Long, Old Paint? from 2017-07-29T07:15:32

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is coming back for a 40th-anniversary run, but a couple of old standbys are getting boxed up for the software attic. El Kaiser and J.D. take a stroll through the ...

PTJ 241: Glass Houses from 2017-07-20T05:24:55

After a two-week hiatus, El Kaiser and J.D. are back with the tech news of the week — including Amazon’s latest experiments for making money and Google Glass finally finding a home of sorts. And ho...

PTJ 240: Hall Monitor from 2017-07-01T04:16:29

It’s almost like we needed the Justice League to come sort things out with all the disruptions erupting all over the technology scene this week. So, you ask, what happened?  Yet another ransomware ...

PTJ 239: Leak Week from 2017-06-24T12:57:37

June is Internet Safety Month, but it hasn’t been very safe for the personal information of 198 million people, which got exposed by sloppy data handling. The notoriously private Apple got trolled ...

PTJ 238: Thank You for Our Childhoods, Adam West from 2017-06-14T19:19:46

Geek hearts around the globe were broken this past week with the passing of Adam West, the actor who created the iconic interpretation of Batman on the eponymous mid-1960’s television show. Dan Gre...

PTJ 237: Days of Wonder from 2017-06-09T01:03:25

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference opened this week, bringing a ton of announcements and new-product demos to the faithful. Don Donofrio drops by to sort it all out with El Kaiser and JD. Mean...

PTJ 236: Corporate Spies from 2017-05-27T03:20:47

On this week’s show. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss Google and Twitter’s current wave of privacy-policy changes and data-sharing with advertisers (all taking place before Facebook’s latest flap). Also ...

PTJ 235: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from 2017-05-20T04:20:16

Journalist Laura M. Holson is back in the house this week with a discussion of how the cosmetics superstore Sephora is using technology and social interaction to sell beauty products. On the opposi...

PTJ 234: Winging It from 2017-05-13T03:30

Facebook scrambles to blunt the effects of fake news on the United Kingdom’s upcoming election, John Oliver and his fans have suggestions for the Federal Communications Commission, Amazon’s been bu...

PTJ 233: Tweet TV from 2017-05-05T21:51:14

Twitter continues its experiments with live streaming video, Facebook is handing out coupons, there’s a new flavor of Windows 10 coming to town — and also maybe an Apple-branded talking Siri speake...

PTJ 232: Love and Rocket from 2017-04-27T03:50:48

Love is all around as the unofficial 2017 Geek Summer Movie Season gets ready to roll next week with the arrival of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in theaters ‚ with Wonder Woman, King Arthur, and ...

PTJ 231: Veni, Vidi, Vendi from 2017-04-20T04:34:01

Are we ready for the vending machines to silently judge us based on our snack habits? Some New Yorkers will find out soon as new models equipped with artificial intelligence are making their way to...

PTJ 230: Siren Songs from 2017-04-13T12:27:01

Things got loud last week down in Dallas, but it wasn’t just at a Mavericks game as hackers managed to set off every public-safety alarm in the city and freak out a lot of people. Meanwhile, a Russ...

PTJ 229: Private Investigations from 2017-04-08T18:03:08

Protections for consumer privacy and data collection took a hit this past week, as regulations were rolled back into nonexistence — sending some concerned Netizens to software they hope will help s...

PTJ 228: A.I., Ay Yi Yi from 2017-03-30T15:46:49

It’s not been a great week for the algorithms:  Elon Musk downloaded a few concerned thoughts on the state of artificial intelligence to Vanity Fair, the F.B.I.’s facial recognition database has so...

PTJ 227: Special Delivery from 2017-03-25T05:30:44

It seems like everybody’s got something on the way this week: Samsung’s new phone waits in the wings, Amazon’s Alexa is calling in for a six pack, robots are rolling out with restaurant orders and ...

PTJ 226: The Sound of Hacking from 2017-03-15T23:19:42

The Pi Day Northeast Blizzard of 2017 may have blown through, but El Kaiser is still powering through a nasty winter cold to get to this week’s tech and science news with J.D. — which features quit...

PTJ 225: Shazam!! from 2017-03-09T00:00:57

The hills are alive with the sound of buzzing drones, leaking data and the thwack of fake news getting smacked down. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss it all, as well as Shazam’s jump into augmented reali...

PTJ 224: Uncloudy Skies from 2017-03-03T00:22:52

Mobile World Congress brought in the new and the old this week, Twitter and Facebook are stepping it up to help users in need and Amazon Web Services had a sad day this week. El Kaiser and J.D. dis...

PTJ 223: Ahead, Warp Factor Four! from 2017-02-25T00:05:18

Things down here on Earth may be business as usual — mergers, lawsuits, taxes, paradigm shifts, feature updates and so on — but exciting things are happening Up Above as well as Out There. SpaceX h...

PTJ 222: Noises Off from 2017-02-18T01:17:47

On this week’s episode,  Don Donofrio returns to discuss possible paths ahead for of Apple this year as the company comes off a record-breaking quarterly profit and a surging stock price.  El Kaise...

PTJ 221: Watching and Waiting from 2017-02-10T19:42:44

On this week’s episode, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the collision of the technology industry with the government, smart television sets that watch you, the ongoing battle with fake news and the demi...

PTJ 220: Lost Worlds from 2017-02-04T04:09:23

Politics body-slammed the tech world this week, cyber-criminals have figured out yet another way to rip off unsuspecting victims and an enterprising young archaeologist has come up with a way to le...