1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech stuff. I'm your host 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 1: job in Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio. 4 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 1: And how the tech are you. It's time for the 5 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:23,920 Speaker 1: tech news for Tuesday, August two, two thousand twenty two. Now, 6 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: if you haven't seen reports already, you are likely to 7 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: come across a headline or a news snippet saying something 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: along the lines of a solar storm is going to 9 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: hit the Earth tomorrow. In case you're listening from the future, 10 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: tomorrow would be Wednesday, August three, twenty two. And if 11 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: you are from the future, how did it turn out? 12 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 1: Are the zombies as bad as we heard? I'm kidding. 13 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: So this news could sound a bit concerning, So I 14 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: am here to tell you what this actually means. And 15 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: right at the top, there is no need to worry. 16 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: There's no cause for panic here. This is a mild 17 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: solar storm, g one solar storm, and it's quite probable 18 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,039 Speaker 1: that tomorrow will come and go and most of you 19 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: won't even notice anything unusual. However, solar storms do have 20 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:14,320 Speaker 1: the potential to cause some disruption here on Earth. So 21 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: here's what's going on. The Earth has a strong magnetic field, 22 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:20,479 Speaker 1: and that's great because it helps protect us from being 23 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: bombarded by stuff like solar debris, such as what is 24 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 1: recently erupted from the Sun. These particles can carry a 25 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: lot of energy. They could be harmful if they were 26 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: to collide with us here on Earth. In fact, life 27 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: would not really be possible if it weren't for the 28 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: fact that we had this magnetic field that helps protect us. 29 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: The magnetic field and the and the atmosphere together are 30 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: like a force field for us here on Earth. Well, 31 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: when the debris makes contact with Earth's magnetic field, that 32 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: field ends up contracting a little bit. It gets you know, constricted, 33 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: It absorbs energy, and the result is we get geo 34 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: magnetic storms. Now, those can actually be gorgeous, They can 35 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: be spectacular if they're strong enough. Fluctuations on Earth's magnetic 36 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: field are sometimes visible. That's what the Aurora borealis is, right, 37 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 1: the aurora at the polls. That's from these fluctuations of 38 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: the magnetic fields, so the northern and southern lights. In 39 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: other words, well, during a very powerful geomagnetic storm, those 40 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: aurora can sometimes be visible much further away from the source. 41 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: Than is typically possible. Like normally, for the Northern Lights, 42 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: for example, you have to be pretty far north to 43 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: see them, but in times of real geomagnetic storm activity, 44 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: it might be possible to see them as far south 45 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 1: as the Caribbean, which is unbelievable. So in places like Atlanta, Georgia, 46 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: where I am, you know that's it's it's almost unheard 47 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: of to be able to see the Northern Lights. Now, 48 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: to be clear, that kind of activity is not going 49 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: to happen tomorrow. Again, this is a mild solar storm. 50 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: People in places like Michigan and Maine might be able 51 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: to see the Northern Lights, but folks as far south 52 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,399 Speaker 1: as I am are not going to see it. These 53 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: storms are electromagnetic in nature, so you get these electromagnetic 54 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: surges and as a result, they can interfere with larger 55 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:23,920 Speaker 1: electronic systems and devices, um stuff like power grids. You 56 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: can see surges and power grids because these are enormous systems, right, 57 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: so you can almost think of them as a huge 58 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: antenna for electro magnetic surges and that can then be 59 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: detected within those systems. Generally speaking, the larger the system, 60 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: the more prone it is to at least being affected 61 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: a little bit by solar storms. Now, are really powerful 62 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: electromagnetic surge is something from a massive solar eruption or 63 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: maybe something you know, more terrestrial in in nature, like 64 00:03:55,120 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: a blast from a nuclear warhead for example. That would 65 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: be powerful enough to affect things like personal electronics. But again, 66 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: that's not what's happening tomorrow. The solar storm will see 67 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: tomorrow will be very mild in nature, so there might 68 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: be some power surges here and there, but it's not 69 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: going to be anything massive at least that's not what 70 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: anyone's predicting. So, uh, chances are most people are going 71 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: to go through the day tomorrow and not even notice 72 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 1: that there was anything weird happening. We are entering into 73 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: an era of increased solar activity. This is not unusual. 74 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: This happens in cycles. The full cycle lasts eleven years, 75 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: and we're coming back round to the part of the 76 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 1: cycle where there's increased solar activity. Now, could this mean 77 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 1: that in the future there is a solar flare coronal 78 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: mass ejection that's large enough to have a noticeable effect 79 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: on systems here on Earth. Yes, that is possible. Way 80 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 1: back in the nineteenth century, I believe it was eighteen 81 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: fifty nine there was a solar storm that was so 82 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: powerful that it ended up causing surges in telegraph lines 83 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,919 Speaker 1: here on Earth and caused issues. Then that is not 84 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: what we're gonna see tomorrow. Doesn't mean that we won't 85 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: see it in the future. It's another reminder that we 86 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: have to be very careful in how we prepare and 87 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: design our systems so that they can handle these kinds 88 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,919 Speaker 1: of surges. As it stands, power grids on Earth typically 89 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: aren't built to survive massive spikes like that. We would 90 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: likely see outages in a in a truly large solar storm, 91 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: So we can really think of this more as a warning, 92 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: but not anything to be alarmed about for the time being. Okay, 93 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 1: let's go for another Elon Musk Twitter update. So when 94 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: last we met, Twitter had sued Musk for trying to 95 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: back out of his acquisition deal for the company, and 96 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 1: a judge has now schedule a day five day court 97 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:03,920 Speaker 1: case that's going to take place in October, and Twitter 98 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 1: still has to hold a shareholder vote to get shareholder 99 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: approval for Musk purchasing the company. That vote will happen 100 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 1: later this year. Now, I suspect that the shareholders are 101 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 1: going to approve of the acquisition because Musk agreed to 102 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,839 Speaker 1: buy Twitter at fifty four dollars and twenty since per share, 103 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 1: and right now Twitter stock is currently trading, you know, 104 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: somewhere around the forty one mark, so shareholders would stand 105 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 1: to make a good amount of money if they sold 106 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: their shares to Elon Musk. But the latest update is 107 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:39,239 Speaker 1: that last Friday, Musk filed a counter suit against Twitter, 108 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: so he has countersued Twitter. Now we know that the 109 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 1: filing is more than a hundred sixty pages long, but 110 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: we don't know what's in it. It was privately filed. 111 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,479 Speaker 1: Only the court knows what's in it. Up to this point, 112 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:56,120 Speaker 1: the analysts whose work I've been reading about this haven't 113 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,479 Speaker 1: been terribly impressed with the arguments made by Musk's team 114 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,159 Speaker 1: of lawyers as to why he should be allowed to 115 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 1: back out of the deal without any issue. But then 116 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: it may be that the countersuit contains more compelling arguments. 117 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: I just don't know. Now. We might get a redacted 118 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: version of the countersuit before too long, and then we'll 119 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: learn a bit more. I still don't know how this 120 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: whole thing is gonna go. So my gut tells me 121 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: the musk is kind of up the creek due to 122 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: the nature of that initial agreement to acquire Twitter, But 123 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: I am no legal expert, and anyway, sometimes court cases 124 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: defy logic, or at least what I call logic. Fast 125 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: Company has a report on how the tech sector continues 126 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: to cut back on costs, which includes stuff like hiring 127 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 1: freezes and layoffs. So the Fast Company says that Oracle 128 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: reports are saying that thousands of employees will be laid 129 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: off in the coming months in places like the United 130 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: States and Canada, India, and Europe. Shopify laid off around 131 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: ten percent of its work force last month. Lift has 132 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 1: reorganized its business and in the process eliminated sixty jobs 133 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: in its rental division. Netflix, which is a company that's 134 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: been in and out of the news a lot this 135 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: year due to issues with subscriber loss, has laid off 136 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: around three hundred employees this year so far, and has 137 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: also canceled a bunch of projects that I was personally 138 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:24,680 Speaker 1: looking forward to. So sad that the world is not 139 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: going to get an animated movie version of Bone phenomenal 140 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: uh comic book series. You can get the full collection 141 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: and I highly recommend it, and it is sad that 142 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: we're not going to get the animated version of it. 143 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: Fast Company also notes that coin Base, which is a 144 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: cryptocurrency exchange, is going to lay off nearly twenty percent 145 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: of its workforce, and while it wasn't part of Fast 146 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:52,360 Speaker 1: Company's report, we've also heard about companies like Microsoft and 147 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 1: Meta and Apple putting hiring freezes in place for certain departments. 148 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: We've also heard Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg indicating that the 149 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: company is going to reduce headcount and try to do 150 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: more with less, saying things like they're probably people working 151 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 1: here who shouldn't be working here. Fun times. Well, we've 152 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 1: also got a few Apple related news I ams to 153 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: talk about that I am eager to get to. We're 154 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:18,960 Speaker 1: gonna take a quick break when we come back. I'm 155 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:29,439 Speaker 1: going to talk about these Apple stories. We're back. So 156 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: Apple story number one, it's that Apple has sent out 157 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: an email to all employees saying that the company is 158 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: lifting its mask mandate for employees at quote most locations 159 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: end quote. In fact, I'm going to expand on that. 160 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: Apple employees received an internal email that had one part 161 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: of it saying quote in light of current circumstances, wearing 162 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 1: a face mask will no longer be required in most locations. 163 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: End quote. Now I'm curious what those current circumstances are 164 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 1: because we're kind of in another COVID nineteen surge, and 165 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: then there's an increased concern for other diseases, like you know, 166 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: monkey pocks is a growing concern. And now I should 167 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: still add that doctors are still working out to what 168 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: extent monkey pocks could transmit from person to person through 169 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: you know, respiratory excretions. Uh, there's there's not a full 170 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 1: understanding of that. There's some evidence to suggest that it 171 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: can happen, but we don't know to what extent. However, 172 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 1: I would think that would be enough to raise concerns 173 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: in certain areas like you know, California, for example, and 174 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: suggest that maybe masks would be a good idea. So 175 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: I don't I don't understand. In fact, over in San Francisco, 176 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 1: which is not too far from where Apple headquarters is, 177 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: I mean it's not like super close, but it's not 178 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: super far either, BART, which is also known as the 179 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 1: Bay Area Rapid Transit System, has reinstated it's mask mandate. 180 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: So weird that Apple would remove its mask mandate just 181 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:06,600 Speaker 1: as you down the road, Bart is putting it back 182 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:08,960 Speaker 1: in place. I guess it just feels like odd timing 183 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 1: to me. I am not sure what is going on 184 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:14,320 Speaker 1: here now. I will say that Apple's email reiterated that 185 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,320 Speaker 1: if employees feel more comfortable wearing a mask, they should 186 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,840 Speaker 1: do so. Uh, and that the company wants all employees 187 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,680 Speaker 1: to respect each other's decisions about whether or not to 188 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: wear a mask. Um. Again, just odd timing. I don't 189 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:34,439 Speaker 1: know what prompted that, but there you go. Next up, 190 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: Apple reported a decline and its profits last week. The 191 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: company's profits were down by more than ten percent compared 192 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: to the end of the second quarter of last year. Revenue, however, 193 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: is up. The company is growing at a slower pace 194 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: than it was last year, so it's still growing, just 195 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: not growing as quickly. Uh. Insert rant from Jonathan here 196 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: about how using growth as a prime metric for business 197 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: is ultimately destructive. I'm sparing all of you all that 198 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:07,200 Speaker 1: this time. Just imagine that I'm ranting about it now. Anyway, 199 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:10,199 Speaker 1: Despite the fact that Q two of two thousand twenty 200 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: two didn't perform as well as Q two of two 201 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 1: thousand twenty one, Apple still beat expectations, and so it 202 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 1: saw its stock price increase as a result. The company 203 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:24,360 Speaker 1: also reported that Apple's services division saw twelve growth. Now 204 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,960 Speaker 1: that's something that I would be a little bit concerned about, 205 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:32,080 Speaker 1: given what's going on with Apple in the world right now. 206 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: So Tim Cook has been guiding Apple into becoming more 207 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:39,400 Speaker 1: of a services company for years. That's that's been the path, 208 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,319 Speaker 1: the trajectory that Apple has been on for quite some 209 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: time now. But we're seeing more regulatory agencies around the 210 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 1: world pushing back against Apple's processes. At the heart of 211 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: the matter for most of these is whether or not 212 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: Apple's approach is ultimately anti competitive, namely that the company 213 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: requires all in app purchases to use Apple his own 214 00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 1: payment processing system, which automatically gives Apple a fifteen to 215 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 1: cut of each in app transaction. Uh, it gets a 216 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:12,319 Speaker 1: little more tricky than that, but that's the general gist 217 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: of it. So if we see Apple lose ground on 218 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 1: that matter, that would have a potentially massive impact on 219 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 1: an increasingly important revenue source for the company, and it 220 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 1: could force Apple to have to pivot again. But it's 221 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: early days and I expect we're gonna see Apple perform well, 222 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: at least in the short term. It's just the question 223 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 1: of when is the other shoe going to drop? And 224 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:39,599 Speaker 1: now for some weird Apple news, the company has requested 225 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 1: emergency relief from a U S court over how it 226 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 1: cannot sell five G iPhones and iPads in Colombia. And 227 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: you might say, Colombia is not in the United States. 228 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 1: That's a different country entirely. What is going on? All right, 229 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: let's sort all this out. So Apple's five g iOS 230 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 1: products rely on ed technology that's out from Ericsson. So 231 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 1: Ericsson holds the patent on these technologies. Apple does not 232 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 1: dispute this. This is something that all parties agree upon. 233 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: And until recently, Apple was paying a licensing fee to 234 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: Ericsson to make use of that technology. So far, so good. 235 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: But then Apple decided, Yo, this is expensive and I'm 236 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: not gonna pay it anymore, and so Apple stopped paying Ericson. 237 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: So Ericsson started reaching out to various markets, with Columbia 238 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: being a very earlier one, and and said, hey, Apple 239 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: is illegally selling these products. They are violating our patents, 240 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: so do not sell five G products in your stores. Really, 241 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:44,080 Speaker 1: Ericson said this to Colombian courts, and the courts in 242 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 1: Columbia ordered stores there not to sell these five G 243 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: Apple products. So then Apple goes in files an emergency 244 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 1: motion in the Eastern District of Texas, arguing that Ericsson 245 00:14:56,240 --> 00:15:01,240 Speaker 1: owes Apple damages for disrupting its operations and Colombia. Now 246 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: the judges said, you're on your cotton picken minds. One, Apple, 247 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 1: you're in the wrong here by refusing to sit down 248 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: with Ericson and negotiate a licensing fee to Ericson is 249 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: within its rights to defend its patents. Three, this is 250 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: not an emergency situation. And if you do this again, 251 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: I'm gonna make you go out there and get me 252 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 1: a switch. I am paraphrasing, I should add anyway, Now 253 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: Apple's filing another emergency motion, so it might be a 254 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,280 Speaker 1: switch time. Uh, And I'm sure that's gonna get a 255 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: fun response from the courts. And the argument is that 256 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:41,359 Speaker 1: Apple's making is get this, It's human rights are being violated, 257 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 1: as an Apple's human rights are being violated. So Apple, 258 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 1: or maybe It's arguing its products have had human rights 259 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: that have been violated by this action by Ericsson. Now 260 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:58,080 Speaker 1: you might be saying, but that none of those things 261 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 1: that you talked about are actually human You are right now. 262 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:04,880 Speaker 1: You could potentially argue that corporations in the United States 263 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 1: are granted a legal form of personhood, but that doesn't 264 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 1: necessarily extend human rights to them. Plus, experts are arguing 265 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:15,200 Speaker 1: that even if it did, there are no human rights 266 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 1: violations happening here anyway. So we'll have to see how 267 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: this plays out. It might just be that Apples trying 268 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: to wait out Ericson and hope that the loss of 269 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:26,840 Speaker 1: revenue will be enough to make Ericson go belly up 270 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: and they won't have to pay anything anymore because no 271 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,600 Speaker 1: one will be around to own those I p um. 272 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:36,160 Speaker 1: I don't know. It's just bizarre. It's this is one 273 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 1: of those stories where as I read it, I was thinking, 274 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 1: am I awake or is this a fever dream? Uh? 275 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 1: Turns out I was awake. Amazon released its sustainability report 276 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: and the news isn't great. Now, the company did try 277 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: to spin it into a positive direction. So here's the 278 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 1: quote unquote good news. Amazon has managed to decrease the 279 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,440 Speaker 1: amount of emissions it generates on a more US per 280 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: dollar level, so meaning the amount of emissions produced for 281 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: every dollar of merchandise sold fell by just under two percent. Uh. 282 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:13,680 Speaker 1: They referred to this as carbon intensity, So from that perspective, 283 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,880 Speaker 1: things are moving in the right direction. Right Like per operation, 284 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 1: Amazon's emissions are decreasing. But here's the big issue. Amazon 285 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: also saw an enormous boom in business, and the volume 286 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:33,679 Speaker 1: of these operations increased dramatically. So while the carbon intensity 287 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: of each individual operation dropped slightly, the total number of 288 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:42,399 Speaker 1: operations meant that carbon emissions ballooned by eighteen percent in 289 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: twenty one. That means Amazon generated more than seventy one 290 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: million metric tons of carbon dioxide last year. As The 291 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:54,280 Speaker 1: Verge points out, that's roughly equal to the amount of 292 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:57,439 Speaker 1: carbon dioxide that a hundred eighty gas fired power plants 293 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:00,639 Speaker 1: would generate over the course of a full year. The 294 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:04,479 Speaker 1: Verge also rightfully points out that companies like Amazon us 295 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 1: stuff like carbon offsets to push toward being a net 296 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: zero carbon company on paper. But here's the thing offsets. Really, 297 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: what that means is that you're pouring money into projects 298 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 1: that are at least intended to remove carbon from the 299 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: atmosphere in some way, Like it might be a program 300 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,119 Speaker 1: where you're planting lots of trees for all, for certain 301 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 1: amounts of carbon that you're emitting, and you get credits 302 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:34,639 Speaker 1: for that right because you're spending money, you get credits 303 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 1: that allow you to emit that carbon. Here's the problem. 304 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 1: You're dumping all that carbon now, and the solutions can 305 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: take years to mature and start to make an impact. 306 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 1: So in the in between that you've got this growing 307 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: issue of of increasing amounts of carbon being emitted into 308 00:18:55,280 --> 00:19:00,160 Speaker 1: the atmosphere with the quote unquote solution for the problem 309 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,439 Speaker 1: not really even making an impact until years later. You 310 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: can't do that that there's a there's a recipe for disaster. 311 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 1: It's heading toward collapse. But that is how a lot 312 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: of these companies deal with trying to look like they're 313 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: being carbon neutral. They're not actually carbon neutral. They're essentially 314 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:23,960 Speaker 1: buying the right to emit more carbon. And since these 315 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: companies have enormous amounts of money, they can do that 316 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: because in the end, the money they spend in order 317 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: to appear carbon neutral on paper is way less than 318 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:36,680 Speaker 1: the money they would have to spend to actually overhaul 319 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:42,680 Speaker 1: operations so that it truly was carbon neutral. Dark times, y'all, 320 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 1: it's it's tough, and this is something It's not just 321 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:46,960 Speaker 1: Amazon that does this, So I don't want to give 322 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,120 Speaker 1: that impression. It's not only Amazon that is guilty of 323 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 1: kind of doing this sort of bait and switch or 324 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 1: or juggling numbers around on a piece of paper to 325 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:00,520 Speaker 1: make it look better. This is something that's problemat throughout 326 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 1: multiple industries, not just the tech industry. So it's something 327 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 1: that we really do have to pay more attention to 328 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:10,960 Speaker 1: and make sure that we address in a responsible way. Alright, 329 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,639 Speaker 1: We've got a few more stories to cover before we 330 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: conclude this episode, but first let's take another quick break. 331 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: We're back. So, the chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, 332 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: better known as t s MC, released a statement that 333 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,359 Speaker 1: I think kind of says the obvious, like it's something 334 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:40,919 Speaker 1: where everybody knows this, but I guess by saying it 335 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 1: out loud, you make it more ominous. What he said 336 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 1: was that if China were to invade Taiwan, that would 337 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 1: cause huge economic turmoil in the entire region, it would 338 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 1: change global economies, and it would render t s MCS 339 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 1: semiconductor factory's nonoperable. Now, this has been something that's been 340 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 1: a huge concern for a long time. So so let's 341 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:10,440 Speaker 1: do a very quick cliffs notes version of what's going 342 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 1: on here. Taiwan is off the coast of mainland China. 343 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: The two entities, China and Taiwan have had a long 344 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 1: and complicated history. Way back in the nineteen forties, the 345 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: Republic of China, which was the government that was in 346 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 1: place of the entire nation at that time, was being 347 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 1: pushed out by the People's Republic of China, a totally 348 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 1: different group, and the Republic of China fled to Taiwan. 349 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:44,679 Speaker 1: The People's Republic of China assumed control of the Chinese mainland. Essentially, 350 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 1: both governments more or less claim that they're the rightful 351 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:51,440 Speaker 1: power for all of China. So, uh, you have these 352 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,919 Speaker 1: two different entities that that essentially say, yeah, we're in 353 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:02,359 Speaker 1: charge of everything. Um well, effectively they operates separately. Although 354 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: China and Taiwan have a lot of connections, obviously there 355 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,359 Speaker 1: are people who go back and forth. China has been 356 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: accused of stealing talent from Taiwan for years now in 357 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:18,160 Speaker 1: order to bolster its own semi conductor industry in China, 358 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:21,600 Speaker 1: and there have been tensions there for ages. So this 359 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:27,880 Speaker 1: has been a huge reason why places other places around 360 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 1: the world, like particularly here in the United States, we've 361 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:36,800 Speaker 1: seen a real push to create semiconductor fabrication facilities in 362 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:41,320 Speaker 1: order to reduce the dependence upon Taiwan. Right now, Taiwan 363 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: produces nearly half of all semi conductors that are used 364 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:47,960 Speaker 1: in the world, and and more than half if you're 365 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 1: looking at the really advanced semi conductors. That's because you know, 366 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:56,480 Speaker 1: Taiwan poured billions of dollars into developing this industry, and 367 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 1: companies in other places like the United States, chose to 368 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:03,800 Speaker 1: outsource manufacturing to Taiwan because it made more economic sense. 369 00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:06,639 Speaker 1: But now when you start looking at it and you 370 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: look at the vulnerability of putting, you know, all of 371 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:13,920 Speaker 1: your semiconductor eggs in Taiwan's basket, you start to get 372 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,119 Speaker 1: a little nervous, especially when China seems to get a 373 00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:21,840 Speaker 1: little more aggressive and it stands towards Taiwan. So an 374 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 1: invasion would be a massive disruption to the entire tech 375 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 1: sector and beyond. And I think the reason why this 376 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:32,720 Speaker 1: even came out in the news at all is because 377 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: the United States Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has 378 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: announced a planned visit to Taiwan, which in turn prompted 379 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:45,119 Speaker 1: China to warrant that, you know, Western interference in Taiwan 380 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:49,280 Speaker 1: would raise tensions in the region. So there's this general 381 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:53,679 Speaker 1: worry that this is going to precipitate into a cascading 382 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: event that will upend the entire semiconductor industry. My hope 383 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:02,160 Speaker 1: is that that doesn't happen, because obviously if it did, 384 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:06,840 Speaker 1: it's going to be incredibly disruptive across everything. Um it 385 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: would be terrible for for millions of people uh directly 386 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 1: affected by such a thing, and then indirectly billions more. So, obviously, 387 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,919 Speaker 1: here's hoping that we don't see, uh, this rhetoric grow 388 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: into more drastic action. On the United States side, the 389 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 1: government is placing more restrictions on what companies are able 390 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 1: to export to China when it comes to chip making tools. 391 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:40,040 Speaker 1: So China has been investing billions in building more semiconductor 392 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:44,960 Speaker 1: facilities within China itself, and it has been importing some 393 00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:48,920 Speaker 1: of the the advanced chip making tools from other countries 394 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,720 Speaker 1: like Japan and the United States. So you can kind 395 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:53,879 Speaker 1: of look at this as a political approach to trying 396 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 1: to slow China's progress a little bit. The U s 397 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:00,920 Speaker 1: government is essentially saying to come needs within the US 398 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:06,840 Speaker 1: that you cannot sell current tools to China. You can 399 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: sell much older tools, tools that are essentially obsolete when 400 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: when you compare to the state of the art of 401 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,200 Speaker 1: what's what we're capable of making, But you can't sell 402 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:21,920 Speaker 1: China any tools that would allow China to stay up 403 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:28,479 Speaker 1: to date on manufacturing processes. So again it's another another 404 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: case of trying to slow down China's march towards global domination, 405 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,919 Speaker 1: at least in the technology technology sector. Over in Spain, 406 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,439 Speaker 1: there's some concerning news about a pair of hackers who 407 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,239 Speaker 1: disrupted a significant number of radiation detection sensors that are 408 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:51,080 Speaker 1: part of a radioactivity alert system there. Moreover, these two 409 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:54,960 Speaker 1: hackers apparently previously served as contractors who were put in 410 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: charge of maintaining that network. So the people who were 411 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,399 Speaker 1: meant to take care of the network, we're dismantling it. 412 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 1: Here's what happened. So Spain has several nuclear power plants, 413 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,080 Speaker 1: so in a in an effort to assure safety, Spain 414 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:13,280 Speaker 1: also has this mesh network of around eight hundred gamma 415 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:16,800 Speaker 1: detection sensors. That network is meant to provide an early 416 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:19,439 Speaker 1: warning in case of something going wrong at one of 417 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 1: these nuclear facilities, so that we don't have a catastrophic 418 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:26,120 Speaker 1: disaster on the order of Chernobyl. Also, it means if 419 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 1: the Hulk goes out for Paea, will know about it 420 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: right away. Anyway, apparently these two contractors were purposefully sabotaging 421 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 1: those sensors. They were effectively severing the connection between the 422 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:42,239 Speaker 1: censor and the control center that monitors everything, and they 423 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:44,719 Speaker 1: did it to more than three hundred of the eight 424 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:48,840 Speaker 1: hundred censors. They also allegedly tried to delete a program 425 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:52,800 Speaker 1: that was designed to manage this network at the control center. Now, 426 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:55,879 Speaker 1: this was all happening last year between March and July, 427 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 1: and investigators cut onto the fact that something was going 428 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 1: on and they launched an investigation that lasted a full year. Now, 429 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:07,159 Speaker 1: the two unnamed individuals have been arrested. Uh no motive 430 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,480 Speaker 1: has been shared with the media, so there's no word 431 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 1: if there was more to this plan or not. As 432 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:16,720 Speaker 1: it stands, the two hackers greatly reduced the detection capacity 433 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 1: of the network, so if something had gone wrong with 434 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:22,600 Speaker 1: one of these nuclear facilities, it might have taken longer 435 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: to detect it, which in turn could have been disastrous. 436 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 1: But the question is, is this just part of a 437 00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:32,879 Speaker 1: bigger plan. Maybe there was something far more destructive planned 438 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:36,520 Speaker 1: for the future. Maybe dismantling the warning system was step 439 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 1: one to make sure that this more destructive plan would 440 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:43,639 Speaker 1: have a maximum effect. I don't I don't know if 441 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:45,720 Speaker 1: that's the case. Maybe I've just watched too many James 442 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 1: Bond films. Finally, Logitech is working on a handheld gaming 443 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:53,200 Speaker 1: system with ten Cent games. It sounds like the games 444 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:56,600 Speaker 1: themselves will be mostly running in the cloud. Logitech announced 445 00:27:56,640 --> 00:27:59,480 Speaker 1: that the device will support Xbox Cloud Gaming and G 446 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: four Now, which is from Nvidia. There is an enormous 447 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,480 Speaker 1: lack of details about this. Logitech did not mention a 448 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:09,800 Speaker 1: release date. It did not mention what sort of price 449 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,199 Speaker 1: range this might be at, or whether there will be 450 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,600 Speaker 1: different models of the device. We actually didn't see any 451 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:17,920 Speaker 1: pictures or illustrations of the things, so we don't even 452 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,720 Speaker 1: know what it's going to look like. But there's definitely 453 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:25,040 Speaker 1: been a huge demand for handheld PC gaming systems. Valve 454 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:27,760 Speaker 1: came out with the Steam Deck and demand was so 455 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:30,639 Speaker 1: high that they could not meet it, like the supply 456 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:33,200 Speaker 1: was way too low, and in fact for a while 457 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: there was concern about you know, people had put in 458 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:38,080 Speaker 1: reservations for one of these things, they didn't know if 459 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,680 Speaker 1: they were ever going to get one. Valve has said 460 00:28:41,760 --> 00:28:45,200 Speaker 1: recently that people who had a current reservation as of 461 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 1: four days ago would get their steam Deck by the 462 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,360 Speaker 1: end of twenty twenty two, and I think they're going 463 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 1: in a first come, first serve basis, so in other words, 464 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:56,800 Speaker 1: the earlier you made your reservation, the earlier you will 465 00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: be able to get yours. I made a reservation for one, 466 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: but I didn't get until relatively recently, so I expect 467 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 1: if I do get one this year, it will be 468 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: at the tail end of the year. But that's on 469 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,680 Speaker 1: me because I was slow to act on that. So 470 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:14,920 Speaker 1: Logitech getting into the space makes sense. Having competition in 471 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:19,000 Speaker 1: handheld PC gaming is great. It's going to drive innovation 472 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 1: for all parties concerned. So I think this is a 473 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: good thing, especially if you do like having portable gaming systems. 474 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: I've heard great things about the Steam Deck, you know, 475 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,720 Speaker 1: people talking about certain titles that are just a joy 476 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: to play on steam Deck, and I'm really hoping that 477 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 1: I get a chance to try that out sometime towards 478 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 1: the end of this year. So Logitech coming out with 479 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 1: another model I think is nothing but good news and 480 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:45,840 Speaker 1: hopefully it means that we'll see other ones also join 481 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 1: in the market, uh that are well designed so that 482 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:53,400 Speaker 1: ultimately the consumers benefit. And that's it for the news 483 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:57,680 Speaker 1: for Tuesday, August two, two thousand twenty two. If you 484 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 1: have suggestions for topics I should cover in future episod 485 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:01,760 Speaker 1: is a tech Stuff, please reach out to me. There 486 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:03,880 Speaker 1: are a couple of ways to do that. One is 487 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 1: you can download the I Heart Radio app. It's free 488 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 1: to download. You can just navigate over to tech Stuff 489 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,760 Speaker 1: and there's this little microphone icon that if you click 490 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 1: on you can leave a voice message up to thirty 491 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 1: seconds in length and let me know what you would 492 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,840 Speaker 1: like me to cover. Or you can always reach out 493 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:23,440 Speaker 1: on Twitter. The handle I use on Twitter for the 494 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: show is tech Stuff H s W and I'll talk 495 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: to you again really soon. Y. Tech Stuff is an 496 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 497 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 1: visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 498 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:45,440 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.