1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:18,240 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio 4 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: and I love all things tech. And it's another week 5 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: and another billionaire going to space. Earlier this month, Richard 6 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: Branson took a very short jaunt out to the edge 7 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: of space board Virgin Galactics space Ship two, which is 8 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: a single rocket engine vehicle that actually piggybacks on a mothership, 9 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: a larger air vehicle called White Night too, so then 10 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: it detaches from White Knight to ignites its rocket engine 11 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: and thus does not have to take off from the 12 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: surface of the Earth. Now this morning, as I was 13 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: writing this, I was writing it just as Amazon founder 14 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: Jeff Bezos had finished his similarly short trail in the 15 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 1: New Shepherd Blue Origin space vehicle, which is a capsule 16 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: that sits on top of a launch vehicle. He was 17 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: part of the first crew to ride that vehicle to space, 18 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: so the first people to actually be in a Blue 19 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: Origin space vehicle. He went along with his brother Mark 20 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,679 Speaker 1: and an aviation legend, Wally Funk. She has now become 21 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 1: the oldest astronaut to go to space, and Oliver Damon, 22 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: the eighteen year old who took the spot of some 23 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: anonymous person who purchased a twenty eight million dollar ticket 24 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: to go to space but then had to back out 25 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: due to what we're called scheduling difficulties, which is pretty wild, right, 26 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: kind of wonder what's in your schedule where you're like, oh, man, 27 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: I can't go to space today. I gotta go buy 28 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,440 Speaker 1: milk or whatever it is. Anyway, Damon is now the 29 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: youngest person to have gone to space. So in the 30 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: same little space capsule, they had the oldest astronaut and 31 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: the youngest astronaut to ever go to space. And Damon's father, 32 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: by the way, runs a private equity firm in the Netherlands. 33 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: So this is not the case of some like Ragamuffin 34 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: finding a golden ticket and a Wonka bar or something. No, 35 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: because space, it turns out it's not just trying to 36 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: kill you. It's also freaking expensive. Most of us will 37 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: never be able to afford to go. Now, you could 38 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: say that I've got a case of sour grapes, and 39 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: I admit it, You're right, I do have a case 40 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: of sour grapes. I'm absolutely grouchy about this. But moreover, 41 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: there has been a growing backlash against Branson, Bezos and 42 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: Elon Musk as well, because the billionaires were publicly racing 43 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:54,679 Speaker 1: toward getting into space, and meanwhile we have these massive 44 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: problems that continue to balloon out of control back here 45 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: on the ground. This is led some to say, you know, 46 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: why are you seemingly running away? Even though they were 47 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: only up in space for like a minute and less 48 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: than a minute in some cases, it's not like it's 49 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: them saying peace out and flying off to some luxury 50 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: planet in the Solar System. But a lot of the 51 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: critics say, why not use some of that money, the 52 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:23,519 Speaker 1: enormous amounts of money it took to send you to 53 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 1: space to address critical problems like, you know, the pandemic, 54 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: or income inequality, or poor working conditions or the exploitation 55 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: of the poor. Why spend all that money on an 56 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: endeavor that contributes to enormous amounts of carbon emissions. The 57 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: aviation industry in general is a really big source of 58 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: carbon emissions, and it means that a very small percentage 59 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: of people are responsible, either directly or indirectly, for a 60 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: large percentage of carbon emissions. These and other questions have 61 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: been asked many times over the past few days. They 62 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: also point out that these billionaires often have an association 63 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: with some of those problems. I mean, Amazon in particular 64 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: has been in the news quite a bit about things 65 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: like unfair working conditions with Elon Musk. His other company, Tesla, 66 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: has been in the news about pushing to open up 67 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: manufacturing facilities, even as the states that those facilities were 68 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: in we're ordering lockdowns. Like there have been some pretty 69 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: negative news reports about these companies that are are run 70 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: by these billionaires. Now, on the other hand, there is 71 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: a lot of good things to be said with regard 72 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: to human ingenuity and engineering and the countless hours that 73 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: thousands of people put into making this achievement a possibility. 74 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 1: We should not ignore that. And I think it is 75 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: possible to both be critical of the motivations and implications 76 00:04:56,279 --> 00:05:01,359 Speaker 1: of the billionaire space race and also still be able 77 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: to laud the achievements of people who made it all possible. 78 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: But you know, hearing rich people yell woo who on 79 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: a space joy ride does get my dander up. I 80 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 1: reckon anyway, I guess the ball is now in Elon 81 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: Musk's court, as he's the one billionaire of those three 82 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: who has not yet gone to space, though his car did. 83 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: Speaking of Elon Musk and space, SpaceX tested the enormous 84 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,839 Speaker 1: booster rocket for its Starship spacecraft on Monday night. So 85 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 1: this is a booster rocket that were part of the 86 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: launch vehicle to get Starship into space. The booster is 87 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 1: called the Super Heavy and it has several rocket engines. 88 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: They're called raptor engines to be precise, and this particular 89 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: test involved igniting three of those engines in a test burn, 90 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: but the booster was tethered firmly to the ground. This 91 00:05:56,320 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 1: wasn't launching. The booster was really testing the engine is 92 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: making sure that everything was working in the future. Assuming 93 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,480 Speaker 1: that everything goes well, a full launch of the Starship, 94 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:09,359 Speaker 1: for example, if you were to try and send it 95 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: to Mars, could involve more than thirty engines during that process. 96 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: The company has already conducted a suborbital test of Starship 97 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: last May, and the plan was to carry out an 98 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: orbital test during this summer, but you know time is 99 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,359 Speaker 1: starting to run out for that. If it happens, the 100 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: Starship will launch from Texas, it will reach an orbital 101 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: altitude and then it will descend to land near the 102 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: island of Kawaiti, you know as part of Hawaii. And 103 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 1: the ultimate plan for the starship program is again to 104 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: send astronauts to distant places like the Moon or Mars, 105 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: and that's why you need such powerful engines for a 106 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 1: full launch. We've still got a long way to go 107 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,040 Speaker 1: before we ever try something like that, and more tests 108 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:57,840 Speaker 1: will be needed to ensure that the tech is reliable 109 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,720 Speaker 1: and safe. The spy where Pegasus is back in the 110 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: news this week, and in case you're not familiar with this, 111 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: Pegasus is a spyware project headed by an Israeli company 112 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: called the n s O Group. This company makes spyware 113 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: for smartphones and that gives a remote administrator access to 114 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: that device. That actually includes the ability to activate the 115 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: smartphones camera and microphone, so you can use it as 116 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: a surveillance tool. This is the sort of stuff that 117 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: hackers want in order to gain information about targets. It's 118 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 1: the same stuff that Nations used to keep an eye 119 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: on various people. And the NSL group has sold this 120 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: spyware technology as a weapon. Is classified as a weapon, 121 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 1: so they actually have to get the consent of the 122 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: Israeli government before they sell it to anyone, but they've 123 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: sold it to various countries in the Middle East, though 124 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: typically not two countries that have an outright antagonistic stance 125 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: against Israel, which makes sense. You wouldn't think that the 126 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: Israeli government would sign off on a sale of a 127 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:07,000 Speaker 1: surveillance tool that's classified as a weapon two enemies of 128 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: the state. Critics have suggested that the ns A group 129 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: is effectively acting as sort of a vanguard for Israeli diplomacy, 130 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: the idea being that, you know, providing this powerful surveillance 131 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:21,640 Speaker 1: tool to various governments gives Israel a foot in the 132 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: door for diplomatic negotiations moving forward, and critics have also 133 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: alleged that some of these countries, notably Saudi Arabia, have 134 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 1: used the Pegasus spyware, not to you know, identify crime 135 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:39,079 Speaker 1: groups or terrorist groups, which is the stated purpose for 136 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:44,439 Speaker 1: this surveillance technology, but rather to persecute human rights activists 137 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: or critics of the state and journalists. The NSO group 138 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 1: cut off Saudi Arabia's access to the tool following the 139 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:55,559 Speaker 1: murder of Jamal ka Shogi, but later reinstated it upon 140 00:08:55,720 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: direction by the Israeli government, which raises some pretty ugly questions. 141 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: And this is all according to an article in the Guardian. Recently, 142 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,880 Speaker 1: n S Group shut off Saudi access to the tool 143 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: again after Al Jazeera journalists came forward with Amnesty International 144 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,080 Speaker 1: saying that they had been targeted by the spyware. Amnesty 145 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 1: International has published several extensive reports about this spyware and 146 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 1: how various governments have used and abused it. Uh The 147 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: organization has also released a tool kit to help people 148 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:33,439 Speaker 1: determine if their devices have been compromised and have Pegasus 149 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 1: spyware on them. The organization also says that Pegasus is 150 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: much easier to detect on iPhones than it is on 151 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 1: Android phones, as the spyware leaves more traces on iPhones. 152 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: Amnesty also found that the spyware could transfer through a 153 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:52,560 Speaker 1: zero click attack through I message, meaning it's a particularly 154 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: powerful attack. It doesn't require the target to you know, 155 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: click on a malicious link or download any software. It 156 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: can just be done through I message, which is pretty 157 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: pretty nasty stuff. While we're talking about Apple, the company 158 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: recently decided that it was going to delay a return 159 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:14,679 Speaker 1: to office they originally were planning on doing it in September, 160 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: but a rise in COVID cases has made them change 161 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: their minds. The idea was that employees would be returning 162 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:23,960 Speaker 1: to the office for three days a week and then 163 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: remotely work the other two days of the week. But 164 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: now Apple says it's going to hold off to at 165 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: least October. And to be clear, the return to the 166 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: office was not a comeback three days a week if 167 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 1: you feel like it. It was more like a you 168 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: will come back to the office for three days a week. 169 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: It was a mandate, and it was one that you know, 170 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: some Apple employees were protesting. They were saying that the 171 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: message they received was that they were going to be 172 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:52,839 Speaker 1: forced to choose between their health and safety and that 173 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 1: of their families and their careers. Apple CEO Tim Cook 174 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:00,680 Speaker 1: sent out a memo in June, and a memos said 175 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:04,160 Speaker 1: that workers really did need to return to offices and 176 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: and get the hum of activity back in the hallways 177 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: of Apple. And just to be clear, while I'm specifically 178 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: talking about Apple here, it is not unique in this 179 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: at all. Google and Amazon have similar planned policies with returns. 180 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: In September. I believe both of those companies also planned 181 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: to do a three days in the office kind of approach. 182 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 1: We'll see if those companies also adjust their plans in 183 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 1: the wake of rising COVID cases. The delta variant is 184 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: really wreaking havoc in the United States. Um even vaccinated 185 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: people can catch it, and while their symptoms might be minor, 186 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 1: in fact they might be asymptomatic, there's still a concern 187 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 1: about the possibility of them passing that on to unvaccinated people, 188 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:52,960 Speaker 1: which that could lead to actual disaster, you know, and death, 189 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:55,680 Speaker 1: the bad things. I'm just coming out and saying it 190 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 1: that I think people dying from COVID is bad. I 191 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: know it's a controversial thing to say for some reason. Anyway, 192 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 1: it's really at this point that I want to express 193 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: how thankful I am for our leadership. At my heart, 194 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: I'm incredibly fortunate that I am. My co workers are 195 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: all given the freedom to continue working from home with 196 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:21,600 Speaker 1: no mandate in the foreseeable future right now to return 197 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 1: to the office. Now, some of us do go into 198 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: the office occasionally. So for example, I will sometimes go 199 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: into the office to record interviews for my show The 200 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:32,959 Speaker 1: Restless Ones. If you haven't heard The Restless Ones, you 201 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,679 Speaker 1: should go check it out. Uh. And the reason why 202 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:38,400 Speaker 1: I do that the all the interviews I do are remote, 203 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:41,800 Speaker 1: but the office is internet connection is much more reliable 204 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 1: than my home internet connection and I don't want to, 205 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: you know, have a connection dropped during an interview, So 206 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:50,680 Speaker 1: I go to the office for those occasions. Um, And 207 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 1: it's pretty rare that I see anyone else in that office. 208 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:56,600 Speaker 1: Occasionally I do, like on a on a really busy day, 209 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: I might see as many as for other people. But 210 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 1: most days I'm the only one there. And considering that 211 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: at least one of my co workers has announced that 212 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 1: they were diagnosed with COVID not too long ago, this 213 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 1: is a pretty big deal to me. Now. To be clear, 214 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: my co worker announced this on a public forum, but 215 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: in respect for their privacy, I'm just gonna leave it 216 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: at that. I'm not gonna say who it was. If 217 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 1: you know, you know, if you don't know, it doesn't 218 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: really matter. The point is that because of my company's policy, 219 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: I feel pretty safe, and I feel a lot of 220 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: empathy for the people who are working for Apple and 221 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:39,960 Speaker 1: Google and Amazon who might not have that same reassurance. Anyway, 222 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: we'll keep our eyes on these stories as they continue 223 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:45,440 Speaker 1: to develop. Ideally, I would just like to see the 224 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: COVID numbers come down, people go back to the office 225 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 1: and everything be fine. That's just not the reality we're 226 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: working with right now. Next year, the three major cellular 227 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: service providers in the United States, those being Verizon, Team 228 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 1: of and A T and T, will all preload Android 229 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 1: Messages as the default texting app on all Android phones. Now. 230 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 1: This marks a shift to the RCS chat standard, which 231 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: Android Messages uses. Our RCS stands for Rich Communications Services, 232 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: and it's a replacement for the antiquated SMS, or Short 233 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 1: Messaging Service standard that we've relied on for years. We 234 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: typically think of SMSs text messages. So why are we upgrading? Well, 235 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: SMS has some pretty major drawbacks. It does not support 236 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: end to end encryption. For example, it doesn't support group messaging. 237 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,400 Speaker 1: It doesn't support red receipts, so that means you never 238 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 1: know if someone actually saw the text message you sent them. 239 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:50,800 Speaker 1: Though on the flip side, that also gives me plausible 240 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: deniability that you know, I ever even saw the text message, 241 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 1: because I'm notorious or not answering them anyway. RCS also 242 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: supports features like video and audio, something that SMS can't 243 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: really handle. But there's a big drawback, and that is 244 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:07,320 Speaker 1: you have to make sure that the r r c 245 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: S implementations of each of these carriers are compatible with 246 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: one another. Otherwise you could end up with services that 247 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 1: would allow for communication within one carrier but not beyond it, 248 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: or within one handset manufacturer but not beyond that. So, 249 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 1: in other words, you could find yourself able to communicate 250 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: with anyone else who was on the same carrier or 251 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: was using the same phone that you were using, but 252 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: you couldn't do it with anyone else. Now, the carriers 253 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:40,160 Speaker 1: in the US say that they are working to ensure compatibility, 254 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: and the fact that they're defaulting to Google's Android Messages 255 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:45,680 Speaker 1: really falls in line with that. Now, the only major 256 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 1: player in the space that hasn't announced a move to 257 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: r CS is Apple. Apple's Eye Message is a different 258 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: kettle of fish, being far more feature rich and secure 259 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: than old SMS. It also supports end to end encryption, 260 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 1: but if you need a message someone who isn't on 261 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: an Apple device, then you have to fall back to 262 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 1: SMS messages. Android is rolling out into end encryption for 263 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 1: Android messages, and I message, like I said, hast end 264 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: encryption in place as well, but any messages that would 265 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 1: be sent between an Android device and an Apple device 266 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,880 Speaker 1: would have to revert to SMS and thus be less secure, 267 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: so it represents a weak link. It's hard to imagine 268 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: Apple inviting rcs to occupy a space on the iPhone, 269 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: and similarly, Apple doesn't appear to be keen to allow 270 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 1: I message apps on the Android platform, so we're kind 271 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,120 Speaker 1: of at a bit of an impass. Well, we have 272 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: a couple more stories to cover, but before I get 273 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: to that, let's take a quick break. We're back. A 274 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 1: T and T is reportedly in talks to offload and 275 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: add division that has been hemorrhaging money for a few 276 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: years and is not looking any better right now. And 277 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 1: this is all according to Axios. So back in two 278 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 1: thousand eighteen, A T and T acquired an ad exchange 279 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: company called app Nexus for one point six billion dollars 280 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: that's billion with a B, and it also purchased a 281 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,119 Speaker 1: TV ad company called Clipped. Not sure how much that 282 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:23,120 Speaker 1: acquisition was for, but it was significantly lower than one 283 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: point six billion. But the idea was to combine these 284 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:30,640 Speaker 1: two things and create an automation solution for television advertising 285 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:35,400 Speaker 1: and pair that with Warner Media. The media division within 286 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:39,880 Speaker 1: A T and T, the ad division was renamed zander 287 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 1: x A N d R. Now, in my fanciful brain, 288 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:47,880 Speaker 1: and automation solution for television advertising means that we would 289 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: get ads with robots selling us stuff, which at first 290 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:54,200 Speaker 1: I'm totally into. But then I remember those terrifying Dura 291 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 1: cell commercials from decades ago where you had these plastic 292 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: robot people. Do you guys remember those? They were the 293 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:04,120 Speaker 1: stuff of nightmares. Go to YouTube and search Dura sell 294 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:07,159 Speaker 1: robot people. If you don't know what I'm talking about, 295 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:09,679 Speaker 1: And I'm sorry, but halloweens around the corner. It's a 296 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:13,160 Speaker 1: great costume anyway. No, that's not what this is about. 297 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: I was like totally off based on that. The plan 298 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: was to incorporate the automated ad division with Warner Media 299 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,640 Speaker 1: and to have these two work together and to optimize 300 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 1: advertising and just generate revenue out the wazoo. Really, But 301 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:33,639 Speaker 1: now A T and T is famously ditching Warner Media, 302 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 1: or rather spinning it off, and Warner Media is scheduled 303 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,959 Speaker 1: to merge with Discovery Communications and become a new media 304 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:46,280 Speaker 1: company again and without the media side of the business. 305 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,920 Speaker 1: Then Zander's kind of a hammer, but there are no nails, 306 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:52,680 Speaker 1: right There's it's a tool, but there's nothing to use 307 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: it with because now A T. T doesn't have the 308 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: media arm that would go hand in hand with the 309 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: advertising arm, so it's missing inventory side of the ad business. 310 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 1: So it has no real place with a T and T. 311 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: And apparently there have been some major mismanagement issues with 312 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 1: the division from the get go, with annual losses somewhere 313 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 1: in the fifty to ninety million dollar range. Again, this 314 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: is according to AXIOSS sources. At the moment, an Indian 315 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:24,840 Speaker 1: company called in Mobi, which is another big AD technology company, 316 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,320 Speaker 1: is in talks to potentially acquire the division, but it's 317 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: early days. We don't know if that's actually going to 318 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: move forward. An organization called Common Cause and a union 319 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,920 Speaker 1: called the Communications Workers of America recently released a joint 320 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:43,160 Speaker 1: report titled Broadband Gatekeepers. How i SP lobbying and political 321 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: influence shapes the Digital Divide. The report examines the telecommunications 322 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: industry in the United States, the political power that that 323 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 1: industry wields, and the consequences that create an uneven and 324 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:00,359 Speaker 1: unfair broadband distribution here in the US. The report opens 325 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,959 Speaker 1: by pointing out how the pandemic really highlighted the necessity 326 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 1: of having broadband access in the US just for being 327 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:11,200 Speaker 1: able to carry out like simple daily functions. You really 328 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:15,359 Speaker 1: benefited if you have access to a broadband connection all 329 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: the way to participating in the democratic process. The election 330 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,199 Speaker 1: was a big deal. You know, it was going on 331 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,439 Speaker 1: during a pandemic, and the internet access was playing a 332 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,679 Speaker 1: big part in being able to participate in that process. 333 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: Also signing up for COVID vaccinations that is largely an 334 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,400 Speaker 1: online process in a lot of places as well. So 335 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:43,199 Speaker 1: having broadband access is pivotal to playing a part in 336 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,119 Speaker 1: being a part of society in the United States. The 337 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:49,440 Speaker 1: report lays out that the industry spends hundreds of thousands 338 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:52,919 Speaker 1: of dollars every day to lobby politicians and an effort 339 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: to more or less maintain an advantageous position in regional marketplaces. 340 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: So the report pretty much spells out stuff that I 341 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:04,440 Speaker 1: think most people know just through their own experience that 342 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: big companies frequently have a near monopoly on specific regions, 343 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:11,480 Speaker 1: which means the average person is fortunate if they have 344 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:15,480 Speaker 1: even a second option when it comes to choosing a 345 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,120 Speaker 1: broadband service. And it also points out that a lot 346 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: of people, particularly people in vulnerable or poor populations, often 347 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,159 Speaker 1: lack any broadband options at all, and so there are 348 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:30,119 Speaker 1: these massive gaps in connectivity in the US. And the 349 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:34,199 Speaker 1: report is essentially saying these companies are behaving as companies do, right. 350 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: These companies are capitalistic organizations. That's there, you know, raison d'tre, 351 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 1: and that as a result, if a company identifies a 352 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 1: particular region as being unprofitable, then there's no financial incentive 353 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,159 Speaker 1: for that company to extend services out to that area. 354 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:55,920 Speaker 1: That's kind of the gist of the reports saying that 355 00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:01,280 Speaker 1: without any other influence in here, these populations are going 356 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:06,120 Speaker 1: to continue to be underserved compared to areas that are 357 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 1: deemed to be profitable by these companies. And again, like 358 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 1: it's it's kind of making the companies out to be 359 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: the bad guy, but to be fair, you could argue 360 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:18,400 Speaker 1: that it's the system that enables this, that that facilitates 361 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: this kind of behavior, these kind of choices that it 362 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:30,960 Speaker 1: would be antithetical to the corporate uh philosophy to do otherwise. 363 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,960 Speaker 1: And the report also explains how the FCC went from 364 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 1: an organization that was laying out rules and regulations under 365 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:43,639 Speaker 1: the Obama administration that would have really made broadband a utility. 366 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:48,160 Speaker 1: In fact, that did happen, and that this would help 367 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,439 Speaker 1: address things by creating mandates that the companies would have 368 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 1: to follow, thus removing that decision from the companies themselves. 369 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:00,480 Speaker 1: But then all of that flipped when Trump became president 370 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 1: and the FCC leadership completely changed. Now, I would say 371 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,560 Speaker 1: it pretty much confirms a lot of common beliefs about 372 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,640 Speaker 1: the telecommunications industry, and I'll also point out it clearly 373 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: has its own bias that is evident upon reading just 374 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,720 Speaker 1: the executive summary for this report. Now, I'm not saying 375 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: the report is wrong. I'm just saying that the report 376 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 1: does not attempt to present itself as being, you know, 377 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: objective and unbiased. But it's pretty upfront about that. It's 378 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,720 Speaker 1: not like it's trying to be something it's not. Anyway, 379 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:35,679 Speaker 1: if you are curious about why broadband access is the 380 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 1: way it is in the United States and you want 381 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: to know more about the links that companies will go 382 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: to in order to maintain the status quo, I recommend 383 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: reading the report. It's free to read at common Cause 384 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: dot org. And again, the title of that is broadband gatekeepers, 385 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 1: how I sp lobbying and political influence shapes the digital divide. 386 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: I might have to do a full episode about that 387 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: at some point. Finally, last week, a cryptocurrency mining operation 388 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:08,959 Speaker 1: was rated by the Ukraine's Security Service, and the reason 389 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:12,879 Speaker 1: for the raid was that this group was allegedly using 390 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:18,919 Speaker 1: devices to mine cryptocurrency, specifically bitcoin, and in the process 391 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:22,680 Speaker 1: they were stealing electricity from the power grid, so they're 392 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:26,159 Speaker 1: taking electricity without paying for it. Obviously, one of the 393 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:29,639 Speaker 1: things that is a barrier to entry and cryptocurrency mining 394 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: is that you have to have a super powerful computer 395 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: computer system, like multiple super powerful computers in order to 396 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:42,919 Speaker 1: stand a chance at being successful at at mining cryptocurrency, 397 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:45,400 Speaker 1: which means you have to consume a lot of electricity, 398 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:50,760 Speaker 1: which means your operations are expensive unless you steal that electricity. 399 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: If the electricity is free, well then it's not as 400 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: big a deal and you've got more profit for yourself. 401 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: So this particular operation was very odd because it wasn't 402 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 1: full of super powerful mining rigs using various like parallel 403 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:13,480 Speaker 1: processing components. It was using thousands of PS four consoles 404 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: PlayStation four. This raises some questions. I mean PS four 405 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:20,479 Speaker 1: consoles are cool and all. I've got one myself. I 406 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:23,960 Speaker 1: like it. But they're not exactly the most sophisticated computers 407 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:28,240 Speaker 1: out there, and they are not optimized for mining cryptocurrency. Now, 408 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:31,520 Speaker 1: you could argue that using free electricity would mean that 409 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,199 Speaker 1: they don't have to be that good, but if they 410 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:36,679 Speaker 1: never are successful, then there's not much point to it. 411 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 1: Right now, there was a time back with the PS three, 412 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: which had a totally different semiconductor processor architecture, where you 413 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:47,320 Speaker 1: could network a ton of PS three's together and you 414 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: could create the equivalent of a supercomputer, which, by the way, 415 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:55,919 Speaker 1: not necessarily is better at cryptocurrency mining. But that's a 416 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,199 Speaker 1: very different thing than the PS four, which has a 417 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 1: less I guess ambition is processor architecture. It's more like 418 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:06,199 Speaker 1: a typical computers processor. So what gives why would you 419 00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: use PS four consoles to mine cryptocurrency because they surely 420 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:14,959 Speaker 1: are not very effective. Well, new report suggests that the 421 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: consoles were not mining cryptocurrency at all. They were doing 422 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: something that I thought was far more ludicrous. They were 423 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:26,920 Speaker 1: farming in game currency in a FIFA video game. And 424 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 1: here's where the ignorant American that that being me I'm 425 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 1: the ignorant American here is reminded that the FIFA video 426 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:39,160 Speaker 1: game franchise is truly enormous. In fact, the Guinness Book 427 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,119 Speaker 1: of World Records lists it as the best selling sports 428 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,720 Speaker 1: video game franchise in the world. And um, for fellow 429 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:50,399 Speaker 1: Americans who might not play FIFA might not be aware 430 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:54,400 Speaker 1: of what it is. It's a soccer game. Wait, I'm sorry, 431 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: I'm sorry everybody else, it's a football game, but you 432 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:00,399 Speaker 1: know it's that foreign football which we call soccer. Just 433 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 1: keep it on the down low, Americans. Anyway, the people 434 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:07,640 Speaker 1: who are running the operation, apparently we're using these consoles 435 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:12,120 Speaker 1: to farm in game items. In FIFA twenty ones Ultimate 436 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:16,680 Speaker 1: Team Mode, Allegedly they had created these programs that would 437 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:20,680 Speaker 1: allow bots to play in game games and just generate 438 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,359 Speaker 1: tons of in game currency, which the group then could 439 00:27:24,359 --> 00:27:27,720 Speaker 1: sell on the black market to other players. And all 440 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 1: of this just blows my mind. I mean, I understand 441 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 1: that in game stuff can have real world value. It 442 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: has to, like otherwise, downloadable content wouldn't be a thing. 443 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:42,639 Speaker 1: And I've purchased in game stuff on occasion for some titles, 444 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:45,400 Speaker 1: but it always surprises me to hear about the scope 445 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 1: of these kinds of things and an operation that used 446 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,400 Speaker 1: like three thousand, eight hundred PS four consoles to do 447 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 1: this is just hard for me to visualize. I might 448 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,399 Speaker 1: have to do a full episode about this story in 449 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:00,919 Speaker 1: the future to kind of talk about what got us 450 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 1: to this point, because it's more than just a group 451 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 1: of hackers exploiting a system. It's really also about the 452 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:12,159 Speaker 1: system itself and how that system facilitated the scenario that 453 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,440 Speaker 1: allowed this crime to even be a possibility. In a way, 454 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,280 Speaker 1: it's similar to what I was talking about with the 455 00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:23,199 Speaker 1: I s p s and the broadband gatekeepers, right, because 456 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 1: there you have a capitalist system that kind of creates 457 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:32,440 Speaker 1: the environment that enables this disparity to happen, and here 458 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:38,920 Speaker 1: we have a video game monetization strategy that also facilitates 459 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:43,360 Speaker 1: bad behavior. So I think that I may need to 460 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 1: do some episodes about kind of like the underlying business 461 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 1: strategies behind some big tech companies and how that, as 462 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:57,240 Speaker 1: a consequence, leads to negative outcomes that don't necessarily depend 463 00:28:57,320 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: upon the tech. The tech is just a component here, 464 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 1: but it means that when we look at these things, 465 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: were like, oh, that's not totally cool anyway, that's for 466 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: a future episode. This episode is now concluded, so thank 467 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,479 Speaker 1: you very much for listening. If you have suggestions for 468 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:17,800 Speaker 1: topics you would like me to cover on future episodes 469 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: of tech Stuff, do what several of your fellow listeners 470 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:23,840 Speaker 1: have done and reach out to me on Twitter. The 471 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:28,280 Speaker 1: handle to use is tech stuff H s W and 472 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: I'll talk to you again really soon. Text Stuff is 473 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 1: an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from my 474 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:43,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 475 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.