WEBVTT - Tech News: When the Chips are Down 0:00:04.400 --> 0:00:07.800 Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:14.960 Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:18.320 Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:20.840 and I love all things tech and this is our 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:29.240 news episode for January one, Thursday. I'm recording this on January, 0:00:30.280 --> 0:00:34.400 so there will likely be more stories that I did 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:38.360 not cover between when this episode finishes recording and when 0:00:38.360 --> 0:00:43.040 it publishes. I apologize for that. Things are changing pretty 0:00:43.159 --> 0:00:46.680 darn quickly right now. But let's get to the topics 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:50.600 as I chose for today's episode. First, we're going to 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:55.040 look at a changeover at Intel. After serving as CEO 0:00:55.200 --> 0:00:59.000 of Intel for two years, Bob Swan is getting the boot. 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:02.120 Swan had taken over the job in two thousand nineteen 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:07.640 when the previous Intel CEO, Brian Kerzanitch, resigned after it 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:12.080 was discovered he had had an undisclosed affair with another 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:17.800 Intel employee. Yikes. Now the chip manufacturing company has made 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:22.000 this decision to replace Swan after losing the coveted most 0:01:22.240 --> 0:01:27.080 valuable computer chip company. It's kind of like beauty pageant, 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:31.319 I guess, but no. Intel had been the most valuable 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:34.920 chip company in the unit US before Video took that 0:01:35.040 --> 0:01:39.560 crown in July. Intel has had more than its share 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:43.800 of problems lately, including manufacturing issues that have resulted in 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:49.000 delays for Intel's next generation of chips, and once the 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:51.920 company had to say, you know, we are a year 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:55.440 behind where we're supposed to be, it really hurt the 0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:58.880 company big time. The stock market saw shares in Intel 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:05.880 dropped by seventeen. Replacing Swan will be Pat Gelsinger, who 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:09.440 currently serves as the chief executive of vm ware, but 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:13.520 before that ten years before joining vm Ware, Gelsinger spent 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:17.800 thirty years of his career at Intel, so he is 0:02:17.919 --> 0:02:20.960 no stranger to the halls of Intel. We'll have to 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:25.440 see if Gelsinger can guide Intel back to its former 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:30.240 leadership status in the industry in chip manufacturing. And because 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:34.560 that last story was about chips, and because we all 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:38.560 know you can't have just one, by the way, message 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:42.240 me if you happen to get that reference I made. 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:46.920 But let's talk about Qualcom. Qualcom is also known as 0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:51.680 a semiconductor microchip company, primarily known for developing chips for 0:02:51.840 --> 0:02:55.680 mobile devices like smartphones. Now, the company is making a 0:02:55.760 --> 0:03:00.600 one point for billion dollar acquisition of another chip company 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:04.760 called Nuvia. Nuvia has a core chip design that was 0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:10.160 originally based on ARMS architecture. ARM meanwhile, is in the 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:13.720 process of being acquired by in Vidia. So we're kind 0:03:13.720 --> 0:03:17.400 of seeing some big chip manufacturing companies, you know, big 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:20.919 titans of industry, kind of squaring off against each other. 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:24.640 In Vidia, but you know, they added Armed to their arsenal. 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:27.440 They're sitting at the top right now. Intel's trying to 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:31.840 regroup and regain that old top dog spot, and then 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:35.280 Qualcom is adding Nuvia to its business in an effort 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:38.120 to carve out a bigger space for itself in the 0:03:38.200 --> 0:03:40.280 chip game. Will have to keep an eye and see 0:03:40.360 --> 0:03:45.040 where this goes from here. Apple announced an initiative in 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:49.040 which the company will contribute sixty million dollars to help 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:53.920 fund various projects that share the goal of challenging systemic racism. 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.920 The company will provide funds to venture capital firms like 0:03:57.000 --> 0:04:00.120 Harlem Capital, which in turn will use that money to 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:03.600 help entrepreneurs who are people of color and help them 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:08.240 get their projects funded. There has long been a distinct 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:12.000 lack of diversity in tech in general, but when we 0:04:12.040 --> 0:04:17.320 look at venture capital in particular, there is a stark gap. 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:21.320 So in ten, for example, out of the eighty five 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:25.440 billion dollars in VC funding that went to various projects, 0:04:25.839 --> 0:04:28.960 less than one percent of that money went to projects 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:33.480 helmed by women of color. Now, these problems are multi layered, 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:37.440 from a lack of visibility for these projects, a lack 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:41.480 of diversity in the banking institutions themselves, a lack of 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:46.640 support for STEM education projects for people. It's it's sort 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:50.800 of an enormous challenge that has lots of different facets 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:54.440 to it. So projects like this aim to change that, 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:57.719 which is great news for everybody because, as I've often said, 0:04:58.200 --> 0:05:01.400 when we get to hear everyone's idea, we all benefit 0:05:01.680 --> 0:05:04.560 from the best ideas that are out there. But for 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:08.880 a really long time, there have been entire populations of 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:13.080 people who have had their ideas unheard. My hope is 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:15.839 that we are going to see more companies support efforts 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:18.480 like this, and the tech sector will tackle the problem 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:21.600 head on. Because while sixty million dollars is a lot 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:25.200 of money, I mean, we were talking about eighty five 0:05:26.120 --> 0:05:32.240 billion dollars in VC funding total, so that tells you 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:34.920 that sixty million is just it's just a drop in 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:38.560 the bucket. Really, when we're looking at the big picture. 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:41.400 It is, however, a step in the right direction. So 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:43.839 I wanted to give a shout out to Apple for 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:48.480 making that move. And we also have a couple of 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:51.280 Facebook stories here. It wouldn't be a tech stuff news 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:55.480 without them. One of them is that signal a messaging 0:05:55.480 --> 0:06:00.320 app has experienced quote unquote unprecedented growth, a warning to 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:04.400 a report on Reuter's the reason for the apps sudden 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:08.760 rapid adoption, Well, that actually goes back to Facebook changing 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:12.160 the terms of service for WhatsApp, indicating that the company 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:16.279 would be mining data in the WhatsApp messaging service and 0:06:16.320 --> 0:06:21.279 then sharing that information with Facebook proper. Likewise, another messaging 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:26.119 service called Telegram has also seen an uptick in user 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:30.440 numbers as people begin to move to alternatives. When Facebook 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:34.640 first purchased WhatsApp, I remember seeing people concerned about issues 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:38.760 like security and privacy. Now it seems those fears were 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:41.839 well warranted. And just to be clear, I'm not saying 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:45.239 I predicted any of this. Rather, I'm saying some very 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:49.560 smart people who pay much closer attention to messaging services 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:52.440 than I do. We're pointing this out years ago. So 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:55.840 how big of an uptick are we talking about with signal. 0:06:56.560 --> 0:07:00.760 They saw downloads hit seventeen point nine million over the 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:05.240 last week, which is sixty two times greater than the 0:07:05.279 --> 0:07:08.680 number of downloads they saw the previous week, which is 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:14.040 a significant signal. WhatsApp saw a decline in downloads, but 0:07:14.240 --> 0:07:17.880 it was still downloaded ten point six million times, So 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:22.600 it's not exactly going anywhere anytime soon. And as I mentioned, 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:28.040 I'm recording this on Wednesday, janu as I record this episode, 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:32.120 Reuters reports that a Facebook spokesperson has indicated that the 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:36.440 company has seen an increase in messages and activities that 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:40.600 indicate potential future acts of violence in the ongoing political 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:44.440 chaos unfolding in the United States. The spokesperson called the 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:48.720 siege on the US capital a galvanizing event and that 0:07:48.840 --> 0:07:52.640 numerous groups were posting messages indicating a possible repeat of 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:56.080 what we saw on January six in various states around 0:07:56.160 --> 0:07:59.840 the country. All capitals in the United States, all the 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:02.200 dates capitals are on alert for this sort of thing. 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:06.800 The FBI actually has issued warnings about planned armed protests 0:08:07.000 --> 0:08:10.640 set to occur across the US in the days leading 0:08:10.680 --> 0:08:15.240 up to and including Joe Biden's inauguration and The spokesperson 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:18.600 said that Facebook is sharing more information with law enforcement 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:23.360 across the nation. In related news, YouTube has suspended President 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:27.240 Trump's YouTube channel, following a similar course set by companies 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:31.320 like Facebook and Twitter. While communication channels are being more 0:08:31.360 --> 0:08:34.480 carefully monitored or in the cases of parlor or if 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:38.760 you prefer parley, uh, they're being removed entirely, and it 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:41.600 appears as though will be having to deal with the 0:08:41.720 --> 0:08:47.439 long term consequences stemming from years of misinformation and propaganda campaigns. 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:50.640 And again, as I have said many times on this show, 0:08:51.160 --> 0:08:55.880 I advocate everyone employing critical thinking and compassion. I think 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:58.440 the lack of both of those things leads us to 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:01.920 terrible violence and a general disregard for the welfare of 0:09:01.960 --> 0:09:05.440 our fellow human beings. And we can be better than that. 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:08.640 We just have to put forth the effort to do it. 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:12.480 And our last story for this section is again about 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:16.040 parlor or parley. I'm just gonna keep saying parlor. I 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:19.920 know that it could be the French word parlay, but 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:23.559 I'm I'm gonna stick with what most people are saying. 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:28.120 In the US, Parlor filed a lawsuit against Amazon. The 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:33.560 company has accused Amazon of making an illegal, politically motivated 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:40.040 choice to shut down Parlor specifically to benefit Twitter, which 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:44.400 is an odd thing to to say. However, Amazon has 0:09:44.440 --> 0:09:48.920 responded in this lawsuit by providing a large amount of 0:09:48.920 --> 0:09:54.079 correspondence from Amazon to Parlor, pointing out how many times 0:09:54.120 --> 0:09:59.160 there were cases of Parlor posts that violated the terms 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:03.439 of service that Parlor agreed to when they secured the 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:07.240 server space with Amazon Web Services. So, in other words, 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:11.600 Amazon is saying, listen, we told you numerous times about 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:16.480 this illegal material that was appearing on your platform, and 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:18.840 it was only getting worse, and it was clear that 0:10:18.880 --> 0:10:22.000 you could not stop it, so we had no choice 0:10:22.000 --> 0:10:25.040 but to boot you because you were your your platform 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:29.560 was violing the terms of service. This is probably not 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:32.040 going to go so well for Parlor, I would think. 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:35.360 I think that the evidence is pretty strong, and I 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:38.959 think the public sentiment is also fairly strong on this matter. 0:10:39.640 --> 0:10:43.720 So this I expect we'll see end up being dismissed. 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:47.560 And as it turns out, Parlor still having trouble figuring 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:49.880 out where it will go next, if it will go 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:53.880 anywhere next. So that story is still unfolding as I 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:58.880 record right now. Well, that wraps up that first section. 0:10:58.960 --> 0:11:00.840 It was a short one today, but I wanted to 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:06.920 spend more time talking about less heavy stuff. So when 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:09.640 we come back, we'll take another look at some of 0:11:09.679 --> 0:11:13.959 the crazy stuff going on at the virtual c S 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:27.040 one after this short break. Okay, over at the virtual 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:32.520 cs let's say it's a virtual Las Vegas. Razor showed 0:11:32.520 --> 0:11:37.120 off a couple of interesting ideas. There's Project Hazel, a 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:41.599 k a. The World's smartest smart mask. During the pandemic, 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:45.679 Razor actually used its manufacturing facilities to create disposable medical 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:50.360 grade masks for people who work in healthcare, for frontline employees, 0:11:50.400 --> 0:11:53.000 that sort of thing, because there was a real lack 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:55.920 of that, and that's really cool. I think it's awesome 0:11:56.080 --> 0:12:00.280 that tech companies were able to pivot quickly and start 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:05.720 to reconfigure their manufacturing processes to make stuff that there 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:08.400 was a real need for. It actually reminds me a 0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:11.800 lot of the stories we would hear about the Second 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:16.840 World War and how the manufacturing facilities across Europe and 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:20.880 the United States would all get reconfigured to produce things 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:25.079 for the war efforts. Now we're seeing that with the pandemic. However, 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:28.560 Razors also said the new normal has inspired them to 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:33.960 make their own smart mask, and according to Razor, it's 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:38.880 classified as an in n respirator, meaning this would be 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:44.400 an incredibly efficient mask for fil trading airborne particles. This 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:47.240 is the kind of stuff that verse responders need to 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.760 be wearing. It's also the kind of stuff that tends 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:54.080 to be at a real shortage, and so the general 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:59.320 public is encouraged not to get in respirators because it 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:03.559 means fewer for everybody else who needs them. However, this 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:06.160 is sort of a concept Razor is showing off, and 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:10.000 it has an active heat exchange system. It's supposed to 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:13.440 allow cool air into the mask and release hot air 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:16.439 exhaled by the wear. The mask also has a clear 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:18.960 face plate, so instead of it being like a solid 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:23.320 cover over your mouth you see, it's transparent so people 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:26.000 can see your mouth, and ideally that would mean to 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:29.040 be easier to understand what someone is saying. It also 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:32.080 apparently has a microphone built into it and a speaker 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:35.360 built into it so that people can hear you. You 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:38.240 don't sound muffled personally. I hope it has a voice 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:42.960 modulator in it so that way I could talk like Bain. 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:50.000 I just wear a mask. I was born in the dock. Okay, 0:13:50.120 --> 0:13:53.920 enough of that. There are LED lights on it because 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:58.319 I mean, Razor makes gaming material stuff like gaming keyboards 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:02.640 and controllers, so a core their LED lights on it. Uh. 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:06.200 I don't know that that's necessary, but I guess it 0:14:06.240 --> 0:14:09.440 makes it more cool. The recharging case, because obviously it 0:14:09.440 --> 0:14:11.160 has to have a recharging case if it's got these 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:15.040 other electronic components in it has ultra violet lights built 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:18.559 into the inside of the case in order to sterilize 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:22.560 and disinfect the mask in between uses. And just as 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:26.160 a reminder, there is no actual product here. There there 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:28.840 are prototypes, but this is not a thing you can 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:31.600 go out and buy. And Razor also has a history 0:14:31.600 --> 0:14:34.560 of showing off things that are interesting ideas at c 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:37.440 e s, but they never make it to market. So 0:14:37.480 --> 0:14:40.120 I wouldn't expect this to become the new fashion accessory 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:43.680 of one, but it might encourage some other companies to, 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:46.360 you know, kind of give it a go and innovate 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:51.400 in the mask space. Razor also showed off Project Brooklyn, 0:14:51.560 --> 0:14:54.240 which I think is best described as the Iron Throne 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:58.160 but for gamers, like if a Project Brooklyn gaming chair 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.800 with the grand prize and a Fortnite tournament, I would 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:03.880 not be surprised. Now, again, this is a concept. It 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:06.800 is not a commercial product, but it looks pretty sick. 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:10.880 Imagine a gaming chair. It's got a dusk that can 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:12.720 be built into the front of it just attaches to 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:14.680 the front of the chair, so you can put your 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:19.479 keyboard and mouse there. And it has a sixty inch display, 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:23.560 a curved sixty inch display giving a panoramic view that 0:15:23.720 --> 0:15:28.280 hangs in front of view at head level. The concept video, 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:31.200 which I should add, is all just concept. It's not 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:34.520 an actual thing. It's like c g I. It shows 0:15:35.000 --> 0:15:37.840 this chair with a screen emerging out of the back 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.720 of the chair on extendable arms that then move the 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:44.400 screen so that it is in front of the player 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.440 sitting in the chair and stretch it to the full 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:51.280 width of that sixty inch display. Motors in the seats 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:55.760 would provide haptic feedback, so when you're piloting that chopper 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:57.680 in a game, you would feel the thud of the 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:01.040 rotors as you beat the air into submission. And except 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:05.280 this is again just a concept, is not an actual product. 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:09.080 It is cool. But then if I said, imagine I 0:16:09.120 --> 0:16:11.080 made a pair of shoes that can make you fly. 0:16:11.520 --> 0:16:15.360 That would sound cool too, but it doesn't make them real. Now, 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.000 if you do want a gaming chair that can hold 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:20.920 displays right in front of you with an arm that 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:25.160 extends over your head to hold those displays in place, 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:27.280 and you can look like a member of the Legion 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:29.680 of Doom in the process, you can check out a 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:34.360 gaming chair from Aser called Thrown Nose. They have such monstrosities, 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:37.880 and according to the website, the going price for one 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:42.800 of those babies is just a low, low fourteen thousand dollars. 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:46.760 Over at LG, the company showed off the Rollable, a 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:50.440 smartphone device with a flexible oh Lad screen. It's a 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.880 little hard to describe an audio, but imagine you've got 0:16:53.920 --> 0:16:57.200 a smartphone. It's a typical smartphone size. It's in your hands. 0:16:57.600 --> 0:16:59.840 But then you decide you want to tablet. So you 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:02.920 take the edges of your smartphone and you pull them 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:05.359 so that they are more of a tablet shape. You 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:09.480 actually stretch the frame of your smartphone and the screen 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:13.200 stretches along with it. That's kind of what we're talking 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:15.879 about here, although you would probably have a control to 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:20.720 do this automatically. The oh Lad screen rolls up inside 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:23.640 the device and it's kind of like a window shade 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:26.760 in that way, and the device can change shape based 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:30.360 on whatever form factor you need at any given time. LG, 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:32.240 by the way, is not the only company to show 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:35.640 off rollable oh lad screens like this. There's a couple 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:40.280 of others, like TCL. Foldable smartphones are so last year. 0:17:40.560 --> 0:17:43.800 This year it's all about rollable smartphones. Now. There's no 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:46.520 word yet on when something like this might come to market, 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:49.320 or how much it will cost if it does, or 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:52.080 you know, if people will actually think it's you know, 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:55.040 useful enough to spend money on it. But the technology 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:57.840 behind this is super interesting, and there are a lot 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:01.119 of other possible applications for flexible to place, so I 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:04.480 think this is neat even if it never becomes an 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:08.359 actual phone. A lot of car companies skipped this year's 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.240 c E S, but one that showed off an interesting 0:18:11.280 --> 0:18:14.439 concept was GM, and it's called the E v O 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:18.639 t L. This is a flying car concept. Those letters 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:23.200 stand for Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing and it looks 0:18:23.240 --> 0:18:27.159 like a funky quad copter drone, just you know, a 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:30.480 drone that's large enough to carry people in it. So 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:34.840 the two front propellers are mounted at the base of 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:38.440 the front of the vehicle, and the rear propellers are 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:42.160 mounted at the top of the back of the passenger cabin, 0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:44.160 so it does have a bit of an odd look. 0:18:44.280 --> 0:18:47.520 The four rotors are not all on the same plane. 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:51.240 In other words. The company also showed off another concept 0:18:51.320 --> 0:18:55.960 vehicle called the Cadillac Halo, a silvery van looking like 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:59.639 thing that would be autonomous and it would have various 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:03.240 entertain ament systems on the interior to keep people occupied 0:19:03.280 --> 0:19:06.680 as they get, you know, robos shuttled around. I don't 0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:09.960 think we're going to see either concept transform into actual 0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:13.000 vehicles anytime soon, but they were cool to look at. 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:16.920 The company Sigma Phase really knows how to speak my language, 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:20.720 because that company has introduced an ice cream making machine 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:25.560 that produces ice cream out of single serve pods, kind 0:19:25.560 --> 0:19:28.920 of like how curig machines use pods to make coffee. 0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:32.800 This machine is called the cold Snap Now. According to 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:36.399 c Net, it takes between sixty and nineties seconds for 0:19:36.440 --> 0:19:39.240 this machine to make your ice cream, you know, or 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:44.800 your sorebet or your frozen margarita. There are apparently many options. 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:48.960 The pods themselves are made from aluminum not plastic, and 0:19:49.000 --> 0:19:51.240 the company says this was done in order to make 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:54.440 them easier to recycle. But like a lot of things 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:56.760 on this list, it's a prototype and a heavy one. 0:19:56.800 --> 0:20:00.119 Apparently it weighs about fifty pounds. Uh it way is 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:02.280 that much because it has to have a heavy duty 0:20:02.320 --> 0:20:06.040 compressor in there to do rapid heat exchange in order 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:10.000 to to create the freezing action needed to produce ice cream. 0:20:10.040 --> 0:20:12.280 The company does not expect this to go to market 0:20:12.359 --> 0:20:16.840 until at least two and it will likely set you 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:19.600 back a big chunk of change, maybe as much as 0:20:19.640 --> 0:20:23.240 a thousand dollars. Plus the pods will be a couple 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:26.320 of bucks each, so this is definitely more expensive than 0:20:26.359 --> 0:20:29.560 buying an ice cream maker and just getting the ingredients 0:20:29.600 --> 0:20:33.480 together to do it yourself. Still, it looks super you 0:20:33.520 --> 0:20:39.800 know cool. Pana Sonic introduced the Nano e H in 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:44.199 a six seven w hair dryer. Thanks Pana Sonic. That 0:20:44.320 --> 0:20:46.840 name is very easy to say. We'll just call it 0:20:46.880 --> 0:20:49.760 the Nano by the way, that's nano with an E 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:52.960 at the end, not to confuse it with nano from 0:20:53.000 --> 0:20:58.719 like nanotechnology. Panasonic says this thing pulls moisture from the 0:20:58.840 --> 0:21:04.240 air in order to dry your hair, which, yeah, I don't. 0:21:05.040 --> 0:21:08.560 I don't know how that works. Like that sounds wrong 0:21:08.720 --> 0:21:11.640 to me. I mean, is the idea that the hair 0:21:11.760 --> 0:21:15.200 dryer actually just makes the air more dry around you, 0:21:15.640 --> 0:21:17.880 and then the moisture in your hair moves from an 0:21:17.880 --> 0:21:21.760 area of high concentration to low concentration, making the laws 0:21:21.760 --> 0:21:24.440 of thorout dynamics do all the work for the hair dryer. 0:21:24.640 --> 0:21:28.800 I really don't know. Also, I haven't had hair since, 0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:33.119 so hair dryers frightened and confused me. As a matter 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:37.399 of course. Oh, I hear you say, but what about toilets? 0:21:37.920 --> 0:21:41.560 Can you tell me about any smart turlets? And I sure, 0:21:41.720 --> 0:21:45.239 can you know me and my toilet humor? Or at 0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:49.160 least I can tell you about another concept product. This 0:21:49.200 --> 0:21:53.680 one is called the Wellness Toilet from Toto, and as 0:21:53.720 --> 0:21:58.359 the name suggests, this toilet monitors your health by well 0:21:58.400 --> 0:22:01.600 by by looking at your poop. Yeah, it's meant to 0:22:01.600 --> 0:22:06.119 analyze waste to help provide recommendations for living a healthier lifestyle. 0:22:06.440 --> 0:22:09.400 But as I mentioned, it's a concept. It's not an 0:22:09.400 --> 0:22:12.080 actual thing you can buy, so I guess that's kind 0:22:12.080 --> 0:22:15.800 of crappy. There are, of course, a lot of other 0:22:15.840 --> 0:22:19.600 products on display at c S. One that I did 0:22:19.640 --> 0:22:23.320 not mention is Samsung showed off a one hundred and 0:22:23.480 --> 0:22:29.040 ten in television of four K resolution TV. It is 0:22:29.400 --> 0:22:33.960 a monstrosity. It looks gorgeous, it is huge, and it's 0:22:33.960 --> 0:22:37.200 going to actually go on sale in March, So this 0:22:37.280 --> 0:22:40.200 is a product that's actually going to market. We don't 0:22:40.200 --> 0:22:42.919 know how expensive it is, but I have seen people 0:22:43.040 --> 0:22:46.040 make guesses, and the guesses tend to be around the 0:22:46.400 --> 0:22:51.320 neighborhood of a hundred fifty thousand dollars. Yikes. But yeah, 0:22:51.400 --> 0:22:54.399 it is a pretty impressive thing to look at, at 0:22:54.440 --> 0:22:57.119 least the videos. I obviously haven't seen one in person. 0:22:57.600 --> 0:22:59.280 So there are a lot of other things to cover. 0:22:59.600 --> 0:23:02.560 Maybe next week I might do a quick wrap up 0:23:02.600 --> 0:23:06.280 on anything that was, you know, particularly interesting or was 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:09.040 standing out. But it's mostly the stuff you would come 0:23:09.080 --> 0:23:13.280 to expect, the various consumer electronics that we're all familiar with, 0:23:13.480 --> 0:23:17.320 just with sometimes new bells and whistles, and sometimes they 0:23:17.320 --> 0:23:20.800 are literal bells and whistles. When we come back, will 0:23:20.840 --> 0:23:24.480 cover some assorted news items, but first let's take a 0:23:24.560 --> 0:23:36.200 quick break. All right, we're back. Disney has been making 0:23:36.240 --> 0:23:39.200 some big changes in the company's strategy for video games 0:23:39.240 --> 0:23:43.280 set in the Star Wars franchise. So for eight years, 0:23:43.760 --> 0:23:47.359 e A has had the exclusive rights to create titles 0:23:47.600 --> 0:23:51.560 using licensed properties from Star Wars. But then e A 0:23:51.720 --> 0:23:56.160 has also been the target of a lot of criticism 0:23:56.280 --> 0:24:00.520 from the game's industry in general, the game's journalism world 0:24:00.960 --> 0:24:05.919 because of how it has handled that responsibility, from canceling 0:24:06.119 --> 0:24:10.840 highly anticipated games that people really were excited about to 0:24:11.240 --> 0:24:16.320 instituting a pay to win micro transaction mechanic in Battlefront two. 0:24:16.480 --> 0:24:20.360 Before you know, public pressure made them move it out 0:24:20.400 --> 0:24:23.399 of there. EA has managed to take off Star Wars 0:24:23.440 --> 0:24:28.440 fans a lot, But now Disney has formed Lucasfilm Games, 0:24:28.680 --> 0:24:31.919 which will oversee the licensing of properties and will partner 0:24:31.960 --> 0:24:35.920 with game studios to create new Star Wars titles. One 0:24:36.040 --> 0:24:39.400 we've recently heard about is coming from Ubisoft and will 0:24:39.440 --> 0:24:42.920 be an open world game set in the Star Wars universe. 0:24:43.520 --> 0:24:47.040 We do not have much more information than that, other 0:24:47.119 --> 0:24:50.840 than it will depend on the Snowdrop game engine, which 0:24:50.880 --> 0:24:53.399 is the same game engine used by games like The 0:24:53.480 --> 0:24:57.480 Division and The Division two. There's no word on what 0:24:57.560 --> 0:25:00.760 the game will be like, who it's going to focus on, 0:25:00.840 --> 0:25:03.919 what era in the Star Wars mythology. It will be 0:25:03.960 --> 0:25:07.040 set in or anything like that, but the move shows 0:25:07.080 --> 0:25:09.760 that Lucasfilm Games is going to be working with some 0:25:09.840 --> 0:25:12.600 heavy hitters in the video games space, and e A 0:25:12.840 --> 0:25:17.480 is no longer the exclusive developer for these sort of things. 0:25:17.520 --> 0:25:21.960 On a similar note, Lucasfilm is also partnering with Machine Games, 0:25:22.480 --> 0:25:27.000 subsidiary of Bethesda, and Machine Games produced the most recent 0:25:27.200 --> 0:25:31.920 Wolfenstein games. Machine Games will be developing an Indiana Jones game, 0:25:32.240 --> 0:25:35.399 So here's hoping we'll see some high quality titles for 0:25:35.440 --> 0:25:39.639 these franchises. I still haven't played Star Wars Squadrons. I 0:25:39.640 --> 0:25:42.119 feel like I missed the boat on that one. But 0:25:42.359 --> 0:25:44.480 that was a game that had me hopeful that we'd 0:25:44.520 --> 0:25:47.600 see more great titles come out. It was the first 0:25:47.720 --> 0:25:50.560