Nvidia updates its venerable Shield TV set-top box, Apple announces the launch of its AirPod Pros, and Harvard University researchers have found a way to simulate real meat by growing muscle cells on a gelatin scaffold.

Starring Tom Merritt, Nicole Lee, Roger Chang

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Facebook is rolling out a News product in a limited test in the US as a home screen tab and bookmark in the Facebook app. What is Facebook trying to accomplish with this roll-out and will it succeed?

Starring Tom Merritt, Shannon Morse, Roger Chang, Len Peralta.

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Is TikTok a national security threat or just electioneering hyperbole?

Starring Tom Merritt, Roger Chang, Justin Robert Young

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

McDonald’s, the fast-food giant, has invested substantial resources into developing AI to help automate portions of its business. We take a look at the progress the Golden Arches has made in the tech sector.

Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Justin Robert Young 

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Ed Both at ZDNet has an article up called “How to replace each Google service with a more privacy-friendly alternative.” We take a look at Ed’s suggestions and add a few of our own.

Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Patrick Beja

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Scientists at the University of Bristol and Sorbonne University have developed a skin-like input interface for use with phones and computers. Twitch is testing “watch parties”, which would allow streamers to screen Amazon Prime video content to viewers, provided they also have an Amazon Prime subscription. NordVPN says one of its VPN servers at a data center it was renting in Finland, was accessed without authorization.

Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang.

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

We examine the phenomenon that prevents people from picking up new habits and ways of doing things preferring established methods instead even if new behavior would simplify tasks.

Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Blair Bazdarich, Len Peralta, Roger Chang. 

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Netflix earnings for the quarter are in and things look good. Earnings are up but subscriber base in the US missed targets. CEO Reed Hastings said that new streaming services from Apple and Disney would provide “modest headwinds” and that the bigger threat is linear TV. 

Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang, Justin Robert Young. 

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Twitter published a post titled “World Leaders on Twitter: principles & approach” explaining that in “cases involving a world leader, we will err on the side of leaving the content up if there is a clear public interest in doing so.” In it the company laid out its policy towards world leaders using the platform.

Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Google announces new products and services including Ambient Computing and Pixelbook Go. Plus the company shares updates to the Google Home, Stadia and Pixel 4.

Starring Tom Merritt, Patrick Beja, Roger Chang. 

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy