Ten Minute Tech: Recent Episodes
Mark Gibbs
Technology explained for humans in just ten minutes. If you have a question about technology, go to https://tenminute.tech and use the contact form or you can email me at help@tenminute.tech or call me on (805) 666-2059. Ten Minute Tech is a Gibbs Universal production (http://gibbsuniversal.com).
More alien particles, laptops at 35,000 feet and an important announcement. For links to topics covered in this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we wrestle with alien particles, then we wrestle with my wife’s cellphone, then AT&T, then Asurion tech support such as it is or rather isn’t, we waste a lot of time, and realize that we’re just hostages of the cellphone companies. For links to topics covered in this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we discuss how AT&T might have broken your car after they may have broken and replaced your phone and then some advice about replacing your router. For links to topics covered in this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we discuss the IRS, identity theft, the dark web, facial recognition, bureaucrats, and private companies doing things for the government that won’t turn out well for us. For links to topics covered in this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we cover trying to upload information to a government website under threat of losing money if it’s not done by a drop-dead date but are thwarted by bad design, and a presidential executive order that might fix government websites. For links to topics covered in this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we have a bovine version of the Matrix, a rant about punctuation, and the rise of the Tesla Bots. For links to topics covered in this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week it's parking meters, dangerous QR codes, dangerous USB drives, what’s happened to your attention, and some things you really should read. For links to topics covered in this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we hate on AT&T and consider the robotic future of customer disservice. For links to topics covered in this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week there’s Omicron weirdness, we taste the TV, discover chindogu, smell candles, and remember Google Flu Trends. For links to topics covered in this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week it’s Spectrum’s saturation marketing, the correct usage of the words email and unique, how workers can defeat bossware, and yet another warning about phishing but this time, it’s smishing. See the Ten Minute Tech website for the episode notes.
This week we manage our recipes, we’ve got gifts from the tech world (just not the gifts you’d hoped for), and we ponder what Santa might ask for for Christmas. See the Ten Minute Tech website for the episode notes.
This week it’s another massive breach at Internet hosting provider GoDaddy and your chance to get compensated by Zoom whether or not you purchased an account or got Zoombombed. For sources for this episode, go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
Welcome , Ladies and Gentlemen, to the 2021 Gibbs Golden Turkey Awards. This is our eleventh year of pointing the digit of disdain at those individuals, companies, or entities that don't, won't, or can't come to grips with reality, maturity, ethical behavior, and or social responsibility because of their blindness, self-imposed ignorance, thinly veiled political agenda, rapaciousness and greed, or their blatant desire to return us to the Dark Ages. Or all of those sins combined.
This week it’s Colin Powell, COVID-19, misinformation, Substack, more misinformation, and really stupid text marketing by AT&T. For episode notes see the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we discuss politics and technology, the governor of Missouri, and ignorance and ass covering. For episode notes see the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week it’s Facebook, Facebook, and more Facebook. For episode notes see the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we find out which songs get played at funerals, learn about junk mail, and complain to large organizations. For episode notes see the Ten Minute Tech website.
Our service this week will include readings from the Book of Not Turning Left and the Book of Not Getting Hacked. For episode notes, please go to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we’re into death, death, and more death or at least the probability thereof. And statistics. And Covid-19. For episode notes and links, got to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we diagnose our network issues to find out why our Internet service is so damn slow. For episode notes and links, got to the Ten Minute Tech website.
This week we ponder the power of the Big Five, figure out how long it would take Jeff Bezos to spend all of his money, and consider how Amazon knowingly sells dangerous and fake products. Go to the Ten Minute Tech website for sources and links.
In our Ten Minute Tech store this week we’ll visit two departments, one for the power crazed and another for mysterious seeds. Go to the Ten Minute Tech website for the episode notes.
This week we’ll talk about why Excel shouldn’t be used as a hammer and look at repairing a Tesla for reasonable price. See the Ten Minute Tech website for the episode notes.
This week we find out which video just exceeded a billion views, we thwart smartphone hackers, we worry about Lollapalooza, and we consider AI’s use in documentaries and for a-buildin’ things with Lego. Go to the Ten Minute Tech website for sources and links.
In this episode we get poetic, discover the problem with percent symbols, and worry about being accused of things we won’t do. For sources and links, please see the Ten Minute Tech website
This week we revisit dangerous chemicals, find hackers wiping your Western Digital storage device, and demand that we can repair our gear. For sources and links, please see http://tenminute.tech/.
This week more buyers bewaring, botnets, crypto mining, and chemicals. See the Ten Minute Tech website for the episode notes.
This week we’re all about the things, the weather, Texas, electricity, and who gets to set your thermostat. See the Ten Minute Tech website for the episode notes.
This week we cover STEM education, changing the orbit of the Earth (or the moon), scams, and so much more. See the Ten Minute Tech website for the episode notes.
This week we discuss hackers, pipelines, supply chains, and the price of burgers see the Ten Minute Tech website for the episode notes.
This week we finish explaining some of the details behind domain names, the names that identify websites and services online.
One of my (many) obsessions is with unexpected consequences and that leads us to talk about Apple’s new AirTag.
- Check out the Apple AirTag.
Nope, it’s nothing to do with boats and it’s phishing with a "P" and an "H" rather than an "F" but hooks and worms are involved and it’s the worms that are doing the fishing.
We won’t give feedback, we don’t trust Facebook, and then we get all Shakespearean and ask what’s in a domain name?
- Facebook lifts ban on posts claiming Covid-19 was man-made (Guardian)
- Seems like everyone hates Instagram for kids (Vox)
- Why domain names are the new natural resource (Rest of World)
- Facebook allows advertisers to target children interested in smoking, alcohol and weight loss (Guardian)
- What are the Most Popular TLDs/Domain Extensions? (ICDSOFT)
- Check Out Our TLD List (Namecheap)
You know, that computer maintenance thing you keep meaning to do but never get around to …
How to block spam callers and how to torture them, and how software vendors torture users.
- Spam call removing with RoboKiller.
We don’t know what we’re agreeing to, is the power company really going to cut you off, should you be your own iPad technician, and how evil is Apple?
- What are dark patterns?
- Can you avoid agreeing to or signing what Evil Corp. asks you to?
- How to replace your iPad battery.
- Yep, Apple is just like the rest of them.
Mis- and disinformation, my grandmother’s navigation, an outstanding book by a philosopher, vaccines, and why buying cheap cables is a bad idea.
- Snopes on Bill Gates, vaccines, and microchips.
- Harry Frankfurt's paper On Bullshit.
What are deepfakes and should you care about them? We also discuss drilling holes as a security measure and why you should be very careful about what you put in email messages.
Whether you’re doing your banking online, getting your email, using Facebook, or pretty much anything involving computers, you’re going to have to deal with passwords ...
- My favorite password manager: LastPass.
- Another good password manager: 1Password.
- Check out PCMag's password manager roundup.