- 16 minutes 44 secondsHOT 287: Are There Risks to Scanning QR Codes? - The Security Concerns Behind Scanning a QR Code
On this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Barry asks whether anything inside a QR code can actually hurt you, or whether the real danger lies somewhere else, and what a person should check before scanning one out in the wild.
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
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4 October 2026, 9:00 pm - 24 minutes 42 secondsHOT 286: Shutting Down vs. Restarting Your Windows PC - Windows Fast Startup
On this week's Hands-On Tech, Lorraine asks Mikah whether her husband or her daughter is right about the difference between shutting down and restarting a Windows PC, and how often she should be restarting her computer and phone.
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
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27 September 2026, 8:30 pm - 17 minutes 38 secondsHOT 285: Are My AI Chatbot Conversations Private? - The Risks Of Sharing Information with AI Chatbots
In this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Wendell asks Mikah whether his wife is right that typing into an AI chatbot is no different from a Google search, and wants to know where those conversations go, who can see them, whether they're used for training, and if any settings can turn that off in both ChatGPT and Gemini.
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
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20 September 2026, 9:30 pm - 16 minutes 35 secondsHOT 284: Understanding How to Recover Deleted Files - Can You Recover Deleted Files?
On this week's Hands-On Tech, Mikah helps Harriett understand whether deleted files are truly gone when the recycle bin is emptied, and whether accidentally deleted files can still be recovered.
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
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13 September 2026, 8:00 pm - 13 minutes 8 secondsHOT 283: Is Airplane Mode Necessary? - The Truth About Airplane Mode
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Gene's question about whether airplane mode still serves a real engineering purpose in 2026 and what the smartest phone setup is for flying.
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
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6 September 2026, 7:40 pm - 13 minutes 24 secondsHOT 282: Why Does Every Gadget Need an App and an Account Now? - Why Your Appliance Wants Your Email
In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Joyce's question about why so many everyday smart devices now require downloading an app & creating an account, and how to opt out of sharing personal data without giving up the products' functionality
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
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30 August 2026, 11:10 pm - 11 minutes 35 secondsHOT 281: Incognito Browsing - The Truth About Private Browsing
In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Rosemary's question about what private browsing actually hides, from whom, and what it's really for.
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
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23 August 2026, 8:00 pm - 18 minutes 3 secondsHOT 280: Am I Getting True Gigabit Internet? - Gigabit Promises
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers Al's question about why their gigabit internet plan isn't delivering the promised speeds during a Wi-Fi speed test, and who's really to blame: the ISP, the router, or the device.
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
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16 August 2026, 10:40 pm - 8 minutes 9 secondsHOT 279: Safely Ejecting USB Drives - USB Removal Myths
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a listener's question about whether safely ejecting a USB flash drive is still necessary or just an outdated habit.
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
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9 August 2026, 8:00 pm - 21 minutes 42 secondsHOT 278: Understanding Battery Percentages - Why the Battery Percentage Shown Isn't Always Accurate
In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a listener's question about whether his phone's battery percentage is an accurate measurement, why it seems to stay at 100% for a long time before suddenly dropping to dead, and whether battery recalibration is a real fix.
Send in your questions for Mikah to answer, and any products you'd like Mikah to take a look at, to [email protected]!
Host: Mikah Sargent
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3 August 2026, 1:40 am - 13 minutes 30 secondsHOT 277: Battery Overcharging Myths - Is Keeping Your Devices Plugged In Bad?
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah settles a household debate about whether it's harmful to keep a laptop plugged in all the time, and whether battery charge limit settings are worth using.
Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode!
Host: Mikah Sargent
Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech
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26 July 2026, 8:00 pm - More Episodes? Get the App