This week's Jam: there is a proposal to ban private jets, Facebook is removing its facial recognition tech, the earth's inner core is not a solid, Amazon kept driver's tips, and so much more!

Discussion: Ban Private Jets - Link 

Dumb Tech of the Week

• Canon's Powershot PX is smart home camera for family moments - Link
• 'Squid Game' cryptocurrency, $SQUID, is a scam - Link
• Chromecast volume controls are disabled on Android 12 due to a ‘legal issue’ - Link

Tech News Bytes

• Facebook is shutting down its face recognition system - Link
• The McPlant tastes just like any McDonald's burger - Link
• Microsoft's Mesh for Teams brings mixed reality to work - Link
• 'New hidden world' discovered in Earth's inner core - Link
• Instagram is letting people publicly participate in Stories for the first time - Link
• More than 140,000 Amazon drivers to be repaid nearly $60 million in alleged withheld tips - Link

Follow Up Story

• Tesla launches Supercharger pilot program to charge other EVs - Link

This weeks Jam: Apple has new Macs, the Google Pixel series matures, Fisher Price releases a phone for adults, Pinterest learns a thing or two from TikTok and so much more!

Dumb Tech of the Week

• Fisher-Price made a working Chatter telephone for adults - Link
• Facebook is rebranding itself as 'Meta' - Link

Mac Event - Link

Pixel Event - Link

Tech News Bytes

• The Boring Company gets approval for Las Vegas public transportation system - Link
• Hertz Announced they Were Buying 100,00 Teslas and 50,000 of which will be rented to Uber Drivers - Link
• Amazon’s Clubhouse competitor may let you DJ your own radio show - Link
• Pinterest gets more TikTok-like with a ‘Watch’ tab for videos, announces $20M in creator rewards - 
• The new Assassin's Creed educational tour lets you explore the Viking Age - Link
• Sinclair Broadcast Group hit by ransomware attack, upending local TV newscasts - Link

This weeks Jam: You probably have a scary piece of tech lurking in your home right now! Pat, Alex, and Mike expose the horrifying dark side behind some common tech devices and services we use everyday.

This weeks Jam: Amazon fraud, people's hatred of technology in cars, scooters on sidewalks, and so much more!

Dumb Tech of the Week

• Amazon Fraud Issues- Link
• The latest Microsoft Teams update is like something straight out of Black Mirror- Link

This Weeks Discussion

• Tech in Cars- Link 

 Tech News Bytes

•   Chevy Bolts are a Fire Hazard and LG has to Pay Out- Link
• California could ban gas-powered generators and mowers by 2024- Link
• Acer's glasses-free 3D SpatialLabs laptop arrives this winter- Link
• Bird will test sensors that prevent riding on sidewalks- Link
• Amazon’s new work-from-home policy: let individual teams decide- Link

This weeks jam: Netflix botched the Seinfeld release, scientists held a fat bear contest, GM announced Ultra Cruise, Uber can now track your flight, and a slew of other stories.

Dumb Tech of the Week

• Seinfeld' hits Netflix, but some jokes have been cropped out of view- Link
• Lime fights back against QR code snatchers- Link
• Is that bear fat or just chonky? Lasers may help scientists find out- 

Tech News Bytes

• How and when to upgrade to Windows 11- Link
• Tesla is building Model Y bodies with single front and rear castings, a manufacturing first- Link
• GM unveils a hands-free driving system that works in nearly all of the US and Canada- Link
• Google turns its AI on traffic lights to reduce pollution- Link
• European Parliament backs ban on remote biometric surveillance- Link
• Uber can now track your flight so a ride home is ready when you land-Link

Episode 1 is out! Follow the links below to subscribe and listen.

Listen and Vote: factoffpodcast.com

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: Link 

RSS Feed: https://feeds.fireside.fm/factoff/rss 

This weeks jam: the Surface and Amazon announcements, Spotify charging artists extra fees, states are banning fossil fuels and so much more!

Dumb Tech of the Week

• This robotic backpack follows its leader wherever you may wander- Link
• Spotify’s New “Marquee” Promotion Feature Is Forcing Artists to Pay to Reach Fans They Already Have — As Much as $0.50 Per Click- Link
• Apple finally lets you rate its apps on the App Store- Link

Surface Even Announcements

• Surface Duo 2- Link
• The Surface Laptop Studio- Link
• Surface Pro 8- Link

Amazon Announcements

• Amazon's $250 Echo Show 15 is a giant smart display for your wall- Link
• Amazon Astro is an Alexa robot that roams your home- Link
• Amazon Glow is a kid-focused video call device with interactive activities- Link
• Amazon's Alexa-enabled Smart Thermostat only costs $60- Link

Tech News Bytes

• Amazon's department store plans reportedly include high-tech dressing rooms- Link
• Europe may require all phone manufacturers to use USB-C charging- Link
• Illinois becomes 1st Midwestern state to pass a law to phase out fossil fuels- Link

Episode 1 is out! Follow the links below to subscribe and listen.

Listen and Vote: factoffpodcast.com

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: Link 

RSS Feed: https://feeds.fireside.fm/factoff/rss 

This weeks Jam: the Mustang Mach-E joins the police force, Lucid Motors handily beats Tesla on range, Alphabet beams internet across the Congo, Microsoft ditches passwords, McDonald's adds a sad meal to the menu, and so much more!

Dumb Tech of the Week

• OpenSea admits insider trading of NFTs it promoted- Link
• DoorDash to offer alcohol delivery in 20 states DC, Canada and Australia- Link

Tech News Bytes

• Michigan State Police to begin testing Ford Mach-E Interceptors- Link
• The Lucid Air is the first electric car with a 520-mile EPA-rated range- Link
• Alphabet's Project Taara is beaming high-speed internet across the Congo River- Link
• Hyundai puts Boston Dynamics Spot robot to work as a factory safety inspector- Link

Tech RIP

• Microsoft's passwordless plans lets users switch to app-based login- Link
• McDonald's begins phasing out plastic toys in Happy Meals- Link

This weeks Jam: New Apple announcements, Gmail is getting video calls, the Switch had Bluetooth but now it "has" Bluetooth, the end of driver's license tests, and so much more!

Dumb Tech of the Week

• The Gmail app takes calls now, too, because Google wants it to do everything- Link
• Nintendo Switch gets Bluetooth audio at last- Link

Apple Announcements- Link

Tech News Bytes

• Barely anyone is using Apple Pay in stores anymore- Link
• Hands-on with Facebook and Ray-Ban’s first pair of smart glasses- Link
• Amazon's palm-reading tech is heading to sports stadiums and music venues- Link
• Whoop’s new fitness tracker is better thanks to a battery breakthrough- Link
• iRobot's latest Roomba can detect pet poop (and if it fails, you'll get a new one)- Link
• LG claims its ‘Real Folding Window’ beats folding glass, will ship in 2023- Link

Driver's Test RIP

• Mississippi nixes road test for new driver’s licenses- Link
• Crash-avoidance tech unsurprisingly benefits young drivers the best, data shows- Link
• Tesla Autopilot results in decreased driver attention, new study finds- Link

Join the jam this week as they talk about China's new video game restrictions, Amazon sues their competition, new Ai recycling methods, robotaxis, shady bait and switch tactics and so much more!

• China steps in to regulate brutal '996' work culture. Link

Dumb Tech of the Week

• The Windows 11 upgrade situation just got less and more confusing. Link
• Samsung Is the Latest SSD Manufacturer Caught Cheating Its Customers. Link
• Amazon asked FCC to reject Starlink plan because it can’t compete, SpaceX says. Link

Tech News Bytes

• Online Trolls Actually Just Assholes All the Time, Study Finds. Link
• Google’s New AI Photo Upscaling Tech is Jaw-Dropping. Link
• #AppleToo receives nearly 500 stories of workplace issues in four days. Link
• 'The future of recycling': Rumpke is using AI-based sorting robots at its St. Bernard facility. Link
• China further slashes kids’ gaming time to just three hours a week. Link
• Here’s the robotaxi that will be available on the Lyft app in 2023. Link
• South Korea will force Google and Apple to allow third-party payments. Link
• Apple says Arizona and Georgia will be first to add state IDs to iPhones. Link