DescriptionThis week, Apple wants to rent you a phone, Netflix wants to give you more games, and YouTube is giving you free movies.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreApple thinks hardware is the next place for subscription servicesApple is reportedly planning to launch a new subscription service that would allow users to purchase iPhones as part of a subscription. This move comes as Apple is looking for new ways to increase recurring revenue, which has been a focus for the company in recent years. Apple is said to be considering launching the service as soon as this year, but it's also possible that it won't arrive until early 2023.read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by EksaNetflix Games adds indie video game studio, Boss Fight EntertainmentNetflix is on a gaming buying spree! The video streaming company has just announced that it has acquired Boss Fight Entertainment, an indie studio based in Allen, Texas. This is Netflix's third game studio purchase since it set its sights on the gaming industry last summer. It's clear that Netflix is serious about getting into the gaming market - and this acquisition could mean big things for mobile gamers, and Netflix Games users, everywhere.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesDigital Markets Act is Europe's attempt to rein in Big Tech companiesOn Thursday, the European Parliament and EU member states announced their agreement on the Digital Markets Act. This legislation amounts to an overhaul of antitrust rules in Europe and will give the EU more power to rein tech giants like Facebook, Apple, and Google. One of the most important aspects of this new law is its approach to messaging apps.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeYouTube just added thousands of free movies and TV show episodesIf you're a fan of free movies and TV shows, YouTube has some good news for you. The video streaming service just announced that it has added thousands of new titles to its lineup, all of which are available for free. This includes hundreds of movies and over 4,000 episodes of various TV shows.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network

DescriptionThis week, cars can lose their steering wheels, Blizzard will test their PvP, and gamers can listen to Square Enix music.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreDriverless cars cleared to hit the road under new regulationsAfter years of development and anticipation, driverless cars are one step closer to hitting the road. On Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a rule change that updates Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to allow for fully autonomous vehicles without a traditional steering wheel or pedals. This is a major regulatory shift that paves the way for driverless cars to be mass-produced and widely used.read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by EksaBlizzard kicks off Overwatch 2 PvP alpha: Details and beta datesIn a move that is sure to excite Overwatch fans, Blizzard has announced that it has kicked off the PvP alpha for its upcoming game, Overwatch 2. This comes in addition to the game's planned PvE mode, which will launch later. The alpha is currently only open to employees of Blizzard and professional players, but everyone else will have a chance to try out the beta in April.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesA confusing week for cryptocurrency investors in the US and UKIt's been a confusing week for cryptocurrency investors in the US and UK. On Monday, President Biden issued a long-awaited executive order directing the federal government to evaluate the risks and benefits of cryptocurrency. It's the first executive order of its kind to focus exclusively on the growing popularity of digital assets like Bitcoin and Dogecoin, which put the crypto market on edge because of global regulatory concerns within the digital asset sector in recent years. Meanwhile, the UK has put an end to cryptocurrency ATMs.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeSquare Enix launches massive SQUARE ENIX MUSIC channel on YouTubeSquare Enix is known for creating some of the most popular video games in the world, such as Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. Now, they are launching their own music channel on YouTube. The SQUARE ENIX MUSIC Channel will act as a catalog of music-related videos from Square Enix's many properties. You can expect to find full game soundtracks, remixes, orchestra pieces, and more on the new channel.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network

DescriptionThis week, chips are getting harder to find, Steam Deck is getting easier to control, and Disney+ is getting cheaper to watch.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreChip shortage could get worse because of lack of neon gas supplyHave you ever wondered what goes into making a microchip? It's a lot more complex than most people would imagine, and one of the essential ingredients is neon gas. You read that right - the same gas used to make those eye-catching store signs. Unfortunately, there's about to be a major shortage of neon gas, and it could have some serious consequences for the chip industry.read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by EksaSteam Deck launched with some Day 1 issues, but Valve has a fixLast year, Valve surprised the gaming industry by announcing the unfortunately named Steam Deck after Gabe Newell teased the company's entrance into consoles[/url=. The device is a portable gaming computer designed to compete with the Nintendo Switch, while also allowing gamers to interact with their full Steam catalog. After a short delay, the console has launched to much acclaim. But, with most new products these days, there was a Day 1 issue, though Value has a patch to fix it.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesUkraine is exposing just how centralized the internet has becomeThe internet was created as a way to democratize information across the globe. In theory, no one would have the ability to censor the content that people had access to. Unfortunately, those days are far behind us. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube regularly decide what can and can't be seen by users in every region. Amazon, Google, and Apple can ensure that a popular platform is brought to its knees. But this week, we've seen a new side of Big Tech's power as they take sides in the Ukrainian conflict.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeDisney+ joins the growing list of ad-supported streaming servicesDisney+ has officially announced that it will be joining the growing list of ad-supported streaming services. This means that users will be able to watch all of the same content that is available on Disney+, but they will have to sit through a certain number of ads each month in order to make up for the lower cost. Disney has not yet released any details about how many ads viewers can expect or when this new plan will go into effect.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network

DescriptionThis week, Apple is charging for nothing, Nintendo is looking for 5 years, and RIAA is looking for a HitPiece.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreApple shows what the future might look like for 3rd party paymentsAt the end of 2021, Apple was required to implement 3rd party payments for developers in their App Store policies. In the 2 months since Apple managed to get an extension on the implementation, a lot of questions have surrounded the new rules. The most important question, though, is how will Apple treat developers who decide to use payment systems that Apple does not have anything to do with. Some rumblings from the company suggested that they would attempt to charge a commission on external payments, but nothing was set in stone. Now, after a similar implementation in the Netherlands, we have some new fears.read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by EksaPiracy enterprise could land one member in jail for up to 5 yearsAny time an ecosystem is locked, it creates an external ecosystem of pirated content. This is not to say that it's a good situation, but it has always happened. The music industry refused to adjust to digital players and Napster, Morpheus, and Kazaa were born. Apple refuses to allow an open mobile operating system and jailbreaking was born. One industry that has remained locked down to try and prevent cheating, however, has been gaming, and it is also a big target for piracy. One group of notorious gaming pirates, Team Xecutor, is facing some steep penalties for their activity.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesTwitter wants to be Reddit, brings downvote feature to more usersOne of the dominant features of Reddit is its users' ability to decide what is and is not important through the upvote and downvote feature. For every post on the site, users can mark it as up or down, thereby helping to determine what is the most valuable content on the site. Twitter has been testing a similar feature over the past few months, and now they are ready to turn it from a limited test into a "global experiment."read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeHitPiece, scam NFT platform, under fire by RIAA over fraudulent salesOver the past year, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have become both a hit and a miss, depending on how you look at them. Any time a new technology comes into the public consciousness, there are bound to be scams and new ways to take advantage of people who simply do not understand. For NFTs, the latest scam has been selling tokens for things that you do not own, and HitPiece has been the face of this nonsense.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network

DescriptionThis week, Activision is getting a new home at Microsoft, the IRS is getting biometric data, and YouTube is getting a little more original.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreIRS is requiring third-party facial recognition for online taxpayersOne thing we have learned over the past few years is that people are not comfortable with the idea of public biometric information. Whether it's Disney collecting fingerprints for pass holders or law enforcement scanning faces, people are not about it. But, despite the very public and loud backlash over the topic, we still see biometric data being collected for a lot of systems. The most recent comes to us care of the US federal government, in particular the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), who will begin requiring the use of facial recognition systems soon.read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by Loot CrateActivision Blizzard joins ever-growing Microsoft Gaming familyIn what was a big surprise to some in the industry, Microsoft announced this morning that they had entered into an agreement to purchase Activision Blizzard. The companies have agreed to a $68 billion sale that will see the entirety of Activision Blizzard reporting directly to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. The move is not a huge surprise considering the implosion that has been happening over at Activision thanks to a series of revelations about inappropriate behavior within the company.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesApple devices violate basic security protocol, exposing private dataApple devices have been violating same origin policy for the past 4 months, exposing private data to potential hackers. This means that a hacker could track your browsing history and access additional information, depending on the way those sites store data in your browser. This bug has yet to be fixed, so it's important to be aware of the potential dangers and take steps to protect yourself.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeGoogle kills off most of its YouTube Originals, focuses on creatorsGoogle has announced that it is killing off its YouTube Originals division. This team was responsible for programs like Scare PewDiePie and Cobra Kai, which eventually moved to Netflix. YouTube Kids and Black Voices will remain active brands under the YouTube umbrella. In a statement, YouTube said that it will be focusing on supporting creators instead of producing original content. This change in strategy comes after years of mixed messaging from Google about the importance of original programming.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network

DescriptionThis week, Android is killing 2G, Sony is maintaining the PlayStation 4, and The CW is looking for a buyer.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreAndroid 12 implemented 2G kill switch, but will Apple follow suit?It's hard to believe that at the beginning of 2022, there are some places in the world that still have active 2G wireless networks, especially as the 3G network shutdown is already underway in the United States. But, while there are parts of the world that still use it, the parts of the world that do not still have 2G service simply have a potential route for an attack. Google has addressed this issue in its latest version of Android, but will Apple follow suit?read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by Loot CrateWhile Xbox One ends its life, PlayStation 4 gains a new focusIt's been over a year since Microsoft released the Xbox Series X|S and Sony released the PlayStation 5. In that time, we have seen a global pandemic that seems to be never-ending, as well as a chip shortage that has affected nearly every industry, whether or not you consider them high-tech focused. These gaming consoles have been uniquely affected, though, as many aspects of the production process have been affected and slowed down by lockdowns and manufacturing. Microsoft and Sony seem to have taken very different approaches to the problem, however.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesFederal judge clears the way for FTC's lawsuit against FacebookIt's been just over a year since the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed its antitrust suit against the company formerly known as Facebook. The suit was not the only one filed at the time, accompanied by a similar antitrust suit filed by a coalition representing all but 3 US states. This week, US District Judge James Boasberg has dismissed the company's motion to dismiss, meaning that the case will go forward.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeWhat does a potential sale of The CW mean for viewers and content?A few weeks ago, a report suggested that the future of the broadcast network The CW was in flux. The owners are considering divesting from the network, and a few interested parties have come forward. But the big question is what will the network look like after the current owners, who are also major content providers for the network, leave?read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network

DescriptionThis week, quantum pendants are trying to kill, NFTs are heading to gaming, and Disney is leaving YouTube.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft Store"Quantum pendants" are radioactive "protection" from 5G technologyWhen stupid conspiracy theories go around, it's inevitable that people will take advantage of those who have fallen for it. Take, for example, the ridiculous collection of conspiracy theories that 5G causes various problems. We've heard everything from 5G causes cancer to 5G is used to control your thoughts or to read your thoughts. The people who have fallen into the darkness of the 5G conspiracies have become the target of a new and even better hoax: "quantum pendants."read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by Loot CrateNFTs cause outrage for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, plans immediately canceledIf there is one technology that is controversial right now, it's non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Everywhere they pop up, people seem to get upset. It could be because they don't understand what the technology offers, or it could be because they absolutely do understand. Either way, companies all over the internet have been looking to add NFTs into their products, and many have changed course after consumer feedback. This week, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 developer GSC Game World felt the wrath of their community after announcing NFTs in the upcoming game.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesData caps are delayed in the Northeast for at least another yearJust over a year ago, Comcast announced that they would be expanding their data caps to all customers. Clearly, customers were not happy about the change in their plans, especially as the world was in major flux. A mere 3 months later, the company announced that it would delay the rollout into 2022. Well, as 2022 approaches, Comcast has made another announcement: the rollout is delayed for at least another year.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeYouTube TV loses all Disney-owned channels - what's next for users?Media contracts expire all the time. Sometimes, the content owners are willing to have negotiations and renew under similar terms. Other times, content owners have new ideas on how they want to use those rights themselves. Either way, it means that platforms and content owners have to negotiate rather regularly. This weekend, negotiations between two powerhouses broke down and YouTube TV lost all 17 of Disney's channels on the platform.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network

DescriptionThis week, Apple is trying to ignore your privacy, Tor is trying to protect its network, and YouTube is staying on Roku.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreApp Tracking Transparency setting undercut by Apple for partnersWhen Apple announced App Tracking Transparency, their privacy feature for iOS and iPadOS, they received a mixed response. Consumers were excited that Apple was finally doing something to live up to their claim that they care about your privacy. But, some companies, Facebook in particular, waged war against the feature. Despite the fight, the feature went into effect, but it turns out that not everyone must abide by the rules.read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by Loot CrateGoogle Stadia launches on LG TVs - is it better late than never?Google Stadia, the company's attempt to get into the gaming world, was welcomed into the world with the general sigh of "meh." While the concept offered a lot of promise, the company seemed to have developed it more out of a feeling of obligation to fulfill years of rumors rather than out of wanting to be in the gaming space. That attitude led to a lot of challenges, including a poor rollout outside of the Google ecosystem. This week, Stadia officially launched on webOS 5.0 TVs, but is it too late for it to matter?read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesTor's anonymity is at risk because of a coordinated attack from RussiaTor, the subnet of the internet focused on anonymity and privacy, has seen its share of attacks over the years. Regular raids by law enforcement have shuttered various parts of the network. Now, the network is under attack thanks to a malicious actor taking advantage of the structure of the network in order to undermine its privacy.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeRoku and Google find common ground to keep YouTube on the platformSince May 2021, there has been a battle brewing between two media powerhouses: Roku and YouTube. The battle has been over contract terms for YouTube TV, which is the company's live TV offering. Roku decided to exercise its ever-growing platform control by blocking YouTube TV on the platform. Now, the two companies have come to an agreement just hours before the primary YouTube app was scheduled to be removed as well.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network

DescriptionThis week, PlayStation's getting a Game Pass, Twitch is getting a ban flag, and dating is getting more dangerous.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreApple might snatch success from the clutches of Epic Games defeatIt's been just under a month since a judge denied Apple's motion to indefinitely delay the court-mandated changes to its App Store following their one loss against Epic Games. And, with only a few days until the court order goes into effect, Apple is looking for a way to prevent the overall effects of the order. The company might just have found a way to comply with the order while not actually giving it any benefit, other than to Apple itself.read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by Loot CratePlayStation might have a competitor for Xbox Game Pass launching soonOver the past few months, rumblings within the gaming world have suggested that Sony was working on a PlayStation competitor for Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass. The company already offers its PlayStation Now service, but its scope is significantly smaller than that of Game Pass. But, a new report suggests that the company might be looking to roll the existing PlayStation Now service into something larger, intended to take on Game Pass in a head-to-head battle.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesBe careful: new scams you need to avoid if you use any dating appsThe last two years have left many of us with a feeling of isolation, loneliness, or both. As we all know, when a platform or category gains in popularity, people are bound to use it for nefarious purposes. Apple long promoted itself as safe from malware, but it turned out it was only because no one owned them, so it wasn't worth attacking. Dating apps were popular before, but now a new type of person is using them and so the scams begin. Here is a couple we have encountered in the past few months and what to look out for.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeTwitch creates new "ban evasion" flag to identify problem usersThe past few years have been a constant up and down for Twitch. The company has seen its user base grow to incredible levels. It's seen new types of users join the platform, bringing artists and musicians, podcasters and IRL streamers, to join the gamers who already inhabited the platform. With new users come new problems, and one of those problems has been massive harassment in the streamers' chats. The company has used traditional methods of identifying and eliminating problems, but a new approach has been developed: ban evasion.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network

DescriptionThis week, DuckDuckGo is protecting your mobile privacy, Rockstar is apologizing for GTA, and Halo is finally coming to TV.ParticipantsScott ErtzHostScott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.Avram PiltchHostAvram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.OpeningPowered by TeknoAXENifty GiftiesPowered by Microsoft StoreBrave enhances it privacy browser with built-in secure crypto walletIt has been an interesting week for privacy products expanding their focus. DuckDuckGo announced App Tracking Protection for Android, bringing an Apple feature to Android. But DuckDuckGo isn't the only player in the space. Brave recently switched Google out for their own search product in their browser, and this week they are enhancing the browser again - with crypto.read full articlePiltch Point with Avram PiltchPowered by PureVPNExtra LifePowered by Loot CrateRockstar Games admits mistake, apologizes for GTA remaster problemsThis month, Rockstar Games released the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition. While gamers were excited about this release, they were treated to a series of massive problems. The company very quickly pulled the PC release from its online store but gave strange reasoning for the decision. Anyone who had purchased it, and likely anyone who watched someone play it on Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook, knew exactly what the real reasoning was. This week, the company officially addressed the issue, changing its story from last week.read full articleNews From the TubesPowered by MalwarebytesApp Tracking Transparency like feature on Android from DuckDuckGoSeveral months ago, Apple introduced a new feature to iOS - App Tracking Transparency. This feature allows users the opportunity to tell apps that track user data on their phones to bug off. It limits the amount of data available to those apps from things that happen off of the platform. Android, while being the more customizable platform, is missing this feature - until now. DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused browser and search engine, is taking the lead to introduce the feature themselves.read full article* DRM Not IncludedPowered by Amazon PrimeThe Halo TV show is still coming, apparently - now through Paramount+Over the past decade, the focus of the Xbox brand has shifted several times. Under Steve Balmer's time as CEO, Xbox was intended to be the center of your entertainment life. As part of that endeavor, they created Xbox Entertainment Studios and began to create custom content for the platform. The project that was the highest-profile was a series based on the company's Halo franchise, but it has been fraught with issues. Despite 7 years of development Hell, Microsoft showed off a teaser for the project, now destined for a new home on Paramount+.read full articleClosingPowered by Tech Podcast Network