In this mammoth episode, we’ve got some random CES observations, a review of the Avantree Bluetooth over-the-ear headset from George from Tulsa, a CES interview with an innovative hearing aid called Eargo, a story of Thunderbolt docks and USB-C from me, another CES interview about LiFi for Internet connectivity with OLEDcomm, a hot tip from Knightwise about how to reinstall Mac App Store apps using the command line, an augmented reality toothbrush from Kolibree called Magik from CES, and as if that weren’t enough content, we’ve got an out-of-band Security Bits update with Bart Busschots with the lates news about Spectre and Meltdown.
Hi, this is Allison Sheridan of the NosillaCast Apple Podcast, hosted at Podfeet.com, a technology geek podcast with an EVER so slight Apple bias. Today is Sunday, January 14, 2018, and this is show number 662. Well buckle up, kids, this show might just break the sound barrier (the longest show). We’ve got two listener recordings, two articles from me, four CES interviews (we have 28 total!), AND a bonus Security Bits with an update on what we now know about Spectre and Meltdown a week later. This week I think you’ll be really glad we now have chapter marks in the podcast. For example, if you’re Kevin, you might want to the interview where Steve Sheridan is actually in front of the microphone while he interviews a gentleman from Johnson Space Center about NASA’s Orion Capsule on the SLS. So sit back and enjoy the extended NosillaCast for this week.
Chit Chat Across the Pond with Joe Dugandzic
Before we kick into gear, I wanted to tell you that Chit Chat Across the Pond was with Joe Dugandzic while we were at CES. You may remember him as the Smarter Home Life guy, but this time he’s on the show to explain how his YouTube channel for Smarter Home Life actually turned into a full-time job working for a Smart Home Hub company called Lynky. In a few weeks we’ll be playing an interview with him about the Lynky hub itself, while this is a story of success that I thought was really fun and interesting. You can listen to the episode at podfeet.com or you can subscribe to the Chit Chat Across the Pond Lite feed or even the full Chit Chat Across the Pond feed if you want all the chit chatty goodness.
Blog Posts
Random CES 2018 Observations
Avantree Bluetooth Over-the-Ear Headset – by George from Tulsa
When George sent in the audio file, I heard a bit of a hum on the recording and I instinctively dropped the recording into Audacity to do noise reduction. I mentioned it to him and he pointed out that that was cheating since the point was for you to hear the quality of the recording doing the very headset he was reviewing! George is smarter than me. In any case, thanks, George for yet another great review.
CES 2018: Eargo Hearing Aids
Thunderbolt Docks – Just Because You Can Plug It In Doesn’t Mean it Will Work
CES 2018: OLEDcomm LiFi Connectivity
Reinstall Mac App Store Apps from the Command Line – from Knightwise
I simply LOVE this. I love everything Knightwise does, but this is such a great, useful tip. You may have noticed that Knightwise records in the car off the top of his head. That means there’s never any written content to which you can refer from his reviews. I was so inspired that I wrote this up myself with the full instructions including screenshots and download links and even an explanation of where to start. Heck, I even explain that mas is spelled m-a-s, not m-a-s-s so you can find it! Thank you so much Knightwise!
CES 2018: Magik AR Toothbrush for Kids
Patreon and Amazon
I am so grateful to all of you who help support the Podfeet Podcasts via Patreon. By sending a dollar or two per NosillaCast, you help pay the hosting fees, travel to places like CES, NAB and CSUN, and the cost of the gear and software I use and review on the shows. A dollar or two doesn’t sound like it would make much of a dent in the costs, but since so many people do, it really does help.
An interesting thing about Patreon is how transparent they are with the data. If you go to podfeet.com/patreon, you can see that there are 61 patrons and in theory I should receive $74 per new episode. At 52 episodes per year of the NosillaCast, that adds up to just under $4000. It doesn’t cover the entire cost of doing the show just yet, but it’s getting there.
Anyway, my point is that a small donation can add up to a lot of money when a lot of people jump on board. Just this week Richard Appiah and Ron Reimann started supporting the Podfeet Podcasts by using Patreon. Hope you’ll consider doing it too, but only if you have some spare change available at the end of the month. Head on over to podfeet.com/patreon and show your support.
CES 2018: NASA SLS Orion Capsule and Parachute System
Security Bits Special – Spectre and Meltdown Update
That’s going to wind this up for this week. Don’t forget to send in your Dumb Questions, comments and suggestions by emailing me at [email protected], follow me on twitter @podfeet. Remember, everything good starts with podfeet.com/. podfeet.com/patreon, podfeet.com/facebook, podfeet.com/googleplus, podfeet.com/amazon! And if you want to join in the fun of the live show, head on over to podfeet.com/live on Sunday nights at 5pm Pacific Time and join the friendly and enthusiastic NosillaCastaways. Thanks for listening, and stay subscribed.
I know you no longer need it since your power supply problems are solved for now. But I think you and your listeners would still be interested in this yet another dongle. I dare say it’s magical. Last year a kickstarter for a device called the AnyWatt made claims that I found highly suspect, I truly believed it was a scam, but if they were true it would be really useful. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/anywatt/anywatt-smart-adapter-turn-any-cable-into-a-type-c) It was pretty cheap, and I got in as an early-bird backer so I thought it was worth the gamble.
It finally came, on time, and while their English isn’t great, the creators are very forthcoming and answered all the questions. They even redesigned it based on backer feedback so it would better fit and not interfere with other things plugged into the computer’s adjacent USB-C port.
Anyway, here’s what it does. It’s a USB-C dongle on one side and a computer side magsafe connector on the other end. It takes power from any magsafe power source including the one on my 27″ Apple LED Cinema Display, and any one of my five power supplies from my older macbooks. It then outputs that over the USB-C port which can be used to charge anything that can be charged over USB-C, including my 2006 15″ TB MacBook Pro, It doesn’t charge the Mac at the full 87 watts, I measured about 60W from the monitor’s power connector. I really don’t notice, it’s fast enough. And many sources seem to indicate that a slower charge may actually be better for the batteries.
They sell them from their own website now (https://elecjet.com/shop).
This sure looks cool, Steve. My understanding is that MagSafe is owned by Apple and that they don’t license it out to anyone. I don’t see evidenced that this company has acquired a license either. In the past companies that tried to do this were shut down. I sure hope not though because this is an interesting solution. I might pick one up!
Usb A is a poop shoot for me! I have perfect vision! It also takes me 3 times! I’m not switching to usb c (my parents won’t let me get a new Mac. >:( argh!) but lightning, it’s just amazing! I love symmetrical connectors!
That makes me feel belter, Tjpk. And glad HTML works for you. I did look into enabling Markdown but I wasn’t enthusiasm about it.
Thanks! I feel html is easier to use since I actually Know (HTML!) it. It’s okay if Markdown doesn’t work, html is more powerful! I wonder if you could actually make some actually useful HTML (e.g. password box that turns into a secret message if it’s right? That’d be cool!) does marquee work?
No, It doesn’t. (At least I don’t see it)
Wait do I need a bunch of spaces? Marquee