AwesomeCast: Tech and Gadget Talk

What happens when an AI assistant starts reminding you about the deadlines you've been ignoring? Sorg has been testing Muse, which noticed important emails, offered action plans, and kept following up. Helpful productivity breakthrough or a little too much access to your inbox? In AwesomeCast 802, Michael Sorg, Katie “Dudders” Dudas, and Dave Podnar get geeky about useful security tools, Apple's newest hardware and creator software, retro tech, and the delightfully strange corners of the internet. In this episode: QR-code scams and mobile security: Katie demonstrates Sophos Intercept X for Mobile, including suspicious QR-code checks, network scanning, and device-security warnings. Apple hardware roundup: Dave discusses the new iPad mini, M6-powered iMac, and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro—and questions the iPad mini's 60Hz display. The next MacBook Pro? The hosts discuss rumors, as of recording, about a higher-end OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro. These are not confirmed specifications. Apple's creator tools: Pixelmator Pro's generative-fill features and changes to Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and other Creator Studio apps lead to a hands-on AI experiment. AI that nags—usefully: Sorg shares how Muse surfaced ignored messages, built a plan for a looming business deadline, and raised questions about giving an AI access to email. The iPod turns 25: A look back at Apple's original music player, early MP3 rivals, FireWire, and the iPod models the hosts owned. Chachi Says Video Game Minute: A fast roundup touching on the Street Fighter movie, Grand Theft Auto VI, Team Vitality, and BioWare/Mass Effect news discussed on the show. MapQuest is back: Katie revisits its seasonal characters and navigation experiments. Firefox's nostalgia play: A new ad brings back classic internet meme personalities while emphasizing more user choice around AI. IdeaLab AI: The crew tries an AI-assisted startup-idea database that matches possible ventures with people's skills and budgets. Halloween technology and oddities: Roku screensaver Easter eggs, a Ghostbusters-inspired Rivian video featuring Bill Murray, and sidewalk delivery robots. Pittsburgh makers: A quick mention of Katie's recent interview with Protohaven and more videos from local robotics coverage. Have an awesome thing of the week? Join the conversation on AwesomeCast. Support Pittsburgh tech conversations and get access to bonus aftertalk content: https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast Find more from the Sorgatron Media network: https://www.sorgatronmedia.com Thanks to our sponsors: Slice on Broadway — https://www.sliceonbroadway.com — and Sidekick Media Services — https://www.sidekickmediaservices.com Episode links from show notes that were discussed Story links mentioned in the episode's show notes Sophos Intercept X for Mobile — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sophos-intercept-x-for-mobile/id1086924662 M6 14-inch MacBook Pro — https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/27/apple-unveils-new-14-inch-macbook-pro-powered-by-m6/ New M6 iMac — https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/27/apple-launches-new-imac-with-powerful-m6-chip/ iPad mini — https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/26/new-ipad-mini-features-release-date-price/ Rumored OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro — https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/27/last-minute-leak-reveals-new-touchscreen-macbook-pro-details-pricing-new-cooling-system-more/ Apple Creator Studio / Pixelmator Pro update — https://fstoppers.com/news/apples-creator-studio-update-brings-generate-fill-pixelmator-pro-905216 Original MP3 players and iPod-era nostalgia — https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/1ivd67e/the_advent_of_portable_mp3_players/ Firefox's retro-internet ad — https://www.facebook.com/reel/1895455387900133 IdeaLab AI startup database — https://idealab.ai/#database Bill Murray / Rivian Ghostbusters-style reel — https://www.facebook.com/reel/4824461954541951 MapQuest navigation reel discussed — https://www.instagram.com/reel/De0T-AZDB9f/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&psln=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==&srtk=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 00:32 Welcome to AwesomeCast 802 02:14 QR-code scams and Sophos Intercept X 08:25 Apple's iPad mini and M6 Mac news 10:42 OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro rumors 13:32 Apple Creator Studio, Final Cut, Pixelmator 16:55 Testing new AI tools in Final Cut 21:49 Muse AI calls out missed emails and deadlines 25:03 When an AI assistant feels like an intern 31:15 25 years of the iPod and MP3 nostalgia 37:28 Chachi Says: Video Game Minute 38:46 Patreon supporters and community updates 39:45 MapQuest's seasonal navigation features 43:42 Firefox reunites classic internet memes 45:35 IdeaLab AI finds startup ideas 51:10 Roku's Halloween screensaver Easter eggs 52:48 Bill Murray's Ghostbusters-style Rivian ad 54:47 Sidewalk delivery robots in the wild 57:00 Protohaven, new interviews, and wrap-up

AI is no longer just answering questions—it’s starting to rewrite the technology around us. On AwesomeCast 801, Sorg, Katie Dudders, and Dave Podnar look at people using AI to strip ads and bloat from smart TVs, AI conducting job interviews with other AI, Sorg’s first vibe-coded production tool, Google Playgrounds generating a playable custom game, and Xbox exploring AI-assisted software decompilation. The crew also checks out MapQuest’s new surveillance-camera layer and Pittsburgh’s Flock camera map, explores tools for locating data centers and submarine internet cables, and previews the rumors surrounding Apple’s upcoming professional hardware event. Plus: a wearable Guile popcorn bucket, worldwide radio with Somewhere FM, Hello Kitty at Burger King, the Star Wars Super Bowl broadcast, Margaret Hamilton’s legacy, and the ChachiSays Video Game Minute. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast More from Sorgatron Media: https://www.SorgatronMedia.com

Eight hundred episodes later, technology is somehow getting more ridiculous—and AwesomeCast is still here to talk about it. Sorg, Katie Dudas and Dave Podnar celebrate AwesomeCast 800 with a mix of brand-new gadgets, weird apps, AI-powered software experiments and a trip through more than 16 years of tech history. From Google Glass and Pebble to vibe-coded Adobe alternatives and an Apple Watch that literally points toward Taco Bell, this episode is both a look back at where we’ve been and a pretty accurate snapshot of where technology is heading next. Vibe Coding Comes for Adobe—and Maybe Microsoft Sorg takes ArtCraft for a spin, looking at its collection of creative tools, simplified video editing and AI integrations. The bigger conversation is about what happens when an experienced developer uses AI-assisted coding to recreate pieces of expensive subscription software. The hosts discuss: ArtCraft’s simplified creative and video tools AI generation integrations and credit-based pricing Whether tools like this could fill the gap left by simpler editors such as Adobe Rush The difference between casually prompting an app into existence and having enough development experience to actually finish and maintain one The creator’s reported interest in building alternatives to Microsoft Office-style apps and possibly other subscription software Subscription fatigue and whether smaller AI-assisted competitors can put pressure on Adobe, Microsoft and other established software companies Sorg’s own experiments using AI coding tools to build internal project-management software ArtCraft / FilmCraft: https://getartcraft.com/apps/filmcraft Background: https://gizmodo.com/someone-vibe-coded-a-free-knockoff-of-adobe-creative-suite-2000823322 Microsoft Office alternatives: https://www.tomshardware.com/software/microsoft-office/creator-of-free-adobe-clones-unveils-open-source-microsoft-office-excel-powerpoint-and-word-replications-autodesk-tools-and-other-subscription-based-services-may-come-next Apple HomeView: Who Is the $299 Smart Display For? Dave breaks down Apple’s new home-focused announcements, including updates involving Apple TV, HomePod mini, Siri AI and the new Apple HomeView. The HomeView discussion focuses on its square display, Apple-style interface, home placement, FaceTime functionality and ability to recognize different household members. That last feature leads to one of the episode’s best practical questions: if a shared HomeView can know who is looking at it, why can’t a family iPad do the same thing? The bigger question is price. At $299 before some mounting options, does HomeView solve enough problems to become a normal household device—or is this mostly for families already deep inside Apple’s ecosystem? https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/13/apple-homeview-announced-features-price-release-date/ Katie Finally Discovers Where All Those Dropout Clips Come From Katie’s Awesome Thing is Dropout, the independent streaming service behind shows she had already been discovering through social clips. The crew talks about Game Changer, Smarty Pants, Dimension 20, the service’s CollegeHumor roots and why some of the programming works almost as well as an audio experience as it does on video. For Katie, the revelation was basically: “This is where these shows come from.” https://www.dropout.tv 800 Episodes of Awesome History Then it’s time to look backward. AwesomeCast traces its history to 2010, which means the show has lived through an absurd number of supposedly world-changing technologies. Among the flashbacks: Sorg’s Google Glass era Talking about 3D printing in the earliest days of the show Google Stadia and wondering whether Google would eventually abandon it Debating Netflix, Roku and cord cutting back in 2011 Pebble before smartwatches became normal Early ChatGPT and Midjourney experiments Meerkat and Periscope before live video became another button inside every social platform The chaos of Google+ Vine creators and the short-form video era before TikTok Apple Vision discussions Old AwesomeCast clips that continue collecting views and comments years later The retrospective also turns into a reminder that changes feel incremental while they are happening. Look back across 800 episodes, however, and the difference is enormous. ChachiSays Video Game Minute Chachi returns with three quick gaming stories: Eli Manning says Peyton Manning found a very Manning-like competitive advantage while playing Tecmo Bowl. https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/eli-manning-admits-peyton-manning-230855059.html A real Lexus inspired by the Street Fighter II bonus-stage car is being given away. https://www.motor1.com/news/810970/street-fighter-ii-car-giveaway/ Jay and Silent Bob are heading into the farming-simulator business with Jay and Silent Bob: Joint Venture, announced for Steam with consoles expected to follow. https://www.ign.com/articles/jay-silent-bob-joint-venture-trailer-gameplay?fbclid=Iwb21leAU2AShleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHlZ5vTYCOuFcL9tPfkTBTC8JeX7h7FRyv8Kkj6rNkz8Nj9FBUSswyO8qXI5a_aem_40PO5dnTmHpro9PXk_mSUg Point Your Wrist at Tacos The T-Bell Compass might be one of the most specifically useful Apple Watch apps AwesomeCast has ever encountered. Its job is simple: show you the direction of the nearest Taco Bell. Sorg demonstrates it in the studio, immediately inspiring requests for an In-N-Out version and possibly an entire Pittsburgh Taco Bell rating system. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tbell-compass/id6761598622 “I Need to Collect That Cat” Cat Collector turns spotting neighborhood cats into a real-world collecting game. Photograph cats you encounter, add them to the map, see what other cats people have discovered nearby and even turn your finds into iMessage stickers. Naturally, Sorg has already found himself pulling over because there was a cat he needed to collect. https://catcollector.app/ Normal Tools: A Site Full of Tiny Useful Things Normal Tools is basically a digital junk drawer where everything is actually labeled. The hosts browse tools for image conversion, CSV viewing, QR codes, aspect ratios, projectors, building calculations, game controllers, screens, batteries and much more. The appeal is straightforward: find the little utility you need, use it, and move on. https://www.normaltools.com/ Pittsburgh International Airport Keeps Experimenting The episode closes locally with another look at technology being tested through Pittsburgh International Airport’s innovation efforts. The hosts discuss robotics that can potentially help monitor terminal conditions—including passenger flow, cleanliness and environmental conditions—along with analytics intended to give airline teams better information during boarding. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1527880259386316&set=pcb.1527880329386309 Supporting Pittsburgh podcasting with the perfect pepperoni pizza: www.SliceonBroadway.com

The Minions made a Wi-Fi router — and somehow it’s actually good. Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar are back for AwesomeCast 798 with a wonderfully strange collection of tech, gaming, nostalgia and Pittsburgh stories. Sorg discovers Solitaire Alone Together, a browser experience that recreates Windows 98-era Solitaire while letting you watch people around the world play alongside you. Katie unboxes an adorable Optimus Prime from Symbiote Studios and gets excited about an upcoming Grimlock puppet. Dave recaps completing both the 5K and 10K at Pittsburgh’s Great Race and celebrates the runners who have participated since the event began. Plus: Castlevania celebrates 40 years, Call of Duty experiments with turning off goofy skins, Microsoft continues reshaping Xbox, Wendy’s releases an actual emo album, Pizza Hut teams with Little Free Library, the crew talks about the future of U.S. astronaut transportation, and a viral Minions Wi-Fi 6E router turns out to have surprisingly serious hardware. It’s nostalgia, gadgets, gaming, Pittsburgh and the wonderfully weird side of technology on AwesomeCast 798.