This Week in Google 660, Transcript
Please be advised this transcript is AI-generated and may not be word for word. Time codes refer to the approximate times in the ad-supported version of the show.
Leo Laporte (00:00:00):
It's time for twig this week in Google! Stacy Higginbotham's here Ant Pruitt. Jeff Jarvis. What the heck happened to Netflix? We'll talk about that. What do you do if you use Insteon it looks like it's gone for good in the company that makes vodka out of thin air, all that, and a lot more coming up next on twig!
Stacey Higginbotham (00:00:22):
Podcasts you love from people you trust. This is TWIT.
Leo Laporte (00:00:31):
This is twig. This week in Google episode, 660 recorded Wednesday, April 20th, 2022. Welcome to Poundtown. This episode of this week in Google is brought to you by Policy Genius. If someone relies on your financial support, whether it's a child, aging parent, even a business partner, you need life insurance, head to policygenius.com/twig. To get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save and by Buck Mason, Buck Mason's clothes are second to none. Once you try Buck Mason, they'll become your go-tos too. Head over to buck mason.com/twig and get a free t-shirt with your first order and by Blueland, stop wasting water and throwing out more plastic. Get Blueland's revolutionary refill cleaning system. Instead, right now you can get 20% off your first order when you go to blueland.com/twig It's time for twig, the show, we cover everything, but Google the Google verse, the Twitter verse, the metaverse and all the verses with Stacy Higginbotham from Stacey on IOT.com at giga Stacy, keeping up with the, of keeping up with the Higginbotham fame <laugh> and a lovely look at that lovely cup of tea. You know, it's interesting because I'm sitting right next to a guy. Who's got a lovely cup of Joe. Look at this. This is coffee, Ant Pruitt. Look at that same cup. The only his is a lot larger. Oh,
Ant Pruitt (00:02:05):
She did find my glasses. Oh, my glasses
Stacey Higginbotham (00:02:09):
Have two cups. Sorry. Oh, which one's Ant size.
Leo Laporte (00:02:12):
Can you get me the cup that Russell was using? Yeah. Cause I, I want, I mean, if you're all gonna have white cups, I want, I want my own also with it. Jeff Jarvis professor. I have no cup. You have no cup. <Laugh> professor. There you go. He's got Starbucks go. A Leonard tow professor for journalistic innovation at the Craig Newmark graduate school of journalism at the city. University of New York. Okay. Ant your cup next to my cup. Something wrong with this picture. Oh no.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:02:47):
It's it's Goldilocks. It's my cups. My little
Leo Laporte (00:02:50):
Tiny size of each of your arms,
Ant Pruitt (00:02:52):
The comparison for a lot of different things,
Leo Laporte (00:02:55):
Sir. <Laugh> what one of these things is not like the other.
Ant Pruitt (00:03:01):
Wow. My Bravo coffee. Oh gosh. You cheers. So good. Cheers to me.
Leo Laporte (00:03:05):
I think if you have a cup like this, you have to go.
Jeff Jarvis (00:03:08):
Somebody needs some infrared
Leo Laporte (00:03:09):
<Laugh> I don't know what that means. And I'm not gonna ask. All right. Tucker
Jeff Jarvis (00:03:14):
Carlson, Tucker Carlson reference.
Leo Laporte (00:03:16):
Oh, oh, you're talking about the new, all the rage.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:03:19):
Oh no, we're not going there. Just it's too early.
Leo Laporte (00:03:24):
You know what? The only thing I'm not gonna say anything, but the only thing that was funny about that whole thing is that it was E it was a bridge too far, even, even for kid rock. That was a bridge too far. <Laugh> I'm just saying bad, bad day. Bad go. No good terrible day for Netflix yesterday. They had to announce for the first time ever a loss of subscribers, not a huge number, a hundred thousand subscribers, but it sure killed the stock.
Ant Pruitt (00:03:54):
You sure it as a hundred thousand
Leo Laporte (00:03:58):
Sorry. 200,000, right? Well, that's still pits compared to whatever millions they have, right? Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:04:05):
Well, wall Street's saying they may lose up to 2 million by July. I don't know where that number came from, but that's apparently part of the reason behind the freak out.
Leo Laporte (00:04:15):
It's kind of
Stacey Higginbotham (00:04:16):
That in the fact that for the first time ever, that they lost subscribers. So everyone's like, oh my God,
Leo Laporte (00:04:24):
It's a real measure though, of how wall street just wants in, in if you know, internal growth mm-hmm <affirmative> right. So here's the, here's the graph from Axios. Actually, this is Aaron Davis at Axios did this chart of percentage chain and Glo change in global streaming customers, 10%, you know, 10%, 5%, but always up, always up until we got to this one little red slice right here where it's down. 0.1%. I mean, it's not the end of the world. All right, Netflix is saying we're gonna start looking at, this is something Ben Thompson called for a few weeks ago. Ads supported mm-hmm <affirmative> I don't want ads in my Netflix. That could go the other way for them. Right? the stock, which had already been down 40% so far this year, it was down another, almost 30%. This, I think competition from Disney, right? HBO it's
Stacey Higginbotham (00:05:18):
Competition from Disney HBO. They put a lot of money into build in content and they also have been raising prices. They've had two price hikes over the last, what year
Ant Pruitt (00:05:29):
And a half's that's what I was gonna get to. What about inflation? You know, people aren't making as much money nowadays and they're just trying to cut costs. It is what it is.
Leo Laporte (00:05:37):
We did think though that in COVID this was like heaven for streaming services, right? They're all stuck at home. Right? it's Netflix model is tough though because all the catalogs being pulled back by the various other streaming services who want it for themselves, they lost the office to peacock and all of that mm-hmm <affirmative> and so they have to do, they have to yeah. Marvel goes so to Disney. So they have to do original content, which is expensive. So they have to, I think that's the reason the prices went up. Netflix has 222 million paying subscribers. There might have been a little hint about this cuz last week Netflix said, and we are gonna get all you freeloaders who are borrowing your subscription from somebody else to pay. They estimate that's a hundred million households, 30 million in the us and Canada that don't pay for Netflix, but borrow a password.
Ant Pruitt (00:06:31):
Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:06:32):
That is an astonishing number to me is that I just can't believe I'm like
Leo Laporte (00:06:37):
That's
Stacey Higginbotham (00:06:37):
Almost half. I mean, do y'all have
Leo Laporte (00:06:39):
Yeah.
Ant Pruitt (00:06:39):
I pay for my own subscription and I do not share it. It's only shared in the house under last pass. <Laugh> nobody knows the password.
Leo Laporte (00:06:49):
I think my kids might be using my Netflix mm-hmm <affirmative> but that was originally, you know, they were in the household and then they went to college. Mm. So at that point I said, well, yeah, you can take it with you. Probably shouldn't have though. Right. I don't now by now, they're all living, you know, living on their own. They probably shouldn't be using my Netflix, I guess.
Ant Pruitt (00:07:08):
Yeah. I, I would assume it's I do think it's
Stacey Higginbotham (00:07:10):
Kind of an interesting thing.
Ant Pruitt (00:07:11):
Do your own account. If it were me,
Leo Laporte (00:07:13):
It's expensive.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:07:16):
It's expensive. But it's also think about like cell phone plans. Like, are your kids still on your cell phone
Leo Laporte (00:07:21):
Plan? Do
Ant Pruitt (00:07:21):
You? Yes. Hardhead is not on my plan anymore. Hardhead is on his own
Leo Laporte (00:07:25):
College. Hardhead was it when
Stacey Higginbotham (00:07:26):
He turned 18? What happened?
Ant Pruitt (00:07:27):
Yeah. He's in college. Now. College
Leo Laporte (00:07:30):
Has a job. He works. Yes. He, so he can't afford to, my kids have jobs, but I, but I still pay, I pay, I pay for everybody's cell phone. I pay for Lisa's ex-husband so
Ant Pruitt (00:07:40):
Would you adopt me? <Laugh>
Leo Laporte (00:07:43):
I bought your cell phone. I don't pay for your service.
Ant Pruitt (00:07:46):
You bought this one? Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (00:07:48):
You bought Stacy's.
Leo Laporte (00:07:50):
I bought, yeah. Do you use that by the way? Is that flip phone or you like I do. Okay,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:07:53):
Good. Yeah. I like it. How
Leo Laporte (00:07:55):
About, how about, do you want to send it back? No. How about the Kobo reader?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:07:59):
Okay. So I have to tell you now I have a plethora of e-readers because from my birthday, my husband got me the latest Kindle. Oh shoot. Because it's waterproof
Leo Laporte (00:08:07):
Andrew and I have got to start to coordinate her gifts.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:08:11):
Yeah. Y I've gotta coordinate cuz now I've got three e-readers. Wow. Only need one. And I don't know what to do with the,
Leo Laporte (00:08:16):
Well, yeah, give it to your kid. Doesn't she want one?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:08:20):
She will. She refuses to read things on Kindle. She likes paper. She is she's analog.
Leo Laporte (00:08:25):
Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:08:27):
That's a little hipster, hipster tween here or teen.
Leo Laporte (00:08:31):
Anyway I get, you know, if Disney plus is also looking at ads, I feel like that's why we pay for Netflix and Disney plus I had, I Hulu had ads and I ended up paying for the higher tier, cuz I don't wanna see ads, especially in the early days of these networks where the ads are the same over and over and over again. Mm-Hmm
Jeff Jarvis (00:08:50):
<Affirmative> well, what's, what's so important about this, I think is that it's, you know, the dial goes one way or the other, right. Everything was supported by advertising. Everything is supported by subscription and now it's gonna go back, but are they gonna be able to get the ads? The ad market is shrinking. I don't know, Not actually I have a number this week says,
Leo Laporte (00:09:12):
I don't know if you put this in or Stacy did Karl Bode who I it's. Yeah. You used to work with him at a giga om. Of course. He's great. I enjoy this is his Twitter thread.
Jeff Jarvis (00:09:24):
It's a good thread.
Leo Laporte (00:09:25):
I always enjoy watching one time innovators, AKA and Netflix now huge and successful pivot to turf protection. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> it always involves using all kind a distorted logic to justify making their product worse to please investors. In other words, adding ads, I guess like here in the Netflix letter to investors where they claim the problem with password sharing, by the way, Carl points out streaming executives used to love and noted. It had no material impact on subscriber, totals and news. That may still be true by the way. Cuz if somebody's sharing a password, do you think they're gonna have once it's revoked go out and buy Netflix or just say, well, I, some, some not all that was always the argument making,
Jeff Jarvis (00:10:07):
Turn that into a business model where I could create my own couple of bucks club on Netflix and get a cut of convincing ant to be on my group and that kind of stuff. Yeah.
Ant Pruitt (00:10:15):
Yeah. I know people are doing that
Leo Laporte (00:10:19):
To meet investor demand. Bode goes on. Is it Bode or boday
Jeff Jarvis (00:10:24):
<Laugh> short for Bo.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:10:26):
I said Bode.
Leo Laporte (00:10:28):
Okay.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:10:29):
Carl Bode. So I'm like, well your way is, have
Leo Laporte (00:10:32):
You ever met him? I don't know.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:10:34):
In person? No.
Leo Laporte (00:10:35):
Oh. So how
Jeff Jarvis (00:10:36):
Would you know?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:10:37):
He actually lives in Seattle now, but I've never met him in person.
Jeff Jarvis (00:10:42):
I like his Twitter. We ought have him on some time.
Leo Laporte (00:10:44):
I absolutely I've been reading him for years. I love everything he writes is great. Yeah. He's great to meet investor demand for improve.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:10:49):
He's been on the show, right?
Leo Laporte (00:10:51):
Oh yeah, he has. He was on and I asked how to say his name. Okay. But I forgot so
Jeff Jarvis (00:10:56):
Shock
Leo Laporte (00:10:56):
Him. I think it was Bode. I think that's why I say Bode to meet an investor demand for improved. Just Karl, just Karl to me
Jeff Jarvis (00:11:04):
<Laugh>
Leo Laporte (00:11:06):
To meet an investor demand for improved quality. I'm sorry. Quarterly returns at any cost under this lovely public model we've developed, the company starts to effectively self cannibalize and make its product crappier and more expensive.
Jeff Jarvis (00:11:20):
Like newspapers,
Leo Laporte (00:11:21):
Price hikes, worse customer service, less features. It's it's fewer features. He needs your red pencil.
Ant Pruitt (00:11:28):
Grammarly,
Leo Laporte (00:11:30):
Grammarly, Grammarly, hashtag Grammarly sponsor
Jeff Jarvis (00:11:33):
Sponsor
Leo Laporte (00:11:34):
Sponsor. Well that, yeah. Okay. Okay. Company spent the last few years winning whining about how streaming password sharing
Jeff Jarvis (00:11:43):
Was great reads today. Leo <laugh>.
Leo Laporte (00:11:46):
I did that one on purpose. What
Jeff Jarvis (00:11:47):
You do for a living
Leo Laporte (00:11:49):
Capital companies spent the last few years whining about how stream. If I do it in a PO voice, I never make mistakes. Do
Ant Pruitt (00:11:58):
It. <Laugh>
Leo Laporte (00:12:01):
Campbell companies spent the last few years whining about how streaming password would chairing was piracy. Netflix has increasingly been shoved toward that position by the market as well. Despite the fact that it's well not crew. Wow, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But he, the, he made the point, which is what happens once you become successful, then it's all about covering your turf, protecting your turf, keeping your market share up.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:12:29):
Well, I well guess and I mean you have to keep innovating at a certain point. That's hard. There's only so many times you can learn and relearn.
Leo Laporte (00:12:38):
Yes. All the sales phone
Stacey Higginbotham (00:12:39):
Demands. Constant growth.
Leo Laporte (00:12:41):
Yeah.
Ant Pruitt (00:12:42):
You know when this
Stacey Higginbotham (00:12:43):
Is why I don't have public money in my company, I can just coast along delivering a consistent product. And I don't have to worry about
Leo Laporte (00:12:52):
They're knocking at the door to give you a million.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:12:55):
No, no one has knocked on my
Leo Laporte (00:12:57):
<Laugh>.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:12:58):
I don't even get stuffed ants mail, but if they were you wouldn't take it. If they no, I'd probably just sell out. I'll be honest. If someone wants to offer me a few million, I'd be like, yeah,
Leo Laporte (00:13:09):
Take it. No believe me. But it would be more than a few million. Come on, hold out.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:13:14):
I don't
Ant Pruitt (00:13:14):
Think so.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:13:15):
You
Leo Laporte (00:13:15):
Know, I wouldn't
Stacey Higginbotham (00:13:16):
Wanna stick
Leo Laporte (00:13:16):
Around what's what's your number? Oh wait. No, no, wait a minute. You gotta stick around for three years.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:13:22):
Three years. Isn't
Leo Laporte (00:13:23):
That? Usually a it's like usually the, the earn out. Yeah. You gotta stick around.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:13:27):
Yeah. So I
Leo Laporte (00:13:28):
Don't now how much would you pay? You just wouldn't do it. I
Stacey Higginbotham (00:13:31):
Wouldn't. I just be like,
Leo Laporte (00:13:32):
And you've gotta make it grow in those three years to a certain. So Elon Musk comes along and says, Stacy, I wanna buy Stacy on IOT. I will give you 4.3 million. It's worth of 10th of Twitter. I mean, thousandth of Twitter. I mean a hundred thousands of Twitter.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:13:49):
I would say. I mean, if I had to stay on for three whole years, I would say no. And grow it.
Leo Laporte (00:13:55):
No, you wouldn't do it stressful. Yeah.
Ant Pruitt (00:13:58):
You know,
Leo Laporte (00:13:58):
Couple years
Stacey Higginbotham (00:13:59):
What I do without money
Leo Laporte (00:14:01):
Retire after three years. Right. Would you wanna retire?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:14:08):
I mean,
Leo Laporte (00:14:09):
What would you do if you retired? Would you garden? Would you make cookies?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:14:13):
Yeah. I'm like, what would I do? Yeah. I would probably go a work for a policy. I would, I would work for a thing
Leo Laporte (00:14:18):
Too. Like make the world be a better place kind of thing.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:14:21):
Probably the same thing I do. But with resources to be like,
Leo Laporte (00:14:24):
Yeah,
Ant Pruitt (00:14:26):
I would be absolutely
Leo Laporte (00:14:27):
Screw
Stacey Higginbotham (00:14:27):
The man.
Leo Laporte (00:14:28):
Yeah.
Ant Pruitt (00:14:28):
Lazy and love it.
Leo Laporte (00:14:30):
If Elon said you have to meet with me in person, would you then <laugh>
Leo Laporte (00:14:35):
You on once? He's his final UN I am never coming back to the table. This is it. 43 billion. Although a lot of people have said, first of all, where's he gonna get that money? He's have to sell a huge amount of he's. I went to Goldman Sachs and others. Some people are saying, well, you get some hedge funds involved. The problem is it. Ain't gonna stop at 43. It's gonna go closer to 50. I've seen a number of so-called experts like Jim Kramer say, he's not gonna be able to get the money. No one else is gonna buy Twitter. It's not in play. Who would want it?
Ant Pruitt (00:15:09):
Well, hold on. He wouldn't be able to get the money because he's trying to buy Twitter. But are they assuming the risk is him not being able to give the money back because he's not earning enough off of Tesla, Tesla.
Leo Laporte (00:15:22):
I
Jeff Jarvis (00:15:22):
Would. His Tesla stock as the,
Leo Laporte (00:15:24):
As collateral
Jeff Jarvis (00:15:25):
Security against. And that is highly volatile.
Ant Pruitt (00:15:27):
Okay.
Leo Laporte (00:15:28):
Oh, interesting. Tesla. The risk
Jeff Jarvis (00:15:29):
Is
Leo Laporte (00:15:30):
Oh, interesting.
Jeff Jarvis (00:15:31):
He's already borrowed a huge amount against the Tesla stock,
Leo Laporte (00:15:35):
Right?
Ant Pruitt (00:15:35):
Oh, didn't know that. Oh
Jeff Jarvis (00:15:37):
Yeah.
Leo Laporte (00:15:39):
So I'm, you know, I mean, we've talked about this probably beyond the point where it's interesting, but I'm just, do you think he was serious about doing it or no. No.
Ant Pruitt (00:15:49):
Why not?
Leo Laporte (00:15:51):
What do, does he want with Twitter?
Ant Pruitt (00:15:54):
I mean, what's
Jeff Jarvis (00:15:54):
The attention he's getting,
Leo Laporte (00:15:56):
He's getting exactly what he wanted. Right? He doesn't need the right
Ant Pruitt (00:16:00):
Attention and ego, you know? Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:16:02):
You don't need to actually spend money on something. If you just, you know, shout loud enough about it in your Elon Musk,
Leo Laporte (00:16:07):
He doesn't need the source of Twitter. He just wants the attention. I
Ant Pruitt (00:16:10):
Mean, they were ready to put him on the bull ward. <Laugh>
Jeff Jarvis (00:16:15):
Well, that's a way to stop from doing this. But yeah. You know, I, I, I, I started filling things in on the run of this morning and I, I, I put the beginnings of Twitter stuff down under Twitter thinking how surely we're past this now
Leo Laporte (00:16:28):
Surely huge amount kept
Ant Pruitt (00:16:29):
Going
Jeff Jarvis (00:16:30):
Now.
Leo Laporte (00:16:30):
Even Ben Thompson has weighed in April 18th, couple of days ago, back to the future of Twitter. This is of course we, Ben is one of our favorite strategists@stratec.com. Is it
Jeff Jarvis (00:16:45):
Or
Leo Laporte (00:16:47):
Chitra? Checky,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:16:48):
Will you say this every time?
Leo Laporte (00:16:49):
<Laugh> I leave? It's bday
Jeff Jarvis (00:16:52):
<Laugh>
Leo Laporte (00:16:54):
Spelled Strat, but it's pronounced bode.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:16:57):
We need a, like a style, a pronunciation guide for the show. We
Leo Laporte (00:17:01):
Do. We do, but see this is, what's so interesting, Stacy, and you're discovering this now as a podcaster as well. Most of the time, all this stuff is just written. No one has to say it out loud, but as podcasters slash broadcasters, it, we have to say it out loud. And oftentimes for the first time it's ever been said out loud, except by the person's mother. So we have to fi figure it out. That's why the, for us, the Jif versus gift thing is so fraught. We have to decide how it's pronounced. And I'm gonna say Strat Teery I believe that's correct.
Ant Pruitt (00:17:33):
Fair enough.
Jeff Jarvis (00:17:36):
I actually choose words. Sometimes I catch myself to say, do I need to quote this person by name? If I actually record the book?
Leo Laporte (00:17:43):
Oh, interesting. Oh, Ah, you know, that's a, that's an interesting question. So I actually haven't read Ben's
Jeff Jarvis (00:17:52):
Post. So he, he suggested breaking it up into a social graph company and an app company. I'm not sure that I really get what that means, but it's Ben. So we paid, we talk about him.
Leo Laporte (00:18:04):
So I guess the, the social graph is, is the thing that you sell that advertisers is the thing that people wanna know.
Jeff Jarvis (00:18:11):
Right. And there's a per user value that you can then move out. Right.
Leo Laporte (00:18:15):
But, but what, but, but the what, what fills that social graph, what informs that social graph is the app. So if you separate the two, suddenly your social graph no longer has the value that it had.
Jeff Jarvis (00:18:26):
Well, that was that's, that's the paradox of Twitter, right? When they, when they killed the API, he goes into my friend, bill gross there, but he tried to build monetization strategies on top of Twitter. And that's what scared them. And they shut it all down. Then
Leo Laporte (00:18:39):
Do you think now in hindsight, so bill Gross's plan, he owned tweet deck. Actually he owned a number, I think. Well, no,
Jeff Jarvis (00:18:44):
He was, no, he actually got stopped from what he bought others. And then he was, he was
Leo Laporte (00:18:48):
Going buy tweet, tweet, deck,
Jeff Jarvis (00:18:49):
And they, and they swooped in and said no and bought it. And that's when he knew that it was screwed.
Leo Laporte (00:18:53):
So he, his plan, which was a, I thought quite clever, he's a smart fellow friend of yours was to buy up all the clients and thereby in effect, making his holdings more important than Twitter itself. And because everybody would use his stuff to get to Twitter in a way, splitting the company along these same lines where, you know, Twitter still owns the social graph, but he owns the apps. And it would be a way of in effect acquiring Twitter without actually acquiring Twitter acquiring.
Jeff Jarvis (00:19:22):
And they could, they could have said that there's a cost to the API. They could have done that. They could've done a per user cost to the API. Did
Leo Laporte (00:19:27):
They make
Jeff Jarvis (00:19:27):
A mistake? They could've done rev share,
Leo Laporte (00:19:29):
Has this cut 'em off basically.
Jeff Jarvis (00:19:30):
Yeah. They just cut, cut it off. And, and they cut off potentially the huge growth. Now blue sky starts to go that way. Right? Blue sky says there's a, there's a, there's a, a commodity list of layer of speech, which wouldn't be just Twitter. It could be any other social network. And then you build stuff on top of that. If, if, if you start to open source it, you could had much more growth. People make fun of Twitter. Oh, it's just tiny. It just has 36 billion people. Right? well it could have grown, but then trying to control the content. Would've been much more difficult.
Leo Laporte (00:20:06):
But as we can do on the fed averse, if you distribute the content that way it is controllable locally. So in some ways that it off it offloads the moderation problems in a way that at least in the fed verse works quite well. Of course, it's not as well.
Jeff Jarvis (00:20:19):
It lets you choose your moderation model. Yeah. I'll take, Leo's boring Twitter versus S fun Twitter, right. Versus my Roche Twitter. Right. Versus Stacy's
Leo Laporte (00:20:30):
Nice Twitter. So
Jeff Jarvis (00:20:32):
Smart, nice Twitter, smart
Leo Laporte (00:20:33):
Twitter.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:20:33):
What, what was I gonna, I, I was like, oh God, it's gonna be like Pollyanna Twitter.
Leo Laporte (00:20:37):
<Laugh> called it.
Jeff Jarvis (00:20:41):
Stacy's moral panic, Twitter versus the
Stacey Higginbotham (00:20:44):
Stacy's nerdy, Pollyanna Twitter.
Leo Laporte (00:20:47):
I would submit that. It is not in fact, that's not why Twitter is not growing. It's not because there aren't a, a, you know, variety of clients and all sorts of ways to interact with it today. I agree. It's the nature of Twitter. It's the 280 characters. It, it, it's just, it's it it's the personality of Twitter is not mass appeal. Like Facebook is
Ant Pruitt (00:21:08):
Not anymore.
Leo Laporte (00:21:09):
I don't think it ever was really, was it ever, I mean, look, we're the wrong people to ask cuz you all love
Ant Pruitt (00:21:15):
To, well, yeah, we're in the circle
Leo Laporte (00:21:17):
And you're inside.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:21:18):
Yeah. We're all those. I mean, I think there's, there's actually a little bit of that because to be on Twitter, you ultimately have to have something to say that's interesting to someone else on Twitter or a big enough group on people. Right. Of people on Twitter, I think you're right. Facebook, you just have to have something interesting to say to your friends, right.
Jeff Jarvis (00:21:38):
Or in your life or your report, you know, you're sharing something there. Yeah. Or in TikTok you're making something, but in Twitter you have to have an opinion.
Leo Laporte (00:21:45):
Well, speaking of things. Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:21:47):
So I think a lot of people don't wanna share their opinions to everybody. And that's fine. Ask about
Leo Laporte (00:21:50):
This. Speaking of opinions, O Malik had quite an opinion Musk or not Twitter CEO needs to go,
Ant Pruitt (00:21:58):
Is that fair? What
Jeff Jarvis (00:21:59):
Burr got into
Leo Laporte (00:22:00):
<Inaudible> he does not like agro wall. Is that fair?
Ant Pruitt (00:22:04):
He's been the CEO for like 10 minutes. Yeah. You know,
Leo Laporte (00:22:07):
M this 37 year old is woefully outta place. As a guy leading a company, trying to fight for its independence and remain a functioning entity. I mean,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:22:19):
If you look at the lineup, Musk versus AWA is not a great lineup for poor guy, you know, Lopsided.
Leo Laporte (00:22:27):
I feel like Arawa reminds me of CDAR Pacha. Somebody who was a good soldier, operations guy deep within the company. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> who kind of rose perhaps beyond his
Ant Pruitt (00:22:38):
Skillset. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (00:22:39):
Mm-Hmm <affirmative> kinda
Stacey Higginbotham (00:22:40):
Put
Leo Laporte (00:22:41):
Positions finished Princip up. Yeah. And I mean, look, Jack Dorsey. Couldn't solve it. Ed Williams. Couldn't solve it. Twitter is a tough nut to crack. I don't see any re why do you think Dorsey made Agre wall or the board, by the way, that's another thing that's coming under huge fire is the board itself. Dorsey said the board is dysfunctional, has always been dysfunctional Dorsey after he left has lamb based at the board. <Affirmative> sounds like this is a very poorly run company. <Laugh> all at all.
Ant Pruitt (00:23:14):
Oh boy.
Ant Pruitt (00:23:16):
But it's not uncommon to have like a CIO, a CTO come in
Leo Laporte (00:23:20):
And well, Tim, Cook's an example of where it really worked. Well, he was an operations guy. I who, who made apple even don't
Stacey Higginbotham (00:23:26):
Don't think they had a plan. I think
Leo Laporte (00:23:29):
Dorsey left.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:23:30):
I do think
Leo Laporte (00:23:31):
There's some, he, nobody knew he was
Stacey Higginbotham (00:23:32):
Gonna, yeah. He left abruptly. This guy, basically. I think they kind were like, you want it? You out.
Leo Laporte (00:23:37):
Okay. Who wants this? You got the short straw. What JTO. Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:23:40):
And then, you know, I think there, I mean, it would be nice if Twitter had like somebody with a visionary plan for what to do and who could communicate that clearly to both the employees, the board and the masses. I don't think AALS it, but I mean,
Leo Laporte (00:23:58):
Oh, M rights Agarwal. What
Stacey Higginbotham (00:23:59):
Do you do with
Leo Laporte (00:23:59):
Something? What do you do? No. One's been able, I mean, you could argue Jack Dorsey is a competent innovator. A Williams, very competent. Wright's AWA has been part of the underperforming Twitter establishment for a decade. Okay. And I've yet to hear any fresh ideas from him or the company. Tech media has lapped up a flurry of minor product tweaks and sees them as a season of change. I have read many articles about the Twitter CEO, discussing censorship and freedom of speech. I was hoping that equal, if not more energy was going to be spent by both the executives and the media on the business of Twitter's business. It is after all a publicly traded company. He's just disappointed. You
Ant Pruitt (00:24:42):
Think I, well, why not just clean house? Cuz this sounds like just like any, I know corporate shake up where they come in and take everybody out from the top and start over. Why not just do that? Is it,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:24:54):
Well, you gotta have someone with an idea position who has an idea.
Ant Pruitt (00:24:57):
Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (00:24:59):
Jack does with blue sky. That's the thing I think blue
Leo Laporte (00:25:02):
Sky. So why do you leave? Leave?
Jeff Jarvis (00:25:04):
I don't know.
Ant Pruitt (00:25:04):
Couldn't get his way. I don't know.
Jeff Jarvis (00:25:06):
Right?
Leo Laporte (00:25:06):
This guy is still alive. I think Aqua wall is still encouraging it's yeah. O mans. If the board of directors at Twitter is serious about finding a way forward as a standalone company, one that isn't being jerked around by a billionaire or wall street, hucksters who call themselves activist managers in making a bid for Twitter. Musk has given Twitter a chance to shake off it's stupid, tighten the belt and run leaner faster and further. And that starts with new leadership right at the top. I can't disagree with them. Let's
Stacey Higginbotham (00:25:34):
Give it
Ant Pruitt (00:25:34):
Tos. Oh man. Should
Leo Laporte (00:25:36):
Run it. Twitter. It's
Jeff Jarvis (00:25:37):
Easy to oh,
Leo Laporte (00:25:39):
For Twitter.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:25:41):
I'm like, it's easy to point all that out, but it really is like, what is the O actually might have a, I would not be surprised if O had opinions. Thoughts on what to do with Twitter. Oh yeah. But it's just so hard to say. I mean like see, to be like, well this guy's not doing it and you like blue sky, but was there revenue model associated with it that
Jeff Jarvis (00:26:03):
No, it's, it's very unproven. It's very, it's very innovative. And, and, and not thought through.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:26:07):
And once you're public, they can't do that. That's that's why Dell went private. He was like, oh crap. The cloud in edge computing and all this is gonna eat our lunch. If we stay out in the public markets, let's take it private. So,
Jeff Jarvis (00:26:20):
So here's heres a car game. So Stacy let's say the bus gets, gets close and then a white night, what technology company like should Google buy Twitter? What would Google do with Twitter? If it hadn't Facebook,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:26:35):
No. Someone should take it. They should take it private. Like Google's not, there's no model for
Ant Pruitt (00:26:44):
We're saying
Leo Laporte (00:26:46):
Anybody
Jeff Jarvis (00:26:46):
Out there
Stacey Higginbotham (00:26:47):
Crazy crypto nerd.
Jeff Jarvis (00:26:49):
Oh no.
Ant Pruitt (00:26:50):
Am I, am I reading this wrong? Where it seems like O and others are, are speaking about Twitter as if it's just a failing mess yet at the same time, any Twitter competitor that tries to pop a up, never even stands a chance. So, so why are they getting so much grief? They're doing something right? Who
Jeff Jarvis (00:27:08):
Says it has to be this big, I guess saying there's Netflix. Cause
Stacey Higginbotham (00:27:12):
They they're public. That's what wall street does that. That's kinda why you don't wanna take their money. Right.
Ant Pruitt (00:27:17):
Okay.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:27:17):
I mean, that's what Netflix is going up against right now.
Jeff Jarvis (00:27:22):
Well, good billionaire to take a pride would be a nice thing.
Leo Laporte (00:27:26):
They, Jeff Bezos
Stacey Higginbotham (00:27:28):
On their money,
Leo Laporte (00:27:29):
Maybe Jeff should buy. He didn't, I don't think he bought the post to make money. He bought the post to preserve no, no. A public forum. That was very important. If yeah, you good? Maybe he'd feel the same way. The problem is you still have so many problems with Twitter that no one how to solve,
Jeff Jarvis (00:27:45):
But Stacy's part of Stacy's point is that that's your, you have problems based on the public market expectation. If you were private, you could set your own expectations. Right?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:27:56):
What was Twitter's revenue? Let's go back to their last financial.
Leo Laporte (00:28:01):
They had one profitable quarter. I think you Q4 20, 21. And then I don't. I think they didn't, I don't think they made a profit last quarter as,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:28:12):
Oh my God.
Leo Laporte (00:28:12):
Yeah. It's not good.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:28:14):
<Laugh> they've only made
Ant Pruitt (00:28:16):
Well, thank goodness for those 10,000 Twitter blue subscribers that we are
Leo Laporte (00:28:21):
We're in the, the few, the proud. Yeah. The Twitter blue.
Ant Pruitt (00:28:24):
What's probably thousand here. It's cheers. Not very many. Cheers. <Laugh> if you the proud the Twitter blue cheer, cheer
Leo Laporte (00:28:33):
Big couple.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:28:33):
I mean they, they boosted their revenue by quite a bit year over year
Leo Laporte (00:28:39):
Revenue. Do you see a profit in there
Stacey Higginbotham (00:28:42):
And gross profit? Well, let's down to their EBIDA profit.
Leo Laporte (00:28:48):
So somebody's saying in the, in the IRC that Elon wants to reinstate Trump, is that true? Or that's just speculated.
Jeff Jarvis (00:28:55):
He hasn't said it, but it's
Ant Pruitt (00:28:56):
Presumed.
Leo Laporte (00:28:57):
It's
Ant Pruitt (00:28:57):
Presumed. He sort of,
Jeff Jarvis (00:29:00):
If it's legal, it goes up.
Leo Laporte (00:29:02):
So he's, he's the says let's get back to the free speech saying,
Jeff Jarvis (00:29:07):
Oh yeah. Plus plus the, you know, I, I, I, I made some joking tweets about it and then I ended up on Fox news and Glen Greenwalt and Andrew Sullivan came after me. What? So all the tweets, all the,
Ant Pruitt (00:29:19):
All he had a nice busy week. Wait
Leo Laporte (00:29:21):
Minute, I missed this one.
Ant Pruitt (00:29:23):
He boys,
Leo Laporte (00:29:24):
Where should I go to find this? Is it?
Jeff Jarvis (00:29:27):
And the reason they're after me is because they want Trump to be back. Yeah. They want, I mean, the funny thing is you're against free speech. No, I'm not. You're just yelling at me all the time. You can yell at me. I'm not telling you not to yell at me. Go ahead and yell at me. I, how am I against free speech? Right. You know, I don't like Elon. I have my free speech, but you're yelling at me. Like I shouldn't have my speech. Cause I don't agree. You're speech nephew. So I said, here's what it was. I said, it
Stacey Higginbotham (00:29:49):
Sounds so productive.
Jeff Jarvis (00:29:50):
Yes. Well here's what I said. It was, it was, it was halfway through the day of Elon. I woke up in the morning saying I'm gonna edit my book today. And then this happened. And I, I can't like, like for some stupid reason, I can't myself. I've gotta tweet about this. Just about like the world.
Leo Laporte (00:30:03):
This is why expect everyone should put away the Twitter right now. No.
Jeff Jarvis (00:30:06):
So I tweeted at some point midday, I said today on Twitter reminds me, it makes me, makes me think of the last night in the last Berlin nightclub at the dust of VBar German.
Leo Laporte (00:30:24):
You invoked
Jeff Jarvis (00:30:26):
Law. I mean, I was, I was actually invoking cabaret, the movies. They're all too stupid
Leo Laporte (00:30:31):
To get it. It's one more step to the Nazis. I
Jeff Jarvis (00:30:33):
Put it in. Well, yeah, they, you, oh yeah. They went so I, so
Leo Laporte (00:30:37):
What they, what was their, wait a minute. Fox invited you on to defend your tweets. No,
Jeff Jarvis (00:30:41):
No, no, no, no. They quoted the tweet.
Leo Laporte (00:30:42):
Oh,
Jeff Jarvis (00:30:43):
I don't know what
Leo Laporte (00:30:44):
Show as what saying what?
Jeff Jarvis (00:30:45):
I don't know. It was all liberal professor. It was all every case.
Leo Laporte (00:30:48):
Liberal professor. If
Jeff Jarvis (00:30:49):
You look at me on Fox news, it's liberal New York professor.
Leo Laporte (00:30:52):
Oh, we think he's, you know, New York, you know what New York means. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Liberal New York professor invokes. I'm a Republic. I don't think their audience would know what that means.
Jeff Jarvis (00:31:05):
No,
Leo Laporte (00:31:05):
<Laugh> like free speech to NA Germany.
Jeff Jarvis (00:31:13):
I was liking it to, I mean, I even put up a clip from cabaret, but they still didn't get it. <Laugh> Just,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:31:20):
Well, you gotta get,
Jeff Jarvis (00:31:21):
I'll get more. Now I'll get emails and that kind of stuff now will come from this. But if you all, you're just idiotic
Leo Laporte (00:31:27):
Side of here. So that, that's interesting though. That means you have a huge amount of people are very aware of you <laugh> in the, on the right. Well what it
Jeff Jarvis (00:31:37):
Happens, Glen Greenwall do it. That draws that's that's the bat signal.
Leo Laporte (00:31:42):
Ah, yes.
Jeff Jarvis (00:31:43):
The boys and the bots. Yes. And, and what, and I've learned now?
Leo Laporte (00:31:47):
Well, the good news
Jeff Jarvis (00:31:47):
Is 24 hours.
Leo Laporte (00:31:48):
Taylor Lawrence ran right by waving a flag and they chased her instead. <Laugh>
Jeff Jarvis (00:31:54):
Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Leo Laporte (00:31:56):
Adding you off the hook, the hounds, right, exactly what happened. The hounds followed the other rabbit.
Jeff Jarvis (00:32:00):
Yeah. Now that I'm doing this, this will come back up for a while and somebody will send me some email. I'll say calling me whatever
Leo Laporte (00:32:05):
Fine Taylor, on in the Washington post who she's great. I mean, I think we all agree. She's a very student server of social media, but did she make a mistake in revealing the identity? No. Of the lib tars of TikTok Twitter?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:32:21):
No. No. You cannot be an adult on the internet having, creating an account that has real repercussions for people without experiencing setting yourself up for the same real repercussions.
Jeff Jarvis (00:32:33):
Yes. For
Leo Laporte (00:32:33):
Kind. So it was an anonymous account, but it was absolutely you know, know Glen Greenwold retweeted at 1.8 million followers on Twitter Tucker Carlson would continually bring up clips from libs of tick. He would
Jeff Jarvis (00:32:50):
Hear on his show, anonymous
Leo Laporte (00:32:52):
Anonymously. I mean, you see her face, right? She didn't, she didn't have
Speaker 7 (00:32:56):
Voice I to the voice. Did she?
Leo Laporte (00:33:00):
Which should've been pretty funny in any event, her identity wasn't super kept secret, but it, but she was anonymous. And so but she was revealed through the repor work of Taylor Lawrence and two of her colleagues at the post. Although I guess that information have been available in other places and that was seen as doxing,
Jeff Jarvis (00:33:25):
But as Stacy just said, you do something in public that has public repercussions, you do it to other people, and then you say it can't be done to you. Yeah, no, no. I mean, as follows, admire greatly as a journalist came in, there was a discussion among some online and he just said, this is journalism period. You knows. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (00:33:44):
It's not doxing. It's it's reporting it's reporting. So I'm just, I'm I'm, I'm trying to get the outline of this. So it's okay to have an anonymous account on Twitter. Right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> the internet. And if, and if I had an anonymous account on Twitter or, or somebody had anonymous, there's there's trolls that were attacking you, Jeff. And they were tracking me anonymously. If we found out who they were, would it be appropriate to docs? I don't wanna use the word docs cuz that's loaded. That's reveal their identity in public.
Jeff Jarvis (00:34:14):
Depends on what they're doing.
Leo Laporte (00:34:15):
Okay. But so the thing that made this okay, was that she was that the, the, the person who owned this handle was politic making political speeches
Jeff Jarvis (00:34:29):
Was harming
Stacey Higginbotham (00:34:30):
Figure.
Leo Laporte (00:34:32):
She became a public figure.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:34:33):
Yes. I would say she became a public figure. And then by virtue of that, her actions created direct harm for P people. So a teacher lost her job. Okay. so once you have like, if you're just saying something nasty and it doesn't cause harm then, but in the American legal system, I mean, libel, slander all of those things and they are true,
Leo Laporte (00:35:01):
But she wasn't doing anything illegal.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:35:04):
Right.
Jeff Jarvis (00:35:04):
She was doing something in public and, and to me that's sufficient that there is not appearing assumption of privacy in public. Was it? If I do defend anonymity, I do think it's important for the vulnerable, but she was violating that for others. And then hypocritically saying it shouldn't come after me.
Leo Laporte (00:35:20):
So she was docking other people. Well,
Jeff Jarvis (00:35:22):
She was causing people to lose their jobs. She had no impact on
Stacey Higginbotham (00:35:24):
Their jobing them. She was, she was pulling them. And this is why the internet is such a scary place and why people haven't really, they don't understand that everything you put on it is searchable and findable and even weapon usable against them.
Leo Laporte (00:35:39):
So she was reposting tos mostly. I mean, it's, that's the implication LIS of she
Stacey Higginbotham (00:35:43):
Was finding, I mean, yeah. She would find people's tos. She would repost them under this thing. And then other people would attention to them. Right.
Leo Laporte (00:35:52):
Then it'd be amplified Glen green wall. She
Jeff Jarvis (00:35:54):
Would set loose the dogs
Leo Laporte (00:35:56):
And tuck cross
Jeff Jarvis (00:35:57):
Far. Right.
Leo Laporte (00:35:58):
Okay. Twitter. Yeah. Yeah. So it was
Ant Pruitt (00:36:00):
Taylor Lorez that owned the anonymous account. I'm
Leo Laporte (00:36:02):
No, no, no. Taylor lore. The reporter
Ant Pruitt (00:36:05):
Reported that
Leo Laporte (00:36:06):
Sense, who revealed her identity and was accused of, I was a
Jeff Jarvis (00:36:09):
Copy at
Leo Laporte (00:36:10):
<Laugh>, you know, maybe we should trade mugs <laugh> and I should give credit Taylor didn't do this alone. She had reporting help from, at a team Allison crets andan Nala at the Washington post. But,
Jeff Jarvis (00:36:24):
But it, it, it, I, I don't wanna leave this discussion before we, Y Sean Wongs thread on moderation, I think is relevant here.
Leo Laporte (00:36:32):
All right, I'll pull that up
Jeff Jarvis (00:36:33):
Because it's, it's this back of the Twitter story. What are he saying? What Y Sean to run Reddit. And so from the voice of experience, he can say Elon's in for a mess of pain, writing a social network. And he goes through this, I think brilliantly. And he makes a few points, which I think are relevant to, to, to, to TikTok as well as you know, where, where are the rules? What are you enforcing? And one point he makes it, I think is wonderful. He said, listen, all you people, you, you think that your stuff's getting taken down cuz of the substance of what you say, no, if you said everything, you said civilly and nicely, nobody would take anything you say down it's because of your behavior. It's because you're being jerks and a-holes and awful people. Right. And that's what it is.
Jeff Jarvis (00:37:13):
And so we focus on this as left versus right. And we try to get all kinds, false balance going there. No it's about awful behavior and where that comes from. And guess what? It comes from one place more than the other. And that's why that side is trying to say, you can't take down our stuff cuz that's our freedom of a speech. How dare you? Right? Because what, on the left they say, take down the hate speech. And then when the hate speech gets taken down, the right says, whoa, that was my hate speech. So Y Sean, I think does a good job of saying it's it's the Mike Masick rule, right? The impossibility of content moderation at scale. And, and this is about a society trying to figure out what our standards and norms are. And we ain't there yet.
Leo Laporte (00:37:53):
It's complicated. Clearly
Jeff Jarvis (00:37:55):
It is indeed.
Leo Laporte (00:37:57):
I I'll just say, I don't think Elon is worried about this. Cause I don't think he really wants Twitter. Does he really want Twitter? What would he do with though? He knows how hard this would be. This is, this is just a quagmire, he's got Tesla and SpaceX to run. Yeah. But he would need this.
Ant Pruitt (00:38:15):
I could see him trying to put people in place as
Leo Laporte (00:38:17):
A only cuz you think he's a CEO, right?
Ant Pruitt (00:38:20):
Well, I mean, he's, he's, he's a smart enough man to put all of those other things in place with SpaceX and Tesla, he's not out there building those cars or launching the, the, the, the right.
Leo Laporte (00:38:30):
But he's doing two fairly important things
Jeff Jarvis (00:38:32):
For both those
Ant Pruitt (00:38:32):
Things. He's putting the right people in place to make sure all that stuff gets done. He's even with all of his, S's still sleeping on the
Leo Laporte (00:38:40):
<Laugh>
Jeff Jarvis (00:38:43):
He's
Ant Pruitt (00:38:44):
He's doing
Jeff Jarvis (00:38:44):
The bad reason.
Leo Laporte (00:38:46):
I honestly, it's very hard to tell with Elon, no one can tell what his motivations are, but I, it feels to me like he's just having fun. He's kind of trolling around and well, he likes to, he likes the attention. He likes to stir the ants nest with a stick. He's like a kid poking the ants nest. But I don't think he has any real ambition to run Twitter. That would be a very hard thing to do. Maybe he has enough ego think he could solve all these problems. I don't
Jeff Jarvis (00:39:10):
Know. I think that's what it is. Yeah, exactly what it is. And he's, and he's troll, he's troll, he's trolling, he's troll and that's the joy he has. Yeah. And, and, and, and you know, I think, and, and I wanna be careful here
Leo Laporte (00:39:23):
Because by the somebody said, who was really trolling is the S E this is, is all about all, about thumbing his nose, his head interview. Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (00:39:30):
He goes right after the sec. Yeah. That's the whole thing. I think it's exactly what he is doing is saying you're going after me. Cuz what I, I said on Twitter, will it be, I'll buy Twitter then what are you gonna do?
Leo Laporte (00:39:38):
Yeah. That's not, by the way, wouldn't change either. He doesn't understand securities law at all.
Jeff Jarvis (00:39:45):
Right.
Leo Laporte (00:39:46):
<Laugh> or he know this wouldn't change. Anything him owning the platform that he's pumping and dumping on does not change in any way that liability dump maybe makes a more responsible. Yeah. He bought a, he bought a platform just so he can pump up stock scams.
Jeff Jarvis (00:40:03):
You, I, I wanna be, I, I started on this road. I wanna be a little, I wanna be careful here because I ignore diversity is really important and we have a lot to learn from newer diverse, but he brought up Asperger's in his Ted talk. Yeah. And I wonder if I wonder what it was like to be Elon the child. I wonder. Cause he talks in that about the difficulty of understanding sea and having to learn. And
Leo Laporte (00:40:26):
I would also caution
Jeff Jarvis (00:40:27):
Fun of, because he didn't,
Leo Laporte (00:40:29):
I would caution
Jeff Jarvis (00:40:30):
The way everybody else plays it.
Leo Laporte (00:40:31):
I would really caution you because everything Elon says is performative. You think even that is oh, at absolutely.
Jeff Jarvis (00:40:38):
Really? Yeah.
Leo Laporte (00:40:40):
I mean we don't know that's the, I mean it might not be, he might be coming from the heart, but so much of what he says is performative that I would not necessarily,
Jeff Jarvis (00:40:48):
Well, he is even claiming that as who knows as a, as a, as a,
Leo Laporte (00:40:52):
Is really insulting. If you're a fan of neurodiversity, if you wanna for say, oh yeah, well I'm on the spectrum
Jeff Jarvis (00:40:59):
Or I was headed toward, on the path of trying to give him some empathy, but okay. You pulled me back from,
Leo Laporte (00:41:02):
Well, I just, he may be, maybe he may be, but it would be the first time he's been <laugh> forthright about anything. I think this sounds a little bit like more like I'm sleeping on the floor of the factory. In fact he even brought that up at the Ted talk.
Jeff Jarvis (00:41:17):
Yeah. That was a boy. That was that a, was that a softball game?
Leo Laporte (00:41:22):
Yeah. Well Chris, Anderson's not a hard hitter. No, No. And it was exactly the audience. Boy that's that's Elon's audience right there.
Jeff Jarvis (00:41:31):
I'm surprised lines.
Leo Laporte (00:41:32):
He, yeah. I'm surprised he to announce his NFTs. <Laugh> perfect place to do it. All right. Let's take a break. Now that we've offended, pretty much anybody who's listening. Hey, welcome to twig. It's four 20, by the way, in case you want to, you know, buy any that's. I was like, no, it's only two 50. <Laugh> two 50 on four 20. Hey, actually I wanna tell you about a really cool company. I think we've talked about before called policy genius. Do you know about them? If you're looking for life insurance and you should be, if you have a family, if you have kids, if the death of you something happening to you would be a financial problem for your loved ones, for rent, for mortgage payments, loans, education costs, every day expenses. You need life insurance. You know, that was one of the that's the first grown up thing I did.
Leo Laporte (00:42:30):
When we had kids, I went out and got life insurance policy. I still of one having life insurance, do your job. You know, I hope you have it. That it's a nice benefit, but it's probably not nearly enough more people. Most people need about 10 times more coverage than their job offers to properly provide for their family. I also should point out, as I have learned life ex life insurance gets a lot more, are expensive as you age. So if you are still, you know, starting out a family, it is better to get a policy now sooner than later, policy genius is very cool. It's a one stop shop to help you find the life insurance you need at the right price. You click the link in the description or you head to policy genius.com/twig. And you answer a few questions in minutes, you can compare personalized quotes from top companies to find your lowest price.
Leo Laporte (00:43:26):
And by doing this price comparison, I mean, this really saves you as much as 50% or more on life insurance by comparing quotes with pop policy genius. Then the team of licensed experts at policy genius are on hand throughout the entire process to help you understand your options and make choices with confidence. So you're not, you're not on your own doing this, the policy genius team though, I should point out works for you. They're not working for the insurance companies, whether you're just starting to shop or have questions about your current policy. There are independent advocates offering unbiased advice. That's super important. Policy genius does not add on extra fees. They do not sell your info to third parties. You can really trust them. Just look at the reviews. Thousands of five star reviews on pilot and Google. They have options to offer coverage in as little as a week.
Leo Laporte (00:44:23):
Some without unnecessary medical exams, it's the easiest way and the best way to get that life insurance since 2014, policy genius has helped over 30 million people shop for insurance and placed over 120 billion in coverage. These, these are the Kings of this business while you're there. Policy genius has home auto disability rents and more so it's not just life insurance, but I really wanna, I remind you the it, you know, you may not want to think about it. You may put it off, but you're really, if you've got a young growing family, if you've got people dependent on you, you need life insurance, head to policy, genius.com/twig. Get your free life insurance quotes. See how much you could save and get that advice from the independent experts at policy genius, policy genius.com/twig. We thank you so much for their support of this weekend. Google. I like this lower third. It's very simple. Just policy genius that that's all you need. Policy genius.com/twig. So we do have a sponsor Grammarly. We've talked about it before that Dutch grammar checking. I was a little worried when I thought saw that Google docs was gonna start doing grammar checking. Then I started reading some of the things, Google docs recommending. Then I realized there's always gonna be a place for Grammarly. Have you played yet with Google docs? Grammar checker?
Ant Pruitt (00:45:54):
No.
Jeff Jarvis (00:45:54):
How do I turn it on?
Ant Pruitt (00:45:55):
I trust my son. You'll a
Stacey Higginbotham (00:45:56):
Purple I mean like
Leo Laporte (00:45:57):
Squiggly line,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:46:00):
I guess I use Grammarly, so I, I don't
Leo Laporte (00:46:03):
Use it's better. Trust me. <Laugh> let me see if I can find one example of Google docs. Where do you turn it
Jeff Jarvis (00:46:10):
On?
Leo Laporte (00:46:11):
It's a purple line.
Jeff Jarvis (00:46:14):
I don't, I'm not getting the purple lines. You must have to turn it on
Leo Laporte (00:46:16):
Somewhere. Okay.
Jeff Jarvis (00:46:19):
Spelling and grammar.
Leo Laporte (00:46:20):
Yeah, there it is. That's it? It's all.
Jeff Jarvis (00:46:21):
Well, cause I'm just too damn perfect. You're perfect lines. Ha <laugh>
Leo Laporte (00:46:27):
Oh, did I not bookmark this?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:46:28):
Right?
Jeff Jarvis (00:46:31):
Hey
Leo Laporte (00:46:31):
Stacy, they're doing tone. Recommend
Stacey Higginbotham (00:46:35):
Grammarly does tone recognition. Yeah,
Leo Laporte (00:46:37):
But Google dots.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:46:38):
Informal.
Leo Laporte (00:46:40):
Yeah. Which I like let me see if I can find maybe it
Stacey Higginbotham (00:46:45):
Currently even has emojis, which is so silly.
Leo Laporte (00:46:51):
I found one, a couple of example that were just really ridiculous, but now see, I didn't bookmark. 'em So nevermind. And I can't find it. I
Stacey Higginbotham (00:47:01):
Can go open a Google doc and see,
Leo Laporte (00:47:04):
Oh, it's just, it
Ant Pruitt (00:47:04):
Was silly one. Now. Now I
Leo Laporte (00:47:06):
Stuff
Ant Pruitt (00:47:08):
The couple purple squiggly lines and I don't agree with them.
Jeff Jarvis (00:47:11):
Oh, I get purple squiggly lines, but that's there we go. Oh yeah.
Leo Laporte (00:47:13):
Here we go. This is from motherboard.
Ant Pruitt (00:47:15):
Saw synonyms.
Leo Laporte (00:47:16):
Here's from mother board in there. Title is Google's AI powered inclusive warnings feature is very broken. So in this case, motherboard writer, Lorenzo Eski BKA typed annoyed. Google said, eh, make it upset. <Laugh> Make it angry. Ah, okay.
Jeff Jarvis (00:47:35):
You say this about a woman. That's gonna piss them off. Cause no I'm angry.
Leo Laporte (00:47:40):
This is worse though. Social editor, Emily Lipstein typed in motherboard. The name of the website and Google popped up to tell her she was being insensitive.
Jeff Jarvis (00:47:49):
Your
Leo Laporte (00:47:49):
Motherboard. Some of these words may not be inclusive to all readers consider using different words. <Laugh> okay. Journalist, Rebecca Barrett, Reba tweeted an inclusive warning. She received on the word landlord, which Google suggested she changed your property owner or proprietor <laugh> Which I mean that's I guess is it the same? It may be the same, but what's wrong landlord. Do we not say Lord anymore? Lord is in ladies. I still say
Stacey Higginbotham (00:48:21):
Landlord. Maybe that's the issue. I I'd be curious if you typed in something like white Knight or white hat, what would happen? There's
Leo Laporte (00:48:27):
Always, you know, some risk. They talk about Google suggested Martin Luther king should have talked about the intense urgency of now instead of the fierce urgency of now in his, I have a dream speech. John F. Kennedy should have used for all humankind instead of for all mankind and well, yeah, obviously. Okay. I understand. <Laugh>
Stacey Higginbotham (00:48:50):
What makes a speech resonant often is when you, I mean, what makes good writing is when you know the rules, you break the rules and you come up with yes. And a speech is also very different a than I written
Leo Laporte (00:48:59):
That's a good point. So motherboard fed a transcribed interview of neo-Nazi and former Klan leader, David Duke into the inclusive editor. It got no recommendations, even though he uses the N-word and talks about hunting black people, but radical feminist, Valerie Solanis scum manifesto was got many edits. She should use police officers instead of policemen, Google notes, even Jesus <laugh>
Stacey Higginbotham (00:49:29):
It's just stunt. Journalism is silly. All
Leo Laporte (00:49:32):
Right. All right. Stunt journalism, by the way, you might not want to use the phrase stunt journalism and just call it gimmicky. How about that?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:49:40):
It appears judgy, judgy. You're judgy. It's
Leo Laporte (00:49:43):
Judgy.
Jeff Jarvis (00:49:45):
Like all
Leo Laporte (00:49:46):
It's a fun article, but you're right. It's kind of, yeah, it's kind in fact. That's what Google says. We're it's an ongoing evolution. Google says
Jeff Jarvis (00:49:54):
I made Simpson's book of quotations. You
Leo Laporte (00:49:58):
Did
Jeff Jarvis (00:50:00):
We
Leo Laporte (00:50:00):
Homer or Bart?
Jeff Jarvis (00:50:02):
No, it's not this one. I don't have this one. I remember there with the editor, people was trying to turn it into the cliche. I said that, that, that hearing Yoko Otis saying like hearing a what did I, what did I say? Been like a, a whale call
Leo Laporte (00:50:18):
<Laugh>
Jeff Jarvis (00:50:18):
No, it was, I said it was like hearing a bald Eagle being go that's act where that yeah, the other one was, was that I said I said something about who's the guy used to that celebrity
Leo Laporte (00:50:31):
Televis suggest by the way, John suggest for more inclusivity, you call it a, a goose being bald instead.
Jeff Jarvis (00:50:37):
Yes, yes, exactly. Yes. <Laugh> what was, what was his name? Who did lifestyle rich and famous
Leo Laporte (00:50:42):
Robin
Speaker 8 (00:50:43):
Le the Lee, Robin Lee. Here we are at the lifestyle. Jeff
Leo Laporte (00:50:47):
Java's house. Oh, you
Jeff Jarvis (00:50:48):
Do that. He called something tacky. And I said, that was a case of the pot calling the kettled metal.
Leo Laporte (00:50:54):
Oh, I
Jeff Jarvis (00:50:54):
Like it. And the editor wanted to make it black. And I said, no, you see, that was the
Leo Laporte (00:50:58):
That's plenty
Jeff Jarvis (00:50:59):
Cliche. I'm breaking the cliche.
Leo Laporte (00:51:02):
Oh, editors.
Jeff Jarvis (00:51:04):
So I, I kept it in and I won and I made substance quota for those.
Leo Laporte (00:51:09):
Well, can you look up and see if they have anything for me? <Laugh> no, they I'll tell you right now. Who's Leo. Sorry. No, I'm not in there. I'll never forget when I've told this story before my dad, when I was a kid, my dad was a professor. He got a letter saying you have been included in who's. Oh
Jeff Jarvis (00:51:28):
Yeah.
Leo Laporte (00:51:29):
You, you probably get that letter once in a while too. No, I actually don't. And for, for $55, we'll send you a copy of who's who <laugh> with your name in it. Which we, by the way, dad, I think he's wised up since, but he did buy and we, and we had for many years, he, oh, library shelf. He who? Professor? Leport my in there. Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:51:53):
I've
Jeff Jarvis (00:51:53):
Never met. Met. I hope someone at the cocktail party would say, oh, are you in that?
Leo Laporte (00:51:57):
I'm in yes. <Laugh> kids today. Have no idea that it, there was a, a thing called who's who? Now you just Google it. They
Jeff Jarvis (00:52:07):
Have no, there was a thing called a students.
Leo Laporte (00:52:09):
Who's who? And I, again, and I get those. I bet those letters get sent to proud parents all over the world. Yeah. Yeah. Marque who's who? Scam artist. Still doing their thing. Yeah. By the way, according to mark, you did get the it's remained the standard for reliable and comprehensive biographical day.
Jeff Jarvis (00:52:29):
So look at yourself up. Are you in it, Leo?
Leo Laporte (00:52:32):
Oh, do you think
Stacey Higginbotham (00:52:33):
Get's still in it? How long do you get to be in it? If you paid buy
Leo Laporte (00:52:36):
A book. I wonder if you can look it up, look up somebody in two weeks. I bet you it's not online. Oh, wait a minute. Marque's biographies is online. 1.6 million biographies. It's not too. It's not too. I restrictive, I guess.
Jeff Jarvis (00:52:51):
Did you look down on the homepage?
Leo Laporte (00:52:53):
What? On the homepage of who's? Who?
Jeff Jarvis (00:52:55):
Of who's who? Yeah. Yeah. They're featured. Listees spotlight.
Leo Laporte (00:52:59):
Listy branding.
Jeff Jarvis (00:53:01):
No. No. Okay. I went to marque. Who's who? Dot com.
Leo Laporte (00:53:05):
Yeah. That's where I am. Yeah. Well
Jeff Jarvis (00:53:07):
Funny.
Leo Laporte (00:53:07):
Be part of Mar, have you made strides in career that deserved to be showcased to the world? Could you benefit from joining a notable network of likeminded seasoned? Well, if so professionals, join Twitter. Are you looking, are they seasoned? Seasoned? Well seasoned. We should feed this to Google's grammar checker. Are you looking for an effective way to revive your professional reputation? <Laugh> what revive your per wow. Revive your professional. Oh dad. Oh dad. <Laugh> clout walked up. I said, hold up, hold my beer. I'll be right back. Clearly. This is now being aimed at people who are old and need to be revived. Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:53:56):
Well, yeah. Cuz the rest of us are online.
Leo Laporte (00:53:59):
Yeah, no kidding. We'll put you in a book that will be featured in libraries. Woo. Worldwide and never opened. Never opened. Never opened true that. I mean, okay. How do we get? Well, Stacy, what happened to inion? Do we know
Speaker 9 (00:54:21):
<Laugh>
Stacey Higginbotham (00:54:23):
We don't know it. We will never
Leo Laporte (00:54:28):
This like the wink fiasco or worse.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:54:31):
No wink actually was purchased and people talked about what happened. So wink still exists and if you pay money. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (00:54:38):
That's the problem is that you had to pay for it. But inion about that. Tell me what inion is inti.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:54:44):
So on for Friday, insti is a smart home hub. It's been around since 2005. One of the first proprietary. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (00:54:53):
Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:54:53):
Proprietary mesh network. Technology works really well. People love it. I cannot tell you how many times people like send me emails about how Stacy, why are you wasting time with smart things or home to get Insteon it just works. It's rock solid people love it. So what happened is on Friday night, I started getting emails. People realized that their app wasn't working and their hub was down and they were like, what the heck is happening? It's been pretty clear for the last couple months that Insteon has been having some troubles
Leo Laporte (00:55:27):
And financial
Stacey Higginbotham (00:55:28):
Apparently financial, and they stopped supporting some of their stuff. They had some cloud outages, but they didn't really communicate. And then they came back up. So people thought this might be just a big cloud outage, but it turns out that it hasn't yet turned back on mm-hmm. And I went through the, because I had gotten enough of these emails and started looking and the people affiliated with inion, many of them are no longer with the company. And those that used to own the company are now denying that they have any
Leo Laporte (00:56:03):
Oh, dear
Stacey Higginbotham (00:56:05):
Business with the company. So I found Rob Lill littleness, who is the CEO of smart labs, which is the company that in 2017 invest well Rob's private investment fund, Richmond, capital partners created smart labs and invested money into it to buy insti on the assets and wrap that all up. So they had this smart home website that sold in Stan gear. They had the insti on stuff and he has scrubbed all mention of Insteon from his LinkedIn profile. And as of now, he no longer has a LinkedIn profile. Oh,
Leo Laporte (00:56:42):
My,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:56:43):
He just took that sucker down. It's the same of the five people he
Leo Laporte (00:56:47):
Should,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:56:47):
Of the five people
Leo Laporte (00:56:49):
He can bite in too. That might help him. Revitalize sounds like the Cleveland Browns career. Baltimore. Yeah. Holy cow. So
Stacey Higginbotham (00:56:58):
I, he did actually respond to me on Tuesday. He said, he's not affiliated with the company, but he didn't answer any of my questions. And that was the only response he has, but he was clearly used to be affiliated with the company. So it's anyone's guess what has happened And people are pissed.
Leo Laporte (00:57:21):
Hmm. So if you bought an inst hub and have been powering your smart home with inston, they had an app and everything, right? Yeah. None of that's working anymore.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:57:34):
Well, so ins has local control if your hub was programmed. Okay. This is why people love it so much. If your hub was programmed, your timers and anything on the hub will still work. You might change anything though. You need the app. Now my thing of the week is actually a very comprehensive guide that we put together on what to do. If your insti thing has failed.
Leo Laporte (00:57:53):
Save that. We'll talk about that then. Okay. So there is hope.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:58:00):
No, there's not hope for insti, but there's hope for your particular hope
Leo Laporte (00:58:04):
There something you can do. Yeah. Okay, good. Was it was it the problem with inion that it was proprietary and that Zigby and matter, and all of these things have just kind of eclipsed it?
Stacey Higginbotham (00:58:17):
I think. Yes and no. I, I think it was, I mean, the fact that it was proprietary and you worked really well was great. I think the fact that you, it was a pain to buy and you need a professional installation. All of that is hard. And we've seen the smart home eclipse kind of the professional CIA type installers. Yeah. And then things like matter coming on didn't help.
Leo Laporte (00:58:42):
It was int member of the matter coalition.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:58:46):
I don't believe so. No.
Leo Laporte (00:58:47):
Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:58:49):
But matter could theoretically help if you had a situation like this going forward, cuz you would have local control right. With matter.
Leo Laporte (00:58:55):
Right.
Stacey Higginbotham (00:58:56):
Theoretically when it comes out,
Jeff Jarvis (00:58:57):
Was it the Sonos of, I O T
Stacey Higginbotham (00:59:01):
The Sonos of I, well,
Leo Laporte (00:59:02):
Sonos is still around, so let's
Jeff Jarvis (00:59:04):
Not, well, I know, but the sense that worked well, but then other, a lot of other things came
Leo Laporte (00:59:08):
Clips
Jeff Jarvis (00:59:09):
Very expensive. You got clips that's I'm saying
Leo Laporte (00:59:11):
Yeah,
Stacey Higginbotham (00:59:12):
Yeah, yeah. That's probably, and, and Sonos is expensive now. Sonos is still investing in things and, and having lawsuits and
Leo Laporte (00:59:20):
Yeah. Sonos is gonna be around. I think, I think they've decided to, you know, put, but it does, in some respects, it kind of does sound like the Sonos of IOT in some respects. All right. Well, we'll find your work. We'll get your workarounds later in the show while
Jeff Jarvis (00:59:35):
We're on I O T can I, can I suggest one? Yeah. I, cause I wanna hear Amy. Amy, Stacy, when's say Amy. Talk about this. The puffs of air line 82. Have you gone into this yet? Stacy?
Leo Laporte (00:59:50):
Who's the video going down to 82? Let me show you Google's little signals. Oh
Stacey Higginbotham (00:59:54):
Yes.
Jeff Jarvis (00:59:55):
Little signals.
Leo Laporte (00:59:56):
Here you go. Watch the video. We'll all watch and learn
Speaker 10 (01:00:01):
At Google. We like to rehearse the future.
Leo Laporte (01:00:03):
Wait a minute. Did she call it Google? <Laugh> she's it's
Speaker 10 (01:00:07):
Got an accent.
Leo Laporte (01:00:09):
Let me hear it again.
Speaker 10 (01:00:11):
At Google, we like to
Leo Laporte (01:00:12):
Google
Speaker 10 (01:00:14):
Rehearse the future.
Leo Laporte (01:00:14):
Google
Speaker 10 (01:00:16):
In collaboration, that project office, we have explored how technology can support us in the grand of our day to day lives,
Jeff Jarvis (01:00:24):
Little
Leo Laporte (01:00:24):
Irish. Oh, she's squish
Speaker 10 (01:00:25):
Through the lens. OFS computing.
Leo Laporte (01:00:28):
Okay. Where am I?
Speaker 10 (01:00:29):
New ways to interact with technology using less of our attention and allowing us to have moments of calm,
Leo Laporte (01:00:39):
Calm
Jeff Jarvis (01:00:40):
Accent.
Speaker 10 (01:00:41):
<Affirmative> whistle signal, a family of unassuming, but charming objects that share notifications and information by engaging with our senses in more nuanced ways.
Leo Laporte (01:00:49):
Wait a minute, little unassuming objects that engage your attention. This
Jeff Jarvis (01:00:58):
This for the company can't
Leo Laporte (01:00:59):
Glass. So can't be, if it's is this blue sky or are they gonna, are they doing it or well let's listen.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:01:06):
No, no, this is, this has been around for a while. This is the whole concept. It has ambient information delivery. Yes. But keep going. This is a lovely,
Speaker 10 (01:01:14):
This sound movement and visual cues. We can suddenly perceive a soft shadow, A friendly tap.
Leo Laporte (01:01:23):
What
Speaker 10 (01:01:24):
A reassuring sound, A subtle indicator.
Leo Laporte (01:01:29):
I've never, I'd never, it is never seen any of it.
Speaker 10 (01:01:34):
A gentle motion.
Leo Laporte (01:01:36):
<Laugh>
Speaker 10 (01:01:38):
They use familiar patterns to calmly convey information and keep us in the loop.
Leo Laporte (01:01:45):
The giga li we're all in the giga live
Speaker 10 (01:01:48):
Gentle nudges at the right time, in the right way.
Leo Laporte (01:01:52):
<Laugh>
Speaker 10 (01:01:53):
I'm dial up
Leo Laporte (01:01:54):
Only when they're, if you just listening is not nearly as hysterical. There are little objects tapping
Speaker 10 (01:02:00):
On things, thought starters of how we can foster new behaviors in relat ships with our technology.
Leo Laporte (01:02:05):
Look at that. I turned it upside down,
Speaker 10 (01:02:08):
Working in harmony with the objects we already love in a little way.
Leo Laporte (01:02:14):
Beep <laugh> so is this so,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:02:18):
So there's a whole design philosophy's called. This is
Jeff Jarvis (01:02:21):
What I want to hear is Stacy on this.
Leo Laporte (01:02:22):
Okay.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:02:23):
Yeah. And so we've had people, so this has been all the way back. So all the way back to like 2010, 2008, we were seeing people develop connected objects. Like so one of the first ones that I recall hearing about was like a, an umbrella stand that would just light up softly if rain was expected. So as you walked out the door, your, your umbrella stand would glow and you forget take an umbrella. And that, that was one of the, like the, and there were lots of ideas around products like this, and most of them have failed. Goodnight lamp was a wonderful one that has, you can kind of, it's been developed into other things, which is like, just by turning on a light, it would share, it would turn on a light somewhere else with like a connected other person. And they would just know that you were home or that it was like a way to connect with people from far. And the idea here was that you wouldn't have a screen, you would have some object or device in your home that would give you some sort of indication that you could pay attention to in a way that was not like a notification screaming at you. And these objects really fetishize things like light sound motion as a way to get your attention. <Affirmative> and a lot of them are nice, but
Leo Laporte (01:03:44):
So look, you can build them yourself. Yeah. Using an R Juno. And they have the 3d printer models. So these are the three things we saw, which is the thing you push down. I could
Jeff Jarvis (01:03:56):
Use it for my father to remember, to take his pill and then plop down. Well,
Leo Laporte (01:03:59):
That was an interest. It has a little, it's a little, it looks like the hands of a clock. But instead of being the hands of a clock, it taps on your medicine bottle,
Ant Pruitt (01:04:06):
But okay. It taps the medicine bottle. But how, how audible is that? You know, you tap in on the medicine. Well, the
Stacey Higginbotham (01:04:14):
Idea around them is they, they come to your attention when you need them. And so in that case, probably you were looking at something like light triggered the sensor to indicate that time for examples. So opening your medicine cabinet gave you that notification,
Leo Laporte (01:04:31):
Right? Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm trying to, It,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:04:36):
It, it said, and there's
Leo Laporte (01:04:38):
Launch experiment, but all it's doing is showing me that same video again. So I wanted to see what the experiment, oh, here, your
Ant Pruitt (01:04:46):
Explanation else,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:04:47):
You see them, you see these things getting built into like, people like tying their Philips few lights to various pieces of information and sorry, lights, changing colors to like tell you something has happened end. And, but, and that's just ambient information delivery and it's really popular. And it's actually, I've set up a bunch of them in my home and it's actually quite nice
Leo Laporte (01:05:12):
To tell. I like that.
Ant Pruitt (01:05:15):
Yeah. I like the idea of this, but I feel like I would struggle with, with catching.
Leo Laporte (01:05:21):
Sure.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:05:21):
So here's
Leo Laporte (01:05:22):
A little
Stacey Higginbotham (01:05:22):
Back
Leo Laporte (01:05:22):
In the day. Here's a little air thing. It interacts with this pulses of air move nearby items to attract attention. So it'll blow wiggle or spin. Mm-Hmm <affirmative>, that's an,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:05:34):
So like something like this, you could use it for or something. That's not imperative that you notice it right away. Okay.
Leo Laporte (01:05:40):
But like,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:05:40):
Right. A good example would be something like quitting time actually. Okay. So here's like, it could this way, if it's five o'clock and usually you wanna be like, you wanna have a reminder to yourself to get up and stop working. Right. Okay. That could start blowing around five o'clock and you could be working and you'd of sit and you'd be like, oh, okay. Yeah. It's time to go. But it's less intrusive than like a bell going off. Right.
Leo Laporte (01:06:01):
I like this one. Okay. This is kind of interesting. This is this one's called movement. And mm-hmm, <affirmative> seven pegs that graphically represent information like a calendar timer through their height and motion. The pegs work individually, or as a group and tapped for simple input. That's really interest. I mean, they're just, yeah, these are very interesting. You know, these are super things. Don't have to shout at you. They, they can just hint at as normal environmental things do mm-hmm <affirmative>
Stacey Higginbotham (01:06:32):
And like this, this, this one with the haptic feedback is fun. Like I've seen things like that. I've seen projects like for bicyclists, like little vests that people wear with haptic feedback, where the closer a car gets to you on a bicycle. The, the more, the haptic feedback happenss like the harder or the faster the percussive motion would happen. So you'd feel the car coming up behind you. So you'd know was there, but it wouldn't. It would build slowly presumably. Or if it built too fast, you'd figure it out and you'd be like, I should SWER. Oops,
Leo Laporte (01:07:05):
Sorry. This one's really interesting. I should, SWER tap makes use of surfaces. This is the one that was tapping on the medicine bottle to create sounds that act as notifications, a stronger tap means more pressing news. So you, you could, now you can download these as, as little there's little zip files. Is this a script? It's an St. Oh, he's gonna make one. Now. I think we could experiment with little S you could. Yeah. Come, come here and walk you through how to make the air object. This looks so quite. So you need a 12 volt computer fan and RJ know a transistor resistor. So these are, these are, do it yourself projects.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:07:45):
Yeah. And like the air blowing might be fun. Like, let's say you've got a sensor tied to your plant. That is like, when it needs water, what if you start seeing the leaves blow? And you're like, oh, that means it needs water. Hey.
Leo Laporte (01:07:57):
So instead of having a boxing glove that hits me, Stacy <laugh> you could have, so we could build one of these
Stacey Higginbotham (01:08:04):
Urgent tapping
Leo Laporte (01:08:06):
Just blows in my, I can tap on your forehead. Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:08:09):
Boo. I thought we solved that with Ann.
Leo Laporte (01:08:11):
Can I have a pooper? Yeah. So I'm trying to find a replacement. Yeah. I would like to build one of these. This is cool. Maybe Burke can build us some of these because there's some sold
Stacey Higginbotham (01:08:25):
It's.
Leo Laporte (01:08:26):
Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:08:26):
It's super like,
Leo Laporte (01:08:27):
And there's code, but these, So you can write your own code. Huh? <Affirmative> it's neat. Wow.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:08:37):
And I thought we'd, we'd have this sort of thing in more places, but until we have a truly open kind of format for communicating information, and then the end result, like the, the what's it called the execution of a puff of air or whatever. There's no way to build something like that. That's really universal. So you get these like single use products that are real gimmicky feeling, and it's kind of sad.
Leo Laporte (01:09:06):
Why is this like visual basic or something? This is JavaScript, but it, what it looks like you could do for it's got an API, you could query a weather service for a forecast. So that's what this code does. They they get the forecast and then they react to the forecast by doing something, you know, depending on which thing you're connected
Stacey Higginbotham (01:09:32):
To, to, I used to have a light in my closet that if it was below freezing, it would turn blue. So when in the morning, when I went into my closet, it would be blue.
Leo Laporte (01:09:39):
I feel a little freezing. That's smart home.
Jeff Jarvis (01:09:41):
Can it in turn, do something else. If I hit, if I hit the red thing down. Yes. Does it, you know, send my doctor a notification? Yes. You took the pills
Leo Laporte (01:09:47):
Or something. Sure. It's all programmable. So in this case, if you've said it to something, to whatever the trigger is, it'll turn the on. It'll blow on you.
Jeff Jarvis (01:09:59):
<Laugh> I might find that irritating <laugh>
Leo Laporte (01:10:01):
Well, this is the air object. So there's there's code for all different kinds of objects. This is actually the one I'd be most interested in is this little tap object. Yeah. That's the one I want to play with.
Jeff Jarvis (01:10:15):
Plus it seems to operate on two, a axis.
Leo Laporte (01:10:18):
Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (01:10:19):
Go down and in,
Leo Laporte (01:10:21):
Oh, this is the same one. This is the air, the air one. Oh, well, I'm gonna have to, I want, maybe we should build one of these be kind of fun.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:10:30):
Build it, program it. Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (01:10:31):
And then give control of it to Stacy. Yeah. On the set could
Stacey Higginbotham (01:10:35):
Then let me have it. And
Jeff Jarvis (01:10:37):
Actually all you need is it's on the table. And when you start to say something bad, she just taps like a, like an insistent ant. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (01:10:43):
And I could put a little finger on it, like, and it's like, it's tapping <laugh>
Stacey Higginbotham (01:10:48):
If you go to there's a site called comtech.com. It'll talk about some of these sort of things. In other places, the, you see this developed, I've had a person on the podcast talk about this. So
Leo Laporte (01:11:02):
Here's a calm T it's nice. A calm office window. A laboratory sign, a calm Roomba. Yeah. I like this idea. I mean, it, I mean, there's a reason why these alerts coming from your assistance and your phone are loud and annoying. I mean, otherwise you might miss it.
Jeff Jarvis (01:11:25):
Right. Well, this would be very permission. This is I'm gonna pay attention to you at a, at a agreed upon level. I I'll, when I see the plant plants leaves going like that, then that's fine. I've, I've agreed to that. And I'll do something and that's that. It's nice and simple. It's easy. I like that. That idea. It's not intrusive. It's loud. It's it's not in your face.
Leo Laporte (01:11:48):
Very cool. Thank you Stacy. For explaining it. We build some stuff.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:11:53):
If you wanna know more about this Amber Case as the woman who you should follow,
Leo Laporte (01:11:58):
And you have some, like, where did you get that blue light? How did you, did you build that yourself? Or, oh,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:12:03):
I programmed a Phillips hu using IFT.
Leo Laporte (01:12:05):
Oh duh. Of course. That was hard. No, I've done stuff like that.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:12:09):
Programmed it. Yeah. Yeah. But Kevin, Kevin actually did something. He program am a life expo tied to the price of Bitcoin, which is again, another example of doing something like this. That's calmer, coal,
Leo Laporte (01:12:25):
Calm, very calm. I like it. Mr. Based, gone beyond the cover of the roll in stone. Rolling. Rolling in stone. Rolling stone is remind
Jeff Jarvis (01:12:39):
Me that Kevin Rose cover of business week. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (01:12:41):
Yeah. It's kiss of death. Isn't it. So if you get the cover of sports illustrated, that means you can be traded, right? Oh, you a leg can break your leg. <Laugh> no, we don't wish I to Mr. Beast. Rolling stone. Will
Jeff Jarvis (01:12:54):
I love about this? It's not just Mr. Beast. It's creators. It's really,
Leo Laporte (01:12:57):
It's creators called the creator issue
Jeff Jarvis (01:12:59):
To
Leo Laporte (01:12:59):
Creators this this is the because of Penske media, I guess.
Jeff Jarvis (01:13:04):
Yes it is. They're gonna do, I it's almost like a new VidCon. They're they're, you know, VidCon loves creators.
Leo Laporte (01:13:10):
They're gonna do a live event in may. Yep. Yep. In Los Angeles sponsored by me. That will, it's kind of a VidCon. It'll bring together hundreds of creators. Oh, Jan winters still there. Oh, GU winner. No, son's still there. It's his son. Oh Yeah. Winner called the inaugural creators issue. A crescendo moment for the company, which plans to invest heavily in covering creators as part of you culture moving forward. Yeah. Rolling stone. Covered music. Exactly. Part of the love culture. This is the new youth culture.
Jeff Jarvis (01:13:42):
It, it opens the arms wider to respect the greater creator culture.
Leo Laporte (01:13:47):
Bella porch tech star will be interviewed a deep dive into black creators. This is interest rolling stone in February. Rolling stone,
Jeff Jarvis (01:14:00):
Half of south by Southwest, which
Leo Laporte (01:14:02):
Is an interesting and listen to this last month, they acquired a majority stake in Las Vegas's life is beautiful music festival. So yeah, it's a lifestyle
Ant Pruitt (01:14:13):
Branch rolling stone public or
Jeff Jarvis (01:14:16):
No, it's all by Penske.
Ant Pruitt (01:14:17):
I don't think so. No. Yeah, no. It's all by
Jeff Jarvis (01:14:19):
Penske
Leo Laporte (01:14:19):
Media. Monthly print magazine is still has a circulation of half a million. Oh no, that was that was last year. It's currently four 25,000 digital audience, 22 or 28 million monthly uniques. So very
Ant Pruitt (01:14:34):
Interesting. Quite happy with those numbers. Yeah. Goodness.
Jeff Jarvis (01:14:37):
And by the way, so I put this, this is a Sarah fishers story from Axios this morning when I was going through it and putting the stuff up here, Axios was just jammed this week with good
Leo Laporte (01:14:45):
Stuff. Good stuff. I agree. It's funny. You can tell
Jeff Jarvis (01:14:48):
Fishers very good. There.
Leo Laporte (01:14:49):
You can kind of tell when, when it, something clicks into gear and yeah, I had a lot of Axio stories bookmark as well. Interesting.
Ant Pruitt (01:14:58):
Yeah.
Leo Laporte (01:15:04):
All right. Let's take a little break. You okay, John? I, I heard you moaning
Ant Pruitt (01:15:10):
<Laugh>
Leo Laporte (01:15:12):
And my
Jeff Jarvis (01:15:12):
Role was is ambient.
Ant Pruitt (01:15:13):
I heard you too bored. I heard
Ant Pruitt (01:15:20):
I heard it too. Not me, but he smiling. He's smiling. He smiling. He's good. It's
Leo Laporte (01:15:26):
Okay.
Ant Pruitt (01:15:26):
I
Leo Laporte (01:15:27):
He's good. I would love to get Burke is Burke out there every time I have an I port Burke has to go find something for me in, in there's a box of clothing in my office, Burke, a just inside the door on the right. That box of clothing. It's my buck. Mason's and I've been saving this. I've been dying. Opening up cuz I have you like Buck Mason, right? Yes. Yes. I have some buck. Mason pants. They're not exactly sweats. They're casual pants. They're but they're heavier. I love 'em my buck. Mason. Sweatshirt's the best made sweatshirt. Really good quality sweatshirt. It's an ad for Buck Mason. We're
Ant Pruitt (01:16:00):
In the a now. Okay. Sorry.
Leo Laporte (01:16:01):
<Laugh> I know it's confusing.
Ant Pruitt (01:16:03):
<Laugh> scene on the little, on the screen. Stacy,
Jeff Jarvis (01:16:06):
You might wanna stick around for
Ant Pruitt (01:16:07):
This one. The words weren't there yet and okay. I'm sorry. Look,
Leo Laporte (01:16:11):
We all have, I think you probably do to you go to your closet and there's your favorite shirt? Your favorite pants, your favorite jacket. You just wear that to, till it falls apart.
Ant Pruitt (01:16:20):
No comment.
Leo Laporte (01:16:21):
These are my buck masons. Now I have a sweater. What was, where was we were talking about this on an episode? The sweater. It's the sweater. It's a beautiful cotton fisherman sweater. It's so is the, the jeans, the shirts. It's the stuff you wear all the time. And it's increasingly for me, it's Buck Mason, grown and sewn in the us. I love that. Right? That's
Ant Pruitt (01:16:45):
Cool.
Leo Laporte (01:16:46):
Us cotton, us manufacturer. They're clothes are timeless and very well made. I'll tell you what a lot of, as you get clothes and they're not so well made. These are, these are gonna LA. It's good that your, these are your go-tos cuz they're gonna last forever and they're they're timeless. They're not gonna go outta style. It fits, they fit beautifully jeans, shirts, jackets so much more is Burke's not here. Somebody will somebody go in my office and get me my buck masons,
Ant Pruitt (01:17:14):
Please.
Leo Laporte (01:17:16):
I love the tailored looking fit of the t-shirts actually quality. T-Shirts a lot of times you get a t-shirt they're just fall apart and cheap. After three washings, not Buck Mason. They look good and feel good at wash after wash. And they invented the curve. Het GQ called it the best t-shirt in the game. It's really nice. It's really nice. The fit, the finish the quality. Thank you. Oh, oh, oh. Oh. I'm so glad. These are the, these are the Navy versions of those green sweats I was talking about and just cuz you what got up and did that. I'm gonna offer these to you. Would you like these, please?
Ant Pruitt (01:17:56):
Thank
Leo Laporte (01:17:56):
You. Oh shoot. He accepted <laugh> you know, they're not gonna fit your massive thighs. No, but I will try. Yeah. Try. Look at that. Doesn't that look how you feel. Good. Look at the, look at the weight. His arms. Yeah. You can wear, these are, these are really well made. Yes. I'm kind of blown away by these. Here's a okay. You can't have this though.
Jeff Jarvis (01:18:17):
I'm thinking about the
Leo Laporte (01:18:18):
T-Shirts yeah. Yeah. They're really well made. Qual. Yeah. You wear a lot of black t-shirts
Ant Pruitt (01:18:22):
First thing I do is always check the stitching in the inside.
Leo Laporte (01:18:25):
Yeah. You can tell these are well made and I love it. That they're made in the us. This is the Dar Venice wash, vintage thermal surplus tea. And the thing is it's it's gonna wash and wash and it's never gonna wear oh yeah. I wear these. This is so when you were a kid, maybe you did this with your kids. I bet you Jeff. Jarvis is old enough. Did you have, when you got home from school, did your mom say, get outta your school clothes, get into your play clothes.
Jeff Jarvis (01:18:51):
You presume that I went out and did something kids would do with my play outside.
Leo Laporte (01:18:54):
I,
Ant Pruitt (01:18:55):
I I'll save you mama. Dead.
Leo Laporte (01:18:57):
All did mama approach. She said get outta your school. Close
Jeff Jarvis (01:19:00):
That
Leo Laporte (01:19:00):
Question. Cause you have, you have school clothes, right? But you're gonna go outside and play. That's right. Getting your play CLO. These are my, this is when I get home. I get out the suit and I get them. Yeah. See that you got right there. When I'm gonna get into my play clothes. Those
Jeff Jarvis (01:19:13):
Are my work clothes. You
Leo Laporte (01:19:14):
Got this. Yeah. I know you live in your play clothes. Yeah.
Ant Pruitt (01:19:17):
Does feel good.
Leo Laporte (01:19:18):
Isn't that nice. All right. So we're gonna get you.
Jeff Jarvis (01:19:20):
We also have tall by the way.
Leo Laporte (01:19:22):
Oh yeah.
Ant Pruitt (01:19:23):
You can't have these spec
Leo Laporte (01:19:24):
So you can, you know what? You can have them it's okay. Seriously. If they fit you take 'em. That's fine. Thank you. I have I'll get more cuz actually I think I'm on my third or fourth order. <Laugh> I just keep getting more buck masons, buck mason.com/twig. You'll get a free t-shirt with your first order. B U C K M a S O N. Buck, mason.com/twig. Get that free t-shirt with your first order. But you know, I don't even have to say, you know, get something free or get a discount or thing because I trust me, you will be so glad you get these shirts and you will love them and pants and jackets and jeans and everything that you're just gonna, you're gonna be a buck. Mason, this is your go-to from now on just like me
Ant Pruitt (01:20:08):
And
Leo Laporte (01:20:08):
Me. Isn't that nice. Do you
Ant Pruitt (01:20:10):
Have yes. These these feel so,
Leo Laporte (01:20:12):
So I have the green ones of those. That's why I'm willing to let you have those. I love them. They're heavy. They're comfy.
Ant Pruitt (01:20:17):
They're gonna look good on me. They're
Leo Laporte (01:20:19):
Gonna look good on you
Jeff Jarvis (01:20:21):
As opposed to you Leo.
Ant Pruitt (01:20:23):
I didn't say that, but you did <laugh>
Jeff Jarvis (01:20:26):
They
Leo Laporte (01:20:26):
Look good on they look good on me. You know what? It's nice. They fit. It's hard for me to get clothes to fit. Cause I'm fat. No, you it's hard for you to get close. Oh
Ant Pruitt (01:20:33):
They have
Leo Laporte (01:20:33):
Women's clothes. Y'all oh, did I not mention that? Of course they do. No buck kind. I
Jeff Jarvis (01:20:40):
Guy block Mason. They have leather jackets too.
Ant Pruitt (01:20:44):
Let's
Leo Laporte (01:20:44):
See. It's actually great stuff. Now everybody's going to
Ant Pruitt (01:20:47):
Buck Mason. Yeah. No buck
Leo Laporte (01:20:51):
Mason.Com/Twig. Thank you, buck. Mason
Ant Pruitt (01:20:54):
Is now queen Pru. It's gonna be like, I want Buck Mason.
Leo Laporte (01:20:57):
Aren't they nice. Look at this. Yeah, look
Jeff Jarvis (01:21:00):
At yeah. The women's clothes work with you, Stacy.
Leo Laporte (01:21:01):
Yeah. Oh
Jeff Jarvis (01:21:02):
Yeah. Yeah. Nice. White jacket guys.
Leo Laporte (01:21:03):
They're kind of classic, right? They're not yeah. Yeah. They look Shutt. I don't like they look like things. I already own. Exactly. I'm telling you, this is the, from now on your, your kind of go-to style. Look at that. Okay. Maybe it's cuz I, I read puck news now all the time, but what's going on with CNN Warner discovery. What a mess and a half is going over there.
Jeff Jarvis (01:21:29):
It's almost as bad as AOL.
Leo Laporte (01:21:31):
It's very much like that. Isn't it? So Warner
Jeff Jarvis (01:21:33):
Is the jigs. Obviously <laugh> it's been a mess after a mess, after a
Leo Laporte (01:21:37):
Mess. So discover and Warner discover and Warner are discovering. Warner are meeting they're merging. They're merging together. Warner is HBO and CNN. I mean, Warner is a big, big property. Discovery is doesn't feel that big, but they own a lot of stuff too. And they're gonna be running the show, right? One Zalo will be running the show. Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (01:22:00):
Salos are running the show. Yep. Yep.
Leo Laporte (01:22:01):
So apparently CNN, even though they were about, they still haven't merger hasn't happened yet, but it's about, I think May 1st, something like that. CNN started CNN plus even though discovery didn't want them to discovery set, wanted them to, they wanted it like to all be HBO. Max, like put everything HBO, max CNN, plus they were gonna spend a huge amount of money over the next three years. Now they're starting to fire people. Oh boy. This story from Axio scoop Sarah Fisher, CNN plus looks doomed. This is the streaming version merely 150,000 subscribers. So far,
Jeff Jarvis (01:22:44):
This is like aunt was talking about ag wall. You know, he is only been in the job 10 minutes. This thing's only been on the air one minute. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (01:22:50):
Can, as they put no news in it. I think that was part of the problem. Yeah. Part of the problem Warner brothers discovery wants to eventually build one giant service around HBO. Max Zucker of course was fired at CNN. The new guy isn't in yet CNN's original. He just started. He just started. Okay. CNN's original plan was for CNN plus to become profitable in four years by investing a billion dollars. But in order to become profitable, they were expecting millions of subscribers.
Ant Pruitt (01:23:20):
Let me ask you this. If, if, if CNN is the news arm of everything and this is their premium platform, what else can they add to make this a, a viable option? What what's the carrot that says, you know what,
Jeff Jarvis (01:23:34):
It's a really good question. You
Ant Pruitt (01:23:35):
Want us for, you want us for news. Now pay us more for,
Jeff Jarvis (01:23:41):
You know, an when, when way, way back. When I helped start at Epicurious mm-hmm <affirmative>, which had gourmet and bought epi, EE recipes, we all stuff. And, and, and, and the pressure came around the year 2000 to say, well, can we also do subscriptions? Can we also get some money from the consumers and Joan Feeney? Who was the brilliant person who, who started it? Sat there and brainstormed for hours, trying to think of what is it we can invent that'll on top of Epicurious has alreadys people will pay for, and everyone came up with a million ideas. And finally, she just said, the gold is the recipes you get charged for the recipes we don't charge. And same for CNN. The problem
Ant Pruitt (01:24:18):
Is the
Jeff Jarvis (01:24:19):
News. The MSOs will let you sell it separately, these cable systems. Okay. So they've got nothing else. That's that's that's the crown jewels and they got nothing else to sell. So they make it up. So, so Anderson Cooper are talking about parenting. Oh, okay. That's Cub, but maybe it's a YouTube video. You watch up once a year. Right. You know,
Leo Laporte (01:24:37):
According to Phish, CNN brought in a billion dollars in profit last year. Most of that coming from distribution contracts with the cable, this is according to her two sources.
Jeff Jarvis (01:24:49):
Yeah. That's where all the money is. That's where the, that where the money is all the money you think about trying to get ads off of Fox doesn't matter. It's all in the, in the carry fees.
Leo Laporte (01:24:57):
This was on the heels of already problem troubled CNN. After the firing of Chris Cuomo, the firing of Jeff Zucker, which was probably related Zucker, who was kind of beloved by the, on air staff at CNN. And took off, he had turned CNN more. And you'll remember this during the last few years more political. And I, I don't know if this has to do with his departure, as you say the new guy, Chris lick is in position yet, but basically all CNN does all day, all night. Ukraine war. Yeah. Have you noticed that Jeff, is that driving you nuts? Oh,
Jeff Jarvis (01:25:36):
AB absolutely. Well, so, so it has like, there's,
Leo Laporte (01:25:38):
There's nothing else going on. Yeah. Like there's no, COVID, there's no, nothing
Jeff Jarvis (01:25:43):
Nala has talked about, about you know, like
Ant Pruitt (01:25:47):
Politicized. Oh, I'm so go ahead.
Jeff Jarvis (01:25:49):
Well, just the other thing to say is Chris lick the new head who last was at CBS running Colbert show as an executive he, he went on this week and he said, well, I'm cause I'm sorry to you. I'm gonna quit Twitter. Which of course drives me nutty. Okay. So you're gonna stop talking to the public. Very good. <Laugh> so it's gonna be this whole haughty weird objective throwback kind of news. That's not gonna work well.
Leo Laporte (01:26:16):
Well, right now it's war porn. Yeah. I mean it's bizarre if you ask me. Yeah. I, I'm not that this isn't an important story. Of course it is. But there are other important stories in the country going on and
Jeff Jarvis (01:26:30):
The world, it was the same during see during, during COVID. I mean, it was a very important story. People were dying, a million people were, are gonna have died from this, but yes, it was to the exclusion of all
Leo Laporte (01:26:40):
Other's that's all they did in the world. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm not surprised CNN plus is having trouble because there's no news <laugh> right, right. It's really an interesting slow motion car wreck.
Jeff Jarvis (01:26:55):
So, and can you imagine anything that you would pay for from CNN that isn't the CNN itself feed
Ant Pruitt (01:26:59):
Negative, negative. I mean, the people watching CNN, they could care less. At least this is my assumption. They could care less about behind the scenes stuff. They can care less about just sit downs with, with Anderson and or whomever. That's not news related. They go to CNN for news period.
Jeff Jarvis (01:27:18):
Here's the other problem. I, I, I search Google for CNN plus sign
Ant Pruitt (01:27:23):
Doesn't.
Leo Laporte (01:27:24):
Yeah. So joint
Jeff Jarvis (01:27:24):
Results for CNN,
Leo Laporte (01:27:26):
Right.
Ant Pruitt (01:27:27):
Google say to wait, huh. As typo.
Leo Laporte (01:27:30):
And I would say that, well, this is a big opportunity for CBSN, which is their streaming version, except that Viacom Paramounts lose having the same kind of nutty divisive, leaderless, craziness mm-hmm <affirmative> and with a merger of course. And what's, it feels like something's is, is this, is this representative of some sort of illness in journalism and news? Well,
Jeff Jarvis (01:27:59):
It's, it's interesting. It fits into your first story, Leo, I think which is, is it's it's media pivots to whatever the next Messiah is. So the next Messiah of late has been streaming. Everybody's gotta have a streaming channel. Yeah. Right. And so they're all rushed to that. And, and CNN, you know, hires Casey hunt and hires. What's his name? The, the news guy from, from, from Fox, the, the all new respectable one,
Leo Laporte (01:28:21):
Chris Wallace.
Jeff Jarvis (01:28:22):
Thank you, Chris Wallace. And, and, and so they, they spend a fortune on this. We ought to have a streaming channel. Everybody's gonna have a streaming channel. Well, what's happening to streaming. Streaming's saying, oh, hell, it's oversold.
Leo Laporte (01:28:33):
<Laugh>
Jeff Jarvis (01:28:34):
Netflix is losing, oh, darn.
Leo Laporte (01:28:36):
So where, where is the audience going? Is it YouTube? Is ITT time.
Jeff Jarvis (01:28:39):
It's a limited, well, it's, it's, it's, it's people will spend only so much that will subscribe only so many things. And there's so many
Leo Laporte (01:28:45):
Scarcity, there are so many sources of information in entertainment
Jeff Jarvis (01:28:50):
And so many opportunities to stream. Yeah. Yeah. So, so there's competitors Netflix now and, and they're feeling it right? Yeah. They're also, Netflix is also feeling the, the, the, the, the embers of the pandemic. There was a, a huge upswing during that. But yeah, there's plenty of things to stream. People are going back to work. There's less time to stream much of it isn't worth anything.
Ant Pruitt (01:29:11):
I think that's the main thing is there's only 24 hours in a day. And a lot of people are only gonna give you what's the analytic, they're gonna give you 15 second of your, of their attention. And, and then they move on to the next thing.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:29:24):
People watch a lot of TV. I just wanna throw that out there because I'm always stunned, cuz I, I don't really
Leo Laporte (01:29:30):
Hours a night, four or five hours, hours.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:29:32):
You watch hours.
Jeff Jarvis (01:29:33):
It's a lot, lot in the background.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:29:34):
Yeah. Cause they exactly. So I was gonna say sometimes streaming because it feels like TV <affirmative>, it's still not the lean back experience. Uhhuh <affirmative>, it's much more purposeful. So things like Fox are a little different cuz you just turn it on and it just goes for hours. So it's a different,
Leo Laporte (01:29:52):
We have news it's sometimes when, when I'm making dinner, we're making dinner or kind of getting together, the news will be on for a little bit just to kind of catch up on the day. But then you usually we'll watch episodic television we'll watch shows.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:30:06):
Yeah. But shows there's there's you're at night you're well off there's whole homes where TV's just on all the
Leo Laporte (01:30:15):
Time. All the time. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> yeah. Yeah.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:30:18):
And it's, it's a different product for them. Right? I, I it's wall. I feel like we're talking about TV. Like it's, it's this monolithic thing, but TV viewing habits are actually very different across different demographics. That's true. And ages
Jeff Jarvis (01:30:31):
And ages, especially
Leo Laporte (01:30:32):
Meanwhile Dean beque is about to exit the New York times and okay. Beca Basque. I didn't, he was so French. Mr. Mr. French.
Jeff Jarvis (01:30:43):
Joey, why bar Joey?
Leo Laporte (01:30:44):
So, you know, Joey I'd like before Joey baskets is leaving <laugh> and Joey con is coming in as executive editor, the New York times. I only bring this up just cuz I know Jeff likes to go on and on about this stuff. Anything to say, is he a good guy?
Jeff Jarvis (01:31:00):
Oh, he's very smart guy. Very much an inside guy. Very quiet. I think that my friend Jay Rosen at New York university, who's brilliant on this stuff was quoted by the Washington post about this. And I think that it means more the same ag Salzberger who's now the publisher having taken over from his father is very quiet too. So there, there, there are peas of a pod and, and Jay did a good Twitter thread today talking when he was asked about what were the positive things of Becky Hay's reign. And there were many things he really brought it into digital. He brought the subscriptions up hugely. He brought up investigations, he brought up the staff, but negatively, they still have not grappled with their role in the 2006 election, 16 election. The, a still that, you know, he dismisses listening to the public through Twitter through any means. James Fallows just wrote a good piece. I just, just saw where he said two things that, that, that con should do one bring back the public editor.
Leo Laporte (01:31:59):
That was a huge
Jeff Jarvis (01:32:00):
Rid of it that said and said, oh, Twitter's gonna be a public editor. And then they dismiss Twitter now. So they don't care about listening to the public. No. And two have an honest reckoning with your role with the 2016 election and don't do it again. But, but there, that's not where they are now. Jay also has a, a theory, which I, I, I think is very intriguing about the times, which is when they, they went full on board with subscriptions as the primary means of support. It changed the newsroom so that the newsroom kind of has to prove it to their subscribers. Well, you don't own us. We're gonna piss you off here and there. And I think that's what has led to a lot of the problems with the
Leo Laporte (01:32:37):
That's interesting, interesting. Oh,
Jeff Jarvis (01:32:38):
That's interest and yeah. Nearly is. And, and, and we're gonna, we're gonna go talk to all those guys in the Ohio dining room. Cause we know you don't like that, but that's gonna prove how independent and wonderful we are. And, and I think it's this idea that subscription markets are wonderful because we're friendly in charge will know. They're trying to, they're trying to suck up to you on the one hand and then prove they're in dependent from you the other hand. And I think it's, I think it's great at the times, in some ways I start my day now with the Washington post, not New York times, unfortunately though I see the Washington post going the same way.
Leo Laporte (01:33:09):
Yeah. The only reason I bring this all up is I feel like that we are rapidly heading into a situation in this world where news is gonna become very, very important. It always has been, but I think it a formed electorate gonna be vital to absolutely solve some of the problems we are gonna face in the next decade or so.
Jeff Jarvis (01:33:25):
We've gotta rethink the fundamentally,
Ant Pruitt (01:33:28):
The actual, the, the vessel of news being the most important, like where are people going? Get the news from? Seems like that's the, the main thing, you know, is it going to be well,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:33:37):
It's hard to find reputable people in is that you're not focused in. So you look for reputable outlets who can steer, like the idea behind a newspaper is that they hire people who know what they're doing. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> and you can pick a place and, you know, find those people. And that actually extends all the way to their opinion, pages and voice you, it like people read the wall street journal for a certain world view and they read the New York times or the Washington post for a slightly different world view. And I don't know, <laugh>
Leo Laporte (01:34:16):
Lets us do it. Google,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:34:18):
Wait, wait, I had
Leo Laporte (01:34:19):
A, oh, you had an epiphany. I heard it and I let it go. I mm-hmm
Stacey Higginbotham (01:34:23):
<Affirmative> that's okay. I mean, was it
Jeff Jarvis (01:34:26):
Epiphany?
Leo Laporte (01:34:26):
No, it was an, oh it was, oh,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:34:29):
Atlantic had a great article and I thought
Leo Laporte (01:34:32):
Jonathan hates Heights.
Jeff Jarvis (01:34:33):
Yes.
Leo Laporte (01:34:34):
I thought it was great. You didn't like it?
Jeff Jarvis (01:34:37):
Oh, hate it.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:34:37):
I, why I brought it up that
Ant Pruitt (01:34:39):
Grumpy face.
Leo Laporte (01:34:41):
So Jonathan height who I've interviewed, we've had him on triangulation wrote I thought a very important book called righteous minds. He's a, he's a social psychologist. Psychology,
Jeff Jarvis (01:34:51):
Social
Leo Laporte (01:34:51):
Psychology. Yeah. And righteous minds was why we can't agree. And I think actually as time has gone by, I think height has maybe changed his tune a little bit, but his most recent article, which I think is what you're referring to Stacy is why the past 10 years of American life have been UN uniquely stupid. And it's not just a phase and he blames social media.
Jeff Jarvis (01:35:13):
Of course he does. Of course
Stacey Higginbotham (01:35:15):
He does. Well I okay. Did you read the article, Jeff?
Jeff Jarvis (01:35:18):
Yes,
Leo Laporte (01:35:18):
I did. It was long. It was long.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:35:21):
It, yeah, it was really long, but there were lots of,
Jeff Jarvis (01:35:22):
Of, I also watching one morning, Joe this morning. Oh. And they drove me
Stacey Higginbotham (01:35:26):
Nuts. So I thought that I'm trying to pull up the article in, for some reason I'm failing have
Jeff Jarvis (01:35:30):
To pay wall
Leo Laporte (01:35:31):
<Laugh> I do. I, I have it right here in front of me. It's all, there's
Stacey Higginbotham (01:35:38):
Actually a section in there that actually picked your favorite point, which was all about how it has given voice to the disenfranchised. Yes, it does. And I, so I thought that was good, cuz that is an important acknowledgement. I thought, I thought that many of the points he brought up were right on and I liked, I, I was actually kind of pissed that he spent so much time like educating us about this and like, so like five paragraphs on like what to do about it. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> but I thought the idea of adding friction is what I wanted to talk to you about Jeff, because I thought that was an interesting way to ensure that people still had the ability to share their points of view you and reach people. But also that it became that you had to try a little harder to teach, had
Leo Laporte (01:36:24):
To work for it a little bit.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:36:26):
Yeah. So I, I just, I, I wanted to ask you specifically about adding friction to social media. So the, the one thing he mentioned was Francis, how do you say, is it H Huff
Leo Laporte (01:36:39):
Hogan,
Jeff Jarvis (01:36:40):
Hogan, princess ho
Stacey Higginbotham (01:36:41):
The
Leo Laporte (01:36:41):
Her idea Facebook
Stacey Higginbotham (01:36:44):
Yeah, on Facebook flow, basically saying, look, you can only cut and paste something or you can only hit share, and then you have to cut and paste to help slow the spread. And I was trying to think of things that might help on Twitter other than, you know, cutting down on box. I just wanna get you
Jeff Jarvis (01:36:59):
Solution. I don't think the solution is technology. I don't think it's it's UI. I don't think it's nudging. I think it's harder than that. Like it's much harder than that. And, and if I go back to Y Sean Wong's thread when he said in there, as I said, I think according to this already that's right, that, that it doesn't matter what you say. It it's, it's the behavior and the behavior is that people right now come on and they want to blow off and they want to go after each other. And, and the only way we're gonna solve this is by having norms and institutions that we agree to as a society that say that that's unacceptable, that's the problem. And that's harder. And we get those agree, its of not now, but I think in time we might take in time. But, but not now because it's people are trying to do this. So I, I, I just don't think there's any E I think it's, that's a, that's a techno determinist
Stacey Higginbotham (01:37:51):
Solution. Well, he also offers that as one of his solutions, one of his solutions was, you know, helping educate kids. Ah,
Jeff Jarvis (01:37:59):
But there, the kids are not the problem. It's the old fart who the problem and there's research right there in his own university. Josh Tucker should have looked up cuz Josh Tucker has good research on this, that this presumption there's a lot of presumptions in this piece. One of them is yeah, the kids and the echo chamber, all that
Stacey Higginbotham (01:38:16):
I don't think. And the other thing
Jeff Jarvis (01:38:17):
Is he doesn't
Stacey Higginbotham (01:38:18):
Because they're sharing the problems. I think he's focusing on the kids because you can actually change kids inoculate. We're not gonna change my parents. Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (01:38:25):
They're
Stacey Higginbotham (01:38:25):
Smarter than, I mean, I love them, but he
Leo Laporte (01:38:27):
Says prepare the next generation. His point, if I get put in a nutshell, is that not that Twitter and tweets, social media sharings are, you know, so dangerous in and of themselves, but they are a, a million it's death by a thousand cuts. There are a million blows. And what has happened as a result is that people are so sensitive to what and you are to Jeff. I mean look, look at all the attention you got, look how much you were beaten down for your tweets. No, I wasn't last week. Well they attempted to, they certainly, they attempted
Jeff Jarvis (01:39:01):
To, but
Leo Laporte (01:39:01):
I, but what happens, it may not have affected you, but what happens is
Jeff Jarvis (01:39:05):
No, and I'm, I'm, I'm placing these points out. I'm a privileged white CI. What he's
Leo Laporte (01:39:10):
Saying
Jeff Jarvis (01:39:10):
Is male,
Leo Laporte (01:39:11):
The country. And I think this has always been the conventional wisdom. 10 tend to be centrist and then there's a left wing and a right wing. But what all of these little darts have done is pushed the, basically empowered the extreme and, and shot down anybody in the middle. He's kind of always been saying, this is also part of his earlier book, but so that the extremes have out size voice now, both on the left and the right and to power. I think that's true.
Ant Pruitt (01:39:41):
Right. I can agree to that. I'm someone,
Jeff Jarvis (01:39:44):
This is where
Leo Laporte (01:39:45):
Mirror Centris, for
Ant Pruitt (01:39:46):
Sure. I'm, I'm always caught in the middle and I get yelled at all the time because I don't lean one particular way or another regarding whatever social activity or political activity precisely. Yeah. Precisely. I totally agree with that.
Jeff Jarvis (01:40:00):
So this morning he was on morning Joe and they had Eddie glad Jr. Who I, I think the world of who's the head of the African American studies program at Princeton on, at the same time to act as a, as a ballast, they basically gave Claude no time to talk at all. And I was enraged love afterwards and I tweeted about it. And it was a, it was a microcosm for what's happening. What we had was in Joe and height, there were two white men complaining about saying that, oh people in our classrooms don't feel like they can talk and, and, and, and we're being shut up when they wouldn't listen to the black man who was there trying to say to, and it said to them, you talk height about extreme right. And extreme left. Who's the extreme left you're talking about in this balance here, are you trying to say people who are fighting for justice are this extreme left?
Jeff Jarvis (01:40:47):
Who is this extreme left? And it ignored. It was, it was a microcosm of the world we have where the what's going on here. We've talked about this. So plenty of times, and I've, I've quoted this, this, this tweet from Regina re a, a professor in Canada that says it's, it's at the one hand, it's the people who want to change the rules because they can finally have a seat at the table to say, I've had to live by your rules all this time. But now I'm gonna tell you, this is how you should treat me as a trans person, for example. And no, I don't want you to say that about me. And then the people on the other side re calls, 'em the status quo warriors say, well, don't criticize me. Don't tell me what to do, because they still wanna hold lot of the power they had. Yeah. This is all a process of renegotiating, enormous as a society. The worst part about hates piece is he act as if this time is unique, try the reformation. But in the 30 years war, you know, there's plenty of times before where technology has caused changes. It is, it is an exception, a, a chronological exceptionalism to think that we're so special now we're not. It was, it was historically.
Leo Laporte (01:41:46):
So are you saying there's no, there's no issue. There's no problem.
Jeff Jarvis (01:41:49):
No, not at all. I'm saying that there are plenty of problems and I'm saying the problems are a lot that he lets on and the problems are us. The problems are that. And this is what, what Eddie glad was trying to say today to them is that we are deciding who we are as America to speak as an American thing here. We're deciding who we are. And, and, and there are people who are resenting that there are more people having their voice and choice in. And that's the essence of what's going on here. That's the basis of January 6th, that's the basis of Charlottesville and don't cancel us and don't replace us. Let's admit that let's discuss that out loud instead of saying, oh, it's social media's fault. They made us worse suddenly. No, we've been a racist country for 400 years and it's coming to roost.
Jeff Jarvis (01:42:32):
And so on Twitter today, I said, what's really going on here. Is that what he's ignoring is, as far as I'm concerned, black lives matter is the reformation and media are in the counter reformation and, and Andre Brock Jr. Who wrote the book? I still admire called distributed blackness said, oh, I, I like that construct back in Twitter. And, and what we're seeing is a point counterpoint that goes on at these moments of change in society. Yes, we're at a big moment of change, but we've got to grapple with our underlying problems and we're not doing that.
Ant Pruitt (01:43:04):
I, I still, since you asked,
Jeff Jarvis (01:43:05):
I wasn't gonna
Ant Pruitt (01:43:06):
Go into this since you asked of having some friction as Ms. Stacy mentioned, because
Jeff Jarvis (01:43:11):
I think that's, that's, that's a, the, so solutionism technological solutionism that doesn't get up to the core problem. What's
Ant Pruitt (01:43:17):
No, I'm just saying just in the simplest form, having a little bit of friction to make you breathe a second before you hit send, you know,
Jeff Jarvis (01:43:23):
I think that's paternalistic. I think that's, that's saying like today I did wanna tweet directly what was while was happening in the show. Yeah. And, and, and no somebody decides that. No, no, no, no. That's, that's not good for you. Shouldn't do that. That's the, that's a paternalistic and techno solutionism way that I don't think solves the problem.
Leo Laporte (01:43:41):
I have to say Jeff, to me, it feels a little bit like you're the guy you're in the middle of it and you love it. You love the engagement, the Hurley Burley, and somebody like aunt. And probably because you're black, you're not allowed. You are not allowed to be Centris. You ha you have to yeah. Go to the point. I, the far
Ant Pruitt (01:44:05):
Left, I am the black man. That's either not black enough or I'm too black. Yeah, exactly. Yet I live right in the
Leo Laporte (01:44:11):
Middle of that. Exactly. And I think the vast majority of people are kind of in that middle, in one, in one way or the other, I think that's more the American state than anything else. And yet we're we, so all of this so-called polarization is really this battle between this people on, on your side, Jeff, Jeff, the extreme left and the extra right. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> but there is a, I think it's
Jeff Jarvis (01:44:34):
Right there, right there. You're making an equivalency.
Leo Laporte (01:44:37):
No, but wait, wait, there is a vast majority of people like ant in the middle who are looking to the left, looking to the right and saying, this doesn't reflect me. This is a battle that is not reflective of my, I experience right. A hundred percent. I don't wanna put words in
Ant Pruitt (01:44:54):
Your mouth. No. A hundred percent, hundred percent.
Leo Laporte (01:44:57):
So I can kind of understand that. And I think it's a, I think that people like you, Jeff were in the Hurley Burley of it. Think that that's all that there is making
Jeff Jarvis (01:45:08):
Presumptions here. No, no, no, no, no. Not at all. A there believe me. There's tons of people on the left who think I'm way too conservative. I defend capitalism. I defend these,
Leo Laporte (01:45:17):
These, oh,
Ant Pruitt (01:45:18):
You get it. Two.
Jeff Jarvis (01:45:19):
I get it. Two. Absolutely.
Leo Laporte (01:45:20):
You got it this way. Absolutely.
Jeff Jarvis (01:45:22):
<Laugh> I get it all the time
Leo Laporte (01:45:23):
Left,
Jeff Jarvis (01:45:24):
But he got it. And I don't want it. I want to have discussions. I'm I'm trying to write an academic book. I, what I love is having a discussion with, so
Leo Laporte (01:45:30):
How could
Jeff Jarvis (01:45:31):
People about this?
Leo Laporte (01:45:31):
How could, I mean all <laugh>, how can we get to the Google chain?
Jeff Jarvis (01:45:37):
There's a nudge. There's a little fridge.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:45:40):
That is lovely. I didn't mean to start this. This is actually the sort of thing
Jeff Jarvis (01:45:45):
I wasn't gonna go there, Stacy. I wasn't gonna go there. I appreciate you asking.
Stacey Higginbotham (01:45:48):
I thought it, I was trying to like engage you. Normally I tune out all of stuff. <Laugh> that was a mistake.
Jeff Jarvis (01:45:55):
Now, you know why
Stacey Higginbotham (01:45:56):
Chips? I know
Ant Pruitt (01:45:58):
She's like, I'm done with
Stacey Higginbotham (01:45:59):
This. I don't know what's wrong with me.
Jeff Jarvis (01:46:01):
<Laugh> the Google change law. Now we can't find the
Ant Pruitt (01:46:07):
Bone dead note. There we
Jeff Jarvis (01:46:08):
Go. The Google change log.
Leo Laporte (01:46:12):
I'm gonna rip through this cuz I don't care one bit. There's
Jeff Jarvis (01:46:14):
Not much here. There is not Google
Leo Laporte (01:46:15):
Search on desktop test redesign. That puts images, video and more to the left. Jeff. Oh wow. To the left. The left. It's your fault, sir. Yeah. I blame you. Google now is getting an upgrade to nearby share where you don't end. This makes me very nervous. You don't ever, you don't actually have to say okay. If you're in the, you
Jeff Jarvis (01:46:42):
Share to your own computer,
Leo Laporte (01:46:43):
You share to your own computer, which I think is probably a good idea. Yeah. But it does also make me a little nervous that there's no. Yeah. Okay. You can actually with airdrop on apple, turn that on. I think so it happens automatically. So I guess that's just parody. Yeah. It's catching up, catching up nearby share. It's called. And I think it's moving Google closer to something. Apple calls, universal control where you can actually kind of control all the devices from any one of them. So interesting. We'll watch. There was another zero day in Chrome. This is the third emergency fix this year, two vulnerabilities actually in the Chrome web browser. But one of them's a zero day already exploited in the wild. Get your, get your update to your Google Chrome. It's a high severity. Zero day bug actively abused by attackers. J Steve Gibson talked about it yesterday on security. Now, if you want more details, Hey,
Jeff Jarvis (01:47:42):
Can I ask you a question about that? Mm-Hmm <affirmative> so when I go looking for the show and I, and I look up Google news, every time, these kinds of things happen, a whole bunch of it used to be like just the New York post. And then it was, you know your night read paper, and now it's even the technology publications, the C nets, you know, you
Speaker 11 (01:48:01):
Must not install this immediately emergency emergency
Jeff Jarvis (01:48:04):
It's
Leo Laporte (01:48:05):
You're going, it's crazy. It's usually it's
Jeff Jarvis (01:48:07):
All it is, right. There's not, this is not, I mean, update, but it's not a big deal
Leo Laporte (01:48:10):
Editors and you get updated automatically. So yeah, I wouldn't worry, but there are a lot of security flaws. We seem to be finding a lot of Microsoft patch, 238 flaws a week ago. So there aren't a lot of security flaws out there and really think
Stacey Higginbotham (01:48:25):
There's more attention yes. On it. And there's also more the, you know, more people, a more people looking, but also we're recognizing, and there's much more government paying attention and stockholders paying attention to, oh crap. This is a big deal. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (01:48:43):
Yeah. I mean, we should pay attention to it. We should, but it's not here on fire. It's not
Jeff Jarvis (01:48:47):
Getting worse or anything, or,
Leo Laporte (01:48:49):
Well, it might be. I mean, we still gotta be aware of that. You know, with the war in Ukraine, Russia is very much
Stacey Higginbotham (01:48:54):
Started looking for things and found that's right. Is kind of what I feel like. And we've been talking about it for a while and we've been building things that are gonna be better, but until that actually starts happening. We're kind of host
Leo Laporte (01:49:07):
Well, the positive well, and
Jeff Jarvis (01:49:08):
Our, and our friend Craig Newmark, you know, just last week we talked, body's giving 50 million to worry about our cybersecurity. So the
Leo Laporte (01:49:15):
Positive explain on this is we are finding and fixing them. Yeah. I think that's really the truth and that's there as they should. You could say we're gonna do better, but we're not gonna do better there. <Laugh> there's always, there's always gonna be bugs. Software is it's just inherent in the process. So we, yes, we're getting better at finding them are fixing 'em, which is good. So update your Chrome. If it's not updated already, Google is rolling out new badges for Chrome extensions, which will help you avoid the bad extensions. Why not? They just get rid of the bad.
Jeff Jarvis (01:49:47):
I was wondering
Leo Laporte (01:49:48):
Why I put that in here.
Ant Pruitt (01:49:49):
You know, they're bad, dumb. Don't get it.
Jeff Jarvis (01:49:53):
I guess it's the ones they can really verify are good.
Leo Laporte (01:49:56):
Yeah. If you, so Google is now using a manual process to evaluate extensions for an enjoyable and intuitive experience. They're also making sure are under the hood developers are using the latest APIs and they're looking at extension privacy practices and permissions. And then if you do it all well, you will get a prize ribbon identifying you as a featured extension. It says created by the owner of a listed website. Publisher has a good record, no history violations. It meets a high standard of user experience and design.
Ant Pruitt (01:50:34):
So they should end that with comma yet,
Leo Laporte (01:50:36):
Yet. <Laugh> yeah. Well, that's actually not a joke because sometimes these extensions get sold. They're very popular. They're very safe. And then the new owner does all sorts of nefarious things. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> so they're gonna be badges one with a check mark design for verified identity and another badge that looks like a prize ribbon for best practices. Look for those in the extension store. Are you ready for your free Titan security key? If you are a Google one, two terabytes subscriber, top of the line, best a number one. You're gonna get a free Titan security key to be eligible,
Jeff Jarvis (01:51:14):
Which otherwise costs what?
Leo Laporte (01:51:16):
I don't know 50, no, 35 bucks something right?
Jeff Jarvis (01:51:22):
Better than something
Leo Laporte (01:51:23):
Thing is you can't really
Jeff Jarvis (01:51:24):
You with a,
Leo Laporte (01:51:25):
I gotta
Jeff Jarvis (01:51:26):
Say
Ant Pruitt (01:51:26):
Too excited.
Leo Laporte (01:51:27):
I gotta point this out. You shouldn't really just have one. You should always have two, one. You use, you carry around and one, you keep some are safe. Say we safe in case you'll lose the first one. I'm just saying. So anyway these are nice. S B a or us C NFC enabled a tighten security keys has a built in key chain loop. It's a good way to get you started <laugh> I think I have a two terabyte. That sounds
Jeff Jarvis (01:51:53):
Like, that sounds like a, you know, one of those, those, those cheap TV commercials and with a, with a chain, for your, whether with a loop for your, for your key or keys, but you do now and we'll cut a hold it.
Leo Laporte (01:52:02):
I keep my security key. It's not a Titan. It's a UBI key key, right on my key chain right there. So I can, you know, I can log into things.
Ant Pruitt (01:52:12):
See, my problem is I don't always carry my keys around. That's my problem.
Leo Laporte (01:52:16):
Well, you don't carry, You should get locked out more often than you would. <Laugh>
Ant Pruitt (01:52:21):
Well, I mean, I'm in my home.
Leo Laporte (01:52:22):
How do you get into the office?
Ant Pruitt (01:52:24):
No, I'm saying if like right now I actually have my key in my pocket because I had to go to the toilet before we started the shit. Right. But any other time, my TV is normally in, in the post office. Right. But you walk around.
Leo Laporte (01:52:36):
I keep in my pocket
Ant Pruitt (01:52:37):
All the time.
Leo Laporte (01:52:38):
Well, that's honestly, one of the benefits there are, there are two benefits to wearing a, a suit jacket. Like I do a blazer. One is it hides your girth? The other is it's got multiple pockets storing it's slimming. And you're like captain kangaroo, you got lots of pockets and you can carry all sorts of stuff. Highly recommended. You probably can't buy jackets. That fit you though. I bet
Ant Pruitt (01:53:01):
I can't. It'd be like the costs a lot.
Leo Laporte (01:53:03):
You go like this and it's splits down the back, right?
Ant Pruitt (01:53:06):
It just cost a lot.
Jeff Jarvis (01:53:08):
Oh,
Stacey Higginbotham (01:53:08):
Mad,
Ant Pruitt (01:53:09):
Long arms, white shoulders.
Leo Laporte (01:53:11):
Google is rolling out. Conf con conversation. Magnet tool. No <laugh> conversion.
Jeff Jarvis (01:53:19):
You're having a problem today.
Leo Laporte (01:53:20):
Conversion.
Ant Pruitt (01:53:21):
Didn't do it in the right voice. That's why Google
Leo Laporte (01:53:24):
Rolling out conversion migration tools for Google analytics for you can use this tool to import your usual. You know why I can't read this? You know why? Cuz it's okay. Thank you very much. And that's
Jeff Jarvis (01:53:38):
Play the drums. Play the drums. John, get us out of this.
Leo Laporte (01:53:42):
Well, Shane slog, well,
Ant Pruitt (01:53:44):
Look here me. How, I guess I owe you a beer or because he did read it and
Leo Laporte (01:53:50):
Oh, did you bet, but I wouldn't read it. <Laugh>
Ant Pruitt (01:53:53):
Yes. I put that in the change law.
Leo Laporte (01:53:55):
Do you wanna defend it? Do you wanna say what it's all about?
Ant Pruitt (01:53:58):
No, I just put it in there because it is a change, but I had no interest in it. Either
Leo Laporte (01:54:02):
Conversion migration tool for Google analytics for,
Ant Pruitt (01:54:05):
But we did have have a side back here that maybe the most
Leo Laporte (01:54:08):
Boring
Jeff Jarvis (01:54:09):
Thing ever in the change log ever. Wow.
Leo Laporte (01:54:12):
Mr.
Ant Pruitt (01:54:13):
Howa owe you a beer. He did read it. <Laugh>
Leo Laporte (01:54:17):
I wish now to take you ladies and gentlemen to pound town, are you ready to buy a $420,000 home in on Alaska, Wisconsin? Look at this lovely home there. The owner has a little bit of a predilection for signs. There's the American flag. There's a welcome sign in the door. Go inside. There's another welcome sign in the mud room, our nest nest pillow over the kitchen sink. That kitchen is for dancing. Where is
Jeff Jarvis (01:54:48):
The bread? I
Leo Laporte (01:54:49):
Forget bread goes in the honey. By the way, I wanna know where I get this microwave. What is a super wide microwave for? What is that pro sous legs? I don't know what the hell that is. Weird. Eat little pizza peel that you must are supposed to do here. Never use for a pizza. But the best part is in the bedroom. Ladies and gentlemen, where you will be welcomed to pound town. <Laugh>
Stacey Higginbotham (01:55:14):
I cannot, I, I did. They, I think they put that there just so
Leo Laporte (01:55:18):
Viral. They did. You want to hear the story? So this is great. This is from the Zillow gone wild Twitter account that lists, you know, interesting home listings, which they a, which there are many, but then the story came out and this is in Mel magazine, Laura Hagen, Barth, and her husband flip homes. When she listed her family's rural Wisconsin home for sale online on Friday, she hoped the spacious bedrooms, vast plot of land and freshly refurbished decor would catch the eye of a few potential buyers, never in her wildest dreams. Would she have guessed her hand house would land on Zillow, gone wild, mainly because of the welcome to the pound town sign. I never, my, she should, she should sound like I never in my life thought I'd go viral for anything. Oh, Midwestern mom. I don't even use Twitter. No. And my home is trending there today.
Leo Laporte (01:56:15):
Like what the heck? <Laugh> that's an actual quote. They began buying and flipping houses in 2013. The house in on Alaska, Wisconsin. She lovingly refers to as the pound town house is their fourth. I've always loved. She actually should be more. Yeah. Yeah, sure. You betcha. I've always loved decorating in design. I just kind of started wing it. You know, that's more Minnesota when we started flipping homes. That's since we do most of the work ourselves, they talk like that, Wisconsin too. Yeah. Yeah. Born, born from that pension for interior Toor and design Hagen. Birth started a small online shop, sleepless beauty designs to sell her DIY signs and decorations, which helps her explain why they're she makes them, she makes them, there are a few walls in the house that are the pound town is one that she makes, she made it. <Laugh> she's she's gonna sell a fortune in them. People are saying, I went overboard with the signs and I lead the layoff Michaels, even though I never go to Michael's. If I go to a store it's hobby lobby or TJ Mac, but I mainly make my own signs to be sure. Go to EBA, go
Jeff Jarvis (01:57:29):
To eBay and search for P pound town. Yeah. It's already, already starting to
Leo Laporte (01:57:34):
Populate. Oh yeah. She says I saw the original pound town sign in a group on Facebook and was, yeah. I love that. I need to make it for some reason. Mel magazine then goes on to say for the sake of clarification, pound town is a euphemism for sexual intercourse. <Laugh> <laugh> and the sign welcomes visitors to the place where that happens. I wanted to make it look like just another cheesy DEC sign. And then once you read it, bam, raunchy and hilarious. She created this. I like this lady. I know. Did you love her? She created the sign while her husband was gone. So she could surprise him when he returned. He absolutely loved it. It matches our humor to it. T plus two out of a three of our kids can't read. And when our oldest read it while I was making it, I just told her it was a funny quote from a movie and she never asked about it again. There's the story of welcome to downtown. I think we have a show title. <Laugh>
Ant Pruitt (01:58:43):
I like what Zeph put in the chat.
Leo Laporte (01:58:46):
What does Zeph say?
Ant Pruitt (01:58:48):
Delightfully delightfully pur.
Leo Laporte (01:58:51):
Yes. Delightfully pur. There is a vodka made out of carbon dioxide, which is gonna save the planet. So
Jeff Jarvis (01:59:00):
Pave the earth and get drunk.
Leo Laporte (01:59:01):
Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (01:59:01):
Yeah. And then go to pound town. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (01:59:03):
<Laugh> it's from a company called the air company. They sell vodka, hand sanitizer and perfume made out of C two pulled outta the air. Get that, wait a minute. Is this right? The company claims the worlds leading carbon technology company. It creates carbon negative alcohols and consumer products from CO2. They just raised 30 million in series a funding. Here's the machine from air and water to alcohol in a number of steps through a fancy looking machine. Wow. All right. So there's a machine. If you wanna buy the vodka, it's called air, which is it co I don't know. That's right. I forgot to look up. That's a fancy box. Should we go to the air company and buy some air company.com? We make products from air and then it says we use cookies to ensure welcome to the future. All right. Here's the sanitizer air sanitizer. That's the technology where do I buy the product? Hiding the cost. Yeah, they don't, they don't products
Jeff Jarvis (02:00:20):
On the bottom
Leo Laporte (02:00:20):
Products. Okay.
Jeff Jarvis (02:00:23):
Perfume a vodka. There it is. Okay. Shop,
Leo Laporte (02:00:26):
Shop now. Should I, you know Amy Webb sent me some Aly whiskey.
Ant Pruitt (02:00:32):
That's right. I was supposed to try
Leo Laporte (02:00:33):
That. You haven't tried it yet. Go get it. It's in the cabinet. Over the refrigerator. Okay. I think you should try it on the show. Okay. You might as well, right? Sure.
Ant Pruitt (02:00:40):
Why not?
Leo Laporte (02:00:41):
She sent us this whiskey that made, also made completely synthetically to simulate the aging and stuff. So by the way, this vodka gluten free you can get it
Jeff Jarvis (02:00:53):
From $55 to $79.
Leo Laporte (02:00:54):
Oh, that's not. Well, that's a little pricey. Isn't it? Little pricey, but that, you know,
Jeff Jarvis (02:00:59):
40% alcohol by volume. Is that what vodka?
Leo Laporte (02:01:01):
Yeah. It's 80 proof. Yeah. Okay. It's yeah. It's interesting. I wonder what it tastes like. It tastes like Brooklyn. All right. So this is it's bottled in Brooklyn. So this Isly Amy Webb. Somebody's been drinking the cliff. <Laugh> a Webb sent it to, to us spirit whiskey with natural flavors. Shall I pour you a finger full? Maybe a, do you drink it? Neat. Maybe,
Ant Pruitt (02:01:28):
Maybe a half finger considering what I've heard as plenty.
Speaker 12 (02:01:34):
That it's not very good.
Leo Laporte (02:01:35):
Well, I don't wanna look a gift whiskey in the mouth, but I it's, I don't know. See, I, this is why we want an aunt to try it because he, he knows his whiskey. What
Jeff Jarvis (02:01:45):
Makes it special?
Leo Laporte (02:01:46):
It's made us completely synthetically. It's not aged. They, they do all of the aging to make it's making a bourbon. Yeah. in the land Bour or
Jeff Jarvis (02:01:58):
Scotch,
Leo Laporte (02:01:59):
It's a bourbon
Jeff Jarvis (02:02:00):
Bourbon.
Leo Laporte (02:02:03):
14 awards platinum award at the 2 20 20 sip competition.
Ant Pruitt (02:02:08):
This doesn't smell good, sir. It
Leo Laporte (02:02:09):
Doesn't smell good. Does it?
Jeff Jarvis (02:02:11):
A bourbon
Leo Laporte (02:02:11):
Must smell good. It's that's
Jeff Jarvis (02:02:13):
The whole point of a bourbon.
Leo Laporte (02:02:17):
It smells chemically chemical.
Jeff Jarvis (02:02:23):
<Laugh> all the face. <Laugh>. That's all you need to know
Leo Laporte (02:02:29):
Whiskeys though. Their flavor of Roman and mouth field of hundreds, sometimes thousands of molecules developed during the distillation barrel aging to Makely. We source these molecules directly plants and yeasts rather than obtaining them through distilling and aging are so essentially they're able to produce whiskey with 94%, less water, 92% less agricultural land use. And they emit 87% less CO2 emissions. And I know that's what you're looking for in a good whiskey. Oh boy. Is
Jeff Jarvis (02:02:58):
There any leftover lunch so that you get the taste of
Ant Pruitt (02:03:00):
His mouth? Oh boy. That's bad.
Leo Laporte (02:03:02):
<Laugh> Okay. That was my thought. When I drank it, is this has, it tastes like cherry called D it tastes like a cough syrup.
Ant Pruitt (02:03:10):
Oh man.
Leo Laporte (02:03:11):
First we create a profile of our desired spirit. It's precise flavor, aroma and mouth feel and identify the constellation of molecules responsible for of these characteristics.
Ant Pruitt (02:03:22):
Appreciate the effort.
Leo Laporte (02:03:24):
But yeah, they're trying to, you know, some
Jeff Jarvis (02:03:26):
Things you don't need to change.
Ant Pruitt (02:03:27):
Oh boy. That's bad.
Jeff Jarvis (02:03:29):
<Laugh>
Leo Laporte (02:03:30):
Tastes like dog patch. The neighborhood in San Francisco where it's made. Isn't that interesting. They have great pizza and dog patch. Oh,
Ant Pruitt (02:03:37):
They do. Maybe if I had an ice cube in it that would've helped it, but that's
Leo Laporte (02:03:41):
What would you, what would you Des how would you describe it?
Ant Pruitt (02:03:45):
It's almost like it wanted to have a bit of a liquorish taste to it, but it's just, but it's so much more, medicine-y like, you know, like
Leo Laporte (02:03:55):
There's some weird floral thing going on in it. Oh man. It's not actually, it's not bad if you don't say, oh, this is, is this gonna taste like Jack Daniels? It's just,
Ant Pruitt (02:04:05):
You didn't even, I wasn't even thinking then I, I, I just went in blindly. That's why you smell it. And it
Leo Laporte (02:04:10):
Does taste a little like a and w root beer.
Ant Pruitt (02:04:13):
No, no, I don't want that. Either. Root
Leo Laporte (02:04:15):
Beer is
Ant Pruitt (02:04:16):
<Laugh> root beer is horrible.
Leo Laporte (02:04:18):
Okay. Well, if you don't like root beer, I, I don't know. I wanna trust
Ant Pruitt (02:04:21):
Your, yeah. Maybe, maybe with an ice cube. It would be a little bit better, but that was, that was hard that this
Leo Laporte (02:04:28):
Tastes like watching.
Ant Pruitt (02:04:30):
Well, it's just not for me, but I appreciate the effort that they put into this. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (02:04:39):
Ah, that's interesting.
Jeff Jarvis (02:04:41):
<Laugh>
Leo Laporte (02:04:41):
Maybe they just need to go a little farther. I don't know. All right. Let's take our final break. That is not our pick of the week.
Ant Pruitt (02:04:50):
No, <laugh>
Leo Laporte (02:04:52):
We will get to our picks of the weekend.
Ant Pruitt (02:04:53):
I'm used to drinking. Can I ask you an item before we go? Carbu
Leo Laporte (02:04:57):
Yeah. <Laugh> yeah. Center ran. I guess you might be set. Sorry.
Jeff Jarvis (02:05:03):
The center cam, have you looked at the
Leo Laporte (02:05:05):
Center cam? No. What is the, I'm gonna look at it right now. Center
Jeff Jarvis (02:05:09):
Cam seven. I wonder if you recommend this for calm.
Ant Pruitt (02:05:11):
I haven't seen this. We
Leo Laporte (02:05:12):
Don't your audience. It's the world's middle scream, screen and webcam. So it's in the middle of your screen
Jeff Jarvis (02:05:20):
So that, so you're looking at, at, at
Leo Laporte (02:05:22):
Right at. Oh, that's interesting idea. Oh so it hangs over your, from your screen.
Ant Pruitt (02:05:28):
That's fine. But what if you're trying to do? Oh,
Stacey Higginbotham (02:05:30):
It's own little ring light.
Leo Laporte (02:05:32):
Yeah. It's got its own little ring light. That's cute. That's not gonna give you much brightness. Is
Ant Pruitt (02:05:36):
It? No, not the at No, but I mean, but what if you're someone that's actually trying to do work during set zoom call or what have you on a
Stacey Higginbotham (02:05:45):
Laptop? What if you're trying to be on Twitter while you're also recording a <laugh>?
Ant Pruitt (02:05:52):
I, I don't like that. I think laptop cameras are fine where they are at the top of the screen is as you just look at it
Jeff Jarvis (02:05:59):
And are we all used to people looking below us?
Leo Laporte (02:06:02):
Well, you don't look don't, you're not looking below us or what are you looking at? Jeff?
Stacey Higginbotham (02:06:06):
I do people. I try to look at people, yell at me all the time.
Leo Laporte (02:06:08):
You're looking down.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:06:09):
I never look at the camera.
Leo Laporte (02:06:11):
Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (02:06:12):
It's hard.
Leo Laporte (02:06:13):
I think we don't want people to look at the camera.
Ant Pruitt (02:06:16):
I can't say that.
Leo Laporte (02:06:17):
It's a little creepy. If I start doing the show and I'm really boring into your eyes and looking at you, don't you think that's a little bit creepy.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:06:24):
You're supposed to look at our foreheads. Leo
Jeff Jarvis (02:06:27):
<Laugh> <laugh>
Leo Laporte (02:06:29):
Even when I did TV and I think I was pretty good at connecting with the audience. I would always glance away. Cause I don't think people want you to stare
Ant Pruitt (02:06:38):
At me. Well, yeah. Every Dan goes away. Yeah. Cause you look, you look robotic otherwise.
Leo Laporte (02:06:43):
Yeah. Well you don't, you know, it's like, you look weird. You could, you know, you can use it as punctuation where you go, you know, I really want to tell you something.
Jeff Jarvis (02:06:50):
Yes. Right, right, right. And
Leo Laporte (02:06:51):
Then it, and then it, and then it's punctuation. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> but you don't want to do the whole time you're talking into the camera. I I'll have to watch some news why you have, Yeah, that's true. But I think Anderson Cooper. Well, Anderson Cooper might look into the camera. I don't know. I don't know.
Jeff Jarvis (02:07:09):
<Laugh> I
Ant Pruitt (02:07:10):
Need, you need water.
Jeff Jarvis (02:07:11):
Let's let's let's all stare.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:07:15):
Let's go to the ads so we can get our waffles.
Leo Laporte (02:07:24):
Our show one
Jeff Jarvis (02:07:25):
Eye, one eye goes a little to the other
Leo Laporte (02:07:28):
In there. I'm cross eye. Don't bring it up.
Jeff Jarvis (02:07:31):
Oh,
Leo Laporte (02:07:31):
Sorry. That's see again. I'm handicapped and you should not mock it. I don't mock it. I was saying that with yeah, no, I have a, I have a, when I was a kid, it was funny. I remember going to the doctor. I remember this vividly. I must have been in seven, eight. And the doctor talked to my mom and she say, he says, well, you, one eye turns in a little bit. It's not like he's gonna be on TV. Right thing. <Laugh> I swear to God. That's what the doctor said. And I don't know if that had anything to do with anything has doctor ever, but yeah, it's Amias. I had a little bit of a lazy eye. My daughter had it too. When, when she was little, we, she pat she had a wear a patch, poor little kid and then special glasses and it and corrected and had had my parents done that.
Leo Laporte (02:08:17):
But they thought, eh, he's not gonna be on TV. <Laugh> our show today brought to you by Blueland. I am on a crusade. I really am to eliminate. And Lisa and I are together on this ate single use plastics. I just, I feel like there's a few thing. Things we can do in our lives to make the world a better place. I see the plastic patch in the, you know, in the middle of the ocean, I see turtles and animals see animals die from plastics. I, we now have plastics in our lungs, in our bloods. We have microplastics and it, and it is oil. It's a bad thing. So I'm gonna, you know, I don't carry plastic bags to the grocery store. We have shopping bags. We try to eliminate plastics everywhere. There is one place in our lives. It's hard to eliminate plastics.
Leo Laporte (02:09:08):
That's in the cleaning things. We use the clean products we use, but I have to tell you an estimated five of billion, plastic hand soap and cleaning bottles are thrown away in America every year, 5 billion thrown away. And if that weren't bad enough, most of those bottles were filled with 90% water. When they were delivered to the store in a big truck, they're shipping water around in these Blueland has figure it on a way to win for everybody. Stop wasting water, stop throwing out more plastic, get Blueland's revolutionary refill cleaning system. Instead Blueland was founded on the belief of the cleaner planet starts by eliminating plastic waste while creating powerful, effective cleaners in your entire home. And I know what you're thinking. Oh, I've tried those E eco-friendly cleaners. They don't work. No, these work, these are great. This is an example. This is a Blueland forever bottle.
Leo Laporte (02:10:04):
This is the for it says on a multi-surface it's a beautiful bottle. It's about 10 bucks. When you buy the, the kit, you don't throw it away. When you, when you use it up, you fill it up with warm water, up to the line and you drop in a, and it dissolves and it makes a great cleaning solution. They've got multi-surface cleaner. They've got dishwashing soap. They've got hand dishwashing soap. They've got dishwashing machine soap. They've got toilet cleaner. Those tablets are great. By the way you throw 'em in, you don't need a bottle for that. You throw it in the toilet. It's incredible. I, I have the hand soap everywhere in the house. We even have it at work. Now, did you see that? I put some in and this smells great. And then when you run low, they don't, you don't throw this out.
Leo Laporte (02:10:48):
You don't get a new bottle. You just get a tablet. They have a replenishment serve. If you want, or you can just order 'em on on demand as you need them. They have wonderful scents, Iris agave. That's what's in the bathroom, the men's room right now, ion lemon, lavender, eucalyptus. They have unsent products as well. If you don't want scents, we wash all our laundry in it. We do our dishwashing in it. No more plastic bottle for us. And it feels good and you're not sacrificing anything they're effective. So just discard that outdated idea that eco-friendly products are more expensive and less effective. You're gonna save money. These these tablets money saving refill tablets start at just $2 each. So this is an credible money saver earth saver, and you're gonna love it. Plastic free laundry and dishwasher tablets, the toilet tablet cleaner.
Leo Laporte (02:11:43):
It sells out. Get it it's back in stock. I am a huge fan. Just fill these beautiful Instagramable bottles with warm water pop in one of the hand, Soaper spray cleaner tablets. In within minutes, you have a powerful cleaning product that smells great. Works great. And is earth friendly. I think in every respect, this is a win all around. Try Blueland today. You're gonna love it. Your planet will. Thank you. Your kids will say, wow, it smells good in here. And they'll wash their hands more. I swear to you. I love foaming hand soap. I've got, like I said, it's in everywhere. Now. Even in the men's room, we gotta get one for the ladies. Right now you get 20% off. Your first order, when you go to blueland.com/t w I G blueland.com/twig. This is a great house warming gift. When my daughter moved into her new apartment, I set her up with the Blueland. She got Blueland everywhere. It's wonderful. Blueland.Com/Twig. You know, every plastic bottle ever made is still sitting there in the landfill. They don't degrade. They don't go away. They just sitting there scary billions of them. Let's let's stop that. Right? Right. Now you can get 20% off your first starter. When you go to blueland.com/twig blueland.com/twig. This is a advertiser. I, I love I can really get behind it. All right, Stacy, you said you were gonna help insti users find a
Stacey Higginbotham (02:13:12):
Better source. Yes. You noticed Stacy on a OT. I have a link for y'all. This is, is a bunch of options. So the best way to go is just, this is every single option available you for you today. Many of which are actually things we haven't tried the move to move it over, cuz we don't have a non-working in stand hub either of us. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> Kevin actually used to have one, but he shut it down years ago. But
Leo Laporte (02:13:36):
So you're talking about boobs, which is or habitat
Stacey Higginbotham (02:13:40):
Home assistant open have okay. All of these. So basically we cover the gear that you need, the instruction. We link directly to the instructions from the most reputable for of those instructions.
Leo Laporte (02:13:51):
There's even an insti compatible product called home sea. That's interesting.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:13:57):
Yeah. Homes home sea. Yeah. And so basically a lot of options available to you. Differing costs different, you know, capabilities. But personally I would
Ant Pruitt (02:14:10):
<Sigh> okay.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:14:12):
Sorry. She's
Jeff Jarvis (02:14:12):
Boring herself.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:14:14):
She usually, usually she, when I'm talking that's the first she, I dunno what happened there? Treatment. Huh?
Leo Laporte (02:14:20):
Would you like some,
Stacey Higginbotham (02:14:22):
Oh <laugh> no,
Jeff Jarvis (02:14:24):
No.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:14:26):
I eat food and water, I guess. Anyway I would say, I, I know there's lots of people who are like, we're gonna get the code and we're gonna set it back up. I'm like y'all, it's done. It is done. Yeah. Just stop buying more.
Leo Laporte (02:14:41):
It would be nice. Not invest. I mean, somebody put out a press release saying that instead of just disappearing. That's bizarre.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:14:49):
Yeah. It would be nice. And we'll wait for that. Or maybe they could file for bankruptcy. Like in
Leo Laporte (02:14:56):
The meantime, anything let us know.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:14:59):
I'm keeping an eye open. I'll let y'all know.
Leo Laporte (02:15:01):
It's a front page of Stacy on I ot.com. And if you ever needed a reason to go there now you've got it. That's a, what, what a wonderful thing you're doing over there. That's good. Thank you, Stacy. Mr. Jeff Jarvis. Welcome to, but town
Stacey Higginbotham (02:15:18):
<Laugh>.
Leo Laporte (02:15:20):
I want you to get that sign.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:15:23):
I saw
Jeff Jarvis (02:15:23):
On eBay have a mayor of pound town.
Leo Laporte (02:15:26):
Oh, for me? I might get that for our bedroom. That's good. No, that's good.
Jeff Jarvis (02:15:35):
Right, so there's a whole bunch of numbers, but I'm gonna to
Leo Laporte (02:15:37):
One, one you want. Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (02:15:39):
Well we can just go through 'em real quickly. Like you go through the change lock. Yeah.
Leo Laporte (02:15:42):
Good.
Jeff Jarvis (02:15:44):
Jazz's letter to shareholders says that Amazon now employs 260,000 drivers worldwide.
Leo Laporte (02:15:50):
Wow. That's amazing.
Jeff Jarvis (02:15:51):
I said earlier, the digital advertising's going it's up 35%. According to the interactive advertising bureau digital ads, digital video is up 50%. Digital audio is the biggest winner of 57%
Leo Laporte (02:16:05):
Podcasts.
Jeff Jarvis (02:16:06):
All of that. Yes.
Leo Laporte (02:16:08):
Podcasts.
Jeff Jarvis (02:16:09):
And there's a survey of teenagers. Now I'm forgetting who did it?
Leo Laporte (02:16:14):
Sandler. Hyper Sandler. Yeah.
Jeff Jarvis (02:16:17):
26% of teens own a VR device, but only 5% use them daily mm-hmm
Leo Laporte (02:16:23):
<Affirmative>
Jeff Jarvis (02:16:23):
And 48% are not terribly interested in the, in the metaverse mm-hmm
Leo Laporte (02:16:28):
<Affirmative> mm-hmm
Jeff Jarvis (02:16:29):
<Affirmative> then TikTok is now the FA among the teens, the teen people, the teens, the youths at 33% of finally being Snapchat at 31%. Oh,
Leo Laporte (02:16:43):
Interesting. However,
Jeff Jarvis (02:16:44):
I'm gonna go to an important number now. Cause it's something I didn't know. Maybe you all knew this and I just didn't all this, but there is not enough knowledge to this. Do you know what happens if you dial the number nine eighty eight on their phone?
Leo Laporte (02:16:53):
No,
Jeff Jarvis (02:16:55):
It is suicide hotline.
Leo Laporte (02:16:56):
Oh, that's good to know. That's not necessary. Oh, that's new. That's new. First of all. And it's not com I don't think it's there yet. Not
Jeff Jarvis (02:17:03):
Fully there yet. Yeah,
Leo Laporte (02:17:04):
But that is why. Remember we talked about this. Many people are gonna have to dial 10 numbers were in the past. They didn't have to. Right. Because of this new 9 88. Let me see the exact dates.
Jeff Jarvis (02:17:15):
Old providers are required to route them. Yeah. And text messages to 9 88.
Leo Laporte (02:17:19):
Yeah. This is very, very
Jeff Jarvis (02:17:21):
By July 16.
Leo Laporte (02:17:22):
There you go. It's not nationwide yet. The
Jeff Jarvis (02:17:24):
Trevor project has done a poll and said that that 69% of respond had not seen or read much about this. So getting the word out is critically important.
Leo Laporte (02:17:35):
Actually let me, let me correct you. Oh yes. You're right. By July 16th, 9 88 will route calls to the national suicide prevention lifeline. So this has to happen by July 15th. Okay. All providers must complete this process. All right, good. I had
Jeff Jarvis (02:17:51):
Not heard it. I didn't
Leo Laporte (02:17:52):
Know. Yeah. Brand new. And that is really important. And then I, thank you. I thought you were gonna talk about Chipotle.
Jeff Jarvis (02:17:58):
Well, that is an interesting number is not, is
Leo Laporte (02:18:00):
It not? It is. Go ahead. Chick-Fil-A number one, restaurant among the U, but Chipotle, which is number three, gained 300 BPS of what's that
Jeff Jarvis (02:18:11):
BPS it's per second. What is it? Basis?
Leo Laporte (02:18:14):
Basis points. Basis points to 8% Starbucks. Number two at 11%. So among the Youngs Chick-fil-A Starbucks. Chipotle.
Jeff Jarvis (02:18:25):
What's also interesting. If you saw this on the rundown I put in there, Chipotle has started a 50 million, these C fund. Ooh. I guess for new kinds of beans, I'm not sure.
Leo Laporte (02:18:34):
Oh yeah, really? Huh? Huh. Then that's the numbers of the week. Thank you, Jeff. We could do a bunch of numbers every week. I don't mind that. I think it's good. Oh
Jeff Jarvis (02:18:46):
Yeah. More work for me. Thanks a lot. Thanks a lot,
Ant Pruitt (02:18:48):
Mr. Jar. The Amazon number about the drivers. Well, what was that again?
Jeff Jarvis (02:18:53):
That's 260,000 drivers around the world. It's in Jazz's it's under the Amazon section. It's in Jazz's shareholder letter
Ant Pruitt (02:18:59):
Question for you. Do you think that's enough because of the whole work conditions, narrative that we hear from all of the drivers struggling to make the deliveries on time.
Jeff Jarvis (02:19:09):
It's a good, it's a good question, man. I mean, I, you, you know, I was, I was just thinking about, I mean, I haven't, how long has it been since we've gotten an Amazon delivery from ups or the mail?
Ant Pruitt (02:19:18):
Yeah, it's been a while. Right?
Jeff Jarvis (02:19:21):
They've they've managed to take it over in a way that who thought it was possible. I mean, there's these areas where I, you know, I thought too small, like nobody's gonna be able to do map every street in the country. That's ridiculous.
Ant Pruitt (02:19:33):
It's fine. And they're taking over, but at what cost though?
Leo Laporte (02:19:36):
Well, I think there is a cost, not just to the humans, but also to the roads. I will get sometimes three or four deliveries from three or four different trucks in one day. Oh
Ant Pruitt (02:19:44):
Yeah.
Leo Laporte (02:19:44):
Yeah. And that means there's way too many trucks. A that's you that's me.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:19:48):
You my, let
Leo Laporte (02:19:50):
Me
Stacey Higginbotham (02:19:50):
Try to buy that. Driveway is a driveway and it is suffering.
Leo Laporte (02:19:53):
Yeah. Right. <Laugh> we have a neighbor that gets so many Amazon deliveries. They put a giant metal box outside with instructions in a number code. And it says, put the Amazon packages in here. Wow. And even then many's the day where obviously the box is full and it's piled high. Wow. With Amazon packages.
Jeff Jarvis (02:20:12):
So, and I think a couple things, I think that unionization at Amazon, like Starbucks is gonna, is gonna spread no question about it. It's gonna need to even though they pay more than everybody else and they've raised the rates, they've raised the salaries of, of people on hourly wages, a cross industries. It's part of the reason that we have inflation right now. But it's a good thing because it's a redistribution of wealth and it should happen. So Amazon has done that well, but yes, the work conditions are difficult. They also, another story today is they're going, they hired former attorney general.
Leo Laporte (02:20:42):
Oh the lady.
Jeff Jarvis (02:20:44):
Yeah.
Leo Laporte (02:20:47):
The Lorena
Jeff Jarvis (02:20:48):
Loreta Lynch,
Leo Laporte (02:20:49):
Lona, Bob a Lynch that right? Yes. <Laugh> a
Jeff Jarvis (02:20:53):
To do a
Leo Laporte (02:20:56):
Orgs.
Jeff Jarvis (02:20:56):
Yes we do. We do. That's why we're trying to talk over you.
Leo Laporte (02:20:59):
Not Lorena Bob Loreta Lynch. Of course.
Ant Pruitt (02:21:03):
Good Lord, man.
Jeff Jarvis (02:21:05):
Stacy, just stares at the camera
Leo Laporte (02:21:07):
Says I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry.
Jeff Jarvis (02:21:11):
So anyway, there could go conduct a racial equity audit at, at Amazon. So I think things are gonna, I think they're gonna have to change at the company and, and not a
Leo Laporte (02:21:18):
Bad thing. Somebody, the chat room is many in the chat room pointing out. I could, if I weren't so greedy set my Amazon deliveries all come on a single day.
Ant Pruitt (02:21:28):
Same day. Yeah,
Jeff Jarvis (02:21:28):
Yeah. Yes you could.
Leo Laporte (02:21:29):
Would that eliminate all those trucks
Ant Pruitt (02:21:32):
That's
Leo Laporte (02:21:34):
We're get on the same day.
Ant Pruitt (02:21:36):
Isn't it? Part of I'll all saved earth message.
Leo Laporte (02:21:38):
Yeah. I'll try it. That's you're absolutely right. I should do that.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:21:41):
It is true. Sometimes I, cuz we have our set to go in the same day, but sometimes we do get multiple Amazon trucks at our house at the same time. Mm. So,
Leo Laporte (02:21:50):
Mm.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:21:50):
But it can help.
Leo Laporte (02:21:51):
Yeah. I'll turn that on. All right. Let
Jeff Jarvis (02:21:54):
Let's you think about it? We all drove to five different waffles
Leo Laporte (02:21:56):
Waffle time, waffle time. Five o'clock stop waffle time. It is first though, before waffle time, aunt Pruitt's turn for his picks of the week.
Ant Pruitt (02:22:07):
All right. Quickly, first off yesterday, not yesterday, Monday black magic design announced a bunch of new updates cloud support and a whole lot of different hardware, a lot of stuff that I'm not gonna necessarily
Leo Laporte (02:22:19):
NA is coming need this week. So they got stuff to say.
Ant Pruitt (02:22:22):
Yes. And then but the thing that got me interested was Davin resolve mm-hmm <affirmative> beta 18 is out for people to play around with. I'm not using it yet, but I have been using resolve a little bit more recently for some client work and 18 has me excited. So try it out, go look at it as free. If you're interested next Adobe max is they've announced their dates for this year and it's in person. Woo.
Leo Laporte (02:22:50):
So
Ant Pruitt (02:22:50):
That's some happy times for contact creators to be able to get together again in downtown LA. So in October, I believe it's the like 18th through the 20th or something. They're
Leo Laporte (02:23:00):
Still streaming if you want but or streaming, but you can go to LA and do it in person. Yep. Yep. Yep. Nice.
Ant Pruitt (02:23:06):
And next up, I wanted to give a shout out to a game cock and I know that sounds weird coming from a Clemson person, but Dawn Staley, Dawn Staley is the
Leo Laporte (02:23:16):
Oh Godall coach.
Ant Pruitt (02:23:18):
Yes. From down in Columbia soccer, Carolina. I used to watch Don Staley play basketball. Had a crush on Don. Really good Lord.
Leo Laporte (02:23:26):
Oh, you're kidding. Oh boy. Yeah. She was the star of March madness. Wasn't she?
Ant Pruitt (02:23:30):
She was so back. I'm good at the university of Virginia. Then she year was her, the Charlotte sting years. This was back in the nineties. And but yeah, she's now the coach she's been the coach for about 12 years, 13 years, something like that. Yeah. Won the national championship for the second time this year. And her speech was just the best because she took the time to recognize not only the players that start on the team for, for the basketball team, but she also made a point to shine the light quote on the bench players, because That's the thing. A lot of folks stayed kids anyway. They don't quite get the fact that, Hey, even though you're not necessarily a starter, you're still very important on the team. So if you check that link out and I'll show notes to watch that video, it's very, very heartwarming.
Leo Laporte (02:24:21):
And I will not hold it against her that she had a $500 jacket on,
Ant Pruitt (02:24:28):
Hey, she's paid.
Leo Laporte (02:24:29):
She is paid. She's got, she's got the money. The first black coach in men's or women's division won basketball history to win multiple championships with South Carolina.
Ant Pruitt (02:24:38):
She won when they won the, her first national championship of, I think it was back in oh seven. When they cut down the basketball net, she took her pieces of the net and trimmed it up into little pieces and sent it to all the other black coaches. That's good for her in the leagues to say, Hey we're
Leo Laporte (02:24:56):
To yeah. $5,000. Sorry, Louis. Viton <laugh> I was like a $500 jacket is not actually that expensive, sorry. $5,000. I
Ant Pruitt (02:25:05):
Think she's the highest paid coach now, you know, she's up there. Amongs the graces with, you know ORMA and, and pat summit. Yes, I do watch women's college basketball. So yes.
Leo Laporte (02:25:15):
Awesome. Well, ladies, gentlemen, we are concluding this episode of this week in Google fun show. Thank you, Stacy Higginbotham was at Stacy on I OT sign up for her newsletter. It's free Stacy on iot.com the free fabulous show she does with Kevin. Tuffle the I podcast at giga Stacy on the Twitter. If you want to follow her nice Twitter, it's over there.
Stacey Higginbotham (02:25:41):
Smart. Nice Pollyanna, Twitter,
Leo Laporte (02:25:43):
Twitter, Twitter. If you wanna follow the evil Twitter, <laugh> At Jeff Jarvis. <Laugh> Fu machine.com at face. The
Stacey Higginbotham (02:25:54):
Just grumpy
Leo Laporte (02:25:54):
Twitter, grumpy Twitter, the director of the town. I I not front Prairie journalism at the Craig Newmark graduate school of journalism at the city. University of New York. No, he's not grumpy, not grumpy. Aunt prude hosts, hands on photography. What's coming up this week on hands on photography. You're gonna do a little street.
Ant Pruitt (02:26:16):
We're gonna talk street photography again. I have another photographer. That's actually local here to the area and it's, it's gonna be a right.
Leo Laporte (02:26:24):
He gets upright, close, intimate. And I am gonna listen because I am so embarrassed to take pictures of people. And he gets right in there
Ant Pruitt (02:26:31):
Right in their faces.
Leo Laporte (02:26:33):
Yeah. And I just wanna know what his trick is to
Ant Pruitt (02:26:35):
Do that. It's it's going to be good. But can I shout out Mr. Jarvis?
Leo Laporte (02:26:40):
Yes.
Ant Pruitt (02:26:40):
Mr. Jarvis was on the fireside chat for CLO tweet. I wasn't do week and holy crap. It was so much fun talking to him. It
Jeff Jarvis (02:26:47):
Was a lot of fun. I tried to ask aunt more questions than he asked
Ant Pruitt (02:26:50):
Me. Oh no. That's not how that show was gonna work with me.
Jeff Jarvis (02:26:52):
I know it didn't I tried though. I did try
Leo Laporte (02:26:54):
Didn't I I
Ant Pruitt (02:26:55):
Tried. You did. You did
Jeff Jarvis (02:26:57):
Sneaky.
Leo Laporte (02:26:57):
That's on the trip plus feed. If people didn't get there for the AMA and we've got some more coming up, Scott Wilkinson is May 5th. Stacy's book club, termination shock. Neil Stevenson. You have a little time to read it.
Ant Pruitt (02:27:09):
Yep. You need time to read
Leo Laporte (02:27:10):
That it a month off, but to get <laugh> you reading? I didn't
Stacey Higginbotham (02:27:14):
Vote. I had shorter options in there.
Leo Laporte (02:27:16):
No, no. That's good.
Jeff Jarvis (02:27:16):
You got sympathy from Stacy last week saying yeah, I had real long one.
Leo Laporte (02:27:21):
This
Ant Pruitt (02:27:21):
Is good man, but I'm but I'm enjoying it so far, so yeah. We're good.
Jeff Jarvis (02:27:25):
Are you listening or reading?
Ant Pruitt (02:27:26):
I'm listening. I'm listening to it. What's I
Stacey Higginbotham (02:27:28):
Think the Sikh warrior section is a lot of fun. You should enjoy that. Yeah.
Ant Pruitt (02:27:32):
All I know is right now, vitamin D is not what I thought it was.
Leo Laporte (02:27:36):
Uhoh
Ant Pruitt (02:27:37):
That's all I
Leo Laporte (02:27:38):
Say. All of this happens in the club. Now, if you're not a member of club TWI you, I hope you're not feeling left out. It isn't expensive. Don't you be? You, you don't need to be not at all seven bucks a either way gets you get a lot of benefits to all of the shows, a free. Absolutely. You don't even hear this plug for club TWI. You also get the TWI plus fus, the fluff feed
Ant Pruitt (02:28:01):
Again and not in the right voice.
Leo Laporte (02:28:03):
The TWI plus feed and access to our fine discord where all the chatting happens. It's really wonderful wonderful place. So if it's in a big support for us too, we are able to launch shows in there because they're not as supported. So we are able to launch 'em in there with the support of our members, TWI TV slash club TWI. Thank you in ed VA, but also sir, we now offer annual plans. Yes. For club TWI. So if you don't wanna do the seven bucks a month, you can just sign up for you. Four bucks. The reason we did that, a lot of people wanted to buy a gift for, or a family member or, or something like that. Instead of buying a, a $7 gift, they, they wanted to buy a year. So there you have it. There's corporate memberships as well.
Leo Laporte (02:28:50):
Twi.Tv/Club TWI. Thank you, Stacy. Thank you, Jeff. Go get some waffles. Go get some cut. Joy Pape. Thank you, aunt Pruitt. I'm gonna get some water, get some and too much cliff. Watch down the cliff. Thank you everybody for joining us. We do this week in Google, 2:00 PM Pacific every Wednesday, 5:00 PM. Eastern 2100 UTC. If you wanna watch us live, live.twi.tv, there's also an audio stream there. If you're watching or listening, live chat, live irc.twi.tv, or of course an our club TWI discord. After the fact, all of the shows are available at the website, twi.tv. In the case of this show, twi.tv/twig. You'll see at that page, some links, there's a YouTube channel. All the TWI shows are there. There's also links to your favorite podcast players. You can subscribe to those and the in one of those and get the show automatically the minute it's available on a Wednesday evening. We thank you for listening. Have a wonderful week. We'll see you next time on tweak byebye.
Speaker 13 (02:29:56):
<Laugh>
Leo Laporte (02:29:57):
I'm sorry. I, I didn't mean to do that.
Speaker 14 (02:30:00):
Hey, I'm rod Pyle, editor of ad as a magazine and each week I'm joined by TARC. Mallek the editor inchi over@space.com in our new this week in space podcast, every Friday TARC. And I take a deep dive into the stories that define the new space age what's NASA up to when will Americans, once again set foot on the moon. And how about those samples in the perseverance Rover? When are those coming home? What the heck is Elon Musk done now, in addition to all the latest and greatest and space exploration, we'll take an occasional look at bits of space flight history that you probably never heard of and all with an eye towards having a good time along the way. Check us out on your favorite podcast. Catcher
