GeekNights Mondays: Science Technology Computing
by Rym and Scott - The Front Row Crew
This is the weekly Science, Technology, and Computing segment of GeekNights, covering everything from cold fusion to linux servers, cell phones to pseudoscience.
Episodes
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Roller Coaster Technology - Rym and Emily's Cedar Point Tier List
Tonight on GeekNights, Rym and Emily discuss roller coaster technology in the course of tier ranking every roller coaster at Cedar Point. We live streamed this episode back in August, but now it's in the podcast feed! Millennium Force still holds up 26 years later. Related Links Forum Thread…
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Robots
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about robots. Real ones from the real world: not movie robots. In the news, Igor has tasted blood, the Meta pervert glasses are getting regulated in Norway, and do not give Meta's Muse thing your credit cards. Related Links Forum Thread Robots Discord Chat Robots...
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E-Bikes, E-Scooters, et al.
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider e-bikes, e-scooters, monowheels, and all the assorted electric conveyances that aren't cares and that are becoming more and more popular everywhere there are people. E.g., what are the "classes" of ebikes? In the news, streamers are suing Twitch and Amazon for...
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Data Centers
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss data centers. Once as positive thing, they have become a blight on the Earth in the ever-growing wake of the AI bubble. Rym and Emily are back from Cedar Point and will have a couple of special episodes about it in the near future, and also have a secret VR…
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Intentionally Retro Technology
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the growing trend of seeking retro technology. From the Charmera to flip phones to audio cassettes, it's part aesthetic and part anti-consumerist anti-capitalist pushback to the ravages of modernity. In the news, Mamdani announces new Click-to-Cancel rule for…
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Bicycle Technology
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the current state and evolution of bicycle technology. Not all advancement in modernity is "good" advancement. In the news, delivery robots are a menace, the illegitimate and fully compromised Supreme Court's broken clock was correct on geofence warrants…
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Company Devices
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the challenge of company-managed devices. In the news, Britain has banned the kids from all social media, Nvidia is issuing $25 Billion in corporate bonds, and Verizon screwed a guy over with MDM. Related Links Forum Thread Company Devices Discord Chat Company...
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The Evil Cameras All Around Us
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the evil cameras all around us. In the news, Nvidia introduces an underwhelming chip to make underwhelming PCs, the US gestapo are trying to buy advertiser datasets in a dangerous escalation of the police state, and Furality is this weekend! Related Links Forum...
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Spam in 2026
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the problem of spam in the current era. We last talked about spam in 2007. (Note that spam is distinct from slop. In the news, Rym is back from Hong Kong, supply chain attacks remain a major threat, the kids are booing AI people at graduations, Musk lost his...
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Tech News Roundup May 2026
Tonight on GeekNights, it's a Tech News Roundup! Madison Square Garden's insane surveillance machine, Github's ongoing collapse, Mac minis being hit by the ongoing RAM crisis, Ask.com is dead, a trivial-to-exploit Linux vulnerability, OpenAI won't stop talking about goblins, Apple fixes a...
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Age Verification on the Internet
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the dangers of trying to mandate age verification on the Internet. In the news, Discord embarks on a disastrous age verification scheme, Anthropic is mad that other "AI" companies are using their product, and Goldman Sachs launches an AI-free index. Related...
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Webcams
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss webcams. In the news, ICE murdered another person in broad daylight with video and witnesses, and Senate Democrats are willing to shut the government down over continued funding of ICE. Call your senators today. No funds for ICE: abolish, dismantle, and…
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Tech Bubbles
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss tech bubbles like the Dot-com bubble. Unrelatedly here's a video by Hank Green titled The State of the AI Industry is Freaking Me Out, and a video by Adam Conover titled Sora Proves the AI Bubble Is Going to Burst So Hard. In the news, nearly 7 million Americans...
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Fitness Tech
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss fitness tech like heart rate monitors and Strava and Dance Dance Revolution. In the news, Tik Tok has a dubious deal to keep operating in the US and the regime has plans for the algorithm. Also go see Perfect Blue remastered while you can. And read The Amazing...
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Specific Mice
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about specific mice. Mice we've used over the years, since the days of balls. In the news, Google dodges consequences in the US but not in the EU, Google is sued yet again for their advertising monopoly, and Google is looking to flood the phone lines of tiny...
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Video Chat and Teleconferencing
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the modern marvel that is video chat. In the news, Perplexity is using undeclared crawlers to scrape content, Samsung has a crazy Micro LED TV, real life ad block is possible, and Trump is forming the American SS. The next GeekNights Book Club book will be The...
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Computer Audio Interfaces
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss audio interfaces. Rym uses a PreSonus Studio 1810c to record GeekNights, and as his general purpose "sound card" in the studio. In the news, the CEO of GitHub steps down, you can consider Forgejo if that worries you, Reddit will block the Internet Archive, and...
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Why there's no big tech news
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider why there, broadly, aren't major consumer technology developments lately. In the news, Debian reduces support for i386 and Chrome OS is combining with Android. Also we'll be live at PAX West! Related Links Forum Thread Why there's no big tech news Discord Chat…
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Blinky Lights
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the blinky lights and LEDs the kids are putting on everything including their computers. In the news, Windows 10 has extended security support, Broadcom is desperate to monetize VMware, and the EU forced Apple to comply, at least in the EU. Related Links Forum...
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Toilets and Bidets and Washlets
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider toilets, washlets, and bidets. (Oh my). In the news, some context on the current Iran conflict, and Apple WWDC25 was mostly uneventful other than keeping old devices going for a while yet. Related Links Forum Thread Toilets and Bidets and Washlets Discord Chat...
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Capacity Management
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss capacity management. It's changed a lot over the years. In the news, evil people are trying to accelerate climate change, and a silly camera is coming. Related Links Forum Thread Capacity Management Discord Chat Capacity Management Bluesky Post Capacity…
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The Discoverability Problem
Tonight on GeekNights, we muse a bit on the problem of discoverability. Nearly all experience is mediated, and this includes deciding what web site to look at. In the news, Rym is back from Zenkaikon, Moon Zooz is continuing to rock it, the cosmological constant might not be, niri is a...
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MIDI
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about MIDI. The Musical Instrument Digital Interface, which is still in use today. In the news, Donkey Kong ‘94 is re-released on Switch, Youtube adds translated dubbing, and Ontario (rightly) taxes Americans using their energy. Related Links Forum Thread MIDI…
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Windows 11
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider Windows 11 and the fools who refuse to upgrade. In the news, the iPhone 16e arrives, Gmail is (correctly) dropping SMS two-factor, Twitch is capping uploads for 0.5% of streamers, and Germany represents a profound realignment of global politics. Related Links...
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Electronic Payments
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss electronic payments. We grew up in a world where credit cards were imprinted on carbon paper and cheques were on physical paper. In the news, the Baltics have disconnected from the Russian power grid, Football Manager 25 will be skipped, and there's one weird…
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Ways to Sell Software
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider all the ways to sell software. From shareware to software-as-a-service to "just buying it" it's evolved quite a bit over the years. In the news, CES happened, Republicans killed net neutrality, and Pornhub is blocked in the entire US south. Also we will be live…
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Terminals
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about Terminals. From the VT100 to any modern Terminal Emulator, they are still a part of the computing world and are worth knowing about. In the news, Jimmy Carter has died at 100, Chinese state-sponsored hackers attacked the US Treasury, and a hero has defeated a...
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Drones
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about drones. In the news, the common clay of the New West think they're seeing nefarious drones everywhere and we have WordPress vs WP Engine. Related Links Forum Thread Drones Discord Chat Drones Bluesky Post Drones Things of the Day Rym - 1-900-490-FREAK Scott -...
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Blogs
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider blogging. In the news, Roblox is making a closed ecosystem Discord competitor, the US gave Intel a pile of money, and Intel's CEO hit the bricks. Rym has also consolidated all of his social media into rym.social and talks about how he set up cross-posting across...
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Widgets
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about widgets. Mostly status and telemetry widgets that people like to put on their desktops or their phones. They have their uses, but are usually useless. In the news, Cloudplane is shutting down in December, Adobe's Project Turntable is stunning, and Tesla's…
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Multicore Multiprocess Concurrency and Such
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about cores and concurrency and threads and such. Also Rym and Emily fought a bear. In the news, Intel's chip instability saga has concluded, and Python 3.13.0 is pretty good. Related Links Forum Thread Multicore Multiprocess Concurrency and Such Discord Chat...
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Web Trackers and Analytics
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the evils of web trackers and analytics. They are used almost exclusively to feed the ad industry and you should block them wherever possible. Rym has installed the microcode patch for some Intel chips and you should too if you have one of them. In the news,...
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Car Dashboard Tech
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the sad state of the technology creeping into car dashboards. In the news, the US Supreme Court has disastrously ruled that the president is above the law in extreme and shocking complicity with authoritarian takeover. In other news, some good Python development...
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Tech News Roundup Summer 2024
Tonight on GeekNights, it's a Tech News Roundup! Mouse movers are getting people fired but are also a sign of late stage capitalism, social media is messing up the kids, don't operate your i9 at turbo voltages when it's overheating, Adobe is mostly wrong here but also read what you buy, this is a...
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Tech Predictions for 2025, 2029, and 2034
Tonight on GeekNights, we make some technology predictions for one, five, and ten years into the future. We did this once back in 2010. In the news, Ticketmaster and Santander have massive data breaches, Google accidentally published its secret search sauce, Twitter adds pornography, and Rubin is...
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Markup Languages
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss markup languages like Markdown. In the news, Rym posted an analysis of strange noises in Sportsnet NHL streams, the ship that broke Baltimore Harbor has been removed, you can read a paper exploring The consequences of generative AI for online knowledge…
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Technology Failures
Tonight on GeekNights we talk about when technology fails. Dead PSUs, dead hard drives, and the like. In the news, there is a vulnerability in practically all VPNs and Tesla is firing everybody after they fired a bunch of people. Related Links Forum Thread Technology Failures Discord Chat...
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A New TV in 2024
Tonight on GeekNights we consider what A New TV in 2024 looks like. In the news, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway, GameCube and Wii emulators won't work on iOS due to Apple's ban on just-in-time compilation, and Meta really makes money from all the data they collect about you. Related Links...
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Moderation, Section 230, and Free Speech
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the ramifications of a ridiculous Texas law being argued before the Supreme Court, and its ramifications for the imperfect but valuable Section 230. In the news, A lot of Redditors hate the Reddit IPO, Reddit is selling your data to Google for AI training, and...
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Scott Switches to Mac
Tonight on GeekNights, 18 years after Rym tried to switch to Mac, Scott switches to Mac. (Except for gaming). In the news, Rym is building a new primary workstation,, Tim Sweeney calls out Apple's "malicious compliance" in light of The Digital Markets Act, and the Superb Owl went to overtime....
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The Smartphone Upgrade Cycle
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss the vicious smartphone upgrade cycle. Try to use your phone for more than a year or two at least. In the news, Apple has to halt new Apple Watch sales, Adobe gives up on buying Figma, and Scott had fun on the Star Wars ride at Disneyland. Related Links Forum…
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Remote Access
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the the idea of remote access. In the news, here's a list of all the tech layoffs so far in 2023, and Twitch changes its simulcasting guidelines. Related Links Forum Thread Remote Access Things of the Day Rym - Star Trek + Design Scott - Homeward
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Search Engines (suck now)
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the current state of search engines and why Google increasingly doesn't work anymore. In the news, iOS has multiple zero-day zero-interaction vulnerabilities (update your devices immediately) and Reddit is trying to embrace the worst parts of phpBB. 12 years ago...
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Blocking
Tonight on GeekNights, in light of Twitter's dying husk removing the ability to block people, we consider the concept of "blocking" in social platforms. The root problem is, as always, the twin evils of advertising and capitalism. In the news, the inability to warn the residents of Maui to the...
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Upgrading Your Tech
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss when, how, and if you should upgrade your technology. From phones to cameras to TVs to skis, it comes mostly down to what problem you're trying to solve. In the news, Web Environment Integrity is a potentially worrying but not yet apocalyptic threat to the World...
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Throttling and Rate Limiting
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the surprising challenges of throttling and rate limiting. In the news, Twitter rate-limiting reading twitter and broke Tweetdeck while also blocking non-logged-in views , Norway has 100 years of phosphate rock deposits, and the US Supreme Court is wholly...
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The Line of Technology Adoption
Tonight on GeekNights, we briefly consider when and why to adopt a new technology. In the news, Apple WWDC 2023 brings a $3,500 AR/VR headset in 2024 (we've talked about AR (Augmented Reality) before), and Reddit is pulling a Twitter and possibly destroying the best third party app it has.…
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Computer Noise
Tonight on GeekNights, we talk about the noise that computers make. It used to be a lot worse, but most of you are probably too young to have experienced this era. In the news, Rym went to a Star Trek convention, Google supports passkeys, actually read this article and not just the headline, and...
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Computer Fonts
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider computer fonts. In the news, the world lost a legend with the passing of Al Jaffee, why "trucks" have taken over America, and Mac sales are down 40%. Related Links Forum Thread Computer Fonts Things of the Day Rym - Starship Velociraptor Scott - merlin
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Archiving the Internet
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the immense challenge of archiving the Internet. This is a critical era of human history, and historians centuries from now will be desperate to know things we all think are "common knowledge" today. In the news, the Internet Archive flew too close to the sun…
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About this show
This is the weekly Science, Technology, and Computing segment of GeekNights, covering everything from cold fusion to linux servers, cell phones to pseudoscience.
Hosted by
Rym and Scott - The Front Row Crew
Categories