This week Nate & Ian discuss everyone's favourite computing essential: the dongle. Last episode of the year.

SOURCES:

Donglevision

https://tedium.co/2020/08/21/weird-dongle-history-evolution/

NewScientist on dongles

https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_EIZI3TDTGTsC/page/n25/mode/2up

Byte on dongles

https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1981-10/page/n133/mode/2up?q=dongle

Commodore PET

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_PET

Software protection dongle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_protection_dongle

Apple makes 23 different dongles — and it would cost you $857 to buy them all

https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-dongles-2017-8#2-lightning-to-30-pin-adapter-29-2

Ebuyer search for dongles

https://www.ebuyer.com/search?q=dongle&sort=relevancy+descending

Anker 565

https://www.anker.com/uk/products/a8388?variant=41786313998500

Become a supporter to go ad-free, unlock bonus content and listen live — join our Patreon.

Full show notes, subscription options and more available at https://www.uktechshow.com.

TECH’S MESSAGE IS:

Hosts: Nate Lanxon, Ian Morris

Production and Editing: Nate Lanxon

Music: Audio Network & Pond5

Certain Artwork Elements Designed By: macrovector / Freepik

Publisher (Free Version): Acast

Copyright © Nate Lanxon

Ads (on free version) are not endorsements, nor controlled by Tech’s Message.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week is a special episode in which we revisit Ian's 2007 CNET feature, Top Ten Off Switches. Do the selections stand up to modern scrutiny? And how have off switches evolved in a world of Wi-Fi, virtual assistants and touchscreens?

SOURCES:

Top ten off switches (live)

https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/top-ten-off-switches/

Top ten off switches (archived, with pictures)

https://web.archive.org/web/20071114120435/http://crave.cnet.co.uk/0,39029477,49293357-1,00.htm

The Slashdot post about the feature

https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/07/11/12/1429244/the-top-ten-off-switches

Become a supporter to go ad-free, unlock bonus content and listen live — join our Patreon.

Full show notes, subscription options and more available at https://www.uktechshow.com.

TECH’S MESSAGE IS:

Hosts: Nate Lanxon, Ian Morris

Production and Editing: Nate Lanxon

Music: Audio Network & Pond5

Certain Artwork Elements Designed By: macrovector / Freepik

Publisher (Free Version): Acast

Copyright © Nate Lanxon

Ads (on free version) are not endorsements, nor controlled by Tech’s Message.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Nate and Ian discuss the dual-layered delight that is DVD -- it's history, and our memories of using it.

SOURCES:

The death of the DVD: Why sales dropped more than 86% in 13 years

https://web.archive.org/web/20200329212906/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/08/the-death-of-the-dvd-why-sales-dropped-more-than-86percent-in-13-years.html

PlayStation 2 Wiki

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_2

Bouncing DVD logo

https://www.bouncingdvdlogo.com

DVD Frequently Asked Questions

https://web.archive.org/web/19970329103433/http://www.videodiscovery.com/vdyweb/dvd/dvdfaq.html

DVD industry in crisis as sales slump

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/nov/29/dvd-industry-sales-slump-blu-ray

HMV boss says more people buying DVDs and Blu-ray

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99wngrw4nxo

DVD and Blu-ray sales statistics

https://www.avforums.com/threads/dvd-and-blu-ray-sales-statistics.2004986/

British Video Association press release archive

https://web.archive.org/web/20100623045015/http://www.bva.org.uk/news-press-releases/2009-news-release-sales-robust-transitional-year-british-video-industry

DVD Commercial from 2000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xn8m9KLYQg

Yahoo DVD Player review

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/yahoo-ydp-530-review/

Become a supporter to unlock bonus content and listen live — join our Patreon.

Full show notes, subscription options and more available at https://www.uktechshow.com.

TECH’S MESSAGE IS:

Hosts: Nate Lanxon, Ian Morris

Production and Editing: Nate Lanxon

Music: Audio Network & Pond5

Copyright © Nate Lanxon

Ads (on free version) are not endorsements, nor controlled by Tech’s Message. Read Nate’s ad policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nate and Ian discuss the modern anxiety of calls from unknown numbers, repeated missed calls, and general caller ID-related terror. You might think this is a Halloween episode, such is the horror of the content.

SOURCES AND LINKS:

Mobile company customer forums

• https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Tech-Support/People-I-have-never-contacted-returning-my-calls/td-p/1626378
• https://community.three.co.uk/t5/Account-and-services/Scammer-using-my-number/m-p/32346
• https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Receiving-calls-from-people-saying-I-called-them-but-I-haven-t/td-p/2173030

Mumsnet

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4972436-to-have-anxiety-from-this-missed-call

Caller anxiety

https://www.reddit.com/r/Anxiety/comments/17fis4j/just_completing_ignored_an_important_phone_call/

Apple will launch a Business Caller ID service next year

https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-will-launch-a-business-caller-id-service-next-year-223913262.html

Become a supporter to unlock bonus content and listen live — join our Patreon.

Full show notes, subscription options and more available at https://www.uktechshow.com.

TECH’S MESSAGE IS:

Hosts: Nate Lanxon, Ian Morris

Production and Editing: Nate Lanxon

Music: Audio Network & Pond5

Certain Artwork Elements Designed By: macrovector / Freepik

Publisher (Free Version): Acast

Copyright © Nate Lanxon

Ads (on free version) are not endorsements, nor controlled by Tech’s Message. Read Nate’s ad policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Nate's joined by Andrew Lanxon from CNET to discuss a rich history of games console controllers, from the bizarre to the innovative.

SOURCES AND LINKS:

PlayStation Multitap

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Multitap

Music 2000

https://www.mobygames.com/game/4945/mtv-music-generator/

https://psxdatacenter.com/games/P/M/SLES-02224.html

DreamCast VMU

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMU

Sony PocketStation

https://playstation.fandom.com/wiki/PocketStation

Manhunt 2

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2007/10/halloween-review-manhunt-2-wii/

Fishing controller (and there are others)

https://segaretro.org/Fishing_Controller

https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/8783-n64-fishing-rod-controller-info/#comment-222306

Godzilla Generations screenshot

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/373544883983482884/1294970656412274750/godzilla-dreamcast-1160x653.png?ex=670cf2e7&is=670ba167&hm=137a8d005ef963c21f7e691de7d0d5099a9a5079e3c8a8ba2a77427fd82353a7&

Become a supporter to unlock bonus content and listen live — join our Patreon.

Full show notes, subscription options and more available at https://www.uktechshow.com.

TECH’S MESSAGE IS:

Hosts: Nate Lanxon, Ian Morris

Production and Editing: Nate Lanxon

Music: Audio Network & Pond5

Publisher (Free Version): Acast

Copyright © Nate Lanxon

Ads (on free version) are not endorsements, nor controlled by Tech’s Message. Read Nate’s ad policy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we discuss the history of online dating, from the 1990s web services, through the UK's Teletext and into the modern era of apps. Nate discusses how he met his wife through an app, and Ian complains about how he hasn't yet. And then comes the future: what do we expect is next for dating apps and related technologies?

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Teletext

https://www.blunham.com/Radar/Teletext/WebAlbums/P182S01=Dial_a_Date.html

Sex.com in WIRED

https://www.wired.com/2003/08/sex-com/

Match.com in WIRED 1995

https://www.wired.com/1995/09/love-and-money/

Hater Dater

https://web.archive.org/web/20200208062220/https://www.haterdater.com/

Gluten-Free Singles

https://web.archive.org/web/20131106133442/http://www.glutenfreesingles.com/

Bristlr

https://www.bristlr.com

Farmers Only

https://www.farmersonly.com/

Dating study

https://9to5mac.com/2024/09/16/dating-apps-havent-helped-us-find-better-partners-suggests-research/

Iceland app

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-icelanders-are-accidentally-dating-a-relative-and-now-theres-an-app-for-that-25175819/

Become a supporter to unlock bonus content and listen live — join our Patreon.

Hosts: Nate Lanxon, Ian Morris

Production and Editing: Nate Lanxon

Ads (on free version) are not endorsements, nor controlled by Tech’s Message.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.