Mac Observer Podcasts

Podcast Archives

1. Oct. 22nd, 2018
   What else at the iPad event, Apple vs Bloomberg – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-22

   Dave Hamilton and John Martellaro join Kelly Guimont to speculate on what else we'll see at the iPad event (besides iPads), and Apple going toe-to-toe against Bloomberg.

2. Oct. 19th, 2018
   Dave Buys an iPhone XR – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-19

   John Martellaro and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to talk about why Dave pre-ordered an iPhone XR, plus they discuss their experiences so far with Shortcuts in iOS 12.

3. Oct. 18th, 2018
   Apple’s October 30 Media Event, iPhone X Versus iPhone X – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-18

   Adam Christianson from the Maccast and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Apple's just announced October 30th media event in New York City, plus they debate which is a better upgrade: iPhone XR or a used iPhone X.

4. Oct. 17th, 2018
   Dogbot Twerking, Facebook’s Portal into Your Home, Listener Mail – ACM 484

   In this episode, Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet make an announcement about ACM. They also talk about the cool horror of BostonDynamics's twerking dogbot. Oh, and Facebook Portal...please. No. Just, please no. The also take a look at some listener email.

5. Oct. 17th, 2018
   iPhone XR pre-orders, 4K is here to stay – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-17

   John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join Kelly Guimont to discuss iPhone XR pre-orders and who is lining up, as well as 4K television no longer being a fad.

6. Oct. 16th, 2018
   Mac App Store Developer Problems, More Apple Watch Series 4 Experiences – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-16

   John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join Jeff Gamet to look at the frustration some developers are experiencing with Apple's Mac App Store, plus Jeff and John share how they feel about Apple Watch Series 4 after three weeks.

7. Oct. 15th, 2018
   TMO Background Mode Interview with Planetary Scientist Dr. Pascal Lee

   Dr. Pascal Lee is a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute. He's also Chairman of the Mars Institute, and Director of the NASA Haughton-Mars Project at NASA Ames Research Center. His research includes the history of water on Mars and planning future human exploration of Mars. Pascal has a Ph.D. in Astronomy and Space Sciences from Cornell University. We chatted about how he spent his very early years in Hong Kong, inspired by American and British SciFi TV shows. Later, he migrated to Paris where he continued his education and, inspired by Dr. Carl Sagan, made his way to Cornell in the 1990s. He was Dr. Sagan's last teaching assistant. Next, we talked about his trips to the remote Canadian island, Devon, to study Mars-like conditions. We wrapped up with an introduction to his thoughts on SETI.

8. Oct. 15th, 2018
   Photoshop CC for iPad, Third-party Apple Watch Faces – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-15

   Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to talk about Adobe's new Photoshop CC for iPad announcement, plus share their thoughts on third-party watch faces for Apple Watch.

9. Oct. 15th, 2018
   APFS Corruption, Wi-Fi Numbering, and Backups – Mac Geek Gab Podcast 731

   APFS has been available on our Macs for a year now, and we're beginning to see the issues with corruption that can't be yet be solved by Apple or third party utilities. Wi-Fi is changing names... and getting faster! And folks, Backups are still important! All this and more in this week's Mac Geek Gab. Press play and enjoy!

10. Oct. 12th, 2018
    What’s New with WiFi Mesh, Apple’s Possible iPad Pro Media Event – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-12

    Dave Hamilton and Andrew Orr join Jeff Gamet to look at what's new in the WiFi Mesh market, plus they share their thoughts on whether or not Apple will host an iPad Pro media event in October.

11. Oct. 11th, 2018
    Apple’s Maybe Free TV Shows Plan, Google and Apple’s AI Battle – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-11

    John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on how Apple will promote its streaming TV content and follow up on yesterday's subscription TV overload discussion. They also look at competition in the artificial intelligence space with Google's new Call Screen feature.

12. Oct. 10th, 2018
    iPad Pro vs. Mac, Apple TV Games, iPhone Driver’s License – ACM 483

    In this episode, Bryan Chaffin ask if Apple's rumored next iPad Pro is the Mac replacement long predicted. They also discuss what went wrong with Apple TV gaming, and the pros and cons and cons and cons of iPhone driver's licenses. They sneak some Anki Vector love in there, too.

13. Oct. 10th, 2018
    China Spy Hacks Again, Subscription TV Streaming Overload – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-10

    Adam Christianson from the Maccast and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to try to sort out Bloomberg's latest Chinese server spy hack report, plus they dive into the growing problem with subscription streaming TV service overload.

14. Oct. 9th, 2018
    Goodbye Google+, USB-C iPad Pro – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-09

    Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to discuss what's behind Google shutting down its Google+ social network platform, plus they explore a new report saying an iPad Pro with a USB-C port is coming in October.

15. Oct. 8th, 2018
    TMO Background Mode Encore #5 Interview with Science Communicator Dr. Kiki Sanford

    Dr. Kiki Sanford makes her fifth appearance on Background Mode. Kiki is a neurophysiologist with a Ph.D. from the University of California. She's a popular science communicator and creator of This Week in Science (TWIS) podcast and radio show. In this episode, we chat about some some recent topics discussed on TWIS that fascinated me. 1) Yale roboticists have developed skins with embedded actuators that can turn just about anything into robots. 2) A 127 million year old fossil was discovered in China that fills in another gap in the story of how dinosaurs became birds. 3) The new NASA exoplanet search mission, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), is operational. We talk about its mission and how it compares to the Kepler spacecraft. This is just a sample; we covered much more cool science stuff.

16. Oct. 8th, 2018
    Deconstructing Bloomberg’s Spy Chip Report, 7 Years of Siri – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-08

    Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at the responses to Bloomberg's China spy chip report, and what could account for the strong denials from Apple and Amazon. They also look at the state of Siri on the voice assistant's 7th anniversary.

17. Oct. 8th, 2018
    Don’t Panic, Kernel. It’s Just a Kill Switch and a Nuke-and-Pave – Mac Geek Gab Podcast 730

    Sometimes things go wrong with your devices, and sometimes the path you think will solve it winds up running you in circles. The same things can happen to your two favorite geeks, and this week's show talks about some of that while also answering your questions and solving your problems. Press play and enjoy!

18. Oct. 5th, 2018
    Managing Your Kid’s Online Activity – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-05

    Adam Christianson from the Maccast and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to share their experiences and advice on managing kid's online activity, plus they look at what they like—and don't like—about Parental Control and Screen Time.

19. Oct. 4th, 2018
    China’s Computer Spying Chips, Presidential Alert Follow Up – TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-04

    Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to explore a report that China snuck spy chips onto servers Apple, Amazon, and U.S. government agencies used, plus they follow up on yesterday's smartphone emergency alert test.

20. Oct. 3rd, 2018
    Pictar Pro, Netflix Narnia, Apple’s October Surprise – ACM 482

    The Pictar Pro marries old school camera goodness to modern iPhone convenience, and Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet weigh the pros and cons. They also talk about Netflix's plans to make new movies and TV series (both) out of The Chronicles of Narnia books. Lastly, they talk about what to expect if Apple does an October media event.