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Rod Pyle: Foundation & William Shatner
Episode 1836
Rod joins Leo to talk about Foundation, the Isaac Asimov series on Apple TV+. Rod agrees that it's beautifully shot and tries really hard to be profound, but the characters are just dry and boring.
Does My ISP Keep a Copy of My Email?
Episode 1836
Ed fromEd wants to know if his ISP keeps his email. Leo says it does if he's using IMAP. So if you are using Outlook and you're using IMAP, it will download a copy of the email and keep a copy on the server. And they have to for several years by law. POP3, by contrast, downloads the mail to your computer and deletes it from its server space. Leo really isn't a fan of keeping your ISP as your main email service. He uses a third-party payment service called FastMail. That way, he can change ISPs at any time, and it doesn't affect his email at all. And it's not that expensive either.
How Can I Stream Video Overseas?
Episode 1836
Mike fromMike is going to be in the Philippines and will have to quarantine for a week. How can he watch Netflix and other streaming? Leo says to use a VPN. Virtual Private Networks will mask your location and bypass any geographic restrictions. Most will let you choose a location for your server so that it makes you appear to be in the proper country. Leo recommends ExpressVPN. It works quite well with overseas streaming restrictions. Leo also recommends a travel router like the Tiny Hardware Firewall, which comes with its own VPN.
Why Does a Email Form Say “Invalid Email” as I’m Typing the Address?
Episode 1836
Ed fromEd is having a weird experience when he types in an email address and gets "invalid email address" after just a few characters. But if he pastes in the email, it's fine. Leo says that there's code in an email form that is constantly checking for legitimate emails. It should do it after you type it in, but it's doing it on each letter, and that's clearly a bug. But if you keep typing, it should just nag you until you're gone inputting the email address. So it's either a bug or just plain bad form design.
Johnny Jet ... a MAZE ing.
Episode 1835
Johnny joins Leo to talk about things to do with the family for Halloween. Local haunts and family pumpkin patches are everywhere. He took his family to Underwood Family Farms this week.
Facebook Whistleblower Testifies Before Congress
Episode 1835
Saying that Facebook's lack of proper policing is a subject of severe concern, whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before Congress this week. Haugen says that Facebook isn't doing enough to self-regulate what content appears on the social media site Haugen also says that Facebook's algorithms are designed to increase user engagement, by boosting dopamine in the brain. Much like a drug. This makes users want to stay on, no matter how bad the experience can be.
Leo isn't sure that government regulation is the answer though, in lieu of the first amendment.
Rod Pyle: Life in Lava Tubes
Episode 1834
Rod joins Leo to talk about the ESA/JSA joins probe Beppi Columbo, which did a swing by Mercury this week and took some up close and personal photos as it flew by. It's only the third time we've visited Mercury because it's very difficult to reach due to its close proximity to the sun. Interestingly, they've seen lava tubes on the surface, which could make it possible to have habitation underground in the future.
Sam Abuelsamid and Exploring Your Car's Limits
Episode 1834
Sam joins Leo to talk about local races designed to let people play with their cars and explore their limits. It's basic slalom racing, where you're racing a course against the clock. Sam ran his Mazda Miata recently and did quite well. The fun thing about it is, you don't have to have a race car or anything custom. You can bring any car you have. The racing is usually done in a mall or stadium parking lot and can be a fun way to spend a weekend. It's also an excellent way to teach your teen to do advanced driving techniques like skid recovery.
Increased Demand for Products During Pandemic Causing Port Backup
Episode 1833
Nearly 150 container ships off the coast of the Port of Los Angeles are waiting for entry to offload their cargo, in spite of increased efforts to clear the backload. Some are quarantined with crew infections of Covid, but mostly, it's the Port of LA straining to keep up with unprecedented demand. Ships are being docked and unloaded at record speed, but the ships just keep coming, prompting a backlog that isn't going to abate any time soon.
Why is Apple TV+ Constantly Asking For My Password?
Episode 1833
Tom fromTom wants to know what's up with Apple TV+, but it seems that they're having a "hissy fit" with the app on Roku. He's always having to sign in. So it keeps forgetting the password. Leo says Tom's Apple password is the password. But Tom says he gets a "password is invalid" error. Leo says that Tom may be putting in the wrong password. He could be logging in with his iCloud account, not his Apple account. He could have also created a new account when he first signed up for Apple TV+. So it can get very confusing.