AwesomeCast: Tech and Gadget Talk

AI Graphics Get Smarter + Xbox Classics on PC & LEGO Star Trek | AwesomeCast 789

July 28th, 2026  |  54 mins 51 secs

accessibility technology, adobe photoshop, ai, ai education, ai image editing, artificial intelligence, atari, atom smasher, audible, audiobook, audiobook history, autobot blaster, centipede, chachisays video game minute, chatgpt, chatgpt images, commercial street bridge, dave podnar, dungeon crawler carl, education technology, game preservation, generative ai, graphic design, hasbro, humanoid robot, jem and the holograms, katie dudas, lego, lego smart play, michael sorg, optimus prime, peter cullen, photoshop, pittsburgh history, pittsburgh tech podcast, pittsburgh technology, pong, retro gaming, robosen, robotics, sorg, squirrel hill tunnel, star trek, steam deck, tech news, technology history, technology podcast, transformers, universal pictures, uss enterprise, video game news, westinghouse, xbox, xbox backward compatibility, xbox pc

AwesomeCast 788: Pew Pew - Retro Gaming on Apple TV, Minimalist Flip Phones & the AI Backlash

July 21st, 2026  |  1 hr 6 mins

adaptive cruise control, ai ethics, ai image editing, ai video production, apple tv gaming, arduino, artificial intelligence, ask photos, browser games, consumer technology, creative ai, cruise control, data centers, data-center electricity, dave podnar, digital detox, digital ownership, digital privacy, diy electronics, dumb phones, dungeon crawler carl, flip phones, gadget podcast, gamestop, garmin connect, garmin fitness tracker, generative ai, google gemini, google photos, google photos search, gta iii, gta san andreas mod, gta vice city, katie dudas, light flip phone, machine learning, maeve chocolate, maker technology, mama’s night off, mars flyby, mike sorg, minimalist phone, minimalist technology, nasa psyche, nintendo wii remote, openmote, pastfinders, physical media, physical video games, pittsburgh bridges, pittsburgh film office, pittsburgh movie locations, pittsburgh podcast, playstation 5 emulation, ps5 emulator, ralph teetor, retro gaming, retro technology, retroarch, retroarch apple tv, sae, screenless fitness tracker, smart-home controls, society of automotive engineers, sony physical discs, sorg, sorgatron media, space exploration, tech news, technology news, technology podcast, technology regulation, video game emulation, wearable technology, wiimote

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore the return of retro technology and the growing demand for digital tools that give users more control.

Katie shares the Dungeon Crawler Carl-inspired Mama’s Night Off browser game. Dave introduces Garmin’s new screenless fitness tracker, while Sorg explains how he set up RetroArch on Apple TV to play games from classic consoles and computers.

The crew also discusses PlayStation 5 emulation, GameStop’s response to the decline of physical discs, and why consumers are returning to vinyl, CDs, cassettes, flip phones, and other forms of physical technology.

An extended conversation examines how AI is being incorporated into creative tools, business software, search, image editing, and video production. The hosts consider responsible AI use, the difference between generative AI and other machine-learning features, and the environmental and infrastructure concerns surrounding rapid data-center growth.

Other stories include NASA’s Psyche spacecraft capturing a Mars flyby, Pittsburgh movie locations in the Pastfinders app, the minimalist Light Flip phone, the OpenMote Wii Remote development board, Google Photos restoring classic search, and Ralph Teetor’s invention of cruise control.

Support AwesomeCast at https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast and find more shows at https://sorgatronmedia.com.

Fortnite’s Hot Bat Summer, Robot Arms & AI | AwesomeCast 787

July 15th, 2026  |  58 mins 19 secs

ai privacy, apple beta, apple health, artificial intelligence, assistive technology, autonomous vehicles, batman, blood pressure monitor, camera guidelines, carnegie science center, catwoman, consumer technology, cyborg technology, dave podnar, digital ownership, digital surveillance, disability pride month, doctor octopus, fast and furious, fortnite, gadgets, harley quinn, hot bat summer, instagram ai, ios 27, jizai arms, katie dudas, kennywood, kids smartwatch, lego speed champions, meta ai, michael sorg, omron 7 series, parental controls, petersen automotive museum, phones for kids, pinwheel phones, pittsburgh technology podcast, poison ivy, robotic arms, rory cooper, sorg, speed exhibit, sports broadcasting, tech news, technology podcast, toyota supra mk4, usb-c cables, usb-c diagnostics, waymo, whatcable, wheelchair technology, women athletes

Sorg, Katie Dudas and Dave Podnar explore the useful, unusual and occasionally alarming side of modern technology in AwesomeCast 787.

Dave reviews the Bluetooth-enabled Omron 7 Series blood pressure monitor, while Katie introduces Pinwheel’s managed phones, smartwatch and Wi-Fi home phone for younger users. Sorg tests WhatCable, a Mac utility that reveals whether USB-C cables, chargers and ports are really delivering the speeds they promise.

The crew also discusses Rory Cooper’s groundbreaking wheelchair innovations, LEGO’s Fast & Furious Toyota Supra, a new speed exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center, respectful camera guidelines for women athletes, Instagram’s reversed AI remix feature, wearable Doctor Octopus-style robotic arms, Fortnite’s “Hot Bat Summer” and a shirtless protester’s battle with a Waymo.

Sorg begins downloading the iOS 27 public beta during the episode, while Katie saves her less-than-awesome update thoughts for the Patreon aftertalk.

2025 Predictions on AI, 3D Printers and more! | AwesomeCast 762

December 17th, 2025  |  1 hr 49 secs

2025 tech recap, 2026 tech predictions, 3d printers, 3d printing, ai backlash, ai competition, ai ethics, ai health tracking, ai marketing claims, ai podcast, ai productivity, ai regulation, ai tools, ai trust, ai workflow automation, apple vision pro, artificial intelligence, awesomecast, awesomecast podcast, bambu labs, bambu labs 3d printer, chatgpt, consumer 3d printing, content creation tools, creator economy, emerging technology, end of year tech review, everyday ai use, future of ai, future technology, gaming news, generative ai, google gemini, hardware podcast, health tracking apps, human made content, indie games, katie dudas, large language models, macwhisper, maker culture, mental health and gaming, michael sorg, mixed reality, opus clip, podcast production tools, practical ai, productivity technology, professional 3d printing, rapid prototyping, rob de la cretaz, sorgatron media, tech commentary, tech culture, tech discussion podcast, tech hardware, tech news podcast, tech predictions podcast, technology podcast, technology trends, video game awards, video game industry, virtual reality, workflow optimization, xr technology

In this end-of-year AwesomeCast, hosts Michael Sorg and Katie Dudas are joined by original AwesomeCast co-host Rob De La Cretaz for a wide-ranging discussion on the biggest tech shifts of 2025 — and what’s coming next.

How ChatGPT Helped Plan a Dream Trip to Japan (+ AI Life Hacks You Can Try Now!) | AwesomeCast 756

November 4th, 2025  |  1 hr 1 min

3d cat billboard, accessibility tech, ai, ai accessibility, ai art, ai automation, ai creativity, ai diet log, ai event pittsburgh, ai health tracker, ai innovation, ai integration, ai life hacks, ai planning, ai productivity, ai tools, amazon links, apple, artificial intelligence, avatar robot cafe, awesomecast, awesomecast 756, backyard baseball animation, brian crawford, bridge inspection drone, bullet trains, call of duty movie, carplay, chachi says, chatgpt, chatgpt projects, creative ai, cultural respect, digital art museum, digital lifestyle, drones, fitness automation, formula sae, future tech, gaming adaptation, gaming news, gemini, godzilla hotel, google, google translate, home decorating, home design ai, icoca card, immersive art, innovation, interior design with chatgpt, iphone, japan technology, japan travel, japanese culture, japanese etiquette, katie dudas, lifestyle technology, michael sorg, patreon, peter berg, pittsburgh, pittsburgh city podcast, pittsburgh robotics community, pittsburgh tech, podcast aftershow, podcast technology, podcasting pittsburgh, pop culture tech, robot cafe tokyo, robotics, robotics and ai discovery day, robotics expo, shinjuku, shinkansen, sidekick media services, siri, ska robotics, slice on broadway, smart cities, smart home shopping, social media, sorgatron media, suica card, sustainability, taylor sheridan, teamlabs borderless, technology podcast, technology trends 2025, tokyo tech tourism, transit tech, translation apps, travel tech, university of pittsburgh, youtube podcast

In this week’s episode, Sorg and Dudders get geeky about AI in everyday life — from redesigning homes with ChatGPT to tracking calories with conversational AI. Then guest Brian Crawford takes us on a deep dive through Japan’s advanced transit tech, immersive art museums, and cultural quirks.
We also preview Pittsburgh’s AI & Robotics Demo Day and catch up with Chachi’s gaming news minute.

Perfect for fans of AI tools, travel tech, and real-world innovation.

Sustainability in Business with Kloopify | AwesomeCast 660

October 24th, 2023  |  58 mins 44 secs

adobe, apple, artificial intelligence, content creation, emissions tracking, fashion tech, las vegas, mac, pittsburgh, playstation, podcast, procurement, social media, sorgatron media, sphere, startup, supply chain, sustainability, tech news, xbox

This week on AwesomeCast, Daniela Osio joined to discuss Kloopify, a startup she founded to help companies integrate sustainability into procurement and supply chain processes. By mapping purchases to emissions data, Kloopify enables organizations to understand their environmental impact and make better sourcing decisions. Dave recapped his recent trip to the Palm Springs Air Museum and John shared how he uses AI to streamline content creation. Other topics included upcoming Apple product rumors, the dazzling new Sphere attraction in Las Vegas, and Adobe's electronic ink dress that can change colors and patterns on command. The episode provided great insights on leveraging tech for sustainability and productivity.

Irrational Fear of Data Loss | AwesomeCast 369

October 17th, 2017  |  1 hr 1 min

#goingdeep, aaron watson, ai, artificial intelligence, battle bots, carnegie mellon, cmu, disney, file browser, giant robots, going deep, going deep with aaron watson, google, halloween, hollywood, hollywood studios, movie pass, movies anywhere, multi pass, multipass, netflix, pikachu, pokemon, pokemon go, pokemongo, pornhub, rocketbook, rocketbook wave, samsung, shapr, smart fridge, spooky pokemon, sundar pichai, trick-or-treat

We’re joined by Aaron Watson of Going Deep With Aaron Watson this week. He’s in studio with Sorg, Chilla, and Katie as we’re talking this week’s tech news.