AwesomeCast: Tech and Gadget Talk

Apple M6 Macs, Grogu & RC Racing | AwesomeCast 793

August 25th, 2026  |  1 hr 28 mins

3d printing, airport gaming, apple, apple m6, artificial intelligence, bathroom finder app, cloudrc, dave podnar, disney nfl, dolly parton, dungeon crawler carl, field museum chicago, gameway, grogu, gta 6, gta vi, hasbro pulse, hot wheels, katie dudas, kingdom hearts 4, kingdom hearts disney plus, linus torvalds, linux, linux 35th anniversary, local ai, m6 chip, mac mini, mac studio, mattel game studios, michael sorg, minecraft, nature calls app, pittsburgh international airport, pittsburgh podcast, pittsburgh steelers, pittsburgh technology, plastic fun time, pokemon, pokemon fossil museum, racing simulator, rc cars, rc racing, rockstar games, sorg, star wars, technology podcast, thunderbolt 5, transformers, transformers minecraft, ultimate grogu, unix, uno

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar are back with a packed AwesomeCast covering the latest intersections of technology, gaming, gadgets, and geek culture.
The show opens with a remembrance of Dolly Parton and her extraordinary charitable legacy before diving into RC cars controlled through full-size racing simulators and Apple’s updated Mac mini and Mac Studio hardware. Dave explains the M6 chip, Thunderbolt 5 clustering, and why running AI locally could become increasingly attractive for businesses and creators.
Chachi takes us inside Chicago’s Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibit and delivers gaming news on Kingdom Hearts 4, Mattel Game Studios, and the latest GTA VI leaks. Katie opens a box full of 3D-printed Dungeon Crawler Carl collectibles, while the crew celebrates 35 years of Linux.
Plus: Transformers invades Minecraft, Hasbro creates a $600 interactive Grogu, the Nature Calls restroom finder launches, Pittsburgh International Airport gets a gaming lounge, and Disney characters are being paired with NFL teams.
Get geeky. Get awesome.

Apple’s Camera AirPods and an AI Tamagotchi? | AwesomeCast 792

August 19th, 2026  |  59 mins 26 secs

ai pocket pet, ai tamagotchi, air traffic controllers, airpods camera, alltrails hidden tracks, apple airpods, apple visual intelligence, boston dynamics robot dog, creator monetization, dungeon crawler carl, faa gamers, factory automation, five nights at freddy’s, freddy fazbear’s pizza, gadget podcast, google street view game, hello kitty godzilla, hop earth, hyundai ev factory, hyundai metaplant, kevlar, mcdonald’s happy meal, pittsburgh tech podcast, roblox safety, snes demake, stephanie kwolek, super mario bros wonder, sweekar, tamagotchi, tech news, technology podcast, tiktok privacy, tiktok voice calls, youtube analytics, youtube views

Could Apple be preparing AirPods with tiny cameras? Can an AI-powered Tamagotchi grow up, develop a personality, and remind you to take a break?

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore those questions in AwesomeCast 792. The crew examines the Sweekar AI pocket pet, a possible Apple AirPods camera leak, and TikTok’s new voice-calling concerns.

Also discussed:

• Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meal collectibles

• Hop Earth’s Google Street View driving game

• Stephanie L. Kwolek and the discovery of Kevlar

• Roblox safety litigation and a real Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza

• The FAA recruiting gamers as air traffic controllers

• AllTrails Hidden Tracks

• A Super Mario Bros. Wonder SNES demake

• Autonomous sleds and robot dogs inside Hyundai’s EV factory

• YouTube’s new approach to public view counts

• Turning Dungeon Crawler Carl fandom into a subscription business

Support the show and unlock bonus AwesomeCast content at https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast.

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.

GeForce Now on Apple TV, LEGO F1 Cars & Sony’s Digital Ownership Problem | AwesomeCast 786

July 7th, 2026  |  59 mins 20 secs

aeroplay, apple tv gaming, autonomous vehicles, british grand prix, business laptops, collector toys, dave podnar, dell refurbished, digital movie library, digital ownership, disability pride month, drm, dungeon crawler carl, epic games, fireworks, fisher-price little people, formula 1, game preservation, geforce now, hello kitty insta360, herman hollerith, ibm history, insta360, kamin science center, katie dudas, lego f1, medication organizer, nvidia geforce now, physical game discs, pill caddy, pittsburgh podcast, pop culture collectibles, punched cards, refurbished laptops, science of speed, self-driving cars, sony playstation, sorg, steam games, tech podcast, villain support, waymo, weekly pill organizer, xbox cloud gaming

Google I/O AI Agents, iOS 27 Accessibility, Fortnite Returns & Retro Camera Apps | AwesomeCast 780

May 20th, 2026  |  1 hr 1 min

1986 transformers movie, aapi heritage month, accessibility technology, agentic ai, ai agents, ajay bhatt, apple intelligence, dave podnar, dave pondar, dazz cam, dungeon crawler carl, epic games, fortnite ios, gadget reviews, google gemini, google i/o 2026, graphic novel, intel, ios 27, iphone accessibility, iphone photography, optimus prime, pittsburgh podcast, retro camera app, sorg, sorgatron media, tech news, tech podcast, transformers the movie, usb, vintage photography, webtoon

Sorg and Dave Podnar host AwesomeCast 780 with tech news, gadget picks, and a big dose of AI conversation. This week’s topics include the Dungeon Crawler Carl graphic novel, Dazz Cam’s retro iPhone photography app, Ajay Bhatt’s role in creating USB, Apple’s upcoming iOS 27 accessibility features, Google I/O’s agentic AI announcements, Fortnite’s return to iOS, and the 40th anniversary Transformers: The Movie “Apology Tour.”

Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast