AwesomeCast: Tech and Gadget Talk

Keeping Podcasting Weird: On the Road | AwesomeCast 779

May 12th, 2026  |  54 mins 23 secs

aapi heritage month, axiom custom products, baja sae, baja sae oregon, cannon beach, cetys mini baja, chachi says, ebay, engineering students, eric yuan, formula sae, gamestop, gopro, grogu, gta 6, haystack rock, katie dudas, mandalorian, mount hood, on-demand manufacturing, oshcut, pacific northwest, pedro pascal, pittsburgh podcast, portland, sheet metal fabrication, sorg, sorgatron media, strauss zelnick, student engineering, take-two, tech podcast, times square, tube bending, video game hall of fame, washougal mx, zoom

Sorg is on the road in Michigan for Wrestling Mayhem Show 1004, joined by Rizz, Mad Mike, and Producer Missy for a chaotic week in pro wrestling.

Fortnite Star Wars, Apple Silicon App Tricks, Robot Pets & the Future of GameStop | AwesomeCast 778

May 6th, 2026  |  1 hr 3 mins

aapi month, ai companion, apple silicon, chachi says, darth vader, dave podnar, david pogue, droid tycoon, ebay, escape vader, fazlur khan, fortnite, fortnite star wars, gadgets, galactic siege, gamestop, gaming news, generative ai, ipad apps on mac, iphone apps on mac, iphone screenshots, katie dudas, mac apps, macbook neo, pittsburgh marathon, playstation 5, ps5 slim, robot pet, roomba, sorg, star wars, tech podcast, video games, wwe ai

Sorg, Katie, and Podnar are back for AwesomeCast 778 with Apple Silicon Mac tips, Katie’s hands-on thoughts on the MacBook Neo, Fortnite’s Star Wars takeover, robot companions from the creator of Roomba, AI in wrestling promos, GameStop’s rumored eBay bid, and a spotlight on skyscraper engineering pioneer Fazlur Khan for AAPI Month.

Artemis II Moon Mission, AI Chatbot Risks, Apple TikTok & LEGO Zelda | AwesomeCast 774

April 1st, 2026  |  1 hr 1 min

3d printing, adobe illustrator, ai chatbots, ai sycophancy, animation tools, apple tiktok, artemis ii, article analysis, awesomecast, awesomecast 774, browser extension, chachi, channelsurfer, chatgpt, claude, dave podnar, deepseek, digital vs physical games, epic games layoffs, etsy shop, finder mascot, gaming news, geek culture, gemini, great deku tree, heinz ketchup, heinz verified, hidden figures, kalpana chawla, katherine johnson, katie dudas, lego zelda, moon mission, nancy grace roman, nasa, nintendo, ocarina of time, patricia cowings, pittsburgh podcast, plastic fun time, project turntable, sorg, stanford study, tech podcast, vera rubin, whats up with that, women’s history month, xbox

This week on AwesomeCast 774, Sorg, Katie, and Dave Podnar talk about the upcoming Artemis II moon mission, the surprisingly useful Heinz Verified restaurant map, and Chachi’s growing 3D printing Etsy shop. They also dig into a Stanford study on AI chatbot sycophancy, check out the What’s Up With That research assistant browser extension, react to Adobe Illustrator’s new 2D-to-3D Project Turntable, explore Apple’s TikTok mascot strategy, and get excited about LEGO Ocarina of Time sets.

Apple Podcasts Adds Video + iPhones to the Moon?! | Olympics Drone Cam, 2XKO & Hatchin’ Yoshi | AwesomeCast 768

February 16th, 2026  |  1 hr 50 mins

2xko, apple podcasts video, apple tv rumors, bad bunny lyrics translation, black history month in tech, browser fingerprinting, cover your tracks, dave podnar, drone cinematography, eff, fighting games, five below block tech, hatchin yoshi, katie dudas, live event production, marian croak, mario wonder, michael sorg, mini arcade builds, national inventors hall of fame, nintendo, olympics drone camera, online tracking, podcasting workflow, privacy, riot games, sorgatron media, spotify translate lyrics, stagecue app, tag fighter, talking flower, tech podcast, ublock origin, video podcasts, voip, vr drone goggles, yoshi toy, youtube music translate lyrics

This week on AwesomeCast 768, Sorg, Dudders, and Podnar dig into the tech and culture behind the headlines: Apple Podcasts bringing video, Olympics drone chase-cam production, and the real-world challenges of taking a smartphone on a lunar mission. Plus: Sorg’s time with Riot’s 2XKO, Dudders’ 6-in-1 air safety monitor, and a wave of Nintendo cuteness with Hatchin’ Yoshi and the Mario Wonder Talking Flower. We also share an EFF privacy self-check with Cover Your Tracks, and a surprisingly useful event tool: StageCue for managing video playback on venue screens. 

Catcade Cats, Suno AI Music & Moment iPhone Lenses — Plus Tecmo Bowl Movie?! | AwesomeCast 767

February 11th, 2026  |  1 hr 1 min

ai in advertising, ai music, anime convention pittsburgh, arcade, awesomecast, awesomecast 767, black history month, cat cafe, cat rescue, catcade chicago, cctv, cinebloom filter, content creation tools, dave podnar, downie app, dudders, dunkin merch, generative music, halftime show logistics, home security system, iphone lenses, iphone videography, iphoneography, katie dudas, live production, marie van brittan brown, michael sorg, mobile filmmaking, moment lenses, moment t-series, nintendo switch 2, puerto rico halftime discourse, ring doorbell, sangawa project, sorgatron, srt subtitles, steadicam, suno, suno ai, super bowl commercials, switch 2 sales, tecmo bowl movie, transcription workflow, youtube downloader

Sorg, Katie “Dudders” Dudas, and Dave Podnar recap Sangawa Project weekend adventures, then dive into the Awesome Things of the Week: Chicago’s Catcade cat-rescue arcade, Sorg’s first experiment making a custom track with Suno AI, and Podnar’s hands-on upgrade with Moment iPhone lenses and filters. Plus: the Tecmo Bowl movie news, Switch 2 sales milestones, Super Bowl ad/halftime logistics talk, a Black History spotlight on home security pioneer Marie Van Brittan Brown, and a creator workflow tip for downloading YouTube video + subtitles with Downie.

AwesomeCast 764: Animal Crossing 3.0 Changed Everything?! + Final Cut Updates, Premiere AI, and ChatGPT Health

January 21st, 2026  |  57 mins 58 secs

a little to the left, adobe ai video, adobe premiere pro, ai editing tools, ai safety, animal crossing 3.0, animal crossing switch, animal crossing update, apple creator studio, are you dead app, artificial intelligence news, chatgpt, chill games, chore games, compressor, content creation, cozy games, creator tools, daily check-in app, dave podnar, digital culture, digital safety apps, final cut pro, gaming discussion, gaming podcast, geek culture, indie games, iphone apps, katie dudas, logic pro, mattel sora, media workflows, michael sorg, mobile apps, motion, nintendo switch, openai, openai age prediction, personal safety technology, podcast production, powerwash simulator, skeletor ai, sora ai, tech for creators, tech podcast, technology news, video editing, video game news

This week on AwesomeCast 764, cohosts Michael Sorg, Dave Podnar, and Katie Dudas dive into the week’s biggest tech and creator stories—plus a special Animal Crossing 3.0 update field report from Charlotte. Katie checks in with her Animal Crossing–obsessed niece Charlotte to break down what’s new, what’s addictive, and how “slumber islands” change the way you build and share your island adventures. 

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.

Peeping Roomba, Telly TV Hands On and Thankful for Tech | AwesomeCast 759

November 26th, 2025  |  55 mins 37 secs

1992 gadgets, 3dfx voodoo nostalgia, amazon storage bins, awesomecast, cat wars calendar, dave podnar, disney animatronics, disney robot olaf, dual 56k modem, free telly tv, home organization hacks, katie dudas, lasko whirlwind heater, lgbtq gaming pioneer, michael sorg, pebble watch open source, pittsburgh tech podcast, rebecca heineman tribute, retro tech gadgets, robotic olaf, she-ra catra vintage toy, space heater review, tech podcast, telly ad supported television, voltron 40th anniversary set, voltron collector’s set

Free TV, robot snowmen, space heaters, and Voltron nostalgia – we’re packing a lot into AwesomeCast 759.

This week, Michael Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar dive into:

Sorg’s first week living with a Telly free TV and its always-on ad bar

Dave’s emergency Lasko Whirlwind space heater run when his furnace dies

Katie’s Amazon storage bins that completely changed how she organizes clothes

A heartfelt ChachiSays Video Game Minute tribute to game dev legend Rebecca Heineman

Katie’s beloved Cat Wars calendar and a detour into She-Ra villain Catra toy nostalgia

Quick hits on Disney’s robotic Olaf, a 40th anniversary Voltron collector set, and the future of park animatronics & high-end geek collectibles

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.

OpenAI’s New Browser Changes Everything | ChatGPT Atlas Hands-On! | AwesomeCast 754

October 22nd, 2025  |  48 mins 40 secs

3dfx graphics card, ad-supported tv, ai browser, ai news, ai pet, ai shopping, awesomecast, baby steps game, cable management hack, casio moflin, chatgpt atlas, dave podnar, double fine keeper, free tv ads, gadget news, katie dudas, keeper game pass, michael sorg, netflix gaming, openai browser, pittsburgh tech podcast, pop culture tech, retro pc gaming, roblox games, robotic pet, sesame street roblox, slice on broadway, tech podcast, telly tv, walmart chatgpt, weekly tech show, xbox game pass games

The AwesomeCast crew — Michael Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar — dive into another week of geeky goodness, from AI browsers and robo-pets to nostalgic tech and bizarre cable “hacks.”