AwesomeCast: Tech and Gadget Talk

Xbox Cloud Limits, Retro Gaming, and MapQuest’s Comeback | AwesomeCast 795

September 8th, 2026  |  51 mins 51 secs

alarm clock app, carplay, cartridge save backups, chachisays, cholera mapping, clucky, console affordability, dave podnar, dungeon crawler carl, epilogue gb operator, game boy, game boy camera, gaming news, geek culture, great pumpkin, john snow, katie dudas, lego ideas, mapquest, michael sorg, nintendo switch 2, ocarina of time, panic, pittsburgh podcast, playdate, princess donut, project helix, questies, retro gaming, roman reigns, sn operator, snoopy, star trek 60th anniversary, starbucks peanuts, strange new worlds, street fighter 6, super nintendo, tariff refunds, technology podcast, tetris, the legend of zelda, wastewater surveillance, xbox cloud gaming, xbox disc to digital, xbox game pass, xbox series s, zelda 40th anniversary

Xbox cloud limits send Sorg back to his console, MapQuest gets an 8-bit makeover, and Clucky makes you earn your snooze. Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar talk Star Trek at 60, Zelda, retro gaming gadgets, Snoopy collectibles, and Dungeon Crawler Carl LEGO fan projects.

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.

Xbox Games on Mac & Linux? Freddy Fazbear Goes IRL & Video Stores Return | AwesomeCast 791

August 11th, 2026  |  59 mins 40 secs

adobe project indigo, ai photo editing, ai photography, american dream, amusement parks, atari, betamax, binge buster, cedar point, cloud gaming, computational photography, dave podnar, diablo, digital ownership, doom the dark ages, dvd, ea, electronic arts, five nights at freddy's, forza horizon, freddy fazbear's pizza, gaming news, geforce now, grand theft auto vi, gta 6, lawrenceville pittsburgh, lewis latimer, linux gaming, lost lizard pittsburgh, mac gaming, michael sorg, movies anywhere, nature calls run, netflix, nvidia geforce now, physical media, pittsburgh apps, pittsburgh tech, pittsburgh technology podcast, pittsburgh weather, quake, quake 30th anniversary, reddit pittsburgh, restroom finder, running apps, six flags, sorg, stormfreak, streaming movies, streaming services, tech news, technology podcast, vhs, video stores, xbox, xbox game pass, xbox on linux, xbox on mac, xodus

Sorg and Dave Podnar explore what happens when new technology collides with some very old ideas. Binge Buster turns streaming discovery into a virtual video-store experience, Pittsburgh's Lost Lizard is actually renting VHS, DVD, and Betamax again, and disappearing digital movie purchases have Sorg wondering whether physical media deserves another look.

Steam Game Cartridges Are Real?! Xbox’s Disc Comeback & AI Love Island | AwesomeCast 790

August 4th, 2026  |  56 mins 16 secs

ai reality show, ai slop, ai video, apple health, artificial intelligence, august interactive, battlefield 6, brother p-touch, creator tools, cybersecurity, dave podnar, digital ownership, ea layoffs, electronic arts, fitbit, fruit love island, gadget podcast, galaxies, game preservation, health technology, katie dudas, kevin mitnick, label maker, lsst camera, lunar science, michael sorg, moon impact, moonbase y, nasa games, national social engineering day, pc gaming, physical media, pittsburgh podcast, playstation discs, social engineering, sony playstation, space photography, spacex, steam cartridges, steam games, tech news, technology podcast, travel apps, travel technology, vera c rubin observatory, wrinkles app, xbox, xbox backwards compatibility, xbox disc to digital

AwesomeCast 790: Steam Game Cartridges Are Real?! Xbox’s Disc Comeback & AI Love Island

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

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.

SteamOS, Shokz Headphones, Retro Phones, Sports Tech & a T-Pain Social Media Fail | AwesomeCast 784

June 23rd, 2026  |  59 mins 35 secs

ai coding, amd gpu, automation, baja sae, bazzite, bone conduction headphones, chachi says, claude guillemot, commodore phone, dave podnar, digital twins, doordash, dumbphone, formula sae, gadgets, gaming, gta 6, jon maddog hall, lgbtq tech history, linux gaming, linux history, michael sorg, mlb, nex playground, open ear headphones, open source, pc gaming, pittsburgh podcast, pixel art baseball, podcast, pride month, proton, referee technology, retro phone, retro tech, ribbie, running headphones, sailfish os, shokz openrun pro 2, social media fail, sorg, sports technology, steam deck, steam machine, steamos, t-pain, tech podcast, technology podcast, ubisoft, valve, var, vibe coding, video game news, world cup

Road Trip Tech, World Cup Culture Shock, Strong Museum, and Gemini Pro | AwesomeCast 783

June 16th, 2026  |  1 hr 7 mins

ai tools, arm processor, chachi says, crazy taxi, dave podnar, electric pickup truck, fifa world cup, ford ev, gemini pro, google gemini, google one, katie dudas, like a dragon, marvel wolverine, michael sorg, missy sorg, nerdvana, niagara falls, ocarina of time, pittsburgh podcast, pride month, qr code camouflage, road podcast, sophie wilson, sorgatron media, stranger than heaven, strong museum of play, super mario bros auction, tech podcast, tmnt the last ronin, travel tech, tupac video game, vibe coding, video game hall of fame, video game news, world cup

Sorg and Katie are back on the road in Michigan, Dave Podnar joins from the Pod Cave, and Missy runs the studio back in Pittsburgh for AwesomeCast 783.

This week’s episode is a road trip mix of tech, travel, gaming, and AI. The crew talks about World Cup fans discovering American stores and food culture, Niagara Falls adventures, a 26th-floor IHOP, Sophie Wilson and the history of ARM processors, Chachi’s video game news, the Strong Museum of Play, Nerdvana, Ford’s hidden QR code in prototype EV camouflage, and Sorg’s surprise discovery of Google Gemini Pro access through his Google storage plan.

DJI Robot Vacuum Hack, Playable Tetris Magazine & Viral Olympic Moments | AwesomeCast 769

February 25th, 2026  |  51 mins 51 secs

accessible mobility, ai coding assistant, autonomous vehicle, black history month, civic progress challenge, cybersecurity, dave podnar, dji, dreamcast, dunkin, dunkin mitten, figure skating, frederick mckinley jones, gadget news, game pop, genesis, hideki sato, iced coffee, innovation, michael sorg, mortal kombat, podnar, red bull bulletin, robot vacuum, sae, saturn, sega, smart home security, sorg, tech news, tetris, the verge, thermo king, vibe coding, video game news, viral video, winter olympics

Sorg and Podnar cover big and bizarre tech headlines: an alleged DJI robot vacuum security mess, AI-assisted “vibe coding,” and why camera-equipped home gadgets deserve extra caution. They also dig into the SAE Civic Progress Challenge (accessible mobility innovation), geek out over a playable Tetris magazine cover, and hit viral Winter Olympics moments—plus a Dunkin iced coffee mitten that’s as ridiculous as it sounds. Includes Chachi’s Video Game Minute and a Black History Month spotlight on Frederick McKinley Jones.

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.