AwesomeCast: Tech and Gadget Talk

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.

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.

Drunken Robot Pornography | AwesomeCast 458

August 14th, 2019  |  1 hr 21 secs

air bnb, autodrive challenge, awesome cast, awesomecast, basement, counter strike, genki, globe living, impossible mario, ios, kickstarter, loot crate, mini gaming, mixer, ninja, nintendo, nintendo switch, playstation 3, podcaster, porn, ps3, sae, scarehouse, scream district, snap, spectacles, spotify, steam, steam link, super mario bros, super mario maker, tech news, tech talk, technology, tumblr, turbo grafx, twitch, verizon, wordpress

It's a slow tech news week, but Katie, Sorg, and Chilla have plenty to talk about

Waving At Dogs | AwesomeCast 451

June 26th, 2019  |  1 hr 1 min

1001 video games, android q, awesome cast, awesomecast, beta, connectband, dji, dog, duck, hangouts on air, harry potter, ios 13, mimke, mobile, osmo, pilot, pittsburgh, podcasters, pokemon go, port authority, raspberry pi, raspberry pi 4, rescue-palooza, rfid, robot, roomba, sae, simulator, tech talk, technology, teenage mutant ninja turtles, tmnt, wizards unite, youtube

The crew is back in studio as Krause, Chilla, and Sorg bring you this week's tech news

Drone Training | AwesomeCast 449

June 12th, 2019  |  1 hr 7 mins

amazon, apple, auto drive, autodrive, awesome cast, awesomecast, be my eyes, bobby cherry, bring your own device, byod, cloud, delivery, dongle, drone, green screen, headphones, icloud, imovie, picture in picture, sae, surface, tech, tech news, tech talk, technology, xcloud

Bobby Cherry joins us in studio with Sorg, while Chilla checks in from Studio C to talk this week in tech news.

Netflix Needs to Chill Out | AwesomeCast 440

April 10th, 2019  |  1 hr 8 mins

a-train, airplay, alexa, amazon, awesome cast, awesomecast, brian crawford, bricksburgh, facebook, facebook portal, game pass, garmin speak, google, lego, microsoft, netflix, podcast, pop-up, sae, smart devices, tech, tech talk, technology, xbox, xbox live

There are some new, but familiar faces on the couch this week as Sorg is joined by Krause and Brian to talk about this week's tech headlines.

I Have A Thin Voice | AwesomeCast 436

March 13th, 2019  |  1 hr 10 mins

#clairtongrows, apple, awesome cast, awesomecast, aws, digital marketing, eagledream technologies, esports, fitbit, full sail university, ios, jon providence, krnls, pro gaming, ps4, rc plane, rochester, sae, scot mactaggart, sony, tech talk, technology, tim apple, tim cook, veracity vrcade, weightwatchers

Krause and Sorg are joined by Scot MacTaggart of KRNLS and Jon Providence of Eagledream Technologies as they talk this week in tech.

This Cat Does Not Exist | AwesomeCast 434

February 27th, 2019  |  1 hr 56 secs

agents of shield, awesome cast, awesomecast, battery life, bowser, c922x, cadillac, foldable phone, general motors, hololens, hololens 2, ipad, logitech, meet the mentors, micro sd, mobile world congress, nintendo, podcast, pre-accelerator, reggie fils-aime, sae, startup, startup boost pittsburgh, technology, this cat does not exist, this person does not exist, webcam

Sorg and Chilla are joined by Kit and Mitch of Startup Boost Pittsburgh to talk this week in tech headlines.