This week, Amazon Goes to the market, Uber calls the ambulance, Apple launches the HomePod, Facebook attempts to validate the news, is there a link between video games and violence?  ... and much, much more. 

Headlines

• Uber reduces ambulance usage across the country, study says
• Amazon Go, a high-tech version of a 7-Eleven, will finally open on Monday — with no checkout lines and no cashiers
  • Someone Already Accidentally Shoplifted at Amazon’s New Cashierless Store
• Apple will release its $349 HomePod speaker on February 9th

Audible Book of the Week

• The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Mr. Ambulance Driver by The Flaming Lips

Hot Topic

• Facebook to prioritize 'trustworthy' news based on surveys
  • 5 Questions About Facebook's Plan to Rate Media by 'Trustworthiness'

Music Break: Dirty Laundry by Don Henley

Final Word

• No evidence to support link between violent video games and behaviour

The Drill Down Videos of the Week

• Burger King Deviously Explains Net Neutrality by Making People Wait Longer for Whoppers

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Geeks Of Doom’s The Drill Down is a roundtable-style audio podcast where we discuss the most important issues of the week, in tech and on the web and how they affect us all. Hosts are Geeks of Doom contributor Andrew Sorcini (Mr. BabyMan), marketing research analyst Dwayne De Freitas, and Box product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

This week, Tosin goes to PAX South, the NSA gets to keep spying on Americans, Nintendo switches to cardboard for gaming, how AI is manipulating you into microtransactions  ... and much, much more. 

What We’re Playing With:

Andy: Google Arts & Culture app

Dwayne: MacBook Pro 2017

Headlines

• House votes to extend NSA’s warrantless surveillance capabilities
  • Senate advances bill to renew NSA's internet surveillance program
• Twenty-Two Attorneys General Sue The FCC Over Net Neutrality Repeal
• Facebook introduces massive changes to newsfeed
• It looks like Apple is bringing back home nearly all of its $250 billion in foreign cash

Audible Book of the Week

• Consider The Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Cuphead (Intro) by Kristopher Maddigan

Hot Topic: PAX South 2018 / Gaming  

• Tosin’s PAX South coverage

• • The Painscreek Killing - $19.99 steam
  • Solar Purge
  • ClusterPuck 99 -  $9.99 steam (coming soon to Nintendo Switch)
• Nintendo is making a bunch of weird DIY cardboard toys for the Switch and they’re awesome
• Leaked Doc Shows How Devs Use AI to Encourage Microtransactions

Music Break: Bob-Omb Battlefield by Super Soul Bros.

Final Word

• Experts are hopeful that Google Home and Amazon Echo won't addict kids like smartphones

The Drill Down Video of the Week

• Nintendo Labo announcement

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The Drill Down on iTunes (Subscribe now!)

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The Drill Down on Facebook

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Geeks Of Doom’s The Drill Down is a roundtable-style audio podcast where we discuss the most important issues of the week, in tech and on the web and how they affect us all. Hosts are Geeks of Doom contributor Andrew Sorcini (Mr. BabyMan), marketing research analyst Dwayne De Freitas, and Box product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

This week, Dwayne goes to CES and lives to tell the tale,  Google brings Pay together in one place, can white noise be copyright protected?... and much, much more. 

What We're Playing With

Andy: TCL 55” 4K monitor; Sony UBP-X800 4K Blu-Ray Player

Dwayne: Macbook Pro 15” (2017)

Tosin: DropMix Music Gaming System

Headlines

• YouTube Removes Logan Paul From Preferred Program, Puts Projects on Hold
• Without Naming Trump, Twitter Says It Won’t Block World Leaders
• Google Wallet and Android Pay merge into a single service called Google Pay

Audible Book of the Week

• Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: The Future's So Bright by Timbuk 3

Hot Topic: CES 2018

• Most Interesting things Dwayne’s Seen
  • High Tech
    • Mobileye’s mapping ability ad chip abilities (they bea nvidia), schemes for making it official.
    • Toyota’s move to battery electric
    • Samsung’s Smarthome integration
    • Google is catching up with Alexa
    • Panasonic’s demonstration of OFFLINE Alexa
    • Overall focus on intelligence rather than connecting everything
  • Low tech
    • RC cat mouse toy.
• HTC Unveils New Higher-Resolution Vive Pro VR Headset, Wireless Adapter
• Quick summary of other major CES announcements
  • Best of CES 2018
  • 8 Mind-Blowing Tech Gadgets From CES 2018
  • CES 2018: The best gadgets and tech so far
  • 10 more of the best devices and tech (so far)

Music Break: Mr. Roboto by Styx

Final Word

• White noise video hit by copyright claims

The Drill Down Video of the Week

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The Drill Down on iTunes (Subscribe now!)

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The Drill Down on Facebook

The Drill Down on Twitter

Geeks Of Doom’s The Drill Down is a roundtable-style audio podcast where we discuss the most important issues of the week, in tech and on the web and how they affect us all. Hosts are Geeks of Doom contributor Andrew Sorcini (Mr. BabyMan), marketing research analyst Dwayne De Freitas, and Box product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

This week, Batterygate drains Apple, your CPU has an irreparable flaw in it, internet pranks get deadly, are we in for a digital dark age? ... and much more.

What We're Playing With

Andy: Dark; Black Mirror Season 4

Tosin: Bright

Dwayne: R2-D2™ App-Enabled Droid™

Headlines

• Kremlin trolls burned across the Internet as Washington debated options
  • A look inside Russia's disinformation campaign
• Kansas Man Killed In ‘SWATting’ Attack
• The Logan Paul 'Suicide Forest' Video Should Be a Reckoning For YouTube

Audible Book of the Week

• Clean Meat by Paul Shapiro
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Kielbasa by Tenacious D

Hot Topic: Batterygate & Intel flaws

• Apple apologizes for iPhone slowdown drama, will offer $29 battery replacements
  • Apple makes lower iPhone battery price effective immediately
  • HTC and Motorola don’t slow down phones with old batteries like Apple does
  • Samsung and LG also confirm they do not slow down phones with older batteries
• Kernel-memory-leaking Intel processor design flaw forces Linux, Windows redesign
  • Massive chip flaw not limited to Intel
  • Researchers Discover Two Major Flaws in the World’s Computers

Music Break: Little Dark Age by MGMT

Final Word

• Scientists warn we may be creating a 'digital dark age'
• FDA approves first shock wave device made to heal wounds

The Drill Down Videos of the Week

• Flying Bat Drone

• Fetching Omnicopter

Subscribe!

The Drill Down on iTunes (Subscribe now!)

Add us on Stitcher!

The Drill Down on Facebook

The Drill Down on Twitter

Geeks Of Doom’s The Drill Down is a roundtable-style audio podcast where we discuss the most important issues of the week, in tech and on the web and how they affect us all. Hosts are Geeks of Doom contributor Andrew Sorcini (Mr. BabyMan), marketing research analyst Dwayne De Freitas, and Box product manager Tosin Onafowokan.