On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, Google unveils new Pixel, Nest & Stadia products, Facebook launches its cryptocurrency without some major players, Apple & Hong Kong, Fortnite gets sucked into a black hole, ...and much, much more.

What We’re Playing With

Dwayne: iPhone 11 Pro (addendum)

Tosin: Star Wars D-O Interactive Droid (Target Exclusive)

Andy: Gemini Man in IMAX 3D+ in HFR

Headlines

• Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, and eBay all quit Facebook’s Libra in one day
  • Facebook and partners move forward with Libra cryptocurrency after string of exits
• Apple removes app used in Hong Kong protests after pressure from China
  • Tim Cook’s Company-Wide Memo on HKmap.live Doesn’t Add Up
• Apple Safari browser sends some user IP addresses to Chinese conglomerate Tencent by default
  • Here's Apple's statement on Safari Fraudulent Website Warning and Tencent

Audible Book of the Week

• Mindf*ck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America by Christopher Wylie
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Chinese Democracy by Guns n' Roses

Hot Topic: Google Pixel Event 2019

• The biggest announcements from Google’s 2019 Pixel event
  • Pixel 4 Cameras
  • Nest WiFi
  • Nest Mini
  • Pixelbook Go
  • Pixel Buds
  • Stadia
• Google Pixel 4 event in 10 minutes

Music Break: Supermassive Black Hole  by Muse

Final Word

• The entire Fortnite ecosystem has been sucked into a virtual black hole, and the game is down

The Drill Down Video of the Week

• Fortnite "THE END" Full Live ROCKET Event

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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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, technology meddles in global politics, new platforms for Apple & Instagram, Facebook’s cash loses support, the Playstation 5, ...and much, much more. 

What We’re Playing With

Dwayne & Andy: Using the iPhone 11

Headlines

• Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency loses backing from PayPal
• Instagram launches Threads, a Close Friends chat app with auto-status
• Apple releases macOS Catalina
  • What's new in Catalina

Audible Book of the Week

• The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Clocks by Coldplay

Hot Topics

• US, UK & Australia pressure Facebook to halt end-to-end encryption plans
• Microsoft says Iranian hacking group targeted a 2020 US presidential candidate
• U.S. Blacklists Eight Chinese Tech Companies on Rights Violations
• Blizzard Bans Gamer, Rescinds Money, on Hong Kong Protest Support
  • Blizzard Employees Staged a Walkout to Protest Ban of Pro-Hong Kong Gamer

Music Break: Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz

Final Word

• Exclusive: A Deeper Look at the PlayStation 5

The Drill Down Video of the Week

• Meet Alice, the battery-powered plane that could herald the age of electric air travel
• Are Electric Planes Possible?

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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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, Net Neutrality loses in the nation, but all hope may not be lost, Mark Zuckerberg becomes a bit more transparent than he expected, what Amazon Go means for the world, and new gadgets from Microsoft...and much, much more. 

What We’re Playing With

Dwayne: OCOMMO 2 in 1 Qi Wireless Charging Station for Apple Watch and iPhone XS 

Andy: Tesla's 'biggest-ever' software update: V10 brings Smart Summon, Netflix, YouTube

Headlines

• All Hands On Deck
• Court upholds repeal of Net Neutrality, but rejects FCC attempt to block state laws.

Audible Book of the Week

• Hello World by Hannah Fry
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Two Sides by Tobu & Axero

Hot Topic: Microsoft Surface Event 2019

• Here's everything Microsoft announced at its Surface event
  • Surface Laptop 3
  • Surface Pro 7
  • Surface Pro X
  • Surface Earbuds
  • Surface Neo
  • Windows 10X
  • Surface Duo

Music Break: Been Caught Stealing  by Jane's Addiction

Final Word

• Amazon Go, goes mainstream. (What are the implications for the future of work?)
  • We tried to pay $1 in cash for a soda at Amazon’s cashier-less convenience store of the future, and it took way longer than expected
  • An NBA arena is opening an Amazon Go-style store where fans can grab beer and food in under 30 seconds — and never wait in line
  • Trigo raises $22M for an automated grocery check-out platform, similar to Amazon Go

The Drill Down Video of the Week

• Microsoft Surface 2019 event in under 11 minutes

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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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, new products from Amazon & Oculus, Google challenges Apple Arcade, WeWork loses its CEO, Boston Dynamics utility robots are now commercial ...and much, much more.

Headlines

• Google Play Pass bundles 350 Android games and apps for $4.99 per month

Oculus Connect 2019

• Everything announced at Oculus Connect 6
  • Oculus Link
  • Facebook Horizons
  • Hand Tracking
  • Oculus Go Apps on Quest
  • Facebook Building AR Glasses

Audible Book of the Week

• Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber by Mike Isaac
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Echoes by Pink Floyd

Hot Topic: Amazon Hardware Event 2019

• The top 8 Echo products Amazon announced today

• In the Home

• • Echo Studio
  • Echo Show 8
  • Echo (3rd gen)
  • Echo Dot (w/ Clock)
  • Echo Flex

• On the Go

• • Echo Buds
  • Echo Frames
  • Echo Loop
• The biggest announcements from Amazon’s fall 2019 hardware event
  • Alexa Communications for Kids
  • Echo Glow
  • Alexa Smart Oven
  • Home Mode
  • Ring indoor camera
  • All-New Eero
  • Celebrity Voices on Alexa

Music Break: Working Day and Night  by Michael Jackson

Final Word

• WeWork CEO Adam Neumann steps down
  • WeWork has become poster child for everything wrong with tech unicorns

The Drill Down Videos of the Week

• Boston Dynamics Spot launch

• More Atlas parkour

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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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, news from Amazon & Facebook, a drone-silencing gun, Uber & Lyft contractor drivers may need to become employees, AI learns how to play hide & seek...and much, much more.

What We’re Playing With

Tosin: Echo Auto

Headlines

• Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products
• Amazon Music rolls out a lossless streaming tier that Spotify and Apple can’t match
• California Governor Signs Law Protecting Gig Economy Workers

Audible Book of the Week

• The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys

Hot Topics

• Facebook Expands Definition of Terrorist Organizations to Limit Extremism
• Facebook launches Portal TV, a $149 video chat set-top box
• Facebook’s second-generation Portal devices are cheaper, smaller, and support WhatsApp

Music Break: Nowhere to Run  by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

Final Word

• This 'Gun' Can Down Rogue Drones With the Pull of a Trigger

The Drill Down Video of the Week

• Emergent Tool Use from Multi-Agent Interaction
  • Open AI: Multi-Agent Hide-and-Seek

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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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, Facebook & Google get hit with antitrust probes, vinyl beats CD sales, new iPhones, iPads, Apple watches ...and much, much more! 

What We’re Playing With

Dwayne & Tosin: Amazon Echo Auto

Headlines

• Attorneys General for 48 States Open Sweeping Anti-Trust Probe into Google
• Facebook is under investigation by state attorneys general for antitrust violations

• Facebook Dating launches in the US

Audible Book of the Week

• Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: I Turn My Camera On by Spoon

Hot Topic: Apple Fall Event 2019

• The 5 biggest announcements from Apple’s September 2019 event
  • Apple TV+ One-year Trial Comes With Every Apple Device Purchase
    • AT&T anti-conglomerate share holders
  • The Upgraded Seventh-gen Ipad Has A 10.2-inch Display
  • Apple Watch Series 5 Has An Always-on Display
  • iPhone 11 Improves On The Xr In Every Way, Costs $699
  • iPhone 11 Pro And Iphone 11 Pro Max: They’re Here

Music Break: You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive

Final Word

• Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

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

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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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, the Twitter CEO’s Twitter gets hacked, YouTube fined for violating child privacy laws, Apple finally lets you leave the Genius Bar, how do Hong Kong protestors organize when the State blocks texts? Highlights from PAX West...and much, much more.

What We’re Playing With

TOSIN: PAX West 2019

• Deleveled: 
  • Launch Date: Fall 2019, Windows, Linux, Switch, PS4, Xbox One
  • Cost: TBD

• The Devil’s Calculator: 
  • Launch Date: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Github
  • Cost: Free on some platforms, $2.99 on others

• Praey for the Gods: 
  • Launch Date: Available for early access: Windows, Mac, PS4, Xbox One
  • Cost: $29.99

• Creature in the Well: 
  • Launch Date: Sept 6th, Windows, Xbox, Switch
  • Cost: TBD

• Superliminal: (Best in Show - National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers)
  • Launch Date: Late 2019 Epic Game Store, then Consoles, then Steam in a year
  • Cost: TBD

Headlines

• Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s account has been hacked
  • Twitter disables tweeting via SMS after CEO gets hacked
• Why Won’t Twitter Treat White Supremacy Like ISIS? Because It Would Mean Banning Some Republican Politicians Too
• YouTube will pay $170 million to settle claims it violated child privacy laws

Audible Book of the Week

• It by Stephen King
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Send in the Clowns by Judy Collins

Hot Topics

• China reportedly made an app to show people if they're standing near someone in debt — a new part of its intrusive 'social credit' policy
• Hong Kong Protestors Using Mesh Messaging App China Can't Block: Usage Up 3685%
  • FireChat: The App That Fueled Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution
• Apple reverses stance on iPhone repairs and will supply parts to independent shops for the first time

Music Break: Light My Fire  by The Doors

Final Word

• Kiwibots win fans at UC Berkeley as they deliver fast food at slow speeds

The Drill Down Video of the Week

• BangBros bought a porn doxxing site just to literally set it on fire

Subscribe!

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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, Apple’s new credit card, what’s blacker than black? the first crime in space... and much, much more.

What We’re Playing With

Andy: Recreating a Vintage TV

Headlines

• Nasa said to be investigating first allegation of a crime in space
• Ex-Google and Uber engineer Anthony Levandowski charged with trade secret theft
• Apple Apologizes Over Siri Privacy and Will No Longer Retain Audio Recordings
• Amazon’s Ring offered a footage request system to more than 400 law enforcement agencies

Audible Book of the Week

• The End of Ice by Dahr Jamail
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Melt With You by Modern English

Hot Topics

• Here’s how the new Apple Card could put pressure on Verizon and AT&T
• Alexa, who is Baidu? Chinese firm passes Google to become Amazon’s top smart-speaker rival

Music Break: Paint It, Black  by The Rolling Stones

Final Word

• India Develops the World's First Iron-ion Battery

The Drill Down Video of the Week

• Carbon nanotubes built this bizarre ultrablack material

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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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, the White House wants to police social media speech, while the FBI pulls data from Facebook, should schools install facial recognition cameras? Crossing the English Channel via hoverboard and much, much more.

What We’re Playing With

Dwayne: DUST

Headlines

• Verizon agrees to sell Tumblr to owner of Wordpress
• Facebook Paid Contractors to Transcribe Users’ Audio Chats

Audible Book of the Week

• How Music Works by John Powell
  • The Feel Good Song Formula
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra

Hot Topics

• White House proposal would have FCC and FTC police alleged social media censorship
• The FBI wants to build a data dragnet on Facebook
• School security cameras add facial recognition software

Music Break: Only Time  by Enya

Final Word

• A Tesla owner implanted the RFID chip from her Model 3’s keycard into her arm

The Drill Down Video of the Week

Flying Frenchman crosses English Channel by hoverboard

Heart-pounding video of a dying drone rescue proves everything is better with Enya

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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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.

On this week’s The Drill Down podcast, Media journalist Tom Cheredar joins us to discuss: Apple launches its credit card, Disney bundles its subscriptions, a harbor of hate on the web loses its platform, we make time slow to a crawl and much, much more. 

Headlines

• Did you say, ‘Hey, Siri’? Apple and Amazon curtail human review of voice recordings
• The Apple [Credit] Card starts rolling out this week
• Disney Announces $12.99 Bundle For Disney+, Hulu, & ESPN+ Available At Launch

Audible Book of the Week

• The Ministry of Truth: The Biography of George Orwell's 1984 by Dorian Lynskey
• Sign up at AudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by Eurythmics 

Hot Topics

• Cloudflare to revoke 8chan’s service, opening the fringe website up for DDoS attacks
  • 8chan loses another ally as Congress demands that the site's owner testify
• Trump, without evidence, accuses Google of 'very illegal' action ahead of election

Music Break: Time in a Bottle  by Jim Croce

The Drill Down Videos of the Week

• This fan-made, stop-motion ‘The Shining’ took 60 hours and 10,000 LEGOs to create

• • Einstein’s Camera: How one renegade photographer is hacking the concept of time

Adam Magyar - Stainless, 42 Street (excerpt) from Adam Magyar on Vimeo.

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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 Vudu product manager Tosin Onafowokan.