The decade has come and gone, and if there is one thing that was a massive change for me over the past decade, it was how much time I spent listening to podcasts. I change podcast apps like I change my socks. I subscribe to new shows like other people read magazine articles. As we close out the decade, I wanted to take a look at my favorite shows from 2010 to now. During that time, I’ve seen my friends start new shows, friends start new companies, and have seen major media companies open their eyes to the opportunities that exist in the space. If I don’t list links to subscribe, it means the show is retired.
So let’s get to it. Here are my favorite shows from the 2010s. I’ve left out all 9to5 shows on purpose, but I highly recommend our entire network. My list is mostly tech/Apple focused, but I’d love to hear your favorite shows in the comments.
While I listen the current version of The Talk Show every time a new episodes releases, the run with John Gruber and Dan Benjamin will go down as one of my favorite shows of all time for one simple reason: their chemistry during the James Bond recaps. I had never watched all of the James Bonds other than the recent ones, so I loved getting them on Netflix through its DVD service and watching along. I learned a lot of inside details along the way. John Gruber is a great podcaster, and he’s come into his own with his current show, but I loved the chemistry him and Dan had on the original run.
Up First has been a staple of mine for the past year or so. It’s usually around ten minutes, and I find it to be the best way to keep up with what’s going on in the world. They cover three stories in a short amount of time, so there isn’t much room for commentary. It’s just about the news.
The Lore podcast has spawned an entire ecosystem around it. I’ve known Aaron Mahnke for many years, and I am so proud of all that he has built. I remember when he sent me an early version of what would eventually become Lore, and I was hooked instantly. Since it was released, it’s been downloaded 235-million+ times and been a Best of on Apple Podcasts winner multiple times. It was also a show on Amazon Prime and released as a book. Aaron is a great storyteller, and it’s well produced.
Land of the Giants is a show that came out of nowhere for me in 2019. Of all the shows I’ve listened to in my life, it caused me to think about the role of technology companies in our lives more than any other. The first season looks at the role Amazon plays in our life, and what their goals might be in the future. They promise to cover other companies in future seasons. Before you build out your smart home, give this show a listen.
No top podcast of the decade list would be complete without mentioning Serial. It seemed to help kick start the current growth the industry is seeing among mainstream media.
It’s Baltimore, 1999. Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior, disappears after school one day. Six weeks later detectives arrest her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. He says he’s innocent – though he can’t exactly remember what he was doing on that January afternoon. But someone can. A classmate at Woodlawn High School says she knows where Adnan was. The trouble is, she’s nowhere to be found.
Even in the years since season one, the story still comes up as the trial has been in and out of the news. If you never listened to season one, I highly recommend it. I didn’t enjoy season two and three nearly as much, though.
Carrier is one of the more recent additions to my list, but it’s an experience you cannot miss.
What happens when a truck driver picks up a loaded trailer but has no idea what’s really inside? Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award winner Cynthia Erivo journeys down a dark and lonely highway in this original scripted thriller from Qcode and creator Dan Blank. With immersive audio techniques that create a dimensional listening experience, the audience is strongly advised to use caution, wear headphones if possible, and listen… carefully.
I don’t want to give a lot away, but it’s a story I loved as much as any movie I’ve watched in recent years. Put on some headphones and binge season one. I haven’t heard when season two is coming, but I cannot wait.
I’ve known Stephen Hackett and Myke Hurley for many years (there was one night in Atlanta that we were all at a party with Aaron Mahnke and Brad Dowdy for Nock Co. They are two of the nicest guys around, and I am so happy for all their success at Relay.FM. Their Member’s Only shows are something else, though. I am mainly talking about their episodes like Danger Town Beatdown.
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Over the past few years, Myke, Jason Snell, and CGP Grey have done these episodes as a bonus for members. Watch the trailer above to get an idea of what the episodes are all about, but they are in a genre by themselves. The editing is superb, and the story is so much fun to listen to over and over again.
I’ve been listening to Mac Power Users from the beginning, and I’ve loved watching it evolve. Depending on the episode, there might be a special guest talking about how they get the most out of their Apple products or a deep dive with David Sparks and Stephen Hackett on a singular topic. I particularly loved the episode on Alfred, Launchbar, and Spotlight. Before Stephen Hackett joined the show, Katie Floyd was one of the long-time hosts, but she’s gone on to do some exciting things in her personal life that resulted in her needing to take a step back from her “online life.”
Listening to the episode where John finally gets to order his Mac Pro feels like the show has finally come full circle. The show started as a result of a Car Show that has spawned into a podcast that has been around since late 2013 with never missing a week. Marco Arment (creator of Overcast), John Siracusa, and Casey Liss get together each week to talk about nothing. It’s the Seinfeld of podcasts, and it works. They do talk about a lot of current technology topics, but in a way that never gets boring. Each host brings their unique personality to the show, and it’s just fun.
Of all the shows I’ve ever listened to, Hypercritical with John Siracusa, and Dan Benjamin is, without a doubt, my favorite one of all time. I loved listening to John talk about the smallest details of various topics that annoyed him. I used to clean my father in law’s dental office on the weekend, and Hypercritical was the show I saved for that time. Even to this day, I trust John’s opinion on technology as much as I do anyone.
Wrap-up on Top Ten Podcasts of the Decade
I hope you enjoyed this list. I thought long and hard about what shows impacted my life the most. For many of them, I can still remember where I typically was when I listened to it. Obviously, this is my list, and your list will look a lot different. I’d love to hear some of your favorite shows. Leave me a note in the comments below.
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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
