On this week’s episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser and JD discuss Microsoft’s recent announcement regarding changes to “the unexpected restart experience, the stack of Substacks piling up and A.I.’s effect on plant life. Apple’s new “F1” movie with Brad Pitt, the upcoming “Superman” film and El Kaiser’s belated journey with “Andor” are also part of the discussion, so listen in here on PTJ 381!

PTJ 381 LINKS

Microsoft says goodbye to the Windows blue screen of death (CNBC)

There is no mystery over who wrote the Blue Screen of Death, despite what some may want you to believe(Microsoft Dev Blogs)

The Windows Resiliency Initiative: Building resilience for a future-ready enterprise (Windows Blogs)

Substack Is Having a Moment—Again. But Time Is Running Out (Wired)

AI is ruining houseplant communities online (The Verge)

Kuo: Apple to release cheaper MacBook powered by iPhone processor (9to5Mac)

‘F1’ Revs To $144M Opening Weekend Around The World, Brad Pitt & Apple Original Films Records; ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Powers Down At $10M+ (Deadline)

Early Reactions to “Superman” Claim It’s Complete Opposite of “Man of Steel” (Yahoo)

“Andor” (Disney+)

Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference brought its usual load of software announcements last week and El Kaiser and J.D. share some thoughts about it all — including the new Liquid Gas, er, Liquid Glass interface design. But it’s not ALL about Apple this episode, as Google and Nintendo had some announcements of their own. Spin up PTJ 380 for the commentary!

LINKS

· Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference 2025 announcements (Apple)

· Introducing Liquid Glass (Apple on YouTube)

· Apple introduces a delightful and elegant new software design (Apple)

· Liquid Glass isn’t a design failure; it is Apple’s most tactile digital future yet (UX Collective)

· Why Apple’s ‘Liquid Glass’ Design Is a Step Backward for UX (Prototypr)

· Apple's Liquid Glass is a grim portent for UX (The Product Picnic)

· Android 16 is here (Google Keyword blog)

· Separating Material 3 Expressive from Android 16 was Google's smartest move all year (Android Police)

· 7 Things We Love And 4 Things We Hate About The Switch 2 (Kotaku)

· Agatha All Along (Disney+)

· Andor (Disney+)

If it's September, it must be time for an Apple Event to announce new iPhones! El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the presentation and the new fall line-up of Apple gear, and take side trips into Amazon's new Batman show and El Kaiser's dilemma about saving a high-end display. And we pour one out for James Earl Jones, who made a twisted soul sound so darn good in that galaxy far, far away. All this right here on PTJ 379!

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser and J.D. roll on up through the recent tech-world headlines — including a recent court ruling against Alphabet and continuing fallout from last month's global IT meltdown — and celebrate the joys of streaming video. All this and more on PTJ 378!

If a few lines of bad computer code from a cybersecurity company can cause an epic global IT meltdown/Blue Screen of Death festival across the Windows systems that run the airlines, healthcare, banking and other major industries, J.D. and El Kaiser ponder: Just how sturdy is the world's technological infrastructure these days? Along with a quick news roundup, El Kaiser also shares his thoughts on two popular streaming TV shows and J.D. has advice on decluttering your phone after years of photo cruft. Come fly with us on PTJ 377!

El Kaiser and J.D. take a walk down a repaved Memory Lane on this installment of Pop Tech Jam, discussing the growing public interest in old 20th-century analog treasures like film cameras, vinyl records — and "X-Men" cartoons. Later in the show, El Kaiser reviews a pair of sleek wooden headphones, the Meze 99 Noir model. All this and more here on PTJ 376!

El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the Humane AI pin's public release and its flameout with critics and consumers. But there's no slowing the wave of AI-enhanced products hurtling into the world, so this week's episode ponders just a few of them — and the impact on life as we know it at the moment. All this and more on PTJ 375!

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser shares his love for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. J.D. keeps the Trek vibe going with a short news roundup that includes a report on Humane's new $700 wearable AI pin that brings to mind a Next Generation communicator badge — with a whole lot of AI under the hood. Beam up for PTJ 374!