109: Passive Data Collection

This week on Supercharged we’re talking about Twitter’s new relaxed rules, Google I/O, and passive data collection! Questions/comments/tips? Visit awkward.email or call/text 509-AWKWARD. Guest: Whitson Gordon of HowToGeek!

This week on Supercharged we’re talking about Twitter’s new relaxed rules, Google I/O, and passive data collection! Questions/comments/tips? Visit awkward.email or call/text 509-AWKWARD. Guest: Whitson Gordon of HowToGeek!

Links for this episode:

Coming soon: express even more in 140 characters
Over the past decade, the Tweet has evolved from a simple 140-character text message to a rich canvas for creative expression featuring photos, videos, hashtags, Vines, and more. In just the past few months we added the ability to poll your community, react quickly and cleverly with GIFs, and share and enjoy Periscope broadcasts in Tweets.
Introducing Scheduled Rides: Plan Your Trip in Advance
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Pebble's New Smartwatches Have a Fitness Obsession
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All the Important Stuff Google Announced at I/O 2016 Today
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The Play Store Is Coming to Chrome OS, Bringing Tons of Android Apps
Today, Google made a lot of Chrome OS users very happy. The full suite of Android apps will officially be coming to Chrome OS soon, starting with a few select devices.
Apple Is Reportedly Building an Echo Rival and Opening Siri to Developers
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Xposed Module Repository: Android N-ify
This module allows you to use several features introduced in Android N on you Lollipop and Marshmallow device.
Google Sucks at Naming Stuff
Yesterday, Google announced YouTube Red. Google, blissfully unaware of what goes on in Incognito Mode, apparently thought that this was a good name for a service. It is not the first time that Google has made flagrantly terrible choices in naming stuff.
Yes, Chrome may be listening — because you told it to
There's news today about a new exploit in Chrome, that centers around the recently-introduced listening features. The new feature is not just limited to Google search, and any webmaster can implement it on his or her site with minimal coding. That is exactly the sort of thing that leads to scary-sounding issues, like the one today.
Does Facebook record conversations when it identifies the things I'm listening to or watching?
No, we don't record your conversations. If you choose to turn on this feature, we'll only use your microphone to identify the things you're listening to or watching based on the music and TV matches we're able to identify. If this feature is turned on, it's only active when you're writing a status update.
Get Started with Project Tango
Project Tango is a platform that uses computer vision to give devices the ability to understand their position relative to the world around them. It’s just like how you use your eyes to find your way to a room, to know where in the room you are, and know where the floor, the walls, and objects around you are. These physical relationships are an essential part of how we move through our daily lives. We want to give mobile devices this kind of understanding.
7 Awesome Features You've Forgotten About in Windows 7
You may consider yourself a Windows master, but chances are even you've forgotten some of Windows' awesome built-in features. Here are seven of our favorite forgotten Windows features—and the cool things you can do with them.
De-Mystifying the Dark Corners of Windows: The Registry, DLLs, and More Explained
If your Windows chops extend in any capacity beyond novice, you’ve no doubt encountered the ever-cryptic Windows Registry, DLL files, User Account Control, and other tools with seemingly dark and mysterious powers. Here, we’ll explain some of Windows’ most confusing features, so you know exactly what’s happening when you go to edit them.
A Better $100 Upgrade: Five Paid Programs that Improve Windows Now
Every few years, a new version of Windows comes out with some decent, but minor upgrades and a $100 price tag. If you'd rather pay $100 for a real boost in features, consider buying these five programs to get a truly new version of Windows.
Top 10 Incredibly Useful Windows Programs to Have On Hand
Some apps are essential, and you use them every day. Everyone knows their names: Firefox, VLC, 7-Zip, and so on. However, there’s another class of app that gets less attention: the apps that are insanely useful to have in your back pocket on the rare occasions you need them. Here are 10 of our favorites.
The Complete Guide to Avoiding (and Removing) Windows Crapware
Windows has a lot going for it, but it's also saddled with one of computing's biggest annoyances: crapware. Here's everything you need to know about identifying, avoiding, and removing unwanted software from your system.
The Freeware Download Sites That Don’t Force Crapware On You
It’s been more than a year since we drew attention to the crapware regularly foisted upon unsuspecting users by pretty much every big freeware site, including the venerable SourceForge. Since then, a few sites–including SourceForge themselves–have started cleaning up their act.
Three Windows Shortcuts Every Beginner Should Know
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Top 10 Underhyped Windows Apps
Some apps are essential, and everyone who's anyone knows to have them on their computer. Some apps, however, are fantastic, yet fly under the radar. Today, we look at our top 10 underhyped apps on Windows.
How to Perform Time Machine Backups Over the Network
Apple’s Time Machine typically backs up to an external drive or wirelessly to a Time Capsule. But, if you have a spare Mac, you can turn it into a Time Machine server. All your other Macs can back up to it over the network, just as if it were a Time Capsule.

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