Dust, Disasters & Digital Hoarders –  Episode 481

This week on TechtalkRadio, Andy Taylor and Shawn DeWeerd dive headfirst into the frustrating side of modern technology — from failing routers and broken RCS messaging to voice assistant chaos, factory resets, and smart home devices that suddenly “forget” they exist. Andy shares a week-long battle with his Google Pixel 9 XL, Wi-Fi outages, and disappearing Wyze cameras, while Shawn discusses the reality of maintaining complex home networks, cloud backups, and why keeping your tech ecosystem organized can save massive headaches later.

The conversation shifts into digital archiving and media preservation, including photo scanning, organizing decades of family memories, and why fewer people are printing photographs today. Shawn explains his detailed process for digitizing family photos, Super 8 films, and home videos using scanners, NAS storage, and cloud backups, while Andy highlights new Epson scanners and shares stories about rediscovering family history through old photographs and film reels. The hosts also explore AI-powered video upscaling with Topaz Labs, where Andy tests restoring a low-resolution 2005 video featuring Tommy Chong into HD quality — after discovering dust-clogged PC fans nearly melted his computer during processing.

Listener Roberta from Sahuarita asks how to legally transfer DVDs onto a computer, opening a deep discussion on DVD ripping, media servers, and digital libraries. Shawn walks through tools like HandBrake, MakeMKV, VLC, Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby, explaining how users can preserve and stream their movie collections at home. The episode wraps with a funny story about kids destroying TVs, thoughts on affordable smart TVs, and a look at Logitech’s new Signature Comfort Plus mouse. It’s another entertaining mix of tech troubleshooting, digital nostalgia, media preservation, and practical advice from the TechtalkRadio crew.

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This Week’s Videocast from the Show – Episode #480

In This Segment from KMSB Fox 11, We give you a look at the Elenco Snap Circuits Soccer Shot! Build Your Own Soccer Stadium and Play against Family and Friends to rack up the goals and put it together easily! Fun Project for Ages 7 and Up and perfect for the Soccer Season!