Week 1, 2026

It’s 2026, and Herman and Corn rang in the new year with a whopping 50 episodes! This week spanned the mundane to the militaristic, from debugging ghosting whiteboards to the shadowy world of state-sponsored cyberattacks. It was a week of uncovering hidden infrastructure, whether physical, digital, or societal.

The “I’m Always Being Watched” Playlist Paranoia never sounded so interesting! This playlist dives into the unseen forces tracking us, both for profit and for power.

• Episode #143: “The Invisible ID: The Rise of Digital Fingerprinting”
• Episode #140: “Shadow Webs: The Secret Military Internet Explained”
• Episode #167: “The Invisible War: Inside the World of State-Sponsored APTs”
• Episode #141: “Hidden in Plain Sight: The Secrets of Steganography”

“Home Sweet (Smart) Home” Playlist From baby monitors to DIY automation, this playlist is all about making your house smarter (and maybe a little creepier).

• Episode #152: “Eyes on the Move: Choosing the Best Baby Tracking Cameras”
• Episode #156: “DIY Smart Home Status Lights: From ESP32 to AI Tools”
• Episode #137: “The Ghost in the Machine: Why Gadgets Wake Up After Blackouts”
• Episode #151: “Why Your Gigabit Internet Feels Like Dial-Up: Mesh vs. Wired”

“AI Under the Hood” Playlist For those who want to understand the nuts and bolts (or rather, the matrices and backpropagation) of artificial intelligence.

• Episode #122: “Deep Learning Decoded: The Math Behind the Machine”
• Episode #126: “The Spotlight Effect: Understanding AI Attention Mechanisms”
• Episode #144: “AI Memory vs. RAG: Building Long-Term Intelligence”

“Voice First Futurism” Playlist Ready to ditch the keyboard and embrace the power of voice? This playlist explores the emerging world of voice-controlled AI and its implications.

• Episode #145: “The War on the Screen: Voice Control and AI Agents”
• Episode #153: “Designing the Voice-First Workspace: IKEA for AI Pros”
• Episode #142: “Breaking the Voice Wall: The Future of Native Speech AI”

“The Geopolitics of Everything” Playlist From missile defense systems to Israeli electoral systems, this playlist examines the intersection of technology, power, and global affairs.

• Episode #134: “Seconds to Impact: The Tech Behind Missile Defense Alerts”
• Episode #148: “The Accountability Gap: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Have a Face”
• Episode #140: “Shadow Webs: The Secret Military Internet Explained”
• Episode #164: “The Invisible Highway: Navigating Radio Frequency Hygiene”
• Episode #159: “The High Cost of Flight: Aviation and Impact Accounting”

“Building Better Humans (and AIs)” Playlist This playlist digs into self-improvement and the future of work, touching on both human potential and the potential of AI agents.

• Episode #119: “The 1% Rule: Mastering Kaizen for Lasting Improvement”
• Episode #158: “The Power of the Jagged Profile: Beyond Specialization”
• Episode #154: “From Apps to Agents: Building Your Digital Workforce”
• Episode #155: “Building an Ideation Factory: Beyond Generic AI Ideas”

Episode #163, “Big Iron: Why Mainframes Still Run the Global Economy,” was a real head-turner. In a world obsessed with the latest AI chips and cloud computing, it’s easy to forget that these ancient behemoths are still the backbone of global finance and infrastructure. It was a surprisingly compelling reminder that sometimes, the most reliable technology is also the oldest.

By the Numbers:

• Episodes Published: 50
• Top 3 Categories/Themes: AI Applications, AI Core, Geopolitics & World
• Notable Pattern: This was a record week for AI-related episodes, reflecting the rapid advancements and increasing integration of AI into every facet of our lives.