We're increasingly dependent on technology. Our business and personal lives rely on it, but as you've probably noticed, it's unreliable. They promise it'll get better, but it usually gets worse. Our computers are slow, so we end up squinting at smartphones. We live in constant fear that something's going to happen to our personal data. So we're scared into paying for fake protection that proves useless when disaster strikes. The jokers we pay to fix our stuff have no clue what they're doing, so they wipe out our precious photos and tell us to buy a new machine.If we only had someone to explain it all in Plain English, so we can start protecting ourselves. If only, we had... The Computer Exorcist Podcast, with your host, Marc-Anthony Arena! This show is for intelligent people who are intimidated by technology, and think it's somehow their fault. Once people learn what the industry is doing to them, they're ready to get torches and pitchforks. We expose Update Attacks, Fake WiFi, Cloud Control, and many more industry scandals that are designed to keep the gravy train flowing. Oh yeah, and we also do a little bit of scambaiting! We answer calls from phone scammers and torment them until they pop. Visit www.teknosophy.com or www.thecomputerexorcist.com to buy my book "How to Protect Yourself from Your Computer", and support the show by buying something ethical from my recommendations page! NOTE: I have obtained written permission from the bands to use their music!
Listen to episodes
60 recent
31 min
141 Visiting Joey's Garage
Today on CEP! We're coming at you from Cousin Joey's garage on the coast of Maine! We discuss:The 2022 prediction that electrification will make cars unattainable for the Average Joey.A real-world solution to BMW's unreal scheme to rent people features in their own cars."Nothing controlled by software is safe."How Skynet is already here, it's just not run by the AI yet.The McLaren "Artura... has so much technology baked in," it's like a disobedient smartphone, at 1,000 times the price.Do TIRES pollute more than TAILPIPES?The Myers Manx "dune buggy" is resurrected as an EV - but is it out yet?What's the real solution to the complexities of life, and what should our real goal be?Thanks for telling your friends about the show! The new book is coming out SOON!
35 min
140 The Dash Grab
This morning on CEP!What is The Second-System Effect?Another scam arrives in the mail: DOMAIN LISTINGS is a scam organization that tells you your website is about to expire, then asks for $288 for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.More ways Amazon crushes its own sellers, and how incredibly ineffective Congress is to stop them. What's the only thing that can save us from them?The Light Bulb Conspiracy and other products designed to die.Should Full Self-Driving be banned? Should Waymo (ha!) be banned?How Instagram tracks everything you do, within its built-in browser.Australian courts discover the Google History Scandal, like 10 years after I broke the story. Learn how Google records EVERY SINGLE WEBSITE YOU GO TO, how 99% of users are COMPLETELY UNAWARE of it, and how Google confuses the rest of them into agreeing to it.Google and Apple make a CarPlay for your data, aka the Dash(board) Grab. It's nice to have information from your smartphone displayed on your dashboard, but at what cost?Remember:If for some reason you like listening to me, check out the Flyover Plates Podcast! It's a comedy podcast about food and corruption in Rochester.Preview editions of my next book are free, but for a limited time only! Download it at thecomputerexorcist.com
33 min
139 Grand Captain Speedy Dash
This morning on CEP!I interview rising star YouTube gamer "Grand Captain Speedy Dash" (best gamer name ever)Yes, rather than watch TV shows, young people now watch each other play video gamesWe discuss the upstart Amico console, inspired by Intellivision and WiiWe then explain the DRM scandal and read excerpts from my forthcoming book!Any music, movies, or video games that are infected with DRM mean they're completely dependent on their creators, and can be rendered useless at any time.Since it can never prevent piracy, logically, it can only punish those who were trying to do the right thing and support the authors.The Captain brings up two great quotes from Gabe Newell, founder of Steam:"Privacy is not a pricing problem, it's a service problem.""Does nothing, still wins." pointing out that doing nothing is sometimes the right thing to do!So what's the answer to DRM? We explore some of the solutions that will help make life easier for those trying to do the right thing.Finally, we discuss Denuvo, a DRM company whose technology is repeatedly bypased very easily. It is an excellent example that highlights the utter futility of it.Thanks for listening and grab a preview edition of the book at TheComputerExorcist.com !
29 min
138 Buy Them and Crush Them
This morning on CEP!We discuss the retirement of Microsoft's chronically insecure Internet Explorer, and what it was mainly used for.Volkswagen wants to set up EV battery recycling plants throughout Europe, and a comment from a techie that left us pleasantly surprisedVW's 2026 ID.Buzz electric microbus takes a break - learn why I think they'll become collector's items!Microsoft created the Surface Tablet, an extremely thin and sleek laptop the size of a tablet. It was great, but brittle as a graham cracker. Then in the early 2020s, the KANO PC came along. It was fairly easy for kids to build and repair and learn on, was very rugged, and cost a fraction of the price of Surface. How do you think Microsoft reacted?Do you have home movies on video tape? Learn about Media Transfer Service and Kodak DigitizingHow Facebook was caught sucking private medical information from hospital websites!I just realized I made this summary more intriguing instead of just giving away all the answers! We'll see if it brings in more views!Get a prevew edition of my book on PDF at thecomputerexorcist.com
35 min
137 "I didn't give myself this talent!"
Today on CEP! I interview longtime friend Pastor Domenic and we explore some profound topics:Are new scams truly new?Is all technology truly bad?Rather than throw our gizmos away, can we get them to those who need them?Where does our talent come from?Geofencing: You're controlled based on your locationThe European Union requiring cars to SLOW THEMSELVES DOWN according to the speed limit.If the robots take over, what happens to all those people who need work?Is the Garden of Eden scene happening again?Can AI have a soul?A group of Swedes measured how long it took to perform an operation on a modern car's touchscreen menu system versus traditional dashboard buttons.Tech enthusiasts who use all the latest and greatest... versus those who actually know what's going on.What does social media do to our brains, and what is the very accessible antidote?The Jitterbug Smartphone - a simple, clear, affordable way for seniors to enter the futureYou can now send your grandma on an Uber!Should people on the same team fight against each other?Check out Pastor Dom's podcast at rescueandrevive.org !
35 min
136 Foghorn & Pierogi Get the Beetus
Tonight on CEP, it's Torment a Scammer!The first call is a Paypal-Bitcoin scammer, trying to convince me that someone hacked into my computer and that's how they got into my paypal account (not at all how it works, but most people believe it). Foghorn misinterprets his instructions and take him on a wild ride.One lady did the usual "russia, nigeria, and dayton ohio" line, and i gave her back my usual "whoa OHIO! i heard that was scary!"Next, Foghorn gets a fake email from a geek squad impostor. I called and drove the lady nuts. Every time a guy asked me how I was, I'd keep saying "I'm fine, how are you?" keeping them in a loop until they realized it.The next caller is a diabetes testing supply spammer. i tell them that both I and my friend Ross Pierogi have the Beetus, and hilarity ensues.Finally, Karxl Mailllchimqp talks to a regenerative medicine spammer. He's put on hold with some very touching 80s music, and provides his commentary throughout. The part is when the lady spells his name back to him had me in stitches.Thanks for listening and tell your friends!
28 min
135 Repair Your Phone!
This morning on CEP!How Apple and Facebook themselves fell for a scam!Whenever ANYONE puts an ad on Facebook, immediately scammers try to scare you into thinking you've violated a copyright, and lure you into a trapHow cell phone manufacturers are FINALLY designing phones to be a little more repairable - and what it took to get them there.If you want to save $ and care about the environment, repair your phone instead of replacing it!Fan mail from clients who were told they needed overkill Internet connectionsOne day, all of a sudden Twitter users noticed their numbers of followers went dramatically up or down for no reason. They were atwitter!Facebook has sucked SO much of our information, they admit they don't even know how to manage it! Ever notice how you meet someone and put their number in your phone, and all of a sudden they come up as a FB friend suggestion?Apple makes all of its employees return to the office after the pandemic, and they come up with any excuse to stay home.Get a preview edition of my new book at thecomputerexorcist.com !
31 min
134 How to Save the Chromebooks
This morning on CEP!Nepalese youth, sick of starving while their rulers flaunted their wealth, used social media to overthrow and rebuild their government.Chromebooks (those cheapie laptops your school district blew millions on) come with an expiration date. Surprise! If you keep using this past the date, you miiiight get viruses, or websites won't work anymore! At that point, they want you to throw them away, but I have found a solution that could save millions of dollars, computers, and kids.They knocked down the 3G cell towers so we all had to buy new smartphones. But wait - what about all those connected cars? Those were just giant rolling smartphones with cellular antennae in them! You guessed it - they're hoping you put those cars in the garbage and buy new ones. Luckily, people aren't that stupid.In good news, companies are now allowed to produce and sell older-style cars. You know, those ones that were actually repairable and enjoyable.AI data centers are sucking up so much energy, that they're now having to find ways to shift their tasks to nighttime so they don't overload our power plants.In the 1960s, cars were actually improved instead of anti-improved, and back then they actually cared about your loyalty, so they actually encouraged you to repair your old one instead of throwing it away. Imagine what a utopia that must've been!Get your preview copy of "Don't be Taken by Silicon Valley", available free for a limited time only on thecomputerexorcist.com !
35 min
133 Karl's Articles
This morning on CEP! I start going through articles, and then a surprise special guest stops by. We catch up on some articles:Not only are VPNs unnecessary for normal consumers, but they introduce tons of side effectsHundreds of HP printer models feature a critical-severity vulnerability... on top of the sanctioned malice from HP itself.Senior communities add local tech support as one of their perks, and people need itThe third generation of iPhone SE - the perfectly fine $399 alternative to the thousand-dollar iPhones they try to push on seniorsApple's plot to RENT you the iPhone so they can make even more money off of you. Did it succeed?Apple gets $200m in public incentives from Des Moines, IA, in exchange for how many jobs?Russia threatens to nationalize some Microsoft locations there. My response to them.Hackers breach Samsung servers, exposing how useless "trusted" software is, and the article's very damaging recommendation to users.Thanks for listening and tell all your friends to buy the preview edition of my next book at thecomputerexorcist.com
59 min
132 The February Scammer Medley Hour!
It's time to take a break from articles to have some fun! Most of y'all know the drill by now: We torment phone scammers and expose to you HOW they deceive, so you can WARN YOUR FRIENDS.A Paypal scammer tells me someone used my account to purchase cryptocurrency. He told me to connect to his "secure server", at which point he would jump into my computer and destroy it. They keep hanging up on me so i keep calling them back. At one point I told them i was attorney Denny Crane and had a lot of money. He made up a big thing about how spyware and viruses got into popups on my computer and bank account.I get a call from a fake lottery scammer, claiming i won some large amount of money, as long as i gave him gift cards first...I get a filthy fake email claiming to be Paypal. I called them up as Guido Sarducci. The guy said my Paypal was hacked from a scary place called Dayton, OH, and now I have hackers in my computers. He tried to make me open a web browser to download his evil tool, and hilarity ensued. After a whole ton of misinterpreting what he said, he finally gave up and claimed he was going to cancel the fake charge himself!A medicare scammer called and offered me free food cards, then transferred me to someone who sounded American!I got another email that was totally misspelled, so i went with it, and it totally went over their heads.I get a robocall from a guy claiming to be "The Amazon", trying to scare me into thinking someone used my account to buy Apple AirPods! I told him my name was Dennis the Menace, and it got fun. Of course, he offered to do a "security scan" of my computer.Finally, everybody's favorite scambaiter is back! Karl Zmailchimp creates another persona called Ian Whattaburger! He got a scary message claiming he got a big charge on his credit card.As always, thanks for telling your friends about the show, and get a preview edition of the book on PDF at thecomputerexorcist.com!
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