The Computer Exorcist Podcast

Hosted by Marc-Anthony Arena

Episodes

Language

EN-US

About the show

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, we also do a little bit of scambaiting! We torment phone scammers so you know how they operate. Visit www.thecomputerexorcist.com to buy my books or check out the recommendations page! NOTE: I have obtained written permission from the bands to use their music!

Listen to episodes

60 recent

35 min

156 Cars are too hard to use.

Tonight on CEP! The EU strongarms Apple into using USBC jacks on its iPhones. Yes I like universal standards, BUT, the Lightning connector was physically more resilient. It's a multi-edged sword. Apple's VP is refreshingly candid about it. Marc writes hate mail to a company and gets a nice reply. Why are they trying to ditch AM radios from cars? There IS a physical issue, but it's really about deprecation. Marc invents a new idea to bring back 8 track players to our dashboards. The new BMW i7 is a joy to drive, but a pain to use. Akio Toyoda is also refreshingly candid, and his predictions come true. GM's autonomous Cruise randomly slams on its brakes and/or becomes immobile. EVs are SUPPOSED to be more reliable than combustion cars, but why are they less reliable? Longtime listeners can guess the answer. Lastly, Mercedes tries to RENT you a one-time speed tweak. THE BOOK IS OUT!!! Buy it at thecomputerexorcist.com or any bookstore in the world!

34 min

155 A Balanced Perspective w/Ben Albert

Tonight on CEP! Fascinating special guest Ben Albert shows up to give me perspectives I hadn't thought of. Learn how he went from "Business Ben" to "Music Ben" to a "Grow Getter" Who is collecting data from your car? Mozilla's newsletter flub and how it might be a good thing in this "Post-Trust Era" Maybe we should have an AI stamp, or a "made without AI" stamp? Replika is an AI "friend" - but what is it, really? Appeasement vs. True Purpose Zoom-style speed dating What is Mastodon? Join his group at WeAllGrowTogether.com or RealBusinessConnections.com and get my book at TheComputerExorcist.com

28 min

154 Split Pea Soup

Tonight on CEP: More phone scammers! First, a typical Support Scammer called me claiming she was Microsoft and that my computer was downloading viruses from the Internet. She urged me to check the activity logs on my computer, so I told her all about the last time I chopped logs as a kid. I took her for a ride that drove her batty until her boss intervened. Next, a scammer tries to sell me diabetic test strips. When he asks how often I test my blood sugar... well, I tell him my plan. When he asks for my address, I start eating some soup and drive him up a wall. Finally, another Jamaican-style lottery scammer calls me up and informs me I won $2.5M. Of course, I have to pay him 3% "taxes", which he calculates as $25,000. We do a dance for a while and then it gets wild. Thanks for sharing these episodes with your friends! Get the book as a holiday gift at thecomputerexorcist.com

26 min

153 "I already had a BMW"

Tonight on CEP: We torment some scammers! I have a recording of a Jamaican-style scammer who called me and said I won a new car! I told him I don't want another BMW because, frankly, I had one in the past, and it broke down on me all the time. Wait til you hear his explanation!! The guy told me that before I can obtain my winnings, I NEEDED TO PAY HIM 10% for "tax obligations"! A...ha. We did a little tango regarding the proper percentages and bargained over amounts. I take them on a most beautiful dance that leaves him stewing in disbelief. So I hope you love the episode, and feel free to keep sending in the love letters and hate mail. Get the book at thecomputerexorcist.com

25 min

152 Saving the Ducks Part 2

Today on CEP! Retired car dealer, author, and talk show host Dom Genova joins us to wrap up our conversation on avoiding crooked car dealers. Having experience as a Big 3 exec and later on owning small-town car dealerships, he's sat on both sides of the desk, and his book shares his insight with you. This parallels my career, where I come at the IT industry from the consumer's perspective, being on your side of the desk. Some of them have a "bug zapper" business model! Attract people to the dealership and then zap em! Dom's thoughts on Tent Sales: If putting them in a tent down the street lowers their prices... Fake Monroney stickers! What is an "ad car"? When an automaker promises to donate money to some charity, whose pocket does that money come from? FREE TV or FREE CRUISE? What's the #1 mistake made during a car deal? Dom's 4 Corners Finally, we read an article exposing what information your car is collecting about about YOU. That data is sold to third parties, who "package" them into "data products" and resell them. Buy Dom's book at dontbetaken.com and my book at thecomputerexorcist.com !

34 min

151 Saving the Ducks Part 1

Today on CEP! I interview very special guest Dom Genova. He's a retired car dealer and currently the host of The No-Nonsense Roundtable Show on WYSL. He exposes crooked car dealer sales tactics and teaches people how to avoid them. We discuss: The Agricultural Model - rather than trying to get what you can from people in the moment, ideally you cultivate a lifelong relationship so your clients bring their kids and grandkids to you. A hugely scummy tactic where they write "Your Payment is $299" - but is it monthly? No-nonsense car dealer means removing all the shady invoice padding. It also means not accepting nonsense from customers! Dom's "7% Rule" - now it all makes sense! People out there are suffering unnecessarily, at the hands of crooked car dealers and incompetent computer guys. Dom taught me: You can't save ALL the ducks, but you're called to save the ones you can. Article: During the chip shortage, Toyota went back to real mechanical keys - and people didn't mind because they're overwhelmed by senseless technology anyway. When you open the door, some cars now shine a light onto the asphalt proudly displaying the brand... in case you forgot. Get his book at: dontbetaken.com Special thanks to our musicians: Opening theme is Departure by Egzod and closing theme is Cannibals by Youth Medium.

37 min

150 Security Through Community

It's our 150th episode! We celebrate by inviting special guest Connor Peters from Rochester's very own Locke Identity Networks. Whether you're a consumer or small business, they deal with password management so you don't have to. Privacy vs. Security - is it really one or the other? Password Recovery is the weakest link (and everyone's pet peeve) Why should some faceless Big Tech firm be in control of your life? Locke's alternative is called Security through Community. Complicated passwords vs long passwords Skylux - white-glove service because you don't have to log into any apps What are passkeys and what are their pros and cons? Imagine a seamless experience instead of hassle. Small businesses just want things to JUST WORK! Hyundai promises "software-defined vehicles", ensuring that they, and bad guys, can control and modify your car. "Anytime you have a backdoor, there's a front door." There's a new form of human treachery called SURVEILLANCE PRICING - you're now charged an amount based on who you are, where you live, how much money you have, and how badly you need a product. What's NY State's solution, and what's the real solution? Find out more about Locke at www.locke.id and talk to you next week!

34 min

149 15,000 Download Celebration Pt.2

Tonight on CEP! We finish up our 15,000 download celebration by slaying more articles. iPhone assembler Foxconn proposes a new open platform for EVs. Sounds like a great way for EV startups to get going without reinventing the wheel, pun intended. California allows digital license plates, a pointless idea fraught with subscriptions and complexity, with no benefit. It brings a whole new meaning to the term "garbage plate"! Every time Google is exposed in the news for doing something nasty, business doubles over at Duck. This is an article about such news articles! In this case, Google now wastes their own energy force-attacking AI results before the organic search results, and to their surprise, people aren't happy. "What, you aren't just accepting whatever we foist on you?" We also explain the terms I've coined: Anti-improvements and runaway brains. We enter the mind of the relentless perfectionist, and Mike brings up a great point: Rather than nervously guarding your position, just enjoy being on the top of the mountain for a while because someone will eventually knock you off. Do you have any friends who are frustrated by tech? Thanks for telling them about the show!

33 min

148 15,000 Download Celebration Pt.1

Tonight on CEP! Dr. Mike joins us to celebrate 15,000 downloads, and we slay some articles. Shout out to Every1Camp.com, a new camp in Rochester for kids with disabilities. We discuss the new horror called "ambient computing" - where gizmos all around your house monitor your every move and then collaborate. Most of it will result in preemptive suggestion attacks, in other words the tech makes assumptions about what you want, and then starts doing things you never told it to do. Cars that display video ads on their evil dashboard screens. We call it "The False Promise of Technology" - the utopia never happens, but instead we see a decline in the quality of life, chaos, anti-empowerment, control, and helplessness. Rumor has it, New Orleans just replaced 911 dispatchers with AI dispatchers, which will result in a plethora of miscommunication. "We've already seen how restrictive and insanely incompetent ALL of this technology is. Just wait until it controls more of your life. More helplessness is coming." "A third of all actions performed by Alexa, it does proactively." In other words, presumptive auto-attacks, or helicopter parenting. Of course, all of this will be subjected to the eternal cat and mouse battle of cybersecurity, and your tech will blow false alarms against you. More fear and uncertainty. "DARE to keep kids away from technology." What's the antidote to this dystopia of tech-addicted braindead kids? 80s dystopian movies like "Chopping Mall" were prescient: They SAW where this was heading. What will save us? Smallternatives and good old human apathy. Let the big guys dry up. Check out my tech tip videos by searching for "the computer exorcist" on your favorite social media site!

47 min

147 Epic Sweepstakes Scammer

Tonight on CEP! It's one big scam call! A scammer calls me asking for Foghorn Leghorn by name! Yes, I've been using the name so often, that the name is now reflected in the databases the scammers sell to each other! Wait til you hear how they pronounced Wisconsin! She tells me that someone from "Consumers Clearing House" is coming to give me a huge "cash awerd"! Her false attitude is so saccharine it's disgusting - but I turn it against her at so many points. The awkward laughs are abundant. I then twist the knife into her by thanking her over and over again for helping the helpless seniors. She then has the audacity to give me a sneaky survey to figure out if I own my home, and ask for the types and amounts of my investments! At one point, the "senior attorney" gets on, and warns me not to talk to other scammers! I told her I give money to anyone who calls, and that piqued her interest. I then told her some other guys called and offered me more prize money, so I might go with them instead! Thanks for telling your friends about the show, and stay tuned for the new book!