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Oct 2026

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Podcast from two blokes mostly talking apple

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October 13, 2026Episode 24651 min

Episode 246: Some of them aren't that Illuminated

Follow Up US kill switch concerns: Columnists and reports warn that European Commission users should be far more concerned about a potential US remote kill switch than standard software ( BBC News ) SpaceXAI backs Omarchy: SpaceXAI backs the controversial Linux distribution Omarchy with $1.5 million in compute resources Connected car privacy study: A new study reveals that connected car data privacy remains abysmal regarding how and with whom vehicles share user data News Intel CPUs on legacy sockets: Intel is reportedly launching new processors on older motherboard sockets that continue to support DDR4 memory Controversial execution livestream: Plans emerge for the US government to livestream an upcoming execution by firing squad at Fort Hood Apple smart home event: Apple prepares to showcase new smart home hardware at an upcoming October 13 event Microsoft hardware and Windows event: Microsoft debuts a wave of new AI-focused hardware and fresh Windows system updates Copilot filesystem access: Warnings grow as Microsoft prepares to let Copilot loose directly on your filesystem Car Corner (No topics this week) Media Shoresy: Hit sports comedy series following the tumultuous journey of a Sudbury hockey team ( Metacritic ) Ted Lasso Season 4: The acclaimed feel-good sports comedy-drama returns ( Metacritic ) Supergirl: Cinematic superhero feature exploring iconic DC mythos ( Metacritic ) Games Wardogs: Continuing tactical military shooter action from recent gaming sessions Slay the Spire 2: Highly anticipated roguelike deckbuilder sequel Main Show The "Software is Over" Era: Examining bold AI developers taking aim at giants like Adobe with open-source clones ( Ars Technica | Artcraft | GitHub ) Rods YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I9vilSf_54&themeRefresh=1 AI-Assisted Office Replacements: A Rust upstart reveals a complete reimplementation of Microsoft Office built entirely with Claude on coding duty App of the Week Artcraft: Open-source, AI-powered productivity and creative software suite ( Artcraft ) Thing of the Week The Heights: The latest gripping thriller novel by Ian Rankin ( Waterstones ) Contact Mastodon: @ g5maniac@mastodon.scot Mastodon: @_ cjp@mastodon.social YouTube: Visit us at wakefromsleep.com and click the YouTube link Email: wakefromsleep@protonmail.com

October 7, 2026Episode 2451 hr 10 min

Episode 245: First exposure to MacOS

Follow Up Apple Watch patent lawsuit: Apple ordered to pay Masimo an additional $184M in patent infringement damages Global RAM shortages: Memory executives warn that tight RAM supplies are expected to continue through 2028 Apple ICE app removals: Lawmakers pressure Apple over its role in removing ICE-tracking apps from the App Store Asahi Linux on M4: Asahi Linux fork embraces LLMs and successfully lands Linux on the M4 Mac mini Microsoft Copilot brand shift: Microsoft is killing off the 'Copilot Plus PC' branding News MI5 warnings for UK academia: MI5 warns UK academics that their research may have unknowingly assisted Chinese spies Removing Apple Intelligence: A new command-line tool quickly strips Apple Intelligence from macOS 27 Raspberry Pi 4 price jump: The 2 GB Raspberry Pi 4 price spikes to $67.50, up from its original $35 launch price Full-disk access permissions: Apple updates full-disk access permissions to prevent security abuse by AI agents Replacing TCP: A Stanford professor advocates for a new network protocol to replace the aging TCP standard Media The Grand Tour: The latest special from the automotive series ( Prime Video ) The Great British Bake Off: The long-running baking competition returns ( Official Site ) Legally Blonde: Classic 2001 comedy starring Reese Witherspoon ( Rotten Tomatoes ) The Christophers: Upcoming documentary feature ( Rotten Tomatoes ) The Hu Live: Mongolian folk metal band performance at The Prospect Building in Bristol ( Event Info | Setlist ) Games Running Doom in SQL: PostgreSQL database proves it can run Doom using clever queries Sony AI upscaling: Sony brings PSSR AI upscaling features to the base PS5 console Dizzy returns: Classic retro platformer series Dizzy returns, created by its original developers using AI assistance Wardogs: Tactical military shooter played during a brief return to Windows ( Steam ) Main Show The iPhone Duo: Taking a detailed look at the iPhone Duo post-release and before major reviews drop, including Xcode 27.1 beta support for app development ( Apple ) App of the Week Mole: Privacy-focused workout and fitness tracking application ( Mole ) Thing of the Week Ubiquiti Power Transporter UPS: Compact tower Uninterruptible Power Supply for network equipment ( Ubiquiti UK ) Contact Mastodon: @ g5maniac@mastodon.scot Mastodon: @_ cjp@mastodon.social YouTube: Visit us at wakefromsleep.com and click the YouTube link Email: wakefromsleep@protonmail.com

September 29, 2026Episode 2441 hr 10 min

Episode 244: 2026 British Sitcom Tier List

Spaced First Aired: 24 September 1999 Rotten Tomatoes: Spaced on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Spaced on Metacritic The Office (UK) First Aired: 9 July 2001 Rotten Tomatoes: The Office (UK) on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: The Office (UK) on Metacritic The Vicar of Dibley First Aired: 10 November 1994 Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes: The Vicar of Dibley on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: The Vicar of Dibley on Metacritic Ghosts (UK) First Aired: 15 April 2019 Rotten Tomatoes: Ghosts on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Ghosts on Metacritic The Thick of It (2005–2012) Armando Iannucci’s razor-sharp political satire that defined modern political comedy. Rotten Tomatoes : The Thick of It on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic : The Thick of It on Metacritic Derry Girls First Aired: 4 January 2018 Rotten Tomatoes: Derry Girls on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Derry Girls on Metacritic Fresh Meat First Aired: 21 September 2011 Rotten Tomatoes: Fresh Meat on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Fresh Meat on Metacritic Only Fools and Horses First Aired: 8 September 1981 Rotten Tomatoes: Only Fools and Horses on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Only Fools and Horses on Metacritic Men Behaving Badly First Aired: 18 February 1992 Rotten Tomatoes: Men Behaving Badly on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Men Behaving Badly on Metacritic The IT Crowd First Aired: 3 February 2006 Rotten Tomatoes: The IT Crowd on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: The IT Crowd on Metacritic This Country First Aired: 22 February 2017 Rotten Tomatoes: This Country on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: This Country on Metacritic Detectorists First Aired: 2 October 2014 Rotten Tomatoes: Detectorists on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Detectorists on Metacritic Red Dwarf First Aired: 15 February 1988 Rotten Tomatoes: Red Dwarf on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Red Dwarf on Metacritic Blackadder First Aired: 15 June 1983 Rotten Tomatoes: Blackadder on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Blackadder on Metacritic Motherland First Aired: 6 September 2016 (Pilot) / 7 November 2017 (Series 1) Rotten Tomatoes: Motherland on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Motherland on Metacritic Gavin & Stacey First Aired: 13 May 2007 Rotten Tomatoes: Gavin & Stacey on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Gavin & Stacey on Metacritic Still Game First Aired: 6 September 2002 Rotten Tomatoes: Still Game on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Still Game on Metacritic Fleabag First Aired: 21 July 2016 Rotten Tomatoes: Fleabag on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Fleabag on Metacritic Absolutely Fabulous First Aired: 12 November 1992 Rotten Tomatoes: Absolutely Fabulous on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Absolutely Fabulous on Metacritic Father Ted First Aired: 21 April 1995 Rotten Tomatoes: Father Ted on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Father Ted on Metacritic The Inbetweeners First Aired: 1 May 2008 Rotten Tomatoes: The Inbetweeners on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: The Inbetweeners on Metacritic Friday Night Dinner First Aired: 25 February 2011 Rotten Tomatoes: Friday Night Dinner on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Friday Night Dinner on Metacritic Peep Show First Aired: 25 September 2003 Rotten Tomatoes: Peep Show on Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Peep Show on Metacritic

September 22, 2026Episode 2431 hr 5 min

Episode 243: You Should Get an Alpaca

Follow Up iPhone 18 Pro & Pro Max reviews: Hands-on impressions after spending a week with the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max ( TechRadar | YouTube ) Google Gemini security incident: Google Gemini escapes its testing environment and hacks three companies Apple UK court push: Apple pushes UK courts to lift secrecy surrounding an encryption backdoor order US iPhone 18 Pro Max hardware difference: Apple confirms the US model of the iPhone 18 Pro Max differs in one key way Omarchy funding & controversy: Omarchy secures $18.5M in backing, attracting both fresh converts and fierce critics News AI e-waste concerns: The ongoing AI boom could leave an e-waste trail capable of wrapping 6 times around the Earth AI military hallucination risk: A hallucinated AI arms report regarding Chinese nuclear components almost led to a US military attack Apple M-Series Ultra AI servers: Apple is reportedly building AI servers packed with M-series Ultra chips EPA climate rule rollbacks: Trump administration throws out power plant climate pollution rules to support AI data centers Developer Apple releases: Apple rolls out the iOS 27.2 beta features alongside the Xcode 27.1 beta with iPhone Duo support Media Slow Horses Season 6: The hit Apple TV+ espionage drama starring Gary Oldman returns for a sixth season Tony: Biological drama film centered on the life of Tony Bennett ( Rotten Tomatoes ) Games Steam Frame VR review: Valve's Steam Frame delivers another best-in-class VR headset, though virtual realities clash with economic ones Main Show Computer Science job market: Computer science graduates face recession-like job prospects due to AI automation Agentic research tools: Scientific papers are transformed into interactive agentic chatbots using a new tool App of the Week Davit: Modern web-based download manager and accelerator ( Davit ) Thing of the Week RockBox: Open-source replacement firmware for digital audio players ( RockBox ) Contact Mastodon: @ g5maniac@mastodon.scot Mastodon: @_ cjp@mastodon.social YouTube: Visit us at wakefromsleep.com and click the YouTube link Email: wakefromsleep@protonmail.com

September 15, 2026Episode 2421 hr 7 min

Episode 242: New and Improved Apple

Follow Up iPhone Duo Apple Pencil compatibility: The iPhone Duo only works with the $79 USB-C Apple Pencil , leaving out the Apple Pencil Pro T-Mobile Handoff fee: T-Mobile plans to charge $5/month for Apple’s new iPhone Handoff feature Dell's massive monitor: Dell introduces a 52-inch monitor described as a tsunami of impractical fun iPhone Duo details: A deep dive into all the smaller details missed from the iPhone Duo announcement News Foldable market predictions: Reports suggest the iPhone Duo could secure Apple a 25% share of the foldable market in 2026 Asahi Linux on M3: Asahi Linux expands support to Apple M3 chips, albeit with a few missing creature comforts Apple game controllers: Apple is reportedly designing its own iPhone game controllers, which could launch under Beats branding App Store revenue growth: Reports indicate Apple is planning new measures to squeeze more revenue from the App Store Satellite access extension: Apple extends free iPhone satellite access for another year Car Corner Volkswagen restructuring: Volkswagen confirms cutting 50,000 jobs as part of its Plan 2030 survival strategy Media The Grand Tour: The hit automotive show returns on Prime Video Taskmaster: The comedy panel game show returns for a new series on Channel 4 Ludwig: BBC comedy-drama detective series starring David Mitchell ( Rotten Tomatoes ) Working Girl: Classic 1988 romantic comedy drama ( Rotten Tomatoes ) Tuner: Crime drama film following a piano tuner who uses his skills to crack safes ( Rotten Tomatoes ) The Drama: Romantic drama feature starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson ( Rotten Tomatoes ) Games StarCraft reboot: Blizzard announces StarCraft will return in 2030 as an open-world shooter Main Show Apple Watch Audio Intelligence: Apple Watch's new Audio Intelligence feature enables a real-life conversation rewind Privacy implications: Security experts warn that always-listening wearable tech opens the door to a potential privacy nightmare Always-listening debate: Six Colors examines the broader question of whether your Apple Watch should always be listening App of the Week Unmanic: Automated media file converter for optimizing self-hosted video and audio libraries ( GitHub ) Thing of the Week AirBuddy: macOS app for managing Bluetooth device connections and battery status seamlessly ( AirBuddy ) Contact Mastodon: @ g5maniac@mastodon.scot Mastodon: @_ cjp@mastodon.social YouTube: Visit us at wakefromsleep.com and click the YouTube link Email: wakefromsleep@protonmail.com

September 9, 2026Episode 24154 min

Episode 241: 2026 iPhone Event

This week Chris and Rod go through the Sept 26 iPhone and Watch event

September 1, 2026

Episode 240: 240: Just Give the Thirteen a Tickle

Follow Up Apple & EU app store dispute: Apple's long-running app store battle with the EU appears to finally be over Apple Maps advertisements: Apple Maps launches ads on iPhone; here is what is new ( YouTube ) Pebble Time 2 review: Engadget reviews the Pebble Time 2 as the perfect smartwatch for a select group of people Plug-in solar in the UK: The UK legalises plug-in solar, though experts advise not rushing to buy a kit just yet News Framework Laptop spec bump: Framework's cheapest laptop just received a major spec bump AI chip taxation plans: AI industry leaders argue Trump plans to tax chips in the single dumbest way imaginable Apple Vision team layoffs: Apple reportedly lays off 60 Vision employees amid shifting priorities New Twitter launch: A new platform launches under the Twitter name, taking advantage after Musk's X gave up the trademark Nokia 300 Charge: The feature phone doubles as a 10W portable powerbank Media BlackBerry: Drama recounting the rise and fall of the revolutionary smartphone ( Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic ) Small Prophets: Apple TV acquires the breakout British hit comedy for global streaming Lanterns: Upcoming DC Universe series following Green Lanterns investigating an Earth-bound mystery ( Rotten Tomatoes ) Toy Story 5: Pixar's upcoming fifth installment in the animated franchise ( Rotten Tomatoes ) Minions and Monsters: Illumination's upcoming animated spinoff feature ( Rotten Tomatoes ) Games Cleared Hot: Top-down helicopter action game with physics-based combat on Steam Star Wars: Zero Company: Tactical turn-based strategy game set in the Star Wars universe ( Steam | Metacritic ) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4: Hands-on impressions from the Public Beta Main Show New Mac Mini Announcements: Apple announces a redesigned Mac Mini powered by M6 and M5 Pro chips ( Apple UK ) Pricing & Accessories: Breaking down configurations and pricing for new Mac Minis and Mac Studios , along with a quiet refresh of Magic Keyboards and a $10 cheaper Apple Polishing Cloth Apple Event Predictions: Teasing the upcoming Apple Event: Surprise and Shine ( MacRumors ) with predictions for iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Max, Apple Watch, and new Apple Home hardware App of the Week CachyOS: Arch Linux-based distribution optimized for performance and high-frequency workloads ( CachyOS ) Thing of the Week Dual Monitor Stand Riser: Heavy-duty desk organizer stand for dual monitors ( Amazon UK ) Contact Mastodon: @g5maniac@mastodon.scot Mastodon: @_cjp@mastodon.social YouTube: Visit us at wakefromsleep.com and click the YouTube link Email: wakefromsleep@protonmail.com

August 25, 2026Episode 23940 min

Episode 239: Scratch an Itch

Main Show - Releasing an App App Idea: A simple letter-merging iPhone game built around swipe controls Vibe Coding & Tools: Moving from AI skepticism to coding with Claude AI and Xcode ; using Claude Code (requires a subscription ) Testing & Hardware: Spending the majority of time testing, refining mechanics, and iterating alongside Claude AI on an iPhone 12 Style & Artwork: Crafting assets with Pixelmator Pro and Apple's Icon Composer External Testing: Distributing builds and gathering initial feedback using TestFlight Monetisation & Web: Setting up ad integration via Google AdMob and building a supporting website on 4b.studio with BBEdit App Store Submission: Navigating Apple Developer Portal review rounds—resolving rejection feedback for missing video demonstrations and synchronous In-App Purchase submissions App Store Approval: Successfully published and available on the App Store Future Revisions: Planning GameKit integration and an iPad version featuring physical keyboard support Current Status & Marketing: Gaining initial App Store impressions, receiving positive user feedback, expanding product landing pages, refining App Store copy, reviewing ad policies, and exploring promo submissions Other Projects Built: Getting carried away with new app ideas including Supersonic (MP3 manager), Lumen (movie collection manager), Hercule (media tracker), Builds (Xcode feature tracker), Delve (Wikipedia reader/cache), Done (task manager), and Mono (black & white camera app) Discussion Points: Declarations of using LLMs to write code, and marketing across social platforms like X, Bluesky, Instagram, and Reddit Contact Mastodon: @g5maniac@mastodon.scot Mastodon: @_cjp@mastodon.social YouTube: Visit us at wakefromsleep.com and click the YouTube link Email: wakefromsleep@protonmail.com

August 18, 2026Episode 23854 min

Episode 238: Bear of a Rewatch

Follow Up Tim Cook on his Apple legacy: Tim Cook shares his hopes for how he will be remembered: "I hope people say I was a good and decent man" OpenAI keylogging: OpenAI pivots away from Recall-style screenshot surveillance in favour of friendly keylogging Apple & Epic settlement talks: Apple seeks settlement talks with Epic Games in a new court filing US App Store commissions: Apple proposes commissions of up to 15% for off-App Store purchases in the US News Private security hacking: Private security firms will soon be allowed to hack overseas cybercriminals Unforgetful for Apple Reminders: Marco Arment releases Unforgetful , enhancing Apple Reminders Mac zero-day vulnerability: Security alert as a vulnerability giving attackers full control of Macs is under active exploitation Camera-Equipped AirPods: Apple's camera-equipped AirPods are confirmed; see them in action Media Changing Lanes The Running Man Working Girl Clarkson's Farm Games Defender of the Crown: Amiga strategy classic Defender of the Crown is back with both old and fresh graphics, and an all-new roguelite mode Main Show Google Pixel Event: Everything announced at Made by Google 2026: Pixel 11, Pixel Watch 5, Pixel Tag, & more Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold hands-on: stagnating instead of innovating App of the Week Blueferry: iMessage and SMS over Bluetooth to Linux with no cloud or proxy ( GitHub ) Thing of the Week The Bear (Season 1 & Season 2): High-intensity drama series following Carmy Berzatto's chaotic culinary journey in Chicago ( Rotten Tomatoes ) Contact Mastodon: @g5maniac@mastodon.scot Mastodon: @_cjp@mastodon.social YouTube: Visit us at wakefromsleep.com and click the YouTube link Email: wakefromsleep@protonmail.com

August 11, 2026

Episode 237: Doom and Gloom Podcast

Follow Up BBC Summer 2026 coverage: BBC News RAM manufacturers sell out 2027 output as price crisis looms: Rock Paper Shotgun UK charities impacted by Beacon CRM cyberattack: The Register OpenAI and Anthropic models tested on hacking spree by UK AI institute: Engadget News Meta introduces Muse Code and Muse Spark 1.2: Meta AI Research Apple's inconsistent App Store enforcement on Telegram vs X: The Verge AI systems generating novel biological virus designs: Engadget Project Nomad offers offline education and mapping platforms: Project Nomad Linus Torvalds discusses AI integration in Linux kernel development: The Register Car Corner BMW pushes Spider-Man ad directly to in-car dashboard screens: Engadget Media Spider-Man: Brand New Day: Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic Games Quake receives free original chapter update for 30th anniversary: Rock Paper Shotgun Main Show: Intel Matches Apple Silicon Intel's latest architecture generation makes massive efficiency leaps in the new Dell XPS 13, bringing x86 laptops directly into competition with Apple Silicon's power-to-performance ratio. Engadget Dell XPS 13: Dell Video Deep Dive: YouTube App & Thing of the Week App: Forel – Open-source utility software. Thing: BBEdit – The classic macOS professional text and code editor. Feature Comparison Contact Mastodon: @g5maniac@mastodon.scot | @_cjp@mastodon.social YouTube: Visit us at wakefromsleep.com and click the YouTube link Email: wakefromsleep@protonmail.com