Guest
Adam Juniper
An Adam of all trades, master of some: Drone pilot and author, photo/tech publisher, sardonic wit and astronaut (possibly).
Technology writer and drone expert Adam Juniper joins Mark to discuss machines that go bleep.
Adam spent many years editing and publishing books on photography, which over the years has become more about technology than chemicals.
He and Mark discuss the fun and frustration that can be had when delving into the world of smart home tech, and you can read more of Adam’s thoughts on this — and other desirable tech — on his Tech Yearning blog.
Like Mark, Adam had a Game Gear, which you can hear discussed in episode 2 of this very podcast.
The pair also discuss the “Privacy: It’s a Crime” campaign.
As a listening note: the pair do talk about the Amazon Echo devices and the lady that lives inside them, but rest assured, thanks to the ingenious editing technique of cutting out a bit of the word Ale*a , your costly egg timer won’t be set off.
Honourable mentions
- Apple Watch
- Nespresso coffee machines
- Segway
- Dyson Airblade
- Zoom H2n Handy Recorder
- Pebble Time
- Netbooks
- Smart TV sticks
Gadgets that went under the wire
Because they’re a little too old, but deserve a nod:
- GSM phones
- DVD player
- MiniDisc
- Dial-up modems
- Apple iBook
- Virtual reality
Adam’s picks
In order of discussion:
Although Adam labels this the gadget that killed all other gadgets (and most tech pundits agree that the iPhone 4 is the peak of Apple’s design), the first-generation iPhone from 2007 was an indisputably magical device. Not so magical for iJustine, who recorded a video unboxing her first post-iPhone AT&T bill.
It’s such a humble gadget that many of us don’t think about it, but the USB flash drive, USB stick, USB “key” (it’s not a key) or “jump drive” (if you’re Griffin McElroy from 20012) is ubiquitous, and astonishingly
Most boys wanted a remote-controlled car when they were growing up, but now 21st-century children get to want tiny helicopters that can be controlled with a smartphone. Adam was captivated by the Parrot drone when he saw one at a trade show, and has vastly upped his drone game in the intervening years.
Adam picked this model, but wanted to submit electric cars in general. He likes the full-on gadgetiness of an electric car, and is also pleased to be able to talk about one that isn’t a Tesla.