Each week we visit the studio of The Big 550 KTRS for Tech Talk on the Guy Phillips Show! Our IT experts join Guy, his co-host, Heidi Glaus, and their producer to talk about the happenings in technology and cyber security. Last week our expert, Randy Moore, joined the show to talk about a little bit of everything.
We've said it before and we'll say it again, technology changes every day. In just a matter of decades, we've gone from rotary phones to small cell phones that could double as a mini computer! Technology is part of our everyday life now. Cell phones, televisions, tablets, computers, there is a good chance at some point you use at least one device or a combination of them every day.
The crew got on the topic of how these technologies are affecting our lives and our health. The discussion got started when Heidi brought up the fact that years ago, parents would urge their children not to sit so close to the television and now we all have our eyes glued to screens. Were we afraid we would harm our eyes or did we fear that our love with technology would make us grow to be too dependent on it? The question is still up for debate.
In addition to talking about the changes consumers have experienced with technology, Guy Phillips also brought up news about a new smart home device mishap. Google was under fire last week because a new update to their device Nest Secure allowed users to enable its virtual assistant technology. The only problem was, consumers had no prior knowledge that their device had microphone capabilities to begin with!
Google apologized for the issue and stated that they never intended for the microphone to be kept secret. They also said that it should have been listed in the original tech specs and that it was an error on their end and they are working to rectify the issue.
The Google Nest helped to segue the Tech Talk conversation brought up the topic of, how secure are we? Randy's advice for securing yourself from different device features is to actually read the end user license agreements and see exactly what you're getting yourself into before the device gets plugged in. Those words aren't just there to slow you down from using your new technology, they are there to protect you and keep you informed. Being informed about what technology is in use in your home is a great way to be a critical consumer.
There you have it, a little recap of what happened in the news last week and on Tech Talk. Be sure to tune your radio in The Big 550 KTRS or listen online this Friday afternoon at 4:20 to listen to our next tech-centric discussion. If you would like to learn more about SumnerOne or what our IT experts are doing when they aren't on the radio, give us a call.
Originally published February 28, 2019, updated May 30, 2019