Radio Shack Crypto, Audiophile SSDs, and Licking Screens

The Return of Tech Giants and Crypto Pivots

Radio Shack is making headlines again, but not the way retro tech enthusiasts might hope. The brand has been acquired by Retail Ecommerce Ventures and is pivoting into the DeFi (Decentralized Finance) space. Instead of being a haven for hobbyists to buy components, it is now shilling its own Radio token, a move heavily criticized by the hosts as branding exploitation.

Nostalgia and the Decline of Retail

• Discussion on the demise of nostalgic hobbyist stores like Fry's Electronics.
• The loss of the 'tactile' in-person experience where makers could browse components.
• Nostalgic look back at old-school tech like the PowerShot A20 and high-maintenance gadgets that required monster amounts of batteries.

Audiophile Snake Oil: The $800 SSD

In a bizarre turn of events, the hosts investigate an audiophile-grade NVMe SSD priced at $800, which claims to improve sound quality through components like military-spec capacitors and external power inputs.

"There's no analog signaling taking place on an M.2 SSD... It just can't do anything."

• The hosts remain highly skeptical, calling it snake oil and questioning the technical utility of shielding or external power for digital storage.
• There is an ongoing struggle to actually purchase these items, as the mysterious manufacturers seem to screen orders from reputable tech reviewers.

Emerging Tech: The Lickable TV

A Japanese professor has developed the Taste the TV (TTTV), a prototype device that simulates food flavors by spraying a combination of liquids onto a hygienic film that rolls over the screen.

• While the functionality is currently limited to 10 flavor canisters, the hosts discuss the absurdity of potential applications, such as sommelier training or high-stakes viewer reaction streams.
• The tech is compared to scent-based VR peripherals, highlighting the ongoing industry quest to bring multisensory experiences home, even if practical application remains far off.

Industry Updates

• Battlefield 2042 Failures: The game's struggling launch is discussed, noting its drop in player counts below Farming Simulator 22, underscoring the dangers of launching FPS titles during the crowded holiday window.
• Threadripper Pro Specs: Discussion on AMD's upcoming workstation-only shift, expressing disappointment that they are moving away from the consumer-friendly HEDT (High-End Desktop) market.
• HDMI 2.1a: A new Source-Based Tone Mapping (SBTM) feature is explained, with the hosts venting frustration over the increasingly confusing and opaque naming conventions for modern display standards.