This week’s stories and gadgets:

• Pittsburgh Shootout preview: Sorg and Katie prepare to photograph the independent Formula SAE-style event at Summit Point Motorsports Park after the former Pittsburgh Raceway property was sold for a data center.

• Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meals: Katie arrives with McDonald’s crossover toys and begins the hunt for the complete collection, including Hello Kitty Godzilla, Chococat with SpaceGodzilla, and Kuromi with Mechagodzilla.

• TikTok voice-call warning: Dave demonstrates how TikTok users can make direct voice calls and explains why parents should review the feature. Users can go to Profile, Settings and Privacy, Notifications, and Voice Calls to limit notifications to no one, people they follow, or everyone. The calling capability itself may still remain available. See the settings reference used during the show.

• Drive through Google Street View: Hop Earth turns real-world map data into a browser-based driving game. Sorg attempts to create a Pittsburgh route while discovering that the experimental experience can be demanding on a computer with too many open tabs.

• Awesome Person of the Week: Dave celebrates Pittsburgh-area chemist Stephanie L. Kwolek, whose persistence and polymer research at DuPont led to the development of Kevlar.

• ChachiSays Video Game Minute:

  • Ohio is suing Roblox over allegations involving investor disclosures and protections for children.
  • A real Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza experience inspired by Five Nights at Freddy’s is planned for a New Jersey mall in 2027.
  • The FAA recruited more than 2,000 gamers as prospective air traffic controllers following a change in recruitment strategy.

• An AI Tamagotchi that grows up: Sweekar is an interactive AI pocket pet that progresses from baby to child, teenager, and adult. Its personality develops according to how its owner interacts with it, and it can recognize people, remember interests, offer reminders, tell stories, use an accompanying app, and wear collectible outfits.

• Apple’s possible camera-equipped AirPods: A video discovered inside a macOS update appears to demonstrate visual intelligence through AirPods. The hosts discuss the possibility of tiny cameras helping users identify objects and places, along with the major privacy questions Apple would need to address. The product remains speculative.

• AllTrails Hidden Tracks: Katie highlights Hidden Tracks from AllTrails, a collection of crowdsourced alternatives to heavily visited national parks and trails.

• Fandom becomes a business: A creator turned a niche idea involving Dungeon Crawler Carl-themed commentary and cosplay into a successful subscription project. The hosts examine the creator’s reported early results and the growing economy around fan-made merchandise and content.

• Super Mario Bros. Wonder on the SNES: The hosts play with a fan-made Super Nintendo-style demake featuring Wonder Flowers, Drill Mario, Bubble Mario, and a Bowser Jr. battle.

• Robots inside Hyundai’s EV factory: Dave takes the show inside Hyundai’s Georgia Metaplant, where autonomous sleds move vehicles between workstations and Boston Dynamics robot dogs assist with quality inspections.

• YouTube is changing how views appear: YouTube plans to align its public view counting more closely with TikTok and Instagram by counting a view when playback begins. Creator earnings will continue to depend on engaged Shorts views and watch hours, making engagement more important than the public total.

• Dave celebrates the iPhoneography Podcast passing 100,000 plays and shares highlights from a recent conversation with photographer Jefferson Graham.

Support AwesomeCast and receive bonus aftertalk content at https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast.

The “free for now” AI moment
One of the big conversations this week is around Adobe Firefly opening the gates for unlimited image and video generations—at least until mid-March. The crew talks about why companies do this (get you hooked), but also why it’s still worth exploring right now if you’re creating promos, openers, or social clips. 

AI hits gaming: the Project Genie ripple
Chachi’s Video Game Minute drops a bigger question: what happens when generative tools reduce the need for traditional creative labor, and how does the industry react when that shift feels immediate? 

Pittsburgh corner: arcade church + LEGO skyline dreams
On the local front, a new arcade opens inside an old church in Duquesne with a one-time entry fee and a whole lot of machines set to free play—instantly landing on the crew’s “we should go there” list. 
And then there’s the LEGO Ideas “Pittsburgh” build: the skyline, the incline, the vibe… and yes, a “bus in a sinkhole.” The crew makes the case for voting it into existence. 

Gadget pick: Cell2Jack = landline nostalgia, modern convenience
Dudders’ Awesome Thing of the Week is Cell2Jack—letting your cell phone ring through a home handset so you can stop missing calls and bring back that “anyone can answer the house phone” feeling. 

Switch 2 upgrades: worth it or nah?
The crew breaks down what “Switch 2 Editions” even mean in practice (and how pricing/extra content is landing), using Mario Wonder’s multiplayer design as a touchpoint. 

Black History Month spotlight: James West
Podnar’s spotlight highlights inventor James West and how the electret microphone helped make modern microphones small, practical, and everywhere—like, literally in your phone. 

This week, Michael Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar dive into:

Sorg’s first week living with a Telly free TV and its always-on ad bar

Dave’s emergency Lasko Whirlwind space heater run when his furnace dies

Katie’s Amazon storage bins that completely changed how she organizes clothes

A heartfelt ChachiSays Video Game Minute tribute to game dev legend Rebecca Heineman

Katie’s beloved Cat Wars calendar and a detour into She-Ra villain Catra toy nostalgia

Quick hits on Disney’s robotic Olaf, a 40th anniversary Voltron collector set, and the future of park animatronics & high-end geek collectibles

🔗 Episode links from the show notes:
Telly TV – https://www.telly.com/

Storage bins – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFQKX3NV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Rebecca Heineman article – https://gaymingmag.com/2025/11/gayming-icon-and-lgbtq-games-pioneer-rebecca-heineman-has-died/

Top gadgets of 1992 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BpWD8pkteM

Robotic Olaf – https://disneyparksblog.com/disney-experiences/robotic-olaf-marks-new-era-of-disney-innovation/

Voltron collector set – https://toynamishop.com/voltron-40th-anniversary-collectors-set/

Threads “bad movie theaters” post – https://www.threads.com/@kcharlesross/post/DRdjnSrDrJB?hl=en

Follow us and share what tech you’re thankful for with #AC759.

We also explore Disney’s Star Wars Life Day Gift Guide, the wild GameStop Trade Anything Day, a Minecraft rebuild of Pittsburgh’s legendary Century III Mall, and Google’s rollout of Gemini 3. Plus: which AI model would you trust on your iPhone?

Join us for gadgets, games, tech talk, and holiday chaos—Pittsburgh-style.

Plus: Chachi’s Video Game Minute, EB Games’ comeback, and a Taco Bell 50K run you have to hear to believe.

🛫 Links + extras: https://www.sorgatronmedia.com/blog/awesomecast-755-pittsburgh-airport-ai-obs-stream-madness

This Week’s Awesome Topics
• 🧠 OpenAI’s new ChatGPT Atlas browser — Dave tries the AI-powered browser built to summarize and interact with the web itself. openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-atlas
• 🎮 Keeper on Game Pass — Sorg shares his pick for the week: a haunting, cinematic puzzle game where your lighthouse walks on spider legs. xbox.com/en-US/games/keeper
• 🧸 Casio’s MOFLIN AI Pet — Katie explores the fuzzy, learning pet robot that’s way too cute to ignore. casio.com/us/moflin
• 🛍️ Walmart partners with ChatGPT — The team discusses how AI is about to change the way you shop online. apnews.com/article/openai-walmart-chatgpt-shopping-partnership
• 🧱 Sesame Street in Roblox — What happens when Elmo goes digital? Roblox link
• 🎬 Chachi’s Video Game Minute — Netflix adds real games to your TV app.
• 📺 Not Awesome: Telly TV’s “free” set might cost more than you think. tiktok.com/@verge/video/7557015639102098702
• 💾 Throwback Corner: Remember 3dfx graphics cards? The golden age of gaming returns. wikipedia.org/wiki/3dfx

🎙️ Support the show on Patreon for ad-free episodes and exclusive after-talk:
👉 patreon.com/awesomecast