Sorg, Katie Dudas and Dave Podnar celebrate AwesomeCast 800 with a mix of brand-new gadgets, weird apps, AI-powered software experiments and a trip through more than 16 years of tech history. From Google Glass and Pebble to vibe-coded Adobe alternatives and an Apple Watch that literally points toward Taco Bell, this episode is both a look back at where we’ve been and a pretty accurate snapshot of where technology is heading next.

Vibe Coding Comes for Adobe—and Maybe Microsoft

Sorg takes ArtCraft for a spin, looking at its collection of creative tools, simplified video editing and AI integrations. The bigger conversation is about what happens when an experienced developer uses AI-assisted coding to recreate pieces of expensive subscription software.

The hosts discuss:

• ArtCraft’s simplified creative and video tools

• AI generation integrations and credit-based pricing

• Whether tools like this could fill the gap left by simpler editors such as Adobe Rush

• The difference between casually prompting an app into existence and having enough development experience to actually finish and maintain one

• The creator’s reported interest in building alternatives to Microsoft Office-style apps and possibly other subscription software

• Subscription fatigue and whether smaller AI-assisted competitors can put pressure on Adobe, Microsoft and other established software companies

• Sorg’s own experiments using AI coding tools to build internal project-management software

ArtCraft / FilmCraft:
https://getartcraft.com/apps/filmcraft

Background:
https://gizmodo.com/someone-vibe-coded-a-free-knockoff-of-adobe-creative-suite-2000823322

Microsoft Office alternatives:
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/microsoft-office/creator-of-free-adobe-clones-unveils-open-source-microsoft-office-excel-powerpoint-and-word-replications-autodesk-tools-and-other-subscription-based-services-may-come-next

Apple HomeView: Who Is the $299 Smart Display For?

Dave breaks down Apple’s new home-focused announcements, including updates involving Apple TV, HomePod mini, Siri AI and the new Apple HomeView.

The HomeView discussion focuses on its square display, Apple-style interface, home placement, FaceTime functionality and ability to recognize different household members. That last feature leads to one of the episode’s best practical questions: if a shared HomeView can know who is looking at it, why can’t a family iPad do the same thing?

The bigger question is price. At $299 before some mounting options, does HomeView solve enough problems to become a normal household device—or is this mostly for families already deep inside Apple’s ecosystem?

https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/13/apple-homeview-announced-features-price-release-date/

Katie Finally Discovers Where All Those Dropout Clips Come From

Katie’s Awesome Thing is Dropout, the independent streaming service behind shows she had already been discovering through social clips.

The crew talks about Game Changer, Smarty Pants, Dimension 20, the service’s CollegeHumor roots and why some of the programming works almost as well as an audio experience as it does on video.

For Katie, the revelation was basically: “This is where these shows come from.”

https://www.dropout.tv

800 Episodes of Awesome History

Then it’s time to look backward.

AwesomeCast traces its history to 2010, which means the show has lived through an absurd number of supposedly world-changing technologies.

Among the flashbacks:

• Sorg’s Google Glass era

• Talking about 3D printing in the earliest days of the show

• Google Stadia and wondering whether Google would eventually abandon it

• Debating Netflix, Roku and cord cutting back in 2011

• Pebble before smartwatches became normal

• Early ChatGPT and Midjourney experiments

• Meerkat and Periscope before live video became another button inside every social platform

• The chaos of Google+

• Vine creators and the short-form video era before TikTok

• Apple Vision discussions

• Old AwesomeCast clips that continue collecting views and comments years later

The retrospective also turns into a reminder that changes feel incremental while they are happening. Look back across 800 episodes, however, and the difference is enormous.

ChachiSays Video Game Minute

Chachi returns with three quick gaming stories:

• Eli Manning says Peyton Manning found a very Manning-like competitive advantage while playing Tecmo Bowl.
  https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/eli-manning-admits-peyton-manning-230855059.html

• A real Lexus inspired by the Street Fighter II bonus-stage car is being given away.
  https://www.motor1.com/news/810970/street-fighter-ii-car-giveaway/

• Jay and Silent Bob are heading into the farming-simulator business with Jay and Silent Bob: Joint Venture, announced for Steam with consoles expected to follow.
  https://www.ign.com/articles/jay-silent-bob-joint-venture-trailer-gameplay?fbclid=Iwb21leAU2AShleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHlZ5vTYCOuFcL9tPfkTBTC8JeX7h7FRyv8Kkj6rNkz8Nj9FBUSswyO8qXI5a_aem_40PO5dnTmHpro9PXk_mSUg

Point Your Wrist at Tacos

The T-Bell Compass might be one of the most specifically useful Apple Watch apps AwesomeCast has ever encountered.

Its job is simple: show you the direction of the nearest Taco Bell.

Sorg demonstrates it in the studio, immediately inspiring requests for an In-N-Out version and possibly an entire Pittsburgh Taco Bell rating system.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tbell-compass/id6761598622

“I Need to Collect That Cat”

Cat Collector turns spotting neighborhood cats into a real-world collecting game.

Photograph cats you encounter, add them to the map, see what other cats people have discovered nearby and even turn your finds into iMessage stickers.

Naturally, Sorg has already found himself pulling over because there was a cat he needed to collect.

https://catcollector.app/

Normal Tools: A Site Full of Tiny Useful Things

Normal Tools is basically a digital junk drawer where everything is actually labeled.

The hosts browse tools for image conversion, CSV viewing, QR codes, aspect ratios, projectors, building calculations, game controllers, screens, batteries and much more.

The appeal is straightforward: find the little utility you need, use it, and move on.

https://www.normaltools.com/

Pittsburgh International Airport Keeps Experimenting

The episode closes locally with another look at technology being tested through Pittsburgh International Airport’s innovation efforts.

The hosts discuss robotics that can potentially help monitor terminal conditions—including passenger flow, cleanliness and environmental conditions—along with analytics intended to give airline teams better information during boarding.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1527880259386316&set=pcb.1527880329386309

Supporting Pittsburgh podcasting with the perfect pepperoni pizza:
www.SliceonBroadway.com

Stories and gadgets discussed:

• Dave’s Awesome Thing of the Week: Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones
  Dave finally upgrades from cheap running headphones to the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, praising the open-ear / bone-conduction-style design for running safety, comfort, sweat management, USB-C charging, and situational awareness.
  Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2HKCMBP?maas=maas\_adg\_api\_582366218564361552\_static\_9\_129&ref\_=aa\_maas&tag=maas&aa\_campaignid=lv\_IGvrl5TTBxiweexlXK&aa\_adgroupid=lv\_fdLHIcjvJhpJZvQxFb&aa\_creativeid=lv\_MMLFRb8MTdZvGlnqFv&gad\_campaignid=23921418215&gbraid=0AAAABDw\_RJg26Vr6MY-sVAPsmwCxwK4mX&gclid=CjwKCAjw3ejRBhAdEiwADkqPn36qoEfzRElmQ3e9OXSxZdGKjw0DyckEdeqo82D8qqlMdTFDyLXuXhoCVn8QAvD\_BwE&th=1
• Valve opens the door to SteamOS installs on AMD PCs
  Sorg talks about Valve allowing SteamOS installs on normal PCs with AMD GPUs, giving PC gamers a way to build their own living-room Steam Machine instead of buying Valve’s new box. The conversation also touches on Steam Deck, Linux gaming, Proton, GPU costs, tariffs, and the economics of gaming hardware.
  Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/steam-machines/valve-greenlights-steamos-installs-on-normal-pcs-with-amd-gpus-so-you-can-go-make-your-own-steam-machine-if-you-dont-wanna-fork-over-usd1-049/?brid=YWdncwFV2uAIYy2jMECl21FxWfGS
• Bazzite as an open-source SteamOS-style alternative
  Sorg brings up Brother Sorg’s recommendation of Bazzite, a Linux-based gaming OS with Steam gaming mode and support for launchers like Xbox Game Pass, Battle.net, EA, Epic Games Store, GOG, Rockstar, and Ubisoft Connect.
  Link: https://bazzite.gg/
• Pride Month tech history: Jon “maddog” Hall
  Dave spotlights Jon “maddog” Hall, a major Linux and Unix figure, sharing stories about Hall’s long programming history, his connection to Linus Torvalds, and the importance of recognizing LGBTQ contributors in technology history.
  Article: https://www.lpi.org/blog/2025/09/10/a-lifetime-in-code-jon-maddog-hall-reflects-at-linuxfest-northwest/
  Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=758QuvXrttM
• Chachi Says Video Game Minute: GTA 6, Nex Playground, and Ubisoft news
  Chachi covers three gaming stories: GTA 6 cover art and pre-orders, the Nex Playground motion-based console for kids, and the death of Claude Guillemot, co-founder of Ubisoft.
  GTA 6: https://www.ign.com/articles/gta-6-cover-artwork-revealed-pre-orders-begin-june-25
  Nex Playground: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx50rrz7zro
  Claude Guillemot: https://apnews.com/article/france-assassins-creed-ubisoft-plane-crash-2df2ea469c3fca0a45c38ae8805a6033
• Baja SAE filmed on a “gas station camera”
  Sorg highlights a low-fi, retro-looking Baja SAE reel from Fairfield University, celebrating the charm of VHS-style and “bad camera” aesthetics in modern social media content.
  Link: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZ6BjfCtzo-/
• World Cup referee technology, digital twins, sensors, and 3D body scans
  Sorg discusses advanced soccer officiating tech, including camera sensors, player tracking, digital twins, and automated offside detection that can help reduce blown calls and give officials faster alerts.
  Link: https://apple.news/ABeSFqwyjRpehEy0x8Nc9nQ
• Ribbie turns MLB games into pixel-art broadcasts
  Dave shares Ribbie, a fan-built project that uses real-time Major League Baseball data to recreate live games as a retro 16-bit-style baseball broadcast. The conversation connects it to vibe coding, AI-assisted development, and new ways fans can build creative sports experiences.
  Link: https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/ribbie-turns-real-time-baseball-stats-into-arcade-like-pixel-art-broadcasts/
• Commodore phone brings retro branding to a distraction-light flip phone
  Dave and Sorg look at the Commodore phone, a Sailfish OS-based flip phone designed as a step above a dumbphone, with calls, texting, maps, music apps, Uber/Lyft, classic Commodore games, and limited/no social media access.
  Link: https://order.commodore.net/callback-audio/?brid=YWdncwHwIXnsUg8Nsyh9q\_45Lj2C
• DoorDash accidentally tags T-Pain in soccer posts
  The episode wraps with a funny social media fail where DoorDash appears to tag T-Pain instead of soccer player Tim Payne during World Cup-related posts. Sorg and Dave discuss automation, agency workflows, social scheduling, and why T-Pain’s response made the whole situation better.
  Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ56tKCnedX/?brid=YWdncwG5YHkt5InxWn1IZ1Apa3Gc&img\_index=2

This week, the crew talks about Niagara Falls adventures, World Cup watch parties, international visitors discovering American mega-stores, the Strong Museum of Play, Nerdvana, Google Gemini Pro, electric vehicle camouflage, and video game news from Chachi Says.

Stories and gadgets discussed:

• World Cup travelers discovering America
  • Dave shares TikTok reactions from international soccer fans experiencing Walmart, Waffle House, Costco, ranch dressing, school buses, Bucky’s, and oversized American everything.
  • Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@josievlogsthings/video/7651983684060613890?lang=en
• Niagara Falls World Cup watch party
  • Sorg and Katie stumble into a World Cup viewing party at Niagara Falls with giant screens, fans, fireworks, and the falls lit up at night.
• The 26th-floor IHOP at Niagara Falls
  • Katie highlights the surreal breakfast experience of eating IHOP with a panoramic view of Niagara Falls, before the space transforms into a steakhouse at night.
• This Week in Pride History: Sophie Wilson
  • Dave spotlights Sophie Wilson, a computing pioneer connected to the development of ARM processor architecture, which powers phones, Macs, and many modern devices.
  • Link: https://www.marks-clerk.com/insights/latest-insights/102k16g-celebrating-lgbt-history-month-sophie-wilson-computing-pioneer-inventor-and-advocate-for-inclusion/
• Chachi Says Video Game Minute
  • Crazy Taxi, Ocarina of Time, TMNT: The Last Ronin, and Marvel’s Wolverine game news.
  • A sealed Super Mario Bros. copy reportedly sells for $3 million.
  • Tupac appears in Stranger Than Heaven, a prequel to the Like a Dragon series.
  • Links:
    • https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/switch-2-zelda-ocarina-of-time-remake-is-making-some-fans-regret-what-they-wished-for
    • https://www.inverse.com/gaming/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-the-last-ronin-platinum-games-ps5-xbox
    • https://kotaku.com/copy-of-super-mario-bros-sells-for-3-million-in-auction-2000706228
    • https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/tupac-video-game-stranger-than-heaven-9.7232112
• Strong Museum of Play and Video Game Hall of Fame
  • Sorg and Katie visit the Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, including the Video Game Hall of Fame, giant Donkey Kong, Oregon Trail, Street Fighter, Sonic, Sesame Street, Peanuts, Hello Kitty, Dungeons & Dragons, and interactive game exhibits.
• Nerdvana
  • The crew talks about the restaurant across from the Strong Museum where guests can play Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, or board games while eating.
• Ford’s hidden QR code in EV camouflage
  • Dave discusses Ford hiding a QR code inside the camouflage pattern on a prototype electric pickup, turning spy photos into promotion.
  • Link: https://www.theautopian.com/the-30000-ford-ev-pickup-we-photographed-was-hiding-a-qr-code-on-its-camouflage-heres-where-it-takes-you/
• Google Gemini Pro and Google One
  • Sorg discovers Google AI Pro access connected to Google storage plans and talks through Gemini, Google Forms automation, vibe coding, AI tools, NotebookLM, Flow, and possible app development.
  • Link: https://gemini.google/us/subscriptions/?hl=en&brid=YWdncwHVFyhYRkb6SzEgcIU3w1kG

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Thanks to our supporters: Brian Crawford, Cynthia Closkey, John DeGore, and Dave Podnar.