Sorg and Podnar open with one of the week’s best feel-good tech stories: Artemis 2 made it home successfully, and Dave shares the unexpectedly charming story of the mission mascot RISE. In a week that needed some good news, the conversation lands on something larger than space hardware alone. This was about optimism, engineering, and a rare moment of collective excitement. 

Then the show pivots back to Earth with the kind of story that feels custom-made for AwesomeCast: yes, someone got early Mac OS X running on a Nintendo Wii. It is not practical. It is not necessary. It is absolutely wonderful. That same spirit carries into Sorg’s hands-on experiment with Mythic, a tool aimed at helping M-series Mac users access Windows games through the Epic ecosystem. The conversation explores how much better Apple Silicon has become for compatibility, even if some rough edges still show up in real-world testing. 

A big chunk of the episode also digs into Amazon Luna’s latest changes. Sorg reacts to the platform ending game purchases and outside store access, and the discussion quickly becomes about more than Luna itself. It becomes a conversation about trust in digital platforms, cloud gaming ownership, and what happens when convenience gets taken away after users have already bought in. It is one of the sharpest segments in the episode because it blends personal use with a bigger industry trend. 

There is also a lighter side this week. Dave shares The Weather Channel’s retro weather experience, which sends both hosts into a funny and surprisingly thoughtful conversation about the old cable era, nostalgic interfaces, and how channels drift from their original purpose. On the more practical side, they also touch on Overcast’s new transcript support and Waymo’s plan to help cities identify potholes using vehicle data. That latter topic turns into a very Pittsburgh-flavored discussion about 311 systems, local government tech, and whether cities are really taking advantage of the tools they have.

Finally, Dave closes with his Arab American History Month spotlight on Tony Fadell, best known for his work on the iPod and Nest. It is a fitting end to an episode that is really about the many layers of tech: breakthrough engineering, strange experimentation, product design, infrastructure, nostalgia, and how all of it shapes everyday life.  Links from this episode:

Artemis / RISE: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/how-artemis-2-commander-reid-wiseman-saved-the-missions-moon-mascot-its-hard-not-to-love-this-little-guy-i-cant-let-rise-out-of-my-sight

macOS on Wii: https://apple.news/AJdU3eghQT2-jfhrGvzI2_g

Mythic: https://getmythic.app/

Amazon Luna: https://www.ign.com/articles/amazon-luna-will-no-longer-allow-owners-to-buy-games-access-game-stores-or-third-party-subscriptions-starting-today?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Manual&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

Amazon Luna alt link: https://apple.news/A2cb25SwgQX-AuvSPHdRsHw

Waymo potholes: https://apple.news/AnxW6o9QWQJOcCGLqCsW6XQ

Overcast transcripts: https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/08/overcast-launches-podcast-transcripts-in-new-app-update-for-iphone/

Retro Weather Channel: https://weather.com/retro/

Tony Fadell: https://design.mit.edu/community/people/tony-fadell

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We've got Michael Sorg, Katie Dudas, and John Chichilla for this week's tech talk, including:

• Katie's got a new TV, and it's just one Awesome Thing of the Week for her!
• Katie bought a new TV - - - Part of the purchase experience was her explanation that her sole goal was to watch The Mandalorian with said TV.
• Part Deux of Katie's Awesome Thing of the Week is her new Boba Fett backpack.
• Chilla's Awesome Thing of the Week is Potato Pirates.
• Sorg has been using his Awesome Thing of the Week for the past couple of weeks. It's his new Zoom board.
• MoviePass promised a lot, and now they're filing for bankruptcy and may owe money to subscribers.
• PlayStation may bring remote play to Switch.
• Google may have accidentally shared Google Photos with other users.
• Waymo's self-driving vans will be carrying UPS packages in Phoenix.
• Voyage is using robot taxis to get senior citizens to and from within their community.
• Disney Plus has "26.5 million subscribers" and we're talking about how many of them are holding out for Season 2 of The Mandalorian and some other great programming.
• What happens when you load 99 phones in a wagon? Things definitely happen to Google Maps!
• Nvidia makes it possible to use the cloud for PC gaming options.
• Ancestry rejected a police warrant because of a technicality.
• Did you know Apple Arcade is a thing? They're looking to remind you through a creative ad blitz.

After the show remember to:

Eat at Slice on Broadway (@Pgh_Slice) if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com)

Want to be part of our studio audience? Hit us up at awesomecast@sorgatronmedia.com and we’ll save you a seat!

Join our AwesomeCast Facebook Group to see what we’re sharing and to join the discussion!

Follow these awesome people on Twitter: Katie (@Kdudders), John Chichilla (@Chilla) and Sorg (@Sorgatron)

You can support the show at Patreon.com/awesomecast!

Remember to check out our friends at the The 405 Media (@The405Radio), and Postindustrial Audio (@post_industry) who replay the show on their stream throughout the week!

Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays around 7:00 PM EST

Krause, Chilla, and Sorg are back in studio this week to run down the tech news you should know about, including:

• Sorg is sharing the Google-Assistant-themed ride at CES 2019 as his Awesome Thing of the Week.
• Speaking of automation, there's some crazy stuff happening with Waymo.
• Chilla is sharing a modular screen as one of his Awesome Thing of the Week contenders.
• Chilla's second Awesome Thing of the Week is also a Samsung update - with iTunes and Airplay coming to non-Apple devices.
• Krause is sharing his Plantronics wireless Bluetooth headset and charge case as his Awesome Thing of the Week.
• Amazon is working on a new videogame streaming service.
• Ubisoft is moving from Steam to Epic Games.
• Bungie splits with Activision.
• Alex is sharing his WD My Cloud Home with us this week.
• Instagram now offers voice messaging.
• We're apparently ditching the notch for a hole punch thanks to Huawei.
• Dolby Atmos is available through your headphones thanks to Windows and Xbox?
• There's a Surface Pro for gamers thanks to Asus.

After the show remember to:

Eat at Slice on Broadway (@Pgh_Slice) if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com)

Want to be part of our studio audience? Hit us up at awesomecast@sorgatronmedia.com and we’ll save you a seat!

Join our AwesomeCast Facebook Group to see what we’re sharing and to join the discussion!

Follow these awesome people on Twitter: Krause (@KrazyKrause), Chilla (@chilla), and Sorg (@Sorgatron)

Have you seen our AwesomeTips videos?

You can support the show at Patreon.com/awesomecast!

Remember to check out our friends at the River’s Edge (@RiversEdgePGH) and The 405 Media (@The405Radio) who replay the show on their stream throughout the week!

Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays around 7:00 PM EST

There may be some Top Gun chatter at the top of the show.
Amanda has some show and tell for her Awesome Thing of the Week with Philips Hue Go.
Because Amanda isn’t here very often, we let her have TWO Awesome Thing of the Week submissions. Up next? Beasts of Balance!
Steve is a sports fan (cough BOLD Pittsburgh Sports cough) is sharing Zepp Smart Sports as his Awesome Thing of the Week.
Chilla is heading to Pinterest for his Awesome Thing of the Week with Poort for his iPad collection.
Steve is looking to upgrade his velcro and duct tape solutions with Poort thanks to Chilla.
Sorg’s Awesome Thing of the Week is thanks to the Going Deep summit this weekend. He’s sharing 412 Food Rescue’s new app.
Burger King explaining Net Neurality may be the best thing ever.
Star Wars + VR = Secrets of the Empire. Chris Whitlatch gives his thumbs up this week.
Chilla is pouring one out this week for Dudders (not being in studio) with VR fake porn that face swaps someone’s face into porn.
Waymo has ordered thousands of vans for self-driving taxi service geared for later this year.
Instagram has finally approved scheduled content!
After the show remember to:

Eat at Slice on Broadway (@Pgh_Slice) if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com)

Join our AwesomeCast Facebook Group to see what we’re sharing and to join the discussion?

Follow these awesome people on Twitter: Steve Fernald (@Stevefernald), Amanda Narcisi (@alnarcisi), John Chichilla (@chilla) and Sorg (@haggertymedia)

Have you seen our AwesomeTips videos?

You can support the show at Patreon.com/awesomecast!

Remember to check out our friends at River’s Edge (@RiversEdgePGH) and The 405 Media who replay the show on their stream throughout the week!

Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays around 7:00 PM EST!