Topic: Tapes

Author Chris Whipple appeared on CNN with Anderson Cooper to defend his Vanity Fair profile of Susie Wiles, asserting that all controversial quotes are recorded on tape. Whipple noted that Wiles was surprisingly unguarded during their eleven months of interviews. The segment highlights a slip of the tongue where Whipple refers to Wiles as his "target" rather than his subject.

A listener letter from a 26-year-old carpenter describes the inability of new "Zoomer" hires to read a tape measure or understand basic fractions. This leads to a critique of the American education system and the legacy of the Department of Education, which the hosts trace back to the Carter administration.

A construction company owner reports that Generation Z workers often struggle with basic tools like tape measures and desktop computer file structures. Because they grew up with tablets and "recent" document lists, many young adults lack a conceptual understanding of folders and directories. The hosts recommend the "Everything" search tool from VoidTools as a essential utility for managing complex file systems.

The hosts discuss the "Value for Value" model and the benefits of "live to tape" production over highly edited content. They celebrate the success of the cookbook "Too Many Eggs" and the children's book "The Runaway Washer," both of which won awards at the San Francisco Book Festival. The segment emphasizes the importance of independent production without corporate sponsors.

The hosts discuss the history and current market value of vintage reel-to-reel tape recorders, noting that prices for high-end units have risen significantly over the last decade. One host describes owning a 10-inch Teac multi-track machine while the other recalls an early Teac mixer with a built-in four-track recorder from the late 1980s. They reference specific models like the Sony 777 and the Reeboks as they compare notes on legacy analog recording formats.

The CBS Access series "The Good Fight" features a plotline involving a Russian student facing deportation who claims to be the woman from the alleged Donald Trump "pee tape." The script includes dialogue about urinating on a bed previously used by Barack Obama in a Moscow hotel suite. The hosts criticize the show's writing and the persistence of the dossier narrative in popular media.

NPR reports a significant comeback for audio cassette tapes, with sales increasing by double digits annually since 2017. The National Audio Company in Missouri is currently the world's largest manufacturer, selling 25 million cassettes last year primarily to the under-35 demographic. The trend is attributed to "Gen Z nostalgia" and the desire for a physical music format that can be "claimed for the first time."

During Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" train tour, a campaign sign fell off the podium while Jill Biden was speaking. The sign appeared to be cheaply constructed with gaffer tape and styrofoam. Joe Biden was also seen becoming distracted by a passing express train during the event.

The CBS Access show "The Good Fight" featured a storyline revolving around the infamous and unverified "pee tape" involving Donald Trump in Moscow. The show depicts characters watching the tape and treats the conspiracy theory as a factual reality within its universe. The hosts characterize this as "modern-day propaganda" designed to embed political rumors into the minds of viewers.

On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the hosts discuss the mystery of the missing original slow-scan telemetry tapes. They examine how the video signal was transmitted from the moon to Earth and the subsequent "enhancement" of the footage by Hollywood firms.

Three original videotapes of the Apollo 11 moonwalk, which NASA previously admitted were lost, are set to be auctioned at Sotheby's. The tapes were originally purchased by a NASA intern at a government surplus auction in the 1970s for $200 and are now expected to sell for $2 million.

The preservation of 1960s-era Ampex 2-inch forehead tapes presents technical challenges, including the scarcity of working playback machines and the risk of magnetic "crosstalk." Experts noted that while the tapes are durable, they require specific environmental controls to remain viable.

Tom Arnold appeared on CNN and MSNBC in what is described as an incoherent, potentially inebriated state to discuss alleged recordings of Donald Trump. The discussion highlights Arnold's claims of spending time with Michael Cohen and his upcoming Vice Media series focused on finding damaging "Trump tapes."

Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak describe their "live-to-tape" production philosophy, emphasizing speed and minimal post-production compared to other shows. They discuss the upcoming launch of Amazon Transcribe on AWS, which will allow for automated, time-stamped transcriptions of audio files. The hosts speculate on how this technology could improve show notes and searchability while also raising privacy concerns regarding Amazon's advertising patents.

A tour of the E! News studio revealed the "incremental live-to-tape" production method, where a one-hour show takes three hours to film due to frequent "pickups" and resets. Presenters Kat Sadler and Jason Kennedy were described as highly professional and telegenic. The discussion noted that live production is often preferred by studios for certain tax benefits, despite the increased complexity.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander revealed he has been moonlighting as a commercial pilot for KLM for 21 years. In other aviation news, a Turkish national was subdued on a flight to Honolulu after attempting to breach the cockpit. The suspect was reportedly duct-taped to his seat by passengers after being escorted by F-22 Raptors.

A major water leak occurred inside the Airstream after the internal inline water filter shattered due to improper winterization. Attempts to repair the unit with gaffer tape failed when the filter was reinstalled backward, causing a "Play-Doh factory of carbon goop" to explode under the sink. A 6:00 AM trip to Home Depot was required to bypass the filtration system and restore basic water functionality.

A debate ensues regarding the validity of the Apollo moon landings, specifically focusing on NASA's admission that original telemetry tapes were lost or erased. One host expresses deep skepticism about the first landing while acknowledging the possibility of later flights. The discussion centers on the technical difficulty of passing through radiation belts and the perceived lack of transparency from the government.

Following the accidental death of two Dutch soldiers in Mali, the hosts discuss the military tactic of "salting" ammunition supplies with spiked rounds that explode when fired. They also touch on the use of infrared-reflective tape to prevent friendly fire incidents during combat operations.

John C. Dvorak and Adam Curry open the show by discussing a new listener-created website, wherethecstandsfor.com. The site generates random phrases for Dvorak's middle initial, such as "Camembert Cheese" or "Chili Master." The hosts praise the audience for bypassing traditional corporate IT red tape to launch the project.