3 chapters across the catalog
The Amazon Fire Phone's release has been met with disdain from the tech press, contrasting with the praise typically reserved for Apple products. While the phone features face-tracking cameras and a free year of Amazon Prime, critics argue the device is essentially a portable cash register for the retailer. The lack of objective analysis in modern tech journalism is highlighted through anecdotes about historical rivalries between Mac and PC publications.
Hacker Conferences, Defcon and Black Hat Skepticism
The hosts dismiss major hacker conferences like Defcon and Black Hat as "bullcrap" and marketing events for the NSA. They argue that real hackers do not attend public conferences or talk to the tech press. One host challenges attendees to hack his personal accounts while calling them "weenies" and "shills."
The environment at CES 2011 is described as overcrowded with 5,000 reporters and bloggers, many of whom are characterized as inexperienced. One notable product mentioned is a pair of electronic glasses using LCD technology that can switch between regular and reading prescriptions at the push of a button. The general atmosphere of the show is dismissed as being dominated by PR-driven "gee-whiz" reporting.
