What is vampire power? Why do electronic devices pull power even when they're not on? And what are some ways to stop it?

What is vampire power? Why do electronic devices pull power even when they're not on? And what are some ways to stop it?

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.

Each week, Oz Woloshyn and Karah Preiss dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning. Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone’s Googling: why AI feels human, why social media feels broken, and what it all says about us.

Get in touch here: techstuffpodcast@gmail.com

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley&rsquo;s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.
Each week, Oz Woloshyn and Karah Preiss dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.&nbsp;Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone&rsquo;s Googling: why AI feels human, why social media feels broken, and what it all says about us.
Get in touch here:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com" data-stringify-link="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu">techstuffpodcast@gmail.com</a>

TechStuff

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about TechStuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers) 

Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us. 

TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture. 

We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions. 

 

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about TechStuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers)&nbsp;
Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us.&nbsp;
TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture.&nbsp;
We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

TechStuff Tidbits: Putting a Stake in Vampire Power

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/efb2630b-74be-4179-b1ef-af33012f4b07/transcript

How do you feel about AI in your art, your music, and your video games? Oz is joined by Kill Switch host, Dexter Thomas, to discuss Switchbot's AI Art Frame and the video gamers who are holding developers to account. But will the anti-AI outrage continue to make change? Then, Oz updates us on last week’s World Economic Forum — one Davos attendee spent the night in jail and Canada’s PM says there’s a rupture in the world order. Europe is listening and threatening to part ways with American tech companies.

Additional Reading: 
An entrepreneur’s 13 hours in Davos jail: ‘The food was phenomenal’ | Semafor 
Europe Prepare For A Nightmare Scenario: The US Blocking Access to Tech | Wall Street Journal 
SwitchBot AI Art Frame Now Officially Available | Corporate - EQS News
Angry gamers are forcing studios to scrap or rethink new releases | Washington Post

How do you feel about AI in your art, your music, and your video games? Oz is joined by Kill Switch host, Dexter Thomas, to discuss Switchbot's AI Art Frame and the video gamers who are holding developers to account. But will the anti-AI outrage continue to make change? Then, Oz updates us on last week&rsquo;s World Economic Forum &mdash; one Davos attendee spent the night in jail and Canada&rsquo;s PM says there&rsquo;s a rupture in the world order. Europe is listening and threatening to part ways with American tech companies.
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/01/22/2026/an-entrepreneurs-13-hours-in-davos-jail-the-food-was-phenomenal?utm_medium=technology&amp;utm_campaign=flagshipnumbered6&amp;utm_source=newsletterlink">An entrepreneur&rsquo;s 13 hours in Davos jail: &lsquo;The food was phenomenal&rsquo; | Semafor</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/europe-prepares-for-a-nightmare-scenario-the-u-s-blocking-access-to-tech-1967b39b?st=AobE5F&amp;reflink=article_copyURL_share">Europe Prepare For A Nightmare Scenario: The US Blocking Access to Tech | Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.eqs-news.com/news/corporate/switchbot-ai-art-frame-now-officially-available/47ecb8cf-ee55-4399-a6f0-144fb8b31d1a_en">SwitchBot AI Art Frame Now Officially Available | Corporate - EQS News</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/01/26/gamer-protests-ai-slop-backlash/">Angry gamers are forcing studios to scrap or rethink new releases | Washington Post</a></li>
</ul>

Gamers Fight AI Art, For Now - Week in Tech

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0df80918-877d-431c-a421-b3e101881cb1/transcript

Audrey Tang’s path to government had very unusual origins: she is a hacker, an anarchist and the world’s first non-binary government minister. She now serves as Taiwan’s Cyber Ambassador and continues to advocate for greater internet freedom and civic participation globally. Audrey sits down with Oz to discuss Taiwan’s AI chip manufacturing and how it impacts their contentious relationship with China, how she stopped deepfake scams head on, her opinion on social media bans and why radical transparency heals polarization.

Audrey Tang&rsquo;s path to government had very unusual origins: she is a hacker, an anarchist and the world&rsquo;s first non-binary government minister. She now serves as Taiwan&rsquo;s Cyber Ambassador and continues to advocate for greater internet freedom and civic participation globally. Audrey sits down with Oz to discuss Taiwan&rsquo;s AI chip manufacturing and how it impacts their contentious relationship with China, how she stopped deepfake scams head on, her opinion on social media bans and why radical transparency heals polarization.

Can Taiwan Keep China Out? - The Story

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/96367041-24c6-4fd6-a92b-b3e0002bac61/transcript

You’re meeting us at a ‘very Chinese time in our lives’ and today’s episode is no exception — it’s all about China. First, Oz explains China’s attempt to claw a Singaporean AI company, Manus, back from Meta. And why Chinese customs are rejecting NVIDIA H200 chips. Is China fighting back? Then, Karah fills us in on why everyone on TikTok is saying they are Chinese. Finally, humans fold laundry for hours while humanoid robots just watch, TikTok launches a new app for microdramas and Silicon Valley is hiring ‘cracked’ engineers. 

Additional Reading: 
China Is Investigating Meta’s Acquisition of the AI Start-Up Manus | The New York Times 
China blocks Nvidia H200 AI chips that US government cleared for export | The Guardian 
TikTok Shows Americans In Their ‘Chinese Era’ of Health Habits | Bloomberg
In Chinese data factories, workers teach humanoid robots boring tasks | Rest Of World
TikTok quietly launches a microdrama app called 'PineDrama' | TechCrunch 
Forget Vibe Coders: ‘Cracked Engineers’ Are All the Rage in Tech | The Information

You&rsquo;re meeting us at a &lsquo;very Chinese time in our lives&rsquo; and today&rsquo;s episode is no exception &mdash; it&rsquo;s all about China. First, Oz explains China&rsquo;s attempt to claw a Singaporean AI company, Manus, back from Meta. And why Chinese customs are rejecting NVIDIA H200 chips. Is China fighting back? Then, Karah fills us in on why everyone on TikTok is saying they are Chinese. Finally, humans fold laundry for hours while humanoid robots just watch, TikTok launches a new app for microdramas and Silicon Valley is hiring &lsquo;cracked&rsquo; engineers.&nbsp;
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/business/meta-manus-china-ai.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share">China Is Investigating Meta&rsquo;s Acquisition of the AI Start-Up Manus | The New York Times</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/17/china-blocks-nvidia-h200-ai-chips-that-us-government-cleared-for-export-report">China blocks Nvidia H200 AI chips that US government cleared for export | The Guardian</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-01-20/tiktok-shows-americans-in-their-chinese-era-of-health-habits?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2ODkxMTAzMywiZXhwIjoxNzY5NTE1ODMzLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUOTVXNTFLSUpIOFUwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJDMUY0MEU2RTNBMTU0OTU2QjVCNDI2NTgyMkU5RDg2QSJ9.Lkjzs2pRs9__aUDuedY9fjU1lNqWjeqnKW4AWXKuWqw">TikTok Shows Americans In Their &lsquo;Chinese Era&rsquo; of Health Habits | Bloomberg</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://restofworld.org/2026/china-robots-training-centers-workers/">In Chinese data factories, workers teach humanoid robots boring tasks | Rest Of World</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/16/tiktok-quietly-launches-a-micro-drama-app-called-pinedrama/">TikTok quietly launches a microdrama app called 'PineDrama' | TechCrunch</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/forget-vibe-coders-cracked-engineers-rage-tech">Forget Vibe Coders: &lsquo;Cracked Engineers&rsquo; Are All the Rage in Tech | The Information</a></li>
</ul>

Why Everyone Is ‘Becoming Chinese’ On TikTok - Week in Tech

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d6647f62-f050-44f7-9825-b3db0056d77a/transcript

TechStuff Tidbits: Putting a Stake in Vampire Power

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