The first vending machine in recorded history wasn't for soft drinks or snacks. It was for holy water. And how did an English radical think a vending machine was the loophole he was looking for? We look back on the weird history of vending machines. 

The first vending machine in recorded history wasn't for soft drinks or snacks. It was for holy water. And how did an English radical think a vending machine was the loophole he was looking for? We look back on the weird history of vending machines.

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about Tech Stuff 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. 

Get in touch here: techstuffpodcast@gmail.com

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about Tech Stuff 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;
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;

The History of Vending Machines

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/750e02c7-4b87-46b1-85bd-b05e014910de/transcript

What does the death of restaurants look like? Ellen Cushing, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins Karah to talk about the rise of delivery apps and the fall of the in-person dining experience. They discuss how delivery apps became part of the millennial lifestyle subsidy, how they reshaped what’s on the menu, and why this feels all too similar to what’s happening to movie theaters. 

What does the death of restaurants look like? Ellen Cushing, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins Karah to talk about the rise of delivery apps and the fall of the in-person dining experience. They discuss how delivery apps became part of the millennial lifestyle subsidy, how they reshaped what&rsquo;s on the menu, and why this feels all too similar to what&rsquo;s happening to movie theaters.&nbsp;

The Story: The Death of Dining In

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d6ab41f5-4ab3-4d1a-8630-b3af0030fef9/transcript

Is unplugging from your phone the ultimate luxury? This week, Oz introduces us to the businesses that specialize in “dimming the sun” and Karah introduces us to “LinkedIn Face.” Polymarket’s bets lead to disinformation about Russia’s war with Ukraine. 23andMe reveals secret families — and secret inheritances. And Oz and Karah almost cry over the latest invention from Japan: a human washing machine. Finally, we celebrate ChatGPT’s 3rd birthday (and possible decline) with Axios technology reporter, Megan Morrone. 

If you’ve used a chatbot in an unusual or surprising way, send us a 1–2 minute voice note at techstuffpodcast@gmail.com.

Additional Reading: 
Being hot is now a job requirement - Business Insider 
Climate Geoengineering: Dimming the Sun Is a Terrifying New Industry COP30 - Bloomberg  
What Really Happened in the Storm Clouds Over Dubai? - Bloomberg 
How Unplugging Became Luxury’s Most Valuable Currency - Vogue Business
'Unauthorized' Edit to Ukraine's Frontline Maps Point to Polymarket's War Betting - 404 Media 
Japan Launches Human Washing Machine For Public Use After Expo Success -NDTV
They Found Relatives on 23andMe and Asked For A Cut of the Inheritance - WSJ

Is unplugging from your phone the ultimate luxury? This week, Oz introduces us to the businesses that specialize in &ldquo;dimming the sun&rdquo; and Karah introduces us to &ldquo;LinkedIn Face.&rdquo; Polymarket&rsquo;s bets lead to disinformation about Russia&rsquo;s war with Ukraine. 23andMe reveals secret families &mdash; and secret inheritances. And Oz and Karah almost cry over the latest invention from Japan: a human washing machine. Finally, we celebrate ChatGPT&rsquo;s 3rd birthday (and possible decline) with Axios technology reporter, Megan Morrone.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;ve used a chatbot in an unusual or surprising way, send us a 1&ndash;2 minute voice note at <a href="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com">techstuffpodcast@gmail.com</a>.
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/getting-hot-job-requirement-ozempic-botox-looksmaxxing-2025-11">Being hot is now a job requirement - Business Insider</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-11-20/climate-geoengineering-dimming-the-sun-is-a-terrifying-new-industry-cop30">Climate Geoengineering: Dimming the Sun Is a Terrifying New Industry COP30 - Bloomberg</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-dubai-storm-floods-cloud-seeding-geoengineering/">What Really Happened in the Storm Clouds Over Dubai? - Bloomberg</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/how-unplugging-became-luxurys-most-valuable-currency?_sp=7eaa5855-aa4a-4c41-a149-4b1e2b869e27.1764617395808">How Unplugging Became Luxury&rsquo;s Most Valuable Currency - Vogue Business</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.404media.co/unauthorized-edit-to-ukraines-frontline-maps-point-to-polymarkets-war-betting/">'Unauthorized' Edit to Ukraine's Frontline Maps Point to Polymarket's War Betting - 404 Media</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/japan-launches-human-washing-machine-for-public-use-after-expo-success-9721446/amp/1?utm_source=join1440&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_placement=newsletter&amp;user_id=66c4c251600ae150758f3b88">Japan Launches Human Washing Machine For Public Use After Expo Success -NDTV</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/they-found-relatives-on-23andmeand-asked-for-a-cut-of-the-inheritance-251e5f4c?st=G62Ejw&amp;reflink=article_copyURL_share">They Found Relatives on 23andMe and Asked For A Cut of the Inheritance - WSJ</a></li>
</ul>

Week in Tech: Should Tech Bros Dim the Sun?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/cabd8f62-05c6-4d94-a62a-b3aa00356e8c/transcript

Can you run a billion dollar company with only one human employee? Journalist Evan Ratliff, along with technical advisor Maty Bohacek, join Oz to answer this question. Evan is host of the hit podcast Shell Game. In Season 1, he used AI agents to imitate his voice, which he sent out into the world to interact with customer service agents, scammers, and his own family and friends. This season, Evan co-founds a company… and employs five AI agents to keep it running. How effective are the agents at doing their jobs? And why do they love hiking so much?

Can you run a billion dollar company with only one human employee? Journalist Evan Ratliff, along with technical advisor Maty Bohacek, join Oz to answer this question. Evan is host of the hit podcast Shell Game. In Season 1, he used AI agents to imitate his voice, which he sent out into the world to interact with customer service agents, scammers, and his own family and friends. This season, Evan co-founds a company&hellip; and employs five AI agents to keep it running. How effective are the agents at doing their jobs? And why do they love hiking so much?

The Story: Will AI Agents Build a Unicorn? 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9d3789f6-3736-4504-a169-b3a80054f64d/transcript

The History of Vending Machines

In 1 playlist(s)

TechStuff

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips