HiTech Podcast

What happens when two guys who built a Topia world "without a lot of planning" invite an actual Topia expert to fix it live on camera? You get this episode.Josh and Will welcome Sam, a Customer Success pro at Topia with four years of platform expertise, for a live world makeover of the HiTech Podcast's own virtual space. From setting proper world boundaries and using the alignment tool, to landmark zones, animated assets, interactive games, embedded polls, and a full event management system — Sam walks them through everything they did wrong (gently) and everything Topia can actually do. The result? A world that went from "not bad" to genuinely impressive in under an hour. Say hi to Gregory the butterfly while you're at it.Whether you're an educator dreaming of virtual office hours, an event planner looking beyond Zoom, or just someone who wants to build a cool interactive space online — this episode is packed with practical tips you can use right now.

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♣️Want to become a HiTech Club member, support the pod, and get all of the extras on our episodes? Head over to our Buy Me a Coffee to subscribe: buymeacoffee.com/hitechpodcast.

What if your laptop could run its own AI agents — no subscriptions, no data handed off to big tech — all from a chip the size of your palm? That's what Nvidia's RTX Spark is promising, and Josh and Will think it might be the biggest shift in how we use AI since... well, the personal computer.In episode 250, Josh and Will break down what the RTX Spark actually is, why it matters for everyday AI users (not just the hardcore tech crowd), and what "personal computing AI" could mean for privacy, accessibility, and the future of tools like Claude and OpenAI. They also get into the Linus Tech Tips video that sparked the conversation, why Windows is already building toward this, and what open-source tools are doing to get ahead of the curve.

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♣️Want to become a HiTech Club member, support the pod, and get all of the extras on our episodes? Head over to our Buy Me a Coffee to subscribe: buymeacoffee.com/hitechpodcast.

What if a cat could run your business and make you $300,000? Meet Felix Craft — an AI agent built to operate an entire company solo. We stumbled down this rabbit hole and it got philosophical fast.In this episode, Josh and Will break down the Felix Craft story: an AI "CEO" agent making real money with zero humans involved. But that's just the launch pad. From there, we get into the bigger questions — can AI really replace human workers at scale? What does AGI actually mean? And what does it look like when someone builds a company designed to eliminate themselves from it entirely?Spoiler: we think work is about more than efficiency. It's about culture, creativity, and showing up for each other — and no AI agent is changing that anytime soon.

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♣️Want to become a HiTech Club member, support the pod, and get all of the extras on our episodes? Head over to our Buy Me a Coffee to subscribe: buymeacoffee.com/hitechpodcast.

We said some things in episode 244. Dr. Justin Harbin had notes.The doctor is back, and this time he's setting the record straight on our hot takes about tech, Gen Z, and the Horvath Senate testimony. Justin — educator, researcher, and our resident academic conscience — breaks down what Will and Josh got right, what they missed, and what the research actually says about edtech's impact on student learning.We get into the surprising inflection point around 2010, why schools will spend millions on unproven tech tools but can't pay teachers fairly, the concept of "instructional theater" (a phrase you won't forget), and whether there's such a thing as an ideal learning device. Plus: AI's weird commencement season, a graduation name-reading disaster, and Josh pitching a learning tablet that may or may not just be a pencil.It's a follow-up episode that somehow has even more banter than the original. You've been warned.

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♣️Want to become a HiTech Club member, support the pod, and get all of the extras on our episodes? Head over to our Buy Me a Coffee to subscribe: buymeacoffee.com/hitechpodcast.

Josh and Will sit down with Dan Wolchonok, builder and founder of Work Coach, an AI desktop app that observes your meetings and gives you personalized, unfiltered feedback on how you showed up — and how to do better next time. We dig into how Work Coach detects meeting types (interview? one-on-one? all-hands?), builds longitudinal insights across multiple meetings, and helps you advocate for yourself when your manager simply can't be everywhere. Dan's vision is refreshingly grounded: stop waiting for someone else to develop your career, and start owning it yourself. We loved this conversation so much we literally had to force ourselves to stop recording.Work Coach is currently available free on Mac — go check it out at work.coach.

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♣️Want to become a HiTech Club member, support the pod, and get all of the extras on our episodes? Head over to our Buy Me a Coffee to subscribe: buymeacoffee.com/hitechpodcast.

What happens when the government decides to protect your kids online — and ends up with your ID, your face, and your data in the process?In this episode, Josh and Will dig into the growing push for age verification laws in the US and around the world. What starts as a conversation about protecting kids on social media quickly spirals into a much bigger question: what are we actually trading away when we hand our digital identities over to Instagram, PlayStation, or the government? Will walks through his deep passion for digital privacy and anonymity, and Josh pushes back (and sometimes agrees) on where personal responsibility ends and government regulation begins. It's their most politically adjacent episode yet — and honestly, one of their best.They cover everything from facial recognition in dating apps to surveillance state worst-case scenarios, VPNs and Brave browser, the death of online anonymity, and whether parents — not laws — should be the ones calling the shots on their kids' screen time.Buckle up. This one gets real.

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♣️Want to become a HiTech Club member, support the pod, and get all of the extras on our episodes? Head over to our Buy Me a Coffee to subscribe: buymeacoffee.com/hitechpodcast.

What if you could ditch Google Photos, iCloud, and your growing pile of monthly subscriptions — and replace them with a home server you built for about $382, one time? That's exactly what Will did, and Josh breaks down whether it's actually worth it.In this episode, Will shares the latest from his ongoing de-Googling journey, and then dives deep into Jellyfin — the free, open-source media server that lets you own your own cloud. We're talking setup, storage recommendations, real subscription cost comparisons, and even a live demo for HiTech Club members.

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♣️Want to become a HiTech Club member, support the pod, and get all of the extras on our episodes? Head over to our Buy Me a Coffee to subscribe: buymeacoffee.com/hitechpodcast.

A neuroscientist just told Congress that classroom technology is a "failed pedagogical experiment" — and the clip went viral. But is he right?In episode 244, Josh and Will dig into Dr. Horvath's Senate Commerce Committee testimony, where he argued that Gen Z is the first generation to be less cognitively capable than their parents — and that decades of EdTech investment may be largely to blame. $30 million in laptops and tablets. 20,000+ studies reviewed. And a conclusion that's making educators, parents, and tech advocates seriously uncomfortable.We're not just reading the headlines here. We push back on the methodology, question what the research is actually measuring, and talk honestly about where we think Horvath's got it right — and where the narrative is getting away from him.

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♣️Want to become a HiTech Club member, support the pod, and get all of the extras on our episodes? Head over to our Buy Me a Coffee to subscribe: buymeacoffee.com/hitechpodcast.

Can AI actually detect AI-generated content — or is it just really confident guessing?Josh and Will go head-to-head in a full episode debate on whether reliable AI detection is even possible. Will argues the tools exist and the tech is improving. Josh isn't buying it. They dig into how tools like GPTZero, Turnitin, and CopyLeaks actually work, why non-native English speakers keep getting flagged, and what the research really says about that claimed "99% accuracy."

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♣️Want to become a HiTech Club member, support the pod, and get all of the extras on our episodes? Head over to our Buy Me a Coffee to subscribe: buymeacoffee.com/hitechpodcast.

What if the most powerful thing AI could do in your classroom… is refuse to answer?Josh built a custom GPT Socratic tutor — and it's changing how he thinks about AI in online learning. Instead of giving students answers, this bot asks questions, challenges assumptions, and guides learners through logical reasoning the way Socrates would have. We walk you through how it was built (in about 30 minutes), what happened when we live-tested it on logical fallacies, and why this flips the whole "AI is killing critical thinking" narrative on its head.Will's also on sabbatical (a.k.a. between jobs), building home servers, and playing Arc Raiders. Priorities.

Can you actually escape Google — and is it even worth trying? Will is back with a real-talk update on his de-Googling journey, and it turns out leaving Big Tech is a lot messier (and funnier) than it sounds.Josh and Will dig into what's actually been easy to switch out (browser and passwords — no sweat), what's been a nightmare (70 randomly sorted photo folders, anyone?), and what might be impossible to fully escape (looking at you, Google Maps). Will also shares his plans to ditch Google Home for local-only smart home tech — and explains why the home server rabbit hole is officially open.Whether you're privacy-curious or just tired of paying for subscriptions, this episode gives you an honest, no-hype look at what de-Googling actually looks like in the real world — plus two practical tips to get started today.

What if the secret to getting way better results from AI isn't a better prompt — it's more examples? Josh went down a Corridor Crew rabbit hole and came out the other side with a completely reframed way of thinking about how AI actually learns.In this episode, we break down a fascinating Corridor Crew experiment where they trained a deep learning model to remove green screen using millions of examples — not hand-coded rules. The results? Genuinely jaw-dropping. And the principle behind it? Directly applicable to how you're using ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI tool right now. Josh connects the dots from VFX wizardry to real-world use cases: scripting videos for AI training, building smarter custom GPTs, and even a spicy take on using few-shot examples to get ahead of AI academic dishonesty.

📹 Check out Corridors Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ploi723hg4&t=1455s

We took the podcast live — literally. At Lancaster Learns 2025, Josh and Will ran an "AI Hot Takes" session where real educators debated the big AI questions in real time, fishbowl style. Chairs. Buzzers. Opinions. No prep.Topics ranged from whether all students should learn AI, to redefining cheating in the age of AI, to "AI will usher in the end of humanity" (yes, that was a real take). The room didn't hold back — and neither did we.This one's part conference session, part podcast episode, and 100% unscripted. Featuring voices from educators in the room, including some returning HiTech guests.

Priten Soundar-Shah is back on the HiTech Podcast for the first time since episode 133 — and the conversation picks up right where the world left off. After his first book, AI and the Future of Education, sparked a movement in classrooms everywhere, Priten found himself watching institutions sprint headfirst into AI adoption without stopping to ask the hard questions. His response? A new book: Ethical EdTech. Josh and Will dig into what an ethics framework for education technology actually looks like, why borrowing from bioethics might be the move, and how schools, vendors, and policymakers all share a seat at the table. From top-down policy failures to the real risks of leaving communities behind in the AI race, this one gets deep — and it's exactly the conversation the edtech space needs right now.

📅 Ethical EdTech releases May 19th — pre-order now at ethicaledtech.org

🌐Learn more about Priten at priten.org

Should AI be handed the keys to military weapons systems? Josh and Will dive headfirst into one of the biggest ethical debates in tech right now — the moment Anthropic drew a line in the sand and refused a U.S. government military contract, only to watch OpenAI step right in.This one gets real. From AI surveillance on domestic soil to whether current models are even remotely ready for life-or-death decision-making, Josh and Will break down the nuance that most takes miss. It's not anti-AI — it's pro-caution. And honestly? When the CEO of an AI company is the one raising the alarm bells, maybe it's worth listening.

What happens when someone uses AI to generate hundreds of thousands of fake songs and bot accounts to rake in $10 million in Spotify royalties — and then gets convicted for it? Josh and Will dive deep into the Michael Smith AI music fraud case, the first of its kind at the intersection of AI, intellectual property, and streaming platforms.But first — Josh has been building a full-on army of Notion AI agents (yes, plural), and the game poll updater alone might be worth the whole episode. From automating meeting SOPs to scheduling tools, Josh is out here living in the agentic future right now.Then it's time for Judge Josh's court. The DOJ case is closed, but the real verdict — on AI-generated music, fake bands, and what it actually means to call yourself an artist.

What happens when you let AI agents run completely unsupervised — no rules, no guardrails, no humans in the loop? In January 2026, we all found out. And it got weird.Josh and Will are back to breakdown the Moltbot (now OpenClaw) saga: the viral social experiment that dropped 1.4 million AI agents into a Reddit-style platform and just... let them go. We're talking agents spending $150 of someone's tokens, bricked phones, a Wired journalist secretly infiltrating the platform posing as an AI, and a whole lot of unanswered questions about what this all actually means for the future of AI autonomy.But this episode isn't just about Moltbot — it's about the bigger lesson underneath it all: the human still needs to be in the loop. Josh shares a wild story from a school presentation that stopped a room cold, and they dig into why that principle matters now more than ever as AI agents get more capable and less predictable.

Ok, ok, we're not married, but seriously: we've been through a LOT together while doing this podcast. Give a quick listen, have a couple of laughs, and look out for next week's full episode.

Ever spend hours creating step-by-step tutorials only to watch them become outdated within months? We've been there, and we found a tool that changes everything.This week we're diving deep into Scribe - the tutorial-building tool that's been following us around the internet with ads (and honestly, we wanted to hate it). Spoiler alert: we couldn't. Scribe lets you create professional, editable tutorials simply by clicking through a workflow. No more manual screenshots, no more Word docs converted to PDFs, no more re-recording entire videos when one button changes. Just hit record, do your thing, and boom - you've got a shareable tutorial that you can actually maintain.But here's the BIG news: Will is officially kicking off his De-Google journey, and we're documenting the entire process with Scribe! From Gmail to Proton Mail, Google Drive to Proton Drive, and even migrating his password manager - Will's going all-in on digital privacy. We'll be creating step-by-step Scribe tutorials for every migration so you can follow along and de-Google your own life if you're ready to make the move.

Ever spend hours creating step-by-step tutorials only to watch them become outdated within months? We've been there, and we found a tool that changes everything.This week we're diving deep into Scribe - the tutorial-building tool that's been following us around the internet with ads (and honestly, we wanted to hate it). Spoiler alert: we couldn't. Scribe lets you create professional, editable tutorials simply by clicking through a workflow. No more manual screenshots, no more Word docs converted to PDFs, no more re-recording entire videos when one button changes. Just hit record, do your thing, and boom - you've got a shareable tutorial that you can actually maintain.But here's the BIG news: Will is officially kicking off his De-Google journey, and we're documenting the entire process with Scribe! From Gmail to Proton Mail, Google Drive to Proton Drive, and even migrating his password manager - Will's going all-in on digital privacy. We'll be creating step-by-step Scribe tutorials for every migration so you can follow along and de-Google your own life if you're ready to make the move.

Ever feel like you're too deep in one tech ecosystem to escape? Will's about to prove it can be done—and you're invited along for the ride.This week, Will drops a bombshell: he's leaving Google. All of it. Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Maps—the whole interconnected web. And honestly? It sounds impossible. That's exactly why he's doing it. After years of convenience and integration, he's ready to reclaim control over his digital life and prove that breaking free from Big Tech is actually doable.This isn't just talk. It's a year-long experiment we're documenting right here on HiTech. We're exploring why the Google ecosystem feels like a digital spiderweb you can't escape, what alternatives like Proton actually offer, and the real challenges of untangling years of dependence. We're also introducing Scribe, the tool Will's using to document every step of this wild transition journey.Think of 2026 as the year of the HiTech De-Googling Experiment. We'll share the wins, the frustrations, the "why did I commit to this" moments, and everything in between. If you've ever wondered whether you could leave Google, Apple, or any tech giant that's got its hooks in you, this episode is where that journey begins.

Ever heard of a video platform that's trying to be what YouTube was before the algorithm took over?In this episode, Josh and Will explore Odysee—a decentralized video platform positioning itself as the anti-YouTube. We break down what makes Odysee different, from its blockchain-based infrastructure to its creator-first approach. Whether you're a content creator frustrated with YouTube's policies or just curious about alternatives to Big Tech platforms, this conversation will give you a fresh perspective on where video content might be heading.We dive into the philosophical and technical challenges of building a democratized video platform, discuss why YouTube's monopoly is so hard to break, and explore what it would actually take for a competitor to succeed in this space. Plus, we get into some wild ideas about what a Reddit-style video platform might look like.

Ever wonder what it would be like to actually walk around in your virtual meetings or courses? Not just stare at rectangles on a screen or more videos, but actually move through a space, bump into other people, and build the environment you're meeting in?We're kicking off our 2026 Topia series, and this episode is all about why we're convinced this tool is quietly revolutionizing virtual collaboration. Josh and Will dive into what makes Topia special, share a live building demo, and map out our plans to create custom HiTech Podcast spaces throughout the year. Whether you're tired of traditional video calls or just curious about the future of remote work, you'll walk away with fresh perspectives on how virtual spaces can actually feel... well, more real.

Ready to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Josh and Will wrap up 2025 with their most practical episode yet—a complete guide to editing your podcast without breaking the bank or getting overwhelmed by tech.In this year-end episode, we share everything we've learned from 227 episodes of podcasting, from choosing your first microphone to leveraging AI for content creation. Whether you're dreaming of starting a tech podcast, educational series, or just want to share your passion with the world, we break down the entire process into manageable steps that won't intimidate even the most tech-shy creators.

Welcome back to HiTech Podcast! In Episode 226, hosts Josh and Will dive deep into the National Mall Gateway with special guest Bobby, exploring an innovative educational platform that's transforming how students and visitors experience America's historic heart.From virtual tours to AI-powered lessons, discover how the National Mall Gateway is bridging physical and digital learning experiences. Bobby shares the fascinating journey of creating this comprehensive educational tool, complete with augmented reality features, interactive site cards, and connections to curriculum standards.Whether you're an educator looking for engaging history resources, a parent planning a DC visit, or simply curious about how technology can enhance cultural experiences, this conversation offers valuable insights into the future of educational tech.🔗 Explore the National Mall Gateway: gateway.nationalmall.org

Josh and Will dive deep into the emerging world of agentic AI browsers - exploring Fellou and Perplexity's Comet, two innovative tools that promise to revolutionize how we interact with the web.From automated task execution to cross-platform integration, we break down what these AI-powered browsers can (and can't) do, discuss their potential for smaller teams and nonprofits, and share our honest thoughts about the exciting possibilities and security concerns.Whether you're curious about the future of web automation or wondering if AI browsers are worth the hype, this exploratory conversation gives you the real scoop from two friends figuring it out together.

Join us for our annual holiday tradition with Steven Miletto (aka Golden Pipes) in his legendary Christmas sweater! This year's festive episode takes an unexpected turn as we dive deep into the big question everyone's asking: What would it look like if AI actually replaced different jobs?We explore everything from AI substitute teachers with dystopian "shock rooms" to robot baseball players and AI sound engineers. Steven brings his educator perspective while we speculate on scenarios ranging from hilariously absurd to surprisingly plausible. Plus, we test our theories against what Claude AI actually thinks about job replacement!But don't worry - this isn't doom and gloom. We balance the speculation with honest takes on what makes human work irreplaceable and why some jobs are safer than others. Perfect holiday tech conversation for your family dinner table!

This week we welcome Ron Moore, host of the brand-new podcast "Why This Film," to talk about his journey from teacher to corporate L&D professional to podcaster. Ron shares the real story behind launching his first episode, the challenges of finding your voice, and why the Criterion Collection sparked his podcasting passion.We dive deep into the art of guest interviews, the importance of organic conversation over rigid scripts, and why being an enthusiastic learner beats being an expert every time. Whether you're thinking about starting your own podcast or just love hearing about creative projects taking flight, this conversation is packed with honest insights and practical encouragement.🎙️Why This Fiim Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2528877

This week, we are joined by the legendary "Golden Pipes" Steven Miletto for an honest, unfiltered conversation about AI in 2025. No hype, no fear-mongering - just three tech enthusiasts sharing real experiences with artificial intelligence tools.Steven brings his unique perspective from 796+ podcast episodes and shares how he's actually using AI in his workflow. From ChatGPT experiments to practical applications, we explore what's working, what's not, and why we need to pump the brakes on some AI implementations.

What happens when the backbone of the internet fails? Josh and Will dive into the recent AWS outage that reminded us all just how dependent we've become on cloud infrastructure. From smart home devices going offline to entire business operations grinding to a halt, this episode explores our complicated relationship with internet connectivity. But first - Josh finally notices a painting that's been in Will's background for months (since episode 199, to be exact!), leading to a hilarious deep-dive through previous episodes and a story about childhood art purchases.The conversation then shifts to something we can control: our personal reflection practices. Will shares his 3+ year journey with Reflection App, demonstrating how intentional journaling can help us process everything from tech disruptions to personal growth - especially when the digital world feels unreliable.➡️ 40% OFF Reflection App: http://reflection.app/hitech

We dive into a controversial topic: the growing backlash against technology in education and beyond. Are we stuck in an endless pendulum swing between tech extremism? Josh brings a hot take about recent articles claiming tech is "poisoning" us, and we explore why this all-or-nothing thinking misses the mark.From washing machines to AI, we trace how society has always freaked out about new technology - and why that pattern needs to end. Plus: our thoughts on intentional tech use, the real problems in education, and why your goal matters more than your tools

Welcome to Episode 218 of the HiTech Podcast! This week, Josh takes Will (and you!) on an in-depth tour of Notion 3.0 and its game-changing AI features. From automated weekly reports to custom database creation in seconds, discover how Notion's agentic AI is revolutionizing personal productivity and task management.Josh demonstrates his elaborate Notion dashboard system, introduces his AI assistant "R2-D2," and shows how AI can reverse-engineer entire workflow systems. Whether you're a Notion power user or just curious about AI-powered productivity tools, this episode is packed with practical examples and real-world applications.

Ever wondered what it takes to consistently create a weekly podcast for four years? In this special behind-the-scenes episode, Will and Josh pull back the curtain on their entire podcasting workflow and reveal how AI tools have transformed their process from a time-consuming hobby into an efficient, sustainable system.From recording platforms to editing software, transcript generation to social media clips, discover the exact tools and AI features that keep the Hi-Tech Podcast running smoothly week after week. Whether you're thinking about starting your own podcast or just curious about content creation workflows, this episode is packed with practical insights and real-world examples.

Join us for an exciting deep dive into Topia with founder Daniel as we explore how this spatial platform is revolutionizing virtual education! Discover how proximity chat, customizable worlds, and innovative SDK tools are creating delightful learning experiences for K-12 students in virtual schools, micro schools, and homeschooling environments.From supporting 500+ concurrent users to integrating with major LMS platforms, Topia is proving that online education can be engaging, social, AND safe. We discuss the platform's evolution, the importance of "delight" as a metric, and why students are literally clicking repeatedly just to get into class early!Whether you're an educator exploring virtual learning tools, a remote worker seeking better collaboration spaces, or just curious about the future of online community building, this episode is packed with insights.

Will and Josh pit their mobile rigs against each other in this epic travel tech showdown! From $250 backpacks to portable monitors, wireless mice to Steam Decks - we're breaking down every piece of gear that keeps us productive (and entertained) on the road.No sponsorships, just honest takes on what actually works when you need your full setup anywhere. Whether you're a digital nomad or just want better coffee shop productivity, this episode's packed with practical insights and real-world testing.

Watch Josh and Will transform a simple meal planning problem into a fully functional web app using nothing but AI prompts. From Will's basic Google Sheets button to a sophisticated menu generator with search, filters, and editing capabilities - all built live in under 30 minutes!We're not coding experts, just two curious minds showing you how accessible app development has become with AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT. Whether you want to solve personal productivity challenges or prototype your next big idea, this episode proves anyone can build functional apps today.

Join hosts Will Ellingworth and Josh as they dive deep into one of AI's most controversial topics: its environmental footprint. From data centers consuming massive amounts of electricity to the real-world impact on local communities, we explore whether the environmental cost of AI is worth the benefits. Plus, Josh creates a penguin-saving game live on the show!

Josh and Will put OpenAI's new "Study and Learn" mode to the test with theology questions, instructional design challenges, and... tank driving? What started as educational evaluation ended with an unexpected browser-based tank simulator. We explore whether this AI study tool actually encourages learning or just makes cheating more complicated.

We put AI to the ultimate test - can Claude outsmart our resident board game expert Alex? Watch as we experiment with Claude playing Skull and Flip Seven in real-time, discovering surprising insights about AI capabilities, human strategy, and the art of bluffing against algorithms.Spoiler alert: Humans aren't obsolete just yet.

Ever feel like documentation is a four-letter word? 😅 We get it! Will and Josh dive deep into the art (and pain) of creating useful documentation - from knowledge bases to SOPs to those quick tutorial videos we all need but never have time to make.🔥 What We Cover:Why documentation becomes a problem before it becomes a priorityThe real barriers: time, effort, maintenance, and that "but we're unique!" mindsetJosh's team knowledge base journey (spoiler: Notion FTW)Will's lone wolf documentation struggles (we've all been there)Different fidelity levels: when good enough really IS good enough💡 GAME CHANGER ALERT: We put Scribe to the test! This tool promises to solve the biggest documentation headaches by recording your screen and auto-generating step-by-step guides. Does it live up to the hype? (Spoiler: Josh immediately wanted to buy it for his team 👀)For more on our conversation, check out the episode page⁠.

Join Josh and Will as they dive deep into the messy world of AI training and copyright law! This week, we're unpacking the Anthropic lawsuit that's got everyone talking - and we accidentally recreate 1984 in the process (oops!). What we discovered: When we asked Claude to rewrite Orwell's classic in a modern context, things got... uncomfortably derivative. Are AI companies walking a legal tightrope? Should you be worried about using AI tools? We're processing it all live on air.

Join Will and Josh for a candid conversation about real AI use cases they've encountered in the wild! From questionable grading practices to grief bots, we're breaking down what's working, what's sketchy, and what needs to be swept under the rug. 🧹 Our Rating System: If it's good, it stays. If it's problematic, we're sweeping it away with our trusty desk brooms!

Join Josh and Will as they dive deep into the art and science of creating user-friendly Learning Management Systems (LMS). Moving away from their usual AI focus, the hosts share real-world experience from LMS overhauls, discussing everything from user journey mapping to wire-framing techniques.

Ready to decode what makes certifications actually worth your time? 🎯Will and Josh dive deep into the certification landscape - from their personal experiences with PMI, Docebo, and academic programs to designing certification systems that actually prove expertise. They're tackling the real question: how do we move beyond simple exams to create meaningful professional development?

Josh and Will dive deep into one of education's most frustrating features: those "Did you cheat?" checkboxes that appear in every online course. Spoiler alert - they don't work, and we've got better ideas. From beach vacation prep disasters to the philosophy of learning, this episode unpacks why academic integrity checks are fundamentally flawed and explores practical alternatives that actually improve education. Whether you're building corporate training or academic courses, this conversation will change how you think about assessment and learner trust.

We went off-script this week and challenged ourselves to the ultimate AI detection game! Will and Josh threw real and AI-generated images at each other to see who could tell the difference. From suspicious cat photos to perfect-looking drinks, the results might surprise you (and definitely surprised us). Spoiler: AI is getting REALLY good, but humans still have a fighting chance! 🧠✨

Join us as we dive deep into AI-powered video production! From discussing the movie "Rubber" (yes, the homicidal tire again!) to exploring how Synthesia is transforming the media production pipeline for L&D and more, this episode is packed with practical insights and live walk-throughs.