iTechGear.org

Episode 38: Let’s Get the Show on the Road!

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This is Episode 38 of the iTechGear Weekly, Let’s Get the Show on the Road! We were so excited about this show during the Pre-show, but only because – we love yacking about tech! This week we discuss Apple’s imminent release of the latest versions of all the Apple operating systems, including iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS 13.3; the BEST mobile device for you – is it an iPhone or an Android device; and the inclusion of Adobe Acrobat Reader in the latest version of Microsoft EDGE!

Apple Segment

iOS 16.4 Release (and all other Apple OS’) on Monday, 3/27 – Chris G.
iPhone 15 Dynamic Island to get New Proximity Sensor
Where are the 11″ M2 MacBook Airs? – Larry
Apple Monitoring Badge Swipes for 3 Days/Week Link 1, Link 2

Mobile/ Linux Segment

YouTube Premium Subscribers Get Free Walmart+ and XBOX PC Games Pass
Supreme Court Rules Against Internet Archive – Chris G.
The Best Phone for you – Pixel 7/Pro vs. iPhone Pro Max Link 1, Link 2

Windows Segment

Microsoft EDGE now uses Adobe Acrobat Reader Link 1, Link 2

Pick of the Week Segment

I’d like to take just a moment to let our listeners know that our show picks are typically hardware, software, and other items of interest that we have individually purchased and actually use and like enough that we want to recommend them to you. They are not paid advertisements or items with which we have an affiliate marketing relationship. We sincerely believe in the picks we bring you at the end of each show.

Joel

SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB NVMe M.2 Internal Solid State Hard Drive

Download the Show Notes – Show Notes Episode 38 – Let’s get the show on the Road

Listen on Apple Podcasts – Episode 38 – Let’s Get the Show on the Road!

iTechGear Weekly – Episode 36 – What IS it with Gyms and Crappy Music??

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This episode of the iTechGear Weekly Episode 36 – What IS it with Gyms and Crappy Music??, recorded on 2023-03-05. In this episode, the team discusses the potential for an Apple Watch ban, Android support for eSIM transfers, and Windows getting iPhone Support among other things.

Apple Segment
- Using Apple Monitors with Windows PC’s- Larry, Chris
- Help! Apple’s Address Book is Eating my Contacts – Larry, Chris
- iPhone 15 Pro Max to have Smaller Camera Bump
- Apple Maps to get More Useful Post Navigation
- Apple Watch Ban Threat
- New 15″ & 13″ MBA’s by Summer?

Mobile/Linux Segment
- Android Support for eSIM Transfers
- Motorola Rizr Concept Phone Samsung S23 Ultra Screen Blemishes
- Meta Having issues with VR? Massive Price Drops as a Result? – Chris G.

Windows Segment
- Windows 11 Moment 2
- Windows gets iPhone Support
- Microsoft’s Paranoia
- Microsoft Stupidity & the Office/ MS 365 App – Larry, Chris
- Android Voting itself ON the Dynamic Island

Picks of the Week
- Joel
  - Stashlight -$28.95
- Chris
  - Ultimate Ears UE Fits – $159, Down from $249 Retail
  - Satechi Pro Hub Slim – $79.99
- Chris G.
- Larry
  - HomePod 2nd Generation – $299

Listen & Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts!

The iTechGear Weekly is on Apple Podcasts!

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In an amazing step of, “Let’s get this thing moving,” and “Hey buddy… The site is supposed to be about making tech easier,” the iTechGear Weekly has finally made it to Apple Podcasts!

The podcast comes out every other week, and you can use the link above to follow/ subscribe to the show on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or Mac. I’m working on an RSS feed URL, but everything costs money…

For now, join my mom as part of our listening public and follow the show to insure you get your bi-weekly allowance of four old guys kvetching about technology, and learn more about everything you didn’t know before!

iTechGear Weekly – Episode 30 – Ideas to help Santa Say Ho-Ho-Ho

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This episode of the iTechGear Weekly Episode 30 – Ideas to help Santa Say Ho-Ho-Ho , recorded on 2022-12-04. In this episode, the team provides gift ideas for your 2022 Holiday shopping convenience.

Apple Segment
- 16 Inch MacBook Pro – Joel – Starts at $2499
- M2 MacBook Air – Chris & Larry – Starts at $1199
- Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation – Larry – $199
- Apple Watch Ultra – Chris – $799
Mobile/Linux Segment
- Pixel Watch – Chris – $349-$399
- Galaxy Watch 4 Classic – Chris – $299-$339
- Galaxy Watch 5 Pro – Chris – $429
- Samsung Flip 4 – Chris – $310-$1060
- Samsung Fold 4 – Chris – $450-$1800
- System76 Thelio Mira Desktop – Joel – Starts at $999
- Raspberry Pi 400 Kit – Joel – $176
- Creality HALOT-ONE Plus Resin 3D Printer – Joel – $399
- Official Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D – Joel – $236
- Kindle Oasis (2022 Model) – Larry -$249

Windows Segment
- Cider for Windows – Chris – $0.99-$1.99
- Tom Bin Bags – Joel – Brain Bag as Example: $225
- Nomatic Travel Pack 20L – Chris – $249
- Anker USB C Charger 120W, 547 Charger – Joel – $110
- Surface Pro 9 Bundle – Larry – $1449
- GPD Win3 – Chris – $1150-$1390
  - 1TB Version
  - 2TB Version

Picks of the Week
- Joel
- Chris
- Chris G.
- Larry

https://itechgear.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Episode-30-Ideas-to-help-Santa-Say-Ho-Ho-Ho.mp3?_=1

Download MP3 – Episode 30 – Ideas to help Santa Say Ho-Ho-Ho

Show Notes – Show Notes Episode 30- Ideas to Help Santa Say Ho-Ho-Ho

SIO2SD CASED 2.0 XL Review

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If you actually listen to our podcast, you know I LOVE 1980s video games and computing. One of the first computers I have ever owned was an Atari 800XL from the second generation of the Atari 8-bit computer line. In the 80s, I never had a floppy drive because the drive itself actually had the same chip that ran the 800XL inside of it which made the drive really expensive. So at the time, I used cartridge games and the occasional cassette game. Fast forward 38 years and now we have the technology we never dreamed of. Well, the device I am reviewing today takes the technology of today and lets you have more storage than you EVER had in the 80s on your old Atari 8-bit computer by leveraging the technology available to us today. The device I am talking about was made in Poland and is called the SIO2SD from Lotharek.

I have the second version of this device made in the Atari XL colors so it is designed to fit with the Atari 800XL from the start. The SIO2SD is made to emulate a floppy drive using the standard port on the Atari 8 bit line, called the SIO port. How it works is you take a standard SD card, create a directory called atari, then you can create sub folders inside of that to help you organize the floppy images which are called atr files. Take this SD Card and put them in the SD slot on the SIO2SD and turn on the computer. This device is powered from the SIO port so there is no need to have an AC adapter to power the device. On first power up, it will use whatever image you had previously selected and boot it. At this time you can select the image you want to load, turn off the computer then turn it back on and then it will boot the selected image.

You can get these images in various places on the web and sometimes they are compilation disks where it may have more than one program on the disk. Once the disk is booted it has a menu and you can press the letter of the program and it will load that program.

You can also create a blank image to use with cartridge software or even if you have a real Atari drive. It acts just like any other floppy drive. The only difference is the floppy image is on the SD card.

Really that’s really all there is. It does what it does and does it well. It makes playing with your old Atari 8 bit much more fun as now you can have mass storage for the Atari. Hard disks existed in that time period but they were REALLY expensive and the size of these disks were really small and nowhere close to what you can have today storage-wise. An example is the third-party Supradrive. It was only 10 MB in size….massive with regards to the Atari 8 bits but it was $799 at that time….which was more than Atari 8 bit computers themselves cost! So no one had them. Thanks to today’s technology you can now have a gigabyte sized storage device for your old Atari 8 bit computer from at time period where computers were fun!

The Lotharek SIO2SD at the time of this writing costs $54.25 in US Dollars, plus shipping and will take a week or so to make it across the pond to the US.

iTechGear Weekly Episode SE5: #MadeByGoogle

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This episode of the iTechGear Weekly is Episode SE5: #MadeByGoogle, recorded on 2022-10-06. In this episode, Chris, Joel and Chris G. talk about the products introduced by Google at 2022’s #MadeByGoogle event

Links to the show player AND the MP3 and show note downloads can be found at the bottom of this post (the show outline is a tad long…)

Mobile/Linux Segment
- Pixel Portfolio
  - designed and capable via Google Tensor
  - Google Tensor G2 Platform
  - Next-gen on device G2
  - All designed to work and look like they belong together – Unified design language
  - Designed to be personal
  - colors and finishes that are unique to Google
  - Zirconia blasted aluminum cases (I thought cubic zirconia was QVC only)
    - durable but soft feeling
    - Pixel material U adapts to your color and UI choices and
- Pixel Watch
  - Designed to be worn every day
  - Bezel disappears
    - Black
    - Silver
    - Gold
  - Bands twist and click into place
    - Bands are easy to change
  - Dozens of customizable watch faces
    - Hazel
    - Lemongrass
    - softer hues that work together but are easy to read
  - Tablet
    - Nano ceramic coating
  - Privacy and Security
    - Secure and Private by design
    - Pix 7 has multiple layers of verifiable security
    - Titan M2
      - Same security as banks & governments
    - Everything is Private by Design
      - minimize your data footprint
      - Deidentifying data
      - Restricting Access
    - Health & Wellness
      - Sleep data is kept on the device
    - online activity – P7 P7P will come with on-device VPN
      - Android 13 Privacy & security settings in 1 place
      - Action Cards
- Pixel 7
  - Pixel Feature Drops
    - New features are released monthly
    - 5 yrs of feature updates
  - Ultimate refinement
  - 3″ display with smaller bezels
  - All-day battery 72hrs with extreme battery mode
- Pixel 7Pro
  - 7″ display
  - triple camera system
  - The front camera uses ML for Face Unlock
  - Tensor G2 Chip
    - 60% faster ML
    - 20% faster than P^P
    - Voice Assistance
      - Live Translate
      - Navigate without tapping
      - Send messages with voice
      - Advanced tech to get the right emoji
      - Transcribe voice in real time for messages
      - RCS Texting
      - The recorder app is getting Speaker labels. Auto speaker separation
    - Phone Calls
      - Call Assist
      - Call screen auto spam filter
      - Direct my Call can work with business dialer systems
        
        on-screen display of dialer options
      - Clear Calling
        
        auto suppresses background noise
        
        enhances callers voice
      - Camera
        
        Best camera in the industry
        
        Inclusivity
        
        Improved skin tone recognition
        
        Real Tone improvements for skin tones
        
        Guided Frame
        
        helps vision impaired people take a better front camera
        
        Photo Unblur
        
        ML Image Quality improvements
        
        auto fixes blurry images
        
        Video Improvements
        
        Cinematic blur
        
        10-Bit HDR
        
        Active Stabilization
        
        Improved Autofocus
        
        Speech enhancement 4k 60 FPS
        
        Autofocus
        
        Zoom Tech
        
        P6P – 4x Optical Zoom
        
        P7P higher-powered zoom
        
        Super Res Zoom
        
        reengineered
        
        5MP image
        
        auto denoise
        
        ML composites photos to help produce better detail
        
        2x, 5x 10x Zoom
        
        Zoom Stabilization
        
        keeps pix steady at 15x
        
        ML Digital Zoom at 20-30x
        
        Macro Focus
        
        3cm closeness
        
        P7 – $599
        
        P7P – $899
- Pixel Watch
  - First WearOS with Fitbit
  - Health features powered by Fitbit
  - 24hr battery life, even with health features active
  - concentration on heart rate tracking
    - Fitbit Pro
      - Active Zone Minutes – tracks HR at your target, & counts mins there
      - more than 1000 workouts
      - Sleep Tracking from Fitbit to PW
      - GPS – 349
      - LTE – 399
      - Pre Order today
- Tablet
  - Foundation is Android
  - Material You
    - Pure Android
  - Split Screen
  - Stylus Support
  - G2 Powers the tablet
  - Favorite P7 features also on the tablet
  - New Charging Speaker Dock
    - Charges and is helpful 24/7
    - turns it into a smart display
    - Works with Voice Assistant
    - Smart Device Control
    - Magnet is tuned to dock and undock easily
  - Coming 2023
- wearOS Updates
  - Fast Pair
    - Credential/network sharing
  - screen casting/ video sharing
  - Selfies controlled via Watch
  - Voice Assistant works across devices
    - Every device is a control panel
    - control home on every device
- Wrap-Up

Apple Segment

Windows Segment

Picks of the Week
- Joel
- Chris
- Chris G.
- Larry

https://itechgear.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Episode-SE5-Made-by-Google.mp3?_=2

Download MP3 – Episode SE5 – Made by Google

Show Notes – Show Notes Episode SE5 – MadeByGoogle

iTechGear Weekly is Episode SE4: Apple Event – Far Out: Can I Please be Voted Off the Dynamic Island??

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This episode of the iTechGear Weekly is Episode SE4: Apple Event – Far Out: Can I Please be Voted Off the Dynamic Island??, recorded on 2022-09-07. In this episode, Chris, Joel and Chris G. talk about the products introduced by Apple at 2022’s iPhone Event while Larry is out sick. (Get well soon, Larry!)

Links to the show player AND the MP3 and show note downloads can be found at the bottom of this post (the show outline is a tad long…)

Mobile/Linux Segment

Apple Segment
- Apple Watch
  Shared Stories
  
  AW S8
  
  Always on Display
  
  Narrow bezels
  
  New Faces
  
  New Health features
  
  Temp sensor for Women’s health
  
  Ovulation Prediction
  
  Private Data
  
  Retrospective report on when you ovulated
  
  2 temp sensors
  
  Samples wrist temp every 5 secs
  
  Can track bi-phasic shift to predict/track ovulation
  
  Data protected via Touch/Face ID
  
  Car Crash Detection
  
  Can detect if you’re in a crash
  
  Auto connection of EMS
  
  Auto notification to chosen contacts
  
  2 new sensors to detect crashes
  
  Passenger cars
  
  SUVs
  
  Pickup trucks
  
  Low Power Mode
  
  18 battery life normally
  
  36 hrs in low power mode
  
  International Roaming
  
  4 Aluminum cases
  
  3 Stainless colors
  
  399-499
  
  3 mo of Fitness plus
  
  Order 9/7
  
  Ships 9/16
  
  AW SE
  
  Cases
  
  Silver
  
  Midnight
  
  Starlight
  
  Display 30% larger than S3
  
  20% faster than S8
  
  Parental Controls
  
  249-299
  
  Order 9/7
  
  Ships 9/16
  
  AW Ultra
  
  Exploration
  
  Titanium Case
  
  Sapphire front crystal
  
  49mm Case
  
  Big display
  
  Action button
  
  Customizable
  
  Larger Digital crown
  
  Designed to be used with gloves
  
  2nd speakers
  
  3 mics
  
  Includes cellular
  
  36hrs of battery life
  
  60 hrs of battery life with Extended Settings (later this fall)
  
  New Face – Wayfinder (color & monochrome red)
  
  Bands
  
  Alpine Loop – hook
  
  Ocean Loop – buckle
  
  Trail Loop – velcro
  
  New GPS solution
  
  L1 + L5 GPS frequencies
  
  New Exercise Screens
  
  Good for Tri-Atheletes
  
  Can work in extreme temps
  
  Redesigned Compass App
  
  Back track GPS function
  
  Diving Features
  
  WR100 Water Depth
  
  EN13319 Diving Certification
  
  Can be used up to 40M/130ft depths
  
  Dive Computer App – Oceanic App
  
  Dive Profile data plus sharing
  
  799
  
  Order 9/7
  
  Delivers 9/23
  
  Air Pods
  
  New H2 Chip
  
  Hiband connectivity
  
  Improved sound quality
  
  Low distortion driver
  
  Custom amplifier
  
  Spatial Audio
  
  Immersive sound
  
  Personalized Spacial Audio
  
  Personal profiles
  
  Based on shape of head/ears
  
  Active Noise Cancellation
  
  Reduces background noise
  
  Optimized functionality 2x better noise cancellation
  
  XS ear tips = better sound
  
  Adaptive Transparency
  
  Processes 48k/per second
  
  Touch Control
  
  Capacitive touch sensors
  
  Battery
  
  6hrs of battery live
  
  30 hours of listening time
  
  Apple Watch Charger now works
  
  Find My Improvements
  
  Precision finding can help you find the case
  
  Each Pod can play a sound
  
  299
  
  Order 9/9
  
  Ships 9/23
  
  iPhone 14 Series
  
  14 6.1″
  
  14 Plus 6.7″
  
  See more or larger text
  
  New lock screens
  
  Enhanced workout summaries
  
  Updated inernal design – stays cooler
  
  1200 NITS
  
  Ceramic Shield Glass
  
  Aluminum
  
  Midnight
  
  Starlight
  
  Blue
  
  Purple
  
  Product Red
  
  All Day Battery life
  
  Performance A15 Bionic
  
  5 core GPU
  
  6 Core CPU
  
  16 Core Neural Engine
  
  Image Signal processor
  
  Camera System
  
  12MP Main camera
  
  1.9 micro pixel
  
  F1.5
  
  49% improvement in Low light capture
  
  12MP True Dept front camera
  
  F1.9
  
  Photonic Engine
  
  Deep Fusion process applied earlier in the process to enhance shots
  
  Photo low light 2x improvement
  
  2-2.5x improvements on back cameras
  
  Video Improvements
  
  Action mode
  
  Full sensor
  
  OIS mode
  
  Connectiviity
  
  5G
  
  Multiple eSIM capability
  
  All US models are eSIM only
  
  Safety Features
  
  Crash Detection (same as on AW)
  
  256G force detection
  
  Can call emergency contacts
  
  Works with AW if you have both
  
  Satellite Connectivity
  
  Emergency SOS via Satellite
  
  New SMS service
  
  New responses canned to insure help is gotten and sent
  
  Send location to loved ones
  
  Launches in November
  
  US & Canada only to start
  
  14 – 799
  
  14+ 899
  
  Order 9/9
  
  Ship 9/16
  
  Ship 10/10
  
  14 Pro
  
  Stainless Steel
  
  Ceramic Sheld
  
  Colors
  
  Space black
  
  Silver
  
  Gold
  
  Deep Purple
  
  New True Depth camera
  
  Dynamic Island
  
  Notch enlarges to show icons or alerts
  
  System Apps morph into it
  
  Always live and active
  
  Live activities on Lock Screens
  
  Consistent alerts despite app they are coming from
  
  New Pro Display
  
  6.1 Pro
  
  Pro Max 6.7
  
  1600 nits – display XDR brightness
  
  2000 nits outdoors
  
  New Lock screen
  
  Widgets
  
  Always on Display
  
  1hz low power mode
  
  Widgets always available
  
  Screens are dimmed without reducing readabilty
  
  A16 Bionic Chip
  
  Power efficency
  
  Display
  
  Camera
  
  16B trans
  
  4nm process
  
  40% faster
  
  6core CPU
  
  2 hi performance
  
  4 Efficiency
  
  Use 1/3 the power
  
  16 core Neural engine
  
  5 core GPU
  
  New Display Engine
  
  Camera
  
  4 Trillion actions per photo
  
  48MP sensor
  
  65% larger than 13 pro
  
  24mm focal lens
  
  Quad Pixel sensor
  
  2x low light improvement over 13 Pro
  
  2x telephoto
  
  Apple Pro RAW
  
  48MP resolution support
  
  12MP Ultra Wide Lens
  
  3x better than 13 Pro
  
  Flash
  
  9 LEDs
  
  Low Light mode 2-3x better than 13 Pro
  
  Cinematic Mode
  
  Now 4k support
  
  60 F/S
  
  All Day battery Life
  
  14 Pro – 999
  
  14 Pro Max – 1099
  
  Order – 9/9
  
  Ships – 9/16

Windows Segment

Picks of the Week
- Joel
- Chris
- Chris G.
- Larry

https://itechgear.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Episode-SE4-Can-I-Please-be-Voted-Off-the-Dynamic-Island.mp3?_=3

Download MP3 – Episode SE4 – Can I Please be Voted off the Dynamic Island??

Show Notes – Apple Event – Can I Please Be Voted Off the Dynamic Island

The Last of its Kind – Unboxing the iPhone 13 mini

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Some of you will get the STOS pic I used as the Feature Image of this post. Some won’t. Those that are interested can check out its Wikipedia Page and find out what I’m referencing. It’s kinda thin, I know; but it’s the first thing I thought of when I said, “it’s the last of its kind,” a line from the show.

The unboxing of the last of its kind… This is the unboxing of the iPhone 13 mini. According to current rumors, the iPhone 14 series won’t have a mini version. Is the mini worth having? Is it something you want to use? Will it be worth switching to this device? What good is a 5.4″ screen gonna do you now? Let’s see…

This is a dynamite little device, especially if you’re looking for something that will hide away while you’re carrying it, but still has the regular power of the iPhone 13.

The iPhone 13 mini provides the following features and specifications:

Device Size: 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65mm, 141g
Display Size: 5.4 inches
Refresh Rate: 60Hz (ProMotion is only available on the Pro models)
Cameras: Dual Rear/Single Front –
- 12Mp Main f/1.6,
- 12Mp Ultra Wide f/2.4
- 12Mp Front Camera
- Smart HDR 4
- Portrait Mode with advanced bokeh, Depth Control, Night Mode, and Deep Fusion
- Photographic Styles & Cinematic Video
Battery – Up to 17 hours
Storage – 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
GPU – 4 Core
Colors: 6
- Starlight
- Midnight
- Blue
- Pink
- Green
- Product (RED)

To say that the iPhone 13 mini is small but mighty, is an understatement. Hopefully, more to come!!

Unboxing the New Midnight M2 MacBook Air

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Throw out the old and busted and make way for Apple’s all-new, new hotness, the Midnight Blue, M2 MacBook Air!

This is NOT your father’s MacBook Air! This is the all-new, doesn’t make a sound, can handle just about anything you may EVER need in a true, laptop computer, sporting Apple’s latest and greatest entry into the ARM-based silicon market – The M2 Processor!

I do a quick comparison with a previous model and form-factor MBA and then take a break to set it up. Come see the new hotness and drool, baby! This one is AWESOME!

Stay tuned, kids. I’m going to take this one and put it through its paces as both a work and play machine – at least for me – and we’ll see what it can do!

iTechGear Weekly – Episode 21: There’s Something in the Waze She-he Moo-oo-oo-ooo-ooo-oooves Me

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This episode of the iTechGear Weekly is Episode 21: There’s Something in the Waze She-he Moo-oo-oo-ooo-ooo-oooves Me, recorded on 2022-06-26. In this episode, the team talks about the Galaxy Fold 3 being on sale, the Nothing Phone, and how Waze may be the only fix for Android Auto, among other things.

Mobile/Linux Segment
- Larry Solved his Pixie Problem
- Android silently picks up long-awaited mDNS feature
- Meta Dropped its Apple Watch Competitor
- Monopoly Law Changes
- SELF 2022 Thoughts – Joel

Apple Segment
- WWDC Follow Up
- New OS Assessment – iOS 16 & Ventura
- Stage Manager – iOS 16 is M1 Only
- Apple BNPL Service

Windows Segment

Picks of the Week
- Joel
  - Thelios Desktops from System76 – $1000-$5250
  - TechSmarter 26800 mAh – $50
- Chris
- Chris G.
- Larry
  - Anker PowerPort Nano 20W USB-C Charger (2-Pack) – $20

https://itechgear.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Episode-20-Larry-Solved-his-Pixie-Problem-–-Sort-of.mp3?_=4

Download MP3 – Episode 20: Larry Solved his Pixie Problem – (Sort of)

Show Notes – Show Notes Episode 20 – Larry Solved His Pixie Problem