#industrial-automation
17 episodes
#2715: Why Studebaker Owners Are Different
What drives thousands of people to obsess over a car brand that died in 1966? It's more than nostalgia.
#2596: Systems Integrators vs MSPs: The Hidden Tech Career
Two parallel tech worlds: industrial systems integrators and IT managed service providers. How they differ, and why one pays $300/hour.
#2399: The Science of Truly Permanent Markers
Why do industrial markers like the Edding 780 outperform art store Sharpies? It’s all about chemistry, adhesion, and surviving harsh conditions.
#2363: Embedded Systems: From Breadboards to Pacemakers
How do tiny computers power everything from hobbyist projects to life-saving medical implants? The engineering constraints are worlds apart.
#2295: How Asus Redefined Manufacturing with Robotics
Asus has achieved 85% automation in motherboard production—how did they outpace Western competitors?
#2105: The Invisible Machine Running Your Grocery Store
Before cloud and AI, ERPs were the unglamorous engines running global business. Here's how they worked in 2006.
#2079: PLCs: The Grey Boxes Running the World
Why factories still run on ladder logic, VxWorks, and rugged grey boxes instead of cloud servers.
#1902: How a Single Blood Vial Becomes Hundreds of Results
A single vial of blood can yield hundreds of results. Here’s the high-tech industrial process that makes it possible.
#1899: Why Vending Machines Jam on Your Snacks
From Roman holy water to Japan’s soup-dispensing giants, we explore why vending machines jam—and why America’s are stuck in the past.
#1755: Pesticides as Weapons: The Ne'ot Hovav Strike
A missile hit a pesticide plant. Now a toxic plume threatens Beersheba, blurring the line between industry and chemical warfare.
#1468: 4 Kilometers Down: Life and Risk at the Mponeng Gold Mine
Explore the extreme engineering and lethal conditions of Mponeng, the world’s deepest gold mine, where ice and AI keep workers alive.
#968: Breaking the Air Gap: The Truth About Industrial Cyber War
Beyond the "hacker in a hoodie" myth, we explore how state actors breach air-gapped systems to sabotage critical physical infrastructure.
#781: The Geography of Intelligence: America’s New AI Hubs
Explore how the US AI map is shifting in 2026, from San Francisco’s frontier labs to the specialized industrial hubs of Houston and NYC.
#769: The Living Manual: AI and AR for High-Tech Repairs
Discover how AI and spatial computing are turning complex hardware repairs into real-time, interactive experiences.
#707: Silicon and Screws: The High-Stakes Magic of PC Assembly
Explore the high-stakes world of PC assembly, from manual "microsurgery" to the high-speed robots building the world’s hardware.
#112: Industrial Strength: Why Airports Don’t Use Smart Bulbs
Why do airports stay lit while your smart home fails? Herman and Corn dive into industrial-grade tech and the physics of beaming internet.
#80: Why Your Smart Home Isn't an Airport: Industrial Reliability
Why can't you run the Louvre on a Raspberry Pi? Herman and Corn dive into the rugged, wired world of industrial building automation.