Telecommunications
154 episodes · Page 2 of 7
#5208: Why Tech Consortia Keep the Stack From Flying Apart
From GSM to HDMI to LTO, why competitors form standards bodies — and what happens when the commitments break.
#5140: Teletext: The One-Way Internet That Won't Die
Before dial-up, there was teletext — scores hidden in TV signals. Why it felt like the internet, and why the Dutch never turned it off.
#5138: Who Are Taxi Drivers Really Talking To?
The earpiece isn't a fake call or a coordination tool. It's a lifeline against the profound isolation of the job.
#5132: Why Japan Still Hoards Optical Media
Japan builds bullet trains but still buys Blu-rays. The surprising logic behind the world's most advanced tech holdout.
Also available in:日本語
#5068: The PM's Diary: 3 Hours, 2 Versions, 1 Hard Question
An edited official diary, a three-hour gap, and what we actually owe leaders in a crisis.
#4841: How Global Roaming Actually Works (and What to Buy)
The plumbing behind international roaming and which eSIM plans actually deliver on their promises.
#4803: How Digital Road Signs Talk to Cars
How roadside radios broadcast stop signs and traffic data directly to vehicles over 5.9 GHz.
#4794: Best Android Phone for an Architect in 2026
Pixel 10a, Galaxy A56, or S26 Ultra? What $300-$1000 buys for dual SIM, camera, and AI.
#4793: Fibre Isn't a Trick — It's the Thing the Trick Was Trying to Approximate
The glass in the ground is already 40 years old — and it's barely breaking a sweat.
#4785: Bonding Wi-Fi and Cellular: Speedify's Catch for Tailscale Users
Speedify bonds Wi-Fi and cellular seamlessly — until it silently breaks your tailnet. Here's the fix.
#4784: Host vs Router: The Real USB Bonding Trade-Off
Can you skip the travel router and bond cellular + Wi-Fi directly on your Linux laptop? We test the hardware reality.
#4783: Bonding Layer Showdown: Speedify vs Self-Hosted
Packet-level bonding for travel routers: Speedify's black box vs. self-hosted control. Which wins for a technically capable user?
#4779: Bonding Hotel Wi-Fi: Travel Router eSIM Guide
eSIM travel routers, Speedify bonding, and whether you can rent a preconfigured bonding endpoint instead of building your own VPS.
#4738: Running Your Own ISP: The Personal ASN Hobby
What it actually takes to get your own ASN, announce IP space, and become a one-person ISP.
#4737: Inside the Internet's Physical Junctions: IXPs and PoPs Explained
How the internet actually connects at physical locations, and why the biggest exchange points are non-profit associations.
#4731: Teaching Your Router Bedtime: Automated QoS with OPNsense
Can your router learn when to prioritize Netflix over backups? We build schedule-aware QoS with OPNsense and cron.
#4698: What a Business Fibre SLA Actually Guarantees
DIA circuits promise 99.9% uptime, but the fine print tells a different story. Here's what you're really buying.
#4687: Bonding Cellular Connections: Why Can't You Buy It?
Why can't you buy a box that bonds two SIM cards? We explore the DIY build and the market gap.
#4642: What Net Neutrality Actually Means for Your Internet
ISPs can see your traffic and shape it. Net neutrality is the only thing stopping them — and right now, the rules are blank.
#4638: Traffic Shaping: How Routers Decide Who Gets Bandwidth
Token buckets, bufferbloat, and why your router's QoS settings might be lying to you.
#4633: How In-Flight Wi-Fi Actually Works at 35,000 Feet
Daniel measured 150 Mbps over the Atlantic. Here's how the antenna, cabin network, and routers make it possible.
#4632: What Your Speed Test Is Really Measuring
Speed tests measure a journey, not a pipe. Here's how ISPs game results and what in-flight Starlink benchmarks reveal.
#4631: How Starlink Delivers Real In-Flight Wi-Fi
Why Starlink beats traditional satellite internet on planes — latency, lasers, and phased arrays explained.
#4609: The PBX Ledger: What Cloud Phones Really Cost
We traded the PBX for UCaaS and CPaaS. But what did we actually lose — and what did we gain that was impossible before?