Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.
Podcast: Download
Feedback
- QOTW: You’ve just been hired to design the worst possible “smart” kitchen gadget. What is it?
- Forgotten voice mail from Gary in Jacksonville
On This Day In History for August 20, 2025
This is the 232nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 133 days remaining in 2025.
- It was on this date in 1858, that Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, alongside Alfred Russel Wallace’s same theory.
- 143 years ago today, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture debuted in Moscow, Russia.
- August 20, 1920, The first commercial radio station, 8MK (now WWJ), began operations in Detroit.
- Also today in 1926, Japan’s public broadcasting company, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) was established.
- It was 50 years ago today that NASA launched the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars.
- 48 years ago today, NASA launched the Voyager 2 spacecraft.
Happy birthday goes out on this date to:
- English mathematician and academic, Thomas Simpson, born on this date in 1710.
- Czech astronomer and educator, Christian Mayer was born 306 years ago today.
- Finnish architect and academic, co-designed the National Museum of Finland, Eliel Saarinen, born on this date in 1873.
- H. P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, novelist was born on that same date in 1890.
- Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American architect and furniture designer, designed the Gateway Arch, was born 115 years ago today.
- Japanese chemist, engineer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, Hideki Shirakawa is 89 today.
- Also born on that same date in 1938, French military officer and astronaut, Jean-Loup Chrétien.
Listener Birthdays
Aug
- 20 – Jedi_Kez (aka Brian From Winnipeg)
- 22 – Zoidberg [1967]
- 22 – Kyle Slingo
- 22 – AlchemyDragon
- 24 – Kira Fiore (Krazy Joe & Christine’s daughter)
- 25 – David “Grizzly” Smith from Grizzly’s Growls podcasts
- 27 – Chuck’s forgotten iPod
- 30 – Maximilian Björsten, Stockholm Sweden
- 31 – Tim Downing
Sep
- 1 – David Kloempken
- 2 – Scott Tyler
- 4 – Kyra Vega
- 5 – Ben Vaughan (benvon) [1977]
- 6 – Susan Murph (SusietheGeek) How to Grow Your Geek Podcast
- 6 – Brad Miller
And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for August 20, 2025
- If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our website and look for the Birthday Calendar link.
News
- AOL will end dial-up internet service in September, 34 years after its debut — AOL Shield Browser and AOL Dialer software will be shuttered on the same day | Tom’s Hardware
- James Webb Finds Evidence of Free-Floating Planets So Large They Can Gather Their Own Planetary Systems
- ‘Astonishingly rare’ The Hobbit book sells for ‘record-breaking’ sum
Hacks & Strange Stories
Shout out to the chat room
Watch us live every Sunday night at 8:30PM ET on Facebook. Go to Join our page and get notified automatically. Join us on the live chat!
Remember When
Thank you Patrons!
This show is brought to you by… YOU! Thank you to our Patrons who enable us to keep the show running and bring you special episodes.
| Alexis Duran | Amber Elstad | Amy Bowen | Avner Braverman |
| Ben Vaughan | Brad Miller | Brian Brown | Chris Martinez |
| Chris Mc | DanDMan Coyer | Dean Jensen | Denise Inglis |
| Gary Lindros | Jason Pollard | John Clifford | John Noble |
| Jorge Schrauwen | Krazy Joe | Kyle Nishioka | Leon |
| Mark Kilfoil | Mike Wills | Saturday Morning Media | Stephen Wesche |
| Steve Cody | Steve Therrien | Steve Webb | Stewe Lundin |
| Tim Cook | Your Name Here | ||
If you want to become a patron, visit our Patreon Page. We’ve got various levels of donations and in return we have various patron packages including a special “after show” we record just for the patrons! patreon.com/technoramapodcast
Pass me the remote
- Kreg
- The Fantastic Four – Theater
- The Naked Gun – Theater
- Happy Gilmore 2 – Netflix
- Untamed – Netflix
- Wednesday – Netflix
- Chuck
- Zero Day – Netflix
- Marco Polo – Netflix
- Conversation with A Killer: Son of Sam Tapes – Netflix
- Rogue Agent – Netflix
- Ripley – Netflix
Question of the week
- As NASA’s Head of Snacks for the inaugural Mars colony, which single snack food would you prioritize for interplanetary survival, and how would you present your choice to the crew?
Patreon Topic this week
- Meshtastic
- Travel router
End of Show Stuff
We appreciate your support. If you like the show, there are many ways to show your love:
- Visit our Amazon page for recommended books, toys, and other fun stuff!
- Call the Listener Line: 707-530-CHAT(2428)
- Email at technorama@chuckchat.com
- We are on the Social Interwebs…
- Search for Technorama Podcast on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, etc
- You can also find us on Spotify and Radio Public, Google Podcast, etc.
- You can help support us:
- How about a donation to the tip jar: one time or monthly micropayment on Patreon!
- Links to the articles and items referenced in the show can be found on our website
- www.chuckchat.com
Also Thanks to
- Everyone who sent us links during the week
- Those who joined us to watch live on Facebook!
- You, for downloading and listening
Tell a friend about Technorama and…
binary high five
