In This Episode: Solving Server Headaches With AI, Age Verification Dilemmas, and the Software Subscription fight.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:15:15 — 68.9MB)
This week the TEH Podcast is hosted by Leo Notenboom, the “Chief Question Answerer” at Ask Leo!, and Gary Rosenzweig, the host and producer of MacMost, and mobile game developer at Clever Media.
(You’ll find longer Bios on the Hosts page.)
Top Stories
- LN: More Claude tricks
- 1:00 Slow server log analysis
- 11:00 Ask Leo! Question repository analysis
- 19:00 Journal recovery
- 21:00 LN: Age verification & Discord?
- https://www.techradar.com/computing/software/what-a-great-way-to-kill-your-community-discord-users-are-furious-about-its-new-age-verification-checks-and-are-now-hunting-for-alternatives
- 24:00 GR: Protecting children vs protecting privacy: https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/24/reddit-and-discord-are-both-in-trouble-over-controversial-age-verification-service/
- To protect kids: age verification
- But then that violates privacy as you have to confirm your ID
- Another aspect: blocking kids from social media makes it harder for them to have a political voice (organize for protests, etc)
- 30:00 Some call for Google and Apple to take this over
- 34:00 Maybe we need some sort of special org? But even then how would they do both?
- 49:00 GR: Software subscriptions (again)
- You don’t “own” your software
- Software needs updating, it isn’t a consumable or physical product
- 1:06:00 Gary’s journal is transcribed while we talk!
Ain’t it Cool
- 1:09:00 GR: Knight Of the Seven Kingdoms
- 1:10:00 LN: same
BSP: Blatant Self-Promotion
- 1:11:00 GR: Using Text Files As a Productivity Tool
- 1:12:00 LN: The Nirvana Fallacy https://askleo.com/179344
Whilst Age Confirmation is certainly an issue there is another IMO. It doesn’t have the same emotional and political implications perhaps, but it can still be quite annoying. I’m referring to the use of Cloudfare’s human confirmation software.
I can understand the concerns with businesses wanting extra protection from bad actors because a cyber attack can reek havoc; damaging revenue generation and causing some very bad publicity that affects reputations.
For example Marks & Spencers, a retail chain in the UK, not being able to sell anything on line for several months, or Jaguar, the luxury car manufacturer, who lost @£300 million in the 4th Qtr of 2025. Have there been similar examples in the USA?
Have you seen instances of Cloudfare being used that you’ve come across?
What are your thoughts on this topic?
PS I understand if this issue is too sensitive for you two to discuss. Given that you both have an on-line presence.
I discussed it in a recent article & video: Why Am I Seeing So Many CAPTCHAs?
I think you made a mistake when discussing Social Security numbers for children. In today’s climate, each child has to have a Social Security number to be able to be claimed as a dependent on the parent’s income tax form. If the child does not have a Social Security number the parents are literally leaving money on the table.
I was unaware of that. Thanks!
One small correction. For $99 a year, you get 6 TB OneDrive storage. 1 TB for each of 6 users. I have 2 people sharing my account and I can use the other 3 OneDrive accounts as different logins to my computer if I need it.