Trends with Benefits: VR does Vegas, Musk eyes Mars, Samsung is blowing up

By Greg Nibler Published April 2, 2021

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Samsung has more exploding products, virtual reality is heading to Vegas, SpaceX has big plans for a Mars colony, fast-food drone delivery could be coming to a place near you, and the Retro Gaming Expo returns to Portland.

Our latest weekly episode of Trends with Benefits features Art Santana, Pete Jacobs, Caleb Denison and Greg Nibler. Today’s episode is sponsored by Mail Chimp: Send more emails, sell more stuff.

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Our topics this week:

Samsung is blowing up
What’s worse than your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 blowing up? Your Samsung washer blowing up! Don’t laugh; it’s happening. What is going on and how is Samsung handling it?
VR goes to Vegas
Think you’re a VR gaming ace? Would you bet on it? A company called Gambit Gaming is setting up glass booths in Vegas where you can do exactly that. Climb in, strap on the goggles, put down your money, and see what you can win. Or lose.
Musk does Mars
Elon Musk wants to get 1 million humans on Mars via a planned SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System. Would you sign up to go live on Mars?
Fast food drone delivery
College students at Virginia Tech will soon be able to order burritos delivered by drone. At the same time, Dominoes has been experimenting with delivering pizza in the same fashion. Would you be willing to try out drone-delivered fast food?
Retro Gaming Expo
Art Santana from Ground Kontrol was our special guest today. He filled us in on the Retro Gaming Expo, taking place at the Oregon Convention Center from October 21 to 23. Their goal is to educate, preserve and inspire gamers of all ages!

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Former Host

Greg has worked as a Host, Producer, and Writer in radio and television since the early 2000s, working for such companies as…

Topics

Entertainment

The best scary podcasts to keep you up all night

amazon lumberyard game engine spooky

It doesn't feel like long since the start of summer, but believe it or not, Halloween is right around the corner. As the dark nights roll in, fall is the perfect time for Gothic novels, spooky horror movies, and, of course, hauntingly good podcasts -- mug of pumpkin-spiced chai optional. There are plenty of scary podcasts to choose from, whether you're looking for fictional dramas or strange-but-true tales of things going bump in the night. Whatever you're h(a)unting for, you'll find something in our list of the best scary podcasts. And if you're looking for something that won't leave you cowering under the covers, check out our roundup of the best podcasts.
Audio drama/fiction
The No Sleep Podcast

This award-winning anthology of short original horror stories is now in its 18th season, with over 500 episodes to listen to. Each episode has a haunting, atmospheric soundtrack that ensures you're truly immersed in the tale. Be warned, though -- as the name suggests, this is definitely not a podcast to listen to in bed unless you plan on staying awake all night.
Apple Podcasts Stitcher

Audio / Video

Spotify looks to lure podcasters, listeners away from Apple with polls, Q&As

Spotify app icon on iPhone.

It's no secret that Spotify has its sights set on total podcast domination, given its high-profile acquisition of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, along with several exclusive launches like The Michelle Obama Podcast and one that features the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, better known as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But the streaming music giant is still looking for additional ways to attract both listeners and podcast creators to its platform, and its latest move is the introduction of podcast polls and Q&As.

If you're a podcast creator, polls and Q&As give you a free way to increase your engagement with your audience. Normally, a listener has few ways to directly interact with their favorite podcasts, given that most platforms like Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts are essentially no more than a way to find, subscribe to, and play podcast episodes. With Spotify's new tools, podcasts become interactive, with polls and the ability to ask listeners questions, right on the episode page.

Podcasts

Apple’s Podcasts+ subscription service makes debut at Spring Loaded event

apple podcast subscriptions

Apple will make podcasts a more integral part of its ecosystem with the launch of Apple Podcasts+, a subscription-based service that will offer exclusive podcasts only available to subscribers, along with the wider library of shows available on its existing podcasts app. The entire Apple Podcasts app will also get a redesign, as announced during the Spring Loaded event on April 20.

The premium Podcasts+ service will launch in May with several new shows only available to Podcasts+ subscribers. Along with receiving additional curation options and recommendations for subscribers in the redesigned app via Channels, Podcasts+ subscribers will also enjoy ad-free listening settings, early access to certain shows, and more, yet-to-be-announced features.