Hi tex Is Michael Garfel Michael Garfield. Michael Garfields joining the high tech Texan.
Michael Garfield is here with a high tech texting items to make life easier,
some new technology. So Michael Garfield has something you might like. Texan.
Michael Garfield is your high tech Texan three decades hoping you make magic with
your gadgets. Heard worldwide on the iHeartRadio Act. Now your high tech Texan,
Michael Garfield. Can we call this a Midsummer's night dream, Midsummer's afternoon
dream as we start a very hot middle of the summer high tech text and
show. How are you just like that big voice at Michael Garfield. We
do so much more than technology. We're not going to freak you out,
not going to talk above your heads. We're gonna talk with you. You
see. That is what a long running question and an answer relatively semilive radio
show. Does I have a phone number for you? Seven one three two
one two five nine five zero two one two five nine five Oh, no
matter where you are. I started the show twenty two plus years ago,
certainly only heard in Houston on KPORC nine fifty am, which we are on
right now and cell phones were Yeah, they were kind of a thing twenty
two plus years ago. It was a long distance remember you. Yeah,
where I'm so worried about my minutes. But then again, on weekends,
we're free. My show has always been on a weekend and some week days.
Don't worry. If you're listening across the world right now. You see
we've expanded people worldwide, famous, famous. It's really not to word worldwide
entertainer trying to entertain you today for the next two hours on the iHeartRadio app
on a podcast, even though if you listen on podcasts, they're not live.
All our shows are podcast that's good iHeartRadio, Google, Spotify, Apple
and wherever wonderful award winning podcast or heard and listen to me. But we
would love to hear from you. Calum read, how are you my friend?
You sweat it fits it over there, Okay, I thought, so,
it's only a hundred and uh what is it now? One O two
one five, stay indoors, be put. If you are by a pool
right now, I hope you're in the pool. I've been hanging out in
my pool quite recently, and I don't I usually like laying out in a
chair by my pool. I can't do it. I physically cannot sit by
my pool. This is listen. I don't want to rag on the weather,
but I'm gonna go so rag on the weather. I mean, I
am a Texas boy. I do not remember a summer like this. People.
It's just I really hope everybody is safe, and I hope you're drinking
a cold one. If you're drinking a cold one, safe one for me,
because in about two hours it will be officially Happy hour. You know
the phone number if you want to tell me what's going on this past week?
And speaking which this past week? How is your Prime Day anyway?
Anyway? Do you have a good Prime Day? Prime Days? Excuse me,
there's two days middle of summer. It's a tradition. Did anybody get
any good deals on Prime Day? Colum'd you buy anything? Now? You
didn't? No, I didn't buy. I'm not a big number one.
I'm not a big online shopper. And I mean I have Amazon Prime,
which I'm debating why I still have Amazon Prime, because the marvelous missus Mazel
is now efficiently ova. I didn't. I don't even think I opened the
app or went online on Amazon dot Com on Tuesday or Wednesday. I didn't
actually to see what the deals were. I know there were some good deals.
Let me know, anybody out there, so you can make us all
jealous what you bought on Amazon Prime Day there actually, believe it or not,
there's still sales that you can get some deals. This is a very
big week in the terms of sales because it's the middle of summer. Nothing
was going on. You can call it Christmas in July whatever. But Amazon
always holds it. But there was some guerrilla marketing to our get in.
Walmart also had week long sales that may still be going on. Why not,
you know, let's just let's just get on the get in the on
the game. We'll talk about that. I'm also going to talk about a
number of other things that we continue to keep you updated with. I do
a lot of things. When it comes to automobiles, I review and rate
cars. Cars are nothing but technology right now. I got an electric car
that I've been playing with, the Nissan Area ARII y a pretty impressed with
that thing. Chevy Tracks. I'm gonna talk about the Chevy Tracks pound for
pound, dollar for dollars, I'm very impressed with This car runs about twenty
five thousand dollars when I got inside this thing and I had it for a
week. Again, I review cars. I do not get paid sadly for
that. It is straight for the manufacturers. I do not work with dealerships.
I can't even tell your dealership to go too, so you could trust
my opinion because I don't even care if you go buy a car. I'm
just I get to drive them. I'm a member of the Texas Autowriters Association.
Is why you have that two decade plus trusted me, two decade plus
trusted me, and I do appreciate that. What else we got going on?
Some emails coming in over here, yep, Samsung is making their official
announcement of their newest products, and I am assuming there will be some new
phones, maybe a foldable phone or two or something that is coming up on
July twenty six that will be in Soul, Korea, headquarters of Samsung.
And as Billy Joel sings my favorite song, It's all about Soul, I
will give you some updates about that. I will also talk to some of
our partners who have been a big reason that we've been on the air for
two plus decades and why this radio show is free, doesn't cost you a
thing to listen. All you need to do is we do hope you patronize
our partners, the commercials because it does keep this radio station f r EE,
because that's how we roll. All right, you know the phone,
give me a call. I want to hear about your your Amazon Prime Day
stuff, record sales. Let me tell me. I've found some facts for
you here because this is what I do. Record number of sales. This
was the biggest in the company's history. And they have done this for how
many years? At twenty fifteen, so they've done this now for this is
the eighth maybe the ninth year, I guess. So consumers spent almost thirteen
billion dollars on the web this past Tuesday Wednesday on Amazon's Prime Day sales.
That is a six point one percent jump from a year ago. Now,
this is according to Adobe Analytics, right, thirteen billion. Do you have
nothing to do? People? Amazon said July eleventh, which was Tuesday,
the first day, the single largest sales day in the company's history, shoppers
about three hundred and seventy five million items over the two days. That's up
from three hundred million last year during the big promotion. A lot of appliances,
a lot of toys, some apparel, some electronics. That's that's a
lot of money. Man. Amazon does the Prime Day every July. Actually
during COVID, I think they pushed it back to a month or two or
three. But anyway, Amazon holds Prime Days in July really to juice the
sales numbers during what's typically the very slow months of summer. It also helps
Amazon promote an early start to the back to school some of the cowege shopping
period. Two. Yes, there's others. Walmart had it's Walmart Plus Week.
Best Buy had something I did not even know. I'm looking here online
best Buy. It's something called Black Friday. In July. By the way,
Amazon shares, they were up about two bucks after this. Did you
get it? We're gonna take a break and I'm not gonna rag on Amazon.
This is not an Amazon promotion. You know what. The last thing
Amazon needs to do is advertise. The last thing Amazon does his even know
who I did? I exist? Because I don't buy anything for Amazon.
Amazon. I said it before. Why do I still even have Amazon?
Is prompt is the Amazon Prime membership for one hundred and thirty nine dollars.
Is it worth it? You tell me. You tell me, and I
will tell you why it may not be worth it, and I'll tell you
how to cancel it. All that coming up in more right here kpres the
radio terrestrially I heeart radio around the world. It is the high Decked Acting
Show. My name is Michael. What is going on? People? We
do think you're tuning in me? Get Michael card Field. That is me
and that actually is what I look like if you tuned into TV a few
days ago. I was popped on a great day Houston to do a few
things. My hair, man, I got a lot of it. I
have my hair's long. I know I need a cut, does it?
You know what I'm on radio? Who cares? You know? My goal
is to look like cousin it from the Adams family. So that said,
Hey, I got it and I'm gonna flawn it as long as my voice
works at least for these next what hour and forty minutes seven one three,
two, one two five nine five oz continuing their talks about Hey would you
get for Prime Day? Anything good? Seven one three, two one two
five nine five. You can also email me Michael at high Tech tex and
dot com. You can also not only tweet me, even though I'm not
going to use that word, you can thread me people at high Tech Tech
and hight e C h T e X and I will talk about that.
The threads the craziest app that's ever launched, it seems. I'll talk about
that in about ten minutes. It don't go anywhere but the Prime day.
Every thought about everything that Amazon knows about you? Why does it suggest things
that you just bought? It was pretty similar. Amazon is not. And
again I'm not trying to rag on Amazon. I'm a I'm fisted. I
don't work for it. I'm not mad that I'd never met Jeff Bezos way
back in the day so I can have a ton of shares. This is
just me y happen. It's an amazing company. You think it's a I
guess they call what the world's on, the world's largest online mall shopping side.
To me, Amazon is two things. It is a logistics company.
It's also a big data collector. Man, it knows a lot of stuff.
Is it safe to use? I don't know. There's Amazon Prime.
Have you ever tried to cancel your Amazon Prime membership. It's kind of like
calling your bank or a whole free number and you're sitting on hold for other
day, punching buttons. It's confusing. Duh. They don't want you to
cancel at some point if you're just like, how much Flix does it take
to get to the center of a TI roo? Yeah, you know what's
good, I'm just gonna keep I'll still pay it by eight nine bucks a
month. I think the FTC had a lawsuit this claims at Amazon did a
few things from federalists investigators that regarding the cancelation process and why they didn't make
it simpler or something. It's it's it's tough to cancel. Anybody have any
issues canceling. I'm not telling you canceling, but is it worth your money?
Let's let's I'm just thinking about this. Break it down. One hundred
and thirty nine bones a year. I guess that's about fifteen bucks a month.
Well what do we get. Let's see, we get free to day
delivery, uh, exclusive access to the Prime Day deals, which now you're
gonna have to wait almost three hundred and sixty days. You get two hour
grocery delivery from whole foods. You do get to stream music and your movies
and your TV shows, which really is the reason I personally signed up.
If you shop less than a few times a month and you don't care about
Prime Video, it may not be worth it. If you do shop free
shipping, I don't know is it gonna outweigh the cost your membership. I
mean, shipping fees generally are going to cost between four bucks and tin bucks
without Prime. All right, so say you bought a few things over the
year, you know what, so you'll save forty fifty sixty bucks. Is
it is at worth you know, one hundred thirty ninety year? This is
what I do. I'm your consumer guy. How many people signed up for
the free thirty day trial of Amazon Prime earlier this week? If you canceled,
you yet, don't forget to cancel it. Anceling is tough, though
you can go to you can do it on the Amazon app, and then
you gotta go. I think there's like this, the three lines in the
bottom corner. Then you click the Prime button and then you hit manage my
membership, and in membership and in all that stuff that's on your app computer.
I think they made it easier. I'm not sure. There's the accounts
and list tab and then just just keep harrying down to the prime membership and
in membership. I don't know. I'm I may do it soon, but
I'm not sure if that's if it's that that easy. And by the way,
if you think that they're still I'm a deal guy. That's that's what
I do. I try to you know, I just try to save you
money. If I can find a product that's cheaper and just as good as
another product that's out there for more money, I'm gonna suggest it. I've
learned that deal that's been my forever. Like Sony, I mean, I
think Sony makes phenomenal products. Sony is very proud of those four letters S
O, N Y, and I think there are just as good, at
not better products and certain categories from Sony that others make. I mean,
And when it comes to cameras, I was a Cannon fan. They're cheaper
than Sony on some of the things. I said that. That's what I
do suggest. But I believe there are still some deals out there. Even
though the big Amazon Prime Day potte has ended, there are some Apple deals
out there. If your look still look for MacBook airs or iPads. Maybe
they're you know, a generation older air tags. Do some searching and they're
still on Amazon. Best Buy probably has them too, a big seller.
I do know this was headphones and earbuds and speakers still get some good deals.
I'm just kind of it was just peruising rights people. I'm a professional,
like and serf and talk at the same time. I don't want you
to do it. Smart Watches, fitness trackers, they're out there too.
Let's see Fitbit Inspire three eighty bucks at Amazon. That's not bad. Started
to be a name brand. Two Samsung Galaxy Watch five I love that.
Actually, how much is that Samsung Galaxy Watch five Pro? I have one
of those, at the top of the line flagship smart watch three hundred and
seventy nine bucks at Amazon. That's pretty cool. TVs who got a TV?
We talk about TV's luck. TV's were the big thing for Black Friday
sales fifteen plus years ago. You'd wake up in the middle of the night,
go stand in line at Walmart best Buy. I'm serious, Hey,
listen, guilty, I'm raising my hand. I did it too. The
line would be by the time they opened the doors, but sometimes they open
at midnight, sometimes open date in the morning. Oh, I'm sorry,
I was a lost leader and we only had like ten of them. TVs
were so many people have screen TVs right now, several of them in their
home. You don't need to stand in line, but they're the Amazon still
had some on on sale, especially the ones with the firestick, because the
Amazon makes the firestick. Here's one from high sins High Sense. It's a
good company. Hi s E n S E sixty five inch TV for eight
hundred and ninety eight bones is all right. That's on Amazon too. As
I'm flipping through, there's you can buy phones too, Google Pixel. Those
are good phones too. Google Pixels are on sale still. You can get
a good deal. As we look at this and as am live right now
here on this Saturday. Laptops. I'm trying to see if I can recommend
a laptop right now, only because laptops, you're gonna find some deals starting
with the back to school sales and the back to school sales they're probably gonna
start rolling in about two weeks. You're gonna get the end of July early
August, and you're gonna get back to school sale. It was always a
good graduation gift for high school graduates going into college. A lot of people
are waiting for the back to school sales over here. So anyway, those
are you know, some of the deals out there, folks, what you
got for me? I will give the phone number one more time seven one
three two one two five nine five out If you've got a deal thread me,
man, I guess you can tweet me. And I'm not really using
that that app anymore. And when we come back on the other side,
I'm gonna tell you why that a lot of people are not using the Twitter
app because about a week and a half ago, Elon Musk got a little
TechEd. Mark Zuckerberg takes it back baby launches a brand new app called Threads.
What you should know before you downloaded, if you already haven't downloaded why
It was probably one of, if not the fastest downloaded app in the history
of mankind, which really after really I've only been around for I don't know
what twenty twenty one years, but I'm gonna talk about coming up here.
It's Michael Garfield. It is called the High Tech tex In show. Bottom
of the first hour of the High Tech Texting Show Michael Gartfield and followed as
well seven one three two one two five nine five oh, or you can
find me on threads at high Tech Texts. Then by we'll talk about that
in this portion of our show. Thank you so much to Universal Plumbing Supply
Local Businesses. Man, I just take a local businesses supporting them so important,
especially ones that have been here in htown for literally decades. I listen,
I'll tell you right right now, do it yourself. Projects. It's
in the hot summer. If you're doing something inside, I keep your air
conditioning and you could do it. Plumbing when I need supplies, and I've
done this before. Universal Plumbing Supply downtown Uston right outside of Minama Park,
sync Fawcet's, PBC pipes, Raam water heaters, Sloan flush valves. They
got it all. They just don't have the products. They have the knowledge.
You walk in there and their representatives are so brilliant. They know everything
that is going on. Hey man, I need I had a leak over
here and I need to bust through the wall and I've got this l joint
and whatever like that. Oh though they know exactly what's going on, So
go down there. They've been one of the top suppliers in the city since
nineteen seventy nine. Customers love them. Twenty three oh one South Congress Street
twenty three one South Congress Street. They opened right now on a Saturday to
two pm. They're open Monday through Friday, even free delivery within fifteen miles.
At is Universal Plumbing Supply Houston dot com, Universal Plumbing Supply Euston dot
com. So we do thank them. I do not know if they have
a if Universal Plumbing Supply has a Threads account or even a Twitter account.
But here we go. Since the last time we have talked, there is
a new king of the Web and the Internet, and it's Mark Zuckerberg once
again. That's right, the man who created Facebook, who now runs a
company called Meta, since that's what Facebook has changed. But don't forget Facebook
also owns What's app Facebook Facebook Meta also owns What's Appay also own a Instagram
too, and that's where it starts. Zukerbug threw down the gauntlet. They
launched a Twitter rival about two weeks ago and it's called Threads and the app
is it's kind of build like this, share ideas and trends with text.
Threads is if I can break it, I'm gonna break it down over here.
It's essentially a text based version of Instagram. You log into your Instagram
account, it uses your Instagram user name. You can follow the same people
you already follow on your Instagram account. You can customize your profile for threads.
Why is it different? Well, now you can post up to five
hundred characters long instead of Twitter's what two hundred, two hundred fifty six or
something like that, and you can include and photos and videos up to five
minutes. In lank we knew this was coming, but Zi quietly released this
thing. Right, I'm on. It was July fifth, man, it
took off. It took off. How does it compare? I got I
got emails coming in Garth. How does it compare to Twitter? Well,
okay, they're very similar. Threads is about two weeks old, so it
doesn't have a lot of the features of Twitter does. You can't subject search,
there's no ability, you know, to thread messages or whatever. But
I've been playing with it and the first things I noticed is mad it is
clean. It's a clean look, very Twitter like you've got the post whoever
you follow. They really don't have some sort of an algorithm, so you
don't know what's gonna pop up. But it's just I don't know why.
It seems cleaner, but it is. But the experience is very close to
how Twitter works. Billion dollars actually the forty four billion dollar question. I
say forty four billion dollar question because that's the price that Elon Musk paid for
a Twitter just a few years ago. Forty four billion dollars. Probably the
most overpaid anybody has overpaid for any no matter what you got. Do you
think you overpaid for your house, your car, your spouse h forty four
billion dollars or Twitter? And people are now flocking away from Twitter? Is
it going to replace Twitter? If you're Elon, you hope that's not the
case. But for now it's tough to say. It's been around two weeks.
It doesn't hurt that the app has already have well over one hundred million
users. It reached that milestone faster than anything else including chat, gpt it.
Do you not like it? Who do you follow already? Why did
it become me? I'm gonna here's my theory of why it became so big
so fast? Number One when anybody immediately could download it. It is totally
free and you could do it right now. I say this. It's because
there are new apps that you have to have an invitation too, because they
don't want the servers to break down. They want to beta test it.
Google used to do this a lot. Oh well, yeah you can.
We're not gonna give you a Gmail account, and because you know we're we're
beta testing it. And then somebody gets an invitation, you know, five
and five invites. They can invite five friends and so on. Ah,
I love it. Zuckerberg and metas at net. Screw it. We're opening
it up. Here's iPhone, here's the Android, download the thing. Okay
easy. But here's another thing. It's Instagram. Instagram is a very very
very popular app. And all you need to do is create account. You
don't need to sit there and fill out any information and upload the photos and
everything. It takes all your information from Instagram because it's kind of a tech
based version of Instagram. So if you go to Instagram, you actually can
click a button and say, hey man, let me just let's just download,
let me just populate my my threads app. It was seamless. There
have been other potential Twitter killers alternatives if you will, for the past year
or two Blue sky Master done host. I tried those. They're difficult.
You gotta log on to this server and you gotta do this. Let me
help you out. If I get confused about logging on and figure out these
things, I'm want to guess, with all due respect, the general public
is going to be very, very confused. But this isn't dawn of a
new era. And I know the musk and circuit board they're making noise about.
They're gonna have some brawl whatever you whatever, it's it's it's it's stupid
using both of them. I don't really tweet or thread is that the verb?
I don't even know yet a lot. But the fact is, if
you really want to use one, this is what I'm used to. Look
at your phone right now, unless you're driving. Look at your home page,
look at your shortcuts, where your icons are, where your app icons
are. You wake up every morning generally or whatever when you when you ever
have time, and you look at your Facebook, you look at your Instagram,
you do your TikTok, you do whatever. You know where those icons
on your phone are because you do it. Wrote daily, hourly, minutely,
if you add it. Let's just say, let's talk about threads.
Have you added the threads app shortcut icon on your home page? Because I
downloaded it and I put it on my home page. I am so used
to clicking the Twitter app just to kind of repost. My threads app icon
is just above my Twitter appicon on on my homepage, and I'm still not
used to actually doing that right now. It takes a while. Who retrain
your thumbs, retrain your mind. I think Threads is, without a doubt
the closest Twitter threats and I'm not gonna say a Twitter killer that I have
seen now real quickly and about two minutes. Let me explain this thing.
Is it okay? Is in terms of data? What do they know about
you? Well, there's a lot of information that all that meta Facebook Instagram
already has about users, because Threads is already built on the Instagram platform.
Let me tell you the information that Threads collects. Social media platforms monetize the
user data because they sell relevant ads based on your location and activity. You
think about that, if you start searching for something, Oh my goodness,
here's an ad for the same thing. So Threads is also asking for financial
information and health and fitness and diagnostics and all this other sensitive information. If
you're an Android user, you can toggle off some of the data request from
the app. Are you going to read that end user license agreement? Now?
Who does? Maybe some lawyers or something. You're just gonna click it
so you can use it. Now. Is Thread's data collection worst than Twitter?
It's a tough one because I don't think they're necessarily malicious. Now,
Threads does collect what you're posting about and liking and where you are, and
if you bought something through a third party side or an app or a game
or something, Threads can collect this information. They can say this information,
that data could be shared with third party services that connect to your Threads account.
I don't think it's any worse because every app flex data. Michael,
what's the best way to protect on my data? Do not have a cell
phone, do not get online, and even if you can't do it,
everybody has your information, The government has information. It's almost too late we
give up our privacy we have because if not that phone that you're probably listening
to me through on the iHeartRadio app, or you're looking at a map right
now, it becomes a brick if we do not listen. Think about it.
How does I love? I use my maps feature to look for traffic,
and everywhere I go it knows exactly where I am, to the corner
of two streets. Okay, it knows where I'm going, it knows where
I've been. There's a lot of stuff out there, and if you don't
allow some of that stuff, it is absolutely going to be a brick.
So what are you going to do about that? When we come back,
I'm gonna tell you how to deactivate threads? Can you deactivate threads? And
if you do, guess what also you're deactivating? Brilliant strategy by mister Mark
Zuckerberg. My name is Michael Garveld, High Tech Text and Show, coming
back, final second of this first hour of the High Tech Text and Show
stand by Man And what's at the top of the hour. Well, they're
gonna take a break. I can get some water, then I come back
for another hour to entertain you. Michael Artfield is my name. Seven one
three two, one two, five, nine and five zero on threads,
which we're talking about at High Tech Text and you guys are posting and directs
and sending me messages over some of the great Amazon Prime Day deals that you
got. Pretty impressed, Pretty impressed. Somebody found an air frier for thirty
nine dollars. Very cool. So we're sharing tips and secrets that there still
are some Amazon Prime deals out there, and Walmart and Target has all this
shopping. Who knew Christmas? In July Amazon knew record record number of sales.
Another big company other than Amazon is Meta, which is Facebook, Instagram.
What's happened now Threads? If you're carrying over from before the break,
we were talking about Threads, why it is so popular, why it was
the biggest launch, and I believe in the history of any singular app,
they didn't have any hullabaloo, they didn't have any ads. Just it was
July fifth, they said, and all right, we're just gonna put it
on the app store. And then one person and told their friend, and
who told their friend, and now one hundred million users later, within less
than two weeks or something. Right now, it is going crazy. People
ask me, also, can you deactivate it? Well at that If you
don't like it after two weeks, it really must be a crappy app.
I do think it's a decent app. You can deactivate Threads, but stand
by people, and this is this is brilliant. You want to talk about
handcuffs. You could deactivate Threads, but you cannot delete it without also deleting
your Instagram account. How about that Meta the company which owns Facebook and everything
else. They built this app on the Instagram infrastructure, on top of the
actual program itself. So it's gonna be very difficult to uninstalled one but not
both. That's the way it's engineered. It's it's it's tough, but but
it's it's it's smart. Who wants to do if you're on Instagram, which
has been around for quite a while. I use Instagram. I pust,
you know, post a lot of photos and videos or whatever. Maybe I'm
sick of Threads. Wait a minute. If I do activate Threads, there
goes my and I have about sixty thousand followers on Instagram. I worked hard
for that, man, so I'm stuck with Threads. Is it safe?
Somebody just to who is this? This is from Rob rob Is in Periland.
Michael's Threads apps safe if I have it downloaded or converted my Instagram account
to it? Yet? Threads does ask for more permissions than Twitter, so
Rob, I guess it's gonna boil down to your comfort level. Some of
the privacy permissions are crazy, like granting Threads access to health and activity data
and whatever app. I think that's wrong, But no one is forcing users
or you to install and use Threads or any other social media app. No.
I mean, I'm having fun with it personally my opinion. I'm enjoying
it. It's clean, selects a lot of data, but so do so
many other apps. So download at your own risk. We're going to see
if it is indeed the Twitter killer. I don't think it's going to kill
Twitter. They'll still be people out here. I think it is going to
be accepted quicker and quickly. I'll give you two quick reasons. One of
which I touched last segment. How often do you use it? Is that
new Threads app icon shortcut on your home screen. Will you get into the
habit of clicking that instead of the Twitter icon if you post more and only
on Threads and not on Twitter, Yeah, that's that's gonna hurt Twitter greatly.
Number two is Twitter is so ingrained in the way other media uses it.
Let me explain I'm watching again, shocking. I'm an ESPN guy.
I watched more ESPN than probably the ESPN executives do. All the athletes,
almost every single athlete has a Twitter account, and if they make a quote
or something ESPN and other forms of media, they will quote on screen and
I'll use a graphic on screen. Lebron James tweeted this, I am not
retiring. I'm going to stand the NBA for another five years. And when
they put it on screen, they have to attribute where it came from or
attribute then they have they have the Twitter logo, the blue icon with a
little bit white bird in there. Twitter. When and if media company,
televisions, stations, tv networks remove the Twitter app and start putting the Threads
app, you can start playing taps for Twitter. That's that's gonna be a
big one because a lot of the athletes, they already listen, I have
both accounts. Most everybody has a Twitter account. They and they have a
Threads account now. But all these other TV networks, Oh, here's a
quote from a politician, here's a quote from a sports athlete, here's a
quote for something, and here's they're on Twitter. They remove that Twitter the
graphic that you watch on television. They start putting threads. There you go,
people, I think that's it. So anyway, there is all your
questions, and I hope I answered as much as we could. We got
about two more minutes to the top of the hour seven one three, two,
one two five nine five. Oh huts. See, well, let's
just tease this when we come back. I want to do I want to
give my hip out let me. I was sitting in the pool last week
or so. Something happened to me that has never happened to me before in
my life. I was stung by a wasp. Stung by Oh I hope
my parents aren't listening, because my mom's gonna freak out right. I was
stung by freaking wasp. Sitting there wasps float on the pool because I guess
they they're hot too, and I see them bees and bees and wasp don't
bug me. Maybe maybe I'm not sweet. Never had a beasting, never
had a wasp sting. All of a sudden, I'm just sitting there inside
the pool, my head sticking out of the water, and on my left
side of my neck it was sap. People, have you ever been stung
by wasper bee. Holy crapola, man it hurt? I mean it killed?
And of course, what do I do? Google wasp? What do
I do? What do I take? What do I put on? An
ointment? I see people say, have allergies, your lip swell up,
you start getting hives. I'm freaking out. I'm looking mirror and I'm looking
at my body. I was like, oh, hell, luckily that did
not happen. Look at it, out it And so what did I do?
I took ibprofen, I took someone I had a brought from my neighbor.
I had some antihistamine zero tech or something. I don't even know what
it would I use. I talk about this because ironically, on earlier this
week, I got I deleted this email I got it was just a PR
pitch and I don't even have this product. Apparently there is some attach there's
a device that you can attach to your smartphone that helps with insect bites.
I'm not kidding you. What is this thing called? It is called This
is not a commercial. I haven't used it. I do not endorse this.
But it's called heat it. It's an attachment, and I'm looking at
it. It's a little tiny device like a USB stick that plugs into your
phone, whether you've got the an iPhone or an Android. And I guess
you touch it to the beer was stings, you plug it into your phone,
you place it on your bike and and I'm quoting this sagodbody, you're
swelling and itching forever. People, I got thirty seconds ago. If anybody
has ever tried this, I want you to think about it. I want
you to thread me, and I want you to call in next hour seven
one three, two, one two, five nine five. I didn't turn
into a vampire or I don't know aunt man in the Wasp, which the
third version? Maybe I can start in that thing. Uh stay saying fiftybody's
out in the sign and around bees or washed. Michael Garfield. Hour one
is officially over standby. We'll be back in the next hour. Hi is
Michael Garfield. Michael Garfield. Michael Garfield's joining the high Tech Texan. Michael
Garfiel is here with a high tech text make life Easier technology. So Michael
Garfield has something you might like. Michael Garfield's your high Tech Texan three decades
helping you make magic with your gadgets. Heard worldwide on the iHeartRadio Active.
Now your high tech Texan Michael Garfield. Half way to the show. It
is just at twenty o'clock Central time. Should you do this and live on
KPARC nine fifty am Michael Garfield, which means we're a halfway to a happy
hour? People? You know what? It is so freaking hot outside right
now. I'll tell you what I wish. I could do the show from
a pool right now. But something with electricity and gadgets in water. I
think I study that in seventh or eighth grade. They that's not a good
mixture. Not a good mixture, So I do not recommend anything. So
I really can not be doing this in the pool. Should you be in
a pool, I hope you are having a cocktail and having a happy hour
right now. Don't stay away from the brown water, stay away from the
bourbon Scotch. You don't want to mix that with the sun. But a
little nice vodka, a little lemonade, squeeze some lime in there, maybe
have one of those ready to drink cans, the White Claws. The was
it? Some company just sent me a whole slew of something to test,
because that's what I do. I test more than just technology items and cars
and things. Is it called club tails. It's it's a pre mixed a
big market for cocktails. It's it's and I'm gonna use the term white claws.
You know exactly what a white claw is. It's the carbonated seltry type
of thing. They've got maybe four or five percent alcohol, kind of like
beer, and there's flavors, and there's canned ranch water and it just goes
on and on. I mean, it's a hot market. RTD ready to
drink, that's the category ready to drink, and their cans rubber so companies
they see me post this stuff and oh, this is good, this tastes
like you know that? So do I? I got a shipment from club
tails. Is that what it's called? So I need to check that it's
like a cocktail. It's got ten percent alcohol, so pretty much double the
abv of of of a typical beer or light beer. But they're in twenty
four ounce cans. You know how big a twenty four ounce can is.
I mean a typical can is twelve ounces. Okay, maybe you've seen an
eighteen ouncer. This freaking thing is they're they're twenty four ounces. And then
I got a margarita, I got a sex in the beach. I got
a It's a Long Island iced tea, and I haven't tried these yet,
but you know what, give me about one hour. When the show is
over. I may be sitting in my pool with no electronic gear and uh,
in one of those coldies. And the point is, I hope you
are enjoying whatever whenever you do it. I hope you still stay cool.
Because this is just a is a nasty heat phone number here as we continue,
it is seven one three two one two five nine five. Oh.
I give out the number because it is a call quick answer. You tell
me, you ask me a question, and I ask for your opinion.
I want your opinion. How is your Amazon Prime Day? This past week
we played this game? First hour? Would you get? Did you get
a good deal? Come on, make us all jelly call me. You
could thread me at high Tech Texan. Send an email go to Michael at
high Tech Texan. Anything good, anything good, air, friars, clothing,
mosquito, bug nutting, doesn't matter. I'd love to love to hear
that from from you. Um, what it's actually this is a very I'm
talented man who understands how to do a very segue. They're very touns.
Okay, so here's my segue from Amazon. Did anybody get a fitness tracker
a little watch? A lot of these new fitness trackers they can track your
sleep a sleep monitor. Well, guess what company is getting ready to reveal
a sleep tracking app? Pokemon, the Pokemon Company. That's right, they're
coming up with something yet the Little Kid video game. The Pokemon Company is
coming out with something called Pokemon Sleep. It's an app that actually was kind
of toyed with or Keys back at twenty nineteen, and it allows users to
track their sleep at night. Pokemon it's a Japanese gaming company. They're releasing
this. You can't do it now. I think you can pre register on
the Google app. It's maybe coming towards the end of the July. But
I've been reading up on this thing because my sleep has just been stupid.
I mean, I just haven't been sleeping for a long time. I do
have I I haven't Samsung Watch and it tracks my sleep. But I'm interesting
to see if Pikachu can actually now help me fall asleep. So apparently this
smartphone app, it looks like a standard sleep tracker, But they have Pokemon
creatures, Yes, Pikachu and jiggly Puff and snore Lax folks, I'm reading
this right now because I have no clue who these what these characters are?
Your kids, your grandkids do? Apparently players are going to work with a
professor who is studying the sleeping habits of the Pokemon characters, and it will
track your sleep. So what you do? Let me tell you how you
use it. Allegedly, I haven't tried it. Yeah, it's not out
yet. You place your phone next to your pillow as you go to bed,
which is where I keep my phone, keep it plugged in to a
charger all night like I do. And when you wake up, the app
categorizes your sleep into three types, dozing, snoozing, or slumbering, which
will attract the Pokemon characters who's sleeping patterns match what it does, though,
actually with it, we take the cartoon characters away. It does record your
bedtimes, your wake up times, and your average duration of sleep. Apparently
it consents and monitor if you're flipping around, if you're turning, if you're
snoring, if you're waking up. I don't know how exactly that works and
get this. Oh, I know who this would be good for. The
app even offers an audio recording function if you want to hear your snores or
other sounds during the night. Okay, that's the end of that story.
Back, who is this marketed for? I mean, I mean kids worry
about their sleep. Kids sleep. If you're a teenager or you're a college
person, I mean you sleep. I mean we're talking ten to twelve hours
a night. I mean I may try it. I mean all these other
sleep apps and everything else, and I'm going for breathing exercises. Don't seem
to call me down at night. All help hooky mad If this thing works,
I'll keep you updated here towards the end of the month when this thing
is announced. I thought that was actually pretty interesting. We're gonna take a
break coming up, speaking of Google Play and more apps, I will tell
you when the announcement will be from Samsung, when they are announcing their next
versions of their phones and Southern and some other electronic here. Normally they do
this in New York. They're going abroad this time, people, and yours
truly, I'm going to be watching it and giving you the play by play
live from this Samsung press conference. Pretty pretty deep cool, Michael Garsall come
back on the high tech text and the show stay cool. Just like that
big voice said, I'm Michael, I don't bite. I love to talk
to you. It is the long running way, long running two decades back
when I had hair, when am I still do have hair, Back when
technology was nascent, very very old fashioned, very low tech, and now
I do so much more. I'm your consumer lifestyle guy who also not only
does cars, trucks, tech products, travel, cocktails or anything else you
want to talk about. Back to school stuff and how was your Amazon Prime
Day stuff? Seven one three, two one two five nine five. Oh,
we'll be here for the next forty five minutes or so. I got
a good conversation coming up if I can get them on the line in about
fifteen minutes, My man Kenny Duncan, who runs US Coins and jewelry.
If you are a new miss smatist, Calum Reid here on the other side
of the glass, buddy, do you know what a new missmatist is?
As he talks about your note, that is not it? No, you
do not go to jail for being a new mismotist, nor do you go
to jail for being a philatelist? Do you know what a philate You don't
see. You don't know what a philateist or new mismotist is. I'm actually
a philatelist and that at its just at its core, sounds like I should
be in jail, right philatelist, p hi philatelist? No, A new
mismatist is someone who collects coins. Any duncan who runs us coins at JELR
Jewelry. What are the top new mismatists in the country. I'm a philatelist,
a stamp collector. I don't collect them anymore. But when I when
I grew up, my grandparents who live really close to us, and I'm
the oldest grandkid, they started a stamp collection for me and it was it
was really cool and I remember it probably what was I but panther listening?
Maybe they could text me, well, when did when did nanapapas start collecting
those stamps for me? Was I eight or nine or ten? And we
had these books. They're big books, like big photo albums, which know,
no one who was born after nineteen eighty knows what a photo albums?
Big foot and you would go to the post office, and they would sell
stamp sheets. Actually, no one after nineteen eighty knows what a stamp is.
Why am I even talking? Why why am I even talking about this?
Kids? There used to be this thing called snail mail in the US
Postal Service, where you wrote a letter, you licked a stamp, you
put it in the upper right hand corner of an envelope. You would put
it in a mailbox in Hua law within a day or two or three or
eight would they would deliver it anywhere in the world. Was amazing. Now
they have this thing called email, all right. So yeah, I would
collect these stamps and new stamps would be released. And some of these stamps
they're like coins, man, they're they're they're expensive, they're some of them
are printed odd, which which makes them more valuable that they're like baseball cards.
Okay, see, I didn't collect baseball cards. I collected stamps.
But it was something to do with my grandparents. And I was very very
close with my grandparents. All four of my grandparents wonderful people. And if
you're out there, people take care of your grant, call your grandparents.
And I lost my grandmother last year at one hundred and five, just it's
just near and dear, but the memories that we created because you know,
we saw them so frequently. But the point is we did something together and
that they got me into stamps. Anyway, I still have the stamp collection
here and I need to ask Kenny. And the point is when Kenny Duncan
comes on the show here who us Quizilion about ten minutes from right now,
I'm gonna see if you collects stamps, maybe I can go get a value
of my stamps. That's what I h That's my way back TI. A
machine of what a stamp was brought to you by us quins and Joey.
How about that? I gave you the phone number over here. Have you
been monitoring? Has anybody flown a lot? Apparently our airlines have been back
to pre COVID days and airplanes were over overbooked. Flights are crazy and they're
backed up. United Airlines had some misues I think out of iah, but
a few weeks ago. I don't think it was anything like the fiasco of
Southwest Airlines last December, which I actually was caught up into. I saw
this and I talked about it. Because United has a very big hub in
Houston here where I'm based. There was when was this? There was a
flight and I'm looking at this thing. Was this about two weeks I was
about a week ago. It was a flight a week ago that took off
from Houston. It was going to Amsterdam, long flight. It was diverted
to Chicago because an unruly passenger interrupted the flight. Okay, listen, We've
seen this stuff regularly tektok videos and all this other stuff and somebody freaks out
or whatever like that. This report is coming from the where am I reading
this? The Guardian, which is I guess in the UK or something,
And I'm just it's no fault of United. But do you know why this
flight was? You know why the guy freaked out? I guess it was
a guy. Could have been a girl. You know this passenger freaked out.
I get okay, I see the word his, So you know this
guy freaked out his first meal choice was unavailable. That is absolutely a total
valid point to freak out. I'm down with you, dude. I'm on
your side. Hey, disruptive passenger on board at threat level of one,
which is a low level threat. Apparently this dude wasn't raged over his meal
choice. Damn it, man, I owe a pre ordered lobster. What
is this filet you're giving me? I went off this plane right now?
But what are you doing? We can get the world we live in right
now is so jacked up? Why are you? Are you freaking out?
If you didn't have a beef short rib or a blemongrass salmon? Oh dude,
you didn't like the ricotta salad with wild honey mannicotti. Hello, I
watched it. The fay could have They may have fined this guy. I
don't know, don't know how this thing resolved. I guess they kicked him
off in Chicago. If they were fined him, that was there was the
costliest meal or nine meal the guy had. That's why you travel with peanut
butter with crackers, maybe a power bar too freaking funny? Actually it's sad,
I apologize, not funny anyway. United they kicked the guy off the
plane and they went on United get you where you're supposed to be going,
just like every other alive. Uh speaking of United? Speaking of flying right
now, I saw Samsung as making their big announcements for their next reveal,
if you will, of their new gear, Samsung Unpacked is what it's called.
Normally these things take place in New York. It is taking place in
Soul, Korea, and it is my favorite. Billy Joe Billy Joel Song
says, it's all about Soul happening a week from this coming Wednesday, Wednesday,
July twenty six. You can watch it. You can watch the reveal
of the new products on the web at on Sam Sugg's website and allegedly,
I can only say allegedly just from rumors on the internet. Sam Sung says
the event is going to focus unfoldable the ices, and they could feature maybe
the latest Galaxy Z fold and flip phones, which would be version five because
they're on version four right now. They may announce some tablets or new watches
or whatever. How far is that flight Ununited from Houston? I think you
have to stop at San Francisco. I wonder what they will serve on the
plane for those who are traveling. Oh my good flights. I was just
a flight last week goes in californiad no issue there whatsoever. Don't go Southwest.
That was good. I love it. But anyway, I'm now stuck
in Texas right now. If I will be making sure that everybody knows what
is going on with the latest sand sech events. I am an Android fan,
happened to be a Samsung fan. By more people have the Android operating
system around the world than anything else, and that is why I kind of
covered a little bit more than the than the iPhone stop and so we got
that all right. Coming up, if you are a numismatist, if you
are into jewelry coins, coming up the Great Kinney Duncan a little goof phenomenal
thirty plus years that he and his family had a store here on it ten
and not too far from the Galeria, and it's called US Coins and Jewelry.
We will talk about that. The value. Is it a good value?
Is it a good investment? Hard hinting facts and information you need to
know right here on the high Tech text and show back at it. Michael
Garfield, No for money. So I'm going a great day. It is
hot, it is nasty hot. Hope you're insight. If not, I
hope you're buying a bull and hope you're having a coldie right now. It's
so safer for me because when I'm off the air, I'm gonna come join
you because I am thirsty, but I know what time it is. Why
because I'm looking at my wrist right now and that beautiful hulk of a Rolex
shows me that time. Of course, I talk a lot about US coins
and jewelry, A long time partner here of my show. That is where
I get my rope. I just like saying rollies. You know? Does
that make me pretentious? I don't know. I'm gonna ask Kenny himself,
Kenny Duncan Junior, along with his brother Matt. They are two key people
over there. But I roll up and down Katie Freeway right there near Voss
and you know what, They've got great air conditioning. They've got great security
too. I like popping in and just window shopping. He joins me right
now for a few minutes, because I wanted to give him a big shout
out, Katie. What's going on? My man? How are you?
I know what time it is? What time is it on your watch?
Mde nde? What's going on? Buddy? It is? It's Rolex time.
That's what time it is. How are you? It is Rolex.
It's called you as coins and jewelry. And the funny thing is you have
so many watches and you have so much jewelry. It's not even just watches
too. I walk in the store and right in that case, there's ear
rings, there's jewelry, there's you know, the men in there, they're
buying their stuff and their wives, their girlfriends or whatever. But you have
one heck of a collection of watches too. When did you and because you've
been around for so so many years and decades, why did you start really
getting into the rolexes in jewelry business side? So, jewelry has been something
that we've always, um, we've always traded heavily and um it started out
we were wholesaling stones and we were filling orders locally on bigger stones, and
we decided to start carrying our own line and building our own are building our
own line of jewelry. Because when when a guy comes in or a couple
comes in, and and and the gentleman wants to buy, you know,
a thousand dollar coin or two thousand dollar coin, we gotta have something for
the for the wife, right. We got to have a little laid down
gift there, right, or a doghouse gift. So we started carrying our
own mind where we're different from other jewelry stores. Is that we trade jewelry
at about a twenty five percent margin, where a lot of a lot of
jewlry stores are about two hundred or three hundred xs. So we um,
we're really really fair on our jewelry, and we're very selective in what we
carry. Now. In terms of Rolelexes, we um probably about six or
seven years ago, I really started getting into Rolexes. My brother Matthew actually
was the one that got me off my butt to do it, and between
him and I we've traded thousands and thousands of Rolexes on our Katie in our
Katie Freeway location. What is it with this brand that that that makes rolex
stand out? Why are they so valued? Because people now, because you
buy these things also from people, and you always say listen, if you
if you want some extra cash or something like that, come to you first,
like that because people the value keeps going up. There's something but I'm
not gonna say something to invest in. But what a brand? Well,
listen, it's just like eBay right, um, it's a worldwide brand and
and they have done an amazing job of branding it and and and not just
branding because it's The branding is the first part. The second part is actually
doing what you say you're gonna do right. And that's where, in my
opinion, a lot of companies fall short. Um you know, corporate green
things of that nature. You started getting a good following and then you and
then you start trying to open up your margins, right, you start trying
to figure out how can we be more profitable? And the first thing that
you have to do, um and after you know, letting or trimming your
team down, is actually starting to use cheaper products to make your product or
to try to outsource products. And that's something that Rolex has always done a
really good job with. They do all of their stuff in house. They
control all of the metals, and all of everything is made inside that warehouse
that Rolex manufacturing. They have patents on plenty of those pieces, and they've
created a watch that every man can wear or every woman can wear. It's
um, it's just a really nice time piece. But let me tell you
where they really, where they really, where they're really beneficial to buy one
is that they keep their value if you go to buy a tag hower or
a brightling or something in that nature. Pana Rye you're losing you know,
forty or fifty cents on a dollar immediately. A lot of times, especially
with sport model Rolexes, you can buy a support model Rolex and keep it
wearing five years and sell it for ten percent more or ten percent less or
maybe you know, maybe even a little bit more on the on the cell
side. So UM, it's it's a great it's a great piece to wear.
UM. I don't ever say buy jewelry or watches as an investment.
I think it's probably a bad idea of mo to the time. But you
know, with role xes, they do so well, and they control the
mintage of them so well that they do they do retain value, So that's
it's popular for that reason. Any given time, how many watches or let's
just say roll xes do you have in stock? Um? So last Christmas
we had i'd say two hundred and fifties at our peak, UM, and
we try to have a carried average of fifty to sixty watches and stock at
any given time. Maybe six months ago the market was tanking pretty hard,
so I didn't carry much inventory at all. UM. But now that we
seemed to find a little bit of a bottom we're starting to buy watches again
and get ready for Christmas. Any Duncan Jr. He joins me. He
is with US coins and jewelry obviously US coins and Julius talk about this.
My grandfather was a coin collector, and uh, I just remember going to
visit a house in Austin and they were just coins, if the coins of
the coins, and we would sift through them and then we find the buffalo
and you know, all that stuff you have just it's what is it new?
Miss me? Tist I think is the word or something like that.
And you have so many coins and you can buy, but you also you
sell them. But do people come in with just hundreds and hundreds of pounds
and stuff that they wheel it in? You just sit there and you just
go through them. With the process of looking and valuating in a coin collection.
Let me give you the long and the short. So I think,
oh, I would say. The comment that we hear the most back from
our customers when when they'd sell the deal to us, is how easy the
transaction was. Um, that's our that's our number one feedback, and it's
we know what we're doing. Whether you wheel in fifty pounds one hundred pounds
if you have five coins, it doesn't matter. It's what we do.
Um. It's just like you getting on radio and being able to kick your
feet on the desk and just and let it rip and just sound natural and
engaging. You're you're a pro, right, And when it comes to rare
Coins, we're the pros. We know what we're doing. Um. And
we have the checkbook to write for almost any deal that that lands on our
table, and then it separates us from mostly everybody else. So um,
that's that's really our big that's our niche. Rare Coins is our niche.
That's where we that's where we cut our teeth, and that's what we've been
doing for the last I say forty years now, with my dad starting the
business in eighty four eighty five, and and we've been rolling every since.
Exciting well Kenny Duncan he is with a US coins and jewelry. Also every
time I come into the store and you've got I mean the security is great.
You've got little tiny private cubbies and so nobody can see what's going on
with the deals. But I cut not that I'm glancing everybody's shoulder, but
people are walking in with gold and they got silver too. And I remember
years ago I had yeah, I had just had gold, you know,
because gold necklace is back in leck of the eighties or nineties, that was
a hot thing. And so even though I know you're making money, yeah
you bought one. Yeah, if you bought it retail, I don't care
if you paid I don't care if you paid one hundred times retail. You're
making money on that, on that necklace right now. Well time. But
so talk about golden silver because that's that's a big, big, big area
of your business too. Sure, So I mean golden silver just you know,
tangible metal. We are one of the largest distributors wholesale of these of
gold and silver. We sell numerous silver products and gold products. Um that
also ties into our rare coin business. But if if someone or someone you
know that it's trading you know, gold silver bullion, you know, please
give us a look. It's something that we do and we pay the most
money in Houston on gold and silver bullion. And it's not even close and
it's not up for discussion. What what price of gold roughly nowadays? Nineteen
fifty six, I believe is the last time I looked at that and silver's
twenty four fifty six was the last time I looked. How does that compare
with you know things fifteen years um. Gold is on an absolute tear in
terms of its volume, and you know, I can't believe we're trading gold
at nineteen fifty right now. It's um, it's it's just absolutely crazy to
think that that an ounce of gold is trading for almost two grand. It
is just absolutely insane. So it's it's a it's a it's a very busy
time. We've got We've got tons of people who are on you know,
one side of the fence. I believe that they want to sell into this
market. And then there's some people who are thinking it's going to go to
three thousands, so they're buying. So we're just you know, we trade.
We don't give market advice, you know, we don't get into that.
What we do is we just promise you we're going to give you a
good deal when you whether you buy or whether you sell. It's envisioned half
my listeners right the righty to the jelry box is going down. I get
know what happened to Grandma's brooch? Man? I need to get it up
to us. I mean there's not you know, I mean the high on
gold is I believe twenty eighty, so you're about one hundred bucks off.
So yeah, right now selling gold jewelry. I mean again, I don't
really make that advice, but I would say that, you know, the
trend is that we are buying a ton of that stuff right now, a
ton of it. Well there it is already, got two emails just coming
in right now. Okay, Michael, shut up an actable. Give me
the location again. What's the address because I know you're open on Saturdays too.
Where are you guys? Yes, So we're in between Kimmy Rock and
Boss on the south side of IT ten, So we're literally right outside the
loop, right outside the I mean two minute two exits outside the loop.
It's eighty four thirty five Katie Freeway. We're not in Katie, we're on
IT ten. So it's eighty four or thirty five Katie Freeway. And that's
immemorial seven seven zero two four. And you can find this at US coins
and Jewelry dot com. We'll sleep in the fact that you actually do a
lot of busines on the web too, and you don't need to be just
in Uston. I've got listeners all over the country right now. Who you
really could do a lot of stuff in your web. Yeah. We have
thousands of products online. We add new products daily. You can find us
on eBay. We have an eBay store. Um, you know, we
were we we have partnered with some of the best, the biggest and the
best and uh and we're just going to continue to do what we do and
let's take care of our customers, give provide an excellent customer service and give
great advice on building coin collections. There it is. His name is Kenny
Duncan, and I just timed this on my beautiful Hulk right now. That
was ten minutes an eighteen second interview. Baby, baby, appreciate it.
It is great talk you and you got listen. You've been there for you,
as you said, oh, since in the mid eighties eight your dad
started to this thing, and you and your brothers are doing such a great
job. Congrats on your success. Hey, thank you so much. Appreciate
you. Appreciate your time. Okay, anytime, all right, that's Kenny
Duncan. My manner, by the way, I was on that was on
Kenny's podcast. Go go take a look at his I mean he's he's taking
my job too, all right, Michael Garfield, phone numbers are open here.
I'd love to hear from you. You know what I don't you know,
it's a watch is coming up, so don't go anywhere. By segment
of today's show, which means Happy Hour itself, at least for me,
is a team minus ten minutes or so. Thank you so much to our
good friend Kenny duncan Um talking about the numismatists around the world, which is
a person who is really into coin coin, collecting US coins and jewelry,
good to know rolexes and all neat stuff. And so I love talking to
people, especially local businesses. Man. Look, it's just what a great
family owned business and there's so many of them out there. I talk about,
you know, just businesses who have been here by local I guess is
the thing I talk about Universal Plumbing Supply and in so many other companies that
that mom and pop shops, from the pizza places to the nail salons to
just the restaurants. It's it's we gotta we gotta support them too, which
by the restaurant weeks is coming up, and uh in August of good restaurants,
why not go to restaurant in the hottest month of the year here in
August and keep you updated on that. Not gonna give out the phone number
because we're almost out of here. I still a few more things to wrap
up. Should you have questions for me? During the week? High tech
texts and Hi g h T e H T e X A N. I
talked a lot about cars and automobiles and very lucky to be able to test
drive and roll around in a lot of them on a on a weekly basis.
I've done this for fifteen years or so. I cover them so much.
I am a member of the Texas Auto Writers Association. I've been in
there for about fifteen years, so I get to hang with the manufacturers,
which is a very nice and I don't deal with dealerships. I just drive
and give my opinion. Last week, I was I was really impressed with
this. I was in a the new twenty twenty four Chevy Tracks t R
a X and if you haven't seen it, it's it's a it's a CUV.
It's a compact tilty vehicle, four doors, patch back type of thing.
And I'm gonna start with this because when I compare in review automobiles,
I do it on so many different levels. What's the price point, what's
the demographic? Is this good for a kid who's out of college? Is
good for you know, older generations who need more room? Is someone who
who goes off road a lot? Do you need the trucks? What's the
value and everything? I'm gonna start with this. This it's retail. It
starts at twenty three nine and the way I tested it was just about twenty
six thousand dollars. I was very impressed for a price like this with a
very good ride, you know, Chevy from Generalman General Motors Jam. But
the comfort was very nice, the steering was great, roomy certainly in the
back. You could fit three people in the back, so again you got
a car seat. You know, maybe this is good for young couples,
maybe having a baby starting out. Certainly it's good for you know, maybe
you get out of college and you and your buddies go, you know,
hang for the weekend and you want to throw some stuff at the back whatever,
But you're still gonna get a lot of bells and whistleson over here.
And I you know, obviously I talk about the technology. They have a
great touch screen. It's it's a really nice size touch screen, eleven inch
diagonal if you're going across color LCD. It's got the wireless Apple car Play.
It's got wireless Android for all your phones over there. Um, it's
got you know, your keyless opening and start, and and just the way
it was designed just with with roominess. Listen. I can go on and
on, and I'm you know, listen, this is a type of car
where I'm not going to get into how many horsepower does it have. It's
got some good it's you know, it's automatics, experience, transition, but
it's it's it's got some really good get up and go. But I compare
this to how much is it in the availability. I don't know the availability
because I don't deal dealerships, but the price point, especially for some of
the vehicles. Listen, I've I've got to ride around in a quarter million
dollars Mercedes convertibles. Just yesterday, I am sitting in a one hundred and
nineteen thousand dollars brand new Lincoln Navigator, the l the long version. I
mean, these are six figures I mean, this costs more than houses and
college educations. So going back to the Chevy tracks for twenty five thousand dollars
or so, very good value and and it's it's a good one. So
anyway, that is uh, that's what I have. I also am in
the midst of doing an electric vehicle. I also currently have the Nissan aria
A R I ya. I get so many questions about electric vehicles. Hey,
should I get electric? Should electric vehicles? Should I get? You
know my thought on electric vehicles. I don't want to spend a lot of
time because I got about four more minutes in the show. I really like
electric vehicles. I think they are fast. I mean they are super fast
if you've ever been in one. They are a lot of more sexy you
get inside very Jetsny and the Jetsons. The way they're designed, they're kind
of like if if you imagine this, they're built on a skateboard platform,
all right, very flat, lots of room. Sometimes there's there's just seats,
and it just I don't know, that's the way electrical cars. Electric
cars now are designed. It's like, oh, it's just if they are
technologically advanced engine we're gonna make them look very you know, futuristic. I
don't know why they do that, which is cool. This one I haven't
been I haven't been in it a lot. Again, I got another week
to play with it. The Nissan area. It is very minimalistic, probably
of all the electric cars I've been into. It's it's a big dashboard,
it's got a touchscreen, comfy seats. I will give you the update next
week, after the full week review. But so I got two cars now
I'm playing with. It's funny because I've got an electric one which I don't
know the range on this thing. I don't even want to guess. I'll
again, I'll give you the whole play by play next week. But then
I got a one nineteen thousand dollars link a Navigator, So if anybody wants
a ride anywhere I wants to play around. If you see me rolling around
and a big, crazy, awesome dark gray Lincoln Navigator l which I think
holds it could hold fourteen people, it looks like an old fourteen people.
I think it holds eight people. Or if I got this really nice,
pretty blue Nissa, and you don't see a lot of these Nissan electric vehicles,
you know Tesla gets a lot of the love the Genesis, the Kia.
I love the Kia EV six, which is also nice. But I've
got this Nissan Aria. It's blue, and I will give you my thoughts
on that, and quickly I'll say it again, love electric vehicles. I
do not like the way the United States battery charging system infrastructure is right now.
We are used to going up to every street corner and seeing a gas
station. If we're on a road trip, there's gas stations everywhere. We
fill up. We wait five to six to seven minutes. If you've got
a big truck, okay, maybe it's gonna take ten minutes or so,
you go in, you spend another one hundred dollars at your BUCkies or whatever,
and then you get on your road. The fact is, to reach
chargers out in the wild, they're few and far between. They are different
types of levels. Is it a super fast charger? Level three is a
little trickle charge. When you pull up the one, you cross your fingers
that they're all working correctly. How then when you plug it in, you're
gonna sit there and wait thirty to forty five minutes or longer. If you
have any type of ADHD or anxiety. Electric vehicles are not for you because
you also have range anxiety. Oh my goodness, I have down to fifty
miles, forty miles, thirty miles. I need to find a charger fast.
Then you've got to wait an hour to charge it. If not more,
it's being fixed. It's going to take a while. This is a
massive paradigm shift what we're in of switching from gas to electric. Autom manufacturers
are making those vehicles and they're making the switch and they're actually a lot of
these companies. They're totally killing their gasoline powered engines and they're gonna make all
electric. We need better charging systems, and that is it. If you
want to go between your home and work, which is all of ten miles
twenty miles, you've got a home charger, you've got a work charger,
perfect up. But if you go on long road trips or you just say,
hey, listen, I want to go see my kid in Austin,
it's like you really got to start planning out your trip. And I don't
feel like going back to the days of when I had a plan through Triple
A with my trip tech and everything, and it's it's really tough. So
anyway, there's my quick car review and it's perfect timing because we are near
the top of the hour. Callum Reid and everybody else who hasn't been involved
in producing the show today, thank you so much. Brian Ericson, Happy
birthday, program director here at KPRC and all our AM stations in Houston.
At iHeart Brian Ericsons birthday this week, Heady Martini, Mark Sherman, and
everybody who's been a part of this show. We will see you next week.
You can also follow me at high tech Texan dot com. Mister Garfield,
well that's my dad's name. I am Garth Michael Garfield. Thanks for
tuning in. People. Where are your sons the screen? Sit in the
pool, turn the AC up. We'll talk to you next week. See
on the web because right now my show is over. Two