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Flo is out sick, but Andy is still on it. The week's top stories include Andy's Black Friday finds and the span of Google's major labor troubles. Everything from why the National Labor Relations Board is going after Google to why it might have fired well-known AI ethicist Timnit Gebru. Andy also loses his mind over a DeepMind AI breakthrough, then cleanses your palate by asking Google for some holiday cheer. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2021, and can be used only once. Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get a $100 in free credit. Links and Show Notes: The Verge: Google illegally spied on workers before firing them, US labor board alleges Wired: A Prominent AI Ethics Researcher Says Google Fired Her Ars Technica: DeepMind AI handles protein folding, which humbled previous software YouTube Music: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Andy and Flo are here for your holiday weekend to tell you what's on sale and what's worth buying now that warehouses everywhere are clearing out stock. We also discuss Google separating emojis from the system update cycle and why The Go-Gos are worth a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Sanebox: Clean up your inbox in minutes. Sign up for a two-week free trial and a $25 credit. Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get $100 in free credit. Links and Show Notes: XDA Developers: Google prepares to decouple new emojis from Android system updates Spin: Dear Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame: Induct the Go-Go’s Already! Rolling Stone: The Go-Go's Documentary Gets DVD and Blu-Ray Release Date YouTube: The Go-Go's - Club Zero (Official Video) Google Search honors Alex Trebek with Jeopardy easter egg Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Google has lots of little updates for us this week from Google Pay, Google Fit, Google Chrome, and even Google cast, with the company confirming Nest Audio and Chromecast with Google TV integration is on the horizon. Admittedly, we're also a little bummed that YouTube won't be releasing a "YouTube Rewind" video for 2020. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2021, and can be used only once. Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get $100 in free credit. Hotjar: Website Heatmaps & Behavior Analytics Tools. Get 3 months free. Links and Show Notes: The Verge: Google Pay’s massive relaunch makes it an all-encompassing money app Google: New tools for a healthier, more active life The Verge: Google's latest Chrome update delivers 'largest performance gain in years' Google: A faster Chrome, for everything you need to get done Variety: YouTube Nixes Annual Rewind Video for 2020 Because ‘It Doesn’t Feel Right’ This Year Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Andy experiences an earthquake, and Google tells him all about it. We discuss what President-Elect Biden's Administration could look like for Big Tech and why we're mourning the loss of unlimited photo backup to Google Photos. We congratulate Eric Schmidt for winning citizenship in a country once known for being a picturesque tax haven. This episode of Material is sponsored by: ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free. Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get $100 in free credit. Hotjar: Website Heatmaps & Behavior Analytics Tools. Get 3 months free. Links and Show Notes: MIT Technology Review: What Biden means for Big Tech—and Google in particular Ars Technica: Why Biden tapped several Big Tech staffers for his transition team Android Police: Google Photos wants you to donate your time to further train its algorithms 9to5Google: Nest Audio could be used as 'home theater sound system' Vox: Exclusive: The former CEO of Google has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Andy and Flo keep it quick this week because we know you've got some nail-biting to get back to. We discuss YouTube's failure at stifling U.S. election misinformation, plus what "Internet Imperialists" do with their time off. We also discuss the pros and cons of using a Google VPN, the latest manufacturing drama with the Pixel 5, and why folks are still kvetching en masse about the new Google app icons. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2021, and can be used only once. Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get $100 in free credit. Hotjar: Website Heatmaps & Behavior Analytics Tools. Get 3 months free. Links and Show Notes: The Verge: YouTube says video claiming Trump won does not violate its election misinformation policies Insider: YouTube channels made money off of fake election results live streams with thousands of viewers Reddit: Squirrel to Human Ratio by State How One Hacker Artist Tricked Google Into Showcasing Her Art When You Search This Election-Related Term the-next-american-president Google VPN VPN by Google One, explained Google says Pixel 5 screen gap is 'normal part of the design' Medium: Why Google’s new logos suck and how I fixed it. Restore Old Icons Google Doodle: Halloween 2020 Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Happy Halloween! This week's tantalizingly scary podcast is made even more so by an intense and thorough breakdown of the latest in congressional whining. We point out the atrocities and absurdities, plus the casual racism flung toward Sundar Pichai. We also discuss Stadia's Very Bad, No Good Social Media Day, and we pay homage to the Google apps and services that have gone to the other side. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Sanebox: Clean up your inbox in minutes. Sign up for a two-week free trial and a $25 credit. Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get $100 in free credit. Links and Show Notes: Play Store: Button Remapper NYT: At Hearing, Republicans Accuse Zuckerberg and Dorsey of Censorship EFF: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act Buzzfeed: At Section 230 Hearing, Senators Can't Pronounce Google's Sundar Pichai's Name WaPo: Google follows Facebook in banning political ads after election Kotaku: Google Backs Slowly Away From Stadia Guy's Very Bad Tweet Killed by Google Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

It really is a week of pure malarkey, as Google is not only put through the wringer by the Department of Justice but called out for providing its AI tech for border surveillance—yes, that border. To lighten things up, we try humming songs for Google to guess. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2021, and can be used only once. Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get $100 in free credit. Links and Show Notes: Lifehacker: Portrait lighting is here for older Pixel devices Washington Post: Google charged with multiple violations of federal antitrust law Google Blog: A deeply flawed lawsuit that would do nothing to help consumers The Intercept: Google AI Tech Will Be Used for Virtual Border Wall, CBP Contract Shows Google Blog: Song stuck in your head? Just hum to search Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Andy's sick of Chrome's "phishing" attempts and Flo resents Google Maps spilling the beans on generations-old secrets. We go deep into the House of Representatives' recent anti-trust report and its consensus on Google, then steer it back up with some helpful new accessible Android features. We implore you to try out Google's new art filters in its Arts and Culture app; it's a great way to make yourself look like Van Gough must have felt. This episode of Material is sponsored by: ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free. Links and Show Notes: WaPo: House investigation faults Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google for engaging in anti-competitive monopoly tactics Google: 6 ways your Android is getting more helpful this fall Google: Play with Art Filter to learn about culture Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

It's another packed episode this week. Flo and Andy discuss the perilous lure of nostalgia, plus the other big Google news that occurred the week of the big Pixel event and what it means for the company's employees. We gush over our new hardware; Flo has the Nest Audio and Andy has the Chromecast with Google TV. We end with a little about how Google is working to help detect sign language in chat apps. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2021, and can be used only once. Sanebox: Clean up your inbox in minutes. Sign up for a two-week free trial and a $25 credit. Links and Show Notes: YouTube: Techmoan CNBC: Google's $310 million sexual misconduct settlement Google Blog: Building on our Workplace Commitments TechCrunch: Google research lets sign language switch 'active speaker' in video calls Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

It's everything and so much more. Andy and Flo recall the days of yore when they could eat molten chocolate lava cakes in dingy restaurants, before running down nearly everything Google announced at this week's Launch Night In. (For those who just want the news, we start at about 20 minutes in.) We go in-depth about the Chromecast with Google TV—including Flo's first 24 hours with it—the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, and the Nest Audio. Plus, a rundown of the virtual event. Links and Show Notes: 9to5Google: Google Play Music Manager for Windows is now shutting down Google Takeout Support Material with a Relay FM Membership