AwesomeCast 771: Amazon’s New Health AI, ChatGPT for Math, and Mario’s Mystery Goo?
his week on AwesomeCast, things look a little different in the studio as Missy Sorg and Dave Podnar step in to guest host while Mike Sorg is away on assignment in Florida. The result is a lively episode packed with thoughtful discussion on AI, health technology, gaming, and one of the strangest Nintendo questions ever asked: what does the goo in Super Mario Bros. Wonder actually taste like?
Mario Day starts with Nintendo weirdness
Missy opens the show with the perfect Mario Day topic: a story from The Verge investigating the taste of the green goo from Super Mario Bros. Wonder. What follows is exactly the kind of conversation Nintendo fandom deserves, with theories involving lime Jell-O, Mountain Dew, coffee, and mutant ooze. It is silly, weird, and very Nintendo
Read the story:
https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/22/24108593/super-mario-bros-wonder-goo-taste-flavor
Gadget spotlight: the WatchPAT ONE home sleep apnea test
Dave’s awesome thing of the week brings the conversation into health tech. He shares his first impressions of the WatchPAT ONE, an at-home sleep apnea testing device sent directly from his doctor. Instead of going into a sleep lab and being wired up overnight, this test uses a compact disposable kit and app-based setup to gather the needed data at home.
The conversation highlights how much healthcare has changed in recent years, especially with pressure to make diagnostics more affordable, easier to access, and less disruptive for patients.
Watch the device walkthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLJN1Kr3aes
Amazon enters healthcare AI
From there, the hosts pivot into a bigger conversation around Amazon’s healthcare AI assistant, now available through the company’s website and app. Dave points out what AI does well: pattern recognition across large sets of data. But both hosts raise important concerns around trust, privacy, and what happens when a company like Amazon handles medical information.
The discussion compares the tool to older symptom checkers like WebMD, while also asking whether AI can become genuinely useful without becoming invasive.
Read the story:
Chachi checks in with gaming news
The Chachi Says Video Game Minute returns with two headlines:
Nintendo is reportedly among the companies suing the U.S. government over tariffs.
Microsoft’s gaming division is said to be working on a new console project called Project Helix.
Read more:
Nintendo tariffs: https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/nintendo/nintendo-sues-u-s-government-over-tariffs
Project Helix: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c875we893ggo
ChatGPT gets more visual for math and science
One of the most interesting parts of the episode is the discussion of ChatGPT’s new interactive visuals for math and science concepts. Missy talks about being a visual learner and how traditional teaching methods did not always work for her, especially in algebra. Dave expands on why interactive learning matters so much in subjects like physics, where seeing the relationship between variables can make abstract concepts easier to grasp.
The hosts also acknowledge the other side of AI in education: while these tools can help students learn, they also make it harder for teachers to tell whether work is genuinely original.
Read the story:
A lighter ending: the Pope’s Chicago SUV
To close out the show, Dave shares a lighter story about a custom hybrid Ford Explorer made in Chicago for the Pope. With small design touches honoring both Chicago and the Vatican, it is the kind of quirky tech-adjacent story that makes for a fun palate cleanser at the end of the episode.
Read the story:
https://carbuzz.com/farley-ford-explorer-pope-leo/
Final thoughts
AwesomeCast 771 balances playful geek culture and meaningful tech discussion in a way that feels fresh. Missy and Dave bring their own voice to the show while still delivering what makes AwesomeCast work: smart conversation, curiosity, and a little chaos.
