AwesomeCast 773: A 600mm iPhone Lens, Webtoons & AI Computer Control
This week on AwesomeCast, Sorg and Dave Podnar cover a fun mix of gadgets, geek culture, and tech questions that feel a little closer to everyday life than usual.
Dave starts things off with a look at the Reeflex Ultra Telephoto Pilot, a huge attachable iPhone lens that promises serious zoom power for mobile shooters. It’s one of those gadgets that feels wildly specific, but the more they talk about event coverage, sports, and parents filming from the back row, the more it starts to make sense.
Sorg’s awesome thing takes a different turn as he talks about getting pulled into Webtoons through Dungeon Crawler Carl. That opens up a conversation about vertical comic storytelling, reading fiction in different formats, and how visual adaptations can make it easier to get into a big world.
Chachi also drops in with this week’s video game minute, including a cool local note about Pinball with Police at UPMC Children’s Hospital, a Minecraft theme-park announcement, and an earlier release date for the next LEGO Batman game.
From there, the show explores Board.fun, a tabletop digital gaming platform that blends physical pieces with a big interactive screen. It feels like the kind of thing that could be a family game-night hit—if it gets the support and game library to stick around.
The bigger philosophical conversation comes when Dave asks whether anyone should really trust Claude or any AI assistant with direct control of a computer. That leads to one of the best discussions of the episode: not just what AI can do, but whether most people actually want it doing those things.
They also touch on NASA’s changing lunar plans, Jay and Silent Bob’s new game, learning Spanish through cat TikToks, and wrap on a terrific Women’s History Month story about engineer Judith Love Cohen.
It’s an episode with a little bit of everything: cameras, comics, games, space, AI, and a reminder that sometimes the weirdest internet rabbit holes turn into the best recommendations.
