The JMOR Tech Talk Show dives into the headlines behind the headlines—where transit cards die, passports go digital, clouds crash, and fake pixels stop real trains. In this episode, John C. Morley, Serial Entrepreneur, Engineer, Marketing Specialist, Video Producer, Podcast Host, Coach, Graduate Student and lifelong learner, breaks down 14 tech shocks you probably missed this week but absolutely need to understand. From New York–New Jersey’s last swipe card and drone drama over the Garden State to streaming empires, robotaxis near school kids, and AI hoaxes that shut down infrastructure, this week proves one thing: the future isn’t coming slowly—it’s slamming into everything you do, ride, watch, and trust. Episode subtitle Subtitle: How this week’s “small” tech glitches quietly rewired your commute, your streaming, and your online safety. Segment points with numbered emojis 1️⃣ PATH TAPP Is LivePATH just put the MetroCard and SmartLink on hospice care as TAPP officially becomes the new tap‑and‑go standard for NY–NJ riders. This isn’t just a card swap; it’s the final bridge between old-school swipes and a fully contactless transit future where your wallet, phone, and bank card all live in the same turnstile ecosystem. 2️⃣ MetroCard Cash Riders Wake‑Up CallIf you still load fares with coins and cash, PATH just set a ticking clock on your routine, and Dec. 31 is the line in the sand. The message is clear: learn TAPP now, or watch your commute jam up as the old systems quietly vanish and the tap crowd walks right past you. 3️⃣ NJ Mystery Drones: Fear vs. EvidenceNew Jersey’s skies are full of “mystery drone” stories, but the sensors and detectors behind the scenes keep coming back with the same readout: lots of talk, not a lot of verified threats. The real story isn’t the drones; it’s the gap between viral fear online and what the tech on the ground actually sees. 4️⃣ Who Can Shoot Down a Drone?The state has tools that can spot and even disrupt drones, but Washington still holds the keys on who’s allowed to pull the trigger. That leaves us in this strange middle ground where we can detect and track suspicious devices—but legally, we’re stuck in “see it, log it, and hope it leaves.” 5️⃣ Apple Wallet Passport FlexApple just turned your iPhone into a serious airport flex, letting U.S. travelers load passport data into Wallet and breeze through hundreds of TSA checkpoints with a tap. But it’s a digital convenience layer, not a full replacement, and the physical passport book still decides whether you get on an international flight or stay at the gate. 6️⃣ Don’t Toss the PassportIt might feel tempting to crown the iPhone as your new passport, but right now it’s more like a VIP fast lane ticket than a true travel document. For domestic trips, your phone can speed you through TSA, but for overseas flights, that old-school booklet is still the only thing that actually gets you across a border. 7️⃣ Cloudflare’s One‑Line FaceplantOne misconfigured firewall rule at Cloudflare poured molasses into the modern internet, knocking out or stuttering services from business apps to social platforms. The outage wasn’t about hackers; it was about how fragile everything becomes when huge chunks of the web lean on just a few infrastructure giants. 8️⃣ Too Big to Fail, Too Fragile to BreatheThe Cloudflare drama exposes the uncomfortable truth that the web has become dangerously centralized, with single vendors acting like oxygen lines for entire industries. When one of them “sneezes,” productivity apps, startups, and communication tools across the globe instantly catch a digital cold. 9️⃣ Netflix + HBO = App ThanosNetflix circling a deal to scoop up Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO would turn one streamer into the de facto boss of your binge life. Fewer apps might sound convenient, but that kind of consolidation means one company could own your favorite franchises and dictate the price of “just one more episode” nights. 🔟 Waymo vs. School Buses