AmberMac

The AmberMac Show Ep080: The AI Boss That Fired a Human + Amazon’s Wildest Drone Drops

Amber Mac — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:50:29 +0000

In this week’s headlines, Amber and Jeff discuss what parents need to know about the new ChatGPT for Teens, the crazy places Amazon drones are dropping packages, and the AI boss at a San Francisco store that just fired its first human. Plus, developer Michael Booth joins the show to discuss why he launched a platform featuring official data on how Canada and its people live, work, grow, and change – data that his Canada Clearly website makes easy to explore, understand, and verify. Plus, Amber has her top 3 tech tips for a smooth back-to-school September.

Check out our guest online…

Michael Booth – Cloud Engineer & Creator of Canada Clearly: LinkedIn | X/Twitter | Website

Be sure to follow our hosts…

Amber Mac: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Jeff MacArthur: Bluesky | X/Twitter

The AmberMac Show is a weekly SiriusXM radio and podcast production with Amber Mac, Jeff MacArthur, and guests that unpacks the latest tech, business, and digital news shaping our lives. Listen and subscribe using the links below (or click here for RSS and other links).

Playlist of Video Segments from this Ep

3 Back-to-School Tech Tips for a Smooth September with Amber Mac

Amber Mac — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 16:06:26 +0000

The back-to-school season is always such a busy time of the year. Although we’re still a couple of weeks away, most parents are already making plans for a smooth September. To help with some tech basics for students and the whole family, here are 3 quick tips.

1. Create a simple printing routine

HP Smart Tank 7602 All-in-One Printer

Although we’re living in a digital world, students still need to print documents for school (this is especially true in my home!). Whether it’s a worksheet, project, or permission slip, this HP Smart Tank All-in-One printer makes it easy to print from the HP app, scan and manage documents, and print wirelessly at home. There is also three years of Original HP Ink included, so that’s 8,000 colour pages or 6,000 black and white pages without interruption. As a mom, I love having an easy way to print for stress-free school days.

2. Set up pain-free WiFi

TP-Link Deco BE85 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System

Whether you have a student living off campus or students living at home, your WiFi needs to handle the load of streaming, gaming, and, hopefully, studying. That’s where the TP-Link Deco BE85 can help. This Deco 7 Elite product brings high-end Wi-Fi 7 performance to homes that need more speed, capacity, and wired flexibility. With seamless mesh coverage, a 10G port, and multi-gig connectivity, it is a strong fit for larger homes and busy multi-device networks.

3. Get help with school transportation

Teen Accounts on Uber

Uber Teen Accounts allow teens aged 13–17 (including my 17-year-old son!) to request their own rides and order meals with the consent of a parent or guardian, while keeping key safety features automatically enabled. Parents and guardians who add a teen account to their Family profile can follow trips in real time, receive status updates, and stay connected from pickup to drop-off. Uber Teen Accounts include built-in safety features such as PIN verification to help ensure teens are entering the right vehicle and RideCheck, which can detect if a trip goes unusually off course or stops unexpectedly and check in to make sure everything is okay.

I hope these tech tips help you and your family start off the school year more easily, and I want to wish the best of luck to all the new and returning students in 2026! Thanks to our brand partners above for supporting this campaign.

The AmberMac Show Ep079: Guarding the Arctic, Lasering Mosquitoes & Understanding China

Amber Mac — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:22:41 +0000

In this week’s headlines, Anthropic’s new AI text watermarking, why some University of Toronto classrooms are banning laptops, a better approach to building data centers, and a device that could turn the tide in the fight against mosquitoes. Our guests this week are Eliot Pence, CEO of Dominion Dynamics, on building defence tech for Canada in Canada (including defending the Arctic), and Jody Thomas on why Canada’s security starts with resources and why we should be concerned about China’s interest in our mining capability.

Check out our guest online…

Eliot Pence – CEO of Dominion Dynamics: LinkedIn | Website
Jody Thomas – Senior Advisor at Counsel Public Affairs: LinkedIn

Be sure to follow our hosts…

Amber Mac: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Jeff MacArthur: Bluesky | X/Twitter

Playlist of Video Segments from this Ep

YouTube video playlist coming Wednesday.

The AmberMac Show Ep078: Zuckerberg’s AI Manifesto + Closing the Justice Gap

Amber Mac — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:32:34 +0000

Mark Zuckerberg just dropped a 6000-word AI manifesto. In this week’s headlines, Jeff and Amber discuss what’s inside the long-winded letter, why MySpace and its BFF Tom could be making a comeback, and how the ongoing memory crisis is affecting the world’s biggest tech companies. In The OtherMac, Jeff explains how an AI agent could meaningfully change the world in ways the rest of us could get behind. Plus, this week’s guest is Benjamin Alarie, co-author of a new book called Superjustice, which unpacks how AI is transforming law and why Canada needs to keep up.

Check out our guest online…

Benjamin Alarie – Co-founder & CEO of Blue J + Co-author of Superjustice: Law in the Age of AI: LinkedIn | Book

Be sure to follow our hosts…

Amber Mac: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Jeff MacArthur: Bluesky | X/Twitter

Playlist of Video Segments from this Ep

The AmberMac Show Ep077: Canada’s Mining Moment & The Great EV Comeback

Amber Mac — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:05:12 +0000

On this week’s episode of The AmberMac Show, Jeff introduces two leading experts who join us to discuss two of Canada’s most important issues today: economic sovereignty and climate resilience. First up, as part of a brand new season of This is Mining: The Podcast, Amber speaks with Heather Exner-Pirot, Senior Fellow and Director of Energy, Natural Resources and Environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, about Canada’s competitiveness, critical minerals, supply chains, and more. Plus, Rachel Doran, the Executive Director of Clean Energy Canada, breaks down why 2026 is a comeback year for electric vehicles in this encore interview.

Check out our guest online…

Heather Exner-Pirot – Director of Energy, Natural Resources and Environment program at Macdonald-Laurier Institute: LinkedIn
Rachel Doran – President & Executive Director at Clean Energy Canada: LinkedIn

Be sure to follow our hosts…

Amber Mac: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Jeff MacArthur: Bluesky | X/Twitter

Playlist of Video Segments from this Ep

YouTube video playlist coming Wednesday.

The AmberMac Show Ep076: Rogue AI, TikTok Doctors, & Angry Elon

Amber Mac — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 20:00:04 +0000

In this week’s episode, Amber and Jeff unpack what happened when OpenAI lost control of its AI model that hacked Hugging Face (which many are calling it a wake-up call for the future of AI safety), plus why Elon Musk can’t seem to stop feuding with journalists, and how getting your health advice from TikTok might not be the best idea. Amber also talks with Kathryn Hume, Vice-President of AI Engineering at the Vector Institute, about AI bias, including how AI is reshaping major decisions, from hiring employees to approving mortgages, and what’s needed to reduce bias and discrimination as these technologies become more widespread.

Check out our guest online…

Kathryn Hume – VP AI Engineering at Vector Institute: Website | X/Twitter

Be sure to follow our hosts…

Amber Mac: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Jeff MacArthur: Bluesky | X/Twitter

Playlist of Video Segments from this Ep

The AmberMac Show Ep075: The Science of Wildfires + Why Cybertrucks Are Bad for Cities

Amber Mac — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:39:57 +0000

In this week’s episode, we explore the science behind out-of-control wildfires and we ask how we can save our cities from Cybertrucks. Jeff hosts this summer special, featuring two of our most popular past interviews. First, Amber speaks with journalist John Vaillant, bestselling author of Fire Weather, about what we can learn from an oil town that went up in flames – and why the lessons are especially relevant during another summer marked by extreme heat in a warming world. Next up, city planner Brent Toderian unpacks the truth about bike lanes and explains why car-dependent cities are not the future.

Check out our guest online…

John Vaillant – Author of “Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast”: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Brent Toderian – City Planner, TODERIAN UrbanWORKS: LinkedIn | X/Twitter

Be sure to follow our hosts…

Amber Mac: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Jeff MacArthur: Bluesky | X/Twitter

Playlist of Video Segments from this Ep

The AmberMac Show Ep074: Billionaire Toymaker Ronnen Harary + Why Prediction Markets Suck

Amber Mac — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:25:34 +0000

On this week’s episode, Jeff dives into prediction markets – what they are, how they work, and why he thinks they’re a bad idea. We also discuss Meta’s (now reversed) move to let users generate AI images from public Instagram profile photos, and why social media companies continue to fall short when it comes to protecting kids online. Plus Amber sits down with billionaire entrepreneur Ronnen Harary, co-founder of Spin Master, the global children’s entertainment company behind PAW Patrol, Hatchimals, Air Hogs, and Rubik’s Cube. They talk about his new book, No Experience Necessary, and the lessons he’s learned building one of the world’s biggest toy companies – and what the next generation of entrepreneurs can learn from his journey.

Check out our guest online…

Ronnen Harary – Co-Founder & Chairman of Spin Master: LinkedIn | Website

Be sure to follow our hosts…

Amber Mac: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Jeff MacArthur: Bluesky | X/Twitter

Playlist of Video Segments from this Ep

The AmberMac Show Ep073: Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci on Trump, Crypto, & Canada

Amber Mac — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:01:01 +0000

On this week’s episode, one of President Trump’s biggest critics is joining us. Anthony Scaramucci is our guest with the latest on how the US commander-in-chief uses and abuses social media, what to expect in the upcoming midterm elections, how Trump became the Crypto King, and what the US really thinks about Canada. In tech news, Jeff and I chat about how children are adopting AI at a rate three times faster than adults, what MIT is saying about the math behind AI and productivity, the staggering amount of money President Trump made from crypto this past year, and why OpenAI is offering the US government a 5% ownership stake.

Check out our guest online…

Anthony Scaramucci – Former White House Communications Director, Author & Entrepreneur: LinkedIn | Website

Be sure to follow our hosts…

Amber Mac: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Jeff MacArthur: Bluesky | X/Twitter

Playlist of Video Segments from this Ep

The AmberMac Show Ep072: Canada’s Greatest Tech Hits + Remembering The Hip

Amber Mac — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 17:25:41 +0000

This week’s special episode includes a nod to Canada’s 2026 technology newsmakers, including Cohere and Waabi, and a look back at the top Canadian technology inventions and not-so-tech innovations. Plus, in celebration of the upcoming 10-year anniversary of The Tragically Hip’s final concert with frontman Gord Downie, we’re including an encore of our conversation with the band’s manager, Jake Gold, on why there will never be another band like The Hip.

Check out our guest online…

Jake Gold – Manager of The Tragically Hip: LinkedIn

Be sure to follow our hosts…

Amber Mac: Bluesky | X/Twitter
Jeff MacArthur: Bluesky | X/Twitter