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Mr. Fred's Tech Talks

Fred Aebli

Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks is your backstage pass to the world of coding, tinkering and technology made simple, fun, and family-friendly. Hosted by Mr. Fred (a former Marine officer turned college professor and lifelong tech tinkerer), each bi-weekly, 10–15 minute episode breaks down real-world tech topics into bite-sized lessons you can use today.


Whether you’re a parent trying to understand what “JavaScript” really means, a teacher looking for fresh STEM activities, or a kid who dreams of building your own game or robot, Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks delivers:

  • Clear, jargon-free explanations of coding languages, tools and AI
  • Behind-the-scenes stories from tech history (like the 64 KB computer that landed on the Moon)
  • Hands-on project ideas and step-by-step tips you can try at home or in the classroom
  • Inspiring interviews and sound bites from the pioneers who built our digital world


Come for the “Tech Tip of the Day,” stay for the celebratory sound bites and community call-outs. Subscribe now on Acast and join a growing community of curious minds because at GetMeCoding.com, I believe that everyone can learn to code, explore technology, and build confidence…one byte at a time.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  • 21 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 22 min
  • English

Episodes 21

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  • S2 · E20
    July 3 · 19 min

    From 1776 to the Lock Icon

    How Revolutionary War secret codes connect to the encryption protecting your digital life today.

  • S2 · E19
    June 19 · 31 min

    From Atari to AI, Part 3: The Doorway Moment

    Before Wi-Fi, smartphones, and AI tools that answer in seconds, getting online meant connecting a computer to a modem, plugging into a phone line, and hoping nobody picked up the phone in the other room. In this episode of Mr. Fred’s Tech Talks, Mr. Fred continues the From Atari to AI series with Part III: The Doorway Moment. This time, the story moves from the Timex Sinclair to the Christmas gift that changed everything: the Commodore 64. From there, Mr. Fred shares what it was like to connect through a modem, explore CompuServe, deal with the limits of dial-up, head to college with an IBM PS/2 Model 25, and later discover how digital communication changed the workplace during active duty in the Marine Corps. Along the way, we pause to explain what a modem actually did, why dial-up made those strange sounds, and how the movie WarGames gave many people a memorable picture of computers talking over phone lines. But this episode is not just nostalgia. It is a bridge to today’s AI moment. Just like dial-up once made computers feel connected to something bigger, AI now feels like another doorway. It is faster, more powerful, and a little unnerving. But the lesson remains the same: tools can help us, but humans still own the judgment, responsibility, and final decision. In This Episode Mr. Fred explores: How the Commodore 64 became a major step beyond the Timex Sinclair What a modem is and why it converted digital data to analog signals and back again How dial-up, CompuServe, and phone lines shaped early online experiences Why early technology was exciting, limited, and sometimes boring What college computing looked like with an IBM PS/2 Model 25 and computer labs How active duty introduced lessons about spreadsheets, email, reach, and responsibility Why AI feels like another “doorway moment” What parents, students, and teachers can learn from earlier technology shifts If this episode brought back a memory of dial-up, CompuServe, early email, computer labs, or someone yelling for you to get off the phone line, share it with someone who remembers that era too. And if you are raising or teaching kids in this AI moment, visit GetMeCoding.com for more coding ideas, family-friendly tech guidance, and resources to help kids become creators, not just consumers. Website Link https://www.getmecoding.com CONNECT Website: https://www.getmecoding.com Courses: https://courses.getmecoding.com FOLLOW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetMeCoding Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmecoding Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetMeCoding LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrfred77/ Follow, rate ★★★★★, and share! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S2 · E10
    April 14 · 11 min

    What Is Data?

    The Invisible Building Block Behind Everything You Do Online

Showing 1–20 of 21 episodes