#TBOT 11: AI Companions Worse Than Porn, Why Your Word Doc Never Looks Right, Deep Sea Desalination, Find the Perfect XMPP Provider

#TBOT 11: AI Companions Worse Than Porn, Why Your Word Doc Never Looks Right, Deep Sea Desalination, Find the Perfect XMPP Provider

Author: The most important weekly tech news + solutions. August 25, 2025 Duration: 29:40

Here are our stories for the week:

AI Companions Worse Than Porn: People are turning to artificial intelligence for companionship, seeking emotional connection. AI companies are more than happy to supply this new drug, realizing personalized AI brings the most user engagement. A new Meta leak shows companies adopting a more personal strategy that enables subtle romances with users—including children.

Why Your Word Doc Never Looks Right: Shots fired as LibreOffice, a popular open-source office suite, calls out Microsoft for their proprietary document format. We look at the history of OOXML versus ODF and see how MS strong-armed standardization. But in 2025, does LibreOffice smell blood in the water as governments in Finland and Germany shift to Linux and open source?

Deep Sea Desalination: Water shortages are leading companies to start pumping water from the deep sea. But is this safe? What’s the environmental impact? We take a look as the largest subsea desalination plant prepares to go live off the coast of Norway in 2026.

Solutions: Find your perfect XMPP server! I love XMPP—but finding a server isn’t the easiest task. That’s changing with providers.xmpp.net, a project by XMPP community members that lets you sort and find high-quality servers.

Share this post with your crew. 🚢

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed, and focused on the most impactful stories—all in 20 minutes (ain’t nobody got more time than that)!

PLUS - Each story comes with recommendations, and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories soon.

✅ XMPP + Above Phone is an excellent communication solution!

Are you ready for a phone that respects you? Enjoy private app stores, secure web browsing and communication, download videos to your phone, navigate with open-source maps, and so much more.

🔥 And best of all, there are zero connections to big tech!

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Hakeem Anwar hosts The #TBOT Show, a weekly podcast dedicated to cutting through the noise of the tech world. Instead of just reporting headlines, this show focuses on the technology news that actually shapes your daily routine, privacy, and digital freedom, explaining why it matters in clear terms. Each episode is designed to be concise and actionable, wrapping up in under twenty minutes. You’ll hear informed analysis and straightforward recommendations on how to navigate the week’s developments. True to its mission, every installment also provides a practical takeaway: this might be a powerful open-source tool you can use, a privacy-enhancing skill to learn, or a sustainable tech solution to implement. It’s a blend of necessary context and usable insight, making it a resource for anyone who wants to understand and take back control of their tech life. Tune in for a focused, efficient update that prioritizes depth over duration, ensuring you stay informed without being overwhelmed. This podcast delivers exactly what its author promises: the most important weekly tech news paired with tangible solutions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 80

The #TBOT Show with Hakeem Anwar
Podcast Episodes
Live Demo: Using OsmAnd Offline [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:53
Showcasing advanced offline navigation features of the open source maps app OsmAnd, such as navigation simulation. It’s an easy choice when looking to replace invasive spyware apps like Google Maps. Sign up FREE to watch…
iPhone's Secret Google Maps Database [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:37
If you have ever used an iPhone, you were placed in a secret Google Maps database called Sensorvault. This was so secret that not even Congress knew about it until it was up and running!Sign up FREE to watch more webinar…
How Big Tech Uses WiFi Based Surveillance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:16
In this clip from our Open Source Navigation webinar, Above CEO Hakeem Anwar speaks to how megacorps like Google and Apple have been collecting all the WiFi access points in the world for surveillance purposes in the pas…
How Above Phone Protects You from Google Satellites [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:53
In our Open Source Navigation webinar, Above CEO Hakeem Anwar explains that when you use a normal SUPL service on a big tech phone you're sending over a lot of information, like unique identifiers, to Google. Above Phone…
How Maps Were Used in Ancient History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:41
In our Open Source Navigation Webinar we discussed what the origin of prehistoric maps were in the ancient world. Long before OsmAnd and Google Maps, our ancestors used to chisel out detailed maps in mammoth tusks to kee…
Breaking Out of Tech Addiction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:08
This Holiday season, you may witness some strange screen staring behavior from your friends and family.Did you know the average teen spends over 7 hours daily staring at screens? That's not including essential school wor…
Fitness App Publicizes Locations of Presidents & World Leaders [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:38
Last month, a recent investigation by French newspaper Le Monde uncovered significant privacy risks involving high-ranking government officials' location through their use of the fitness tracking application Strava. The…
Hidden Signs Your Phone is Compromised [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15
The countdown is on! Our FREE Hidden Signs Your Phone is Compromised Webinar premieres on November 19th at 2 PM CST.Don't miss out on:* How law enforcement breaks into locked phones (yes, even with a passcode)* Real-time…
We Are Technology: Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:08
In part two of my People's Reset presentation "We Are Technology", I'm getting into a controversial topic. I discuss how sex may deplete the life force energy and vitality in men, using the theories of Swami Vivekanada w…
We Are Technology: Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:13
At the People’s Reset this year I gave a presentation "We Are Technology" an alternative theory and approach to the technology of our body. I discussed the three types of breathing in Kriya yoga and the physical, energet…