Author: DOuG pRATt

Feeling Googly

First it was Google telling me my Pixel 4a phone’s battery was going to get clobbered by an update. The upshot of that was the purchase of a Pixel 8a for $300.

Now my 2nd generation Chromecast and Chromecast Audio devices have been clobbered, possibly by outdated encryption certificates. Google says they’re going to “roll out a fix.”

Important information about your Chromecast

We’re contacting you because of a disruption affecting Chromecast (2nd gen) and Chromecast Audio devices. We apologize for the issue and understand your frustration. We are working to roll out a fix as soon as possible and will share updates and guidance on the Nest Community page. We appreciate your patience as we resolve this issue.

© 2025 Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

There is no replacement for Chromecast Audio. The new Google TV Streamer that replaces Chromecast is too much like Roku and Fire TV — and too expensive by comparison — to be of any interest to me.

Cast Your Fate to Google

The only music service I care about that’s missing from Lyrion is SiriusXM. For that, there’s a Google Chromecast Audio device on the Harman-Kardon receiver in the living room.

I’ll start SiriusXM in Chrome on my laptop PC, cast it to Chromecast Audio, then close the tab on the browser. Later, I’ll use the Google Home application on my phone to stop casting. Right now, however, the SiriusXM station I started playing yesterday is still playing, because Google Home can’t connect to Chromecast Audio.

Every Chromecast Audio device in the world is experiencing the failure.

https://www.androidpolice.com/unable-to-cast-to-chromecast-youre-not-alone/

But not to worry, Google says they’re working on it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/1j7crcn/comment/mgzcsog/?rdt=52529

Atomic Clock Failure!

My radio-controlled Acu-Rite wall clock is supposed to be synchronized with the NIST Atomic Clock.

https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/time-distribution/radio-station-wwvb

All the Acu-Rite has to do is receive the signal from that one station, WWVB in Fort Collins, Colorado. Apparently, it wasn’t paying attention last night, when Daylight Saving Time kicked in.

Maybe it’s bothered that the station’s call letters aren’t KWVB, despite being west of the Mississippi River. Or perhaps the clock doesn’t like Daylight Saving Time because of Colorado’s proximity to Arizona. Wait. Did Trump tell Elon to turn off the signal?

Update: I took the battery out of the clock and replaced it. Overnight, it synched up with the shortwave signal and now displays the correct time.

McGovernment Meeting

Jim McGovern, representing the Massachusetts 2nd Congressional District, addressed a packed high school auditorium this morning. Without a single MAGA hat in sight, McGovern delivered a forceful message of Democratic resistance against Trump and his subservient Republican cronies.

Listening to McGovern and the questions from his constituents, I had flashbacks to my radio reporting days. Back then, I stayed to the very end of meetings, then I’d conduct interviews to get audio for broadcast. Today, as a spectator rather than a reporter, I left after two hours when an activist took some applause he received as giving him permission to indulge in vituperative grandstanding.