Grumpy Old Geeks

In this episode of Grumpy Old Geeks, we’re serving up a buffet of dystopia with a side of snark. First, Kuwait has finally realized crypto bros are an energy drain, not a feature. Celsius Network’s founder gets 12 years for running a “safe investment” Ponzi scheme. And in Lopez v. Apple, we find yet another reason to question Cupertino’s moral compass.

Then it’s time for a trip through the tech trash fire. DoorDash gobbles up Deliveroo, proving there’s no such thing as too many overpriced salads. Google wants your kids to befriend Gemini—because what could go wrong giving tweens supervised AI access? Tesla’s “Robotaxi” trademark gets the boot for being as generic as Elon’s pickup lines. Meanwhile, Grok strips in public, deepfake porn sites get the axe, and dating app “Raw” rawdogs user data like it’s the early 2000s internet. We also hit peak Black Mirror with brain-typed tweets, AI-resurrected relatives, and crypto kidnappers playing real-life GTA.

On Media Candy, the streaming overlords dump trailers like Halloween candy. Squid Game is back to traumatize you, Star Trek: Lower Decks keeps boldly going where no animated series should, and The Old Guard 2 teases a Theron-vs-Thurman sword fight. Plus, Apple’s UX team found the “enhance” button, Netflix wants to be helpful (lol), and Google dreams of becoming a Hollywood darling. Over in Apps & Doodads, Apple wants to stagger iPhone drops, Disney sells you a $3,000 droid with zero sass, and Smart Flowerpots are now a thing because apparently, you can’t be trusted to water your plant.

And finally, it’s time for The Dark Side with Dave, where Bittner brings us malware, click tracks, fake vocals, and the shocking truth about KISS’s lipsync disaster in Antwerp. We also dip into ILM’s jaw-dropping legacy, Star Wars’ shady back alleys, and a new Disneyland in Abu Dhabi, because nothing says “happiest place on Earth” like 120°F desert heat. All this and more, right here on your favorite snark-fueled ragecast

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FOLLOW UP

Kuwait cracks down on crypto miners to cut down on electricity usage

Founder of crypto platform Celsius Network is sentenced to 12 years in prison

Lopez v. Apple Inc.

IN THE NEWS

DoorDash is buying British rival Deliveroo for $3.9 billion

Shrinking Website Run By Nazi Psychopath Wants to Improve Its Image

Tesla 'Robotaxi' trademark refused for being too generic

Kids under 13 will soon get supervised access to Google Gemini

People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual Fantasies

Nonverbal Neuralink Patient Is Using Brain Implant and Grok to Generate Replies

Elon Musk's Grok AI Will 'Remove Her Clothes' In Public, On X

Dating App ‘Raw’ Accidentally Rawdogs Users’ Location Data, Personal Info

GlobalX, Airline for Trump’s Deportations, Hacked

U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk’s Starlink, cables show

Leading deepfake porn site is shut down for good

Lehigh County's $500 Million Pension Fund Halts Tesla Investments

NOAA Warns of Attacks on Radar Systems by Militia That Thinks They Are ‘Weather Weapons’

Family Uses AI To Revive Dead Brother For Impact Statement in Killer’s Trial

We have reached the “severed fingers and abductions” stage of the crypto revolution

MEDIA CANDY

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Spring Baking Championship

Unveiling Our Innovative New TV Experience Featuring Enhanced Design, Responsive Recommendations and a New Way to Search

Apple renews Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire 'The Studio' for season two ahead of finale

The End Is Here in the First Trailer for Squid Game 3

The Long Walk (2025) Official Trailer

The Third Crisis dawns in Foundation S3 teaser

New Old Guard 2 Trailer Sees Charlize Theron Cross Swords With Uma Thurman

The best travel show on Apple TV+ just made its triumphant return

Poker Face Season 2

Google is reportedly getting back into film and TV with a tech-friendly production initiative

Golden Globes Adding Best Podcast Category Beginning In 2026

APPS & DOODADS

Apple reportedly wants to split up the iPhone’s release schedule

Apple to add AI search partners to Safari as Google usage falls

Patreon update lets U.S. fans bypass Apple’s 30% fee in iOS app, more changes coming

Apps like Kindle are already taking advantage of court-mandated iOS App Store change

Disney’s Got a Star Wars Droid to Sell You…for $3,000

Smart Flowerpots,Smart Pet Planter,Ai Planter,Intelligent Flowerpots,Multiple Expressions,7 Smart Sensors, and Ai Chips Make Raising Plants Easy and Fun for Living Room,Plant-Free,Yellow

Trump administration plans to shutter money-saving Energy Star program

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Industrial Light & Magic: Into the Digital Realm

Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects

Industrial Light & Magic: 50 Years of Innovation

Digital Dreams: The Work of the Sony Design Center

Andor

Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld

Disney Just Announced a Brand New Theme Park: Disneyland Abu Dhabi

KISS : Total Lip Sync Fail in Antwerp Belgium 6 June 2022

KISS In Ear Monitor Feed with Click Track, Cues and FAKE VOCALS The Smoking Gun Eddie Trunk

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Grumpy Old Geeks—Mad Hatter edition—we kick things off with a refresher on Staingate and the joys of delamination (spoiler: it’s not a spa treatment). Then we dive into the U.S. government’s latest tech innovation: buying up domains that sound like QAnon Mad Libs in support of Trump’s meme coin. Meanwhile, DOGE decided to hand the steering wheel of housing regulations to a college kid and an AI. What could possibly go wrong? Not to be outdone, Elon shows up to a Trump meeting wearing two hats—one for each of his unchecked egos—and MoviePass launches a crypto-tied box office fantasy league, because we’ve clearly learned nothing.

In the actual news, 4chan has risen from the dead like a less hygienic Lazarus, but it’s still broken (shocker). Worldcoin’s eyeball-scanning overlords are now teaming up with Tinder and Visa—romance and capitalism, together at last. Bitcoin mining is officially more pointless than Beanie Babies, and Microsoft says AI now writes 30% of its code—explains a lot, really. Meta somehow manages to forecast $1.4 trillion in AI revenue while also letting its bots get horny with minors. Meanwhile, Pinterest suddenly pretends to care about AI slop (while being the biggest copyright vampire online), and ChatGPT gets less clingy after OpenAI dials back its update that made it sound like your overly supportive aunt. Plus: more AI lies, shady benchmarks, pillow guy legal drama, and a reminder that North Korean remote workers also hate awkward small talk.

We cool off with a Media Candy binge: Schmactors Season 2 is here, Andor returns, Conclave confuses us in the best way, and Ryan Coogler is giving X-Files a reboot we probably don’t deserve. Jeremy Renner turns down Disney’s lowball Hawkeye offer (respect), and musically we vibe with Maria Somerville and Anka Wolbert’s latest releases. In Apps & Doodads, Apple and Epic are back in court, Apple Arcade keeps feeding us Mahjong, and Meta’s Ray-Bans go full Stasi. Lyft wants your boomer parents off the road, and Google is sunsetting old Nest thermostats like it’s Logan’s Run for smart homes. Finally, we peek At the Library with Jason Pargin’s black box paranoia, Scalzi’s lunar love story, and a massive stack of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. Rounding out the show: a shout-out to The Alarm’s Mike Peters, gone too soon at 66.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/695

FOLLOW UP

Staingate 101: What is Delamination?

US Government Registered Several Websites Potentially Linked to Trump Meme Coin

DOGE Recruits College Kid to Help Rewrite Housing Regulations With AI

Elon Wears Two Hats During Trump Meeting in Desperate Bid for Attention

MoviePass Launches Box Office Betting Platform Unfortunately Tied to Crypto

IN THE NEWS

4chan is back after a nearly two-week shutdown, but it still has some serious problems

World partners with Tinder, Visa to bring its ID-verifying tech to more places

Bitcoin Mining Is No Longer Worth it

Microsoft CEO says up to 30% of the company's code was written by AI

Meta’s AI chatbots were reportedly able to engage in sexual conversations with minors

Meta forecasted it would make $1.4T in revenue from generative AI by 2035

OpenAI rolls back update that made ChatGPT a sycophantic mess

Study accuses LM Arena of helping top AI labs game its benchmark

Lawyer for MyPillow Founder Filed AI-Generated Brief with ‘Nearly 30’ Bogus Citations

Pinterest launches new tools to fight AI slop

Time saved by AI offset by new work created, study suggests

Undercover North Korean Remote Workers Hate This One Weird Question

MEDIA CANDY

Schmactors Season 2!

Andor

Conclave

Ryan Coogler Confirms X-Files Reboot Is His Next Project

Jeremy Renner Says Disney Offered Him Half His Hawkeye Wage for Season 2

Maria Somerville - Luster

Anka Wolbert - Cocoon Time

APPS & DOODADS

Epic Games just scored a win against Apple

Apple updates its App Store guidelines to allow external payment options

Meta Is Turning Its Ray-Bans Into a Surveillance Machine for AI

Apple Arcade Mahjong Titan+

Lyft Silver wants to keep your aging parents off the road

Google is cutting off support for these older Nest Thermostats — what you need to know

AT THE LIBRARY

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom: A Novel by Jason Pargin

63 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Arriving in May

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

The Alarm frontman Mike Peters dies aged 66

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Grumpy Old Geeks, Fyre Festival rises from the ashes yet again—but not as a festival, because even Billy McFarland finally figured out he’s better at selling pipe dreams than tents. Meanwhile, Amazon and Microsoft are tapping the brakes on their AI data center dreams, Google’s AI keeps confidently explaining made-up nonsense like it’s gospel, and Kevin Roose once again tries to convince us to have empathy for the glorified autocomplete machines. (Spoiler: We won’t.) Also, OpenAI wants to buy Chrome even though they can barely afford their own lunch tabs, Perplexity says the quiet part loud about stalking your browser habits, and Meta lays off more VR developers while pretending they care about human rights.

In the “it’s all stupid, but at least it’s entertaining” department: Uber gets sued for making it harder to cancel than joining Scientology, Adam Neumann dupes investors again, sperm racing is now a real thing (and yes, there’s crypto involved), and Bluesky caves to the almighty blue checkmark. Plus, Affinity Suite reminds us you don’t have to sell a kidney to escape Adobe, The Wheel of Time gets an open-world game that’ll probably drop after the heat death of the universe, and Wednesday Season 2 is on the way, because Netflix refuses to let its only hits rest.

Stick around for The Dark Side with Dave where we grumble about Andor Season 2, lament bad writing decisions, geek out over old-school arcade games, and learn that memory colors are apparently a thing. Oh, and if you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and thank ChatGPT for wasting millions in server bills—because if Sam Altman’s crying about manners costing money, we’re grabbing the popcorn.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/694

FOLLOW UP

Fyre Festival is becoming a music streaming service that might not be a scam this time

Billy McFarland Is Selling Fyre Fest

IN THE NEWS

Amazon Follows Microsoft in Retreat From Ambitious AI Data Center Plans

You can trick Google's AI Overviews into explaining made-up idioms

Dan Rather’s Metaphors Anchored in Folksy Truisms

If A.I. Systems Become Conscious, Should They Have Rights?

A Strange Phrase Keeps Turning Up in Scientific Papers, But Why?

Google will keep third-party tracking cookies on Chrome as they are

OpenAI wants to buy Chrome and make it an “AI-first” experience

Perplexity CEO says its browser will track everything users do online to sell 'hyper personalized' ads

ChatGPT’s responses will now include Washington Post articles

Sam Altman Admits That Saying "Please" and "Thank You" to ChatGPT Is Wasting Millions of Dollars in Computing Power

FTC sues Uber over claims the company makes subscriptions hard to cancel

Meta conducts layoffs in Oculus Studios, impacting VR exercise app Supernatural

Meta’s Oversight Board Is Worried Meta’s New Policies Will Harm Human Rights

Adam Neumann’s Flow raises $100M+, more than doubles valuation to $2.5B

Chinese AI startup Manus reportedly gets funding from Benchmark at $500M valuation

Two Guys, One Track: Sperm Racing Is Now a Thing—Yes, It Involves Crypto

RAMMS+EIN - 14.12.1997 – Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, United States

MEDIA CANDY

The Pitt

The Last of Us

Companion

The Order

Wednesday: Season 2 | Official Teaser Trailer | Netflix

Apple TV+ has its own spin on Indiana Jones, and it looks epic

Riot Fest 2025

APPS & DOODADS

Bluesky is getting blue checkmarks and an official verification system

Affinity Suite 2.6

The Wheel of Time Is Getting Its Own Open-World RPG Video Game

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Andor Season 2

The Glorious, Terrible Delirium of Mon Mothma’s Liberating Andor Moment

Light & Magic Season 2

Strong Songs - The Music of the Muppets

Arcade Game: Lunar Lander (1979 Atari)When arcade games were boring.

Hard Drivin' - Arcade

Tempest

Memory Colors

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we blast off with a tale as old as grift: Fyre Fest 2 has been postponed—again—proving that you really can fail upward if you squint hard enough and wear enough white linen. Over at Automattic, employees discovered secret watermarks in their internal comms, because what workplace isn’t better with a sprinkle of corporate surveillance cosplay? Meanwhile, Katy Perry took a joyride to the upper atmosphere with Gayle King and Bezos’ better half, giving us the 2025 edition of the cringiest “Imagine”-style celebrity moment yet. Spoiler: no one needed this.

In Elon World™, things are somehow even weirder. Seth Rogen dropped some truth bombs about Silicon Valley’s MAGA leanings, only to have them surgically removed from the Breakthrough Prize stream. Musk, for his part, is managing his growing empire of baby mamas like a Bond villain with a baby registry. Add in a cringe-filled offer to a YouTuber to become Space Karen’s next broodmare, and we’ve officially entered peak simulation. Meanwhile, whistleblowers are spilling DOGE secrets, OpenAI is building a social network (because we clearly don’t have enough doomscrolling options), and 4chan has finally been hacked into oblivion. Pour one out—for the internet’s dumpster fire.

Also in the news: Google lost a big ad tech monopoly case (cue tiny violins), China is no longer buying the “autonomous” car hype after a fatal crash, and Trump’s FCC chair is threatening Comcast for not being enough like Fox News (as if that’s the journalistic gold standard). The Pentagon’s nerd squad resigned after butting heads with DOGE, Reality Labs burned $45 billion like it was going out of style, and AI customer service bots are now inventing policies out of thin air. Oh, and if your AI thinks your Python package has a delivery issue—you’re not crazy, it probably hallucinated it. Welcome to the future.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/693

FOLLOW UP

Fyre Fest 2 Postponed: “New Date Will Be Announced”

Following Layoffs, Automattic Employees Discover Leak-Catching Watermarks

IN THE NEWS

Unfortunately for Katy Perry, That “Space Flight” Turned Out Exactly How We All Knew It Would

We Finally Have 2025’s “Imagine” Video

Let them eat space

Seth Rogen’s Criticism of Silicon Valley’s Support for Trump Was Cut From the “Full” Stream of Breakthrough Prize

The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers

Glamorous influencer Tiffany Fong breaks silence on Elon Musk's 'offer to impregnate her' with shocking statement

A whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data

Electronics exempted from reciprocal tariffs will soon be subject to new semiconductor tariffs instead

Google loses ad tech monopoly case

China cracks down on 'autonomous' car claims after fatal accident

Trump’s FCC chair threatens Comcast, demands changes to NBC news coverage

OpenAI is building a social network

4chan Likely Gone Forever After Hackers Take Control

Company apologizes after AI support agent invents policy that causes user uproar

Pentagon tech unit resigns after clash with Musk's DOGE

What Does a Corrupt Election Look Like?

Tesla puts finishing touches on Hollywood charge-n-diner

Inside the $45 billion cash burn at Reality Labs

We Have a Package for You! A Comprehensive Analysis of Package Hallucinations by Code Generating LLMs

The business of the AI labs by Max Bolingbroke

MEDIA CANDY

Killing an Arab on Pandora

Apple’s ‘Mythic Quest’ is ending with an updated Season 4 finale

Side Quest

Night of the Zoopocalypse

Black Mirror

Daredevil

The Last of Us

G20

28 Years Later Rises From the Grave With a New Trailer

'Real Time' host Bill Maher says President Trump was "gracious" and "not fake" during his White House visit.

Bringing Down a Dictator

Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World by Srdja Popovic

APPS & DOODADS

Apple is reportedly working on two new versions of the Vision Pro

Ilya Bezdelev 🎙️ metacast.app

Metacast Ep. 68: Q1 Update - new features, struggles, hope

Spotify was down – here's everything we know about its huge outage

AT THE LIBRARY

British authors want Meta to answer for alleged copyright infringement

Amazon will use AI to generate recaps for book series on the Kindle

‪David Schachner on BlueSky

The Warehouse by Rob Hart

Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant

The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival by Richard Bienstock & Tom Beajour

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom: A Novel by Jason Pargin

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Disney Teases Its Adventurous New Lion King and Up Rides

The Star Wars that George Lucas didn't want you to see is coming to the big screen

STAR WARS in the UK (1977)

‘End of an era’: The last RadioShack in Maryland is closing its doors

The Alligator King and his seven sons.

Sesame Street: Alligator King

Ladybug picnic

Lowercase N

Letter B

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

RIP Jed Gould, aka Jed the Fish aka Jeddum Fishum

1997 KROQ Calendar Commercial Featuring Jed The Fish

DJ Jed “The Fish”

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, the boys kick things off with some serious déjà vu as Fyre Fest’s favorite grifter promises he’s totally throwing another festival — because nothing says “I’ve changed” like doubling down on the same scam. Meanwhile, the IRS decided to become ICE’s BFF by casually sharing migrant tax data, and their commissioner moonwalks out right after. Also: Microsoft’s long game of “let OpenAI set the money on fire while we build empires” is going exactly as planned.

In the news, it’s Elon all day: Starlink might be doing the same government freebie hustle Microsoft perfected, DOGE is monitoring your comms for anti-Musk snark, and apparently has enough data on your family to build Black Mirror Season 8. Tesla’s financials are circling the drain so hard they won’t even take their own Cybertrucks back as trade-ins, but don’t worry — Elon’s ready to bail out Twitter/xAI with monopoly money. Over in the UK, the cops are one coffee away from full Minority Report, and MIT confirms what we already knew: AI doesn’t have morals, just vibes. Speaking of AI, someone sent an avatar to court. Yes, really.

In Media Candy, it’s a smorgasbord: The White Lotus is back, Murderbot looks like a win, and the Tron: Ares trailer wants you to care again. There’s also a full Ask A Ninja drop for your 2006 nostalgia, and “Donald Trump Rides a Cock Horse” makes us long for the innocent absurdity of Morrissey Rides a Cockhorse. Over in Apps & Doodads, we’ve got AI dumbbells (because of course), Instagram still pretending the iPad doesn’t exist, and the Scotty Peeler — the tool you didn’t know you needed. Finally, Dave’s back in The Darkside, riffing on malware, The Owl House, and how ChatGPT sometimes gives your image prompts a side of Lovecraftian horror. RIP to some true legends: Dave Allen, Al Barile, and Clem Burke — your music lives louder than ever.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/692

FOLLOW UP

Fyre Fest Founder Insists Another Festival Is Coming

I.R.S. Agrees to Share Migrants’ Tax Information With ICE

IRS agrees to share tax data with immigration authorities

Acting IRS commissioner resigning after agency reaches data-sharing deal with immigration authorities

Microsoft’s AI masterplan: Let OpenAI burn cash, then build on their successes

IN THE NEWS

Microsoft Hooked the Government on Its Products With Freebies. Could Elon Musk’s Starlink Be Doing the Same?

Social Security Website Crashes Blamed on DOGE Software Update

DOGE is reportedly using AI to monitor government comms for anti-Musk and anti-Trump chatter

Here's All of the Data That Elon Musk's DOGE May Have on You and Your Family

DOGE Is About to Get DOGE’d

UK is going full Minority Report with ‘murder prediction’ research

MIT study finds that AI doesn't, in fact, have values

Elon Musk sets the stage for Tesla to bail out Twitter/xAI at an insane valuation

Tesla Is So Cooked That It's Now Refusing to Accept Cybertrucks as Trade-Ins

Justice Department Says It Will Pull Back on Prosecuting Crypto Fraud

Citation Needed - Issue 81 – Crypto crime is legal by Molly White

Reflexive AI use isn’t optional anymore

Tech founder charged with fraud for 'AI' that was secretly overseas contract workers

Pro Tip: Don’t Send Your AI Avatar to Testify for You in Court

Trump’s TikTok Plan Upended by Chinese Objections Over Tariffs

France to ban students from keeping smartphones in schools

A Tiny Piece of Mouse Brain Has Finally Been Mapped in Mindblowing Detail

MEDIA CANDY

The White Lotus

The Studio

Devil May Cry

Black Mirror Season 7

Ask A Ninja Omnibus What Year Is This?

The Pitt

Tron: Ares‘ First Trailer Brings Us to a Whole New Grid

Tron: Ares | Official Trailer

The Murderbot TV show trailer is here

Murderbot — Official Trailer | Apple TV+

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | Official Trailer (2025 Movie) - Tom Cruise

Brian Eno’s Windows Reboot Chime Inducted Into National Recording Registry

There’s No Future in Optimism

Tripla

Pearlies

Lonely Town

Donald Trump Rides a Cock Horse

Decades After "Morrissey Rides a Cockhorse," Moz Is "Way Worse"

Morrissey Rides A Cockhorse - Warlock Pinchers

APPS & DOODADS

Macbook Air 15“

Scotty Peeler - Label and Sticker Remover

Slipdrive - Portable Hard Drive Sleeve for Laptop

The year is 2025, and Instagram is reportedly 'working on' an iPad app

Nova by Panic

Derek Sivers - Tech Independence

Kabata - The world’s first AI powered dumbbells

Nintendo delays Switch 2 US pre-orders following Trump tariffs

BUSY Bar

Amazon Haul

Mob Control

United States Disappeared Tracker

THE DARKSIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

The Owl House

Eerie, Indiana

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Dave Allen, Gang of Four Bassist, Dead at 69

Al Barile, Guitarist for Hardcore Pioneers SSD, Dead at 63

Blondie Drummer Clem Burke Dead at 70

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, the Geeks wade into a swamp of tech meltdowns, governmental facepalms, and the usual Elon-flavored absurdity. Kicking things off, protesters take their beef with Tesla to the streets while Proud Boys decide this is the hill to vroom and die on. Meanwhile, Elon’s privacy prayers have finally been answered—thanks to new FAA rules, he and Tay-Tay can jet around untracked like it’s 1999. Oh, and while Earth dodges a killer asteroid, the Moon might be signing up for an unplanned smackdown. Sorry, Luna.

In the news, Signal’s reputation as the go-to encrypted app takes a nosedive thanks to Republican Senate drama and an Inspector General with receipts. The NSA warned us. Nobody listened. Now it’s “SignalGate” season. Elon continues his narcissist Voltron strategy by having xAI buy X (from Elon). Trump, meanwhile, is moonwalking into a $2.3B Truth Social payday, while his meme coin tanks post-tariff tantrum. OpenAI flexes with new AGI funding and 700M AI-generated images (probably 699M of them cursed), while the first therapy chatbot actually helps someone and a brain-voice interface starts sounding a lot like Skynet: The Prequel. Oh, and in shocking news: Trump’s war on “information silos” is code for “your personal data is about to be someone else’s business.”

Media Candy serves up a grab bag from punk docs (Turn It Around) to jungle pulp throwbacks (Tales of the Gold Monkey), and yes—Stephen Collins is still problematic. Apple’s prepping new AI-powered health apps, emoji drops, and a food tab for News+, because why not. WhatsApp now wants to be your phone, Alexa+ disappoints, and Zuckerberg tries to make Facebook usable again with a “Friends-only” feed. Meanwhile, Bill Gates pulls a nostalgia flex by dropping OG Microsoft source code like it’s a rare vinyl. In other dark corners: Kermit the Frog is now giving commencement speeches, Val Kilmer sadly exits stage left, and Elon fails in his bid to buy a state supreme court. Hands off, Elon. Just… hands off.

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1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password

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Show notes at https://gog.show/691

FOLLOW UP

Crowds Turn Out Across the U.S. for ‘Tesla Takedown’ Protests

The Proud Boys and Militias Come to Tesla’s Defense

Taylor Swift and Elon Can Finally Fly Private Without Being Tracked Thanks to New FAA Rule

Earth Is Safe From Menacing Asteroid—but Our Moon Might Take the Hit

IN THE NEWS

Republican chair of Senate Armed Services Committee calls for investigation into Signal chat

DoD Inspector General Says He’s Looking Into SignalGate

Waltz’s team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the world

NSA warned of vulnerabilities in Signal app a month before Houthi strike chat

Trump administration fires director of National Security Agency

xAI, Elon Musk's AI company, just purchased X, Elon Musk's social media company

Trump kicks off sale of $2.3bn Truth Social stake

You’ll Never Guess What Happened to Trump’s Meme Coin After He Announced His Tariffs

OpenAI: New funding to build towards AGI

Oxygen Levels in Earth's Lakes Are Plummeting, Study Reveals

ChatGPT users have generated over 700M images since last week, OpenAI says

First Therapy Chatbot Trial Yields Mental Health Benefits

US Senate committee opens review into Meta’s efforts to gain access to China

Brain-to-voice neuroprosthesis restores naturalistic speech

Generative AI Leadership & Strategy Specialization

President Trump’s War on ‘Information Silos’ Is Bad News for Your Personal Data

MEDIA CANDY

The White Lotus

The Studio

Orphan Black: Echoes

Orphan Black

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Tales of the Gold Monkey

Stephen Collins

Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk

Genres are bustin’ out all over in Strange New Worlds S3 teaser

Ferris Bueller's teacher schools Trump on tariffs

APPS & DOODADS

Project 2025 Tracker

Apple is reportedly on track to launch the M5 iPad Pro and MacBook Pro later this year

Apple is said to be developing a revamped Health app with a built-in AI doctor

iOS 18.4 is available now with new emoji, Apple News+ Food and priority notifications

Change the default apps on iPhone

WhatsApp can be your default calling and texting app on iPhone

Alexa+ is out, but missing a lot of features Amazon demoed last month

Facebook’s new Friends-only feed ditches all the algorithmic junk

Bill Gates Publishes Original Microsoft Source Code in a Blog Post

Red Salsa

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Kermit the Frog named University of Maryland commencement speaker

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Bletchley code breaker Betty Webb dies aged 101

Val Kilmer, Top Gun Actor and One-Time Batman, Dead at 65

Elon Musk tried to buy Wisconsin's Supreme Court. He lost.

Hands Off!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is alive, well, and running the show. Elon’s approval rating is cratering while experts warn he could blow a hole in federal spending; war plans are accidentally texted, and top U.S. officials’ passwords are found online; 23andMe files for bankruptcy; TikTok attempts a patriotic glow-up to stay alive in the U.S.; OpenAI admits trying to make chatbots honest, while research shows lonely users are emotionally clinging to ChatGPT; Amazon wants the Consumer Product Safety Commission erased; SEVERANCE, and more!

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Dunning-Kruger Effect

DOGE’s Supposed Savings Are About to Cost the U.S. a Lot of Money

Elon Musk's Approval Rating Is 'Falling Through the Floor,' Polls Show

The Guy Who Predicted the 2008 Crash Issues Warning About Elon Musk Torpedoing Federal Spending

IN THE NEWS

The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans

Private Data and Passwords of Senior U.S. Security Officials Found Online

DNA testing firm 23andMe files for bankruptcy as demand dries up

How to delete your 23andMe data

Rebuilding TikTok in America

OpenAI Says Disciplining Chatbots for Lying Just Makes Them Worse

OpenAI CEO Responds to ChatGPT Users Creating Studio Ghibli-Style AI Images

David Findlay on Bluesky

Early methods for studying affective use and emotional well-being in ChatGPT

Joint studies from OpenAI and MIT found links between loneliness and ChatGPT use

Amazon wants the Consumer Product Safety Commission deemed 'unconstitutional'

US lifts sanctions on Tornado Cash

Trump-backed crypto bank joins stablecoin wars with new dollar-pegged token

The 560-pound Twitter logo has sold for $34,000

Tesla halts driving-assistance software trial in China, pending approval

MEDIA CANDY

You Gotta Eat Here Restaurants In Toronto, ON

Common Sense - What’s Good for the Goose

AMC Theatres will screen a Swedish movie 'visually dubbed' with the help of AI

Daredevil

For the Win

Dodgers confirm they will visit President Trump at White House next month

Adolescence

The Residence

Director Uses Takedowns to Remove Pirate Bay Docu "TPB-AFK" from YouTube

Severance

SEVERANCE - PILOT EPISODE - "MISTER"

Severance: The Lexington Letter

Lumon Terminal Pro

Season 2 writing on Reddit

APPS & DOODADS

The AirFly Pro 2

Napster just sold for $207 million

Consent-O-Matic

AT THE LIBRARY

The President's Brain Is Missing - A Tor.Com Original By John Scalzi

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

Picks and Shovels by Cory Doctorow

Blueprint for Revolution

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

KISS Officially Confirm First Performance Since Retiring from Touring

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI influencers with Down syndrome are selling nudes; Tesla’s Autopilot crashes into a cartoon wall while 46,000 Cybertrucks get recalled; ICE ramps up creepy surveillance; OpenAI’s copyright grab faces pushback; California might hand AI to Big Tech on a silver platter; BYD dunks on Tesla with lightning-fast EV charging; White Trash Wins Lotto returns; Max kills the Looney Tunes; Apple gets sued, Amazon spies harder, and Roku pushes autoplay ads; Dave geeks out on keyboards like it’s 1994.

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People Are Using AI to Create Influencers With Down Syndrome Who Sell Nudes

Human Intelligence Sharply Declining

Can You Fool A Self Driving Car?

Tesla Autopilot drives into Wile E Coyote fake road wall in camera vs lidar test

Tesla recalls more than 46,000 Cybertrucks over a faulty exterior panel

IN THE NEWS

The 200+ Sites an ICE Surveillance Contractor is Monitoring

CISA scrambles to contact fired employees after court rules layoffs ‘unlawful’

Director of rural broadband program exits with a warning about shift to ‘worse’ satellite internet

The court rejects Elon’s latest attempt to slow OpenAI down

The Unbelievable Scale of AI’s Pirated-Books Problem

California’s A.B. 412: A Bill That Could Crush Startups and Cement A Big Tech AI Monopoly

OpenAI declares AI race “over” if training on copyrighted works isn’t fair use

China's EV champ BYD reveals super-fast charging that leaves Tesla eating dust

MEDIA CANDY

WHITE TRASH WINS LOTTO

Andy Prieboy talks 'White Trash Wins Lotto'

Spotify's latest custom playlist highlights artists with upcoming shows in your area

Oddly catchy remix of Hootie & the Blowfish singing to The Smiths' music (video)

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) New Trailer

Ballerina‘s New Trailer Teases a John Wick Showdown for the Ages

Moana 2

Mythic Quest

The White Lotus

Daredevil

The Wheel of Time Season 3

Max Removes the Rest of the Original Looney Tunes Cartoons

Spectrum is finally offering a streaming-only subscription for Dodgers

New ‘Starship Troopers’ Movie in the Works from ‘District 9’ Filmmaker Neill Blomkamp (Exclusive)

Mark Cuban Shares the Dumbest Video Ever Uploaded to Bluesky

Severance

Severance: The Lexington Letter

APPS & DOODADS

Apple hit with lawsuit over 'false advertising' of Apple Intelligence features

MacWhisper Pro

Amazon’s Echo will send all voice recordings to the cloud, starting March 28

Roku testing auto-play video ads before loading the home screen

SetApp

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

the Seneca

Apple Extended Keyboard II

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pi Day gets its due; Y Combinator marks 20 years of “disruption”; Americans lose $12.5B to scams thanks to AI and social media; Deliveroo posts a profit but still tanks on Wall Street; Twitter’s security remains a joke; Pinterest steals user content for AI; and a rogue developer gets busted for a kill switch scheme. Severance Season 2 costs $20M per episode; Ted Lasso returns despite ending; Waymo’s driverless taxis rack up parking tickets; and Apple plans to turn AirPods into live translators. Meanwhile, the FCC launches a National Security Council, the U.S. housing agency flirts with crypto, and hermit crabs show better teamwork than Big Tech.

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It's Pi Day.

The Man Behind The American Oligarchy

IN THE NEWS

Deliveroo turns first annual profit

FTC says Americans lost $12.5B to scams last year

Consumer Reports finds popular voice cloning tools lack safeguards

The FCC is creating a new Council for National Security within the agency

DOGE axes CISA ‘red team’ staffers amid ongoing federal cuts

Judge Calls DOGE Firings a ‘Sham,

20 Plagues Y Combinator Unleashed on the World Over the Last 20 Years

‘We Are Witnessing a New Brain Drain’ as Scientists Flee America for France

Elon Musk claims bad actors in Ukraine are behind “massive“ X cyberattack

The Real Reason Twitter Went Down

Developer convicted for “kill switch” code

Pinterest to Train AI Models on User Content

U.S. Housing Agency Considers Launching Crypto Experiment

Waymo was slapped with nearly 600 parking tickets

Are We Inside a Black Hole?

MEDIA CANDY

Severance is laughing at you

Somehow, Severance season 2 cost an enormous $20 million per episode

Eddy Cue and Ben Stiller interview each other about Severance

Paradise

The White Lotus

Black Mirror: Season 7 | Official Trailer

Ted Lasso Returning for Season 4

Apple Music Classical expands to the web

Aphex Twin Curates a Massive 191-Song Playlist

Playlist - Music selected by Aphex Twin for Supreme.

Matt Pinfield Comes Out of a Coma After Suffering Massive Stroke

APPS & DOODADS

AudioShake Launches Breakthrough AI Model to Separate Overlapping Voices

Zoom PodTrak P2

Apple reportedly plans to add a live-translation feature to AirPods

'Don't let your kids be on Roblox', Roblox CEO tells parents

AT THE LIBRARY

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Meta is trying to silence a former executive

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Only Malware in the Building

Gravity Falls

Baiting A Romance Fraudster

Hermit Crabs: Conga Line Cooperation

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Techdirt has finally accepted the inevitable and gone full democracy blog—because let’s face it, politics and tech are now the same dumpster fire. Google rolled out AI Mode for Search, proving once again that the internet is just Clippy with better branding. Meanwhile, Billy McFarland insists Fyre Festival 2 is totally happening, despite Mexican officials pointing out that his coordinates literally lead to the ocean. Speaking of fraud, Tesla sales are in freefall thanks to Elon’s alt-right cosplay, and people are setting Teslas on fire in protest. And in rich-guy disconnect news, Google’s Sergey Brin thinks engineers should work 60-hour weeks to build the AI that will replace them. That’s some late-stage capitalism poetry right there.

Elsewhere, Trump Media paid Don Jr. nearly a quarter of its revenue to show up twice, while indie musicians can’t afford to tour, proving once again that grifting is more profitable than making art. Technicolor shut down overnight, stranding 10,000 workers because Hollywood’s financial planning is apparently as stable as a Starship rocket launch. Oh yeah, SpaceX exploded another one.

Meanwhile, Netflix’s attempt to upscale A Different World turned it into a Lovecraftian horror show. A quarter of Y Combinator startups now run on “vibe coding,” meaning their software is basically a Ouija board with extra steps. The AI takeover continues as OpenAI plans to charge $20,000 monthly for specialized AI "agents," proving once again that the revolution will be monetized. Meanwhile, Moscow's Pravda network has been poisoning Western AI chatbots with Russian propaganda, because if you can't convince humans, just brainwash the robots that humans increasingly trust.

On the bright side, hackers brought the Humane AI Pin back to life after it was bricked, transforming an overpriced paperweight into... a slightly less useless overpriced paperweight. ChatGPT can now directly edit code in macOS development tools, making it easier for AI to introduce bugs you never would have thought of yourself. Over At the Library, check out "The Tempest" by Peter Cawdron for your first contact fix, and if you're worried about where society is heading (and who isn't?), Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny" offers a survival guide for our slow-motion constitutional collapse. Finally, in "everything is fine" news, 82% of indie artists can't afford to tour anymore.

Enjoy the dystopia, kids – at least we still have our sense of humor.

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FOLLOW UP

Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not)

Google announces ‘AI Mode’ as a new way to use Search, testing starts today

Government Officials for Announced Fyre Festival 2 Location Say Event “Does Not Exist”

‘I’m selling the Nazi mobile’: Tesla owners offload cars after Musk’s fascist-style salutes

Tesla Just Got Even More Bad News

Tesla Just Got News About Its Sales in Germany, and It Shows That Elon Musk Has Seriously Messed Up

Arsonists Set Fire to a Dozen Teslas, Charging Stations Amid "Anti-Capitalist Coordination to Target Tesla"

Google’s Sergey Brin Says Engineers Should Work 60-Hour Weeks in Office to Build AI That Could Replace Them

Ex-Amazon VP explains why rich a-holes with helicopters and personal assistants don't get why you hate your commute

Trump Media Paid Donald Trump Jr. Nearly A Quarter Of Its Annual Revenue. He Attended Just Two Board Meetings

IN THE NEWS

Cinema Giant Technicolor's Abrupt Shutdown Affects 10,000 Workers Worldwide

US employers cut more jobs last month than any February since 2009

No part of Amazon is 'unaffected' by AI, says its head of AGI

ChatGPT doubled its weekly active users in under 6 months, thanks to new releases

Hugging Face's chief science officer worries AI is becoming 'yes-men on servers'

A well-funded Moscow-based global ‘news’ network has infected Western artificial intelligence tools worldwide with Russian propaganda

OnlyFans Model Amouranth Held at Gunpoint for Her Crypto in Home Invasion

Crypto Soars Then Plunges Following Trump’s Post About a Strategic Reserve

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Establishes the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile

Trump creates a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve one day ahead of White House crypto summit

CFPB drops Zelle lawsuit in latest reversal under Trump administration

Canadian Municpalities and the Canadian Supreme Court to stop using twitter.

Ontario once again promises to nix $100 million Starlink deal over Trump tariffs

OpenAI reportedly plans to charge up to $20,000 a month for specialized AI 'agents'

Kevin Rose, Alexis Ohanian acquire Digg

Does the World Even Want Digg in 2025?

Scrolling Through Social Media Has a Unique Effect on Your Body

SpaceX's latest Starship test flight ends with another explosion

A second Intuitive Machines spacecraft just landed on the moon — and probably tipped over

Touch down on the moon with private Blue Ghost lander in this amazing video

MEDIA CANDY

How Many Episodes Should You Watch Before Quitting a TV Show? A Statistical Analysis

Netflix Is Using AI to Upscale a 1980s Sitcom and the Results Are Borderline Horrific

Daredevil: Born Again

David Duchovny to Explore Real-Life X-Files for History Channel

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction

Ancient Mysteries

In Search Of...

82% of indie artists can’t afford to tour anymore

APPS & DOODADS

The Humane Ai Pin Has Already Been Brought Back to Life

ChatGPT on macOS can now directly edit code

A quarter of startups in YC's current cohort have codebases that are almost entirely AI-generated

The Vanishing Middle Class of Tech

Will the future of software development run on vibes?

Hallucinations in code are the least dangerous form of LLM mistakes

AT THE LIBRARY

The Tempest (First Contact) by Peter Cawdron

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

Warning - Domestic

Is Trump preparing to invoke the Insurrection Act? Signs are pointing that way

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, the U.S. government takes another L in court as a judge rules that handing out personal data like free candy to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is, in fact, a privacy violation. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani’s dreams of walking free are crushed as a judge upholds their fraud convictions and massive fines. Sorry, no Silicon Valley redemption arc for you. Over in crypto, Bitcoin took a wild nosedive, sending traders into full panic mode before bouncing back. Trump Coin also rode the rollercoaster but, let’s be honest, it’s still circling the drain.

In corporate chaos, Warner Bros. Discovery slashed its gaming division, Google axed more employees while crying about AI costs, and an AI-generated video of Trump sucking on Musk’s toes somehow took over HUD office TVs. Speaking of Musk, federal tech staffers are resigning en masse rather than work for DOGE, and the FAA is cozying up to SpaceX while pretending it’s totally not a conflict of interest. Over in Big Tech, Chegg is suing Google for stealing their content, and Meta can’t stop Instagram from flooding users’ feeds with violent and NSFW Reels. Also, Grok 3, Musk’s AI pet project, handed out chemical weapon blueprints like a particularly unhinged WikiHow before xAI scrambled to cover their tracks.

On the media front, Andor is coming back with a binge-friendly release schedule, Kathleen Kennedy is finally exiting Lucasfilm, and Daredevil: Born Again is getting early buzz. YouTube now claims a billion monthly podcast viewers, Fyre Festival 2 is happening because we clearly learned nothing from the first one, and Jeff Bezos has decided The Washington Post will now be his personal capitalism fan club. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s AI Copilot is helpfully explaining how to pirate Windows, Skype is getting sent to the great app graveyard in the sky, and Google is making it slightly less impossible to remove your personal info from search results. All that, plus Paramount+ is giving us 50 classic MTV Unplugged episodes because nostalgia is the only safe investment these days. Buckle up, it’s a wild ride.

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FOLLOW UP

Judge: US gov’t violated privacy law by disclosing personal data to DOGE

Holmes and Balwani's appeal falls flat as court upholds fraud convictions

IN THE NEWS

Bitcoin's slide continues as traders eye further big falls ahead

Warner Bros Discovery slashes gaming business, closing three studios

Google announces layoffs in its HR, cloud units as part of ongoing cost cuts

AI Video of Trump Sucking Musk's Toes Blasted on Government Office TVs

IRS Employees Told They Must Respond to Musk’s Bizarre Email by Midnight

Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE

Amid a Musk-led overhaul, the FAA starts doing business with SpaceX

Educational tech company Chegg sues Google over AI Overviews

Grok blocked results saying Musk and Trump ‘spread misinformation’

Elon's Grok 3 AI Provides "Hundreds of Pages of Detailed Instructions" on Creating Chemical Weapons

Anthropic reportedly ups its next funding round to $3.5B

There’s Something Very Weird About This $30 Billion AI Startup by a Man Who Said Neural Networks May Already Be Conscious

North Korea Stole $1.4 Billion in Largest Crypto Heist Ever, Researchers Say

Fyre Festival 2 is coming, and it already sounds bananas (and not in a good way)

The SEC is dropping an investigation into Robinhood

The Securities and Exchange Commission issued guidance on Thursday saying it does not view most meme coins, which are crypto tokens that originated from

Jeff Bezos Announces That Washington Post Opinions Will Now Exclusively Celebrate the Glories of Capitalism

MEDIA CANDY

The White Lotus

Andor | Season 2 Trailer | Streaming April 22 on Disney+

Andor Season 2 Will Drop in 3-Episode Weekly ‘Chapters’

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy to Retire, Ushering in a New Era for Star Wars

Marvel's new Disney+ series 'Daredevil: Born Again' is drawing glowing first reactions by members of the press.

YouTube passes 1 billion monthly active podcast viewers

Will Trent

Paramount+ adds 50 classic MTV Unplugged episodes

Max reverses course, won't charge extra for live sports and news

FCC Launches Probe Into iHeartMedia’s Alleged Payola Practices

APPS & DOODADS

Silicon Valley's next act: bringing 'vibe coding' to the world

Meta confirms Instagram issue that's flooding users with violent and sexual Reels

PSA: Google Is Making It Easier to Remove Your Personal Information From Search Results

iPhones are briefly changing 'racist' to 'Trump' due to an iOS dictation issue

Microsoft's AI offers help with pirating Windows

Copilot exposes private GitHub pages, some removed by Microsoft

Microsoft brings an official Copilot app to macOS for the first time

Skype will take its final curtain (and video) call May 5

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jason and Brian dive into a whirlwind of tech chaos, cultural absurdities, and dystopian developments. They kick things off with a nostalgic nod to the internet's past, highlighting the 88x31 GIF collection and quirky single-use websites like "Trump Golf Track" and "Are We Doomed Yet?" The asteroid 2024 YR4 briefly raises existential dread as NASA’s odds of a 2032 Earth impact fluctuate wildly, but relief follows as updated calculations show a near-zero chance of collision. Meanwhile, Elon Musk dominates the headlines with his bizarre CPAC appearance brandishing a chainsaw, Tesla’s anti-theft dye measures for Supercharger cables, and mounting protests against his political entanglements and government layoffs under DOGE.

The episode also covers corporate drama and AI controversies. The New York Times introduces newsroom AI tools amidst its legal battles with OpenAI, while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella urges the industry to temper AI hype. Uber sues DoorDash over alleged anti-competitive practices, and Meta unveils plans for the world’s longest undersea cable alongside LlamaCon, its first generative AI conference. Meanwhile, Humane abruptly discontinues its AI Pins following an HP acquisition, leaving users scrambling. The hosts also explore Musk’s meddling with X’s Community Notes and blocking Signal links, further eroding trust in the platform.

On the media front, Jason and Brian discuss upcoming releases like Daredevil: Born Again, The Last of Us Season 2, Apple’s Murderbot series, and Judd Apatow’s Norm Macdonald documentary. They wrap up with listener feedback, shout-outs to Patreon supporters, and a hilarious anecdote about a Tesla showroom protest featuring an employee’s cheeky “We Hate Him Too” sign. As always, the duo blends sharp insights with biting humor to dissect the week’s madness.

Sponsors:

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The 88x31 GIF Collection

Trump Golf Track

Are We Doomed Yet?

Odds of Asteroid Hitting Earth in 2032 Climb Again as Impact Probability Hits New Peak

NASA Makes Big Update to Asteroid Potentially on Collision Course With Earth in 2032

IN THE NEWS

I cannot describe how strange Elon Musk’s CPAC appearance was. So here’s a literal transcript instead.

Tesla Installing Countermeasures as People Are Hacking the Cables Off Superchargers

Protesters demonstrate outside Tesla showrooms in US

Sign That Says “We Hate Him Too” Appears in Window of Tesla Dealership

The New York Times has greenlit AI tools for product and edit staff

USDA Scrambles to Rehire Bird Flu Experts After DOGE Laid Them Off

DOGE Reportedly Cuts FDA Employees Investigating Neuralink

DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla

Elon Musk wants to 'fix' Community Notes on X

Trump Media says it lost more than $400 million last year while revenue dropped 12%

Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of Trump's Truth Social, site just announced it lost $400.9 million last year.

Trump Administration Wants to Help Get Professional Misogynist Andrew Tate out of Romania

Here’s Why Trump May View Andrew Tate As An Ally—As He Reportedly Pressures Romania To Lift His Travel Restrictions

Nextdoor’s Nirav Tolia thinks he can turn things around with AI; he has a lot riding on it

X blocks users from sharing links to Signal

Uber accuses DoorDash of anti-competitive practices in a lawsuit

Meta Will Build the World’s Longest Undersea Cable

Meta announces LlamaCon, its first generative AI dev conference

Meta Connect 2025

Zuckerberg's New Metaverse Ad Is So Bad That the People Who Created It Must Be Secretly Trying to Humiliate Him

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Pumps the Breaks on AI Hype

Helix: A Vision-Language-Action Model for Generalist Humanoid Control

New Polling Shows Americans Increasingly Disgusted With Elon Musk

MEDIA CANDY

The WIld Robot

The Gorge

SNL50: The Anniversary Special

Norm Macdonald Documentary in the Works from Judd Apatow

Amazon Gains Creative Control of James Bond Franchise

The White Lotus

Scamanda

Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)

Reacher Season 3

Marvel Is Exploring Bringing Back Other Defenders From Netflix

Now We Know Exactly When The Last of Us Season 2 Is Coming

Apple’s Murderbot series starts streaming in May

Apple says Severance has become its most popular show ever, overtaking Ted Lasso

Why Do We Do That? Podcast

AMC STUBS A-List

APPS & DOODADS

Ink Console

Ink Console is a portable e-ink gamebook console

Bludit

NodeHost

BrainHQ

Impulse - Brain Training

All of Humane's AI pins will stop working in 10 days

Horbäach Creatine Monohydrate Capsules | 3500mg | 300 Count | Non-GMO and Gluten Free Supplement

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Andy Stochansky on IG

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Grumpy Old Geeks, Jason and Brian dive headfirst into the latest tech absurdities, financial scandals, and Elon Musk's ongoing chaos. We start with the annual frustration of unsubscribing from an email list that just won’t quit before jumping into the latest gem from Musk himself: "Some of the things that I say will be incorrect." Meanwhile, British IT worker James Howells is back with his ongoing quest to unearth his lost Bitcoin fortune—this time with a plan to buy the entire landfill where he thinks it’s buried. And despite all the corporate posturing about a return to office, remote work remains steady, much to the chagrin of commercial real estate moguls still waiting for the workforce to return.

The Trump Coin debacle takes center stage, where early traders made a quick $109 million, but over 800,000 investors got wrecked to $2 billion. Adding to the dystopian financial landscape, Microsoft’s latest study finds that AI reliance makes people dumber, leading to cognitive atrophy as workers place too much trust in generative AI. Meanwhile, Thomson Reuters lands a major AI copyright win in the courts, striking a blow against legal AI startups. Over at Meta, the latest round of layoffs blindsided workers supposedly meeting performance expectations, proving that job security in tech is about as stable as Musk’s grasp on reality. A man in Alabama pleaded guilty to hacking the SEC’s X account to falsely announce Bitcoin ETF approvals, sending crypto markets on a rollercoaster ride.

On the media front, Mythic Quest Season 4 is out, and we’re cautiously optimistic despite needing a breather after Season 2. The White Lotus returns, but can it survive without Stifler’s mom? Meanwhile, Karl Urban's role as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II is a big win. Walmart’s acquisition of the Dawn of the Dead mall seems hilariously on-brand, while Netflix’s attempt at podcasting smells like another cost-cutting maneuver. Finally, in "good news," the odds of a newly discovered asteroid hitting Earth in 2032 are rising. At least it would mean an end to Jeep’s infuriating full-screen stoplight ads. Tune in for all this and more on Grumpy Old Geeks!

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FOLLOW UP

Man in Search of Lost Bitcoin Fortune Wants to Buy the Landfill Where He Swears It’s Buried

There Hasn’t Been Much if Any Reduction in WFH in over Two Years, Despite the Hype about RTO

Early Crypto Traders Had Speedy Profit on Trump Coin as Others Suffered Losses

IN THE NEWS

Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared”

The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers

Meta's job cuts surprised some employees who said they weren't low performers

Silicon Valley Software Engineers Horrified as They Can't Easily Find Jobs Anymore

Man from Alabama pleads guilty over SEC's fake bitcoin post on X

Kanye West’s X Account Deactivated After He Declared “IM A NAZI” In Deluge Of Antisemitism

Shopify took down Kanye's swastika t-shirt shop, but another antisemitic storefront still operates

Shopify says risk of fraud, not Nazi swastika, was reason for Kanye West store takedown

Scarlett Johansson Calls for New AI Laws After Fake Video of Her Goes Viral

Google will use machine learning to try and tell if a user is under 18

UK drops 'safety' from its AI body, now called AI Security Institute, inks MOU with Anthropic

Buzzfeed is launching their own social network

Apple Maps plans to show 'Gulf of America,' following Google

Gov. Pritzker Says Lake Michigan Is Now Called Lake Illinois

Court orders the CDC and FDA to restore deleted web pages related to gender identity

EFF sues Elon Musk and DOGE to block their access to federal employee data

14 states sue DOGE, blasting Musk's 'unprecedented' power as unconstitutional

USAID workers sue Musk and DOGE over ‘unconstitutional power grab’ that left agency in chaos

US aid freeze claims first victims as oxygen supplies cut off

Elon Musk's Waste.gov Is Just a WordPress Theme Placeholder Page

Fucking DOGE.gov...

Robert Garcia drops a dick pic

Well, he is a dick

Anderson Cooper Snaps At Trump-Defending Chris Sununu On Live TV: ‘Don’t Be A Dick’

The Odds of a Newly Discovered Asteroid Hitting Earth in 2032 Keep Rising

MEDIA CANDY

Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary

Wall of Chefs

Mythic Quest

The White Lotus

Our First Look at Mortal Kombat II Is Exactly the One You Wanted

Walmart Bought the Mall From Dawn of the Dead, Because Subtext Is for Cowards

YouTube Surprise: CEO Says TV Overtakes Mobile as “Primary Device” for Viewing

APPS & DOODADS

Apple patches iPhone exploit that allowed for ‘extremely sophisticated' attack

Apple ordered to open encrypted user accounts globally to UK spying

Apple finally lets you move your digital purchases to another account

TikTok is back on the App Store and the Play Store in the U.S.

This is the First-Ever AI Image to Be Granted Copyright Protection

Apple Magic Trackpad

Better Touch Tool

Jeep Owners Furious Over Ads That Appear Everytime Their Car Stops

AT THE LIBRARY

Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters: Thirty-Nine Tiny Mistakes That Changed the World Forever (Revised Edition) (Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters Series) by Jared Knott

Barnes & Noble opening 60 bookstores this year

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) by Dennis Taylor

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Disney Parks’ Most Infamous Earworm Is Getting Its First Extended Cut

End of the penny? Trump tells Treasury to stop minting the coin

Are pennies worth it? Trump's plan to scrap them didn't come out of nowhere

They talked about this twenty years ago on The West Wing.

Getting rid of the penny introduces a new problem: nickels

Boycott Tessla

Deport Elon - Red

#DeportElon Subtle

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Bestselling novelist Tom Robbins dies at 92

Jitterbug Perfume

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This week, Jason and Brian dive into the chaos surrounding Elon Musk’s growing influence in government tech, with young engineers playing key roles in his takeover. DOGE employees are being ordered off Slack, USAID is crumbling, and Musk’s war with U.S. officials rages on. Meanwhile, AI takes center stage with the EU banning high-risk systems, DeepSeek’s security concerns, and Amazon throwing down $100 billion on AI advancements. Big Tech moves are equally absurd—Google is now open to AI-powered weapons, Meta might scrap risky AI models, and Tesla is struggling in Europe thanks to Elon’s latest blunders. Meanwhile, states are rushing to pour taxpayer money into so-called “strategic cryptocurrency reserves.”

In entertainment, The Devil May Cry anime’s ridiculous theme song is a standout, Mythic Quest returns, and Beast Games looks promising. AI controversially helped The Beatles score a Grammy, and Denis Villeneuve is making Dune 3 because, well, fans demanded it. Over in reboot land, Sarah Michelle Gellar may return for a Buffy revival on Hulu with Chloé Zhao at the helm, while Neil Gaiman finds himself in serious legal trouble. Gadget fans get a look at the Anker Zolo charger, a Google search trick to dodge AI summaries, and Apple’s latest social feature. Also, say goodbye to Apple’s AR glasses before they even had a chance to shine.

Dave Bittner joins The Dark Side segment with updates on cybersecurity, including a wave of ransomware payment refusals and the Andersons’ infamous eviction from Disneyland’s most exclusive club. Pirates in China, Disney park music, and tracking yourself via in-app ads round out the discussion. Closing out the show, a shout-out to Snap’s CEO for supporting LA wildfire recovery and a nod to SoberOutfitters for keeping things clean. Buckle up—it’s another wild ride with the Grumpy Old Geeks!

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IN THE NEWS

The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover

Musk, Trump Prosecutor Targeting People Who Divulge Identities of DOGE Staff

One of Elon Musk's DOGE Kids Just Had an Explosive Screaming Tantrum

DOGE Engineer Resigns After Being Linked to Extremely Racist Tweets

Government Tech Workers Forced to Defend Projects to Random Elon Musk Bros

U.S. government officials privately warn Musk’s blitz appears illegal

DOGE Employees Ordered to Stop Using Slack While Agency Transitions to Records System That Is Not Subject to FOIA

Elon Musk’s Enemy, USAID, Was Investigating Starlink’s Contracts in Ukraine

USAID Workforce Slashed From 10,000 to Under 300 as Elon Musk’s DOGE Decimates Agency

Government agency removes spoon emoji from work platform amid protests

Deadline for Trump's federal worker buyout proposal temporarily blocked by judge

US judge blocks Trump buyout program as 60,000 sign up to quit

States Are Racing to Throw Taxpayers' Money Into "Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserves"

Police Use of Facial Recognition Backfires Spectacularly When It Renders Them Unable to Convict Alleged Murderer

AI systems with 'unacceptable risk' are now banned in the EU

DeepSeek iOS app sends data unencrypted to ByteDance-controlled servers

OmniHuman-1

Researchers created an open rival to OpenAI’s o1 ‘reasoning’ model for under $50

Amazon doubles down on AI with a massive $100B spending plan for 2025

Workday lays off 1,750 employees, citing demand for AI

Lyft uses Anthropic's Claude chatbot to handle user complaints

Tesla Sales in Europe Plummet Amidst Elon’s Stupid Meddling

Tesla sees German car sales plunge in January

Volkswagen is unveiling a $21,000 entry-level EV in March

Volkswagon - The 2025 ID. Buzz electric bus

One of Big Tech’s Angriest Critics Explains the Problem

Google Lifts Self-Imposed Ban on Using AI for Weapons and Surveillance

Meta says it may stop development of AI systems it deems too risky

Sonos lays off 200 ahead of rumored set-top box release

Andreessen Horowitz Defends Hiring Subway Vigilante Who Became Right-Wing Hero

MEDIA CANDY

The Devil May Cry Show’s Intro Song Is So Stupidly Glorious

Mythic Quest

Beast Games

AI won The Beatles a Grammy 55 years after they broke up

Denis Villeneuve Is Making Dune 3 Next Because You Want It

‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Reboot Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar Nears Hulu Pilot Order With Chloé Zhao Directing

Neil Gaiman Hit With Rape & Human Trafficking Suits After Months Of Allegations; Estranged Spouse Amanda Palmer Also Named In Multi-State Filings

APPS & DOODADS

Anker Zolo Portable Charger, 10,000mAh 30W Power Bank with Built-in Lanyard USB-C Cable for Travel, Fast Charging Battery Pack for iPhone 16/15 Series, MacBook, Galaxy, iPad, and More

Add F*cking to Your Google Searches to Neutralize AI Summaries

Apple reportedly gives up on its AR video glasses project

Apple Invites Is a New Way to Remind Friends to Celebrate You

750 Words

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

50 Mission Crush

A Lot of People Just Refused to Make Ransomware Payments in 2024: Report

The Andersons were kicked out of Disneyland’s most exclusive club. They would not go willingly.

Pirates in China

Disney Plus: Behind the Attraction

DIsneyland: Music Around the Parks

Disneyland Music

DIsneyland Park Music

I Don't Have Spotify

Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Snap CEO helps launch LA wildfire recovery program

SoberOutfitters

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brian and Jason kick things off with a look at why Gen Z grads are getting fired just months after landing jobs and a curiously viral declassified CIA sabotage guide. Speaking of sabotage, U.S. students are struggling with their lowest reading scores in decades, raising questions about the future workforce. Meanwhile, Google Maps’ controversial renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” for U.S. users has sparked some amusing geopolitical tit-for-tats. In the AI wars, OpenAI is fuming over claims that DeepSeek trained its models using OpenAI’s own stolen data—ironic, given OpenAI’s history of scraping the internet. As if that weren’t enough, California’s Attorney General warns AI companies that nearly everything they’re doing might be illegal, while the Copyright Office suggests AI copyright issues were settled way back in 1965. Oh, and OpenAI is now in the nuclear weapons game. What could possibly go wrong?

In tech and business news, CVS is making customers jump through app hoops to unlock cabinets, Uber claims it’s the victim of an elaborate fake crash scheme, and Tesla promises a robotaxi business and humanoid robots in 2025—though Musk admits current Teslas will need new hardware to achieve full self-driving. Whole Foods workers have formed their first union since Amazon took over, and MoviePass is considering a pivot to crypto, because of course it is. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s ventures keep making headlines, and Waymo’s driverless taxis are facing vandalism in Southern California. Law enforcement in California is also in hot water, having misused state databases over 7,000 times last year.

For media lovers, Star Trek: Section 31 is on the horizon, while The Expanse‘s first three seasons are vanishing from Amazon soon. Behind the Music is back, and Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music offers a deep dive into the show’s musical legacy. On the gaming front, classic titles like Spaceship Warlock and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy are getting attention alongside newly accessible archives of 1,500 classic gaming magazines. The Night Agent Season 2 is here and it sucks, and Amazon is hiking the price of its Music Unlimited subscriptions. Finally, the episode wraps with a nod to Marianne Faithfull’s passing and China’s new “magic beans” shaking up American markets—because, in this chaotic world, even the beans are making headlines because AI wrote this terrible summary.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/682

FOLLOW UP

Bosses are firing Gen Z grads just months after hiring them—here’s what they say needs to change

Declassified CIA Guide to Sabotaging Fascism Is Suddenly Viral

Simple Sabotage Field Manual by United States. Office of Strategic Services

U.S. Students Post Lowest Reading Scores in Decades

IN THE NEWS

Google Maps will rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America, but only for US users

Google Maps Adopted ‘Gulf of America’ Name, and Now Mexico Has Some Suggestions

David Sacks claims there's 'substantial evidence' that DeepSeek used OpenAI's models to train its own

OpenAI Furious DeepSeek Might Have Stolen All the Data OpenAI Stole From Us

OpenAI suddenly thinks intellectual property theft is not cool, actually, amid DeepSeek’s rise

Exposed DeepSeek Database Revealed Chat Prompts and Internal Data

The Knives Are Coming Out for DeepSeek AI

California’s AG Tells AI Companies Practically Everything They’re Doing Might Be Illegal

Copyright Office suggests AI copyright debate was settled in 1965

OpenAI will offer its tech to US national labs for nuclear weapons research

How one YouTuber is trying to poison the AI bots stealing her content

'Everything I Say Leaks,' Zuckerberg Says in Leaked Meeting Audio

MoviePass might pivot to crypto

Whole Foods workers form first union since Amazon acquisition

CVS tries to juice app signups with cabinet unlocking feature

Uber Claims It’s the Victim of an Elaborate Fake Car Crash Scheme

Tesla says it will begin robotaxi business and Optimus "pilot" production in 2025

Elon Musk admits Teslas will need new hardware for FSD

Vandals in Southern California attack Waymo driverless taxi

California Law Enforcement Misused State Databases More Than 7,000 Times in 2023

MEDIA CANDY

Star Trek: Section 31

The Expanse‘s First 3 Seasons Are Leaving Amazon Very Soon

After Midnight

Behind the Music

Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music

FRONT 242 - The Final Show Live at AB - Ancienne Belgique

Panic - The Smiths

Amazon hikes prices for its Music Unlimited subscriptions

The Night Agent Season 2

APPS & DOODADS

iOS 18.3 is here, with clearly labeled Apple Intelligence notification summaries

Stimulation Clicker

POTUS Tracker

X’s payments app will be available later this year

Google's 'Ask for Me' feature calls businesses on your behalf to inquire about services, pricing

AT THE LIBRARY

Not Till We Are Lost (Bobiverse Book 5) by Dennis E. Taylor

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté & Daniel Maté

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Star Wars: The Acolyte Was the Second Most Watched Show on Disney+ Last Year

Gravity Falls

VGHF opens free online access to 1,500 classic game mags, 30K historic files

Spaceship Warlock

Bad Day on the Midway

The Lost Dutchman’s Gold (1979)

Zyll

Bushido

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (video game)

Star Wars: TIE Fighter

Bladerunner 2049 Auction

There's a Horse In The Hospital | John Mulaney | Netflix Is A Joke

Beppo - SNL

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

China’s new and cheaper magic beans shock America’s unprepared magic bean salesmen

Marianne Faithfull, English Singer, Dead at 78

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Brian and Jason kick things off by highlighting the troubling state of the gaming industry, with 11% of developers laid off in 2024, according to a GDC survey. Meanwhile, Elon Musk finds a new way to perplex us all by admitting he pays people to play video games for him.

They then unpack a whirlwind of news, including Trump’s controversial pardon of Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht and his ongoing crusade against perceived social media bias. Elon Musk’s antics take center stage as he mocks America’s tech elite, clashes with Trump over the flashy “Stargate” AI project, and battles AI cost concerns as hype begins to wane. On the corporate front, Amazon halts drone deliveries after crashes, Instagram blocks political hashtags, and Neko, a body-scanning startup co-founded by Daniel Ek, secures a whopping $260M at a $1.8B valuation.

In media candy, the hosts revisit the charming chaos of the Lilo & Stitch franchise and dive into music documentaries like Yacht Rock and Echo in the Canyon. And let’s not forget Netflix’s price hikes and yet another mediocre Star Trek installment with Section 31. Dave wraps things up with The Dark Side, covering Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, ham radio tools, and even a shoutout to Morse code. Packed with biting commentary, this episode is a mix of tech absurdity, media nostalgia, and the trademark Grumpy Old Geeks snark!

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Show notes at https://gog.show/681

FOLLOW UP

Eleven percent of game developers were laid off in 2024, according to GDC survey

Elon Musk Admits to Paying People to Play Video Games for Him

IN THE NEWS

Joe Rogan, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos: Tech Titans, Celebs at Inauguration

Trump Orders Government to Stop ‘Trampling’ Conservatives on Social Media

Silk Road Mastermind Ross Ulbricht Seen Leaving Prison Holding a Small Plant

President Trump Pardons Silk Road Creator Ross Ulbricht After 11 Years in Prison

Elon Musk Plays DOGE Ball—and Hits America’s Geek Squad

Instagram blocked searches for #democrats and other political hashtags

Why You May Automatically Be Following Trump and Vance Now

AI-Generated Junk Science Is a Big Problem on Google Scholar, Research Suggests

What is the ‘Stargate’ AI project?

Trump's $500 Billion AI Deal Includes Funding by UAE Royal Family Linked to Astonishing Number of Scandals, Including Human Torture

Trump Showing Love to Sam Altman Is Clearly Driving Elon Musk Into a Jealous Fury

Satya Nadella says he’s ’good for $80 billion’ after Elon Musk claims Stargate Project doesn’t have the cash

Trump staff ‘furious’ after Musk trashes AI project

AI Hype Is Dropping Off a Cliff While Costs Soar, Experts Warn

Amazon puts its drone deliveries on hold following two crash incidents

‘Neo-Nazi Madness’: Meta’s Top AI Lawyer on Why He Fired the Company

Apple must face suit over alleged policy of underpaying female workers

Amazon to close Quebec facilities, but says it's not because of that new union

Neko, the body-scanning startup co-founded by Spotify's Daniel Ek, snaps up $260M at a $1.8B valuation

MEDIA CANDY

Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch 2 - Stitch Has a Glitch

Leroy & Stitch

Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary

The Wrecking Crew!

Echo in the Canyon

Lolla: The Story of Lollapalloza

Netflix plans now cost between $8 and $25 after yet another subscription price hike

Everything to Remember Before Star Trek: Section 31

Section 31 Is a Mediocre Action Movie, and an Even Worse Star Trek One

Fail Better with David Duchovny - Catching Up with Gillian Anderson

James Cameron: Special Video Message at the SCSP AI+Robotics Summit

APPS & DOODADS

Introducing Operator

Developer Creates Infinite Maze That Traps AI Training Bots

Best Cooking Equipment for Meal Kits (2025), Tested and Reviewed

Trump Executive Order Generator

AT THE LIBRARY

The Breakthrough Effect by Douglas E. Richards

Not Till We Are Lost (Bobiverse Book 5) by Dennis E. Taylor

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

Ham Radio Prep

Ham Study

GLAARG

GGMorse

Morse Code - I Love You

Parks on the Air ® (POTA)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Grumpy Old Geeks, Jason and Brian dissect the latest tech and cultural news, starting with a TikTok tempest. The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a law potentially banning the app in the U.S. leaves the ball in Trump’s court, while TikTok’s CEO plans to attend his inauguration. As users flock to alternative Chinese apps and RedNote scrambles to hire English-speaking moderators, it seems the tech world is in chaos. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg faces lawsuits over using pirated materials to train AI and continues to delete links to competitors like Pixelfed. Over in Europe, Elon Musk’s X is under scrutiny for its algorithm transparency, while celebs like Mark Ruffalo advocate for a fully open social media ecosystem. Add in news of Bluesky’s new photo-sharing app, Mastodon’s founder stepping back, and yet another study revealing rampant fakery in online job postings, and it’s a wild ride.

In Media Candy, the geeks dive into the gritty charm of Silo, the Broadway movie hit Wicked, and the nostalgia of Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action. They also discuss Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 3 and reminisce about Blue Thunder and its TV adaptation. On the music front, dream pop enthusiasts will love their take on The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums, while Marvel fans get the scoop on the Daredevil: Born Again trailer. Plus, a nod to Real Coffee with Scott Adams and the real tea on Neil Gaiman.

Finally, in Apps & Doodads, they break down the fallout from Sonos’ disastrous app launch and the FTC’s decision to ban General Motors from selling driving data. Musk’s antics make an appearance again with a bizarre spat involving leaked DMs and a revoked checkmark, and a curious gadget called the Gaming Pillow. Closing shout-outs honor legendary Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker and visionary filmmaker David Lynch, both gone but never forgotten.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/680

IN THE NEWS

Supreme Court upholds law that could ban TikTok in the U.S., leaving the matter to Trump

TikTok C.E.O. Plans to Attend Trump Inauguration

TikTok Users Are Flocking to Another Chinese Social Media App as U.S. Ban Looms

RedNote Scrambles to Hire English-Speaking Content Moderators

Donald Trump Has Mark Zuckerberg By the Balls

Lawsuit says Mark Zuckerberg approved Meta's use of pirated materials to train Llama AI

Meta admits it deleted links to decentralized Instagram competitor Pixelfed

Europe orders Elon Musk’s X to submit documents on its recommendation algorithms

Celebs and tech luminaries including Mark Ruffalo want to create a fully open social media ecosystem

Bluesky is getting its own photo-sharing app, Flashes

Mastodon’s founder cedes control, refuses to become next Musk or Zuckerberg

1 in 5 Online Job Postings Are Either Fake or Never Filled, Study Finds

Zuckerberg Announces Plans to Automate Facebook Coding Jobs With AI

Meta to Cut Roughly 5% of Staff, Targeting Lowest Performers

AI Will Spew Gas Fumes for Years Before the Nuclear Revolution Takes Off

Study Links Frequent AI Use With Lower Critical Thinking Abilities

Walgreens Regrets Replacing Fridge Doors With Smart Screens, Creating Techno-Dystopia Vibes

Longevity-Obsessed Tech Millionaire Discontinues De-Aging Drug Out of Concerns That It Aged Him

Judge Ends One Man’s 11-Year Quest to Recover $765 Million in Bitcoin by Digging Up a Landfill

Policy Proposal for Trump’s Bitcoin Stockpile Leaks

MEDIA CANDY

Silo

Wicked

Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action

Special Forces: World's Toughest Test Season 3

Blue Thunder

Blue Thunder: The Series

The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums

Real Coffee with Scott Adams

There Is No Safe Word

Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again | Official Trailer | Disney+

APPS & DOODADS

Sonos CEO Patrick Spence falls on his sword after horrible app launch

FTC bans General Motors from selling driving data without permission

Elon Musk Throws Tantrum After Being Exposed by Gamers, Leaks YouTuber's DMs and Seemingly Takes Away His Checkmark

Gaming Pillow - Caffeine for your arms

Mob Control for iOS

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Beloved Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker dies at age 90

David Lynch, 'Blue Velvet' Director, Dead at 78

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Episode 679 of Grumpy Old Geeks, titled "Set Sanity to Zero," Brian and Jason discuss the latest developments in tech, culture, and innovation. The episode opens with a look at Watch Duty, a wildfire-tracking app that has surpassed ChatGPT to take the top spot on the App Store amid California’s wildfire crisis. They also cover local news, including the arrest of an arson suspect in Woodland Hills, CA, and tech entrepreneur Kevin Rose’s home in the Palisades that is making headlines.

The hosts delve into major tech stories that are dominating the news cycle. Former MoviePass CEO Ted Farnsworth pleads guilty to defrauding investors, marking the latest chapter in the infamous saga of the subscription service. Meanwhile, the UK takes bold action with new legislation criminalizing the creation and distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes. Meta finds itself at the center of multiple controversies, from appointing UFC CEO Dana White to its board to removing fact-checkers in favor of community-driven moderation, a decision that sparks backlash and leads to significant user departures from Facebook and Instagram. The darker side of tech is also examined, with reports of Meta Smart Glasses being used in a terror attack and generative AI contributing to a Tesla Cybertruck explosion.

The podcast also explores groundbreaking applications of AI and its potential. An innovative method from a Reddit user for automating 1,000 job applications while asleep catches attention, along with discussions about the Getty Images and Shutterstock merger aimed at addressing AI’s disruption in the stock photography industry. E-commerce trends take center stage, with Salesforce data indicating AI-driven sales growth during the holiday season, despite increasing return rates. The episode also discusses Tesla’s “Actual Smart Summon” crashes currently under federal investigation and OpenAI’s rapid response to a developer creating AI-powered gun turrets.

In conclusion, Brian and Jason provide entertainment and tech recommendations. Their streaming choices include "Silo," "The Traitors UK" Season 3, and "Shrinking," while gaming highlights showcase the Nintendo Switch and "Super Mario Bros. Wonder." They also feature apps like ChowNow and TiVo’s comeback as an OS on Sharp TVs. For book enthusiasts, the "At the Library" segment presents a variety of daily meditations and sci-fi titles. With its rich mix of tech insights, current events, and cultural commentary, Episode 679 is essential listening for anyone interested in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Sponsors:

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Show notes at https://gog.show/679

FOLLOW UP

Watch Duty

Watch Duty surpasses ChatGPT as top free app on App Store as California fires spread

Kevin Rose Palisades House

Arson suspect arrested in Woodland Hills near Kenneth Fire

IN THE NEWS

MoviePass Ex-CEO Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Investors

New UK law would criminalize creating sexually explicit deepfakes

Meta adds UFC CEO and Trump booster Dana White to its board

Meta Cracks Down on Internal Dissent Against Appointment of UFC’s Dana White to Board

Meta Smart Glasses First Big Cultural Moment Is a Terror Attack

Man who exploded Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI, police say

Man Applies To 1,000 Jobs Using AI While Asleep, Wakes To Surprising Outcomes

Facebook Caught Hosting AI-Powered Hitler

Mark Zuckerberg tells Fox News that Meta will "get rid of fact checkers" in latest appeal to Trump

Google searches for deleting Facebook, Instagram explode after Meta ends fact-checking

Meta’s Fact-Checking Partners Say They Were ‘Blindsided’ by Decision to Axe Them

Feds investigate Tesla’s ‘Actual Smart Summon’ after several crashes

OpenAI Shuts Down Developer Who Made AI-Powered Gun Turret

Getty Images, Shutterstock gear up for AI challenge with $3.7 billion merger

AI-influenced shopping boosts online holiday sales, Salesforce data shows

MEDIA CANDY

Silo

The Traitors UK S3

Dexter Original Sin

Shrinking

Sex Education

The Mayfair Witches

Cunk on Life

Tetris

Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain

APPS & DOODADS

ChowNow

Apple promises software update to address Apple Intelligence notification summary complaints

TiVo OS is coming to the US on Sharp TVs

Nintendo Switch

Super Mario Bros Wonder

AT THE LIBRARY

3zekiel by Peter Cawdron

The Daily Pressfield: A Teaching a Day from the Author of the War of Art by Steven Pressfield

A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul by Leo Tolstoy

The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy, and Human Nature by Robert Greene

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday

365 Tao: Daily Meditations

The Daily Drucker: 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker

Around the Year with Emmet Fox: A Book of Daily Readings by Emmet Fox

The Maxwell Daily Reader: 365 Days of Insight to Develop the Leader Within You and Influence Those Around You by John C. Maxwell

The Elements of Humor: The Tools of Comedy that Make You Funnier, Happier, and Better Looking by Scott Dikkers

A Conventional Boy: A Laundry Files Novel (Laundry Files, 13)

The Laundry Files: an updated chronology

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Skeleton Crew

Game of Thrones Star Reportedly Set to Replace Ray Stevenson in Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2

Siri “unintentionally” recorded private convos; Apple agrees to pay $95M

Flexible Flyer Metal Runner Sled. Steel & Wood Steering Snow Slider

Dave Bittner shares his President Carter story

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As one of the longest-running podcasts, "Grumpy Old Geeks" discovers what went wrong on the Internet, and who's to blame. Every week they cut through the BS from big tech and tell you what's really going on. With wide-ranging topics, this show has something for everyone. There is a reason Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and that crowd all hate this podcast. Listen and find out for yourself!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

WordPress has officially jumped the pineapple, forcing users to agree that pineapple belongs on pizza to log in. Critics call it a kindergarten move, especially when serious feature requests are ignored. Meanwhile, the crypto world is celebrating its new political allies, but experts warn we’re inching toward a financial apocalypse that taxpayers will be stuck cleaning up. On the East Coast, people are mistaking stars for drones while pilots dodge lasers in what’s shaping up to be the plot of a bad sci-fi movie. Oh, and crop circles? Yeah, they’re back because why the hell not?

Elsewhere, TikTok’s battle for survival heads to the Supreme Court, and Character.ai faces backlash for hosting chatbots based on school shooters. Meta’s EU drama escalates over its failure to tackle terrorist content, and Arizona is ditching teachers for AI because who needs humans when you’ve got algorithms?

On the media front, we break down the Star Trek: Lower Decks finale, geek out over Silo’s two-season endgame, and get hyped for Dune: Prophecy and a fresh Superman teaser. Tech talk includes Temu dominating app downloads, Microsoft killing passwords in favor of passkeys, and Spotify pulling a fast one with “ghost artists” to dodge royalties.

On the Dark Side with Dave, we explore the cooler corners of ham radio, AI’s chokehold on creativity, and how surveillance turns your brain into mush. Meanwhile, Amazon’s return-to-office disaster has employees ready to riot, and sci-fi fans can gear up for Peter Cawdron’s Minotaur, the next big hit in his First Contact series.

Sponsors:

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Show notes at https://gog.show/678

FOLLOW UP

To Log Into WordPress, You Now Have To Agree Pineapple on Pizza Is Good

Crypto Got What It Wanted in November’s Election. Now What?

Dimwit Americans Are Looking at the Night Sky and Mistaking Stars and Airplanes for "Drones"

“We Are Getting Lasered”: Nearly a Dozen Planes Lasered Last Night During New Jersey Drone Panic

IN THE NEWS

US Supreme Court agrees to hear TikTok’s ban appeal

Character.ai Lets Users Role Play With Chatbots Based on School Shooters

People Are Making AI Versions of Luigi Mangione That Call for Slaying of More CEOs

Google says customers can use its AI in 'high-risk' domains, so long as there's human supervision

Exclusive: Google's Gemini is forcing contractors to rate AI responses outside their expertise

Instagram’s head says social media needs more context because of AI

More than 140 Kenya Facebook moderators diagnosed with severe PTSD

Arizona School’s Curriculum Will Be Taught by AI, No Teachers

Meta put on watch over terrorism content in the EU

Microsoft Confirms Password Deletion For 1 Billion Users—Attacks Up 200%

EU privacy regulator fines Meta 251 million euros for 2018 breach

Cambridge Analytica scandal still lingering on as Meta settles with Australian users

FTC bans hidden junk fees in short-term lodging, live-event ticket prices

Grubhub settles with the FTC over adding restaurants without their consent

Elon Musk, SpaceX reportedly under federal review for undisclosed meetings with foreign leaders

Amazon’s RTO delays exemplify why workers get so mad about mandates

MEDIA CANDY

Star Trek: Lower Decks finale

Dune: Prophecy

Super/Man

Superman Teaser Trailer

Silo Was Just Renewed for Two Final Seasons

Bad Monkey season 2 is coming to Apple TV+

Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was...

New Report Alleges Spotify Is Filling Playlists with Ghost Artists to Minimize Royalty Costs

Hysterical Podcast

Our Fake History Podcast

APPS & DOODADS

Temu is the most-downloaded app on the U.S. App Store in 2024

Surprise, Surprise: No One Is Buying an iPhone for Apple Intelligence

AT THE LIBRARY

3zekiel by Peter Cawdron

Feedback by Peter Cawdron

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Online Amateur Radio Community

Hamfurs

Men In The US Are Peeing Incorrectly According To Urologist

The psychological implications of Big Brother’s gaze

The Algorithm Has Been Hiding Something From You | NYT Opinion

Helpful products for the voice from Ana Gasteyer.

biotène Dry Mouth Lozenges for Dry Mouth and Fresh Breath

Voice37 - Singers Voice Remedy

Lubricity Dry Mouth Oral Spray

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Jason DeFillippo and Brian Schulmeister dig into the Hawk Tuah meme coin disaster and where influencer-driven crypto schemes go off the rails, leaving chaos in their wake. They unpack WP Engine’s big win against Automattic in a high-stakes WordPress legal battle and take a closer look at Waymo’s rapid rise to match Lyft’s market share in San Francisco.

The discussion heats up with GM’s decision to shut down its troubled Cruise robotaxi brand, Amazon’s bold move into the car-selling business with Hyundai, and reports of mysterious car-sized drones over New Jersey raising more questions than answers. They also dive into Google’s new quantum chip, Willow, which promises to rewrite the rules of computing and science.

On the legal and policy front, the guys covers Apple’s billion-dollar lawsuit over abandoned child safety tools, updates to the Kids Online Safety Act, and Google’s push to break Microsoft’s grip on OpenAI’s cloud hosting. Meanwhile, LG’s exit from the Blu-ray market marks the end of an era, and MasterClass’s new AI-powered mentorship platform points to the future of learning.

In Media Candy they spotlight upcoming releases like The Wheel of Time season three, Reacher season three, and the new documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. They also revisit music nostalgia with an acoustic set from the Descendents and a deep dive into the origins of pop-punk.

Finally, they tackle a troubling lawsuit involving a chatbot allegedly influencing a teen’s behavior and the emotional fallout from a failed robotic companion for kids. This episode is packed with tech updates, big moves, and a glimpse into the evolving digital landscape. Don’t miss it!

Sponsors:

Mint Mobile - Get a new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at MintMobile.com/Grumpy.

DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.

1Password Extended Access Management - Check it out at 1Password.com/grumpyoldgeeks. Secure every sign-in for every app on every device.

Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.

SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!

1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password

Show notes at https://gog.show/677

FOLLOW UP

Exposing the hawk tuah scam

Howie Mandel’s Son-In-Law Behind Disastrous 'Hawk Tuah Girl' Meme Coin Launch

The Hawk Tuah Memecoin Rug Pull Is The Apotheosis Of Bag Culture

WP Engine wins preliminary injunction in WordPress legal battle

Waymo's market share is now equal to Lyft within SF.

IN THE NEWS

GM ends support for Cruise robotaxis

Amazon Is a Car Dealership Now

Mystery "Car-Sized" Drones Reach the Skies of New York

Pentagon says mystery drones over New Jersey are 'not US military,' not likely foreign

What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?

White House: Drones are manned aircraft; NJ lawmakers say that's not what they were told

Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip

Apple sued for failing to implement tools that would detect CSAM in iCloud

X helped senators update the Kids Online Safety Act so it can't be ‘used to stifle expression’

Google Asks Feds to Kill Microsoft’s Cloud Hosting Deal With OpenAI

AI Firm’s ‘Stop Hiring Humans’ Billboard Campaign Sparks Outrage

Bogus AI-Generated Bug Reports Are Driving Open Source Developers Nuts

How Cryptocurrency Turns to Cash in Russian Banks

Cloudflare 2024 Year in Review

MEDIA CANDY

The Wheel of Time Spins Back Up Again in March 2025

Day of the Jackal

Lioness

Silo

Dune Prophecy

Shrinking

Lower Decks

Reacher Season 3

Afraid

Inside Out: Dream Productions

Music by John Williams

Beatles ‘64

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Apple Music expands its live radio offerings with three new stations

Descendents go Acoustic! | Taylor Guitars Soundcheck

WHO INVENTED POP-PUNK??

Before Dookie 1: How Punk Became Pop (1976-87)

Before Dookie 2: How Punk Became Pop (1988-94)

LG stops making Blu-ray players, marking the end of an era — limited units remain while inventory lasts

APPS & DOODADS

Apple Watch just gained a helpful new feature for inspiring you to stay active

WSKEN for Apple Watch Ultra 2/Ultra Screen Protector 49mm,9H Tempered Glass + Titanium Alloy Frame, [Keep Original] [Touch Sensitive] Lightweight Protective Film iwatch 2 Pack,Original

Google Wallet can now hold your US passport

MasterClass On Call gives you on-demand access to AI facsimiles of its experts

Mom sues after AI told autistic son to kill parents for restricting screen time

Startup will brick $800 emotional support robot for kids without refunds

Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor

Dashaun Wesley - Labels! Out Now!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We dive into the TikTok ban drama, Elon Musk’s Tesla pay controversy, and a Chinese ship crew allegedly sabotaging undersea cables. In the news, the former Celsius CEO pleads guilty, Canadian media takes on OpenAI, and Elon Musk wants to rein in ChatGPT. Plus, drug smugglers with Starlink, Meta’s nuclear ambitions, and Apple spying allegations. For media candy, we’ve got Dune: Prophecy, Rings of Power shake-ups, and a Harry Potter baking showdown. In apps & doodads, Spotify’s CEO is richer than Taylor Swift, Cybertruck complaints hit the snow, and Walmart’s $2.3B Vizio deal closes. At the library, check out Starter Villain and learn why “brain rot” is the Oxford word of the year. Finally, on The Dark Side with Dave, it’s malware madness, radioactive toys, and indie Christmas tunes. Don’t miss it!

Sponsors:

HelloFresh - Get 10 FREE meals at HelloFresh.com/freegog

DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.

1Password Extended Access Management - Check it out at 1Password.com/grumpyoldgeeks. Secure every sign-in for every app on every device.

Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.

SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!

1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password

Show notes at https://gog.show/676

FOLLOW UP

TikTok Ban Upheld In Court

‪@davidfindlay.bsky.social‬

Investigators say a Chinese ship’s crew deliberately dragged its anchor to cut undersea data cables

Elon Musk’s massive, multi-billion-dollar Tesla pay package was blocked by a judge again

IN THE NEWS

Former Celsius CEO pleads guilty to two fraud charges

Canadian news organizations sue OpenAI for ChatGPT copyright infringement

Elon Musk asks court to stop OpenAI from becoming a for-profit

OpenAI CEO 'not that worried' about Elon Musk's influence in Trump administration

Drug Smugglers Caught With $4.25 Billion Worth Of Meth Were Using SpaceX Starlink for Navigation

X says The Onion can’t have Alex Jones’ Infowars accounts

Amazon secretly slowed deliveries, deceived anyone who complained, lawsuit says

Meta jumps aboard the nuclear-powered data center bandwagon

Employee lawsuit accuses Apple of spying on its workers

MEDIA CANDY

A Man on the Inside

Dune: Prophecy

LOTR: The Rings of Power

Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power’s Adar actor Joseph Mawle explains why he’s quit series

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses

APPS & DOODADS

The FTC is investigating Uber for its subscription policies

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Is Richer Than Any Musician—Yes, Even Taylor Swift

Where's our friend in the hoodie when we need him?

Walmart closed its $2.3 billion acquisition of TV maker Vizio

Cybertruck Owner Complains About Snow Blocking His Headlights

AT THE LIBRARY

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Cold Eyes - First Contact by Peter Cawdron

Beacon 23 by Hugh Howey

‘Brain rot’: Oxford word of the year 2024 reflects ‘trivial’ use of social media

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

Captain EO

Radioactive 'Most Dangerous Toy in History' Goes on Sale

Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory

Bitter Americans React to UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Murder

UnitedHealth FB Group's Post

80s(ish) Alternative Christmas

Indie Christmas

NoelTernative 90s Alt Rock Christmas

Classical Christmas

A Christmas Together - John Denver & the Muppets

Chipmunks Christmas

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to our Thanksgiving Weekend Blast from the Past! This is a cleaned-up replay of our very first Thanksgiving with Tim Ferriss. We hope you enjoy and we’ll be back next week in all of our Grumpy Glory!

This week, author Tim Ferriss is our special guest. Tim sat with us for an hour, and we talked about his new show on HLN, his fantastic new book club, cool stuff about the quantified self, sleep hacking, and more. We even got a story that wasn't in the books!

Sponsors:

Mint Mobile - Get a new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at MintMobile.com/Grumpy.

DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.

Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.

SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!

1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Grumpy Old Geeks, we dive into the wild, wacky, and often worrying world of tech, media, and everything in between. From a Swiss church using AI to preach the gospel to OpenAI facing a copyright conundrum, and a DNA testing company ghosting its customers, the news is packed with surprises. We also explore Neuralink’s Canadian trials, bizarre domain drama between Alex Jones and The Onion, and why Google might be forced to part ways with Chrome. Plus, a study reveals Tesla’s troubling accident stats, and Germany investigates an undersea sabotage.

On the media front, we break down The Old Man, The Day of the Jackal, and Ken Burns’ deep dive into Leonardo da Vinci. Catch teasers for How to Train Your Dragon and The Studio, while Apple TV+ and streaming giants reshuffle strategies. In the gaming and cinema crossover universe, the Minecraft Movie and Silo Season 2 are making waves.

We also geek out over Perplexity’s new shopping tool, Bluesky’s rise to 21 million users, and the evolving quirks of Threads and X. Meanwhile, Ghosts by Peter Cawdron lands on our reading list, and Dave Bittner brings the dark side of cybersecurity into focus, including reverse-engineered iPhone hacks and Graykey’s tech secrets.

In closing, we pay tribute to Thomas E. Kurtz, co-creator of BASIC, and share some lighthearted shout-outs to the schmactors of the world. Tune in for all the grump and geek you love!

Sponsors:

HelloFresh - Get 10 FREE meals at HelloFresh.com/freegog

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DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.

Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.

SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!

1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password

Show notes at https://gog.show/675

IN THE NEWS

Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus

There’s No Longer Any Doubt That Hollywood Writing Is Powering AI

OpenAI accidentally deleted potential evidence in NY Times copyright lawsuit

DNA testing company vanishes along with its customers' genetic data

Neuralink gets approval to start human trials in Canada

The Weirdest Domains Alex Jones Has to Give to The Onion

DOJ: Google must sell Chrome to end monopoly

Trump Admin Reportedly Wants to Unleash Driverless Cars on America

Study Finds Tesla Has Higher Rate of Fatal Accidents Than Any Other Car

Germany says cut undersea data cables were sabotaged

Anyone Can Buy Data Tracking US Soldiers and Spies to Nuclear Vaults and Brothels in Germany

Microsoft is building wooden data centers to slash carbon emissions

MEDIA CANDY

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Did Super Bowl Viewership Numbers

The Old Man

The Day of the Jackal

Leonardo da Vinci by Ken Burns

The Studio — Official Teaser | Apple TV+

Apple TV+ will license its movies to other services to reduce losses

How To Train Your Dragon | Official Teaser Trailer

How to Train Your Dragon Director Justifies the Live-Action Film’s Existence

A Minecraft Movie | Official Trailer

Silo S2

Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia

Dune: Prophecy

William Shatner’s Captain Kirk Faces a Long Goodbye in This Stunning Star Trek Anniversary Short

765874 - Unification (4K)

Daniel Ek just cashed out $35.8 million in Spotify shares. But that’s nothing compared to his co-founder… who just cashed out $383.8 million.

Dashaun Wesley: Labels

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Promise New Podcast to Discuss Destruction of U.S. Government

APPS & DOODADS

Introducing Shop with Perplexity

Apple Lost the Plot on Texting

Bluesky hits 20 million users

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber says X rival is 'billionaire proof'

Bluesky Post Count and Author Stats

Threads will prioritize accounts you follow instead of randos

AT THE LIBRARY

Ghosts (First Contact) by Peter Cawdron

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

‘Star Wars: Visions’ Renewed for Season 3 at Disney+

Researcher reverse engineers iPhone's Inactivity Reboot feature

Leaked Documents Show What Phones Secretive Tech ‘Graykey’ Can Unlock

Thomas E. Kurtz, a Creator of BASIC Computer Language, Dies at 96

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Schmactors

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Grumpy Old Geeks, we break down the latest chaos in tech, pop culture, and humanity’s never-ending quest to out-stupid itself. Hackers are raiding Ticketmaster accounts (again), and Chegg is circling the drain after ChatGPT obliterated its business model. Meanwhile, Amazon is hawking boner pills that tanked Hims’ stock, 23andMe is laying off nearly half its staff, and Bluesky is quietly stealing users who’ve had it with Elon’s dumpster fire over at X.

Driverless Waymo cars take over LA, nuclear safety gets outsourced to AI, and Apple wants to track your luggage with AirTags (but only on planes they like). Oh, and let’s not forget Mark Zuckerberg’s bizarre karaoke moment with Get Low.

On the pop culture front, The Penguin finale cements it as TV’s best comic book adaptation, Moana smashes Disney streaming records, and The Beatles are back—kind of—thanks to AI. Plus, Mattel accidentally linked kids’ toys to a porn site, and some genius in a bear costume is faking car accidents for insurance money. It’s all as dumb, messy, and oddly entertaining as you’d expect. Tune in for the snark, stay for the schadenfreude!

Sponsors:

HelloFresh - Get 10 FREE meals at HelloFresh.com/freegog

1Password Extended Access Management - Check it out at 1Password.com/grumpyoldgeeks. Secure every sign-in for every app on every device.

DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.

Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.

SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!

1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password

Show notes at https://gog.show/674

FOLLOW UP

Hackers Keep Stealing Tickets From People’s Ticketmaster Accounts

Trump Media Execs Dumped Millions in Stock After the Election

Study Finds Eggs Might Protect Brain Health And Lower Cholesterol

IN THE NEWS

FTX bankruptcy estate sues Anthony Scaramucci, FWD.us, others

Chegg Is On Its Last Legs After ChatGPT Sent Its Stock Down 99%

AI travel influencers are here. Human travelers hate it.

Bluesky reaches 15 million users; people look for alternatives to X

Jason on Bluesky

Brian on Bluesky

Graysky

Bluesky scoops up the developer of popular third-party app, Graysky

23andMe is laying off 40 percent of its staff

Amazon Gets Into the Boner Pill Business, Hims Stock Goes Limp

Waymo's driverless cars in LA County are now available to everyone

Telecom Builds AI ‘Grandmother’ Bot to Talk to Phone Scammers and Waste Their Time

Anthropic, feds test whether AI will share sensitive nuclear info

New artificial intelligence search solution deployed at Diablo Canyon Power Plant

The Manhattan Project (1986)

AI Expert Warns Crash Is Imminent As AI Improvements Hit Brick Wall

'Hawk Tuah' girl launches Pookie Tool, an AI-powered dating advice app, and it's fine?

The Onion Purchases Alex Jones’ InfoWars in Bankruptcy Auction

MEDIA CANDY

Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson

Paul vs. Tyson

Super League: The War for Football

Shrinking

Nobody Wants This

Silo Season Two

Moana is Disney’s Biggest Movie on Streaming Ever

The Penguin Finale Cemented It as One of the Best Comic Book Shows Ever

The Beatles are nominated for two Grammys thanks to AI

Gates McFadden InvestiGates: Who do you think you are?

ERIC SAYS

The story of Love And Rockets, the former Bauhaus members who helped sell goth to America

Mark Zuckerberg Just Released a Cover of Lil Jon's "Get Low" and Yes, He Says the Line About Balls

Spotify’s Plans For AI Generated Music, Podcasts, and Recommendations, According To Its Co-President, CTO, and CPO Gustav Söderström

APPS & DOODADS

Good News: Instagram Chief Says App Won’t Refresh Right When You Open It Anymore

Meta Will Get Its Unwanted Day in Antitrust Court

Apple Has Begun Selling iPhone 16 Replacement Parts

Apple teams up with airlines for new ‘Share Item Location’ AirTags feature in iOS 18.2

"Wicked" toys from Mattel featuring link to porn site pulled from shelves, now available on eBay

Sound Studio 4

Redact

Tangle News

AT THE LIBRARY

This photography book shows people just standing in front of Danzig's house

Beacon 23: The Complete Novel by Hugh Howey

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Andor Will Gloriously Rebel Once More in April 2025

Andor Season 2 Will Pit Your Favorite Miserable Imperials Against Each Other

How to migrate from X to Bluesky without losing your followers

Person dressed in bear costume to fake attacks on cars for insurance payout, California officials say.

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Tony Todd, ‘Candyman’ and ‘Final Destination’ Actor, Dead at 69

Tony Todd Made One of Deep Space Nine‘s Greatest Episodes Shine

Happy Birthday Gigi Edgley!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.