Grumpy Old Geeks

This week, the AI industry continues its speedrun toward becoming the tech equivalent of a late-stage casino. Elon Musk insists reports of aid-cut-related deaths don't exist despite mountains of evidence, SpaceX stock slides far enough to knock him out of the trillionaire club, and a startup is literally suing the U.S. government because Anthropic's Fable 5 model got turned off after three whole days of availability. Once again, we revisit the First Commandment of Grumpy Old Geeks: never build your company on someone else's platform.Meanwhile, gas stations are being accused of using AI to coordinate prices, corporations are discovering that AI tokens cost actual money, and a Microsoft researcher used goats in Age of Empires II to demonstrate that maybe, just maybe, people are projecting way too much intelligence onto chatbots. The goats emerge with their reputations intact. The AI industry, less so.The workforce bloodbath rolls on as Oracle quietly sheds 21,000 employees while blaming AI, Norway bans generative AI for elementary school students after discovering that children should probably learn to read before outsourcing their homework to robots, and the FCC flirts with rules that could effectively kill anonymous burner phones in the name of fighting scams. Over at Meta, an employee surveillance program accidentally exposed sensitive data to the entire company because of course it did, while Zuckerberg continues his relentless quest to strap cameras to everyone's face and call it progress. Add in YouTube settling another social-media-harm case, Chrome finally kneecapping traditional ad blockers, and prediction markets spreading across tech like mold in a college apartment, and it's becoming increasingly clear that every bad idea eventually gets funded.In transportation news, autonomous vehicles continue demonstrating that "mostly works" is not a reassuring phrase when attached to two tons of moving metal. A Tesla on Autopilot crashes into a home and kills a grandmother, Rivian faces lawsuits over self-driving promises its hardware allegedly can't fulfill, and Waymo recalls thousands of robotaxis after they developed an unfortunate habit of driving into closed freeway construction zones. Elsewhere, Elon and Bezos are eyeing billions in broadband subsidies, Polymarket is accused of paying influencers to fake betting videos and climate data archivists are preserving public information from political interference.Media recommendations include The Mandalorian, Silo, Strange New Worlds, Dungeon Crawler Carl, and a reminder that Firefox may soon be the last refuge for people who enjoy both the internet and ad blockers. Some weeks the future feels exciting. This week it mostly feels like an extended warranty scam.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.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/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/752Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/PGXG0Cjj9T8SHOW NOTESThese Are the Headlines That Elon Musk Says Don’t ExistSpaceX Stock Has Fallen So Far That Elon Musk Is No Longer a TrillionaireSomeone Is Suing the U.S. For Making Them Go Without Anthropic's Fable 5 ModelSuit Alleges That Gas Stations Use AI to Hike Gas PricesThe Tokenpocalypse Is Here: Companies Are Scrambling To Stop Spending So Much on AIFrustrated Microsoft Researcher Uses Goats in ‘Age of Empires II’ to Demo the Absurdity of LLMsKEVIN THE CUNTOracle laid off 21,000 employees over the past year, citing AI as one of the reasonsNorway imposes broad restrictions on AI for elementary school kidsFCC plans ID mandate that could block anonymous use of prepaid burner phonesMeta is 'pausing' employee tracking program after it let the whole company see sensitive dataMeta announces new smart glasses starting at $299, as Zuckerberg keeps pushing wearablesYouTube settles early test case over social media harm to childrenA Tesla crashed into a Texas home, killing a 76-year-old grandmotherGrandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by Elmo & PatsyRivian faces a class action lawsuit over self-driving in its early vehiclesWaymo recalls over 3,800 robotaxis that might drive onto closed freewaysElon Musk and the plot to hijack America’s broadbandPolymarket has reportedly been paying creators to post fake betting videosMark Zuckerberg wants Meta to launch its own prediction marketFacebook tests Forecast, an app for making predictions about world events, like COVID-19Climate.USUS's climate.gov site, taken down by Trump, relaunched by nonprofitThe Trump Administration Wants to Know If It Should Regulate Bets on Reality ShowsThe Pirate Bay for Strange New WorldsGoogle Chrome’s next update will mark the end of popular ad blockers‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Gets Straight-to-Series Order at Peacock From Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy DoorTrackalotSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 750 arrives with a simple reminder: the bullshit never sleeps. This week Jason and Brian dive headfirst into a game of Douchebag Ping Pong featuring OpenAI, Anthropic, Elon Musk, and the rest of the AI industrial complex. OpenAI is preparing to go public while simultaneously transforming ChatGPT into an everything app, Anthropic wants the world to slow down AI development before Skynet shows up for work, and then immediately releases a more powerful model because apparently self-awareness only goes so far. Meanwhile, Sam Altman’s eyeball-scanning side hustle is laying people off, proving that convincing humans to hand over their biometric data remains a surprisingly difficult sales pitch.The AI arms race gets even weirder as SpaceX unveils plans for orbital data centers the size of flying football fields while Google and Anthropic shovel billions into Elon’s compute empire just to keep their models fed. On Earth, Seattle is trying to ban new AI data centers before they drink the city dry, Meta is planting AI infrastructure in India, Google is slashing Gemini prices, and a Mississippi judge discovers that lawyers on both sides of a case used AI to invent legal citations, resulting in the rare spectacle of artificial stupidity arguing against itself. Thankfully, AI also manages to do something useful, helping researchers develop a promising universal vaccine and reminding us that not every machine-learning story ends with humanity getting harvested for electricity.Elsewhere, crypto continues its transformation into performance art as Sam Bankman-Fried seeks a presidential pardon while reports suggest the Trump family made billions from crypto projects that left investors holding the bag. Meta gets caught quietly experimenting with face recognition in smart glasses, lawmakers scramble to require recording indicators, and Snapchat tightens protections for younger users. The guys also celebrate Apple's shockingly competent Sports app, a rare piece of software that simply does the thing it's supposed to do without trying to become your therapist, financial advisor, or AI life coach. Plus: Ghostbusters returns, Devil May Cry gets another season, Bill Burr takes on Facebook in The Social Reckoning, and a look at why Silicon Valley's newest luxury service appears to be paying actual humans for conversation.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.CleanMyMac - Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use code OLDGEEKS for 20% off at clnmy.com/OLDGEEKSPrivate 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/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/750Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/w8POIp_Dts0SHOW NOTESOpenAI files SEC paperwork to go publicAnthropic proposes a global slowdown of AI developmentOpenAI Joins Anthropic in Call for International AI WatchdogAnthropic releases Claude Fable, a version of Mythos, days after warning AI is becoming too dangerousOpenAI reportedly has a major ChatGPT overhaul in storeSam Altman's Eyeball Scanning Company Now Laying Off WorkersElon Musk's first-gen orbital data center craft spans wider than a Boeing 747 and runs an interchangeable chip payload — AI1 satellite compute payload is 120 kW, peaks at 150 kWGoogle will pay SpaceX $920 million a month to use xAI's data centersSeattle is close to approving a year-long ban on large data centersMeta signs first AI data center deal in India with RelianceGoogle cuts the price of its AI Plus plan and doubles the storageJudge Learns Lawyers on Both Sides of Case Used AI, Cancels Trial, Kicks Everyone Off the CaseThe University of Cambridge says it successfully tested a vaccine with an AI-designed antigenKalshi will require employment info for some bets as an insider trading precautionSam Bankman-Fried applies for a pardon from TrumpTrump Family Reportedly Made About $2.3 Billion on Crypto While Investors Lost About $2.3 Billion on Trump-Related CryptoThe Nerdy Escorts Cashing In On Silicon Valley’s AI BoomApple Made a Sports App That Does Almost Nothing. It’s Incredible.Meta Removes Face-Recognition System From Its Smart Glasses, Is Mad About itSmart Glasses Would Legally Require a Recording Light Under Proposed LawSnap will no longer allow younger teens' Spotlight videos to be publicly viewableThe iOS 27 beta pretty much confirms that an Apple foldable is happeningThinking Sideways: How to Think Like a Chess Player and Win at Life by Jennifer ShahadeThinking Fast, Slow, Artificially: AI and Your BrainCloudConvertHoppersDownton Abbey: The Motion PictureWidow’s BayThe New ‘Ghostbusters’ Cartoon Gets a Title and Release DateDevil May Cry Season 2 on NetflixTHE SOCIAL RECKONING – Official Teaser Trailer (HD)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, Brian and Jason stare directly into the flaming garbage barge of “the future” and discover that self-driving vehicles still can’t tell the difference between a road and an urban swimming pool. Waymo stranded robotaxis in both Atlanta and San Antonio, while Gothenburg’s brand-new autonomous bus service survived roughly one day before getting rear-ended by a tram like a lost RoboCop scene directed by Benny Hill. Meanwhile, Ferrari unveiled the Jony Ive-designed Luce EV, proving that if you give Apple designers enough money and untreated minimalist impulses, eventually everything starts looking like an uninspired bar of soap.The AI bubble keeps inflating like a cursed parade balloon nobody knows how to land. Uber admits it’s spending fortunes on AI without being able to explain what it actually improves, Starbucks killed its AI inventory system after repeated losses to dairy products, and Google’s AI search now struggles with advanced concepts like “ignore,” “stop,” and spelling “Google.” CEOs remain committed to replacing workers anyway, with 99% expecting AI-driven layoffs because apparently nothing says innovation like firing junior staff and replacing them with autocomplete that thinks there are two Ps in Google. Meanwhile, Spotify continues its transformation into the content equivalent of a casino buffet with AI-narrated magazine articles, while Pope Leo emerges as the lone adult in the room, suggesting humanity maybe shouldn’t hand civilization over to glorified pattern-matching slot machines.Elsewhere in dystopia, Trump Mobile exposed customer data to the open internet because, of course, it did, while the White House reportedly plans to force-install its official app on government phones in what feels like the world’s least subtle spyware rollout. Prediction markets are devolving into a legal cage fight between states and crypto gambling enthusiasts. A Google engineer allegedly made $1.2 million through insider trading on Polymarket because we’ve apparently rebuilt Wall Street out of meme apps, and researchers say your Wi-Fi router can now identify you by how your meat body disturbs radio waves. Add in SpaceX building a military sensor-to-shooter network straight out of a cyberpunk fever dream, China launching artificial embryo experiments into orbit to explore off-world reproduction, and Erin Brockovich mapping AI data centers draining entire towns' worth of water, and suddenly the most comforting thing this week might be watching The Grand-ish Tour and pretending the world still runs on gasoline and bad decisions.Sponsors: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/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/748Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/1ji4EPiTgQ4Links:The Mandalorian and GroguWaymos in Atlanta and San Antonio keep driving into flooded roadsGothenburg's self-driving bus trammed on day oneFerrari Luce unveiled: Here's the first car from Jony Ive's design houseUber president says AI spending is getting ‘harder to justify’Trump Mobile has exposed customers' personal data, including home addresses and phone numbersThe White House is reportedly forcing its official app onto all government employee phonesKalshi and Rhode Island sue each other in latest challenge to prediction marketsGoogle engineer charged with insider trading after making $1.2M on PolymarketGoogle is currently struggling to define words like disregard, stop and ignoreWhy Google's AI can't spell Google (or anything else)Starbucks abandons its AI inventory tool after only nine monthsMajority of Americans Support Ban on Surveillance Pricing and Electronic Shelf LabelsAnsel Adams' trust says AI-colorized version of his work was exhibited without permissionPeople used AI to recreate the voices of pilots killed in a plane crashSpotify now lets you stream narrated magazine articles, tooPope Leo calls for AI to serve humanity and not concentrate power99% of CEOs Expect AI-Driven Layoffs in the Next Two YearsUS Space Force confirms SpaceX will build sensor-to-shooter targeting networkStar Trek Title Card GeneratorErin Brockovich launches a crowdsourced AI data center mapResearchers Issue Warning About Tech That Could Turn Every Router ‘Into a Potential Means for Surveillance’China Launched Artificial Embryos to Orbit to Find Out If We Can Have Space BabiesI Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything by Joanna SternInside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better by David EpsteinThe Grand-ish TourSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

FOLLOW UP starts with merchandise promotion and YouTube begging reminiscent of 2007, before GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen gets thoroughly criticized by eBay after proposing a $56 billion takeover plan that eBay called “neither credible nor attractive,” which is corporate-speak for “please stop emailing us at 3 a.m.” Meanwhile, California residents might finally receive a small settlement check from Grubhub worth about half a burrito, just as Americans realize they dislike AI data centers even more than nuclear plants because nobody wants a warehouse full of GPUs boiling away the local water supply. Lake Tahoe residents are learning their electricity now goes to AI processing plants instead of people, xAI keeps adding methane turbines despite being sued over them, and SpaceXAI employees are fleeing Elon’s “sleep under your desk forever” lifestyle as if it were the last helicopter out of Saigon.IN THE NEWS, we start gently with the revelation that everyone at the Musk v. Altman trial is sitting on luxury butt cushions because apparently the singularity requires lumbar support, before plunging straight into the abyss: fake AI crypto journalists haunting Forbes and HuffPost like SEO poltergeists, OpenAI launching “Daybreak” so the robots can now secure the software they helped break, Anthropic trying to stop AI from becoming evil by feeding it morality fan fiction, and Google catching AI-generated zero-day exploits in the wild because cyberpunk novels were apparently instructional manuals. Waymo robotaxis are experimenting with driving into floodwaters, a family is suing OpenAI after ChatGPT allegedly advised their son to mix drugs with fatal results, graduating students booed an executive for praising AI as if she were announcing the arrival of cholera, and Meta continues its speedrun toward becoming the world’s largest scam mall while simultaneously demanding everyone trust its shiny new “encrypted AI chats.” Also: Meta is testing Grok-for-Threads, somebody created an AI poop-analysis startup that quietly sells your bowel movements to data brokers, GM got nailed for selling driver data, Lime still somehow exists and wants an IPO, and Japan’s first 3D-printed house shows that the future will at least look cool even as society collapses.MEDIA CANDY features Spotify celebrating twenty years of collecting your listening habits into a psychological profile you absolutely didn't care about during the CD era, plus The Punisher: One Last Kill ironically looking like unfinished PlayStation cutscenes, Good Omens Season 3, Devil May Cry Season 2, NBC somehow turning Wordle into a TV show because every executive has fully given up, shorter waits for Severance Season 3, and Rings of Power returning in November to continue spending the GDP of a small nation on elf misery.APPS & DOODADS checks in with Apple as it prepares Siri app integrations that developers already suspect will become subscription-based hostage situations. TikTok is testing an ad-free tier in the UK because, somehow, ads weren’t already enough punishment. Venmo is finally realizing that public payment feeds are insane. There's a Wikipedia clone made entirely of AI hallucinations, and an iPad arm mount sturdy enough to survive the upcoming climate wars.AT THE LIBRARY wraps up with Clowns (First Contact), Dungeon Crawler Carl, the demise of another Goodreads competitor, Kindle alternatives for those trying to escape Amazon’s panopticon, and a reminder that Douglas Adams has now been gone for 25 years, which remains, in the immortal words of the man himself, widely regarded as a bad move.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at Shopify.com/grumpyCleanMyMac - Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use code OLDGEEKS for 20% off at clnmy.com/OLDGEEKSPrivate 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/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/746Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ICjNBnP3sMkFOLLOW UPGrumpy Old Geeks Merch StoreGrumpy Old Geeks on YouTubeeBay Brutally Rejects GameStop’s $56 Billion Proposal: ‘Neither Credible nor Attractive’Wang et al. v. Grubhub, Inc.Americans Oppose AI Data Centers in Their AreaEnergy supplier abandons Lake Tahoe residents to serve data centersxAI Got Sued Over Its Gas Turbines, so It Naturally Added More of ThemElon Musk's SpaceXAI has been bleeding staff since its mergerIN THE NEWSEveryone at the Musk v. Altman Trial Is Using Fancy Butt CushionsFour Financial Journalists Accused of Being Fake AI-Generated Puppets That Shill Crypto in Forbes, HuffPost, and MoreDaybreak is OpenAI's response to Anthropic's Claude MythosAnthropic blames dystopian sci-fi for training AI models to act “evil”Google announces its first-ever discovery of a zero-day exploit made with AIWaymo Admits Its Robotaxis Have a Small Issue With Driving Into FloodwatersFamily sues OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT advice led to accidental overdoseGraduation Speaker Says AI Is ‘The Next Industrial Revolution,’ Immediately Drowned Out by Booing StudentsMeta is facing another lawsuit over scam ads on Facebook and InstagramAfter Killing Encrypted DMs, Mark Zuckerberg Wants You to Trust His New Encrypted AI ChatHey @meta.ai is that true? Threads is testing a Grok-like AI featureInternet of Shit: AI Poop Analysis App Offered to Sell Me Database of Its Users' PoopsGM agrees to pay $12.75 million to settle California lawsuit over misuse of customers' driving dataThe electric scooter rental company Lime has filed for IPOThis startup built Japan’s first 3D-printed two-story home. It wants to solve the country’s construction crisisAPPS & DOODADSApple wants apps to integrate with Siri in iOS 27, but one fear holds some back: reportTikTok is rolling out an ad-free option in the UKVenmo's redesigned app offers more discreet payments by defaultNew Wikipedia Clone Made Entirely of AI HallucinationsYICOSUN iPad Mount Tablet Holder, 3-Section Foldable Adjustable Aluminum Alloy Arm with Rotating Clamp Base, Heavy Duty Desk Bracket for iPad Tablet Phone Portable Monitor, Bed Office KitchenMEDIA CANDYSpotify is celebrating its 20th birthday with a Wrapped-like feature that covers your entire time on the appThe Punisher: One Last KillHere’s the Real Deal With That Viral Shot From 'Punisher: One Last Kill'Good Omens Season 3 - The FinaleDevil May Cry Season 2NBC is turning Wordle into a TV showAdam Scott Promises the Wait for ‘Severance’ Season 3 Won’t Be Nearly as Long‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Is Returning in NovemberAT THE LIBRARYClowns (First Contact) by Peter CawdronDungeon Crawler Carl by Matt DinnimanTome, another Goodreads booktracker rival, shuts downBookshop.orgKoboSmashwordseBooks.comKobo E-readersONYX BOOXThe Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy OmnibusCLOSING SHOUT-OUTS'Revenge of the Nerds' Actor Donald Gibb Dead at 71See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you thought the internet was a dumpster fire before, the EU LAUNCHES SECOND INVESTIGATION INTO GROK because Musk’s bot won't stop generating nonconsensual imagery. Meanwhile, META LARGELY FAILS TO PROTECT KIDS FROM AI CHATBOTS, proving that their internal safety checks are about as effective as a screen door on a submarine. If that doesn't creep you out, AFTER RING PRIVACY BACKLASH over police partnerships, a LEAKED EMAIL SUGGESTS RING PLANS TO EXPAND ‘SEARCH PARTY’ from finding lost dogs to total neighborhood surveillance. Of course, REDDIT, META, AND GOOGLE VOLUNTARILY GAVE DHS INFO on users critical of ICE, because why stand up for privacy when you can just comply?In the news, we look at OPENCLAW, OPENAI AND THE FUTURE as the project’s founder joins the Borg, even though META AND OTHER TECH FIRMS PUT RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF OPENCLAW because it’s basically a security hole that can click your mouse for you. Peak stupidity has arrived with RFK JR'S NEW CHATBOT giving rectal dietary advice, while AI COMPANIES BOUGHT OUT ALL OF WESTERN DIGITAL’S HARD DRIVES through 2026, meaning you can't have storage because the bots need it more. Even VALVE ADMITS STEAM DECK AVAILABILITY IS AFFECTED by this memory hoarding. We also touch on STEVE BANNON SUED OVER MAGA CRYPTO SCHEME, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST ROBLOX for being a safety nightmare, and the fact that TESLA ROBOTAXIS REPORTEDLY CRASHING at four times the human rate. TESLA DODGES 30-DAY SUSPENSION by simply killing the word "Autopilot," while NEW YORK HITS THE BRAKES ON ROBOTAXI EXPANSION to keep the chaos at bay. Finally, POLYMARKET WITHDRAWS EXPLOSIVE ARTEMIS BETTING MARKET because betting on dead astronauts is too much even for them, leading the ETHEREUM CREATOR STARTING TO THINK THIS WHOLE PREDICTION MARKET THING MIGHT BE GAMBLING. As NEVADA SUES KALSHI and Jack Dorsey oversees INSIDE THE ROLLING LAYOFFS AT JACK DORSEY’S BLOCK—using AI to summarize the misery of his employees—just remember: YOU’LL BE SORRY WHEN YOU HEAR WHAT JUSTIN BIEBER’S $1.3 MILLION BORED APE IS WORTH NOW. Hint: it’s twelve grand.In this week's MEDIA CANDY, we’ve got FREE BERT, KAT WILLIAMS: THE LAST REPORT, and the eternal return of SHREK. We’re checking out MARK ROBER on Netflix, the return of MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS, and the trailer for GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE. If you need a soundtrack for the apocalypse, Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq has you covered with STOP USING GENERATIVE A.I and the Gen-X anthem I'VE NO MORE F*S TO GIVE!.Moving to APPS & DOODADS, OBSIDIAN TO NOTES is a $14 well spent, unlike CURSOR and VISUAL STUDIO CODE which are getting bogged down by slow models. APPLE’S AI PENDANT sounds like a watered-down Humane pin that relies on your phone to think, and APPLE PODCASTS AND VIDEO remains a pipe dream because bandwidth costs money. We’ve reached the point where THERE’S A GRIM NEW EXPRESSION: “AI;DR” for things not worth reading, and THERE'S A NEW TERM FOR WORKERS FREAKING OUT over being replaced—AIRD, or AI Replacement Dysfunction—which is basically the low-grade panic of being made obsolete by a machine that thinks bananas go in your bum.AT THE LIBRARY, we’re thumbing through CLEAVE THE SPARROW, THE REGICIDE REPORT by Charles Stross, and Robin Ince being NORMALLY WEIRD AND WEIRDLY NORMAL.Then we descend into THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE, where the Muppets are taking over with THE MUPPET SHOW and MUPPETS NOW. We catch the latest on THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU and TOY STORY 5, while tracking the PENTAGON PIZZA INDEX to see if war is breaking out. For the kids, we look at a 3D PRINTER / ENTRY LEVEL FOR KIDS like the Bambu Lab A1, and for the nerds, A STAR WARS-CENTRIC RSS FEED and a NEAT IDEA FOR AN RSS READER, “CURRENT,” which lets news drift away like water under a bridge. We wrap it all up with some HORROR IN UNDER TWO MINUTES and IMPECCABLE COVERS OF 80S SYNTH MUSIC, because at least the 80s had better soundtracks than this AI-generated nightmare.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.SquareSpace - go to squarespace.com/GRUMPY for a free trial. And when you’re ready to launch, use code GRUMPY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.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/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/734FOLLOW UPEU launches second investigation into Grok's nonconsensual image generationMeta largely fails to protect kids from AI chatbots, per its own testsAfter Ring privacy backlash, company abandons plans for police partnershipLeaked Email Suggests Ring Plans to Expand ‘Search Party’ Surveillance Beyond DogsReddit, Meta, and Google Voluntarily Gave DHS Info of Anti-ICE Users, Report SaysIN THE NEWSOpenClaw, OpenAI and the futureMeta and Other Tech Firms Put Restrictions on Use of OpenClaw Over Security FearsRFK Jr's new chatbot advises the public on 'best foods to insert into rectum'AI Companies Bought Out All of Western Digital’s Hard Drives for 2026 AlreadyValve admits Steam Deck availability is affected by memory and storage shortagesSteve Bannon sued over MAGA crypto schemeLos Angeles County files lawsuit against Roblox over child protectionsTesla Robotaxis Reportedly Crashing at a Rate That’s 4x Higher Than HumansTesla dodges 30-day suspension in California after removing AutopilotNew York hits the brakes on robotaxi expansion planPolymarket withdraws explosive Artemis betting market after backlashEthereum Creator Starting to Think This Whole Prediction Market Thing Might be GamblingNevada sues Kalshi for operating a sports gambling market without a licenseInside the Rolling Layoffs at Jack Dorsey’s BlockYou’ll Be Sorry When You Hear What Justin Bieber’s $1.3 Million Bored Ape Is Worth NowMEDIA CANDYFree BertKat Williams: The Last ReportShrekMark RoberMonarch: Legacy of MonstersGOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE | Official Trailer | February 13 - Only in TheatersSTOP USING GENERATIVE A.I (Original Song) by Thomas Benjamin Wild EsqI've No More F*s To Give! by Thomas Benjamin Wild EsqAPPS & DOODADSObsidian to NotesCursorVisual Studio CodeApple’s AI Pendant Sounds Like a Watered-Down Humane Ai PinThere’s a Grim New Expression: “AI;DR”There's a New Term for Workers Freaking Out Over Being Replaced by AIAT THE LIBRARYCleave the Sparrow by Jonathan KatzThe Regicide Report (Laundry Files Book 14) by Charles StrossNormally Weird and Weirdly Normal: My Adventures in Neurodiversity by Robin InceTHE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingThe Muppet ShowMuppets NowThe Mandalorian and Grogu | Official Trailer | In Theaters May 22Toy Story 5 | Official Trailer | In Theaters June 19Pentagon Pizza IndexBambu Lab A1A Star Wars-centric RSS feedCurrent RSS ReaderHorror in under two minutes.Impeccable covers of 80s synth musicTop Gun - Opening Theme (Synth Cover)CLOSING SHOUT-OUTSGreen Eggs and Ham narrated by the Reverend Jesse JacksonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week’s FOLLOW UP, Bitcoin is down 15%, miners are unplugging rigs because paying eighty-seven grand to mine a sixty-grand coin finally failed the vibes check, and Grok is still digitally undressing men—suggesting Musk’s “safeguards” remain mostly theoretical, which didn’t help when X offices got raided in France. Spain wants to ban social media for kids under 16, Egypt is blocking Roblox outright, and governments everywhere are flailing at the algorithmic abyss.IN THE NEWS, Elon Musk is rolling xAI into SpaceX to birth a $1.25 trillion megacorp that wants to power AI from orbit with a million satellites, because space junk apparently wasn’t annoying enough. Amazon admits a “high volume” of CSAM showed up in its AI training data and blames third parties, Waymo bags a massive $16 billion to insist robotaxis are working, Pinterest reportedly fires staff who built a layoff-tracking tool, and Sam Altman gets extremely cranky about Claude’s Super Bowl ads hitting a little too close to home.For MEDIA CANDY, we’ve got Shrinking, the Grammys, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s questionable holographic future, Neil Young gifting his catalog to Greenland while snubbing Amazon, plus Is It Cake? Valentines and The Rip.In APPS & DOODADS, we test Sennheiser earbuds, mess with Topaz Video, skip a deeply cursed Python script that checks LinkedIn for Epstein connections, and note that autonomous cars and drones will happily obey prompt injection via road signs—defeated by a Sharpie.IN THE LIBRARY, there’s The Regicide Report, a brutal study finding early dementia signals in Terry Pratchett’s novels, Neil Gaiman denying allegations while announcing a new book, and THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE, vibing with The Muppet Show as Disney names a new CEO. We round it out with RentAHuman.ai dread relief via paper airplane databases, free Roller Coaster Tycoon, and Sir Ian McKellen on Colbert—still classy in the digital wasteland.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.SquareSpace - go to squarespace.com/GRUMPY for a free trial. And when you’re ready to launch, use code GRUMPY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.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/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/732Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/uFfEI2fuWaMFOLLOW UPBitcoin drops 15%, briefly breaking below $61,000 as sell-off intensifies, doubts about crypto growBitcoin Is Crashing So Hard That Miners Are Unplugging Their EquipmentGrok, which maybe stopped undressing women without their consent, still undresses menX offices raided in France as UK opens fresh investigation into GrokSpain set to ban social media for children under 16Egypt to block Roblox for all usersIN THE NEWSElon Musk Is Rolling xAI Into SpaceX—Creating the World’s Most Valuable Private CompanySpaceX wants to launch a constellation of a million satellites to power AI needsA potential Starlink competitor just got FCC clearance to launch 4,000 satellitesAmazon discovered a 'high volume' of CSAM in its AI training data but isn't saying where it came fromWaymo raises massive $16 billion round at $126 billion valuation, plans expansion to 20+ citiesPinterest Reportedly Fires Employees Who Built a Tool to Track LayoffsSam Altman got exceptionally testy over Claude Super Bowl adsMEDIA CANDYShrinkingStar Trek: Starfleet AcademyThe RipNeil Young gifts Greenland free access to his music and withdraws it from Amazon over TrumpIs it Cake? ValentinesAPPS & DOODADSSennheiser Consumer Audio IE 200 In-Ear Audiophile Headphones - TrueResponse Transducers for Neutral Sound, Impactful Bass, Detachable Braided Cable with Flexible Ear Hooks - BlackSennheiser Consumer Audio CX 80S In-ear Headphones with In-line One-Button Smart Remote – BlackTopaz VideoEpsteinAutonomous cars, drones cheerfully obey prompt injection by road signAT THE LIBRARYThe Regicide Report (Laundry Files Book 14) by Charles StrossScientists Found an Early Signal of Dementia Hidden in Terry Pratchett's NovelsNeil Gaiman Denies the Allegations Against Him (Again) While Announcing a New BookTHE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingThe Muppet ShowDisney announces Josh D’Amaro will be its new CEO after Iger departsA Database of Paper Airplane Designs: Hours of Fun for Kids & Adults AlikeOnline (free!) version of Roller Coaster tycoon.Speaking of coasters, here’s the current world champion.I am hoping this is satire...Sir Ian McKellen on Colbert.CLOSING SHOUT-OUTSCatherine O’Hara: The Grande Dame of Off-Center ComedyStanding with Sam 'Balloon Man' MartinezSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep 730: Ethical Broads PRIVATEWe kick off FOLLOW UP with California’s AG sending a cease-and-desist to xAI over Grok generating creepy deepfakes of minors, while regulators finally notice Elon Musk’s xAI datacenter illegally running methane turbines in Memphis. The FTC is also appealing its loss in the Meta monopoly case, because apparently breaking up Zuckerberg’s data empire is still the hill they want to die on.IN THE NEWS, Washington joins the age-verification-for-porn parade, the UK considers an Australia-style social media ban for kids under 16, and governments everywhere continue demanding your ID before you’re allowed to enjoy the internet. OpenAI rolls out age prediction for ChatGPT accounts ahead of a rumored adult mode—though hey, at least you can now group tabs in ChatGPT’s Atlas browser. Anthropic rewrites Claude’s “constitution” to make it more vibes-based, Nevada moves to block Polymarket because gambling is only legal when the house owns the house, and YouTube promises even more AI features in 2026. Elsewhere, a Swiss suicide pod gets an AI “mental fitness” upgrade, Microsoft’s CEO begs AI developers to do something useful before the grid collapses, Musk hunts for a $134 billion payday from OpenAI and Microsoft, and makes yet more Davos predictions about robotaxis and aliens that are absolutely happening this year. On the bright side, A-list creatives push back on AI and Comic-Con bans AI art, buying humans a little more time.MEDIA CANDY finds us slogging through Wish, The Pitt, and the “Mel’s Diner in Space” look of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. We confirm 20-year-old CGI wargs still look terrible, get cautiously excited for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and note that Fallout Season 2’s weekly drops may not be working for a binge-rotted audience.In APPS & DOODADS, X launches Bluesky-style starter packs—presumably to help you find more Nazis—while ICE becomes one of the most-blocked accounts on Bluesky. Threads edges out X in daily mobile users, proving the “federated future” is just another Zuck app. And yes, we think we know what the Apple AI pin is—and definitely what it isn’t.AT THE LIBRARY, we check out The Elements, Jet Tila’s 101 Thai Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die, Half Baked Harvest: Quick & Cozy, and Southern Living’s A Southern Gentleman’s Kitchen. Scott reports back from a Jim Butcher talk, where we learn Harry Dresden sounds suspiciously like Han Solo.We close with THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE, who is juggling five podcasts while reading Going to the Top: The Story of Videopolis, plus teasers for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord and a baffling Masters of the Universe trailer, a rant on what “remastered” even means anymore, a dishwasher follow-up, and the grim news that a lot of snow is coming.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.SquareSpace - go to squarespace.com/GRUMPY for a free trial. And when you’re ready to launch, use code GRUMPY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.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/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/730Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/LiwVkLKr8CoFOLLOW UPCalifornia AG sends cease and desist to xAI over Grok's explicit deepfakesElon Musk’s xAI datacenter generating extra electricity illegally, regulator rulesZuck stuck on Trump’s bad side: FTC appeals loss in Meta monopoly caseIN THE NEWSWashington is the latest state pursuing an age verification law for porn sitesThe UK is mulling an Australia-like social media ban for users under 16OpenAI is launching age prediction for ChatGPT accountsYou can now group tabs on OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas browserAnthropic Updates Claude's 'Constitution,' Just in Case Chatbot Has a ConsciousnessNevada files to block Polymarket from offering ‘unlicensed wagering’ in the stateYouTube CEO promises more AI features in 2026Controversial Swiss Suicide Pod Gets an AI-Powered Mental Fitness UpgradeMicrosoft CEO urges AI developers 'to get to a point where we are using this to do something useful,' or 'lose even the social permission...to generate these tokens'Elon Musk is looking for a $134 billion payout from OpenAI and MicrosoftElon Musk Sure Made Lots of Predictions at DavosA-List creatives sign up to fight AI, say it enables 'theft at a grand scale'Comic-Con Bans AI Art After Artist PushbackMEDIA CANDYWishThe PittStar Trek: Starfleet Academy28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'Fallout' Season 2's Weekly Drops May Not Be WorkingAPPS & DOODADSX is also launching Bluesky-like starter packsICE becomes one of the most-blocked accounts on Bluesky after its verificationThreads edges out X in daily mobile users, new data showsI think I know what the Apple pin is, and definitely know what it isn'tApple Developing AirTag-Sized AI Pin With Dual CamerasNot to be outdone by OpenAI, Apple is reportedly developing an AI wearableSiri’s iOS 27 upgrade sounds exactly right. Apple’s AI pin sounds exactly wrongAT THE LIBRARYThe Elements by John Boyne101 Thai Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die by Jet TilaHalf Baked Harvest Quick & Cozy: A Cookbook by Tieghan GerardPestleSouthern Living A Southern Gentleman's Kitchen: Adventures in Cooking, Eating, and Living in the New South by Matt MooreTHE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingGoing to the Top: The Story of Videopolis—Part OneStar Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord | Official Teaser Trailer | Streaming April 6 on Disney+Masters of The Universe – Official Teaser TrailerCLOSING SHOUT-OUTSClassic-Era Scorpions Bassist Francis Buchholz Dies at 71See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to the digital wasteland, fellow survivors. We kick things off in the FOLLOW UP by marking a year since the LA Fires—hello, PTSD—alongside a 4th Strokiversary and three years of sobriety, all while wondering why America is currently obsessed with shooting its own civilians in the face.In the IN THE NEWS segment, Wired is finally teaching us how to protest safely in the age of surveillance, and the EFF is cheering on the hackers fighting ICE’s Nazi-adjacent tracking tactics. Meanwhile, Meta is harvesting your AI chats for targeted ads, Disney is paying $10 million for spying on kids, and Grok has spent the holidays generating nonconsensual child abuse material—a problem Elon Musk won't have to legally reckon with until the Take It Down Act hits in May. Instagram’s Adam Mosseri has basically surrendered to the AI "slop", suggesting we fingerprint "real" media because the fake stuff has already won the war.As we continue the descent, OpenAI is launching a ChatGPT Health portal despite their "loser energy" and compute limits, while Character.AI and Google are quietly settling lawsuits for bots that encouraged teen suicide. Polymarket gamblers are learning that "decentralized" juries will fist you over the definition of an "invasion" just as fast as a bank. Uber showed off a new Lucid-based robotaxi, but we’re pumping the brakes on the safety hype given that autonomous vehicles are five times more likely to crash at dusk. To wrap up the news, Tim Cook took home $74 million last year, which is a lot of "systematic philanthropy" he could be doing right now instead of just writing checks to his own ego.In MEDIA CANDY, we’re suffering through the Stranger Things wrap-up and a John McTiernan holiday marathon, though the real highlight is MTV Rewind’s tribute to music videos. We’ve got Traitors, The Pitt, and even a John Candy doc on the list, while APPS & DOODADS brings us the DJI Osmo 8, Victrola’s turntable-vibrating speakers. At least California’s DROP tool lets you purge your data from 500 brokers at once.Finally, we go to THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE to hear Dave Bittner rant about holiday tech support, health insurance gouging, and Dave Filoni taking the Star Wars reins. We close out with a look at ILM’s 50th, the deepfake porn cesspool formerly known as Twitter, and a birthday toast to the Starman himself, David Bowie.Sponsors:CleanMyMac - Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use code OLDGEEKS for 20% off at clnmy.com/OLDGEEKSPrivate 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/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/728Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/x-2GTUC6rcUIN THE NEWSHow to Protest Safely in the Age of SurveillanceHow Hackers Are Fighting Back Against ICEMeta’s New Privacy Policy Opens Up AI Chats for Targeted AdsDisney to Pay $10 Million After Feds Say It Broke Kids’ Privacy Rules on YouTubePeople Spent the Holidays Asking Grok to Generate Sexual Images of ChildrenHere's When Elon Musk Will Finally Have to Reckon With His Nonconsensual Porn GeneratorInstagram chief: AI is so ubiquitous 'it will be more practical to fingerprint real media than fake media'ChatGPT is launching a new dedicated Health portalCharacter.AI and Google settle with families in teen suicide and self-harm lawsuitsGambling platform Polymarket not paying bets on US invasion of VenezuelaUber reveals the design of its robotaxi at CES 2026Maybe We Should Pump the Brakes on the Idea That Robotaxis Are SaferHere’s how much Tim Cook and other Apple execs made last yearMEDIA CANDYThe PittDownton Abbey: The Grand FinaleJurassic World RebirthThe Darjeeling LimitedOh Brother, Where Art Thou?Honey Don’tJohn Candy: I Like MeMTV Rewind is a developer's tribute to 24/7 music video channelsAPPS & DOODADSDJI Osmo Mobile 8Netflix GamesThis speaker by Victrola sits underneath turntables and streams audio via BluetoothDelete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP)THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingIndustrial Light & Magic: 50 Years of InnovationDave Filoni to run Star WarsWho’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.