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Grumpy Old Geeks — News
Grumpy Old Geeks

We dissect the tech news train wrecks of the week, calling out what went wrong and who’s to blame. Think of this podcast as if Kurt Cobain threw down with Tom from MySpace, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg in a back alley brawl. No mercy, no filter—if tech had a walk of shame, this would be it.

Copyright: © Grumpy Old Geeks LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Latest Episodes:

708: Spicy Mode Aug 08, 2025

Show notes

Alright, buckle up, buttercups, because this week's "Spicy Mode" episode of Grumpy Old Geeks proves that while things change, they mostly stay the same—just with more AI and less common sense. First up in FOLLOW UP, some poor schmoe automaker actually got a federal exemption for automated vehicles. Because what could possibly go wrong when we let robots drive?

Then we dive headfirst into IN THE NEWS, a veritable dumpster fire of artificial intelligence. Illinois, bless their hearts, decided to ban AI therapists, probably because even they realized a chatbot won't fix your existential dread. But don't worry, older Americans are totally embracing these digital companions, like ElliQ, your friendly AI sidekick for "happier, healthier aging." Meanwhile, Perplexity is still allegedly scraping websites like it's 1999, and Apple's cooking up a "stripped-down" AI chatbot, probably because all their good AI talent bailed. Even Wells Fargo is deploying AI agents, so now your bank can deny you a loan with even less human empathy. And naturally, the US government is totally on board with OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic—because handing over the keys to Skynet to federal agencies sounds like a super solid plan. Oh, and of course, Grok now has a "spicy" NSFW mode, because what else would you expect? And just when you thought it couldn't get any dumber, Microsoft is "cautiously onboarding" Grok 4 after some minor Hitler concerns. Tesla, in a move that surprises absolutely no one, shut down Dojo, their AI training supercomputer. If you’re still using ChatGPT for your deepest, darkest secrets, be warned: a single poisoned document could leak all your data. Even the Swedish Prime Minister is apparently relying on ChatGPT for decision-making. In other news that doesn't involve robots taking over, Amazon split up Wondery and laid off a bunch of folks, and Microsoft's Windows XP Crocs are an actual thing. Yes, really.

For MEDIA CANDY, prepare for a dose of nostalgia and existential dread. We're talking Rogue One, Nate Bargatze's stand-up specials (because sometimes you just need to laugh), Portlandia, Craig Ferguson, and the OG AI movie, Colossus: The Forbin Project. Netflix keeps canceling everything we love, including Fubar, but hey, The Sandman Season 2 and Wednesday are still here. And just to prove that Hollywood is still stuck in the past, Universal Pictures is threatening to sue Big Tech for stealing their movies for AI. Over in APPS & DOODADS, Google's smart home ecosystem is apparently crumbling, because who needs a cohesive system when you can have a dozen disconnected devices? But hey, OpenAI released a free GPT model you can run on your laptop, so now you can build your own personal AI overlord right at home. And finally, THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE brings us Gravity Falls books and a new Star Wars movie with Matt Smith and Ryan Gosling. Oh, and Weird Science is on Netflix, because sometimes you just need to relive the 80s and pretend AI hasn't completely taken over. So grab your flannel, cue up some Oingo Boingo, and enjoy the show, you analog dinosaurs.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/708

FOLLOW UP

First U.S. automaker gets federal automated vehicle exemption

IN THE NEWS

Illinois is the first state to ban AI therapists

Older Americans turning to AI-powered chatbots for companionship

Meet ElliQ - Your AI sidekick for happier, healthier aging

Perplexity is allegedly scraping websites it's not supposed to, again

Apple reportedly has a 'stripped-down' AI chatbot to compete with ChatGPT in the works

Apple's Real AI Crisis Isn't Siri, But the Talent It's Losing to Rivals

Wells Fargo Deploys AI Agents Business-Wide

US adds OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic to list of approved AI vendors for federal agencies

ElevenLabs launches its own royalty-free AI music service

Surprising no one, Grok's image and video generator now has an NSFW 'spicy' mode

Microsoft is cautiously onboarding Grok 4 following Hitler concerns

Tesla shuts down Dojo, the AI training supercomputer that Musk said would be key to full self-driving

A Single Poisoned Document Could Leak ‘Secret’ Data Via ChatGPT

Prime Minister of Sweden Dragged for Admitting He Uses ChatGPT to Help Him Make Decisions

Amazon splits up the Wondery podcast network and lays off about 110 employees

Microsoft’s Windows XP Crocs are no joke

MEDIA CANDY

Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American

Nate Bargatze: The Tennessee Kid

Your Friend, Nate Bargatze

"I'm So Happy" | Craig Ferguson (Full Stand-up Special)

Colossus: The Forbin Project

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Comic-Con Teaser

‘Fubar’ Canceled By Netflix After 2 Seasons

The Sandman Season 2

Universal Pictures to Big Tech: We’ll Sue If You Steal Our Movies For AI

APPS & DOODADS

Google’s Smart Home Ecosystem Is Crumbling

OpenAI releases a free GPT model that can run on your laptop

How to set up and run OpenAI's 'gpt-oss-20b' open weight model locally on your Mac

AT THE LIBRARY

Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir by Bob Odenkirk

Spotify's premium audiobook feature launches in the US

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Only Malware in the Building

Gravity Falls: Journal 3

Gravity Falls: The Book of Bill

‘Star Wars: Starfighter’: Matt Smith Lands Villain Role In New Lucasfilm Pic Starring Ryan Gosling

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707: Someone Spilled the Tea Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

While Brian frolics somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, Jason brings in cyber-sleuth Dave Bittner for a jam-packed episode covering everything from Gen X’s slow descent into obscurity to furries, feds, and face-scanning your way into porn. The guys start with a salute to the late, great Tom Lehrer—a math nerd with a piano and zero tolerance for BS—before diving into the avalanche of cyber screwups plaguing today’s digital circus.

The biggest spill? The so-called “safe” dating app Tea just doxxed its entire user base—because who needs privacy when you’ve got bad Firebase settings from 2017? Meanwhile, teens are befriending chatbots, Microsoft is issuing pink slips via PowerPoint, and Meta might be training its AI on stolen porn. Add in farmers installing turnstiles in the Dolomites to keep influencers off their grass, age verification laws that Norman Reedus can bypass with a JPEG, and Tesla diners turning into 24/7 neighbor hellscapes, and yeah—it’s just another week on the internet.

If you’re a Gen Xer feeling invisible, underpaid, and over it, congrats—you’re not alone. This episode is a full buffet of schadenfreude, digital paranoia, and good old-fashioned grump. Pour a cup of whatever’s not boiling, and tune in for the roast. Tom Lehrer would’ve approved.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/708

FOLLOW UP

Why Gen X is the real loser generation

Teens say they are turning to AI for friendship

IN THE NEWS

Hackers steal images from women's dating safety app that vets men

Hackers leak 13,000 user photos and IDs from the Tea app, designed as a women's safe space

Tea dating app disables direct messaging as it investigates data breach

The Tea App Data Breach: What Was Exposed and What We Know About the Class Action Lawsuit

Tea App's Second Breach: 1.1 Million Private Messages Exposed in ...

The Tea App Breach: A Catastrophic Privacy Failure in the Quest for ...

Tea App Leak: What's Going on With the 4chan Tea App Data ...

Tea app hacked: 13,000 photos leaked after 4chan call to action

The Tea app hack explained – how a data breach spilled thousands of photos from the top free US app, and what to do

Women are reporting bad men on this app. Here’s the legal tea on the app called Tea

Major Security Breach at Tea App Exposes Sensitive User Data

The dating app that doxxed 72,000 women... - YouTube

Tea app fallout worsens as leaked selfies used in rating site, online ...

Two data breaches in one week on social media site Tea

Dating safety app Tea suspends messaging after hack - BBC

First Came Tea. Then Came the Male Rage.

The Tea App Data Breach: What Was Exposed and What We Know ...

How Tea’s data breach became a brand moment

Tea app takes messaging system offline after security breach

Tea app hacked as women's photos, IDs & even DMs leaked online

Microsoft Releases List of Jobs Most and Least Likely to Be Replaced by AI

Copyright Lawsuit Accuses Meta of Pirating Adult Films for AI Training

Fed-up Italian farmers set up mountain turnstiles to charge access to Instagram hot spots

Grumpy Old Geeks recommend Private Internet Access

The Age-Gated Internet Is Here

Social media age verification laws in the United States - Wikipedia

All the loopholes people are using to get past the Online Safety Act

Age Verification Laws Send VPN Use Soaring—and Threaten the Open Internet

The UK's new age-gating rules are easy to bypass - The Verge

How Minors Bypass Age Verification: 6 Common Methods to Watch ...

Age Verification in the United States: Insights from the Open ...

Age-Verification Evasion in 2025: How Minors Outsmart ... - Shufti Pro

Exploring Privacy-Preserving Age Verification: A Close Look at Zero-Knowledge Proofs

What to know about online age verification laws | AP News

US State age verification laws for adult content – AVPA

Age verification tools on adult websites bypassed in seconds

Age Verification - The Heritage Foundation

Age Verification Bill Tracker - Free Speech Coalition

Online Pornography Age Verification Laws by US State - Kindbridge

Online Age Verification Laws Could Do More Harm Than Good

UK probes 34 porn sites under new age-check rules

How to Bypass US Porn Ban and Age Verification Laws - Cybernews

Why I Emphatically Oppose Online Age Verification Mandates

Ready or not, age verification is rolling out across the internet

Tesla partly liable in Florida Autopilot trial, jury awards $200M punitive damages

ChatGPT users shocked to learn their chats were in Google search results

Living Next To Tesla Diner Is 'Absolute Hell,' Neighbors Say

Songs and Lyrics by Tom Lehrer

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Only Malware in the Building

Furries and Security

Tom Lehrer was the face of the real 1950s

Tom Lehrer Full Copenhagen Performance

The delightful story of a prank Tom Leher played on the NSA

Peter Schickele

The History of Hollywood's Large Format Film Cameras!

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706: Let There Be Scams Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

This week, we're drowning in the genius of our tech overlords as Elon Musk opens his Tesla diner, complete with $17 hotdogs and a blocked apartment view, while his $9 billion Neuralink startup claims it’s a "disadvantaged" business. Not to be outdone, SpaceX is mad about other people's space junk, France is criminally probing X for algorithm manipulation, and Meta is giving the EU's AI code of practice a hard pass. Amid warnings the AI bubble is worse than the dot-com implosion, we've seen Replit delete a user's database, ChatGPT hallucinate features into existence, and the FDA's own AI fake medical studies. It’s no wonder psychologists are identifying "AI Psychosis" while others hope the ensuing internet slop cures our addiction. Meanwhile, a Denver couple gets indicted for a crypto scam, a Colorado pastor blames God for his failed coin, and Trump signs a stablecoin bill, so that's all fixed now. To top it off, Lyft lets you block drivers and Uber finally lets women riders match with women drivers in the US.

In Media Candy, we’re turning the nostalgia dial to eleven with "This Is Spinal Tap" in 4K and a look back at 1994's best movies, a time before Spotify started polluting dead artists' pages with AI-generated songs. Netflix is also using generative AI, but we're still watching "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," "Hacks," "Wednesday," "Superman," "Sunday Best," and "Bookish." For your app fix, you can browse a glorious collection of 90s Geocities backgrounds or let Amazon's new Bee AI wearable listen to your every word, your choice. At the library, we're digging into Michael Palin's "Python Years" diaries. Finally, we pour one out in our closing shout-outs for George Kooymans of Golden Earring, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Hulk Hogan, and the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne. What a week.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/706

IN THE NEWS

Tesla’s retro-futuristic diner officially opens as Elon Musk hints at more locations

Tesla's new diner blocks a neighboring apartment building's view

A $17 Hotdog and a Humanoid Robot Serving Popcorn: WIRED’s Day at the Tesla Diner

Elon Musk-Founded Brain Implant Startup Says It’s a ‘Disadvantaged’ Business Despite Being Worth $9 Billion

France launches criminal probe of X's alleged algorithm 'manipulation'

SpaceX Has the Nerve to Be Mad About a Competitor’s Massive Satellites Littering Earth Orbit

Meta says it won't sign the EU's AI code of practice

Why I'm Betting Against AI Agents in 2025 (Despite Building Them)

Replit goes rogue during a code freeze and shutdown and deletes our entire database

Vibe coding service Replit deleted user’s production database, faked data, told fibs galore

ChatGPT Hallucinated a Feature, Forcing Human Developers to Add It

“Call Me A Jerk: Persuading AI to Comply with Objectionable Requests”

The Emerging Problem of "AI Psychosis"

AI Slop Might Finally Cure Our Internet Addiction

FDA’s New Drug Approval AI Is Generating Fake Studies: Report

Economist Warns the AI Bubble Is Worse Than Immediately Before the Dot-Com Implosion

OpenAI Seeks Additional Capital From Investors as Part of Its $40 Billion Round

Microsoft Sharepoint server vulnerability puts an estimated 10,000 organizations at risk

‘I Got You Guys Out of So Much Trouble’: Trump Signs Stablecoin Crypto Bill

Denver Grand Jury Indicts Married Couple in Alleged Multi-Million Dollar Cryptocurrency Scam

Colorado pastor: "We took God at his word and sold a cryptocurrency with no clear exit"

Lyft Will Let Users ‘Favorite’ or Block Drivers in Broader Loyalty Push

Uber is finally letting women riders in the US match with women drivers

MEDIA CANDY

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Netflix is already using generative AI in its original shows

'Wednesday' Is Snapping Back for Season 3 and a Spinoff

This Is Spinal Tap Now Available in 4K Ultra HD

In 2024, More Music Is Released in a Day Than in All of 1989 Combined

Best Movies of 1994

Spotify Allowing AI-Generated Songs on Dead Artists’ Pages: Report

APPS & DOODADS

Amazon buys Bee AI wearable that listens to everything you say

Collection of 1990s website background tiles from Geocities

AT THE LIBRARY

Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years (Michael Palin Diaries Book 1)

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Golden Earring guitarist George Kooymans dead at 77

'The Cosby Show' Star Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dead At 54, Accidental Drowning

Malcolm & Eddie Intro

Hulk Hogan Dead at 71

Ozzy Osbourne, Godfather of Heavy Metal, Dead at 76

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705: Vibe Defunding Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

Kicking things off, Jack Dorsey—a man with too much time on his hands—has vibe-coded his beard into an insecure messaging app that the company admits you shouldn't trust... yet. Meanwhile, if you want a piece of a legendary disaster, the Fyre Festival brand sold for a mere $245k after some shady bidding that might be a "shitty agentic AI" at work.

In the world of our future robot overlords, Nvidia's CEO calmly admitted "some harm will be done," while billionaires like Travis Kalanick are busy discovering "vibe physics" with Elon Musk's Grok—an AI that literally checks what its dad thinks before answering. But the real insanity? The internet is demanding an apology from Elmo's hacked account, proving we're mad at the puppet, not the puppeteer. On the more tangible front, Tesla is making desperate moves in Canada and India as sales collapse, while we learn that hackers have been able to stop US trains for over a decade remotely, but no one has bothered to fix the issue. Oh, and laid-off Candy Crush staff? They were forced to train their AI replacements on the way out the door. The future is bright.

Over in Media Candy, we're grudgingly impressed by Andor's 14 Emmy nods and the genius faux '90s action movie trailer for Karl Urban's Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II. We also got trailers for Stranger Things 5 and Tron: Ares, where Jared Leto thankfully only speaks two words.

Finally, Dave takes us to the Dark Side for a nostalgia trip through the history of the Apple II and the Kaypro 2000 laptop, sparking a debate on why we all coveted a computer that, in retrospect, wasn't that great. This is contrasted with the modern reality of an IPTV pirate getting three years in prison and Metallica issuing a copyright strike against the Pentagon. To wrap it all up, a TEDx talk poses the ultimate question: Has tech delivered on its promises? We're still thinking about that one.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/705

FOLLOW UP

Jack Dorsey’s New App Just Hit a Very Embarrassing Snag

Fyre Festival’s Brand Rights Get a Fire Sale on eBay

Get Paid Podcast -Why AI Won't Kill Salesforce | Aaron Levie (Box)

IN THE NEWS

Windsurf's CEO goes to Google; OpenAI's acquisition falls apart

The CEO of Nvidia Admits What Everybody Is Afraid of About AI

Billionaires Convince Themselves AI Chatbots Are Close to Making New Scientific Discoveries

Newest Version of Grok Looks Up What Elon Musk Thinks Before Giving an Answer

Elon Musk Wants to Turn AI Into a Cosmic Religion

The TESCREAL bundle: Eugenics and the promise of utopia through artificial general intelligence

Study warns of ‘significant risks’ in using AI therapy chatbots

They’re Losing the Ability to Understand What They’ve Created

Laid-Off Staff At Candy Crush Maker Say They've Been Training Their AI Replacements

Memecoin Platform Pump.fun Raises $600 Million Within 12 Minutes

Hacked Elmo X account posts antisemitic remarks

Elmo Breaks Silence on His Antisemitic Social Media Posts

Tesla Makes a Desperate Move in Canada as Sales Collapse

As Sales Drop, Tesla Makes a Big Gamble on India

Hackers Can Remotely Trigger the Brakes on American Trains and the Problem Has Been Ignored for Years

DOGE Denizen Marko Elez Leaked API Key for xAI

A Company Tried to Put Real Estate on the Blockchain and Now It's Facing a Legal Disaster

Mark Zuckerberg says Meta is building a 5GW AI data center

A Cloudflare issue is breaking websites for some users

MEDIA CANDY

‘Andor’ Gets 14 Emmy Nominations in a Genre-Heavy Year

‘Slow Horses’ Renewed for Season 7 at Apple TV+

Mortal Kombat II | Official Red Band Trailer

See Johnny Cage in Uncaged Fury

Watch Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage Be a B-List Movie Star in This Faux Movie Trailer

Stranger Things 5 | Official Teaser | Netflix

Tron: Ares | Official Trailer

Fountain of Youth

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Dexter: Resurrection

7 Weird Sci-Fi Network TV Shows That Aired Just as Streaming Was Taking Over

Helix IPTV Owner Sentenced to 3 Years Prison For Piracy & Money Laundering

Metallica Issues Copyright Strike Against US Govt for Military Drone Video

APPS & DOODADS

Jack Dorsey's new app tracks your sun exposure

Taking a Photo in Dubai Could Land You with a $136k Fine or Jail

Pointer Pointer

Meta Cracks Down on Facebook Users Who Steal and Repost Others’ Photos

Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Only Malware in the Building

Irish Video Game Orchestra

YouTuber faces jail time for showing off Android-based gaming handhelds

Are We Trek Yet?

Tech Promised Everything. Did it deliver?

Apple II History

Kaypro 2000 laptop

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704: I’m Lovin’ It Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

Apparently, you can’t keep a good grifter down, as Billy McFarland’s seven-figure Fyre Fest deal collapsed, so he’s hawking the brand on eBay like a box of junk. Meanwhile, Indeed and Glassdoor are laying off over 1,000 workers, probably to pay for the AI that’s jacking up our electric bills. Speaking of AI, a Tesla robotaxi crashed itself while Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot went full Nazi, which is of course being installed in Teslas "next week." Fittingly, X CEO Linda Yaccarino stepped down and promptly lost her blue check. To cap off the dystopian news, the DOJ is targeting an anti-ICE app developer, the 'click-to-cancel' rule is dead, and you can hack McDonald’s with the password ‘123456’. The future is now, and it's dumber than we ever imagined.

On the media front, Murderbot gets a second season, and the Jim Henson and The Beach Boys documentaries are must-sees. Sadly, Netflix canceled The Residence. We also got trailers for Neuromancer, Project Hail Mary, and Edgar Wright's The Running Man. Speaking of building the future, we took a deep dive into AI-assisted coding using tools like Cursor, building a functional app in hours with zero original code. It’s a stark reminder that while the "free lunch" of AI development is ending, the future for junior coders is already cooked. This glorious new world also includes playing every retro game ever on your phone, thanks to emulators like Delta and PPSSPP and the Backbone controller, which led to a nostalgic dive into the classic soundtracks of Mega Man 2 and Wipeout XL. This all culminated in a personal victory: conquering all 4,678 boards in Mahjong Titan+, freeing us from our porcelain thrones.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/704

FOLLOW UP

Billy McFarland Says His Seven-Figure Deal to Sell Fyre Fest Has Fallen Through

Own FYRE Festival – Iconic Brand, Trademarks, IP, Social Media Assets, and More

Billy McFarland Is Now Trying to Unload the Fyre Fest Brand on eBay

IN THE NEWS

Indeed and Glassdoor are cutting more than 1,000 jobs

A Tesla robotaxi inexplicably drove into a parked car

Major US power operator says AI and data center demands are pushing prices up

An AI That Promises to “Solve All Diseases” Is About to Test Its First Human Drugs

‘Round Them Up’: Grok Praises Hitler as Elon Musk’s AI Tool Goes Full Nazi

Musk’s Grok 4 launches one day after chatbot generated Hitler praise on X

Elon Musk says Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles just after it went full Hitler

Elon Musk Says He's Installing His Racist Grok AI in Teslas "Next Week"

X CEO Linda Yaccarino is stepping down after two years

They took away Linda Yaccarino's blue check!

Six Months Ago NPR Left Twitter. The Effects Have Been Negligible

How SpaceX is blocking astronomers' view of space

New Research Bolsters Freaky Theory That Earth Sits in a Giant Cosmic Void

DOJ goes after US citizen for developing anti-ICE app

Trump’s FTC Let Lobbyists Kill Popular Click-To-Cancel Rule, Advocates Say

EU regulators are once again investigating TikTok over data transfers to China

Researchers Jailbreak AI by Flooding It With Bullshit Jargon

Bug Hunters Gain Access to 64 Million McDonald’s Job Applicants’ Info by Using the Password ‘123456’

MEDIA CANDY

Murderbot is getting a season 2 on Apple TV Plus

Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy: A Tor Original (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells

Netflix Cancels ‘Pulse’ and Shondaland’s ‘The Residence’ After One Season Each

Neuromancer — In Production | Apple TV+

PROJECT HAIL MARY Trailer (2025) Ryan Gosling

The Running Man | Official Trailer (2025 Movie) - Edgar Wright, Glen Powell

Sandman Season 2

Guy Ritchies The Covenant

The Old Guard 2

Jim Henson Idea Man

AMC now warns moviegoers to expect ‘25-30 minutes’ of ads and trailers

APPS & DOODADS

Anker issues new global power bank recall over fire hazard

Visual Studio Code

Anthropic Academy

The Onion in 2056: A dystopian world of Flash animation

Jack Dorsey just released a Bluetooth messaging app that doesn't need the internet

WhereGoes Link Checker

YouTube prepares crackdown on ‘mass-produced’ and ‘repetitive’ videos, as concern over AI slop grows

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Only Malware in the Building

Backbone iPhone Game Controller

PPSSPP - A PSP emulator

Major Nintendo Switch Piracy Website Seized By FBI

Update on the Anbernic emulator device

MegaMan 2 music performed by an orchestra

Music by John Williams

Wipeout XL Playlist

Mahjong Titan+ Apple Arcade

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703: None More Black Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

This week, we saddle up for another bumpy ride through the dystopian tech clown show. We kick off with the surveillance state’s greatest hits: ICE raids sweeping L.A., a website literally called FuckLAPD.com that lets you ID cops by their mug shots, and a Norwegian tourist who learned the hard way that having a JD Vance chipmunk meme on your phone is now grounds for deportation. Pro tip: if you’re traveling to the U.S., you might want to wrap your phone in lead and bury it in a cornfield.

In the news, Big Balls has apparently rolled his way from Elon’s Department of Government Efficiency to the Social Security Administration—because nothing says “government modernization” like a 19-year-old tech bro with a meme nickname. Meanwhile, Tesla robotaxis are hitting the roads (and maybe a few pedestrians) with human babysitters in tow, Waymo and Uber are turning Atlanta into Blade Runner Lite, and Texas wants a permit for your self-driving car. Over in AI hell, judges can’t agree if training your chatbot on stolen books is fair use or just digital asbestos. YouTube, never one to miss a race to the bottom, is rolling out an AI Slop button so you can crank up the crap to 11.

In Media Candy, Russell Crowe is beefing up his IMDb with Highlander, Henry Cavill is along for the ride, and Anthony Bourdain Day is apparently a thing (even though he’d have rolled his eyes at it). We also dig into everything from Minecraft movies to the sad demise of Blue Microphones at the hands of Logitech. Plus, Dave Bittner drops by to commiserate about malware, retro gaming handhelds, and why some Star Wars maps are basically porn for nerds. And yes—Windows is finally killing the Blue Screen of Death, proving even Microsoft can eventually learn to read the room.

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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/703

FOLLOW UP

The mad scramble to track ICE raids across L.A. County

‘FuckLAPD.com’ Lets Anyone Use Facial Recognition to Instantly Identify Cops

European tourist denied entry to US over JD Vance meme on his phone

'My Bad:' Babyface Vance Meme Creator On Norwegian Tourist's Detainment

Travelling to the U.S.? Here's a guide to locking down phones and other devices

IN THE NEWS

The Tyranny of ‘Big Balls’ Has Come to an End

‘Big Balls’ Is Now at the Social Security Administration

‘Techno King’ Elon Musk Doesn’t Own a Computer, His Lawyers Tell Court

Tesla's inaugural Robotaxi rides will have a human 'safety monitor' on board

Tesla's first robotaxi rides are already running into a few bumps

Waymo and Uber launch robotaxi service in Atlanta

Texas will require permits for self-driving cars starting in September

What We Know So Far About the Supposed ‘Mother of All Data Breaches’

Digital Asbestos

The Oversight Board calls Meta's uneven AI moderation 'incoherent and unjustifiable'

Judge rules Anthropic's AI training on copyrighted materials is fair use

Meta Wins Blockbuster AI Copyright Case—but There’s a Catch

Judge: Pirate libraries may have profited from Meta torrenting 80TB of books

Two Courts Rule On Generative AI and Fair Use — One Gets It Right

YouTube Will Add an AI Slop Button Thanks to Google’s Veo 3

AI Slop: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

For the first time, social media overtakes TV as Americans’ top news source

First images from the largest camera ever built reveal millions of galaxies

MEDIA CANDY

Russell Crowe Lends His Russell Crowe-ness to ‘Highlander’

Russell Crowe Arming Up Opposite Henry Cavill In Chad Stahelski’s ‘Highlander’ At Amazon MGM Studios & UA

The Accountant 2

The Godfather of Harlem

In Vogue: The 90s

A Minecraft Movie

Anthony Bourdain didn't say that (but we wish he did)

How to celebrate Bourdain Day, a thing Tony probably would have hated

Quote Investigator

Doug Liman Will Attempt to Cram Stephen King’s Epic Novel ‘The Stand’ Into a Single Movie

The Dead Zone on Amazon Prime Video

‘The boys got sex. I got poetry’: what Britpop was like for women

The Story Behind the Song: The Bangle’s Susanne Hoffs - Eternal Flame

APPS & DOODADS

Brave keeps opening google app

Windows is finally kicking the Blue Screen of Death to the curb

Philips Hue says US prices will go up in July because of tariffs

iPhone Users Upset About Apple Promoting F1 Movie With Wallet App Notification

HDMI 2.2's full specs have been finalized, with better support for modern displays

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Only Malware in the Building

I Can’t Stop Staring at This Massive ‘Star Wars’ Galaxy Map

Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts

RG35XX H, Anbernic Retro Handheld Gaming Console with 64GTF Card, Dual Joystick Design 3.5-inch HD Screen Lasts up to 8 Hours High-Capacity Battery for Better Experience (64G Black)

DRAGON GRIP- The Martial Arts Sound Effects Toy

Reminds me of Weird Al poking fun of this in the “Fat” video

How Logitech Killed A Great Microphone Company - The History of Blue Microphones

Homemade Disneyland Star Tours Attraction (Full Ride Experience)

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702: TikTaco Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

In this week’s episode, Trump delays the TikTok ban for the third time—because procrastination is the new policy—and Twitter’s old sign finds new purpose as desert firewood. Tesla continues its streak of “hold my beer” engineering by blowing past a school bus in FSD tests, then mysteriously dumps Cybertrucks in Jersey parking lots while prepping a July 4th factory nap. Meanwhile, Elon’s xAI is incinerating a billion bucks a month and allegedly poisoning Memphis, OpenAI and Microsoft are beefing over who’s the bigger megalomaniac, and Sam Altman thinks your power bill should fund his robot overlords.

In other signs of the apocalypse: Amazon is gleefully replacing workers with AI, Microsoft finally admits it might’ve wasted billions chasing Skynet, and Wikipedia’s editors say no thanks to dumbed-down AI summaries. Studies warn ChatGPT may be turning your brain into smooth pudding, while swearing data reveals the internet prefers the F-word with regional flair. A broke crypto TikToker gets released because he’s too poor to ransom, and bankruptcies spike across the Bay as tech jobs vanish like investor confidence.

Media Candy brings a buffet from Inside Out to Murderbot to Stick, and Liam Neeson somehow makes the Naked Gun reboot look awesome; Apple tunes CarPlay to fit your weird dashboard, Trump sells a gold Android that’s tackier than his ties, and Dave goes full retro with Open EMU 2 and FPGA gaming; plus: Dr. Demento retires, Disneyland hits your screen, and we swear this isn’t all a fever dream.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/702

FOLLOW UP

Donald Trump will delay a looming TikTok ban for a third time

The 560-pound Twitter sign met a fiery end in a Nevada desert

IN THE NEWS

Tesla blows past stopped school bus and hits kid-sized dummies in Full Self-Driving tests

Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Nine Times

What are hundreds of Teslas doing in a New Jersey mall parking lot?

Residents Baffled as Tesla Dumps Dozens of Cybertrucks in Shopping Center

Tesla plans to shut down Model Y and Cybertruck production over the week of July 4

23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki will regain control of embattled DNA company after all

OpenAI and Microsoft Tensions Are Reaching a Boiling Point

Amazon says it will reduce its workforce as AI replaces human employees

Musk’s xAI Burns Through $1 Billion a Month as Costs Pile Up

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shocks industry by admitting AI has yet to deliver real value despite massive investment

Wikipedia cancels plan to test AI summaries after editors skewer the idea

Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task

Sam Altman Says "Significant Fraction" of Earth's Total Electricity Should Go to Running AI

xAI faces legal threat over alleged Colossus data center pollution in Memphis

Kidnappers free TikTok crypto influencer after realizing he has no money

Personal bankruptcy surges in the Bay as tech employment sags - The San Francisco Standard

201 ways to say ‘f**k’: what 1.7 billion words of online text shows about how the world swears

Vulgarity in online discourse around the English-speaking world

MEDIA CANDY

Families Like Ours

The Naked Gun - Official Trailer (2025) Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson

The Sandman: Season 2 | Official Trailer | Netflix

David Zaslav Is Getting a Pay Cut

How adversarial attacks in audio files give musicians new power against AI theft – Here’s what you need to know

Music Music tech Tech WebBenn Jordan’s AI poison pill and the weird world of adversarial noise

APPS & DOODADS

iOS 26 will fit CarPlay to better match the shape of your car's screen

Trump’s New Cash Grab Is a Gold iPhone Lookalike That’s Worse Than Any Budget Android

The golden Trump Phone is almost certainly not made in the US

AT THE LIBRARY

Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine by Derren Brown

AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can't, and How to Tell the Difference by Sayash Kapoor, Arvind Narayanan

Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years (Michael Palin Diaries Book 1)

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Only Malware in the Building

Analogue Pocket OpenFPGA Guide

All Major Gen-AI Models Vulnerable to ‘Policy Puppetry’ Prompt Injection Attack

Visit Disneyland From the Comfort of Disney+ With More POV Walkthroughs

Dr. Demento Announces Retirement After 55 Years

Star Wars metal.

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701: Dancing in the Streets Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

This week, we light a candle for lost legends and torch a few bad takes. In Follow Up, Molly White reminds us that giving a damn still matters—despite the rising tide of apathy (and flaming robotaxis in downtown L.A.). Protesters across the country chant “No Kings!” while Elon does his best impression of a bootlicker groveling back to Trump. Meanwhile, we take a moment to reflect on 2025’s greatest hits: riots, rollbacks, and rampant idiocy.

In the news, Uber decides buses are cool again—but shittier and more expensive. The UK jumps into the robotaxi game while Tesla, shockingly, misses another launch date. French Tesla fans are suing over the brand’s fashy vibes, Google is ghosting employees via buyout, and Meta’s trying to buy its way to artificial godhood. Oh, and Trump’s launching an AI chatbot. What could go wrong? Elsewhere, China turns off AI so kids can cheat the old-fashioned way, Disney and Universal are gunning for Midjourney, and Shopify goes stablecoin with Coinbase and Stripe.

Media Candy’s popping off: Foundation returns, Strange New Worlds prepares for its final warp, and Spaceballs is back—with the original cast! Meanwhile, we review Mythfits, Princess of Power, and the slow striptease that is David Zaslav’s credibility. On the gadget front: forget your canned air—go full vacuum-blower-keyboard-cleaner madness. And in The Dark Side with Dave, stormtroopers vlog, AI kills joy, and we race the beam in retro game land. Finally, we say goodbye to a few greats—Sly Stone, Brian Wilson, Ananda Lewis, Douglas McCarthy, and Apple legend Bill Atkinson. Play God Only Knows, pour one out, and stay grumpy.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/701

FOLLOW UP

It matters. I care. by Molly White

Waymo Halts Service in Downtown Los Angeles After Its Taxis Are Set on Fire

What to know about 'No Kings' protests against Trump's policies

What It Was Like in the Shit in 2025

Elon Cuck Apologizes to Donald Trump

IN THE NEWS

Uber’s New Shuttle Is Basically a Bus, but Worse

The UK will get its first robotaxis next year

With Roadblock After Roadblock, Is Tesla’s Robotaxi Launch Doomed to Fail?

Tesla's Robotaxi Launch Date Was Supposed to Be Today, But We're Shocked to Hear That It's Been Pushed Back - Shocked, we say.

French Tesla customers file lawsuit over brand becoming 'extreme-right' symbol

Google offers buyouts to employees across the company, including Search

Meta is reportedly forming an 'AI Superintelligence' team

The Trump Administration Is Launching an AI Chatbot

China Takes on Student Cheating by Shutting Off AI Nationwide During Exams

AI Therapy Bots Are Conducting 'Illegal Behavior,' Digital Rights Organizations Say

Disney and Universal file major copyright lawsuit against Midjourney over AI-generated characters

Shopify partners with Coinbase and Stripe in landmark stablecoin deal

MEDIA CANDY

Mythfits Podcast

Marina - PRINCESS OF POWER

Foundation — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ - July 11th

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Will End With a Fifth and Final Season

Spaceballs Sequel Set for 2027 with Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks, and Bill Pullman All Returning

David Zaslav Has No Clothes

APPS & DOODADS

Supertone Clear

The Real Problem With Bluesky

Compressed Air Duster with Air Blower 160000RPM Vacuum Cleaner and Air Duster 4 in 1 Keyboard Cleaner,No Canned Air Duster,Electir Air Duster,Replaces for Compressed Air Cans &Vacuum Cleaner for PC

BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Cordless 10 in. String Trimmer/Edger with 1.5Ah Battery and Charger

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Only Malware in the Building

A Stormtrooper Vlog | The Adventures of Dave and Greg

Soapy “Verticals” Helping to Keep Hollywood Employed in L.A. As Film and TV Projects Leave

How AI is killing joy

Finding Atari Games in Randomly Generated Data

Racing The Beam: The Story of Stella

Analogue Pocket

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Sly Stone, Pioneering Bandleader and Funk Virtuoso, Dead at 82

The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson Dies at 82

Sting Performs Moving Cover of “God Only Knows” in Tribute to Brian Wilson: Watch

Strong Songs - "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys

Ananda Lewis, Host of MTV’s ‘Total Request Live’ and ‘Hot Zone,’ Dies At 52

Nitzer Ebb's Douglas McCarthy has died at 58

RIP: Bill Atkinson, co-creator of Apple Lisa and Mac

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700: Going Antiquing Jun 06, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s episode of Grumpy Old Geeks, we kick things off with the glorious meltdown of two of our least favorite Bond villains: Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Not only is their public pissing match tanking Tesla’s market cap, but now Trump’s launching a crypto wallet to… fund freedom? Or at least funnel it straight to his latest shell game. Meanwhile, someone at DOGE admitted the U.S. government wasn’t entirely incompetent, so naturally, they got fired. Efficiency is un-American, after all.

In the news, Ukraine leveled up with an unprecedented drone blitz on Russian airbases using—you guessed it—open source software. GitHub just became a geopolitical weapon. Back home, Nebraska wants to unplug your kids, Florida’s trying (and failing) to legislate dopamine, and Tesla’s panicking that their crash data might expose how their “Full Self-Driving” is really just short bus autopilot. And because the AI dystopia train never stops: OpenAI’s bot is recommending meth to recovering addicts, Meta’s replacing humans with risk-assessing algorithms, and one “AI startup” turned out to be 700 dudes in Bangalore with a decent VPN. Cue the dramatic zoom on Diabolus Ex Machina.

Media Candy this week is a buffet: Downton Abbey finally closes up shop, Stranger Things 5 sets a date, and Foundation still sucks. Marc Maron’s locking the gates for good, Garbage drops a surprisingly optimistic album, and Hollywood’s quietly been using AI like it’s a studio intern who doesn’t need sleep. Over in The Library, Jason’s back with Hitchhiker’s Guide and Brian dives in to Michael Palin’s Python diaries—because reading actual books is still a thing, damn it. Plus: Dave Bittner wants to “go antiquing” with Amy Sedaris with a Ben Franklin playbook. Closing shout-outs go to the legendary Loretta Swit—Hot Lips forever—and yes, we finally answer the question nobody asked: what is under a Jawa’s hood?

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Show notes at https://gog.show/700

FOLLOW UP

Trump Threatens to Cut Elon Musk's Government Contracts as Feud Escalates

Elon Musk’s Feud With President Trump Wipes $152 Billion Off Tesla’s Market Cap

Trump to launch branded crypto trading application

DOGE Fires Operative After He Admits the Government Was Already Pretty Efficient

IN THE NEWS

Ukraine destroys 40 aircraft deep inside Russia ahead of peace talks in Istanbul

A surprise drone attack on airfields across Russia encapsulates Ukraine’s wartime strategy

Explained: Ukraine’s Unprecedented Drone Attack on Russian Warplanes

Ukraine's Massive Drone Attack Was Powered by Open Source Software

How Ukraine’s Killer Drones Are Beating Russian Jamming

The terrifying new weapon changing the war in Ukraine

A new Nebraska law wants to make social media less addictive for kids

Florida's social media law has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge

Tesla is trying to stop certain self-driving crash data becoming public

Tesla admits it would ‘suffer financial harm’ if its self-driving crash data becomes public

Therapy Chatbot Tells Recovering Addict to Have a Little Meth as a Treat

OpenAI featured chatbot is pushing extreme surgeries to “subhuman” men

Meta will reportedly soon use AI for most product risk assessments instead of human reviewers

Perplexity received 780 million queries last month, CEO says

The FDA rolls out its own AI to speed up clinical reviews and scientific evaluations

AI company files for bankruptcy after being exposed as 700 Indian engineers

Diabolus Ex Machina

Meditation And Mindfulness Have a Dark Side We Often Overlook

MEDIA CANDY

DOWNTON ABBEY: The Grand Finale

Stranger Things 5 finally has its release date

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders

American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden

Somebody Feed Phil

How George Clooney’s ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ Is Preparing to Go Live on CNN

Hollywood Already Uses Generative AI (And Is Hiding It)

Lionsgate Explores AI for Content Adaptation and Production Efficiency

Marc Maron Will Lock The Gates One Last Time

Garbage: Let All That We Imagine Be the Light

AT THE LIBRARY

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Michael Palin Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years (Michael Palin Diaries Book 1)

Jason DeFillippo on Goodreads

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Only Malware in the Building

250th Anniversary of the U.S. Army Grand Military Parade and Celebration

Advice to a Friend on Choosing a Mistress

Disney Pulls Back the Curtain on Its New 'Cars' Land

"Thank You, Muppet*Vision 3D" — Official Music Video

Peli is REALLY familiar with Jawas... The Book of Boba Fett - E5

Star Wars: What's Beneath a Jawa's Hood? The Stuff of Nightmares

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Loretta Swit, Who Played Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on MAS*H, Dead at 87

MASH Matters Podcast

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699: TACO 2025 May 30, 2025

Show notes

In this week’s “we told you so” edition, we kick things off with the latest AI faceplant—go ahead, Google “Is it 2025?” and try not to spit coffee on your keyboard. Meanwhile, over at Meta, Zuckerberg’s brilliant idea to loosen content moderation has, shocker, led to more harassment and violent content. Elsewhere in tech dystopia: Texas is trying to ground all minors off social media, Germany wants to slap a 10% tax on Silicon Valley, and Anthropic is handing out free search powers and a board seat to Netflix’s Reed Hastings. Because nothing says “trusted AI governance” like a guy who greenlit Love Is Blind.

But wait, crypto bros are having their own John Wick arc: a luxury townhouse, a missing wallet, and possibly an NYPD detective tangled in a real-life “crypto millionaire torture” flick. As if that isn’t enough, Trump Media is fundraising to buy $2.5B in Bitcoin—and DJT stock promptly nosedived. Also feuding this week: Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. Grok, because nothing screams Christian values like rageposting at Elon’s AI. And speaking of Elon, he’s now in bed with Telegram to the tune of $300 million, which we’re sure won’t be a disinformation factory.

MEDIA CANDY is stacked: from the Murderbot diaries to a My Dinner with Andre rewatch, and yes, the Wheel of Time got axed after 3 seasons. Apps? Opera Neon is a UI fever dream, Starling Home Hub adds more smarts to your house, and WhatsApp finally arrives on iPad—welcome to 2016. In THE DARK SIDE, Dave Bittner brings the latest digital dirt, including the CIA’s bonkers Star Wars fan site op. And if you’re hitting the library, grab The AI Con or something more romantic—like Love, Sex and the Alien Apocalypse. Just be careful if you read that on public transit.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/699

FOLLOW UP

Don't Google "Is it 2025?" unless you want to laugh at the state of AI

IN THE NEWS

Facebook sees rise in violent content and harassment after policy changes

What we know about the NYC crypto kidnapping and torture case

Manhattan Crypto Kidnapping and Torture Case: What We Know

NYPD detective on Adams' security detail may be tied to crypto millionaire torture case: Sources

Judge denies bail to crypto investor charged with kidnapping and torturing man in posh NYC townhouse

Trump Media Raises Money to Buy $2.5 Billion in Bitcoin

Trump administration ramps up push as crypto ally

DJT shares drop after Trump Media announces bitcoin raise - CNBC

Texas is getting ready to ban social media for anyone under 18

Texas enacts age-verification law for app stores

Germany is considering a 10 percent digital service tax on US tech giants

EU regulators are investigating Pornhub and three other sites

Anthropic brings web search to free Claude users

Reed Hastings appointed to Anthropic's board of directors

Anthropic appoints Netflix Chairman Reed Hastings to board - CNBC

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings joins Anthropic's board | TechCrunch

RFK Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Report Cites Fake Studies

Marjorie Taylor Greene feuds with AI bot over her Christian cred

Telegram CEO announces $300 million partnership with Elon Musk's xAI and Grok

MEDIA CANDY

Lilo and Stitch

‘The Wheel Of Time’ Canceled By Prime Video After 3 Seasons

Billy Joel Cancels Concerts Due to Brain Disorder

My Dinner with Andre

Grumpy Old Geeks Information on RocketReach

Schmactors with James Marsters, Mark Devine, and Jason DeFillippo

APPS & DOODADS

Apple Reportedly Says ‘Screw It’ and Jumps From iOS 19 to iOS 26

Starling Home Hub

WhatsApp finally launches an official version for iPads

AT THE LIBRARY

The Essential Terry Pratchett

Good Omens TV Companion Misprint

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

Love, Sex and the Alien Apocalypse (First Contact) by Peter Cawdron

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Only Malware in the Building

The CIA Secretly Ran a Star Wars Fan Site

LIVE: Kermit the Frog gives commencement speech at University of Maryland

Billy Joel - I've Loved These Days (Audio)

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