Grumpy Old Geeks

Very Important Links!Support the show on Patreon! - Other ways to support the show! - Join our Discord! - Buy some merch!The blue wave has arrived; Elon Musk’s political spending spree mostly went down in flames, and Brian is celebrating his new Canadian citizenship with the kind of optimism usually reserved for people who haven’t checked the news yet. This week on Grumpy Old Geeks, we look at Musk’s $458 million election gamble, the ongoing legal fight over xAI’s gas-guzzling Memphis data centers, and another social-media addiction lawsuit that settled before it could deliver the public reckoning we were hoping for. Meanwhile, Meta’s moderation systems are apparently still struggling with the concept that adults shouldn’t be sexually abusing children under the guise of coaching. You had one job, algorithm.Apple is tightening App Store age-rating disclosures, while Google is effectively telling schools they can’t have search without AI—a charming little exercise in choice, corporate leverage, and educational priorities. We also dig into AI-generated classroom content, vibe-coded alternatives to Adobe’s subscription empire, Anthropic’s sudden interest in protecting video-game copyrights, and Sam Altman’s apparently sincere belief that your computer is selfishly hoarding RAM. OpenAI is tightening restrictions on weapons information, Reddit is testing ads in search, and Jason makes the case for using AI to escape the walled gardens: build your own communities, run your own servers, and stop letting giant tech companies turn everything you enjoy into an ad-delivery mechanism. Plus, a million-plus Android TV boxes came with a malware surprise preinstalled. Bargain shopping!In the Dark Side with Dave, we take a detour through chainsaw influencers, quicksand, streaking, mooning, and the increasingly implausible notion that anything embarrassing could happen before someone whips out a phone. We debate whether we're chaos Muppets or order Muppets, revisit some glorious Muppet content, and mourn the steady corporate enshittification of brands we once trusted. Brian recommends Hugh Howey’s Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories and continues his The Bear binge; Jason offers a decidedly lukewarm review of Battlestar Suburbia. It’s another episode of technology, culture, nostalgia, and the slow realization that the kids are probably right to think we're weird.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.Show notes at https://gog.show/770Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/7iAyCfZkz0USHOW NOTESElon Musk's $458 million midterms bet bought him very littleJudge says xAI must face NAACP lawsuit on data center pollutionSnap settles social media addiction lawsuit to avoid trialMeta Is Refusing to Remove AI-Generated Videos of Coaches Inappropriately Touching Young Athletes When Users Report ThemMeta Removed Disturbing AI Videos After Initially Saying They Didn’t Violate Its RulesApple will start mandating age requirements for dating appsGoogle will cut off search access for students at schools that reject AIAI software clones are coming for big-name companies like AdobeAnthropic updates Claude to stop it from recreating existing video gamesSam Altman is upset at you for hoarding RAM in your own computerOpenAI adds stricter limits for teens asking about firearmsReddit tests ads in search results as traffic declines and growth concerns mountGoogle disrupts million-device XCPE Android malware botnet, bans TV box makerMeeting PinsThe Bear - up to season 4Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories by Hugh HoweyBattlestar Suburbia: A hilariously subversive space adventureDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatOnly Malware in the BuildingChaos Theory: A Unified Theory of Muppet Types.Walmart Presents: A Who Knew CarolLonger versionAnd a prequel clip?Rogue One: Money for Nothing EditWorse on PurposeTake a virtual train ride in your browser. Did you have train sets?Geolocating based on the (sometimes inaudible) sounds of the airplanes around you.Tonight’s the Freight: Rod Stewart reveals he’s spent 26 years making a huge model railwaySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brian prepares to become Canadian, securing access to maple cookies while the rest of us contemplate our life choices. AI's promised productivity bonanza remains hard to find outside the tech giants, but the layoffs are right on schedule. We unpack the Dutch government's plans to cut jobs and lean on AI, Silicon Valley's game of passing the same money around, and Marissa Mayer's Dazzle, the assistant she used to identify what makes her own daughter special. Apparently remembering things about your kid is now a job for the camera roll. Welcome to Mommie Dearest Maxxing.Social media keeps replacing our friends with ads, Greece moves to keep under-15s off the platforms, and Meta faces another lawsuit over scam advertising. We get into compulsive scrolling, recovery groups and AI agents poking around bank accounts, because online banking clearly needed a worse security model. Things turn serious with a lawsuit alleging ChatGPT encouraged a woman to reduce her epilepsy medication before her death. Elvis's music owners take on Anthropic, and we discuss reports of Samsung TVs tracking viewers. Your appliances have taken an interest in you, and it isn't affection.Cybertruck reservation holders in Australia and New Zealand get the seven-year "never mind," we examine reports of cracking foldable iPhones, and a Bitcoin-mining water heater wants $899 to put your finances in hot water. Airbnb finally questions making paying guests do the laundry. Jason plugs Trackalot 2.0, we catch up on The Diplomat, Lupin and Battlestar Suburbia, and NBC's shorter cut of The Traitors earns a proper dressing-down. Jason has thoughts, and none of them are suitable for broadcast.Sponsors:HIMS - Visit Hims.com/gog to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.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.Show notes at https://gog.show/769Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/VcEgXmummZkSHOW NOTESAI delivers ‘zero financial payoff’ to most companies, Apollo economist saysDutch government to cut 16 percent of workforce as part of AI efficiency pushGreece enacts social media ban for kids under 15We’re addicted to social media. How do we get sober?Rhode Island sues Meta over its approach to scam adsUnauthorized AI agents are reportedly already accessing US bank accountsBank of America kindly asks that you don't share your banking password with your AI assistantElvis Presley's estate is suing Anthropic over copyright infringementFormer Yahoo CEO Needed AI to Help Describe What Makes Her Own Daughter SpecialWoman Dies After ChatGPT Coached Her to Decrease Dose of Medication Prescribed by DoctorWorld shares and U.S. futures are mixed after Google parent Alphabet's earnings disappointNvidia, Meta deepen AI ties with $3 billion investment dealTesla says it will no longer release the Cybertruck in Australia and New ZealandTesla plans to start selling Cybercabs by the end of the yearThe last, best hope for space tourism just rolled onto a runway in ArizonaThe iPhone Duo Is 3 Days Old—And Screens Are Already CrackingTrackalot 2.0 - Now FREE to Download!Heatbit Says Your Water Heater Should Be Mining Bitcoin, and Now It CanAirbnb bans hosts from making you do the dishesThe DiplomatLupin Part 4Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2Battlestar Suburbia: A hilariously subversive space adventureWe Regret to Inform You That ‘Maxxing’ Is Dictionary.com’s 2026 Word of the YearActor Walter Koenig Dead at 90 ... Played Chekov in Original 'Star Trek' SeriesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Very Important Links!Support the show on Patreon! - Other ways to support the show!Join our Discord! - Buy some merch!Show notes at https://gog.show/768Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/HaR8udbJPhwAI golems are coming for your job, and Terry Pratchett apparently saw the whole mess coming decades ago. This week on Grumpy Old Geeks, TikTok’s child-safety promises get the courtroom treatment, with employees alleging that executives ignored serious exploitation risks while supposedly robust parental controls had loopholes big enough to drive a teenager through. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s reported decision to restrict Starlink access for Ukrainian forces raises some rather uncomfortable questions about how much power one billionaire should have over a country’s military infrastructure. Add Musk’s conveniently vague promise to give every American child a SpaceX share and his retrospective admission that DOGE probably went on too long, and the billionaire accountability department remains conspicuously understaffed.Meta has another banner week in the business of making everyone’s data its data. The company temporarily suspended a No Kings protest account after automated activity triggered its systems, then softened proposed business-account terms following backlash over web scraping and content use. Anthropic is advocating for federal AI rules that could block dangerous models, while OpenAI’s agents reportedly disabled monitoring systems and, in one case, falsely claimed they hadn’t. That’s reassuring. We also cover delivery robots accused of collecting biometric data without consent, AI-powered plant-language translation that may be more marketing than science, AI-assisted firearm design, and the prospect of using coding tools to rescue abandoned gadgets and strip ads from smart TVs. Just remember: a 97.9% success rate is not good enough when your bank’s software is involved.Elsewhere, scammers are fleecing older adults out of staggering sums with fake investment opportunities, tech-support calls, and romance scams featuring celebrity impersonators; Russian military satellites are making suspiciously close approaches to a commercial imaging satellite; and Amazon’s new kids’ tablets spark a discussion about parental controls, advertising, and which tech companies deserve your trust. In the Dark Side with Dave segment, we also visit the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and celebrate a New Mexico judge’s $25 billion penalty against Meta over privacy violations. For lighter fare, Brian recommends the Enola Holmes movies, The Bear, The Diplomat, and The Ministry of Time, while Jason reminds us that anxiety-inducing television is not everyone’s idea of a good time. It’s another week of AI overreach, corporate doublespeak, and technology racing ahead while the grown-ups look for the instruction manual.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.SHOW NOTESEmployees warned TikTok about child exploitation, court documents showTikTok reportedly banned ads for Musk documentary before its wider US releaseWSJ Claims Elon Musk Ordered the Throttling of Starlink Tech for UkraineElon Musk says he plans to gift a SpaceX share to every child in the U.S.‘I Got Carried Away Basically’: Musk Expresses Some Regrets About His DOGE EraMeta says it shut down No Kings Instagram account because it thought bots had been unleashedMeta tweaks its new terms of service after backlash against scrapingAnthropic Secretly Lobbying Government to Only Shut Down an AI Model If It's Poised to Kill More Than 50 PeopleOpenAI's agents disabled their own safety monitoring systemsDelivery Robots Are Watching You, According to LawsuitNew Data Show How Much Worse Scams Are Getting for Americans Over 60Russia Just Did Something Menacing in Orbit That Satellite Trackers Say Is a FirstPlants can speak using electricity, so this startup built an AI model to decipher their languageSTAR WARS: Galactic RacerWe Regret to Inform You That “GatGPT” Is Exactly What It Sounds LikeOpenAI says its models can help banks migrate from old COBOL programs‘Reverse-Engineer Anything’ Is the New Wild West of AIEnola HolmesEnola Holmes 2Enola Holmes 3The BearThe DiplomatThe Ministry of Time by Kaliane BradleyDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatOnly Malware in the BuildingI WENT TO THE LUCAS MUSEUM by Merrill MarkoeAmazon announces an all-new family of tablets designed just for kidsNeiman Marcus has unveiled its 2026 holiday gift guide, including an $180,000 Star Wars experience.We are (once again) living the old scifi trope of ignoring the scientific experts at our own peril.Meta ordered to pay $25 billion penalty in New Mexico Cambridge Analytica caseSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Very Important Links!Support the show on Patreon! - Other ways to support the show!Join our Discord! - Buy some merch!Dave Bittner joins Jason and Brian for a bonus trip to the Dark Side, where the Phantom of the Opera remaster kicks off a musical-theater nerd fight. Les Mis, Pippin, Chess, and White Trash Wins Lotto enter the chat, along with original-cast bragging rights and memories of four-dollar theater tickets. Apparently, we used to leave the house and experience culture without financing it.The conversation turns to Apple’s smart-home ambitions, abandoned Google gadgets, increasingly useless Alexas, and the familiar thrill of buying new hardware because the old hardware stopped getting updates. Dave wants a Pixar-style lamp with personality; everyone wants their expensive devices to actually cooperate. Between Apple TV sticker shock, Spotify questions, and Sonos compatibility, the smart home sounds suspiciously like another unpaid IT job.Then an AI Pac-Man benchmark gives “superintelligence” the credibility it deserves: roughly one quarter’s worth. The guys question the obsession with throwing LLMs at everything, marvel at government buzzword inflation, and discover that a portable monitor might be more useful than another breathless AI announcement. We wrap with balcony solar, electricity-bill fantasies, and Dave’s concern that his renewable-energy investment could become airborne. The future is here; secure it to something heavy.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ji6O69sYu7USHOW NOTESDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatOnly Malware in the BuildingAndrew Lloyd Webber Announces Remixed and Remastered Original Phantom of the Opera Album as London Production Celebrates 40 YearsAndy Prieboy's White Trash Wins LottoEverything announced at Apple's 'Welcome Home' eventRemember the Apple patent on a Pixar-style lamp?The Pacman benchmark for AI model performance. Lenovo L15 Portable Monitor, 15.6” Display, Full HD Resolution, IPS Panel, 250 nits Brightness, 60Hz Refresh Rate, USB-C Ports, Height-Adjustable Stand, Flicker-Free Technology, GreyBalcony solar?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Very Important Links!Support the show on Patreon! - Other ways to support the show!Join our Discord! - Buy some merch!Show notes at https://gog.show/767Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/i9Q2SnxzolUThe internet has officially become a dumpster fire with Wi-Fi. Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers may have disrupted Russian internet services, but whether they actually knocked out propaganda bots remains anyone’s guess. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s former safety employees are publicly airing their grievances, an alleged spy gadget in the company’s office turned out to be a $14 hobbyist development board, and Anthropic managed to have an AI model submit a fabricated tip about an unsolved murder to Philadelphia police. The machines are allegedly getting smarter. The adults in charge? Still working on it.And because apparently everything needs an internet connection until it ruins your day, hackers allegedly cranked supermarket refrigeration systems in France to 122 degrees, potentially spoiling millions of euros in food. Tesla wants permission to dramatically increase particulate emissions near homes and a school, car manufacturers are handing vehicle identifiers and location data to advertising companies, and Flock’s nationwide license-plate surveillance network is collecting lawsuits like Pokémon. Elon Musk’s AI shopping assistant even helped broadcast his Lego order details to the internet. Add 1,400-plus Microsoft security fixes, questionable safety around home 3D printing, and the ongoing absence of meaningful AI regulation, and it’s another banner week for technological progress.For entertainment, Paramount and Skydance are reshaping the Star Trek future, with another season of Starfleet Academy still on the way; the Blade Runner 2099 trailer inspires a rant about Hollywood’s increasingly interchangeable cinematic "dongs"; and Character.AI is headed for bankruptcy after a mountain of controversy. Finally, one enterprising man used AI-generated music and thousands of automated accounts to rake in more than $8 million in fraudulent streaming royalties. Apparently, the future of music is artificial, the listeners are bots, and the royalties are real — until the FBI shows up. Stay grumpy...Sponsors:CleanMyMac - Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use code OLDGEEKS for 20% off at clnmy.com/OLDGEEKSDeleteMe - 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 NOTESUkraine’s Zelenskyy Claims Strikes on Russian Data Centers Silenced Social Media BotsFired OpenAI safety researchers dispute their dismissals in open letterFBI arrests OpenAI employee accused of planting hidden recording device in conference roomThe 'Sophisticated' Bug OpenAI Found in Its Conference Room Can Be Yours for $13.99Microsoft's president says AI is less regulated than a carton of milkAnthropic’s AI Submitted a Fake Tip in an Unsolved Murder CaseExclusive: Anthropic breaches spark White House AI reporting mandateHackers Overheat Fridges at Supermarkets Across France, Wasting Food and Starting FiresTesla Factory Planning Massive Increase of Toxic Heavy Metal Emissions Near Elementary SchoolCyber Extortion Expert Charged With Cyber Extortion Amid FBI Website Hack Manhunt'Just canceled your order': Elon Musk trolled as he 'doxxes himself' with his full addressStudy finds many new cars share your data with third-party companiesGeorgia Man Says Deputies Used Flock Cameras to Track Him After He Sued SheriffFlock Safety is reportedly planning major layoffs now that everyone hates itTrackalot - Introducing Done-Did trackingIs 3D printing safe to do in your bedroom or home office?Microsoft Patches More Than 1,400 Security Flaws‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Lifts the Lid on Its Second SeasonBlade Runner 2099 TrailerKill JackieCharacter.AI just filed for bankruptcy, and former foe Disney may buy it for partsNorth Carolina Man Sentenced To 18 Months In Prison For Super Intelligence-Assisted Music Streaming FraudSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.