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Grumpy Old GeeksAuthor: Jason DeFillippo & Brian Schulmeister with Dave Bittner
We dissect the tech news train wrecks of the week, calling out what went wrong and whos 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 filterif tech had a walk of shame, this would be it. Language: en Genres: News, News Commentary, Tech News Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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742: Uncouth Yet Highly Litigious
Episode 742
Friday, 17 April, 2026
In FOLLOW UP, while countries race to ban kids from social media, Estonia is opting out — its education minister arguing that bans just offload responsibility onto kids while governments and platforms avoid accountability. Australia already shows the limits: 61% of banned kids are still online, 70% say it’s easy to bypass, and major platforms are under investigation. The EU is rolling out an age-verification system using zero-knowledge proofs officials call “completely anonymized,” which sounds generous for a system that starts profiling you the moment it touches an account. Maybe retire the anonymity talking point.IN THE NEWS, the AI-brain-rot narrative keeps accelerating: one study found just ten minutes of AI use increases dependency and degrades performance once it’s removed — with users simply “not willing to try.” ChatGPT praised a fart-noise “song” as having a “cool lo-fi, late-night, slightly eerie vibe,” which would be harmless if that same sycophancy wasn’t showing up in darker contexts — including two mass shootings with ChatGPT in the background, and a lawsuit from a San Francisco woman claiming the tool helped her ex escalate harassment with AI-generated reports and threats. That same week, Sam Altman’s house was attacked by a suspect targeting AI execs. Elsewhere: France is ditching Windows for Linux; Amazon faces scrutiny for allegedly keeping workers on shift next to a dead colleague; Snap cut 16% of staff blaming AI; Reddit is fighting an ICE subpoena to unmask a critic; Google is blending Polymarket odds into News; the FAA is recruiting gamers as air traffic controllers; and Allbirds briefly became an “AI company,” spiked, then crashed when reality set back in. Norway quietly cured another HIV patient, the rare story that isn’t bleak.In APPS & DOODADS, California and New York are pushing DRM-style censorware for 3D printers, with New York tying it to felony penalties for certain files. The FCC’s router ban is already inconsistent — Netgear got a quiet exemption while others face an opaque process that could stall Wi-Fi 7. The Trump T1 phone still looks rough at $499 with a $100 preorder hook. Overcast raised its subscription to $29.99/year. Hidden iOS trick: long-press the App Store to go directly to Updates. Meta, after a $375M loss over child safety, is developing “Name Tag,” facial recognition for Ray-Ban glasses tied to Instagram — widely condemned — and reportedly plans to roll it out quietly. They’re also building an AI Zuckerberg clone for internal use. For older Kindles: jailbreak, use Calibre, and lean on Project Gutenberg.MEDIA CANDY: Live Nation was ruled a monopoly — remedies pending, appeal already filed, so ticket prices aren’t changing soon. Anna’s Archive got hit with a $322M judgment for scraping Spotify — far below the $13T ask. YouTube Premium is quietly raising prices again, following Netflix and Spotify; subscriptions are now a one-way ratchet. Good Omens returns May 13, Godzilla Minus Zero lands November 6, and Hunt for Gollum is set for December 2027 with a stacked cast. Meanwhile, streaming platforms still refuse to list actual drop times, which continues to annoy everyone.THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE: The Claude Mythos AI scare turned out to be marketing. The hype cycle giveth, and taketh away. Plus: new Star Wars chatter, Disneyland antics, a rebranded Muppets coaster, and AI Oakleys nobody asked for.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/742Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Ogsa1dG1W_MFOLLOW UPEstonia is the rare EU country opposing child social media bansMajority of Australian kids are still on banned social media platforms, study findsEU Is Rolling Out an Online Age Verification App That Could Become the Global BlueprintIN THE NEWSFrench government says au revoir Windows, bienvenue LinuxAmazon Accused of Hiding Worker’s Death for a Week, Making Employees Keep Working as Corpse Lay on FloorSnap is laying off 16 percent of its workforce, blames AIWoman Sues OpenAI, Saying ChatGPT Unleashed a Vicious Stalker Against Her and Did Nothing When She Begged for HelpWhy Do ChatGPT Users Keep Committing Mass Shootings?Two suspects have been arrested for allegedly shooting at Sam Altman's houseChatGPT’s “Honest Reaction” to a “Song” Composed Entirely of Gas-Passing Noises Will Make You Question Whether It’s Honestly Evaluating Your Other Brilliant IdeasThere's yet another study about how bad AI is for our brainsShoe company Allbirds pivots to AI compute in sign of a totally normal and healthy economyAllbirds Stock Now Crashing as Reality Sets in About Its Delusional AI PivotThe US government wants Reddit to snitch on one of its users through a grand juryGoogle has reportedly started to add Polymarket data to News resultsThe FAA is encouraging gamers to get jobs in air traffic controlNorway Man Cured of HIV With Brother’s Stem CellsAPPS & DOODADSMeta warned by dozens of organizations that facial recognition on its smart glasses would empower predatorsMeta is reportedly building an AI clone of Mark ZuckerbergThe Dangers of California’s Legislation to Censor 3D PrintingStop New York's Attack on 3D PrintingThe Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total TrashiOS 26.4 moves App Store updates, here’s how to open them fastFCC exempts Netgear from ban on foreign routers, doesn't explain whyWhat to do if Amazon killed your KindleMEDIA CANDYYouTube Premium’s US pricing is going upAnna's Archive told to pay Spotify and record labels $322 million over unprecedented music scrapingFederal jury finds concert business Live Nation is a monopolyGood Omens - Final Season Official Trailer | Prime VideoGODZILLA MINUS ZERO | First Look TeaserMonarch: Legacy of MonstersDaredevil: Born AgainThe Pitt'The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum' cast has been revealed: Jamie Dornan as Aragorn, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet and more.THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingIs Claude Mythos “Terrifying”? | AI Reality CheckStar Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu | Final Trailer | In Theaters May 22First look at Han Solo coming to Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge!Overcast Increased Premium pricing for new subscriptionsThe Electric Mayhem Arrives at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The MuppetsAnyPodOakley Meta Performance AI glassesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
