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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, Society & Culture, Tech News Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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759: Seeking Mrs. Claude
Episode 759
Thursday, 20 August, 2026
Support the show on Patreon! - https://patreon.com/gogOther ways to support the show! - https://gog.show/donateJoin our Discord! - https://discord.gg/r4ZmSHBBuy some merch! - https://shop.gog.show/Meta is facing a $1.4 trillion legal ass-whupping over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were deliberately engineered to be addictive and harmful to kids, while OpenAI appears to be doing the exact opposite of what you might expect from a company selling "safe" AI: reportedly sidelining its catastrophic-risk preparedness team just as its models are learning to go rogue. Then, in a move straight out of the "let’s have the robots write the laws" file, members of Congress are apparently using ChatGPT and Claude to draft legislation so badly that House lawyers have to clean up the mess, and some staffers aren't even learning the issues their bills are supposed to address. Meanwhile, Amazon may be dismantling physical books and scanning them into AI training datasets, because apparently the future of literature is being fed into a wood chipper.And then there's the surveillance and privacy edition of Tech Hell™. Comcast can now turn compatible Wi-Fi routers into motion sensors that detect movement in your home through radio signals, Kalshi is getting smacked down by a Washington judge who says its sports contracts are just gambling wearing a tiny financial-services mustache, and Tesla is finally recalling 20,000 cars over headlights that have been too damn bright since 2024. Plus, the AI industry continues discovering that “autonomous” means “capable of doing something catastrophically stupid without asking permission.”Elsewhere, we investigate why young people apparently trust AI CEOs about as much as Gen X trusted record-company executives, Peter Thiel gets a Gandalf-themed welcome in Argentina, and we dig into the increasingly uncomfortable intersection of AI, surveillance, pornography, politics, and billionaire bullshit. We also get into the mobile podcasting rig, Sonos finally remembers the iPhone has a Lock Screen, internet-connected pet feeders remind us why cats should never depend on the cloud. Media Candy brings Widow's Bay, Silo, Ted Lasso, It: Welcome to Derry, Kitchen Undercover and enough Spider-Man to make us all desperately crave something that doesn't involve a fucking multiverse.Sponsors:Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at Shopify.com/grumpyDeleteMe - 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/759Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/RMhCndozH-0SHOW NOTESMeta faces a $1.4 trillion reckoning in latest trial over social media addictionPornhub's Parent Company to Pay $120 Million to Settle Child Sexual Abuse LawsuitsOpenAI reportedly disbanded its preparedness team as part of a 'streamlining' processOpenAI denies disbanding its preparedness teamOpenAI launches ChatGPT for Teens, promising a more age-appropriate chatbotYoung People Hate AI CEOs So Passionately That It’s Almost Hard to BelieveAI-generated bills are reportedly causing problems in the CapitolProtestors Dressed as Gandalf Demand Peter Thiel Leave Argentina, Go Back to the AbyssTesla Has to Fix 20,000 Vehicles With Too-Bright Headlights It’s Known About Since 2024We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training FacilityState Judge to Kalshi: Your Sports Betting Is Obviously IllegalDario Amodei’s Wife Is Closely Linked to Jeffrey EpsteinComcast just turned millions of Xfinity routers into motion sensorsBONTEC Mobile Standing Desk, Pneumatic Lift, Rolling Laptop CartMOALLIA N86 360 Rotating Laptop Stand for Desk with Locking Knobs, BlackNEEWER Basics 7"" Desk Ring Light for Video Recording, 10W Dimmable, R06TROND Desk Clamp Power Bar Surge Protector with PD 20W USB, 6 Outlets, 10ftSonos just launched Live Activities on iPhoneInternet-Connected Pet Feeders Go Down, Leaving Kitties HungryWidow’s BaySlow Horses — Season 6 Official Trailer | Apple TVKitchen UndercoverHBO Has Finally Made ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Season 2 OfficialCertainty: A Novel by John Twelve HawksLockstep by Karl SchroederA Gift of Time by Jerry MerrittSilicon Valley Dreams of AuthoritarianismThe Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy by Gil DuránDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingNorthern ExposureSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
