Grumpy Old Geeks
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Ep 685: Bezos, Jeff Bezos - Ad Free!
🕑 Added 2025-02-21 20:32:39 +0000 UTC
Jason and Brian dive into a whirlwind of tech chaos, cultural absurdities, and dystopian developments. They kick things off with a nostalgic nod to the internet's past, highlighting the 88x31 GIF collection and quirky single-use websites like "Trump Golf Track" and "Are We Doomed Yet?" The asteroid 2024 YR4 briefly raises existential dread as NASA’s odds of a 2032 Earth impact fluctuate wildly, but relief follows as updated calculations show a near-zero chance of collision. Meanwhile, Elon Musk dominates the headlines with his bizarre CPAC appearance brandishing a chainsaw, Tesla’s anti-theft dye measures for Supercharger cables, and mounting protests against his political entanglements and government layoffs under DOGE.
The episode also covers corporate drama and AI controversies. The New York Times introduces newsroom AI tools amidst its legal battles with OpenAI, while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella urges the industry to temper AI hype. Uber sues DoorDash over alleged anti-competitive practices, and Meta unveils plans for the world’s longest undersea cable alongside LlamaCon, its first generative AI conference. Meanwhile, Humane abruptly discontinues its AI Pins following an HP acquisition, leaving users scrambling. The hosts also explore Musk’s meddling with X’s Community Notes and blocking Signal links, further eroding trust in the platform.
On the media front, Jason and Brian discuss upcoming releases like Daredevil: Born Again, The Last of Us Season 2, Apple’s Murderbot series, and Judd Apatow’s Norm Macdonald documentary. They wrap up with listener feedback, shout-outs to Patreon supporters, and a hilarious anecdote about a Tesla showroom protest featuring an employee’s cheeky “We Hate Him Too” sign. As always, the duo blends sharp insights with biting humor to dissect the week’s madness.
Show notes at https://gog.show/685
FOLLOW UP
The 88x31 GIF Collection
Trump Golf Track
Are We Doomed Yet?
Odds of Asteroid Hitting Earth in 2032 Climb Again as Impact Probability Hits New Peak
NASA Makes Big Update to Asteroid Potentially on Collision Course With Earth in 2032
IN THE NEWS
I cannot describe how strange Elon Musk’s CPAC appearance was. So here’s a literal transcript instead.
Tesla Installing Countermeasures as People Are Hacking the Cables Off Superchargers
Protesters demonstrate outside Tesla showrooms in US
Sign That Says “We Hate Him Too” Appears in Window of Tesla Dealership
The New York Times has greenlit AI tools for product and edit staff
USDA Scrambles to Rehire Bird Flu Experts After DOGE Laid Them Off
DOGE Reportedly Cuts FDA Employees Investigating Neuralink
DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla
Elon Musk wants to 'fix' Community Notes on X
Trump Media says it lost more than $400 million last year while revenue dropped 12%
Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of Trump's Truth Social, site just announced it lost $400.9 million last year.
Trump Administration Wants to Help Get Professional Misogynist Andrew Tate out of Romania
Here’s Why Trump May View Andrew Tate As An Ally—As He Reportedly Pressures Romania To Lift His Travel Restrictions
Nextdoor’s Nirav Tolia thinks he can turn things around with AI; he has a lot riding on it
X blocks users from sharing links to Signal
Uber accuses DoorDash of anti-competitive practices in a lawsuit
Meta Will Build the World’s Longest Undersea Cable
Meta announces LlamaCon, its first generative AI dev conference
Meta Connect 2025
Zuckerberg's New Metaverse Ad Is So Bad That the People Who Created It Must Be Secretly Trying to Humiliate Him
Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Pumps the Breaks on AI Hype
Helix: A Vision-Language-Action Model for Generalist Humanoid Control
New Polling Shows Americans Increasingly Disgusted With Elon Musk
MEDIA CANDY
The WIld Robot
The Gorge
SNL50: The Anniversary Special
Norm Macdonald Documentary in the Works from Judd Apatow
Amazon Gains Creative Control of James Bond Franchise
The White Lotus
Scamanda
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
Reacher Season 3
Marvel Is Exploring Bringing Back Other Defenders From Netflix
Now We Know Exactly When The Last of Us Season 2 Is Coming
Apple’s Murderbot series starts streaming in May
Apple says Severance has become its most popular show ever, overtaking Ted Lasso
Why Do We Do That? Podcast
AMC STUBS A-List
APPS & DOODADS
Ink Console
Ink Console is a portable e-ink gamebook console
Bludit
NodeHost
BrainHQ
Impulse - Brain Training
All of Humane's AI pins will stop working in 10 days
Horbäach Creatine Monohydrate Capsules | 3500mg | 300 Count | Non-GMO and Gluten Free Supplement
CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS
Comments
MaltySweetness
Severance fan boy here. I am loving season 2. I think people are hesitant to talk too much about it because it is slowly being released. We will see if it holds up at the end but so far so good. The podcast is also really helpful companion if you feel lost.
Stuart Lloyd
That Meta ad reallyis something else. I don't get it. Second Life was way better back in the 00s.
