Grumpy Old Geeks
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Ep 678: Stop Doing That!
🕑 Added 2024-12-20 21:45:19 +0000 UTC
WordPress has officially jumped the pineapple, forcing users to agree that pineapple belongs on pizza to log in. Critics call it a kindergarten move, especially when serious feature requests are ignored. Meanwhile, the crypto world is celebrating its new political allies, but experts warn we’re inching toward a financial apocalypse that taxpayers will be stuck cleaning up. On the East Coast, people are mistaking stars for drones while pilots dodge lasers in what’s shaping up to be the plot of a bad sci-fi movie. Oh, and crop circles? Yeah, they’re back because why the hell not?
Elsewhere, TikTok’s battle for survival heads to the Supreme Court, and Character.ai faces backlash for hosting chatbots based on school shooters. Meta’s EU drama escalates over its failure to tackle terrorist content, and Arizona is ditching teachers for AI because who needs humans when you’ve got algorithms?
On the media front, we break down the Star Trek: Lower Decks finale, geek out over Silo’s two-season endgame, and get hyped for Dune: Prophecy and a fresh Superman teaser. Tech talk includes Temu dominating app downloads, Microsoft killing passwords in favor of passkeys, and Spotify pulling a fast one with “ghost artists” to dodge royalties.
On the Dark Side with Dave, we explore the cooler corners of ham radio, AI’s chokehold on creativity, and how surveillance turns your brain into mush. Meanwhile, Amazon’s return-to-office disaster has employees ready to riot, and sci-fi fans can gear up for Peter Cawdron’s Minotaur, the next big hit in his First Contact series.
Show notes at https://gog.show/678
FOLLOW UP
To Log Into WordPress, You Now Have To Agree Pineapple on Pizza Is Good
Crypto Got What It Wanted in November’s Election. Now What?
Dimwit Americans Are Looking at the Night Sky and Mistaking Stars and Airplanes for "Drones"
“We Are Getting Lasered”: Nearly a Dozen Planes Lasered Last Night During New Jersey Drone Panic
IN THE NEWS
US Supreme Court agrees to hear TikTok’s ban appeal
Character.ai Lets Users Role Play With Chatbots Based on School Shooters
People Are Making AI Versions of Luigi Mangione That Call for Slaying of More CEOs
Google says customers can use its AI in 'high-risk' domains, so long as there's human supervision
Exclusive: Google's Gemini is forcing contractors to rate AI responses outside their expertise
Instagram’s head says social media needs more context because of AI
More than 140 Kenya Facebook moderators diagnosed with severe PTSD
Arizona School’s Curriculum Will Be Taught by AI, No Teachers
Meta put on watch over terrorism content in the EU
Microsoft Confirms Password Deletion For 1 Billion Users—Attacks Up 200%
EU privacy regulator fines Meta 251 million euros for 2018 breach
Cambridge Analytica scandal still lingering on as Meta settles with Australian users
FTC bans hidden junk fees in short-term lodging, live-event ticket prices
Grubhub settles with the FTC over adding restaurants without their consent
Elon Musk, SpaceX reportedly under federal review for undisclosed meetings with foreign leaders
Amazon’s RTO delays exemplify why workers get so mad about mandates
MEDIA CANDY
Star Trek: Lower Decks finale
Dune: Prophecy
Super/Man
Superman Teaser Trailer
Silo Was Just Renewed for Two Final Seasons
Bad Monkey season 2 is coming to Apple TV+
Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was...
New Report Alleges Spotify Is Filling Playlists with Ghost Artists to Minimize Royalty Costs
Hysterical Podcast
Our Fake History Podcast
APPS & DOODADS
Temu is the most-downloaded app on the U.S. App Store in 2024
Surprise, Surprise: No One Is Buying an iPhone for Apple Intelligence
AT THE LIBRARY
3zekiel by Peter Cawdron
Feedback by Peter Cawdron
THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE
Dave Bittner
The CyberWire
Hacking Humans
Caveat
Control Loop
Only Malware in the Building
Online Amateur Radio Community
Hamfurs
Men In The US Are Peeing Incorrectly According To Urologist
The psychological implications of Big Brother’s gaze
The Algorithm Has Been Hiding Something From You | NYT Opinion
Helpful products for the voice from Ana Gasteyer.
biotène Dry Mouth Lozenges for Dry Mouth and Fresh Breath
Voice37 - Singers Voice Remedy
Lubricity Dry Mouth Oral Spray
Comments
Sarah Prince
The drones are drones. Saw them here in PA. I personally think they’re testing night vision in population areas with varying light pollution, it’s the only reason why they wouldn’t be testing in the desert per usual.
Reggie
I’ll be reading the show notes seating down tonight. Merry Christmas GOG 🤣
