Neuralink, insulin pump software bugs & abandoned brain implant technologies; Dorsey peaces out from Bluesky; Dell RTO tracking; Meta pumps businesses for customer support; Uber hits a financial snag; Spotify's new royalty model screws songwriters; gaming platforms abandon X integration; Ghostbusters; Lord of the Rings new movies; Franklin; Dark Matter; Sugar; more streaming consolidation; Rabbit R1 real reviews roll in; Apple ads, good & bad; AI music, programming news; Portal; death of the web; hotel art; Tales of the Empire; IRS hold music; Peter Paints a Portrait in Pantaloons.

Show notes at https://gog.show/647

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FOLLOW UP

Neuralink Admits That Implant's Threads Have Retracted From First Patient's Brain, Possibly Due to Air in Skull

Experts Discuss The Dark Likelihood of 'Abandoned' Brain Implant Technology

An insulin pump software bug has injured over 200 people

IN THE NEWS

Jack Dorsey departs Bluesky board

Dell responds to return-to-office resistance with VPN, badge tracking

Meta is expanding its paid verification service for businesses

Uber’s not out of the woods yet - The Verge

Spotify’s New Royalty Model to Pay Songwriters $150 Million Less During First Year: Report

Nintendo is done paying Elon Musk for X integration

TikTok is suing the US government to stop its app being banned

A Strategic Deep Dive on TikTok, The Boiling Moat of Taiwan, and China’s Next-Gen Statecraft — Matt Pottinger, Former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor

MEDIA CANDY

Ghostbusters (2016)

A new Lord of the Rings film, The Hunt for Gollum, will hit theaters in 2026

Franklin

Dark Matter

Sugar

A Disney+, Hulu and Max streaming bundle will soon be available in the US

APPS & DOODADS

Rabbit R1 review: A $199 AI toy that fails at almost everything

Everything You Should Know Before You Buy the Rabbit R1 AI Companion

Apple Says Sorry For Much Criticized iPad Ad Trashed By Celebrities

ElevenLabs previews music-generating AI model

Country Star Who Can't Sing After Stroke Releases New Song Using AI

AI Copilots Are Changing How Coding Is Taught

The Next Big Programming Language Is English

The teens making friends with AI chatbots - The Verge

Gratitude Plus makes social networking positive, private and personal

Always-on video portal lets people in NYC and Dublin interact in real time

Moallia Laptop Stand with 360 Rotating Base, Computer Notebook Laptop Riser Metal Holder for Desk Collaborative Work, Fully Foldable for Easy Storage, Fits All MacBook, Laptops up to 16 inches

One Click Shrug Emoji Copy

SEO is in big trouble

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

The CyberWire

Dave Bittner

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Dream Prints

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire

Darth Jar Jar Strikes in Lego's Crazy New Star Wars Series

iPhone 15 Precision Finding | Find Your Friends | Apple

Apple’s “Let Loose” iPad Event was Shot on iPhone — With Panavision Lenses — Prolost

Apple Apologizes for Ad That Crushed Creativity

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Bernard Hill, Lord of the Rings' Théoden King, Has Died

RIP Steve Albini, influential producer and musician (1962-2024)

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