This episode marks a milestone—our first with four hosts—and naturally, things spiral into glorious tech chaos, mountain tales, and existential dread about encryption. Tyler returns from a mountain cabin in Gatlinburg where the Wi-Fi was literally duct-taped to a stick, proving once again that satellite internet is just hope with lag. Donovan descends into full-blown network madness trying to understand why HP laptops refuse to connect to Wi-Fi unless you bribe them with a separate SSID and some emotional support. Ben, on the other hand, is apparently the internet’s Golden Boy, receiving a surprise $132 via Venmo for a birthday that wasn’t his—from someone he doesn’t know. He did the noble thing and returned the money, which means he’ll never make it as a professional Venmo fisherman. Opportunity lost. Samuel brings the wholesome vibes (and a touch of chaos) with a story about gifting begonias, falling down a succulent rabbit hole, and diving into a cozy game made by the creator of The Stanley Parable—which means it’s not cozy, it’s therapy disguised as farming. In tech news:

• The Arc browser gets sunsetted and replaced by “Dia,” which aspires to be a piano instead of a saxophone. This somehow makes sense to someone, presumably.
• The FBI and EU would love to get their hands on your encrypted messages. Don’t worry, they say it’s not a backdoor—it’s just...a side hallway.
• Java hits 30 years old and is still out there, clunky as ever, powering back-end systems no one dares to touch.
• npm quietly harbored malware for two years with names like plugin-bomb, because developers clearly love to live dangerously and ignore red flags the size of a GitHub README.

Come for the anecdotes, stay for the tech gripes, and remember: if your browser promises to reinvent the internet, it's probably just getting ready to disappear in 18 months.

Mac browser Arc being discontinued in favor of new Dia app - 9to5Mac
FBI Wants Access To Encrypted iPhone And Android Data—So Does Europe
Java turns 30, and there’s no stopping it now | InfoWorld
Destructive malware available in NPM repo went unnoticed for 2 years - Ars Technica
US solar keeps surging, generating more power than hydro in 2025 - Ars Technica
AI learns how vision and sound are connected, without human intervention | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal says as it blocks Windows Recall - Ars Technica
EA Tried to Stop an ‘Anti-DEI Mod’ for ‘The Sims 4’—but More Keep Surfacing | WIRED

Where to Find Us:

• SouthGeekNews.com
• Leave a voicemail: Voicecast
• Donovan: Socials
• Sam: tscn.tv // @tscnsam on socials
• Ben:  Instagram

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