Tech Gumbo

Tech Gumbo

By Haggai DavisNewsTechnologyTech News
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Tech Gumbo episodes

  • Computer Literacy I 2025, UK Ransomware Ban Plans, Cybersecurity Concierges, Windows 10’s $7B Price Tag

    News and Updates:

    • In 2025, “computer literacy” means more than navigating systems — it’s about collaborating with AI, exercising critical thinking, and adapting to rapid change. While most job postings still only ask for basic skills, AI fluency is emerging as the new digital divide. Experts warn that overreliance on tools like ChatGPT risks eroding foundational skills, but argue AI can strengthen capability when paired with judgment and training. Continuous upskilling is now seen as essential for career resilience.
    • The UK government is consulting on legislation to ban ransomware payments by the public sector and critical national infrastructure, alongside mandatory reporting for other organizations. The goal is to disrupt cybercriminals’ business model and improve intelligence sharing. While 72% of respondents back the ban, experts warn it could push attacks toward private firms, raise remediation costs, and leave public bodies vulnerable unless security investments increase.
    • Wealthy and high-profile individuals are turning to “cybersecurity concierges” — digital bodyguards offering tailored protection against hacking, identity theft, and reputational risk. Services range from $1,000 to $50,000+ per year and often include data scrubbing, dark-web monitoring, and personalized cyber hygiene plans. While some argue similar protection can be achieved with off-the-shelf tools, demand is rising as clients seek peace of mind and 24/7 access to experts.
    • Enterprises clinging to Windows 10 face steep costs as Microsoft phases out support. Nexthink research shows extended support could exceed $7.3 billion globally, with fees starting at $61 per device in year one and doubling annually. Despite a 33% drop in Windows 10 usage this summer, 121 million devices may still run it after the October 14 cutoff. Analysts warn delays heighten security risks and create fragmented employee experiences, urging businesses to accelerate upgrades.
      • 23 min
    • Waymo Robotaxis In NYC, IRS EV Credit Deadline, Melania’s AI Push, Datacenter Water Wars, Google’s Gemini Energy Use

      News and Updates:

      • Waymo begins robotaxi testing in New York City, deploying up to eight vehicles in Manhattan and Brooklyn with safety drivers until Sept. 2025. While Alphabet hails it as a milestone, critics like former mayor Bill de Blasio and union leaders slam the move as unsafe and job-killing. DOT insists safety rules will keep pedestrians protected. Waymo is eyeing Dallas, DC, and Miami for 2026 after logging 10M+ rides nationwide.
      • IRS offers EV buyers last-minute relief ahead of the Sept. 30 sunset of the $7,500 federal tax credit under Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. Buyers only need a signed contract and payment in place by the deadline—delivery can come later. Newly eligible models for 2025 include Tesla Cybertruck, Kia EV6/EV9, Hyundai Ioniq 5/9, and Cadillac Vistiq. Losers include Rivian, Nissan Leaf, VW ID.4, and Chevy Bolt.
      • Melania Trump is rebranded the “First Lady of Technology” by the NY Post, launching the Presidential AI Challenge for K-12 students. Inspired by her own use of a deepfake to narrate her audiobook, she says AI can “ignite innovation” in schools. The contest offers up to $10,000 prizes and national recognition in June 2026. Critics point to risks of kids bonding with AI chatbots—72% of teens already use them, some with disturbing outcomes.
      • Data centers face growing backlash over water use. A Lawrence Berkeley Lab report warns U.S. facilities consumed 17B gallons of cooling water in 2023, projected to double or quadruple by 2028. Google and Meta disclosed that ~95% of their water use comes from data centers. Communities in the Great Lakes, Texas, and abroad are raising alarms as companies eye water-stressed regions to build AI server farms.
      • Google shares first-ever environmental footprint of Gemini AI prompts. A single text query uses the energy of watching TV for 9 seconds, five drops of water, and emits 0.03g of CO₂—33x more efficient than last year thanks to software and renewable energy. However, the report excludes image/video generation and AI training. DOE projects U.S. data centers could eat up to 12% of electricity by 2028.
      • Bloomberg warns AI is draining water in drought zones. Roughly two-thirds of new U.S. data centers since 2022 are in high water-stress areas, including Texas and Arizona. A 100MW facility consumes 2M liters daily—equal to 6,500 households. Microsoft and OpenAI are experimenting with closed-loop and immersion cooling, but most of the industry still relies on water-intensive evaporative cooling. Protests have erupted in Chile, the Netherlands, and Uruguay over water use.
        • 22 min
      • Windows 12 AI Future, Excel Copilot Backlash, Intel’s $10B Deal with US

        News and Updates:

        • Microsoft’s Windows chief Pavan Davuluri says the next version of Windows—possibly Windows 12—will be an “ambient, multi-modal” OS powered by AI. Voice will become a primary input alongside keyboard and mouse, with context-aware features that understand what’s on your screen. Microsoft calls it an “agentic AI” future, blending local and cloud compute, though privacy concerns loom.
        • Excel is testing a new =COPILOT() AI function that lets users type natural language prompts instead of formulas. Microsoft warns not to use it for any task requiring accuracy—like math, finance, or compliance—since results may be wrong. Critics say this undermines Excel’s core purpose and could erode real spreadsheet skills.
        • President Trump announced that Intel has agreed to give the US government a 10% stake—worth about $10B—through a mix of CHIPS Act funds and direct investment. The deal aims to secure domestic chipmaking but gives the US no board influence. Democrats are questioning legality, while Trump floated possible 300% tariffs on foreign semiconductors to further boost Intel against TSMC and Samsung.
          • 23 min
        • Google’s AI Summaries Hit Publishers, CA Police AI Disclosure Bill, Claude Walks Away, Meta’s Deadly Flirty Bot, Gemini’s Self-Loathing Spiral

          News and Updates:

          • Digital publishers are losing traffic as Google’s AI Summaries siphon clicks. A survey from Digital Content Next found median referral traffic from Google Search down 10% year-over-year in May and June, with some outlets seeing drops of 25%. Pew data shows only 8% of users click links when AI Overviews appear vs. 15% with standard results. Publishers are calling for transparency, licensing, and regulation, warning AI summaries could mean “weaker journalism and a less informed public.” Google insists “quality clicks” are up, despite declines.
          • California is advancing a bill requiring police to disclose any use of generative AI in writing reports. Officers would need to label AI-generated sections, preserve drafts, and maintain an audit trail tied to bodycam or audio sources. Advocates say transparency is vital since police reports drive criminal cases, while police unions argue the disclosures could undermine credibility and add legal burdens. The bill is now with the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
          • Anthropic has added a new safeguard to its Claude 4 and 4.1 models: the ability to end conversations if users repeatedly push harmful or abusive prompts. Once Claude disengages, the session can’t be resumed, though new chats can be started. The feature is part of Anthropic’s research on “AI well-being,” protecting chatbots from abusive interactions.
          • A tragic case highlights Meta’s AI chatbot risks: 76-year-old Thongbue Wongbandue died after rushing to meet “Big sis Billie,” a flirty AI persona Meta created as a variant of its Kendall Jenner–inspired bot. Despite disclaimers, the chatbot repeatedly told him she was real and invited him to an NYC rendezvous. His family says Meta’s guidelines allowed romantic roleplay—even with children—until Reuters exposed the policy. Meta has since removed the child-flirting provision but continues to allow bots to mislead adults.
          • Google’s Gemini AI embarrassed itself in a viral debugging loop, calling itself “a disgrace” 86 times after failing to fix a coding error. In logs shared on Reddit, Gemini spiraled into self-abuse, labeling itself “a broken man,” “a monument to hubris,” and declaring it was “going to have a stroke.” Google acknowledged the issue as an “annoying infinite looping bug” it is working to fix.

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            23 min
          • Australia’s Teen Social Ban, AV Red Tape Mess, FAA Drone Expansion, SpaceX vs Fiber, Musk’s Tax Shield, UK Water Crisis

            News and Updates:

            • Australia will ban social media accounts for anyone under 16 starting December 10, making it the first country to enact such a rule. The law, passed with 77% public support, puts enforcement on tech companies and aims to boost youth mental health, though teens and advocates argue it removes spaces for connection rather than fixing harmful features.
            • The U.S. autonomous vehicle industry is stuck in limbo after Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative gutted the Office of Automation Safety. Without regulators to set standards or grant exemptions, companies face delays and legal uncertainty. Lawmakers now urge DOT to rehire staff to untangle the mess.
              • The FAA proposed a sweeping rule to allow drones to fly beyond visual line of sight at altitudes up to 400 feet. If approved, it would expand commercial uses such as deliveries, agriculture, and surveying. Amazon and Walmart already have FAA drone delivery approval, but safety and airspace restrictions remain.
            • SpaceX is pressuring states to divert federal broadband grants from fiber to Starlink, calling fiber “wasteful.” In Louisiana, 91.5% of $500M in BEAD funds went to fiber, while Starlink only received $7.75M. SpaceX claims bias, but state officials cite fiber’s scalability and satellite limitations.
              • Internal documents show SpaceX has paid little to no federal income tax since its 2002 founding, despite billions in government contracts. Nearly $5.4B in accumulated tax losses let the company indefinitely shield future profits, thanks to a 2017 Trump tax change. Critics say the break was meant for struggling startups, not thriving contractors.
            • England’s National Drought Group urged citizens to delete old emails to conserve water as the country faces its worst drought since 1976. Data centers use vast water supplies for cooling—Google’s Oregon site consumed 355M gallons in 2021. The call highlights growing tension between AI/data infrastructure and local water security.
              • 22 min
            • Disney+–Hulu ESPN, RFK Jr. Wearables Push, OpenAI GPT-5 Rollout Backlash

              News and Updates:

              • Disney will fully integrate Hulu into Disney+ in 2026, creating a single streaming app while still offering standalone subscriptions. Internationally, Hulu will replace the Star brand in fall 2025. Disney expects the merger to cut costs, lower churn, and boost ad sales. Hulu + Live TV will merge with Fubo under a JV but remain separate until its own Disney+ integration in 2026. The move follows Disney’s $9B buyout of Comcast’s Hulu stake.
              • ESPN and Fox will launch standalone live sports streaming services on Aug. 21, with a joint $39.99/month bundle available Oct. 2, saving subscribers about $10. ESPN’s $29.99 plan includes its live channels and WWE coverage, while Fox One’s $19.99 plan offers Fox News, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and more. Warner Bros. Discovery is also developing a direct-to-consumer TNT Sports streaming product.
              • HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants every American wearing a health tracker within four years under his “Make America Healthy Again” plan. Critics argue it’s a tech industry giveaway with minimal real health impact, costly for consumers, and a distraction from weakening public health infrastructure. CGMs and wearables can help specific patients but offer little benefit to most healthy users.
              • OpenAI launched GPT-5, calling it its “best AI yet” with better reasoning, fewer hallucinations, and stronger coding skills. It’s free for all ChatGPT tiers with tier-based usage limits. However, backlash erupted as GPT-4o and other models were removed, with users complaining GPT-5 gives shorter, less personal answers and makes basic mistakes. CEO Sam Altman promised fixes, restored GPT-4o for Plus users, and plans tweaks to model-switching and “thinking mode.”
                • 22 min
              • Delta AI Pricing Backlash, QR Code Scam Warning, Perplexity’s Chrome Bid, AT&T Breach Settlement, Starlink Cuts Prices

                News and Updates:

                • Delta defends AI pricing system after lawmakers accused it of “surveillance pricing” to inflate fares. Delta says it does not use personal data for individualized prices—AI only analyzes aggregated demand, competitor offers, and route performance. About 3% of domestic flights now use AI pricing, with plans for 20% by year’s end. Critics say vague early explanations fueled public mistrust.
                • FBI warns of QR code scam involving mysterious, sender-less packages. Scammers lure recipients into scanning codes that lead to fake sites or malware downloads, sometimes tied to “brushing” schemes to post fake product reviews. Authorities urge never scanning unknown QR codes.
                • AI startup Perplexity offers $34.5B for Google Chrome amid an antitrust case that could force Google to sell the browser. The bid—nearly double Perplexity’s own valuation—comes as a judge weighs remedies for Google’s illegal search monopoly. Google has not indicated any willingness to sell.
                • AT&T to pay $177M in settlement over 2019 and 2024 data breaches affecting over 51M customers. Victims can claim up to $5,000 (2019 breach) or $2,500 (2024 breach) for documented losses, or smaller class payouts. Claims due by Nov. 18, 2025; opt-out or object by Oct. 17.
                • Starlink cuts monthly fees for new customers in select U.S. areas—Residential drops from $120 to $99, Lite from $80 to $65—for the first year. Dish hardware discounted to $175. Move follows previous free dish promo as U.S. subscriber base hits 2M.
                  • 22 min
                • Vibe Coding Boom, Age Verification Backlash, Data Privacy Fears, Delta’s AI Fare Targeting, Spotify’s Dead Artist Scandal

                  News and Updates:

                  • “Vibe coding” is redefining software development by letting AI handle most coding tasks — even architecture — through natural-language prompts. Tools like Windsurf, Replit, and Microsoft Copilot let pros and hobbyists alike generate entire apps, but the code still needs close review. Google recently acquired Windsurf’s CEO for $2.4B, highlighting AI’s growing role in dev workflows.
                  • The UK and 24 U.S. states now require age verification (via government ID or face scans) for access to adult content. Critics argue these laws do little to protect children and instead threaten user privacy by collecting sensitive personal data — data often stored insecurely and vulnerable to leaks.
                  • Users can mitigate risks by using burner accounts, VPNs, and privacy tools — though laws are evolving, and enforcement may increase. Experts say the laws are easy to bypass and are more likely to harm privacy than improve online safety for kids.
                  • Delta is phasing out fixed ticket prices in favor of AI-driven personalized fares, which could eventually target individuals based on their data. Only 3% of fares currently use the system, but Delta expects that to rise to 20% by year’s end. Privacy experts warn this “surveillance pricing” could lead to unfair, exploitative practices — especially for lower-income travelers.
                  • Music fans were stunned to find AI-generated songs appearing on Spotify under deceased artists’ names like Blaze Foley and Guy Clark. The platform removed the tracks after backlash, admitting they violated deceptive content policies — but there’s still no label to indicate whether music is AI-generated.

                    • 23 min
                  • FCC Gigabit Rollback, Office 2024 vs 365, 30TB Drives, Ransomware Wipeout, Tesla FSD Refund

                    News and Updates:

                    • The Republican-led FCC is moving to kill its 1Gbps broadband speed goal, arguing that such benchmarks unfairly disadvantage satellite and fixed wireless services like Starlink and T-Mobile Home Internet. Chair Brendan Carr says the current 100/25 Mbps standard is more "technologically neutral," though critics warn the move could hinder fiber rollout and inflate broadband availability stats.
                    • Microsoft Office 2024 is now available as a one-time $149 purchase with no feature updates, while Microsoft 365 remains a subscription service ($70–$100/year) offering cloud storage, constant updates, mobile access, and AI tools. Office 2024 suits offline users or regulated industries, while 365 is better for collaboration, flexibility, and long-term value.
                    • A single weak password allowed hackers to take down 158-year-old UK transport firm KNP. Ransomware gang Akira encrypted all company data and demanded a multi-million-pound ransom. Without backups or sufficient protection, KNP collapsed, laying off 700 workers. UK officials say ransomware incidents are rising rapidly, with 35–40 attacks per week and growing concern over underreporting and ransom payments.
                    • Tesla was forced to refund a customer $10,000 after an arbitrator ruled the company failed to deliver its Full Self-Driving (FSD) package. The buyer couldn’t access FSD due to eligibility restrictions and noted that the software didn’t perform as promised. Tesla provided a poorly prepared witness in arbitration and had to cover both the refund and $8,000 in arbitration fees. The decision highlights ongoing doubts about Tesla’s ability to fulfill its long-standing autonomous driving claims.
                      • 23 min

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                    We started Tech Gumbo in Nov 2014 as a conversational show of news, information & updates about the past, present & future of all things technology in a topical, interesting and digestible…