Eric Hunley joins us; Big fines for big tech; Amazon laughs at labor laws; Influencers are falling over each other to get the shot; The Metaverse is a Meta-Dud; Facebook hates research; Apple says it's doing it for the kids; SetApp and new apps; Sennheiser saves the day; Value 4 Value and Lightening to save podcasting. Show notes at https://gog.show/517 
 ABOUT OUR GUEST HOST ERIC HUNLEY Eric Hunley on YouTube Eric Hunley on the web Eric Hunley on Twitter 
 IN THE NEWS Highlights from while we were gone... EU slaps Amazon with record $887M fine over ad targeting practices France Cracked Down on Google’s Ad Tech. What’s Next? Zoom to pay $85M for lying about encryption and sending data to Facebook and Google Amazon Unlawfully Confiscated Union Literature, NLRB Finds Amazon union drive in Bessemer may get a new election 
 It’s raining influencers! Chinese TikTok star Xiao Qiumei dies after falling 160 feet from a crane while recording a livestream video YouTube star Albert Dyrlund dies after falling 656 feet from a mountain while recording a video Sophia Cheung death: Hong Kong influencer dies after falling while taking photo at edge of waterfall 
 Let’s talk about the “metaverse” because it’s gonna be the new buzzword for the next 6 months... MARK IN THE METAVERSE Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Already Sucks Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse: What it means for the enterprise Microsoft, Facebook and everyone else are building the metaverse. Will you want to live there? 
 Meanwhile in the real world... Facebook cuts off NYU researcher access, prompting rebuke from lawmakers Senators press Facebook for answers about why it cut off misinformation researchers APPLE KEEPS SHUTTING DOWN EMPLOYEE-RUN SURVEYS ON PAY EQUITY — AND LABOR LAWYERS SAY IT’S ILLEGAL 
 The Tim Apple sized Elephant in the room... Expanded Protections for Children Frequently Asked Questions Apple’s New ‘Child Safety’ Initiatives, and the Slippery Slope Opinion: Four problems with Apple’s reported approach to scanning for child abuse images Apple to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child sexual abuse 
 APPS & DOODADS Sennheiser Pro Audio HD 650 Open Back Professional Headphone BBEdit 14 SetApp Timemator Ulysses CleanMyMac X Fountain Podcast Player New Podcast Apps Value 4 Value Podcasts See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

517: You Know, for Kids!

As one of the longest-running podcasts, "Grumpy Old Geeks" discovers what went wrong on the Internet, and who's to blame. Every week they cut through the BS from big tech and tell you what's really going on. With wide-ranging topics, this show has something for everyone. There is a reason Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and that crowd all hate this podcast. Listen and find out for yourself!

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News

Humane AI chargers go up in flames; Google scales back AI Overviews; we've all been pwnd; Windows Recall a Category 5 s-storm; Microsoft downsizes mixed reality division; leaked Google privacy incidents; ChatGPT AI hype & reckless race for dominance; AI fake stories in NewsBreak; parental control over kids social media; Shutterstock cashing in; Instagram testing in-feed ads you can't scroll past; SpaceX new milestones; Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire; Jim Henson: Idea Man; the Acolyte; music react videos; Spotify raising prices even though "content costs near zero"; expensive Boba Fett dolls; Joshua T. Calvert's Hard Science Fiction; Erik Larson; content, content, content. 
 Show notes at https://gog.show/651 
 Sponsors: DeleteMe - Head to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off. 1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month. SetApp - With a single monthly subscription, you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!! 
 FOLLOW UP After its reputation went up in flames, Humane warns users its charging case may too If you aren't seeing AI Overviews in your search results, it's probably thanks to Google 
 IN THE NEWS Windows Recall demands an extraordinary level of trust that Microsoft hasn’t earned This Hacker Tool Extracts All the Data Collected by Windows’ New Recall AI The Ultimate Infostealer … Microsoft Recall? Stealing everything you’ve ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC is now possible with two lines of code — inside the Copilot+ Recall disaster. Analysts join the call for Microsoft to recall Recall Microsoft announces layoffs and restructuring in its mixed reality division EU accuses Micrsoft of secretly collecting children's data Google Leak Reveals Thousands of Privacy Incidents The New ChatGPT Offers a Lesson in A.I. Hype OpenAI Insiders Warn of a ‘Reckless’ Race for Dominance OpenAI Offers a Peek Inside the Guts of ChatGPT This Week in AI: Ex-OpenAI staff call for safety and transparency Intro thread by Daniel Kokotajlo A Right to Warn about Advanced Artificial Intelligence SITUATIONAL AWARENESS - The Decade Ahead by Leopold Aschenbrenner (PDF) Popular US news app accused of using AI to make up fake stories US agencies to probe AI dominance of Nvidia, Microsoft, and OpenAI New York is about to give parents more control over their kids' social media feeds Shutterstock Made $104 Million Licensing Assets to AI Devs Last Year Meta is testing a new ad in the Instagram feed that you can't scroll past Vengeful Club Penguin Hackers Reportedly Steal 2.5 GB of Disney’s Data SpaceX soars through new milestones in test flight of the most powerful rocket ever built Boeing's new Starliner capsule carrying 2 astronauts safely docks with space station 
 MEDIA CANDY Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Godzilla Minus One Jim Henson: Idea Man The Acolyte ‘3 Body Problem’ to End With Season 3 on Netflix Alien: Romulus Nathan Brown Music Canada demands 5% of revenue from Netflix, Spotify, and other streamers 
 APPS & DOODADS Spotify is raising the cost of Premium subscriptions, again Max Announces New Price Increases for Ad-Free Plans YouTube is putting new age restrictions on gun videos This Rocket-Firing Boba Fett Is Officially the World's Most Valuable Vintage Toy 
 AT THE LIBRARY The Object: Hard Science Fiction by Joshua T. Calvert The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

651: Inci Dont’s

Google AI search is a mess; robocall fines; no one wants a used Tesla; Neumann gives up on WeWork; OpenAI, Twitch give up pretending they have Safety Advisory boards; Vimeo says no to AI; xAI raises 6 billion; massive Ticketmaster hack; Star Trek Discovery ends; Moana 2; Stax: Soulsville USA; Ken Burns the Civil War; Wu-Tang Clan album; the Night Manager; Sony Pictures to focus on AI; Showrunner app; ICQ shuts down; Instagram "limit" & "restrict"; SEO is dead; UniSuper cloud gets nuked; Amazon AI-powered Fire TV search; no one really understands clouds; the Ewok Line; we are all nostalgic for our youth; RIP Richard Sherman; Bats Day at the Park. Show notes at https://gog.show/650 
 Sponsors: 1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month. SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!! 
 FOLLOW UP Google Admits Its AI Overviews Search Feature Screwed Up Google Search’s “udm=14” trick lets you kill AI search for good Political consultant behind fake Biden robocalls faces $6 million fine and criminal charges FCC Proposes $6M Fine For N.H. Robocalls Who Wants to Buy 30,000 Used Teslas From Hertz? 
 IN THE NEWS WeWork Founder Adam Neumann Abandons Bid to Regain Control of the Company OpenAI’s new safety team is led by board members, including CEO Sam Altman Twitch removes every member of its Safety Advisory Council Vimeo Sides With Creators, Will Not Allow AI Companies to Scrape Content The Atlantic and Vox Media made their own deal with the AI Devil Elon Musk’s xAI raises $6B from Valor, a16z, and Sequoia xAI is pleased to announce our series B funding round of $6 billion. Elon Musk Blind With Rage After Analysts Recommend Rejecting His $56 Billion Pay Package Meta caught an Israeli marketing firm running hundreds of fake Facebook accounts Google accused of secretly tracking drivers with disabilities Ticketmaster Hack Reveals Sensitive Data for 560 Million People 
 MEDIA CANDY Star Trek: Discovery Moana 2 Stax: Soulsville U.S.A The Civil War: A Film By Ken Burns Wu-Tang Clan: Fans can finally get a chance to listen to the band’s one copy album… but there’s a catch 'Dungeons & Dragons' Live-Action Series Not Going Forward @ Paramount+ ‘The Night Manager’ Returns With Supercharged Two-Season Order At BBC & Amazon; Tom Hiddleston Back To Star With Hugh Laurie As EP Sony Pictures Will Cut Film Costs 'Using AI, Primarily' This AI App Lets You Create Your Own TV Episodes That Look Just Like ‘South Park’ 
 APPS & DOODADS ICQ is shutting down after almost 28 years Instagram is expanding its anti-bullying features for teens An Anonymous Source Shared Thousands of Leaked Google Search API Documents with Me; Everyone in SEO Should See Them Google Cloud explains how it accidentally deleted a customer account Sharing details on a recent incident impacting one of our customers Hands-on with Amazon’s new AI-powered Fire TV search - The Verge 
 THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE The CyberWire Dave Bittner Hacking Humans Caveat Control Loop No One Really Understands Clouds Hate "The Phantom Menace"? The Ewok Line theory could explain why America’s best decade, according to data Disney Musician Richard Sherman Has Died at Age 95 Bats Dat in the Fun Park Amazon execs may be personally liable for tricking users into Prime sign-ups 
 CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS Spizz Energi - Wheres Captain Kirk - (Official Video 1979) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

650: The Ewok Line

Dead Internet Theory & Shrimp Jesus; the Portal is back; Apple set photo visibility to zero; jailbreaking major LLMs; OpenAI party time; getting some decent data in; you win an award, now you're suspended; Google sends DOJ a check; TikTok cracking down on drug promotion; stealing crypto; Bitcoin Pizza Day; Franklin; Sugar; Beetlejuice; 3 Body Problem; Dexter prequel; Pixar layoffs; Scarlett Johansson's voice; Humane up for sale; Windows Recall; Han Solo; Star Wars & Star Trek; snakes and clouds, maaaannnnn... Show notes at https://gog.show/649 
 Sponsors: 1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month. SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!! 
 FOLLOW UP Is The 'Dead Internet Theory' True? Shrimp Jesus Phenomenon Explained Using memes, social media users have become red teams for half-baked AI features Following OnlyFans-Related Mishap, the Portal Is Back Apple’s Photo Bug Exposes the Myth of ‘Deleted’ Apple fixes ‘rare’ iPhone bug that restored deleted pictures Apple elaborates on iOS 17.5 bug that resurfaced deleted photos 
 IN THE NEWS UK's AI Safety Institute easily jailbreaks major LLMs Machine Learning Researcher Links OpenAI to Drug-Fueled Sex Parties Sam Altman is ‘embarrassed’ that OpenAI threatened to revoke equity if exiting employees wouldn’t sign an NDA OpenAI will reportedly pay $250 million to put News Corp's journalism in ChatGPT Emory University awarded two students $10,000 for their AI study tool, then suspended them WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Can Appeal His Extradition to the US, British Court Says Another patient will get Neuralink’s brain implant Google sends DOJ unexpected check in attempt to avoid monopoly jury trial The DOJ makes its first known arrest for AI-generated CSAM What happened when TikTok said users can’t promote weight-loss drugs US brothers arrested for stealing $25m in crypto in just 12 seconds 
 MEDIA CANDY Franklin Sugar Ghostbusters II BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE More 3 Body Problem Is Coming, But How Much More? Dexter Prequel Series Casts Young Dexter and Christian Slater as His Mentor Disney is laying off around 175 Pixar workers as it pulls back on original streaming shows 
 APPS & DOODADS Scarlett Johansson says she is 'shocked, angered' over new ChatGPT voice Wearable AI Pin maker Humane is reportedly seeking a buyer New Windows AI feature records everything you’ve done on your PC 
 THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE The CyberWire Dave Bittner Hacking Humans Caveat Control Loop Star Trek: TNG – "Five-card Stud, Nothing Wild... And the Sky's the Limit." Physics of snakeskin sheds light on sidewinding See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

649: Garbage In, Garbage Out

Inappropriate portal behavior; RTO drives away top talent; Apple may add OpenAI to iOS; garbage in, garbage out; AI continues to promise more than it can deliver; Twitter redirecting to X; entire Supercharger staff fired; enshittification of the Web speeds up; Google AI search will kill what's left of the old internet; Uber announces new, worse bus; Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare; the Rings of Power returns; Dune: Prophecy; MoviePass, Ashley Madison docs; bundling & a return to cable; no MTV Movie Awards this year; ToDoIst; Sonos app; PPSSPP; META Quest on a plane; the Far Reaches & Forward Collections; Erik Larson; Neal Stephenson; Star Wars Oreos; Chuck E. Cheese Band, Jasper T. Jowls in the wild; Fabio and the Goose; Thelma. Show notes at https://gog.show/648 Sponsors: Mood - For 20% off your order and a FREE THCa pre-roll, go to hellomood.com and use promo code GOG. DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off. Factor - Head to Factor and use code grumpy50 to get 50% off. That’s code grumpy50 at Factor to get 50% off! 1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month. SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!! 
 FOLLOW UP Portal Between New York And Dublin Closed After A Week Due To "Inappropriate Behavior" The OnlyFans Model Who Ruined the Portal Previously Went Viral for Licking a Toilet Apple, SpaceX, Microsoft return-to-office mandates drove senior talent away | Ars Technica Is the Internet bad for you? Huge study reveals surprise effect on well-being 
 IN THE NEWS Apple Reportedly Close To Deal With OpenAI To Add AI Features To iPhone OpenAI inks deal to train AI on Reddit data Google Project Astra hands-on: Full of potential, but it’s going to be a while For self-driving cars, the free ride is over - The Verge Elon Musk’s X can’t invent its own copyright law, judge says Here's the inside story of why Elon Musk fired the entire Tesla Supercharger staff - Autoblog Enshittification As Google AI search rolls out to more people, websites brace for carnage - The Washington Post Google is overhauling its search results page with AI overviews and Gemini organization - The Verge Google Search adds a “web” filter, because it is no longer focused on web results Google I/O 2024: Here's everything Google just announced | TechCrunch Learn how to use ChatGPT for SEO ChatGPT likes to fight. For military AI researchers, that’s a problem Uber announces its new, worse version of a bus 
 MEDIA CANDY The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power - Official Teaser Trailer The Stars of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Promise Things Will Actually Happen This Season Max Releases First Dune: Prophecy Teaser: Watch Dune: Prophecy | Official Teaser | Max - YouTube HBO’s upcoming MoviePass documentary is a must-watch for fans of tech trainwrecks Ashley Madison - Sex, Lies & Scandal 'The Boys' Renewed for Season 5 Jimmy Kimmel Unleashed at Disney Upfronts: See His Best Jokes A ‘vastly reduced’ Netflix, Peacock and Apple TV+ bundle is coming this month The MTV Movie & TV Awards Scrapped for 2024, Returning Next Year Sony Music Warns Companies to Stop Training AI on Its Artists’ Content 
 APPS & DOODADS ToDoIst URL Cleaner Is Sonos' New App a Podcast Killer? : r/sonos Apple brings eye-tracking to recent iPhones and iPads PPSSPP game emulator now available on the iOS App Store Wipeout Pure Meta encourages you to disregard your seat mates and use VR headsets on a plane 
 AT THE LIBRARY The Far Reaches collection The Forward Collection, curated by Blake Crouch The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson Polostan: Volume One of Bomb Light by Neal Stephenson 
 THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE The CyberWire Dave Bittner Hacking Humans Caveat Control Loop Oreo's Special Edition Star Wars Cookies Are Here to Feed Your Inner Wookiee The Chuck E. Cheese Animatronic Band Is Breaking Up Fabio and the Goose Thelma - Official Trailer | June Squibb, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Fred Hechinger See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

648: Some Superheroes Ride Motorized Scooters

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 
 Sponsors: Factor - Head to Factor and use code grumpy50 to get 50% off. That’s code grumpy50 at Factor to get 50% off! DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off. 1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month. SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!! 
 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) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

517: You Know, for Kids!

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