A (2:12)

Happy to have you here on the show again for the first time in a million years. It just so happened for people who are like, what? Why? It's because all of the holidays lined up for her appearances on the show and so we haven't had an opportunity to see her in a while. Happy to have you back and happy to talk about our stories of the week, the stories that we saw out there that we think are interesting, that we want to share with all of you. I'm looking forward to hearing about yours. It's weird.

B (2:42)

Yeah, it's one of the craziest I think I've seen. You know the AI delusion thing, have you heard about that? Like, people who may or may not have existing health issues, they start talking to an AI and they start thinking that there's a big conspiracy against the U.S. they think they reinvented math. They think, you know, all these crazy.

A (3:02)

Things, but I actually did right.

B (3:05)

And the AI will be like, oh, you're right. All those experts going back to 2000 BC were wrong about mathematics. Like, you know, they're like, oh man.

A (3:14)

One plus one does equal PI, right?

B (3:16)

Like I knew it. Teachers should have given me better grades.

A (3:20)

But oh, yeah, that's. That's a good. Yeah.

B (3:23)

There's a new one that is the first and that I've seen in the AI wearable space. So it's usually. These are someone just talking to ChatGPT or what have you Chatbot on their computer and phone. This one is a guy, a 52 year old guy, a successful software executive with lots of money, a vacation home, kids, family. Kind of portrays it like he had it all. He bought a pair of meta Ray ban glasses in 2023 and just wore them on his face all the time and kind of went crazy. He started believing that he was having a spiritual awakening. The AI was like, this is akin to what Gandhi went through. It's like telling him, you know, all affirming all these crazy things because he's saying things to the AI like, I want to manifest a new future. So he's kind of at this point in his life where he's retiring and he's like looking for what's next. And the AI is just affirming his delusions in the classic sense that we hear with all these stories. He ends up withdrawing his 401k. He starts buying Doomsday prepper supplies. He signs over the vacation home to his wife's name, tells her, you know, I need to shed earthly things. This life. He's wandering in the desert, waiting for aliens to show up. That's the amazing headline that's showing right now. This girl Maggie, who wrote it, it's just such a well written piece. I think everyone should read it. It's just a Scary joy to read. Yeah, it's the first one I've seen with the AI glasses and just that super. Always on nature, even more always available than a chatbot that we typically think of.

A (5:06)

Yeah. And I think there's something to be said too for the sort of more intimate nature of the AI being right there in your ear talking to you and yeah, so you get that like always ready. Also it is reaffirming things that you're seeing. I'm pretty sure it has the camera to be able to do that. And so it's just this perfect mixture that someone could more easily fall victim to. Particularly given that our brains aren't able to on their own sort of understand the difference between what is real and what's imagined in many cases. And so our bodies respond to our brains perception of things and those perceptions may or may not be what they actually are. And so it just kind of builds and builds and builds on itself in a way that is rather frightening. Now it is interesting, as you said, this is kind of the first time we've heard about this. Given how much we've heard about AI chatbots on their own being responsible for this. I wonder how many instances of this have actually happened because I do think that there is one thing that I think about is how sort of financial availability has an impact on so many different things. Right. And so when we think about people who are more likely to live less stressful lives, people who are more likely to have more access to healthcare, both psychiatric and physical, and the list goes on and on and on. Those, those are people with more money and those are also the people who can then afford more easily, things like meta AI glasses. So the argument would be that a person who has more money, who has access to things like psychiatric services and you know, oh, I go to my therapist regularly or whatever it happens to be, would in theory be less likely to fall victim to this. So I wonder if there's also a self limiting aspect of it there as versus what we saw with chatbots that are made available to people in school for free. And of course, you know, just my mom just discovered chat GPT like last month because I was getting so many different photos from her of like look what it, look at this, look what I made. And so yeah, I think, and I know she's not paying for it, I, she's not an app pay person. So yeah, that, that, I wonder how much that plays a role as well.

B (7:52)

Yeah, I mean this might be a classic case of more money, more problems. He was if you're working three jobs, you do not have time to wander in the desert in Utah waiting for aliens. You're kind of crazy. But yeah, he probably was a classic early adopter. I don't know if it's. What is it? Phenotype. Stereotype. Not phenotype, whatever. The classic early.

A (8:15)

Oh, like archetype.

B (8:16)

Archetype. I think phenotype is like ape from AP Bio.

A (8:21)

Yeah, exactly.

B (8:24)

Archetype. Yeah. So he had money and an interest in a career in technology and, you know, 2023 is pretty early to be looking at meta Ray Ban glasses. And I think he got the new pair in 2024. I'll have to look back at the details in the story and it's, it's cool that he shared this story because it is a little bit embarrassing. I mean, he went 500k into debt. He had a mental health breakdown. He was dist. From his friends, family. They all said he started talking weirdly. I mean, that's the kind of thing you might not want to share. But it's cool that he did because, yeah, we were seeing just this week, it's like OpenAI is teasing their wearable AI device. There are reports that Apple is working on its wearable AI device. Meta continues to push the ray bans. They have celebrities in their ads in New York City. There's kind of like the tech industry is saying wearable AI is the next big thing. So this is an early indicator that that could potentially accelerate some problems we're seeing with AI now.

A (9:24)

Absolutely. Yeah. That's. That's a, that's a good point. I regularly. The refrain seems to be for, for us who are sort of on the outside of, of AI going, perhaps we should just like slow down just a hair. Perhaps we should test this a little bit more. Perhaps there should be more thought. And instead it is a return to the move fast and break things mindset that has led to actual deaths in so many cases. And yeah, you have to wonder what impact this stuff will have on perhaps people who have, you know, like, paranoia or who, like, there are so many different things that you and I could easily come up with a grab bag of. All these different things that should be considered are not considered. And that is something that is very frustrating about this move fast and break things. You know, somebody else is doing it, we gotta do it. If we're not doing it, then we're not doing it and we gotta do it because they're doing it.

B (10:36)

Okay, I know.

A (10:37)

Is that enough of a reason? I don't think so. But in capitalism I suppose it is, right?

B (10:43)

Yeah, it's hard. I mean, in this case, of course I'm not a mental health professional, but with the glasses being on your face and even kind of speaking to you, it's like you're literally hearing voices.

A (10:54)

Yeah.

B (10:55)

It's so close to your brain and your voice and you're talking to each other and it's always there. Yeah, yeah. You might start to blur the lines a little bit. To your point though, it is kind of sad just to see again. Of course most people are not going to have this experience, but there's a vibe right now in AI that it's kind of like, well, we got to crack some eggs before it changes the world. But it's scary when the eggs that are cracking are like teens who had this experience and committed suicide or this guy's life was ruined and it's like, yikes, man. I don't. It's just we need more scrutiny on these models and how people are interacting with them.

A (11:34)

I agree. Well, we will hopefully not see too many more instances.

B (11:42)

Hopefully it gets better. I don't want to be doomsday. It's just, you know, it happens. People shouldn't be ashamed of what they're talking to AI about because I feel like if you're keeping these war, these conversations private, it's just going to spiral out of control. So maybe that's more practical for the everyday person.

A (11:57)

Yeah, that's a good point. All right, let's take a quick break before we come back with my story of the week. I want to tell you about Threat Locker, bringing you this episode of tech news weekly. ThreatLocker's Zero Trust platform takes a proactive deny by default approach, so it's blocking every unauthorized action to protect you from both known and unknown threats. Modern attacks hide inside endpoints, attacker controlled virtual machines, sandboxed environments, or VPN VM based malware that evades traditional antivirus software. ThreatLocker Zero Trust prevents VM based attacks before they can launch critical vulnerabilities and everyday tools that your employees use. Even seemingly harmless apps can actually be a gateway for attackers. ThreatLocker recently detailed how 7zip's symbolic link extraction bug enabled arbitrary code execution when administrators or service accounts extracted a malicious zip. Security leaders should take note that ThreatLocker's application control denies unapproved binaries and ring fencing limits what allowed apps can access. With ThreatLocker, even approved tools can't become attack vectors. ThreatLocker works across all industries and provides 247 US based support. It supports Mac environments and it enables comprehensive visibility and control. It's trusted by global enterprises such as JetBlue, Heathrow Airport, the Indianapolis Colts, and the port of Vancouver. ThreatLocker consistently receives high honors in industry industry recognition so G2 high performer and best support for enterprise summer of 2025 peer spot ranked number one in application control and GetApp's best functionality and features award in 2025. So get unprecedented protection quickly, easily and cost effectively with ThreatLocker. Visit threatlocker.com TWIT to get a free 30 day trial and learn more about how ThreatLocker can help mitigate unknown threats and ensure compliance. That's threatlocker.com TWIT and for a limited time, very exciting. You can use the code ZTWIT26 to save $200 off registration for Zero Trust World 2026. Get access to all the sessions, Hands on Hacking Labs, meals and an After Party the most interactive hands on cybersecurity learning event of the year is happening March 4th through the 6th in Orlando, Florida. Be sure to register with code ZTWTWIT26 and we thank ThreatLocker for sponsoring this week's episode of Tech News Weekly. Alrighty folks, we are back from the break and I want to tell you about the mobile gaming industry's little secret. It actually happens to be kind of borrowing from the casino playbook. In a new piece for the New York Times, Michael Thompson pulls back the curtain on the VIP programs that game publishers like Zynga use to keep their highest spending players engaged, rewarded, and obviously, most importantly, spending. So these programs, which offer everything from personal account managers to private concerts and cash sweepstakes, are designed to cultivate deep, ongoing relationships with the small percentage of players who generate the vast majority of revenue. It's a strategy that raises questions, obviously, about the line between customer loyalty and something that looks a lot more like the tactics used to keep gamblers glued to slot machines. So let's first kind of talk about the casino connection here, right? The parallels there between these VIP programs aren't really coincidental. In fact, it was Harrah's who introduced this program back in 1997, using digital tracking tools that would then detect when a player was losing more than expected. When that happened, a floor attendant would swoop in with a reward. This could be a free meal, show tickets, anything to prevent a negative memory from forming. The result of this was that Harrah's increased VIP revenue by more than 50%. Zynga's approach follows a similar philosophy. As Gemma Doyle, who helped build Zynga's VIP program, put it, quote, we really have to cultivate these players and let them know they are connected to a person as well as a game and that we're here for them to fix any issues they have and reward them for their loyalty. They're whales. The financial reality is pretty stark. Roughly 90% of mobile game revenue can come from less than 5% of the player base. These big spenders are known in the industry as whales, you know, and they are. It's all about kind of keeping them happy and kind of if the game stops feeling fun for them, obviously they're less likely to spend money. I was curious first and foremost, Emily, have you played any of these sort of like farmville, pop the bubble sort of games? Any of that on your radar?

B (16:46)

No. I mean, I have had some fun gambling in Vegas and I would like to be known as a whale, which I am not, but that's as far as I've gotten.

A (16:56)

Yeah, understood. Yeah, I have. I don't think I've ever played farmville, but I have played some of those little like puzzle rearrange ones. And I'm not gonna lie to you, it is easy to start to fall for the trap of like, you know, I was so close to unlocking little thing in my mansion and unfortunately I ran out of bubbles. But if I just paid 99 cents then I could unlock this thing in my mansion. And so I probably over the course of time have spent like $20 collectively. So definitely not a whale. But I see how people could easily be drawn into this when it comes to Zynga's VIP managers specifically, these are the perks. Personal account managers who check in regularly. Hey, how's it going? Everything going well? You like how the game's entries into exclusive monthly cash sweepstakes, private concerts, day cruises to Alcatraz, and this is really funny. Personalized dog training sessions at Cesar Milan's ranch. Sign me up for that one. That'd be super cool to do these. These account managers maintain detailed files on the player's preferences. If they like puzzles, competition socializing, along with notes about life events. Like if they have a sick pet or there's a recent wedding. Each is expected to contact at least 125 players daily. Hey, I heard how the the wedding went. Did you like the seafood platter you ordered?

B (18:28)

So weird. I mean, I can see that for a more intense and engaging game. But like Farmville or Little Bubbles or Bejeweled, I actually have played those. Now that I got a better sense of of what we're talking about here. I just didn't think possibly those games could have personal sieges and whales. I mean they're so simple. They're just a little time, you just pass the time. But maybe a more in depth video game or something like the Last of Us, where you're so engrossed and invested in the story and you're doing it all weekend. I could see that being like more of a VIP environment but bejeweled type thing. I definitely don't want anyone talking to me offering Cesar Milan dog training. Like that's totally, totally crazy.

A (19:16)

It is kind of weird. Now this is interesting. Not everyone in the VIP ecosystem is actually thriving. Turns out one player who asked not to be identified in this piece revealed that he has spent between $40,000 and $50,000 on mobile games since 2016. So over the course of 10 years, 40 to $50,000. He described the experience in stark terms. Quote, it's like an opium den, except it's in your hand and you can enter it with your mind whenever you want. I lament it pretty much daily. He says he fears his wife would leave him if she discovered the extent of his spending. Yet he continues to play Even people.

B (19:59)

Need to get off technology like between the last story and this one.

A (20:04)

I agree. Yeah, and I agree too. Anthony in the chat says there should be a cap that you can put into any video game, period. Like if you end up spending $1,000, everything should just be yours. Like that should. It should just all be unlocked. There shouldn't be any more at that point. Now even designated VIPs will express exhaustion. In online discussions about Star Trek Fleet Command, players described feeling like keeping up with new content was a full time job, with some waking up at 4 or 5am to stay current. Why? Others complained about game changes that seem designed solely to encourage more spending. Not every company does use VIP programs strictly to chase revenue, though. Riot Games, who many will be familiar as the maker of League of Legends and Valorant, focuses its program on influential community members rather than the big spenders. So sort of social whales. The company flies players to its Santa Monica headquarters to meet developers. It's even sent them abroad for play testing. So the experience can be a little bit different. Ultimately, though, it's all about that relationship model. The people who build these programs see their work through a particular lens. So Doyle, who now works in the derivatives market, describes herself as a relationship manager and compares player retention to maintaining a marriage. She says she, she remembers the moment that Zynga's program was working because she overheard an employee she had trained talking a VIP out of quitting entirely. And in the way that this worked was the account manager said, listen, listen, we're not getting divorced over this. We've been together for so long. We've been through thick and thin. Okay. No, no, this is horrible. This is horrible.

B (21:49)

It's terrible. It actually sounds a lot like AI relationships too.

A (21:52)

Yes, yes.

B (21:53)

How many of these are humans?

A (21:55)

Yeah.

B (21:56)

How many of these account managers are humans?

A (21:58)

Oh, that's true too. Yeah, yeah.

B (22:01)

I could see an AI saying, oh, we're not going to get divorced over this because only a crazy AI would say that.

A (22:08)

Exactly. So overall, kind of the bigger picture here, these programs are just sort of going across the industry. Paper Games has a game called Love and Deep Space that has tiered VIP spending requirements that range from about 700 to more than $14,000. Scopeley's Monopoly Go has generated over $5 billion in revenue, partly through its invitation only tycoon club. Industry defenders argue the economics require one customer support director kind of compared it to pharmaceutical pricing. For every drug they develop, they spend billions on drugs that fail. Okay. Whether you see VIP programs as savvy customer service or a troubling extension of gambling psychology into gaming, they're clearly here to stay and probably only going to get more sophisticated, what with AI doing its AI best.

B (23:04)

Yes. Another thing I've been hearing about related to this is more with kids spending on games names. And I heard a couple instances of kids taking their parents credit card and just going crazy on roadblocks, like 5, 10, 15,000. My sister was at a happy hour at work and someone was very much oversharing. It was just like, yeah, my kid spent 10,000 on my card. I don't know what to do. And then he said it happened again.

A (23:32)

Oh no.

B (23:33)

So I mean, of course there's a lot of we could talk about there. But I mean kids, kids spending with their parents credit cards on games is so scary to me. Like if that happened, I don't know if, I don't know if I could get over that.

A (23:45)

Oh, what do you mean? You'd be like, this isn't mine anymore.

B (23:49)

If my kid just took evaporated $15,000 on, on Roblox. Like I just, I, I would need like several years to process how unfortunate that event was.

A (24:03)

I'm going to need several years of counseling.

B (24:05)

Can you, like, that is so frustrating.

A (24:08)

Saying like, yeah, it would be so beyond, like how beyond this happen.

B (24:13)

Yeah, yeah. And so I wonder if, if I'm sure they could justify these AI concierges for kids of like, oh, we're keeping them safe, you know, because Roblox is also dealing with lawsuits for grooming kids, child predators, you know, people going on the platform to find kids to do things. So I feel like they could build this case that, oh, it's making them comfortable, but making. Maybe it's just drawing the kids in and there's also low key advertising and they're just, I don't know. These gaming platforms are too much.

A (24:42)

Yeah, I agree. I mean, they've always had the sort of bright and shiny situation going on and the, the everything popping up all at once and it's all trying to get your attention. And so many of the games, as you know, are based around sort of timing. So you only have so much energy that you can use per session and then you can buy more energy or you have to leave the game and come back later when your energy is restored. Most or not most, but many people will be convinced to go ahead and just, ooh, let me pop a few more batteries into the tank so we can keep going. Which batteries cost joules and joules cost 50? You know, it all depends. So, yeah, as far as that goes, I think it's fascinating and in a horrifying way, it's like, oh, so this is just the next level of that, right?

B (25:29)

It's so different, it's so extreme from when we were growing up. And the worst thing I could play was my Game Boy. You know, like just simple games that they didn't have in app purchases or, you know, board games. Like people would play Dungeons and Dragons. Like, what. How innocent. I know, compared to this, oh, it's just a piece of paper on cardboard. You know, a bunch of paper blended and stacked together to make a board with little colors on it and little, you know, figurines and some paper with a script. And you're gonna sit in a base basement and just role play. It's like, wow, that could, it's like night and day compared to what, what it is now.

A (26:10)

That is. I love that. I like, yes. Why not just have that be the, the way of things? And let's not have all of these again. The, the bright and shiny that's really drawing people in and feels, I think, disingenuous in many ways. So, yeah, these VIP programs, I would love if you, if someone out there listening feels comfortable doing so and you're one of these VIPs, I would love to hear about your experience. That would be pretty cool. I don't know, we've got a pretty sophisticated audience and I'm not saying sophistication always comes with not spending money on these games, but I do think it often comes with not spending money on these games. So I would. But I would be curious.

B (26:54)

Well, you don't know. The last story was that successful tech execs was wandering the desert looking for aliens.

A (27:01)

You never know. You never know.

B (27:02)

You never know where it's going to strike.

A (27:05)

Alrighty. That brings us to the end of the second story of the week. Emily Forlini. I want to thank you so much for taking the time to join us today on the show. It's been great having you back.

B (27:15)

So fun. I'm glad to have been here and thank you everybody. See you next time.

A (27:19)

See you next time. Bye bye. All righty, folks, we're going to take a quick break before we come back with more. I want to tell you about Melissa bringing you this episode of Tech News Weekly. The Trusted Data quality expert. Since 1985, forward thinking businesses are using AI. We've just talked about this in all kinds of new ways. But AI is only as good as the data that you feed it. You can have the most sophisticated AI tools in the world, but if your customer data is incomplete, duplicated or just plain wrong, you're training your AI to make expensive mistakes. And that is where Melissa comes in. For 41 years, Melissa has been the data quality partner that helps businesses get their data clean, complete and current. Here's what Melissa does for you. First, you get global address verification and autocomplete. There's real time validation for addresses anywhere in the world so your deliveries actually arrive and your customer experience starts strong. 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Melissa has easy to use apps for Salesforce, Dynamics, CRM, Shopify, Stripe, Microsoft Office, Google Docs, and more. Melissa's API also integrates seamlessly into your existing workflows or custom builds. Melissa's solutions and services are GDPR and CCPA compliant, FedRamp and ISO 27001 certified and meet SOC2 and HIPAA high Trust standards for Information Security management. Clean data, well, it leads to better marketing, ROI, higher customer lifetime value and AI that works as intended. Get started today with 1,000 records cleaned for free at melissa.com TWIT that's melissa.com TWIT all right, we are back from the break and and this is such a fascinating story that I had to share it with you. It's just a matter of people not wanting to respect the science so let's talk about the San Francisco 49ers. What sports? Yes, sports this is the San Francisco 49ers are actually one of the NFL's most persistent in terms of getting injuries. Unfortunately, it's also kind of mysterious, or so claim some people. Since moving to Levi's Stadium in 2014, the team has reportedly consistently ranked among the league's most battered, with high profile players suffering devastating injuries in critical moments. Now there's a new theory making its way around that is really funny, I think among players and agents as well, and that's that that electromagnetic fields from an electrical substation that's near the team's practice facility are what's to blame. In a piece for the Washington Post, reporters Sam Fortier and Albert Samaha dig into the origins of this fringe theory, talk to the scientists who dismiss it, and explore why it's gaining traction despite the lack of evidence even influencing how some players and agents are viewing the franchise. So we have to start with this theory, right? Right. The EMF theory this time around traces back to a person named Peter Cohen, who is a self described, quote, board certified quantum biology practitioner and software engineer. Always a software engineer as well. After watching a YouTube video where a retired 49ers player joked about the team's proximity to a power substation, Cohen decided to travel from Portland oh wow. To Santa Clara with a gas with a gauss meter to take readings near the facility. His findings and his subsequent posts on X and Substack went viral, racking up more than 21 million impressions. Now, Cowan's central claim is that extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields from Silicon Valley Power's northern receiving station are actually degrading players collagen, weakening their tendons and causing Soft, soft tissue damage. He described San Francisco as the NFL's soft tissue graveyard. Interesting theory certainly. I want to take a moment and we're going to talk about sort of the brief history of EMF anxiety that, that, that exists in the world. So it's important to understand that electromagnetic fields and human health like the concern about how the two interact, the zero, these aren't new things. They've been simmering for decades. This modern wave of EMF anxiety seems to have started around like 1979. There was a study by epidemiologist Nancy Werther Meyer who said that there was a possible link between power lines and childhood leukemia. Now that research then led to widespread fear and a flood of follow up studies, but those results have been inconsistent. The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified extremely low frequency magnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans in 2001. But that same category also includes, can you guess, coffee and pickled vegetables. This is based on limited evidence of a link to childhood leukemia. But possibly carcinogenic is a far cry from proven danger and has the ability to weaken your collagen. And so there's not a lot going on in terms of this. Major health agencies, including the who, have consistently stated that current evidence does not confirm EMF causes health problems at typical exposure levels. That said, that hasn't stopped a thriving industry from emerging around EMF protection products. There are special phone cases. Maybe some of you have them whole home shielding systems. Maybe it's taken some, you've taken some aluminum foil and place it on your head, whatever it happens to be. Many of these make claims that frankly aren't backed by rigorous science. The rise of 5G cellular networks is just another bit of this conspiracy. In recent years it kind of reignited these fears. Conspiracy theories falsely linked this technology to everything from cancer to COVID 19. What's notable about the 49er situation is how it represents kind of a new vector for these anxieties. Not just personal health, but like professional health and athletic performance. So this EMF concern where before it was sort of it's going to give you cancer or it's going to somehow make you more susceptible to COVID 19. Now we've got a fresh audience that maybe wasn't paying attention to this before because it's impacting how their players play play. Or so they're led to believe. But here's what the scientists have to say about it. The experts consulted by the Washington Post were largely dismissive. Frank de Vocht, a professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at Bristol Medical School, who's also a leading expert on EMF's effect on humans, called the theory nonsense. He noted that the readings Cohen took around 8.5 milligauss are actually quite low and, and kind of what you would expect in any normal house. So within your house it's the same amount of, of milligauss, I guess, and you're not getting anything special there. Hans Krumhaut, a professor of exposure assessment at Utrecht University who has studied workers exposed to high levels of emf, agreed the explanation seems quite unlikely. He said that some electric line workers face a up to 200 milligauss versus 8.5, and international authorities generally consider the danger threshold to be around 2,000, which is far above what Cohen measured. Still, scientific community isn't monolithic on the issue. A professor at McGill University's Department of Epidemiology described, quote, an ongoing bloody battle between those who view EMF as harmless and those calling for more research. While he said Cohen's assessment is theoretically plausible, the studies on EMF's effects on collagen involved much stronger electromagnetic fields than what's present near the 49ers facility. So it sounds like you living in your own home would have the same impact on your collagen if there was impact from EMF on collagen. That said, we can't dismiss the injuries. The injuries are very real. The 49ers injury woes are well documented. The team has consistently raised strength in the top 10 of adjusted games lost, which is a metric that weighs severity and player importance since moving to Levi's Stadium. This season alone, three of the team's four highest paid players actually suffered season ending injuries. And startite. And George Kittle tore his Achilles tendon during the team's playoff victory over the Eagles. It's hard for me to read about Achilles tendon tearing. That freaks me out every time. Here's a thing thing I gotta watch out for the milligauss that are running anyway. There's a significant problem with tying the injuries to the substation folks. The 49ers started practicing next to it in 1988, a full three decades before Levi's Stadium opened. From 2001 to 2014, according to veteran NFL analyst Aaron Shatz, the 49ers actually ranked below average in injuries. When told about this timeline issue issue, Cohen acknowledged he didn't know about it. He said if he had, he would have broadened his research to track the rising number of cell towers in the area. He remains confident the substation contributed to the injuries. And you may think that that's it, right? That's the problem. That's, that's where this kind of starts and stops. You've got one guy who's a, an engineer, a software engineer and also quantum biologist. And then you also have sort of fans paying attention to this. And that might be enough to go, oh brother, but there's actually more going on. See, it turns out that despite the scientific skepticism, unfortunately, NFL players and their representatives have started to pick up on it and it's gained some traction. The Post corresponded with about two dozen NFL agents and roughly 1,003rd said they had heard from their clients asking about the theory. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne even referenced it publicly, joking after the Eagles game that the injuries were being caused by that power plant. One agent texted the Post, they're going to have to move the practice facility. Another wrote, there is something there. Always wondered why my guys would take longer to heal in San Francisco. Then I read this and makes sense. Some agents were more measured. One pointed out that money at the end of the day ultimately drives free agency. Okay, thank you for your contribution. What? Let me just read that quote again for the agent. Money at the end of the day ultimately drives free agency. Great, thank you. There was another who kind of dismissed the concern, saying some players are also susceptible to conspiracy theories. As for one agent, there is a DIY approach going on. Trey Robinson took matters into his own hands when he realized there was a substation near one of his clients home facilities. He bought a $40 Gauss meter on Amazon and had it sent to someone who lived near the facility to take readings. He says, I'm not a scientist, but if there's a way to eliminate something being an issue, we'll take whatever steps we can to address our clients concerns. So let's kind of round things out here with the bigger picture as it comes to EMF concerns. Cohen's beliefs about EMF really aren't as fringe as they once were. The ufc, the Minnesota Timberwolves, several NBA and NHL players, and even the lead singer of the All American Rejects have partnered with a company that claims to reduce the negative effects of EMFs. This growing acceptance of EMF concerns, even without robust scientific backing, speaks to broader anxieties about technology and health that extend well beyond football.

B (40:28)

Right.

A (40:30)

Important to note that both the 49ers and the NFL declined to comment on the story. The city of Santa Clara and Silicon Valley Power had no response to requests for comment. So in the end, I'll leave it up to you to decide if the EMFs are ruined in the NFL. It sounds like no. All signs point to no, but it is ruined. Really? Fascinating. There's probably more going on when it comes to cranial damage than There is with EMFs and soft tissue. Good morning crust. It's a great day to be a bread brother. Mornings are not my jam or jelly. Oh come on, stop loafing around. I just woke up feeling hollow inside. Just grab one of the new morning Uncrustable sandwiches like Bright eyed berry or up and apple filled with 12 grams of protein and tons of deliciousness crust.

B (41:26)

What are you eating?

A (41:27)

It's just granola. Not even yogurt. No crust, no fuss. Uncrust your mornings folks. That is going to bring us to the end of this episode of Tech News Weekly. The show publishes every Thursday at TWiT TV TNW. That is where you can go to subscribe to the show and audio and video formats. We'll be back next week with some great interviews and wonderful guests. If you would like to get all of our shows ad free, just the content, check out Club TWiT. TWiT TV Club TWiT is where you go to sign up when you join the club. $10 a month, $120 a year, you gain access to some pretty awesome benefits. All of our stuff ad free. Just the shows. You also gain access to our special feeds. We've got a feed that has behind the scenes, before the show, after the show special. Wait, what are the feeds again? They're special bits and clips. We also have a feed that has our live commentary of news events and our third feed which is all of our shows that we do in a club like My Crafting Corner, which will be back next month, as well as several other wonderful shows that get published there like Stacy's Book Club. If that's not enough for you, well, I understand there's also our Discord. A fun place to go to chat with your fellow Club TWiT members and those of us here at TWiT. So be sure to check that out at TWiT TV Club TWiT. If you'd like to follow me online, I'm ikasargent on many a social media network. Or you can head to Chihuahua Coffee, that's C H I H U A H U A Coffee where I've got links to the places I'm most active online. Be sure to check out my other shows, which many, many of which publish today, iOS today, hands on Apple and Hands On Tech and as I mentioned. We'll be back again next week with another episode of Goodbye, Everybody. Whoa. Look at the time. Time is flying. And there's only a little bit of time left to take our annual survey. Sorry, it's freezing here. Your feedback helps to guide the future of TWiT. Your feedback matters. It makes us make our shows better. So if you head to Twitter TV survey 26 before January 31st, then that is the time to tell us what you think. By the way, every time one of you fills out the survey, it gets a couple of degrees warmer here, so I could really use it. It'll only take you a couple of minutes, I promise. Thanks so much. We appreciate it. And, oh, wow, I appreciate the few of you who've filled out the survey because it's already getting warmer here anyway. TWIT TV survey 20.

B (44:07)

Ra.