Windows Weekly 961: “Petroleum Exchange Expert”
Recorded: December 3, 2025 | Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurott, Richard Campbell
Main Theme & Overview
This episode dives into the latest roundup of Windows news, significant AI updates across the tech landscape, Xbox developments, and a spirited exploration of Lithuanian whiskey. The hosts—broadcasting from Pennsylvania (Paul), Lithuania (Richard), and Petaluma (Leo)—blend in-depth technical discussion with the usual friendly banter and cultural detours, making this episode both informative and lively.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Week D Windows Update – What’s New?
- Release Shift: Week D update (usually preview for December’s Patch Tuesday) was delayed due to Thanksgiving holiday at Microsoft.
- Feature Rundown:
- Copilot+ PC: Improvements to agent/settings UI and context-driven menus.
- Streamlined File Explorer Menus: More common commands surfaced up front (copy, share, save), new icons (tongue-in-cheek “hieroglyphics” jokes).
- Contextual Features: Table recognition gives new context menu (e.g., quick "Save to Excel").
- Windows Studio Effects Expansion: Now supports secondary (USB) cameras.
- Dark Mode Consistency: Dialogs and file operations in File Explorer finally go dark.
- Photos App Categories: AI categorizes photos; Windows Search integrates category search (though skepticism remains).
- Advanced/Developer Settings Rebrand: More power-user features exposed like Virtual Workspaces and easy task-killing via taskbar jump lists.
- Widget Board Revamp: Move towards customizable “all widgets, just feed, or custom feeds.”
- UI “Fit & Finish”: Ongoing clean-up across menus, new sharing improvements, and expanded full-screen modes for gaming handhelds.
- Emulation Improvements: AVX/AVX2 support for ARM in Prism Emulator, better Windows compatibility for games.
“It’s a Christmas present from someone who hates Christmas and everyone who celebrates it and they just want to keep you busy.”
— Paul Thurott [13:40]
2. Android & Chrome OS Convergence: "Aluminium"
- Aluminium OS:
- Leaked via job listing.
- Aiming to merge Android and Chrome OS for laptops and desktops, paralleling iPad’s desktop aspirations.
- Google’s fifth attempt at platform unification, reminiscent of Andy Rubin’s original vision for Android.
- Android Update Scheme:
- Quarterly feature drops (QPR).
- Recent update revved SDK mid-year for the first time, reflecting more nimble development.
“The strategy until they change it five more times… Actually, I think this is the fifth change.”
— Paul Thurott [16:33]
- OS Churn vs. Stability: Reflection on Windows’ reputation for bugs stemming from hardware diversity.
“Microsoft makes Windows run on a billion possible permutations. The fact that this thing boots up at all is a miracle of computer science.”
— Paul Thurott [20:03]
3. AI in Big Tech: Apple, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft
- Apple’s AI leadership shakeup:
- Out: John Gianandrea (ex-Google), blamed for Siri’s languishing.
- In: Subramaniam (short stint at Microsoft, long at Google, led Gemini 3 product management).
- Apple losing high-level AI execs to competitors (esp. OpenAI).
- Siri seen as historically stalled, but hosts predict a Gemini-based turnaround soon.
- AI in Games & Creative Fields:
- Tim Sweeney’s stance against compulsory “Made with AI” labels in games (e.g., Steam’s upcoming policy).
- Heated discussion on the cultural resistance to AI-generated work in games and art; analogies to previous tech revolutions (photography, airbrushing).
- Notable parallel to Oscar-nominated film penalized for AI accent work.
- Economic and Regulatory Outlook:
- OpenAI’s market lead discussed; threats posed by big tech (esp. Google/Gemini).
- Bubble warnings: references to Nvidia/metacompanies self-dealing, Microsoft lowering sales targets (denied, but plausible).
- Hosts envision a possible shakeout—acquisitions, bankruptcies, or regulation, but big tech will likely consolidate power.
- Policy/“too big to fail” speculation if AI giants struggle under political pressure.
“AI fundamentally saves you time. But the other way to say that is it also saves you money. And that's where something new is created.”
— Paul Thurott [44:21]
“You keep telling me I'm not me. So, bye.”
— Richard Campbell on canceling Netflix due to inserterfication [114:06]
4. Browsers & AI: Opera & the Browser Wars
- Opera Neon integrates Google’s Gemini (AI), adds “One-Minute Deep Research.”
- Opera AI will replace "Aria" as default AI assistant, moving from proprietary to Google’s ecosystem.
- Discussion of business pragmatism: even if you want to resist the AI integration wave, the finance guys win.
5. Xbox & Gaming News
- Nostalgic look back at the Halo franchise and the untold story of Microsoft’s acquisition (rescuing Halo from being a Mac exclusive).
- Changing fortunes: Halo no longer the flagship it once was; Call of Duty and Fortnite dominate.
- Game Pass updates for December: Indiana Jones (“Great Circle”), Bratz, Death Howl, and “Spray Paint Simulator” bring humor.
“Spray Paint Simulator. How little do you want to do in a game?”
— Paul Thurott [94:13]
- Steam Deck & PC Gaming:
- Valve’s quietly-funded push for ARM ports, Proton (based on Wine) with FEX emulator for future low-cost portables—signals ARM’s growing ubiquity.
- Reflection on ARM vs. x86; expectation that ARM will soon dominate both PC and gaming hardware.
6. Lithuanian Whiskey, Culture & Brown Liquor
- Richard’s deep-dive into Lithuanian whiskey (“Starka”), its origins, and how Lithuania’s climate and agricultural history led to unique rye-based liquors.
- Cultural traditions explained: Starka as “aged rye whiskey” linked to the celebration of a son’s birth.
- Comparison to other regional rye beverages, differences between vodka and whiskey, and an appreciation for local spirits’ affordability and flavor.
“My favorite part about the whole thing—12 bucks!”
— Richard Campbell [135:26]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the AI panic & resistance:
“It's not rational, it's emotional… It's creepy. I don't want to have anything to do with it.”
— Leo Laporte [31:36] -
On insertification & streaming fatigue:
“We're on this treadmill thing… now it's software too… It's one of a thousand small things. Death by a thousand cuts.”
— Paul Thurott [110:15] -
On tech history’s repeating culture wars:
“When photography occurred: ‘What about the oil painters?’… I'm sure, we just didn’t have the internet… It’s always like that.”
— Paul Thurott [41:43]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 01:07 – Richard’s intercontinental trek; show open banter
- 03:03 – Week D Windows Update deep dive
- 14:45 – Android/Chrome OS convergence and job listing leak ("Aluminium")
- 25:21 – Apple AI leadership shakeup
- 29:55 – Editorial: AI’s infiltration into creativity and gaming
- 44:21 – AI, jobs, and societal change parallels
- 47:37 – Automation, AI in radiology, analogies to previous tech shifts
- 58:29 – OpenAI fears, ChatGPT's stickiness, and the AI “bubble”
- 73:01 – Opera, browser AI integrations
- 86:48 – Xbox news, nostalgia, spray painting games
- 95:56 – Steam Deck, Proton on ARM, Valve’s approach to Linux gaming
- 121:29 – Richard’s “brown liquor” corner: Lithuanian whiskey, cultural/historical deep dive
- 108:53 – Paul’s “tip of the week” on subscription fatigue and insertification
Tone & Style
The conversation is relaxed, irreverent, and packed with nerdy asides, but interlaced with frank industry analysis. The hosts poke fun at tech excesses (“insertification,” “Petroleum Exchange Expert” jokes), reminisce about their computing youth, and frequently highlight the humanity behind the tech—be it through music, nostalgia, or whiskey.
Conclusion
This episode is a sweeping tour through the latest Windows updates, the turbulent tides of AI in tech and gaming, browser battlegrounds, subscription woes, and even the agricultural roots of Lithuanian whiskey. Candid, witty, and deeply informed—it’s an essential episode for anyone tracking how the 2020s are reshaping our relationship to platforms, AI, and our own digital (and fermented) cultures.