Grumpy Old Geeks – Episode 718: Net Unhelpful
Release Date: October 18, 2025
Hosts: Jason DeFillippo, Brian Schulmeister (out this week), guest co-host Donovan Atkisson
Theme: An unfiltered, sharp-tongued breakdown of this week’s tech disasters and digital blunders. “If tech had a walk of shame, this is it.”
Episode Overview
Jason and guest host Donovan take the wheel in Brian’s absence (he’s at Disneyland Paris), diving into the week’s most chaotic tech news and digital controversies. They take no prisoners in dissecting legislative overreaches, AI regulation, crypto noir, the programmable sky, and the latest in vibe coding delusions. Expect sarcasm, strong opinions, and no shortage of “WTF” moments.
Major Discussion Points & Insights
1. California’s Crackdown on AI Companions
[02:31]
- California’s new SB243 law targets AI chatbots, effective Jan 1, 2026.
- Key requirements:
- Age verification for users
- Warnings that users are chatting with bots
- Prohibited from impersonating healthcare professionals
- Mandatory “take a break” nudges for minors
- Block sexually explicit content for minors
- Suicide/self-harm response features
- Up to $250K penalty per deepfake offense
- Jason: “It’s time for these AI companions to get at least some kind of penalties—you know, because they’re… oh, I don’t know, killing children. So, you know, we’ll see.” [04:15]
Memorable Quote:
Donovan: “What the fuck is AI going to do for toasting my bread or my baguette or whatever? ...God damn this. Enough’s enough. This is scary, man.” [05:33]
2. AI Hype and Anxiety: It’s Not All Toast and Warm Feelings
[05:05]
- Global Pew poll: Majority in 25 countries are more worried than excited about AI.
- Discussion of AI’s relentless creep into daily life (from fridges to toasters).
Notable Moment:
Jason: “Five years ago, your toast would have been on the blockchain.” [06:25]
Donovan: “NFT stands for Not Toast.” [06:47]
3. Drone Swarms and 1984 in Georgia
[08:16]
- Georgia Tech launches drone first responder program; drones now actively surveil campus for rapid response.
- Involvement of Flock Safety, known for massive surveillance networks.
- Donovan draws parallels to dystopian fiction: “I’m thinking 1984 here.”
Memorable Moment:
Jason: “College pranks are great, you know. Okay, let’s start—let’s create some net guns… start taking down drones.” [12:01]
Donovan: “Panties, sir. Panties. They were brought down by dirty, rotten panties.” [12:28]
4. Crypto Noir: The Ukrainian Tragedy
[12:53]
- $380B crypto crash destroys fortunes—Ukrainian crypto fund manager Konstantin Ganich found dead in his Lamborghini.
- Discussion of his questionable 7% monthly fixed return promise.
- Behind-the-scenes intrigue: Possible law enforcement pressure, a gun gifted by a Ukrainian spymaster.
Jason’s Take:
“If you’re going to invest your money with somebody that is going to tell you that you’re going to get a fixed 7% monthly return, you deserve to lose your money.” [13:49]
Donovan: “Maybe you should have used some of that crypto to help buy more weapons and get Ukraine out of the mess that they’re in.” [14:15]
5. Space Junk and Orbital Anarchy
[18:37]
- Starlink satellites burning up raise concern over unregulated reentries.
- 20,000 tracked objects in orbit; Starlink alone operates ~8,000 satellites.
- More companies (Amazon, Espace, China) planning to add tens or even hundreds of thousands more.
- Collisions risk triggering “Kessler Syndrome”—runaway chain reactions leading to orbital lockout.
- Astronomers are already complaining: “We can’t see shit up here anymore.”
Notable Quotes:
McDowell (quoted): “It’s getting pretty busy up there.” [19:55]
Jason: “It’s not just light leaks from the reflections. It’s actual signal leaks… signal jammer satellite, which I’m sure we probably have a bunch of those up there already.” [23:27]
6. 4chan Fights UK Regulation—From the Grave
[25:48]
- 4chan fined by UK’s Ofcom under Online Safety Act; 4chan fires back with a US lawsuit alleging free speech violations.
- Jason: “Well, that’s what 4chan was always about—harmful content for minors. That’s where its bread and butter was.” [26:34]
- Reflection on 4chan’s meme-factory past and abysmal present.
7. Elon Musk’s Boring Company: Environmental “Bulk Discounts”
[28:44]
- Nearly 800 environmental violations in Las Vegas tunnel projects; fines reduced from possible $3M+ to $242K.
- Jason: “You get a bulk discount in Vegas if you just keep violating the law.” [29:13]
- General agreement that Elon acts untouchable; “What does Vegas have to show for it but a bunch of holes in the ground?” [30:12]
8. AI-Enhanced Real Estate Photos: Cool or Scam?
[32:18]
- MLS rules require disclosure of AI edits—but virtual staging often misleads.
- Donovan: AI was used to beautify a South Georgia property—net result: Disappointed buyers, house still unsold.
- Jason (on AI staging): “If you actually physically change it, there’s a problem… that’s bait and switch.” [36:03]
- Bottom line: Virtual staging OK, AI fakery not so much.
9. The Death of “Vibe Coding”—Andrej Karpathy’s Confession
[38:59]
- Andrej Karpathy (OpenAI co-founder, “vibe coding” evangelist) admits he hand-coded his project; AI tools were “Net Unhelpful.”
- “Vibe coding” = Letting AI code while you chill; reality = more bugs, more human work.
- Jason: “It gets you so close and then pulls the rug out from under you. It’s like a really bad NFT scam.” [40:35]
- 95% of devs spend more time fixing AI code; AI devs are actually slower.
Memorable Conversation:
Donovan: “I’m constantly fixing what it’s trying to do. I’m faster just doing it by hand.” [41:25]
Jason: “It’s whack a mole.” [41:39]
10. Tool Talk & AI Subscriptions
[43:55]
- AI tools becoming expensive as capabilities plateau; hosts swap anecdotes of using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, PO, Whisper CPP.
- Context: AI’s great for small utilities, not complex projects.
- “I don’t want to spend money on code. I want to write code to generate money, you know?” [43:25]
11. Waymo Prank: The First Robo-Taxi DDoS
[49:05]
- 23-year-old Riley Waltz calls 50 Waymo taxis to a dead-end street, blocks an area for a day.
- Outcome: No legal action; Waymo eats the cost, shrugs it off.
- Discussed alongside the quirks of self-driving cars in cities—amused disbelief all around.
Sample Reaction:
Jason: “The first couple hundred times you see a car driving around with nobody in the driver’s seat… it really is.” [50:32]
Media Candy ([52:34])
TV/Movies:
- Gen V: Penultimate episode—hosts agree, must-see before The Boys, Season 5. [52:37]
- Idiocracy & Galaxy Quest Documentary: Jason’s father sees both for the first time; “Galaxy Quest is a perfect film.” [57:55]
- Minecraft Movie: Donovan confesses enjoyment (“goofy, dumbass fun”), sequel coming 2027. [59:29]
- Other Recommendations:
- Celebrity Traitors (UK)
- Fortune Hotel
- Anonymous: Real Stories of Alcoholism, Addiction and Recovery (plug for Jason’s project)
Apps and Doodads ([60:57])
- THINGS 3: Jason returns for aesthetically pleasing task management. “Life is too short to use ugly software.” [61:45]
- WiFi 8 Trials: Tech quickly outpacing consumer adoption; WiFi 7 just launched, but TP Link/Qualcomm are already prepping 8. “It hits all the buzzwords, man.” [63:17]
- Networking Talk: Jason and Donovan nerd out on access points, signal strength, and the outrageous speeds no one needs.
- Windows 10 End-of-Life ([67:40]):
- Jason: “Everyone’s going to keep running their Windows 10 machine without support and it’s just going to become a botnet dystopia.”
- Donovan is furious: Forced obsolescence creates e-waste or security disasters, Windows 10 is solid, new machines arbitrarily required.
Listener Support Shoutouts
- New Patreon supporters: Daryl, Fat Fat, and Donovan (yes, co-host Donovan, pledging after appearing).
- PayPal tip jar: Miles, Sherry, Arcadio, Nathaniel, Brett, Linda, Andrew.
- Special thanks: Thomas P. for $250.
Obits: Diane Keaton (age 79), Ace Frehley (KISS, age 74).
Notable Quotes & Moments
“NFT stands for Not Toast.”
— Donovan, on the pointless creep of AI and blockchain everywhere [06:47]
“It gets you so close and then pulls the rug out from under you. It’s like a really bad NFT scam.”
— Jason, on AI coding tools [40:35]
“Panties, sir. Panties. They were brought down by dirty, rotten panties.”
— Donovan, on college students vs campus drones [12:28]
Tone and Style
The show retains its cranky, irreverent, and sarcastic trademark voice throughout. Jason and Donovan both punctuate the news with personal anecdotes, pop-culture references, and exasperated humor, balancing deep knowledge with pointed skepticism.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- California AI Law, AI Hype Backlash: [02:31]–[08:09]
- Georgia Tech Drones, Flock Safety: [08:16]–[12:44]
- Crypto Noir Story: [12:53]–[15:17]
- Starlink, Space Debris, Kessler Syndrome: [18:37]–[25:30]
- 4chan & Online Safety Law Lawsuit: [25:48]–[28:44]
- Elon’s Boring Company Infractions: [28:44]–[32:10]
- AI Real Estate Fakery: [32:18]–[38:19]
- End of Vibe Coding (Net Unhelpful): [38:51]–[43:55]
- Waymo Robo-taxi DDoS: [49:05]–[52:34]
- Media Recommendations: [52:34]–[60:57]
- WiFi 8, Networking Dork-out: [60:57]–[67:18]
- Windows 10 EOL, MSP Headaches: [67:40]–[76:06]
- Listener Support Shoutouts & Outros: [76:06]–[80:11]
In summary:
Episode 718 delivers another hard-hitting, hilariously aggravated tour through tech’s latest dumpster fires—ranging from legislative overkill and AI letdowns to misadventures in crypto, satellites, and robo-taxis. If you relish informed, cynical tech banter with lots of quotable rants, this installment is a must-listen (or, at the very least, a must-read summary).