673: Copyright Win for OpenAI, Internet Shock for North Koreans, and much more...

Summary

Grumpy Old Geeks - Episode 673 Summary: Copyright Win for OpenAI, North Korean Internet Shock, and More

In Episode 673 of "Grumpy Old Geeks," hosts Jason DeFilippo and Brian Schulmeister, along with occasional guest Dave Bittner, navigate through a whirlwind of tech news, dissecting each story with their characteristic bluntness and humor. This episode covers a broad spectrum of topics, from significant legal battles in the AI industry to major corporate layoffs and regulatory changes affecting global social media platforms. Here's a detailed breakdown of the key discussions and insights shared during the episode.

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1. Legal Battle: OpenAI's Copyright Lawsuit Dismissed

The episode opens with a pivotal legal development where a federal judge dismissed a copyright lawsuit filed by news outlets Raw Story and AlterNet against OpenAI. The plaintiffs had accused OpenAI of misusing their articles to train ChatGPT without proper compensation.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [01:06]:
  "Let us be clear about what is really at stake here... the use of plaintiffs articles to develop ChatGPT without compensation."

• Jason DeFilippo [02:22]:
  "We're heading towards a free for all, which is generally never good for people, but great for companies."

Key Insights:

• The judge ruled that the outlets failed to demonstrate sufficient harm to proceed with the lawsuit.
• The case sets a concerning precedent for AI training practices, potentially allowing companies to use copyrighted material without proper attribution or compensation.
• The hosts express skepticism about the plaintiffs' chances if they choose to amend their complaint, highlighting the legal challenges in holding AI companies accountable for training data usage.

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2. Social Media Turmoil: Truth Social Stock Crash and NYT Tech Guild Strike

Despite former President Donald Trump's recent election victory, shares of his media company, Trump Media and Technology Group (Truth Social), experienced a steep decline of 22%, obliterating earlier gains. The hosts analyze the volatility surrounding "Meme Stocks" and discuss the underlying issues plaguing Truth Social, particularly its lack of sustainable revenue models.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [04:22]:
  "The emperor has no clothes when it comes to actual revenue at Truth Social."

• Jason DeFilippo [04:53]:
  "Truth Social no longer really has any value in that sense."

Additional Discussion:

• The New York Times is grappling with a strike from its Tech Guild workers, who are demanding better wages and work conditions.

• Brian Schulmeister [13:18]:
  "New York Times tech workers began a strike on Monday... everyone else called them scabby."

• Perplexity's CEO has offered AI solutions to replace striking staff, highlighting the tension between labor rights and technological advancements in the workplace.

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3. Corporate Restructuring and Layoffs: Mozilla Foundation, iRobot, and Nissan

The episode delves into significant layoffs across major tech companies. The Mozilla Foundation announced a 30% staff reduction, impacting its nonprofits and advocacy divisions. Similarly, iRobot is laying off 105 employees as part of an ongoing operational restructuring following the failed acquisition by Amazon.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [05:22]:
  "They plan to make some steep cuts to its operation, including 9,000 jobs..."

• Jason DeFilippo [06:10]:
  "Things not going so rosy over there."

Nissan's Struggles:

• Japan's third-largest automaker, Nissan, is cutting 9,000 jobs and reducing its global manufacturing capacity by 20%.
• Brian Schulmeister [08:38]:
  "Nissan Chief Executive Officer Makado Uchida is taking a 50% pay cut from his monthly compensation because the boss deserves to take a fucking haircut too, doesn't he?"

Key Insights:

• These layoffs reflect broader industry challenges, including shifts toward AI, hybrid technologies, and the aftermath of attempted mergers.
• The hosts emphasize the declining relevance of certain product lines and services, using Mozilla's Firefox as an example of a "browser of last resort."

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4. AI and Environmental Concerns: Meta Halts Nuclear-Powered AI Data Center

Meta's ambitious plan to build a nuclear-powered AI data center in the US has been halted due to environmental and regulatory challenges, notably the discovery of a rare bee species at the proposed site. Despite initial intentions to partner with existing nuclear plants for emissions-free energy, Meta remains committed to exploring alternative carbon-free energy sources for its AI initiatives.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [17:38]:
  "It's exactly going to be fuck the bees."

• Jason DeFilippo [17:33]:
  "Mark Zuckerberg had intended to partner with an existing nuclear plant to supply emissions free electricity for the facility."

Key Insights:

• The discovery of the rare bee species presents significant environmental hurdles, delaying Meta's AI infrastructure plans.
• The discussion underscores the ongoing tension between technological advancement and environmental conservation efforts.

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5. AI-Driven Misinformation: Fake Dublin Halloween Parade

A concerning incident involving AI-generated misinformation led thousands of Irish residents to believe there was a three-hour Halloween parade scheduled in Dublin. Organized by a Pakistan-based website, this event never existed, leading to confusion and police intervention.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason DeFilippo [18:46]:
  "An apparent AI generated content farm deceived thousands of Irish into visiting the Dublin city center..."

• Brian Schulmeister [20:18]:
  "Trolls are going to troll, but this was a battle."

Key Insights:

• The misuse of AI for generating fake events highlights the potential for technology to facilitate large-scale misinformation campaigns.
• The hosts draw parallels to traditional trolling methods, emphasizing that while the tools have evolved, the intent remains malicious.

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6. Cybersecurity Threats: Salt Typhoon's Telecom Hacking

The podcast discusses alarming reports of a Chinese-linked hacking group, Salt Typhoon, infiltrating US telecom infrastructure. The group targeted the phones of diplomats, government officials, and individuals associated with presidential campaigns, accessing call logs and SMS texts.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [21:27]:
  "But you know, the NSA would just say, oh, that's just metadata. It doesn't matter."

• Jason DeFilippo [20:18]:
  "Salt Typhoon... targeting ... systems of telecom firms like AT&T and Verizon."

Key Insights:

• The extent of the breach suggests a significant threat to national security, with implications for personal privacy and political integrity.
• The discussion highlights the challenges in protecting sensitive information against sophisticated cyber espionage tactics.

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7. Global Social Media Actions: Canada's TikTok Shutdown and Australia's Age Restriction Proposal

Canada has taken decisive action against TikTok, ordering the platform to cease operations within the country due to unspecified national security risks. While not a complete ban, this move restricts TikTok from maintaining offices and conducting business operations locally.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [22:08]:
  "So, yeah, I'm guessing the advertising is what's going to basically take effect."

Additionally, Australia is proposing legislation to ban children under 16 from using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The proposed law aims to protect minors from cyberbullying and inappropriate content by enforcing strict age verification measures, with substantial fines for non-compliance.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [23:30]:
  "Great luck with that."

• Jason DeFilippo [23:18]:
  "As soon as we get those Internet police to enforce that..."

Key Insights:

• These regulatory actions reflect growing global concerns about the impact of social media on youth mental health and national security.
• The hosts debate the practicality and enforcement challenges of such bans, emphasizing the evolving landscape of digital regulation.

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8. Tech Product Delays and Updates: Amazon's Kindle ColorSoft and Alexa

Amazon is delaying the shipment of its first color e-reader, Kindle ColorSoft, due to persistent screen issues, including a yellowish bar at the bottom of the display. Customers who pre-ordered or ordered the device will receive it between November 9-18 in the US and by November 26 in the UK. Early reviews have been unfavorable, averaging 2.6 stars.

In parallel, Elon Musk's ex has implemented a controversial update to the blocking function on a platform (likely Twitter/X), allowing blocked users to see posts from the accounts that block them while still restricting interactions.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [42:35]:
  "Removed. Yeah."

• Jason DeFilippo [43:00]:
  "It's the fuck you aspect of it."

Key Insights:

• The Kindle ColorSoft delay underscores the challenges in launching new hardware without adequate quality assurance.
• The update to the blocking function raises questions about user privacy and the effectiveness of traditional blocking mechanisms in social media platforms.

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9. AI Integration in Traditional Products: Microsoft's Notepad AI

Microsoft is giving its classic Notepad application an AI makeover by introducing a rewrite feature powered by GPT. This enhancement allows users to rephrase text, adjust tone, and condense content effortlessly. The feature is currently in preview for Windows Insiders in select countries and will require Microsoft credits for full access.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason DeFilippo [44:29]:
  "That's right. We're old."

• Brian Schulmeister [43:12]:
  "The AI update follows recent upgrades to Paint."

Key Insights:

• Integrating AI into traditional tools like Notepad represents Microsoft's strategy to blend simplicity with advanced functionalities.
• The preview phase indicates gradual adoption, with potential implications for users' reliance on automated text enhancements.

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10. Preservation Efforts in Technology: iPod Click Wheel Games Project

Amateur radio enthusiasts and tech preservationists are working to rescue and preserve classic iPod Click Wheel games. Given that these games became inaccessible after Apple removed them from the iTunes Store in 2011, enthusiasts have developed virtual machines and master libraries to sync and play these titles on older iPod devices.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [45:10]:
  "They're tied to specific itunes accounts and hardware, making them unplayable on new devices."

• Jason DeFilippo [46:10]:
  "Yeah, I'm sure people are going to hop all over that."

Key Insights:

• These preservation efforts highlight the challenges of maintaining legacy software and the dedication of tech communities to keep nostalgic content alive.
• The project ensures that rare games remain playable, safeguarding a piece of digital history for future generations.

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11. Miscellaneous Tech News: iPhone Security Reboot Feature, Pixelmator Acquisition

Apple has introduced a new security feature in iOS 18 that automatically reboots iPhones stored in Faraday cages after a certain period without a cellular connection, enhancing device security by limiting forensic access. Additionally, Apple announced plans to acquire Pixelmator, a renowned photo editing software developer, marking its re-entry into the professional photo editing market.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason DeFilippo [69:08]:
  "It's a good smart. It's a good feature."

• Brian Schulmeister [47:43]:
  "Apple has announced plans to acquire pixelmator..."

Key Insights:

• The automatic reboot feature underscores Apple's commitment to advancing device security in response to evolving cyber threats.
• Acquiring Pixelmator aligns with Apple's strategy to bolster its creative suite, offering users robust and user-friendly photo editing tools as alternatives to industry standards like Adobe.

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12. Additional Highlights: Ham Radio Licensing and Star Wars Trilogy Announcement

Ham Radio Licensing: Guest Dave Bittner shares his recent experience obtaining an amateur radio license, detailing the exam process and his initial foray into radio communication. This personal anecdote adds a relatable touch to the episode, emphasizing the intersection of technology and personal hobbies.

Star Wars Trilogy Announcement: The hosts discuss the news of Lucasfilm adding a new trilogy to its Star Wars slate, potentially continuing the Skywalker saga. Simon Kinberg, along with Carrie Beck and Dave Filoni, are set to write and produce the new episodes, though the hosts remain cautiously optimistic given past cancellations.

Notable Quotes:

• Brian Schulmeister [73:17]:
  "Leave a review at GOG Show/review 5 star rating."

• Brian Schulmeister [68:34]:
  "I have three episodes to go. I better get."

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Conclusion

Episode 673 of "Grumpy Old Geeks" offers a comprehensive exploration of the latest developments in the tech world, blending critical analysis with the hosts' trademark humor and skepticism. From significant legal decisions affecting AI training practices to major corporate layoffs and regulatory shifts in social media, the episode encapsulates the dynamic and often contentious nature of the technology landscape. The hosts provide listeners with insightful commentary, ensuring that even complex topics are accessible and engaging for a broad audience.

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Notable References and Links:

• For more details on the discussed topics, listeners are encouraged to visit the show notes at GOG Show.
• Join the conversation and provide feedback via their Discord channel.
• Support the show and enjoy ad-free, high-definition episodes by subscribing on Patreon.

Shoutouts and Tributes: The hosts extend gratitude to their supporters and acknowledge recent passings in the tech and entertainment industries, including the legendary artist Greg Hildebrandt, music icon Quincy Jones, and Elwood Edwards, the voice behind AOL's "You've Got Mail."

Closing Remark: Jason DeFilippo and Brian Schulmeister sign off with their signature blend of sarcasm and camaraderie, reminding listeners to stay informed and engaged with the ever-evolving world of technology.

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Stay tuned for the next episode of "Grumpy Old Geeks" as they continue to navigate the highs and lows of the tech universe with unabashed honesty and humor.

Transcript

[Brian Schulmeister]

Hey, prime members, have you heard? You can listen to your favorite podcasts ad free. Good news, with Amazon Music, you have access to the largest catalog of ad free top podcasts included with your prime membership. To start listening, download the Amazon Music app for free or go to Amazon.com ad free podcast. That's Amazon.com ad free podcast to catch up on the latest episodes without the ads. Grumpy Old Geeks, a weekly talk show hosted by Brian Schulmeister and Jason DeFilippo discussing the finer points of what went wrong on the Internet and who's to blame. Welcome to Grumpy Old geeks.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I'm Jason DeFilippo and I'm Canadian permanent resident Brian Schilmeister.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Hi, Brian, how you doing today?

[Jason DeFilippo]

I'm okay. Yeah, I guess, you know, trying to drink myself into a stupor at every second. No, I'm just kidding. Yeah, I'm fine.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Okay, good.

[Jason DeFilippo]

What are you going to do? Can't change the world.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Nothing. Moving on. That's what we're going to do.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yep.

[Brian Schulmeister]

All right, Got some follow up today.

[Jason DeFilippo]

All right.

[Brian Schulmeister]

In New York. In New York, a federal judge dismissed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI by news outlets Raw Story and AlterNet. They claimed their articles were misused to train OpenAI's language model, ChatGPT. But Judge Colleen McMahon ruled that the outlets hadn't shown enough harm to proceed, but allowed them to amend their complaint, though she expressed doubt about their chances. Now, here's what she said. Let us be clear about what is really at stake here. The alleged injury for which the plaintiffs truly seek redress is not the unlawful removal of their article's copyright management information, but the use of plaintiffs articles to develop ChatGPT without compensation. Because the lawsuit that these guys filed against OpenAI wasn't for copyright infringement. Surprisingly enough.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah. Their lawyers took a different path.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, they said that each of their articles has copyright management information in it, basically probably meta tags. And that was removed. Well, yeah, because you're going to remove that. But what they're saying is basically that's attribution to what was taken. And so the judge is just like, yeah, that's not really how that works. So they can't prove that there's really any damage. And that's what you get out of a lawsuit. So.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, well, I'm not surprised. What's interesting to me is if this is going to be used as one of those cases, because eventually we're getting to the point with misinformation and all these generative AI things and fake imagery and fake videos and all the companies that are trying to do it legally, like Adobe and everybody else are running around doing. But we'll have meta tags. Well, this case just basically said you can strip meta tags and that's not illegal.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, interesting.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, interesting precedent that they have just set.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Well, it's not illegal to train. So if you're training on training. Yeah, it's up in the air right now and it's going to get way more up in the air in a couple months when the laws that we're putting on the books are probably going to be stripped back anyway.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yes, we're heading towards a free for all, which is generally never good for people, but great for companies.

[Brian Schulmeister]

But the great thing here is it's company on company violence. Really what I really want to see is the New York Times against OpenAI. I want to see how that one plays out because that's the big daddy.

[Jason DeFilippo]

That's true.

[Brian Schulmeister]

That's the Tyson Paul fight that I want to see coming up in two weeks, by the way. I cannot fucking wait.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I have zero interest whatsoever.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Oh, I just want to see Mike Tyson wipe the floor with this kid. I'm so excited. Here's another one that we have a little follow up for Truth Social stock is crashing even though Trump won. Despite Donald Trump's recent election win, shares of his media company, Trump Media and Technology Group took a steep dive. Truth Social stock fell 22% on Thursday, erasing all the gains from earlier in the week, despite initially jumping 35% after his victory. So, you know, we were talking about it last week. Up, down, up, down, up, down. And all I got to say is Meme Stock's going to meme. Everybody that was there for the ride got their money out. And the people that are left holding the bag, well, music stopped. You're fucked.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Well, yeah, it was fun. And for depends on definition of fun and what side I suppose you're on. But it was a fun ride for a while and people liked it because it was the place where you would go to listen to Trump. Now that Trump is going to be president again, there will be no escaping places to have to listen to Trump. So true Social no longer really has any value in that sense. And we've known for, for a very long time, like since the company started that it actually has no value in terms of a traditional company sense. So.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Right.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Crash.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, there's really nothing there. The emperor has no clothes when it comes to actual revenue at Truth Social, so.

[Jason DeFilippo]

So its use case is no longer required and Therefore, the company will.

[Brian Schulmeister]

In the news. In the News is brought to you by private Internet access. The only no log VPN tested in court. Go to Gog Show VPN to sign up today.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Well, some pink slips in the news, Jason, and I suspect this segment will be growing longer. Oh boy. In the next few years, Mozilla foundation has cut 30% of its staff. This is will completely eliminate the nonprofits, advocacy and global programs divisions, according to an internal email sent by Mozilla Foundation Executive director Nabiya Syed. TechCrunch reported on the news and Mozilla confirmed the Katzena statement to the publication as well as to Engadget. The Mozilla foundation is reorganizing teams to increase agility and impact as we accelerate our work to ensure a more open and equitable technical future for us all. According to the statement from Brandon Borman, Vice President of communications at Mozilla, this unfortunately means ending some of the work we have historically pursued and eliminating associated roles to bring more focus going forward. That came out of chat GPT, I'm pretty sure.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah.

[Jason DeFilippo]

So this is the non profit arm under the bigger Mozilla umbrella. Mozilla Corporation is the arm responsible for the browser Firefox. And in February Mozilla announced that about 60 workers would be laid off primarily on the product development team. So things not going so rosy over there. You know, things aren't going well in the company when they basically get rid of any of the outreach and do gooder for the for public face areas of their companies.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, yeah. I'm surprised it's lasted that long. You know. Come on. I mean we joke about Firefox all the time because who uses it?

[Jason DeFilippo]

I have it. I have it installed. I use it if it's the last in my cascading chain of browsers. If a site doesn't work on everything else.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Exactly. It is the browser of last resort.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yes.

[Brian Schulmeister]

And I know we're going to get emails. Every time we say that, somebody sends us an email like I still use Firefox.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Some people love it.

[Brian Schulmeister]

So yeah, I gotta say on PC, I don't even know if this is still a thing, but last time I used a PC, Thunderbird was my go to mail client.

[Jason DeFilippo]

So I loved Thunderbird.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, it worked. It reminded me of Eudora because it was old and janky, but it worked.

[Jason DeFilippo]

But it worked some more.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Pink Slip News Roomba maker Irobot is laying off 105 employees, which is about 16% of the company's workforce, saying the cuts are part of an Operational restructuring plan. Well, yeah, that's kind of what you do. The move comes after irobot slashed about 31% of its workforce earlier this year. Now, those cuts were made after the plans for the Amazon acquisition fell through. We talked about that when it was going on. They did plan to acquire iRobot for $1.7 billion. But the companies mutually terminated the agreement, noting that they didn't see a path to regulatory approval in the EU. So then they got an iRobot, got a $94 million termination fee from that, that deal, which is apparently run out. They've spent that all the time. They've already spent that. So since the start of 2024, the company has reduced its global workforce by approximately 50%. Now, do you have one of these things, Brian?

[Jason DeFilippo]

I do. In fact, I was using it today. It's ancient. It no longer can even connect to wifi or anything. So I basically just have to drag it around and manually start and stop it.

[Brian Schulmeister]

It's like a blind dog. Point it towards the yard and say, go pee.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Pretty much. It's one of those dogs that's lost two of its back legs. So it's on one of those tractor trailers. It, you know, it's, it can't go up and down stairs. I, I have live in a kind of thin but multi level place, so it's a bit of a pain in the ass. But what it's good for is, you know, just during the week, once a week we'll throw it in the bedrooms and, and let it pick up dust so we don't have to do a massive clean. It's fine. If it dies, am I going to get a new one? Probably not.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Okay. Somebody gave me one a couple weeks ago. It was one of the more modern ones, you know, that it was smart enough to go find its charging station and all that because, I mean, my Roomba that I originally had was Roomba1, the first Roomba. And it was terrible. And this one was not that much better because it still couldn't find its charging station. So it would get there, but it just couldn't quite seal the deal. It was kind of like a teenager on prom night trying to land the plane.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I do understand that they're considerably better now, but the problem is there's also a gazillion people making them. And iRobot makes the most expensive ones.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah. And I've never seen them, you know, with dogs and dirt and everything. They just really haven't, they haven't made the floor as clean as I want them to be. You know, I've got a Dyson vacuum cleaner. That thing makes the floor as clean as it needs to be and it's fast.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, same here. I prefer using the Dyson. Like I said, we basically just use it for. Throw it up there for a half an hour, let it get some excess junk and. But you know, still once a week I got to go through and vacuum the entire house and all that sort of stuff. So. Yeah, okay, so more pink slips, Jason. And I know Nissan isn't technically a tech company, but there's a twist to this one that I want to point out, which is why it's in the news. Reuters reports that the company plans to make some steep cuts to its operation, including 9,000 jobs and 20% of its global manufacturing capacity. This is Japan's third largest automaker and they've cut $2.6 billion in cost. This FISC fiscal year alone, Nissan revised its annual profit outlook by a whopping 70% as it struggles to sell cars in places like China and the US where it lacks a credible lineup of hybrid cars. They have a couple, but they're not that exciting and they haven't stepped it up there. The cuts won't just affect workers on the assembly lines, however. And listen up, tech bros. This is something we never hear about your companies when you cut jobs. The New York Times reports that Nissan Chief Executive Officer Makado Uchida is taking a 50% pay cut from his monthly compensation because the boss deserves to take a fucking haircut too, doesn't he?

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yes, he does.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yes, he does.

[Brian Schulmeister]

You know, I. Nissan. Not. Not really something that sparks the imagination anymore.

[Jason DeFilippo]

It does not bring joy.

[Brian Schulmeister]

It does not. I had a 300zx that was souped up to 550 horsepower for a while. That thing brought joy.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I had an Xterra and that brought joy. I love that damn car.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah. Nowadays there's not a Nissan in the lineup that I could say, yeah, I want that.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah. Well, I've got somewhere to stay for a lot of these people that lost their jobs, Jason. As long as they're in San Francisco. A startup, of course in San Francisco that rents out bunk bed style pods large enough to fit a twin mattress is overwhelmed with demand for its $700 a month living quarters.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Okay.

[Jason DeFilippo]

They're called Brownstone Shared housing and they operate out of a former bank in downtown San Franc. The pods are 3.5ft by 4ft by 6.5ft with a privacy curtain. And your rent includes Internet, utilities and access To a shared bathroom and kitchen where you can cry together.

[Brian Schulmeister]

I mean, I saw the pictures of this place. Now, I've always been fascinated by the Japanese capsule hotels.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yes.

[Brian Schulmeister]

I always wanted to go stay in one. But I'm six feet tall and everybody's like, you're not going to fit. And even this one's six and a half feet. I ain't going to fit.

[Jason DeFilippo]

You know, barely.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, well, yeah, if I'm wearing a hat, I'm screwed. Or shoes. I know you shouldn't wear your shoes in the bed. That's, that's, that's rude. This. But these are just literally like bunk beds with curtains on them. They're janky. Totally janky.

[Jason DeFilippo]

And 700 bucks a month for jank.

[Brian Schulmeister]

The funny thing is, if I was of a certain age and in San Francisco, I'd have been all over this shit because everything I had fit in my car. So I could just lock my car and wait for it to get stolen there and whatever. But I would have tried this probably.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah. Sounds like a dystopian nightmare to me. But doesn't everything?

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, in San Francisco. Of course it is. But that's part of the joy. That's part of the joy of San Francisco. You suffer, Brian, when you're a tech bro. Startup. That's the way it goes. All right? Because you have to save all that extra money for your avocado toast.

[Jason DeFilippo]

That's right.

[Brian Schulmeister]

This was a great one. This week, Perplexity CEO offered to replace striking New York Times staff with A.I.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Well, thanks.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah. New York Times tech workers began a strike on Monday, demanding a 2.5% annual wage increase and maintaining a two day in office rule. Represented by the NYT Tech Guild, these workers handle vital software support and data analysis. So I'm going to skip the rest of this because it doesn't really matter anymore because it's all over. But the whole point here is the picketers were gathered outside and saying, we want money. So Arvan Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity came and went to the Times and said, hey, I'll help you out during the strike. If you need some brain power with our AI to handle some basic tech support stuff, we'll get your back. Everybody else called them being scabby and things like that. There was no word if the New York Times took him up on it, but it was kind of a. I thought it was kind of a funny move, personally.

[Jason DeFilippo]

It's funny. It's very funny.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah. Yeah. What's better, though? New York Times tech workers are still on strike since they walked out just before election day. And I don't know if anybody noticed, but the New York Times was still up, so not good for their case, actually.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Well, Jason, we're tech people. We know how this works. It's up until it's not. And then you have to call someone.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Exactly. I mean, look. Look how long Twitter, like, you know, limped along after he fired everybody. You know, there is inertia to these things until the log, the logs, you know, back up on the hard drives and everybody goes, why are there so many? Why is the disk full? Why are the disks full? Because you didn't know how to reset the cron job when it crapped out in the middle of the night.

[C]

Hmm.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Might want to hire us back. So these tech workers are asking users to avoid the Times games like Crossword, wordle and Connections. Instead, their union, the Times Tech Guild, has launched its own set of games, including a wordle spin off and Connections Strike Edition. The guild site. Guild builds also features strike themed recipes like Just Cause Kimchi and whatever that is. And we've got beef with management. That's funny. Representing over 600 tech workers, the guild has been in contract talks with the Times for more than two years. So I don't know if they're going to get anything done anytime soon, but we've got beef with management with stuffed mushrooms. Sounds delightful.

[Jason DeFilippo]

It does. I would make that. I don't think I'm going to play Strike, though, because I kind of spun off on wordle. Finally went away.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Oh, yeah, I gave that up like two years ago after I think, my God, I think I had a 450 day streak before I finally gave up. And I probably would have kept going, but I got Covid and slept through a day.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Well, Disney is forming the ranks to figure out how to deal with AI. So, as first reported by Reuters, the company recently formed a dedicated emerging technologies unit dubbed the Office of Technology Enablement. The group will coordinate the company's exploration, adoption, and use of artificial intelligence, AR and VR tech. It has tapped Jamie Voris, previously the CTO of its studio's technology division, to oversee the effort. Before that, he was CTO at the NFL, of all things. So I think he kind of knows what he's doing.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, they got tech at the NFL. Yeah, no joke there.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, they really do. Yeah. More recently, he led the development of the company's Apple Vision Pro app. Slight strike there.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Have you seen it? We don't know if it's any good, actually.

[Jason DeFilippo]

That's true. Dave Bittner says it's great. So, yeah, there you go. Reuters reports the company eventually plans to grow the group to about 100 employees. This seems like a pretty good way to handle things. Disney is usually pretty good about this stuff. So putting a team that basically anybody and the other teams can come to, to talk to about how to, you know, do we do something in this area, how do we implement it, what have other areas done in Disney? When you got a big company like that, it totally makes sense to have a division that basically just kind of parachutes in when. When other people need help in the smart.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, yeah. No, it's just their little brain trust. On AR and VR, it's perfect. And yeah, they spend money on innovation. They've got a pretty good R and D budget.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yep. And as I always say, it mystifies me why Disney stock is always so low, because they really do know what they doing. And when they roll something out, it never really gets panned. It's just, oh yeah, well, Disney did it. It's great. There you go.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, I still want that floor. I really. Oh, God.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, that thing's badass.

[Brian Schulmeister]

It really is. Meta's plans to build a nuclear powered AI data center in the US have been halted due to environmental and regulatory challenges, including the discovery of a rare bee species at the proposed site.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Oh, just wait a couple months, it's over. Then it's going to be fuck the bees.

[Brian Schulmeister]

It's exactly going to be fuck the bees.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yep.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah. Mark Zuckerberg had intended to partner with an existing nuclear plant to supply emissions free electricity for the facility. Despite this obstacle, Meta remains committed to exploring carbon free energy options, including nuclear power, to support its AI initiatives. So ain't no bees in the metaverse, motherfucker.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yep. Well, as AI continues to be jammed into every single product we can ever possibly have, even though most of us don't really want it, it's certainly not stuck into everything. So it's always worth remembering that AI kind of sucks a lot of the time. Many criticisms regarding the proliferation of artificial intelligence live in the realm of theoretical or hard to gauge. We don't just. We just don't know how many people are swayed by disinformation produced by AI. But every now and then we get a real life, tangible case of AI messing with people's lives.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yes.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Okay, this is a great one. An apparent AI generated content farm deceived thousands of Irish into visiting the Dublin city center for a supposed three hour Halloween parade. That was never real. It was never going to happen and didn't exist. After trying to disperse the misinformed crowd of thousands, Ireland's National Police Service was forced to release a statement informing the public that there was never any parade scheduled. It was called My Spirit Halloween, apparently based in Pakistan, and it's a website dedicated solely to promoting Halloween events across the world. The idea, of course, is to exploit searches so that whenever somebody is looking for a Halloween event in their city, you get sent there and they get a couple bucks of ad revenue somehow. But apparently the AI was just making shit up and assumed that a city like Dublin would have festivals.

[Brian Schulmeister]

So, you know, this, this kind of reminds, this is, this actually is nothing new. In the old days, friends of mine who worked at Kinko's who will remain nameless, when they wanted to troll a local venue, they would just make concert flyers for, you know, the hot new band and just pepper them on all the telephone poles around town. So when the day came, a couple hundred people would show up and say, cabaret Metro, waiting to go see, oh, I don't know, maybe Nirvana or new.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Upstart bands, Smashing Pumpkins, something like that.

[Brian Schulmeister]

And yes, then the unfortunate doorstaff at said venue would have to just go, no, there's no fucking show tonight. Go away. So yeah, trolls are going to troll, but this was a battle, I guess.

[Jason DeFilippo]

But these aren't actual humans this time, so I suppose that's the difference. And new details are continuing to surface about the hacking of US telecom companies by a China link group that targeted US officials and campaign staffers. Last week, the New York Times reported that FBI investigators suspect suspected call logs and SMS text messages had been accessed by the hacking group known as the Salt Typhoon. Sounds like a really good restaurant that I would go to. The group reportedly targeted the phones of diplomats and government officials as well as people associated with both presidential campaigns. Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the hackers, who were likely working for a Chinese intelligence agency, spent eight months or more in US telecom infrastructure and that they may have been able to scoop up the data of thousands of people who were in contact with the targeted individuals. So they did limit their targets to several dozen select high value political and national security figures, but they basically slurped up anybody and everybody that had ever talked to them, ever. And yeah, they basically exploited routers used by telecom firms that had the ability to access the phone data of virtually any American who is a customer of either of any of the compromised carriers, which included AT&T and Verizon.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, but you know, the NSA would just say, oh, that's just metadata. It doesn't matter.

[Jason DeFilippo]

That's right. And you can strip that legally, according to a case that I just read about earlier in the show. Yeah. And Canada, my. My country moving forward, at least for quite some time. Let's just say I've stopped my Redfin searches for the Los Angeles area. They have been paused. Canada has ordered TikTok to shut down its operations in the country, citing unspecified national security risks posed by the company and its parent, ByteDance. With the move, TikTok will be forced to wind up all business in the country. Though the Canadian government stopped short of banning the app. Basically, they can't have offices here anymore. That's.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, that's what it boils down to.

[Jason DeFilippo]

And that's about it, really. And you know, I, I guess people are pointing out people have been talking about this on our discord. What does that mean exactly? I don't really know. There's tons of comp. International companies that operate in Canada that don't have offices here, but I think there are restrictions about advertising and, and throwing events and all that sort of stuff. Yeah, but let's be honest here. And I think all Canadians know this. I'm not breaking any code here. We're small fry. And Tick Tock is barely going to notice any lack of revenue from advertising here. The US is the big fish. People come to Canada to be multinational, but at the end of the day, generally most companies, if they have to have an office here, staff it with one person and that's that.

[Brian Schulmeister]

So, yeah, I'm guessing the advertising is what's going to basically take effect. So if you're a local Canadian company, you can't advertise on TikTok. Yeah. So, yeah, you're basically just screwing over the little guys on that one, as per usual. Way to go, Trudeau. Now, Australia is proposing a ban on social media for children under 16. They're set to introduce legislation banning children from using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and the TikTok.

[Jason DeFilippo]

As soon as we get those Internet police to enforce that and go around to everybody's house and make sure that they're of age.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Great. Well, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the plan, citing concerns over the negative impact of social media on young people's mental health and well being. The proposed law would require social media companies to implement age verification measures to prevent underage access. And non compliance could result in substantial fines. This initiative positions Australia as a global leader in online child safety, aiming to protect minors from cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate appropriate content. They plan to introduce the legislation by the end of the year with potential enactment by late 2025.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I'm all, I'm all on board with that.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, no, I'm fine with it, but good luck.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, making luck, that's, that's the real problem with it. So I 100% agree that nobody, nobody under 16 should be on social media. Absolutely not.

[Brian Schulmeister]

I argue no one over 16 should be on it.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I argue nobody should be on social.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Media, but he should be on it.

[Jason DeFilippo]

At this point, I think we've really, I, I've turned a corner on this 100%. I definitely intend to way cut back my social media usage moving forward.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Says everybody. After every election. Yeah, well, give it a couple months. You'll be back. Not the same thing. Yeah, we'll see.

[Jason DeFilippo]

We'll see.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Brian. This has all happened before. This will all happen again.

[Jason DeFilippo]

This is self preservation for me. I cannot hear that guy's voice anymore. I can't, I can't read about him. I can't see his, his name. I'm basically going to dig a Canadian hole.

[Brian Schulmeister]

It's fine. Good luck. Good luck.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I'm going to try. I'm going to make like a raccoon.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Well, you could move to Halifax, Nova Scotia and buy a Tesla.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I'm not that fucking crazy.

[Brian Schulmeister]

In Halifax, Nova Scotia, a Tesla owner named Jamie has encountered a significant issue following a recent software update to Tesla's summon feature. For over four years, Jamie relied on this feature to maneuver his vehicle into a tight parking spot adjacent to his home. However, after installing firmware version 12, the system began to malfunction, rendering his car immobile for the past two weeks. The update introduced changes to both the actually smart summon that's literally called actually smart Summon, actually not and the traditional dumb summon features leading to errors such as cannot find clear path to pin and autopilot temporary degraded. Despite multiple attempts to contact Tesla's customer service, Jamie has not received a solution and the company not offered a software rollback. Yeah, the company has not offered a software rollback to the previous functional version. This situation highlights the challenges that can arise from over the air software updates in modern vehicles or buying a Tesla. I don't know. Did you, did you see the picture hype?

[Jason DeFilippo]

This parking spot that he can't go.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Look at the picture of it. You can't get in there. It's one of those parking spots where it's like he's got like 3 inches on each side.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Okay, but that's not a parking spot that's a fucking alley and you shouldn't have put your car in.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Well, it worked for several years. Over four years he's been able to park there. So. Okay, you know, he can claim eminent domain on that one. So that is his fucking alley and he wants it. God damn it. I think he wants his car more.

[Jason DeFilippo]

He's going to have to buy an electric trailer and back that thing up.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, somebody called an electric tow truck to pop his ass out of there in something. I actually agree with Brian. In a recent ruling, Federal Judge Beth Freeman found that Google has no obligation to refund victims of gift card scams, despite the Federal Trade Commission's estimation that Google Play users are often targeted.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Well, that would make sense to target people that use Google product. Yeah.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Well, here's the thing. It's also Apple cards are the same. Any gift card is basically a scam because it's treated like cash when you send it to the scammers overseas. Google Play, there's just more Android phones in the world so they can use them easier. So the lawsuit was filed by Judy May, who lost $1,000, which is actually a paltry sum compared to some of the scams I've seen in 2021 when scammers tricked her into buying Google Play gift cards by claiming she was eligible for a government grant. Now, Judy May, you're fucking dumb. No government grant is going to ask you to go buy Google Play gift cards. Sorry.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, I agree with this too. This is buyer beware. If you're an idiot, that's on you.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah. Come on. May argued that Google should have refunded her after scammers tricked her into purchasing gift cards. However, Judge Freeman ruled that May's financial loss was caused by third party scammers, not by any omission or misrepresentation from Google. The judge noted that May hadn't used the gift cards as designed and that Google had no duty to investigate her report. Additionally, Google pointed to similar policies by Target and Walmart, which also do not provide refunds for gifts gift card scams. The judge did leave room for May to amend some claims, but dismissed her attempt to seek triple damages, doubting she'd be scammed again given her awareness of these frauds. Google has not yet commented on the ruling because they. It's Google they don't comment on anyway. You can't even get a poop emoji out of Google. But I. I agree with this. 100. She got scammed. It's on her.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, and somehow I think Judy might get Scammed again just differently.

[Brian Schulmeister]

You think? You think. In a significant shift within the semiconductor industry, S and P, Dow Jones Indices has announced that Nvidia will replace intel in the Dow Jones industrial average, effective November 8th. Which is, I think, today. Yes. This Change ends Intel's 25 year tenure on the index and reflects Nvidia's dominant position in the AI chip market. I should have kept my stock. I should have kept my stock. Fuck you.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Fuck you.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, that have been nice. That'd have been nice.

[Jason DeFilippo]

It's not bad.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah. Considering they're the most valuable company in the world right now. And the funny thing is, I called it. I called it back. Then I'm like, these guys are going to go through the roof because they're building all the chips that are used in, back then, machine learning. Yeah, I needed gas money. What could I do?

[Jason DeFilippo]

That's true.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Finally, in some funny news, approximately 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia. Not funny yet, but I'm getting there. Stick with me. This marks North Korea's most significant military engagement since the Korean War. Now, reports indicate that these young soldiers, now exposed to the unrestricted Internet for the first time, are excessively accessing online porn. That's right, yeah. Good luck getting them to go hit the Ukrainians if they're going to be sitting there wanking it in the foxholes.

[Jason DeFilippo]

What an appealing image. Kim Young Il Hub.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Now, wouldn't that be Kim Young Poon Hub?

[Jason DeFilippo]

That's good. That's good.

[Brian Schulmeister]

This episode is sponsored by Deleteme. All right, grumps, let's get real for a second. We live in an age where your personal data is everyone's business, Literally. Data brokers are buying, selling and trading our private details, making us all vulnerable to identity theft harassment. Now more than ever, privacy isn't just important, it's essential. Data brokers are cashing in on your personal information, treating it like a commodity. Your private details are out there for anyone to buy, which can open the door to identity theft, phishing, harassment and endless spam calls. But now with Deleteme, you can take control and safeguard your privacy. As someone who speaks rather openly online, you think? I know all too well the risks of having personal info floating out there. And that's why I personally use Deleteme. Deleteme is a subscription service that removes your private information from hundreds of data broker websites. It's not just a one time scrub either. They're constantly on guard, monitoring and deleting the info you don't want out there. It's Pretty simple. You give Deleteme a list of what you want gone and their experts take it from there. They even send you personalized privacy reports showing what they found, where they found it and what they removed. They do all the heavy lifting. You just get to enjoy the peace of mind, take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Deleteme. And now at a special discount for our listeners today. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com GoG and use promo code GOG at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com GoG and please enter code GoG at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com code GoG. This episode is sponsored by Deleteme. Alright, grumps, let's get real for a second. We live in an age where your personal data is everyone's business. Literally. Data brokers are buying, selling and trading our private details, making us all vulnerable to identity theft, harassment and spam. Now more than ever, privacy isn't just important, it's essential. Data brokers are cashing in on your personal information, treating it like a commodity. Your private details are out there for anyone to buy, which can open the door to identity theft, phishing, harassment and endless spam calls. But now with Delete Me, you can take control and safeguard your privacy. As someone who speaks rather openly online, you think I know all too well the risks of having personal info floating out there. And that's why I personally use Delete. Deleteme is a subscription service that removes your private information from hundreds of data broker websites. It's not just a one time scrub either. They're constantly on guard, monitoring and deleting the info you don't want out there. It's pretty simple. You give Deleteme a list of what you want gone and their experts take it from there. They even send you personalized privacy reports showing what they found, where they found it and what they removed. They do all the heavy lifting. You just get to enjoy the peace of mind, take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Deleteme. And now at a special discount for our listeners today, get 20% off your delete me plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com GoG and use promo code GOG at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to joindeleteme.com gog and please enter code GOG at checkout. That's joindelateme.com code gog media candy media Candy is brought to you by the Grumpy Old Geek store. Go to shop.gog.show and get your GOG swag. Today in Poland, Brian off Radio Krakow, a state funded station fired all of its human presenters and replaced them with AI generated Gen Z hosts, sparking public outrage. Wonder why? The station, struggling with low listenership, introduced AI Personas Amelia, Jakub and Alex, each with a fictional bio, and AI generated headshots. The station's big debut even included an interview with Polish cultural icon I'm not even gonna fuckin try to say that name who's been dead since 2012. While the AI host attracted thousands of new listeners, most tuned in out of anger. Critics accused the station of prioritizing tech over humans, with one Polish lawmaker warning that AI should serve people, not replace them.

[Jason DeFilippo]

So yeah, good luck with that.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Good luck with that. That's funny though. Yep.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yep. Well, as we know, TikTok is now all about the tunes, and the social network has added integrations to directly post audio from streaming services. Share to TikTok is a new feature that will let listeners in Apple Music and Spotify share music directly to the video platform. The tool can post a track, album, playlist or other content to the TikTok feed, either in FYP or Stories, and streaming audio material can also be shared via Tik Tok dm. Cast your minds back to when Universal was having their tiff with Tik Tok and I said the whole thing here is Tik Tok is a streaming network and that they continue to supposedly say that it's actually just promotion that sends people over to Spotify and Apple Music and other streaming places where it is monetized. Huh. Wait, so now I can just share the thing from the place where it's monetized on your thing where it's just promotion and it's not monetized, Right?

[Brian Schulmeister]

Well, do we know that it's not monetized? Is there some kind of kickback coming to Apple Music and Spotify from TikTok when that. When that track is played?

[Jason DeFilippo]

Nope, nope. There is a blanket. There's a blanket license. That's it.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Wow.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yep.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Okay. That's interesting to know.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yep.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Okay. I've been dealing with launching a single on Apple Music and Spotify for a client and yeah, I'm gonna actually talk to our streaming provider about that and just see what they say. Because most of the money I know from that comes from Instagram and sync licenses that you're selling through other areas. But, yeah, I'm learning all about the music industry and. Brian, I don't want to. I really don't want to.

[Jason DeFilippo]

It sucks. Yeah, it does. It's fighting over scraps. That's all it is.

[Brian Schulmeister]

It really is.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yep.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yep. Speaking of fighting over scraps, Squid Game Season 2, the official teaser has launched. The series actually comes out on December 26th. Perfect timing for the holiday season. I might watch it. It actually looks pretty good, so. Only because I've gone through the trauma of Squid Game season one.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I have not.

[Brian Schulmeister]

If you haven't seen Squid Game season one, I still recommend nobody watch it because it is traumatic. It is just traumatic. It is sadness porn on a level you have never seen before.

[Jason DeFilippo]

And I was a teenage goth.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Exactly. And so since I've been through it and I've been through the therapy and the PTSD has somewhat softened, why not in the holiday season, just reopen that wound and jump into Squid Game season two.

[Jason DeFilippo]

You're going to be a barrel of joy over the holidays.

[Brian Schulmeister]

I'm always a barrel of joy over the holidays, Brian. Come on. Speaking of a barrel of joy, I watched the movie the Apprentice, An American Horror Story this week.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Gonna have to edit that end.

[Brian Schulmeister]

I think that's the name of it on the poster. That's why. That's why I thought it was. Look, I'm reading it as it was. It was actually a good movie. I thought, okay. It humanizes the antihero at the beginning of the movie and you actually start to feel a little bit for them until the about halfway point of the movie where you go, this is one of the most despicable people I've ever seen in my life. And it ends as you think it would. So I thought it was a very good watch and I recommend the movie personally. So give it a shot if you want. You can, you can. It's still in the theaters in some places, but you can rent it now for 20 bucks on Amazon and I think YouTube or you can go to Sweden and get it for free.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I'll just like I did.

[Brian Schulmeister]

You might actually like it, Brian, is all I'm saying. The Penguin season finale is this Sunday. And oh, my God, this series has delivered week after week after week. It's seven episodes in, so you've got time. If you're catching this and you want to stay up all night, you can get caught up. But I am going to be glued to my TV Sunday night for the season finale of this. The Penguin is. And through all the makeup and all the acting. I still cannot see Colin Farrell anywhere in the Penguin. It's amazing. His acting and the makeup is just. It's just next level. So good. So good.

[Jason DeFilippo]

All right, well, another final that I just watched. We finished the Diplomat season two.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Wasn't that fucking good.

[Jason DeFilippo]

It was so good. I'm so great to see CJ Craig.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Oh my God. I was up last night till one in the morning because I saw you put this in here and I'm like, shit, he's seen it. So I have three episodes to go. I better get. Then I got to episode five and I'm like, oh, God damn, I'm gonna be up all night. And then at the end, the finale, the twist at the end of the last episode, I was just like. I was up for like another hour, just vibrating. Go. That was so good.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I can't believe it was only six episodes, but it was a great six episodes.

[Brian Schulmeister]

They packed it, man. They really. I mean I was bemoaning the fact that they knocked out all the extra episodes, but they delivered on the story on this one. It was boom, boom, boom, boom. And that's wait two years. I know, I know, but it was so good. It was so good.

[Jason DeFilippo]

It's great.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, we'll have spoiler laden chat with you and I off the air.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Okay.

[Brian Schulmeister]

We can't tell anybody what happens.

[Jason DeFilippo]

No. Because a lot of people haven't even seen season one of the show yet. So I'm telling all of you listening to us right now, go watch the Diplomat. It is great. And speaking of being my moody teenage goth. The Cure launched their new album, Songs of Lost World. I've already talked about that. But they did a special live intimate performance at a place place in London called the Troxy. It is a three hour tour de force concert as per usual for the Cure. They start off by playing the new the. The new album in full and then go into deep, deep cuts and the big hits. And this is just wonderful. So it is completely free because that's what the Cure does. Full live stream link in the show notes, all of it on YouTube. Three hour concert. It's just stunning. They. They sound so good.

[Brian Schulmeister]

You know what? I think I'm going to pop this on my big TV and pop in the airpods and just kind of go to the show because 75 inch TV 4K cure front row. I'm in because I still got to say that was probably the best concert I've ever been to. And I was like 400 miles away and they were little teeny tiny on the stage, but it was still amazing.

[Jason DeFilippo]

They're just stunning live and this is just an amazing show.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Apps and Doodads Apps and Doodads is brought to you by SetApp. Power up your workflow with over 250 apps on SetApp. Go to GOG Show SetApp to get started today. Brian, this is some interesting news. Amazon is delaying shipments of its first color E reader, the Kindle ColorSoft, due to screen issues, including a yellowish bar at the bottom. Customers who pre ordered or ordered the device will now receive it between November 9th and the 18th in the US and by November 26th in the UK. The device has received poor reviews averaging 2.6 stars, prompting Amazon to call customers with complaints, request access to device logs and sometimes even delete reviews. Amazon is working on a software update expected within two weeks, which they hope will reduce the visibility of the yellow bar. Did they not test it before they shipped it?

[Jason DeFilippo]

Also, if I bought this, I don't want the yellow bar just reduced. I want it gone.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Removed.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yes. Not reduced, visibility removed.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Removed. Yeah.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Okay. Elon Musk's ex has implemented the change that he said was going to happen quite a while back. So the block function, basically the update allows blocked users to see posts of the accounts that block them while still not being able to interact with those accounts. So there you go. Don't know why you do this, but he did it. Their argument is, well, you could just make another account and be able to see everything. Well still it's kind of the point of blocking someone, right?

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, yeah, it's the fuck you aspect of it.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, it's the fuck you aspect. And also yes, you could create another account to still see the post, but generally this is a mass user follower crime on crime and the new account that you created isn't going to have the heft of your other one, is it?

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, the thing about it was, I mean I would just, if I needed to see somebody that had blocked me or somebody that I had blocked, just real quickly, instead of unblocking them, I would just really quickly open up the incognito tab and just copy and paste the URL and go look at it that way. That's the easiest way to do it.

[Jason DeFilippo]

You could do that as well, I would argue. I don't need to see anybody that has been blocked. I don't even need to see people. I follows updates.

[Brian Schulmeister]

True that. True that.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I don't need to see any fucking updates.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Indeed. So in sad news, Microsoft's classic notepad is getting an AI boost with a new rewrite feature leveraging GPT to help users improve their writing. The tool allows text rephrasing, tone adjustments and length tweets, all by highlighting text and selecting Rewrite with a keyboard shortcut or toolbar option. Currently it's in preview for Windows Insiders in select countries, and users will eventually need Microsoft credits for full access. You have to buy credits for your apps now. What the fuck is going on over there? Brian? The AI update follows recent upgrades to Paint. The word upgrade might be a might not be the best choice. Upgrades to paint, which now includes generative fill and erase features. Leave the classics alone man, and don't.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Charge us credits for it.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, seriously, credits are for the arcade.

[Jason DeFilippo]

That's right, we're old. Apple has determined that a very Small percentage of iPhone 14/plus models are having rear camera issues and has launched a service program to repair them for free. If your phone isn't showing a preview when you use its rear camera, you may be eligible to get your phone fixed at no cost. You can also contact Apple to get a refund if you've already paid for a repair, which is pretty cool. So these devices were manufactured between April 10, 2023 and April 28, 2024, around half a year after the model started shipping in 2022. So if you've got a problem with that camera, they're going to fix it for you.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Well, in a bid to preserve a unique piece of Apple's gaming history, classic ipod enthusiasts are circumventing Apple's digital rights management to rescue 54 click wheel era games.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Who these titles the fuck wants to play them?

[Brian Schulmeister]

A very small amount of users.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Can I get my Nokia Snake back?

[Brian Schulmeister]

That was fun, man. That was always fun.

[Jason DeFilippo]

That's when we still didn't have. That was the ultimate time waster. Now we fucking scroll social media and brought our brain. I want Snake back.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Well, you can also bust out that old Click Wheel ipod if you got one in the closet somewhere.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Still do.

[Brian Schulmeister]

You better check to see how swole it is because I had one and the thing was about to explode and take down my apartment complex. Those batteries don't last that long, right? The titles released between 2006 and 2009 became inaccessible after Apple removed them from the itunes store in 2011. 13 years ago. People are still trying to do this after they were removed 13 years ago.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Let it go.

[Brian Schulmeister]

The games are tied to specific itunes accounts and hardware, making them unplayable on new devices. To overcome this, enthusiasts like Reddit user Quix have created master libraries of authorized games, allowing them to sync these titles to multiple ipods. Building on this other another user, Alsro, launched the Ipod Click Wheel Games Preservation Project, developing a virtual machine that enables users to sync these games to their ipods without physical shipping. This initiative has successfully preserved 47 out of the 54 games, ensuring they remain playable for future generations.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, I'm sure people are going to hop all over that.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yes. In the future. Nobody wants your fucking ipod game. That's all I got to say. But you know what? Good on them for doing it. You know, nerd's going to nerd. That's right. I give them props. Another the final bit of Apple news, I think here. Apple has announced plans to acquire pixelmator, the developer behind the popular photo editing applications such as Pixelmator Pro and Pixelmator for iOS and PhotoMator. This acquisition, pending regulatory approval, which I don't think is going to be a problem anymore, marks Apple's first significant move into the professional photo editing software market since discontinuing aperture in 2014. Pixelmator, based in Vilnius, Lithuania, has been recognized for its user friendly design and powerful features, offering a strong alternative to Adobe's suite of tools. I wish they would have just bought Affinity instead of pixelmator, but you know, pixelmator is good too. So if they build that in and give it away for free, or at least sell it cheap, there's something to be said for that.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Like he said coins.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, you don't have to get fucking credits. What are you thinking, Satya? Come on, credits.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Well, if you're wondering what happened to Amazon's new and improved version of its Alexa voice assistant, you're not alone. Bloomberg has reported that the new Alexa is still stuck in its developmental phase, and Amazon has cut off access to its beta phase, including its new let's Chat phase. Apparently there's a yellow line that runs across the device that they can't seem to get fucking rid of. As a result, a planned late 2024 launch has been pushed back to next year. The problem seems to be with its large language models. The new Alexa is designed to understand more complicated questions from users, but it's also more likely to fail during doing some of the more basic things that we use it for, like telling us the time, setting a timer and playing music, which is all it needs to.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Do to do exactly. It's still stuck on the glue and the spaghetti sauce problem, Pretty much.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Some employees have told Bloomberg that the problem outside of Alexa's inner workings is with Amazon's overstuffed MEM management and a lack of a compelling vision for an AI powered Alexa. It does what it needs to do now. Just make it work better. Thank you.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, and now I have an Apple watch so I don't even need it. This is a fun one for all you web devs out there. A new tool allows web developers create websites with the look and feel of Microsoft Windows 98. Created by Jordan Scales, 98 CSS is an extensive CSS library with no JavaScript, making it a lightweight option for nostalgic web designs. It's open source and MIT licensed.

[C]

Meaning?

[Brian Schulmeister]

Meaning it's free to use, modify and share. Scales encourages contributions on GitHub, inviting new developers to join and improve the project. Windows XP and Windows 7 styles are also available. Can I get a System 7 style too while you're at it? That would be fun.

[Jason DeFilippo]

This is kind of fun, but I would never do anything with it.

[Brian Schulmeister]

In the old days I totally would have been using this thing, but I just don't care about building websites anymore. But I think it's cool. I think it's really cool.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Somebody needs to make a Star Trek one.

[Brian Schulmeister]

This episode is brought to you by 1Password Extended Access Management Imagine your company's security like the quad of a college campus. There are nice brick paths between the buildings. Those are the company owned devices, IT approved apps and managed employee identities. And then there are the paths people actually use, the shortcuts worn through the grass that are the actual straightest line from point A to point B. Those are unmanaged devices, shadow IT apps and non employee identities like contractors. Most security tools only work on those happy brick paths, but a lot of security problems take place on the shortcuts. 1Password Extended Access Management is the first security solution that brings all these unmanaged devices, apps and identities under your control. It ensures that every user credential is strong and protected, every device is known and healthy, and every App is visible. 1Password Extended Access Management solves the problems traditional IAM and MDM can't. It's security for the way we work today and it's now generally available to companies with Okta and Microsoft Entra and in beta for Google Workspace customers. Check it out at 1Password.com GrumpyOldGeeks that's 1Password.com GrumpyOldGeek this episode is brought to you by 1Password Extended Access Management Imagine your company's security like the quad of a college campus. There are nice brick paths between the buildings. Those are the company owned devices, IT approved apps and managed employee identities. And then there are the paths people actually use. The shortcuts worn through the grass that are the actual straightest line from point A to point B. Those are unmanaged devices, shadow IT apps and non employee identities. Like contractors, most security tools only work on those happy brick paths. But a lot of security problems take place on the shortcuts. 1Password Extended Access Management is the first security solution that brings all these unmanaged devices, apps and identities under your control. It ensures that every user credential is strong and protected, every device is known and healthy, and every App is visible. 1Password Extended Access Management solves the problems traditional IAM and MDM can't. It's security for the way we work today, and it's now generally available to companies with Okta and Microsoft Entra and in beta for Google Workspace customers. Check it out at 1Password.com GrumpyOldGeeks that's 1Password.com GrumpyOldGeek the Dark side Ha.

[Jason DeFilippo]

With Dave.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Welcome to the Dark side with Dave Buettner. Whether it's decoding all things cyber in the Cyberwire, exposing deception in Tomfoolery with Joe Kerrigan on hacking humans, diving deep into privacy with Ben Yellen on Caveat or breaking down industrial cybersecurity on Control Loop, Dave's got you covered. And there's a new episode of Only Malware in the Building that just dropped and it's awesome. As always, look for Only Malware in the building wherever you get your pipe podcast and enjoy the latest episode, Whispers in the Wires. A closer look at the new age of intrusion today. Hi Dave.

[C]

Hey. How. Hello. Hello.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Hello.

[C]

Hello. Hello. Oh boy. What's. What's the latest. What's going on?

[Jason DeFilippo]

Oh, not much going on.

[C]

Oh, good, good, good. So everything's cool? Yeah, it's all good. Yeah, it's all good. Yeah.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah.

[C]

Nothing.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Nothing at all.

[C]

It's all good.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Good, good, good.

[C]

Listen, Brian, do you have a spare room in your house? Just curious.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Just ask.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, because you. I don't. You know.

[C]

Just asking.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, we're not that far away. It's going to be nice. I know. Jason. Jason has found this new sense of Zen and optimism where it's same shit, different day.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Same shit, different day. And I've got almost two years of sobriety and enduring that time. Almost every day I have to recite the Serenity prayer in a meeting or with something. So I am pretty okay with whatever happens, happens. So you guys might want to Try that.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Says the older white male. The older straight white male who can't afford groceries.

[C]

You know what, Jason? I was actually thinking about you as I was working my way through some of the many thoughts that I'm sure all of us have had in the past week when presented with the future that we know is there based on the information from the past. And I was thinking about your experience with sobriety and with the serenity prayer and just being able to be at peace with the things that you cannot control, because this is something that is largely out of our control. And so. So that actually did cross my mind that to be in touch with that in the way that you are is probably a very helpful thing.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Oh, yes. And it's infuriating to people. I know. I've been like this for months. Everybody's, like, losing their shit over it. I'm like, who cares? You can't change it. It's going to be what it's going to be, guys. Get used to it.

[C]

Yeah.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah. Well, you fix the problems that are in front of you all.

[C]

All right, what else?

[Brian Schulmeister]

Over on Instagram, I got this note from Jen. She says, please tell Bittner he has to do this. And it's a video of a guy calling the ISS with an amateur radio.

[C]

Yes.

[Brian Schulmeister]

And it's pretty cool. So I wanted to get an update, Dave, on your ham radio experience. How's it coming? Did you get licensed yet?

[Jason DeFilippo]

I did.

[Brian Schulmeister]

I passed. My.

[C]

Thank you very much. Yes. Play a little fanfare. Absolutely. No, I'm quite pleased with myself. Do you guys want to hear about it? How it happened, how it went down.

[Brian Schulmeister]

What it was like, dude, drop the deets.

[C]

Okay. So last Saturday afternoon, my exam was scheduled for 2:30pm Eastern Standard Time at a local church where one of the local ham radio clubs has their monthly meetings. So I made my way over to the church and went to a little upstairs meeting room where I think might have been the first or second person there to sign in to take the exam. And I had pre registered with all my information, there were probably about 10 members of the amateur radio club there, and they were very welcoming and happy to see me. So I sat down and over the course of the next half hour or so, before the test actually started, probably total of 10 people came in to take the exam. Wow.

[Brian Schulmeister]

More than I thought.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Much more.

[C]

Yeah.

[Jason DeFilippo]

By about nine.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Nine.

[C]

So I. Yes. I did not know what to expect. And I'll get to one of the fun little details about that, but there was even a woman. There was a woman There. What woman taking the. We had to ask to make sure she was in the right room, if she knew. But no, she was there and she was enthusiastic. So that was.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I thought there would be ham.

[C]

Yeah, right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So that was nice. And there was also a young man, probably 13 years old or so. You know, very young, teenaged boy, young man, however you want to label him. He was there to get his. His test, and we'll come back to him in a second. But I had been studying very hard for this exam. I've been using one of the online study tools, and it was going very well. When I first started out, I was getting about 65% proficiency was how they were tracking me, just coming in cold. And over the course of the next few weeks, I got myself up to 95% proficiency. And the exam I think to pass, you have to get it was either 70 or 75. I can't remember, but something like that. So there's probably a pool of 200 questions or so that they draw from. And then on the day of the actual exam, they give you a little packet, and there's 35 questions that you have to answer. They grade them right there. They let you know if you Pastor not. I breezed my way through the test. I want to guess I probably scored around 95%. There were one or two questions that I wasn't 100% sure what the answer was, but for most of them, I was 100% sure what the answer was. So it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I was a little nervous, partly because it's been decades since I've taken a test, any kind of test. Right. I mean, I can't remember the last time I took a test. So there was that. But I passed the test and got some paperwork. And then they said to me, so this was Saturday. They said, on Monday, you'll get an email from the FCC and you have to pay your license fee, which is $35 for 10 years. And then the day after you pay your fee, they will send you your license with your call sign, and that's that, and you'll be officially licensed. And that's exactly how it went down. So I got my notice from the FCC and I got my call sign, which is KD3ABO. That's kilo, delta three alpha bravo, Oscar. So that was exciting.

[Brian Schulmeister]

What's your mother's maiden name in your social too?

[C]

Right, right, exactly. So that happened. So now I've got my license, right. And I'm thinking, well, now what do I do?

[Jason DeFilippo]

Talk to the world. Dave, call the ISS and ask him for a pickup.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Not so bad. Can I get it right, guys?

[C]

Right. Hey, hey, hey, iss, let's meet at the malt shop. So I'm a little nervous and intimidated because amateur radio is very much about etiquette, like they are very particular about etiquette, which is not to say they're unfriendly or anything, but there are rules of etiquette and you're expected to follow them. And they will correct you if you make a mistake. And hopefully it'll be someone who'll correct you in a friendly way and not a scolding kind of way. But I spent a day or two just trying to figure out like, well, what's my first, what's my first transmission going to be? What am I going to do? Who am I going to talk to? What if nobody answers? So I decided night before last I went up on the top deck of my house and I put in the frequency of one of the repeaters, the local, closest repeater to my house, because I figured I had the best chance of hitting that repeater from my house. And so I keyed up and announced myself And I said KD3ABO listening. And I got back a message that said KD3ABO. This is KD3ABP. The next person who got licensed was the first person I talked to on the air. It was the 13 year old boy who was in the exam with me was the first person.

[Jason DeFilippo]

You could have just gotten on Instagram and saved yourself the trouble if you want to talk to young boys.

[C]

Right? I mean, I was already in a church now, it wasn't a Catholic church, but hey, yeah, so that was a fun little coincidence that, that, you know, we were, we tested together and his license was exactly one after mine. So that was very nice. My first contact. And we, so we chatted for a little while and went on with our lives. And then yesterday I got on, on my way out of work, I hit a different repeater from my parking lot here at work and chatted with some folks on there. That was very nice. Again, everyone has been very welcoming and of course I've been, you know, very humble and as we all know, I have no problem with the whole speaking part, so that comes easy. But I'm just trying to be really careful about building up relationships and all that sort of thing.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Well, Dave, I mean, just act like you do on the rest of your podcast, just not this one. And you'll be fine.

[Brian Schulmeister]

You'll be fine.

[C]

It's true, that's true. And that is kind of my approach. So my wife of course is very happy for me, but also teased me that I've reached the level of nerdiness where I'm so nerdy they had to give me a license for it.

[Brian Schulmeister]

And your closest peer is 13 years old.

[C]

Yeah, right, exactly. Everyone else is ignoring me except for this 13 year old kid. We'll be fast friends, but I'm actually going to go to a breakfast meeting tomorrow morning of the local ham radio club to meet people irl, as the kids say, to introduce myself and hopefully extend this. But I'm happy for it. I mean I'm enjoying it so far. I think something I did not expect that is really good timing, I think with this for me personally is that because there is such a focus on etiquette, it is a very polite group of people. There's no talks of politics.

[Brian Schulmeister]

So it's the anti social media.

[C]

Yeah. It's friendly banter, gentlemen and gentlewomen communicating with each other and trying to help each other do this thing better. So I am as new as you can get to this so I'm treading lightly but so far enjoying myself. Now as for the International Space Station, that is absolutely on my list. In fact, in our production meeting this morning because as you guys know we have a space podcast called T minus, which is a daily space podcast. So I was talking with the space team and let me just say how cool it is to say I was talking with our space team. That is pretty cool. I was talking with our space team and we're going to do a story about me with my brand spanking new shiny amateur radio license trying to contact the iss.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Awesome.

[C]

Very cool. Yeah, so I'm excited for that. I think I've mentioned here before that my college roommate who was a really active ham, he had contacted the space shuttle at one point and that's pretty cool. Yeah. So he had the, they call, the postcard, they call them cue cards on our, on his bulletin board that, you know, was a picture of the space shuttle that because he contacted an astronaut on board. So yeah. So I'm enjoying it, thank you for asking. We'll see where it goes from here. But so far so good.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, we still have two astronauts up there that don't really have much to do. Right. So you could probably have a good chat with them. Right.

[C]

They're looking to kill time.

[Jason DeFilippo]

They're going to be there a while.

[C]

Yeah.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I have to say Gentlemen, I'm a little bit feeling left out here. Both you and Jason are going to church basements for coffee now, obviously for very different reasons, but.

[C]

Right, yeah.

[Brian Schulmeister]

To be fair, there are no basements in California.

[Jason DeFilippo]

That's true.

[C]

Oh yeah, that's right. Is that because of the earthquakes? I guess.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah. And actually, I don't know, probably earthquakes generally earthquake related.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yes.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Or there's no, just probably the geology because it's mostly sand everywhere you go.

[C]

Right. I was. Because like some places don't have like Florida doesn't have basements because of the high water table. But you wouldn't have that out there.

[Jason DeFilippo]

No, we just have a lot of sand desert, you know. Well, I do have something that you may want to talk to with your new 13 year old buddy, Dave. Lucasfilm is adding a new entire trilogy of movies to its increasingly filled for now slate of Star wars projects. One that could carry on the fabled Skywalker saga. Even though Rey is not a Skywalker, she's just calling herself that. With the official episodes 10, 11 and 12, the deadline is reporting that Simon Kinberg, who is producer of many of the X Men films as well as Star Wars Rebels alongside Carrie Beck and Dave Filoni has been tapped to write the new trilogy as well as produce alongside Kathleen Kennedy. Now we should take this with a grain of salt because we have been promised many things in Star wars land and all the movies end up getting canceled. Canceled. But perhaps we are getting a third installment of a trilogy that one would assume would continue with Rey, who called herself a Skywalker. So we'll see.

[C]

Yeah, I guess what makes me happiest about this is that Dave Filoni is on board if that is indeed true. Because in my mind he's the best person you want involved with your Star wars project if you want it to be good.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Agreed.

[C]

So yeah, yeah, I, I, I guess overall I'm kind of meh about this because of, I'm kind of meh about the most recent series of movies but I mean it's not like I'm not going to go see them. So there you go.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, I will go see anything. But I, I tend to agree. I've enjoyed the shows a lot more. I think they get to explore the universes a lot better. I'm not sure what will be served by giving us another, another three, three movie arc, but I don't know.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Money.

[Jason DeFilippo]

See.

[C]

Yeah, right. $3 billion is what it's about.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, exactly.

[C]

Yeah.

[Brian Schulmeister]

I did watch the trailer from the new series that you guys were Talking about last week and yeah, it looks really good, right? The music. You get hooked. As soon as you get hooked by the music, it's like, okay, I'm in. Great.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah, I showed it to my son as well and he's all, he's all in on this one. This is the first like live action Star wars thing besides the movies that he's wanted to watch or that I felt was okay for him to watch. To be honest, I don't think he got get a lot out of Andor. So.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yeah, no, probably not. Probably not.

[C]

So before we wrap up this week, I do have a fun security story that I put in here. This is from the good folks over at 404 Media and this is about a memo that's going around from law enforcement where they've been finding that iPhones that have been put in storage, like in Faraday cages to block their signals are spontaneously rebooting themselves.

[Jason DeFilippo]

They're self aware.

[C]

Well, what's interesting about this is that evidently there are two modes of an iPhone's security status. There's something called after first unlock and before first unlock unlock. And so when you reboot an iPhone, it's in before first unlock state, which is the most secure. After you've unlocked it for the first time, then it's in after first unlock mode, which is not as secure. And when it's in after first unlock mode, it can be accessed with some of the forensic tools that are out there these days. But evidently if it's still in before first unlock mode, the forensic tools can't get get in or it's much harder for them to get in. Yeah, makes sense. But the theory is that Apple has added this feature in iOS 18 where if your phone finds itself unable to connect to a cellular network for a certain amount of time, it automatically reboots itself and goes into before first unlocks state just for the sake of security. Nice, right? Yeah, this is really nice. Yeah, really smart. Now Apple hasn't said anything. There's been 404 media reached out to Apple for a comment and Apple hasn't said anything.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Well, you know what else is smart? Not detailing every single thing you do for security.

[C]

Yeah, right. Yeah. So there was so much speculation. Yeah, I think so. So there was some speculation that perhaps these device, Apple iPhones were talking to each other like, hey listen, I haven't hit a cellular network in a while, have you? And the other phone would say, no, I haven't either.

[Jason DeFilippo]

And they say, well, you notice this cage around us?

[C]

Yeah, it's Kind of weird, huh? How about we.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Time for a jailbreak, guys.

[C]

All right, let's do it. But that's just speculative and probably not. I mean, the simpler solution. Simpler, yeah.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Oxum's right.

[C]

Yeah, exactly. The simpler explanation is just that it doesn't see a cellular network for a long time or any wireless, and it just reboots.

[Brian Schulmeister]

And yeah, it's internal. IT guy says I'm going to turn myself off and back on, see if I fix myself.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Exactly right. It's the Fon switch.

[C]

Right, Right. So I like this. I think this is nice. It's a good smart. It's a good feature.

[Jason DeFilippo]

It makes me happy.

[C]

Yeah.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Few things are at the moment. This has.

[C]

That's right.

[Brian Schulmeister]

I gotta say though, speaking of iPhones, I've been running iOS 18.2, the new beta, and with the Apple Intelligence features on it. Yeah, the one thing, it doesn't really do anything for me because I don't use any of the Apple apps really, that have it kind of keyed in. Except for now. I can have Siri call up ChatGPT if it can't find an answer for something. And. And it lets me tie in to my ChatGPT Pro account or plus account or whatever they call it, the paid account, so I can put in my credentials and lock it. Lock in that way. So you can set it as a fallback. You can have it, you know, have a confirmation. Say, would you. I don't know what you're talking about. You want me to hit up ChatGPT and you can press a button to say yes, or you can have it to just automatically do that if it can't find anything. It's pretty cool. I like it. Except it's a little slow. That's the one problem I'm finding. But it's still beta. But I thought that's one thing to keep an eye out for the rest of the stuff. I can't really try yet. They did put a new app on my phone for the generative AI imagery stuff, but you have to ask for access to it. And so I put in my request for access, but I haven't gotten it yet. So I have a new app on my phone that I can't actually use. So thanks, Apple. Isn't that great. I can generate as many U2 songs as I want now. Great.

[C]

Yeah, there you go. All right, well, let me just wrap up by saying KD3ABO.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Clear nerd.

[C]

Closing.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Shout out. Closing. Shout outs is brought to you by 1Password. Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by grumpy old geeks ourselves. Go to GOG Show 1Password to get started today over at Patreon. We've got no new subscribers, but thanks to Paul for the bump. And since we've gotten some feedback on how we shout people out on the Patreon side, we're going to start a new thing. Brian, we're going to start at the top. We're starting with the high ticket investors first. So big thanks to Elaine H, Anthony L, Martin C. Kenny, Rachel P. Benjamin W, Jamie C, Jen J. And Zaddy Mortis. Thanks, Greg and Darren. So thank you everybody. Next week, join us for some more shout outs to our high ticket donators. And remember, you can sign up for just 3 bucks a month over at patreon.com gog to get the show a little bit early ad free and in high definition. And if you want to save 5%, you can sign up for the whole year. Woohoo. Woohoo. And we did get one note from S. Thomas Sears who says, I think you guys may have touched on the actual reason for the Reese's Cups quest question. Peanut allergies. I also heard that on the discord from Gabriel Pagan too. He brought that up saying that that's maybe the reason that people were leaving the Reese's. No, no.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I trained my kid to go get them anyways because daddy needs a Reese's.

[Brian Schulmeister]

See that? You blame the parents. You blame the parents.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Exactly. Over at PayPal, we've got levy and Florian. Thank you both so much.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Over the tip jar we've got Sarah, Matthew and Adam.

[Jason DeFilippo]

All right. And we have some few people who passed away this week. The first that I've got up is Greg Hildebrandt, the iconic Star wars and Lord of the Rings artist. He did a lot of the posters and various different work on that sort of stuff. Really good stuff. Link in the show notes so you can check out some of the art that he did. Fantastic stuff.

[Brian Schulmeister]

Yep. And we lost Quincy Jones this week. Music legend died at 91. Good run. Damn good run. Yep. And we've lost Elwood Edwards, who nobody knows that name, but you will recognize him as the iconic voice of AOL's you've got mail. Died at 74.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Yeah. And that will never go away because you can always rent or stream You've got Mail and hear it.

[Brian Schulmeister]

That's true.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Even though you can't sign on to AOL anymore.

[Brian Schulmeister]

You can't. Well, as you can see, it's still got AOL mail. I think it might actually be on AOL.com if you go get AOL mail.

[Jason DeFilippo]

Really? If anybody out there actually still has an AOL account, please check and write and let us know.

[Brian Schulmeister]

I think my roommate might have one that I can go check on. Okay, I think it still works. Until next time.

[Jason DeFilippo]

I'm Jason Developer and I'm Brian Schulmeister. Thanks for tuning in to grumpy old geeks. Dive into the show notes and all the links from today's episode at GOG Show. 673 Feeling generous? Keep this top notch entertainment rolling by dropping us a few bucks at GOG Show. Donate every bit helps spread the grumpiness. There's a share button in every podcast player out there. Use it to share the show with friends, foes, and everyone in between and we'll be forever grateful. Head over to GOG show to find the link to our Discord channel and chat with us and other show fans. Got something to say? Send your feedback, comments or awesome links to GOG Show Slash Contact and show us some love. Leave a review at GOG Show/review 5 star rating. Might just get your review read on the air. Stay hanging in there. You've got mail.