B (2:46)

A box full of graffiti and spit. Meanwhile, Western Digital revealed during an investor call that they are pretty much sold out for 2026. They apparently have data centers buying drives years in advance, so if you thought going back to the old hard disk drive was going to save you, then you were sorely mistaken, bucko. As memory and storage continues to get prioritized for AI infrastructure, we're rapidly heading into a situation where hardware will be so expensive that people just won't be able to own their own computers anymore. And renting your bleeps and bloops will really be the only option. In 10 years we're gonna be driving across the silicon wasteland pumping Buzzoline into our EV swapped 1973 Ford Falcons as we try to escape the war boys. And we'll still be making payments to Immortan Joe for a lease on a Game Boy color.

C (3:29)

At least we'll have payphones with a.

B (3:31)

Chrome Edition Discord's global age verification rollout somehow got even messier this week after users in the UK discovered they were part of what Discord calls an experiment with Persona, an alternate age assurance vendor. Persona is also used by Reddit, Roblox and OpenAI for Age Assurance, but users found this concerning for a couple of reasons. For one, Discord promised that age verification data would become local, not stored. But Persona stores the info users submit for 7 days and then deletes it. That's not 0 days for 2. One of Persona's biggest investors is Founders Fund, the venture capital firm directed by co founder of Palantir and winner of the World's Sweatiest Billionaire Award, which is the High Bar Peter Thiel. And while Thiel's company isn't personally handling the face scans, the association with the guy whose surveillance company builds tracking tools that helps the US military shorten the kill chain and who appeared over 2,200 times in the recently released Epstein files, isn't going to help with user outrage.

C (4:28)

What's wrong with it?

B (4:29)

He likes a massage. Discord told Kotaku that the Persona experiment has concluded, and they have edited their support blog to remove mention of it. But that hasn't stopped the ongoing fallout. Discord competitor Teamspeak says it hit hosting capacity from the wave of users fleeing Discord. And even though the September data breach that exposed roughly 70,000 Discord users, government IDs was actually not connected to age verification rollouts in the past year or so, collecting even more IDs was always bound to be met with significant pushback. I, for one, will never push back, though. Against our sponsor, I consent Jawa, the.

C (5:06)

Number one gaming marketplace, to buy and sell new and used gaming gear and custom PCs at prices that actually make sense. Imagine it's built by gamers for gamers. Every listing is manually checked by the Jawa team for quality, and they have verified sellers who've been vetted, so you know you're getting real value. I've been in the market for a new gaming console and I found this guy selling 20 Nintendo Wiis in every color of the rainbow.

B (5:31)

Oop.

C (5:32)

I might have just bought all 20, but that's okay. Transactions are protected on both sides, buyer and seller. So you're not just rolling the dice on some random forum post. And if you got an old GPU sitting around, you can sell it directly to Jawa. No listing, no waiting for a buyer. So whether you're looking for your next custom PC or trying to offset an upgrade by selling your old stuff, Jawa can help you with that. Let them help you. Check out Jawa at the link below.

B (5:57)

The Quick Bits and I were just talking and we think it's so brave that you showed up to today's tech news without a prom date.

D (6:03)

We?

B (6:03)

I feel like I would be absolutely mortified if that were me, but you're like the Joan of Arc of tech news. You're like, owning it.

C (6:09)

Wow. So epic. I have a date every time. She's just off screen.

B (6:13)

ByteDance is scrambling to add safeguards to its AI video generator, Sea Dance 2.0. After Hollywood came at it with the Law Play, Law and Order sound effect, Disney sent a cease and desist accusing ByteDance of a virtual smash and grab of its IP, saying the tool treats its characters like free public domain clip art. That's right, the Lion King is not public domain clip art. It's just incredibly traumatizing. That said, Sea Dance 2.0 is actually a genuine leap in AI video. It can cut between shots with consistency, generate decent fight choreography, and users have been cranking out everything from a cat in Godzilla doing a Dragon Ball Z fusion dance to some actually funny Star wars skits, which really tickles Riley's heart. And other parts, to be fair, it's because a human wrote them. A very clever human was involved. But a very believable performance from AI Anakin doesn't hurt. OpenAI has hired Peter Steinberger, the creator of viral AI assistant OpenClaw, to build its next generation of personal agents. In his announcement, steinberger stated that OpenClaw will stay open source, unlike the vast majority of OpenAI's products.

C (7:19)

What does that stand for?

B (7:20)

Open? He also pointed to Europe's regulatory environment as a factor for the move to OpenAI, tweeting that in the US people are enthusiastic about his work, while in Europe they shout for regulation and responsibility cringe. To be fair, Europe itself has acknowledged this. Mario Draghi, former Italian prime Minister, published a 2024 report calling the EU's innovation gap with the US an existential challenge. But damn it, they just love regulating things so much, it's hard to stop. Nokia, the company that made our dad's cell phones, has won a patent dispute over the H265 codec on, also known as HEVC, forcing Acer and Asus to halt certain PC and laptop sales in Germany. Europe's at it again. Nokia felt that the use of the codec by these brands was not up to the fair, reasonable and non discriminatory obligations tied to its designation as a standard essential patent allowing Nokia to file for an injunction in Munich courts. So many fun words in there. Afterwards, both manufacturers filed for an appeal and will be pursuing further legal action to reach a fair solution as quickly as possible. End quote. So if you're a German and you want to buy an Acer or Asus PC with your marks or whatever, it looks like you have to actually go into Dasgeschaft to get one while supplies laugh T Mobile is rolling out a live call translation that works without an app. Dubbed Live Translation, it runs at the network level and can be activated after enrolling in the beta program by Simply dialing an asterisk. 8 7/ensis on your phone. 8 7Only one person on the call needs to be on T Mobile for it to function. Translate. Translating conversations in real time across supported languages. And I mean, hey, that sounds great and all, but this is also the carrier that's currently being accused of accidentally switching some customers to the wrong phone plans during iPhone promos. At least now you can yell at their support agents in any language you want. Putin T Mobile, Cine Function et par Zutalo, Tabernacle Baguette.

C (9:15)

No, not the last one.

B (9:17)

Justin Tudo and China's Spring Festival Gala, an annual Chinese New Year celebration, featured humanoid robots doing backflips, nunchuck routines and kung fu alongside martial arts actors. Not Steven Seagal, though. That guy. Four robotics firms showcased their bots to an audience where nearly 80% of active TVs in the country were tuned in.

C (9:37)

Because they had to be.

B (9:38)

But of course, the bots couldn't pull it all off without at least one stumbling and falling. I guess there's still some kinks to work out. Oh what? It's part of the show. I wasn't expecting them to use drunken fist style.

C (9:53)

It's self referential.

B (9:55)

The whole thing was perfectly choreographed. And as an added bonus, no little kids got accidentally wailed on by a nunchuck wielding robot. You know what China? Nice job on this one. I'd like to see more shows like this performed over there, far away from me and my children. They are nunchuck free so far, but I want you to stay close, especially on Friday when we come back with more tech news. Right now we're all heading to Brad's house to go swimming in his parents pool. And you can come if you want, but his dad said you weren't allowed in the pool because of what you did last time. But you can come. Not in the pool.

C (10:27)

Sit on the side, sit outside.

D (10:29)

Well, the holidays have come and gone once again. But if you've forgotten to get that special someone in your life a gift. Well, Mint Mobile is extending their holiday offer of half off unlimited wireless. So here's the idea. You get it now, you call it an early present for next year.

B (10:44)

What do you have to lose?

D (10:46)

Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch limited time.

E (10:49)

50% off regular price for new customers. Upfront payment required $45 for 3 months, $90 for 6 month or $180 for 12 month plan taxes and fees. Extra speeds may slow after 50gb per month when network is busy. See terms.