694: Hammers Don’t Hallucinate

This week on Grumpy Old Geeks, Fyre Festival rises from the ashes yet again—but not as a festival, because even Billy McFarland finally figured out he’s better at selling pipe dreams than tents. Meanwhile, Amazon and Microsoft are tapping the brakes on their AI data center dreams, Google’s AI keeps confidently explaining made-up nonsense like it’s gospel, and Kevin Roose once again tries to convince us to have empathy for the glorified autocomplete machines. (Spoiler: We won’t.) Also, OpenAI wants to buy Chrome even though they can barely afford their own lunch tabs, Perplexity says the quiet part loud about stalking your browser habits, and Meta lays off more VR developers while pretending they care about human rights.In the “it’s all stupid, but at least it’s entertaining” department: Uber gets sued for making it harder to cancel than joining Scientology, Adam Neumann dupes investors again, sperm racing is now a real thing (and yes, there’s crypto involved), and Bluesky caves to the almighty blue checkmark. Plus, Affinity Suite reminds us you don’t have to sell a kidney to escape Adobe, The Wheel of Time gets an open-world game that’ll probably drop after the heat death of the universe, and Wednesday Season 2 is on the way, because Netflix refuses to let its only hits rest.Stick around for The Dark Side with Dave where we grumble about Andor Season 2, lament bad writing decisions, geek out over old-school arcade games, and learn that memory colors are apparently a thing. Oh, and if you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and thank ChatGPT for wasting millions in server bills—because if Sam Altman’s crying about manners costing money, we’re grabbing the popcorn.Sponsors:Insta360 - The first 30 people who use code “gog” at store.insta360.com get a free 45” invisible selfie stick worth $25!DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/694FOLLOW UPFyre Festival is becoming a music streaming service that might not be a scam this timeBilly McFarland Is Selling Fyre FestIN THE NEWSAmazon Follows Microsoft in Retreat From Ambitious AI Data Center PlansYou can trick Google's AI Overviews into explaining made-up idiomsDan Rather’s Metaphors Anchored in Folksy TruismsIf A.I. Systems Become Conscious, Should They Have Rights?A Strange Phrase Keeps Turning Up in Scientific Papers, But Why?Google will keep third-party tracking cookies on Chrome as they areOpenAI wants to buy Chrome and make it an “AI-first” experiencePerplexity CEO says its browser will track everything users do online to sell 'hyper personalized' adsChatGPT’s responses will now include Washington Post articlesSam Altman Admits That Saying "Please" and "Thank You" to ChatGPT Is Wasting Millions of Dollars in Computing PowerFTC sues Uber over claims the company makes subscriptions hard to cancelMeta conducts layoffs in Oculus Studios, impacting VR exercise app SupernaturalMeta’s Oversight Board Is Worried Meta’s New Policies Will Harm Human RightsAdam Neumann’s Flow raises $100M+, more than doubles valuation to $2.5BChinese AI startup Manus reportedly gets funding from Benchmark at $500M valuationTwo Guys, One Track: Sperm Racing Is Now a Thing—Yes, It Involves CryptoRAMMS+EIN - 14.12.1997 – Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, United StatesMEDIA CANDYThe PittThe Last of UsCompanionThe OrderWednesday: Season 2 | Official Teaser Trailer | NetflixApple TV+ has its own spin on Indiana Jones, and it looks epicRiot Fest 2025APPS & DOODADSBluesky is getting blue checkmarks and an official verification systemAffinity Suite 2.6The Wheel of Time Is Getting Its Own Open-World RPG Video GameTHE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingAndor Season 2The Glorious, Terrible Delirium of Mon Mothma’s Liberating Andor MomentLight & Magic Season 2Strong Songs - The Music of the MuppetsArcade Game: Lunar Lander (1979 Atari)When arcade games were boring.Hard Drivin' - ArcadeTempestMemory ColorsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.