714: Crossfade This

The internet continues its chaotic march, with a TikTok deal potentially happening (for real this time, maybe), while LimeWire bought the Fyre Fest brand, because more viruses are always a great idea. Corporate America is going full AI-bro with massive layoffs at Fiverr, xAI, and Google, while OpenAI reveals people are using ChatGPT for pretty much everything but coding. Age verification is coming to apps and online services in California and New York, because apparently, teenagers need protection (after the fact). Elsewhere, nudists have declared war on SpaceX over rocket launches, and fans are ditching Elon since he started being so insufferable; even a Tesla engineer quit and roasted him spectacularly, all while NHTSA investigates Tesla's fire-prone door handles.In the world of entertainment, we're catching up on Wednesday and Foundation S3 (just pretend the books never existed, your brain will be rewired!), and Upload wrapped up its truncated season nicely. The 2003 Freaky Friday was a fun, nostalgic trip through early 2000s L.A., reminding us of all the cool places that are now just... gone. Alien: Earth and Gen V S2 are on our watchlist, and we'll see if Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 lives up to its promise. The Witcher S4, featuring Liam Hemsworth as Geralt (aka the Dick Switch), drops in October, with Laurence Fishburne making it somewhat palatable. The Lilith Fair documentary is peak 90s, and Meta's latest dystopian product was so bad it made the Cybertruck demo look good. Apple's new AI features are cool, but the iOS 26 "liquid glass" update and its awful crossfade feature are less so; also, meditation apparently has a dark side, but binaural beats might just make you rave. Publishers Clearing House's bankruptcy means "forever" winners won't get paid (always take the lump sum!); international sellers are charging absurd shipping to avoid American buyers; and the deepfake Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kills Darth Maul (Live Action) is surprisingly good.Steve Martin's Born Standing Up is still great life advice, and the Carrot App the Musical is, against all odds, amazing. Robert Redford has sadly passed, a legend who gave us Sneakers, and L.A.'s own Clayton Kershaw is retiring at the end of the season, a true one-team legend who deserves all the accolades.Sponsors:MasterClass - Right now, our listeners get an additional 15% off any annual membership at MASTERCLASS.com/GRUMPYOLDGEEKS. No-risk 30-day money-back guarantee!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/714FOLLOW UPA TikTok deal may finally be happeningLimeWire Revealed as Mystery Buyer of Fyre Fest BrandIN THE NEWSFiverr is laying off 250 employees to become an 'AI-first company'xAI reportedly laid off at least 500 AI tutors working on GrokHundreds of Google AI Workers Were Fired Amid Fight Over Working ConditionsOpenAI Reveals How (and Which) People Are Using ChatGPTChatGPT may soon require ID verification from adults, CEO saysCalifornia's age verification bill for app stores and operating systems takes another step forwardNew York details its plans for online age verification rulesNudists Declare War on SpaceXPeople Who Loved Watching SpaceX Launches Can’t Stomach Them Anymore Since Elon Musk Started Being So HorribleTesla Engineer Quits, Roasts Elon Musk in Spectacular FashionNHTSA is investigating Tesla over its electronic door handlesMEDIA CANDYWednesdayFoundation (S3)UploadDevsFreaky Friday (2003)Alien: EarthGen V Season 2‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Producers Promise Season 4 Will Be BetterSlow Horses Season 5Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)The Witcher Season 4 will hit Netflix in October with its new GeraltLilith Fair: Building a MysteryAPPS & DOODADSNew Apple Intelligence features are available todayiOS 26 lets you reduce Liquid Glass to be more like iOS 18, here’s howMeta's most dystopian product yet...Meditation And Mindfulness Have a Dark Side We Don't Often Talk AboutBrainWave: 37 Binaural Series™The Rise of the Indie Web MovementLinks - MarighoulStendig CalendarsAT THE LIBRARYFlybot by Dennis E. TaylorProof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben AlexanderCleave the Sparrow by Jonathan KatzThe Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes by Donald D. HoffmanThe Code. the Evaluation. the Protocols: Striving to Become an Eminently Qualified Human by Jocko Willink, Dave Berke, Sarah ArmstrongI Don't Answer Questions: Pleading the Fifth! by David RidingsFinding Your Comic Genius: An in-depth guide to the art of stand-up comedy by Adam BloomDisney and Webtoon’s Partnership Is Leading to a Massive New Comics AppTHE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingHanker for a Hunk of Cheese‘The Muppet Show’ Is Getting a 50th Anniversary Disney+ SpecialCarrot App the Musical...Carrot The Musical on IGNetatmo Home Weather StationsAmbient Weather WS-2902 WiFi Smart Weather Station with AWN+ IncludedPublishers Clearing House’s bankruptcy means ‘forever’ winners will no longer get paid$2,000 Shipping: International Sellers Charge Absurd Prices to Avoid Dealing With American TariffsStar Wars: Obi-Wan Kills Darth Maul (Live Action)Born Standing Up by Steve MartinCLOSING SHOUT-OUTSRobert Redford dead at 89SneakersAll-time Los Angeles Dodgers great Clayton Kershaw to retire at end of seasonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.