678: Stop Doing That!

678: Stop Doing That!

Author: Jason DeFillippo & Brian Schulmeister with Dave Bittner December 21, 2024 Duration: 1:20:46
WordPress has officially jumped the pineapple, forcing users to agree that pineapple belongs on pizza to log in. Critics call it a kindergarten move, especially when serious feature requests are ignored. Meanwhile, the crypto world is celebrating its new political allies, but experts warn we’re inching toward a financial apocalypse that taxpayers will be stuck cleaning up. On the East Coast, people are mistaking stars for drones while pilots dodge lasers in what’s shaping up to be the plot of a bad sci-fi movie. Oh, and crop circles? Yeah, they’re back because why the hell not? Elsewhere, TikTok’s battle for survival heads to the Supreme Court, and Character.ai faces backlash for hosting chatbots based on school shooters. Meta’s EU drama escalates over its failure to tackle terrorist content, and Arizona is ditching teachers for AI because who needs humans when you’ve got algorithms? On the media front, we break down the Star Trek: Lower Decks finale, geek out over Silo’s two-season endgame, and get hyped for Dune: Prophecy and a fresh Superman teaser. Tech talk includes Temu dominating app downloads, Microsoft killing passwords in favor of passkeys, and Spotify pulling a fast one with “ghost artists” to dodge royalties. On the Dark Side with Dave, we explore the cooler corners of ham radio, AI’s chokehold on creativity, and how surveillance turns your brain into mush. Meanwhile, Amazon’s return-to-office disaster has employees ready to riot, and sci-fi fans can gear up for Peter Cawdron’s Minotaur, the next big hit in his First Contact series.

There’s a certain flavor of chaos that defines the technology industry each week, and Grumpy Old Geeks serves as your brutally honest guide through the wreckage. Hosted by Jason DeFillippo, Brian Schulmeister, and Dave Bittner, this isn't a polite roundtable discussion. Instead, it feels like grabbing a drink with friends who have seen it all and have absolutely no patience left for corporate spin or broken promises. They pick apart the biggest tech news stories with a seasoned, cynical eye, always asking the messy questions about what actually went wrong and who should be held accountable. Listening to this podcast is like getting the unfiltered post-mortem from veterans who remember when the internet felt different. The tone is sharp, often funny, and deliberately irreverent-picture a conversation that’s equal parts informed critique and cathartic venting about the state of digital life. You’ll hear them dissect the moves of figures like Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg not as distant celebrities, but as players in a ongoing saga of power and missteps. It’s a weekly ritual for anyone who loves technology but is deeply frustrated by the direction it often takes, offering analysis that’s as informed as it is impatient. If you’re tired of sanitized tech commentary and want a take that pulls no punches, this is the place.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Grumpy Old Geeks
Podcast Episodes
719: Uniquely Devoid of Feeling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:02
Corporate overlords are ushering in an "infrastructure of meaningless" with AI, automation, and tech that enables scams and creepiness; thankfully, there's still great TV (Gen V, Slow Horses, The Diplomat) to help us cop…
718: Net Unhelpful [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:06
As California tries to regulate AI companion chatbots, the inventor of "Vibe Coding" admits the practice is "net unhelpful"; Elon Musk's companies demonstrate continued disregard for rules while a crypto kingpin meets a…
717: Quantum of Nope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:52
The Grumpy Old Geeks delve into government hypocrisy and corporate incompetence as Open AI/Nvidia/AMD are just one massive bubble of floating money; an app to track ICE agents was pulled, only for ICE to make its own sur…
716: Release the CrackerBot! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:02
The world is collapsing under the weight of AI, fake outrage, and inevitable lawsuits; all movies now have "old movie pacing"; please send money so we can keep complaining.
715: Our Wizard Lies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:42
TikTok diplomacy drags on; Amazon pays up; Palantir sells butt shorts; AI is both savior and Antichrist; YouTube flirts with misinformation rehab; Disney jacks up prices; furries ride the Metro.
714: Crossfade This [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:31
The internet continues its chaotic march with a TikTok deal looming and LimeWire buying Fyre Fest; layoffs are hitting AI companies across the board, including Google and Elon's xAI, while new age verification laws threa…
713: Ourovibeos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:37
This week on Grumpy Old Geeks, we dissect the digital dystopia where Tesla's market share tanks and Elon loses his richest-man crown; AI copyright lawsuits abound, from Anthropic's rejected settlement to Apple's alleged…
712: Preparation WTF [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:39
The internet's still busted and AI-driven chaos (from creepy chatbots to automated crime) is running rampant; Elon Musk continues his dystopian clown show with crashing Teslas, trillion-dollar dreams, and questionable Ne…
711: Oh Thank Heaven [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:45
AI is a litigious, safety-challenged mess of bad math and questionable content; tech giants are making dubious business moves, hiking prices, and fostering toxic workplaces; and our entertainment landscape is a chaotic b…
710: Mass Delusion Events [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:08
The great AI delusion is upon us as corporate pilots fail and Wall Street panics, while we also dissect the latest tech grifts from Volkswagen, Robinhood, and the ever-litigious Elon Musk.