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
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.
709: Grumpy Old Gardeners [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:09
This week the geeks wade through the wreckage of modern tech, from the Tesla Diner's instant failure and the disastrous GPT-5 launch that created an army of digital mourners; they mock the billionaire class for building…
708: Spicy Mode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:50
On this episode of Grumpy Old Geeks: AI takes over everything from driving to therapy to music, often with hilarious and alarming results; big tech shuffles the deck with layoffs and questionable product choices; and we…
707: Someone Spilled the Tea [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:55
Jason and Dave Bittner dive into a chaotic week of digital disasters and generational despair; from Gen X angst and Tom Lehrer tributes to dating app doxxings, AI-trained-on-porn scandals, and Tesla-fueled neighborhood n…
706: Let There Be Scams [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:24
This week, the Grumpy Old Geeks cover Elon Musk's absurd diner and "disadvantaged" multi-billion dollar startup; the worsening AI bubble, complete with hallucinated features and faked medical studies; the latest in crypt…
705: Vibe Defunding [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:02
This week, the Geeks dive into the AI dumpster fire as Nvidia's CEO admits his fear, Elon Musk aims for a cosmic religion, and Elmo's X account gets hacked. They also cover Tesla's desperate sales tactics, Jack Dorsey's…
704: I’m Lovin’ It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:19
This week, the infamous Fyre Fest dumpster fire continues as Billy McFarland hawks the brand's remains on eBay. We dive into the latest AI-powered chaos, from Tesla's self-crashing robotaxis to Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot g…