681: Trough of Disillusionment

681: Trough of Disillusionment

In this episode, Brian and Jason kick things off by highlighting the troubling state of the gaming industry, with 11% of developers laid off in 2024, according to a GDC survey. Meanwhile, Elon Musk finds a new way to perplex us all by admitting he pays people to play video games for him.

They then unpack a whirlwind of news, including Trump’s controversial pardon of Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht and his ongoing crusade against perceived social media bias. Elon Musk’s antics take center stage as he mocks America’s tech elite, clashes with Trump over the flashy “Stargate” AI project, and battles AI cost concerns as hype begins to wane. On the corporate front, Amazon halts drone deliveries after crashes, Instagram blocks political hashtags, and Neko, a body-scanning startup co-founded by Daniel Ek, secures a whopping $260M at a $1.8B valuation.

In media candy, the hosts revisit the charming chaos of the Lilo & Stitch franchise and dive into music documentaries like Yacht Rock and Echo in the Canyon. And let’s not forget Netflix’s price hikes and yet another mediocre Star Trek installment with Section 31. Dave wraps things up with The Dark Side, covering Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, ham radio tools, and even a shoutout to Morse code. Packed with biting commentary, this episode is a mix of tech absurdity, media nostalgia, and the trademark Grumpy Old Geeks snark!


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Show notes at https://gog.show/681


FOLLOW UP

Eleven percent of game developers were laid off in 2024, according to GDC survey

Elon Musk Admits to Paying People to Play Video Games for Him


IN THE NEWS

Joe Rogan, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos: Tech Titans, Celebs at Inauguration

Trump Orders Government to Stop ‘Trampling’ Conservatives on Social Media

Silk Road Mastermind Ross Ulbricht Seen Leaving Prison Holding a Small Plant

President Trump Pardons Silk Road Creator Ross Ulbricht After 11 Years in Prison

Elon Musk Plays DOGE Ball—and Hits America’s Geek Squad

Instagram blocked searches for #democrats and other political hashtags

Why You May Automatically Be Following Trump and Vance Now

AI-Generated Junk Science Is a Big Problem on Google Scholar, Research Suggests

What is the ‘Stargate’ AI project?

Trump's $500 Billion AI Deal Includes Funding by UAE Royal Family Linked to Astonishing Number of Scandals, Including Human Torture

Trump Showing Love to Sam Altman Is Clearly Driving Elon Musk Into a Jealous Fury

Satya Nadella says he’s ’good for $80 billion’ after Elon Musk claims Stargate Project doesn’t have the cash

Trump staff ‘furious’ after Musk trashes AI project

AI Hype Is Dropping Off a Cliff While Costs Soar, Experts Warn

Amazon puts its drone deliveries on hold following two crash incidents

‘Neo-Nazi Madness’: Meta’s Top AI Lawyer on Why He Fired the Company

Apple must face suit over alleged policy of underpaying female workers

Amazon to close Quebec facilities, but says it's not because of that new union

Neko, the body-scanning startup co-founded by Spotify's Daniel Ek, snaps up $260M at a $1.8B valuation


MEDIA CANDY

Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch 2 - Stitch Has a Glitch

Leroy & Stitch

Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary

The Wrecking Crew!

Echo in the Canyon

Lolla: The Story of Lollapalloza

Netflix plans now cost between $8 and $25 after yet another subscription price hike

Everything to Remember Before Star Trek: Section 31

Section 31 Is a Mediocre Action Movie, and an Even Worse Star Trek One

Fail Better with David Duchovny - Catching Up with Gillian Anderson

James Cameron: Special Video Message at the SCSP AI+Robotics Summit


APPS & DOODADS

Introducing Operator

Developer Creates Infinite Maze That Traps AI Training Bots

Best Cooking Equipment for Meal Kits (2025), Tested and Reviewed

Trump Executive Order Generator


AT THE LIBRARY

The Breakthrough Effect by Douglas E. Richards

Not Till We Are Lost (Bobiverse Book 5) by Dennis E. Taylor


THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

Ham Radio Prep

Ham Study

GLAARG

GGMorse

Morse Code - I Love You

Parks on the Air ® (POTA)

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Jaksot(730)

41: The Undisruption Revolution is Coming

41: The Undisruption Revolution is Coming

We follow-up on last week's app recommendations with surprising results. A listener asks about podcasting tips and we do our best to answer. Also included, two rants and talk about how net neutrality being shot-down will cause major un-disruption. For shownotes on this episode please visit: http://grumpyoldgeeks.com/41 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

20 Tammi 20141h 27min

40: A Hot Bowl of Sharkfin Disruption Soup

40: A Hot Bowl of Sharkfin Disruption Soup

The guys are back together for a special in-person episode in the Venice Beach Studio. They talk about lots of things that make them grumpy and Jason keeps confusing Terminator and Transformers. Brian busts out some new apps and the like. For shownotes for this episode please visit http://grumpyoldgeeks.com/40 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

13 Tammi 20141h 30min

2013 Year End Special

2013 Year End Special

Thanks to everyone who has listened to our show and joined us as guests this year! Have a safe and happy New Years and see ya on the flip side! http://grumpyoldgeeks.com/2013-year-end-special/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

30 Joulu 20139min

39: Beyoncé doesn't take Bitcoin

39: Beyoncé doesn't take Bitcoin

Sean Bonner joins the guys in the studio this week to enlighten us on Bitcoin and other baubles. Brian gets belligerent about Beyoncé news. Billionaire Bill Gates plays Santa, and more news about how everyone is saying screw-it to privacy. Shownotes at http://grumpyoldgeeks.com/39 Support the show at http://tugboatyards.com/gog See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22 Joulu 20131h 30min

38: No real limits of any kind apply here...

38: No real limits of any kind apply here...

In this pre-holiday run up we clear out our libraries and dump our brain buckets on you. Books may be the new TV but we talk some TV too. Zombies tech takes leap forwards and Snowden is still chillin in Russia. Basically, the usual, but fresher! For shownotes please visit http://grumpyoldgeeks.com/38 and to support the show please visit http://tugboatyards.com/gog See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

15 Joulu 20131h 40min

37: Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

37: Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

In this episode we try and take some user feedback to heart and do a more lighthearted show filled with goodness, light, and the brighter side of the human condition. Yeah, didn't work. But at least we had a really good laugh doing it! Shownotes at: http://grumpyoldgeeks.com/37 Sponsor the show at http://tugboatyards.com/gog See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7 Joulu 20131h 25min

36: Thanksgiving with Tim Ferriss

36: Thanksgiving with Tim Ferriss

This week our special guest is author Tim Ferriss. Tim sat with us for an hour and we talked about his new show on HLN, his amazing new book club, cool stuff about the quantified self, sleep hacking, and more. We even got a story that wasn't in the books! Please visit http://grumpyoldgeeks.com/36 for this weeks show notes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

29 Marras 20131h 7min

35: Take a Smile Challenge in the Failure Olympics!

35: Take a Smile Challenge in the Failure Olympics!

The guys are swamped this week so they take an informal chat approach like the old days while still covering the usual goodies and the guys cut loose on get rich quick schemes.   Please visit http://grumpyoldgeeks.com/35 for the show notes for this episode. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

25 Marras 20131h 24min

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