685: Bezos, Jeff Bezos

Jason and Brian dive into a whirlwind of tech chaos, cultural absurdities, and dystopian developments. They kick things off with a nostalgic nod to the internet's past, highlighting the 88x31 GIF collection and quirky single-use websites like "Trump Golf Track" and "Are We Doomed Yet?" The asteroid 2024 YR4 briefly raises existential dread as NASA’s odds of a 2032 Earth impact fluctuate wildly, but relief follows as updated calculations show a near-zero chance of collision. Meanwhile, Elon Musk dominates the headlines with his bizarre CPAC appearance brandishing a chainsaw, Tesla’s anti-theft dye measures for Supercharger cables, and mounting protests against his political entanglements and government layoffs under DOGE.

The episode also covers corporate drama and AI controversies. The New York Times introduces newsroom AI tools amidst its legal battles with OpenAI, while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella urges the industry to temper AI hype. Uber sues DoorDash over alleged anti-competitive practices, and Meta unveils plans for the world’s longest undersea cable alongside LlamaCon, its first generative AI conference. Meanwhile, Humane abruptly discontinues its AI Pins following an HP acquisition, leaving users scrambling. The hosts also explore Musk’s meddling with X’s Community Notes and blocking Signal links, further eroding trust in the platform.

On the media front, Jason and Brian discuss upcoming releases like Daredevil: Born Again, The Last of Us Season 2, Apple’s Murderbot series, and Judd Apatow’s Norm Macdonald documentary. They wrap up with listener feedback, shout-outs to Patreon supporters, and a hilarious anecdote about a Tesla showroom protest featuring an employee’s cheeky “We Hate Him Too” sign. As always, the duo blends sharp insights with biting humor to dissect the week’s madness.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/685

FOLLOW UP

The 88x31 GIF Collection

Trump Golf Track

Are We Doomed Yet?

Odds of Asteroid Hitting Earth in 2032 Climb Again as Impact Probability Hits New Peak

NASA Makes Big Update to Asteroid Potentially on Collision Course With Earth in 2032

IN THE NEWS

I cannot describe how strange Elon Musk’s CPAC appearance was. So here’s a literal transcript instead.

Tesla Installing Countermeasures as People Are Hacking the Cables Off Superchargers

Protesters demonstrate outside Tesla showrooms in US

Sign That Says “We Hate Him Too” Appears in Window of Tesla Dealership

The New York Times has greenlit AI tools for product and edit staff

USDA Scrambles to Rehire Bird Flu Experts After DOGE Laid Them Off

DOGE Reportedly Cuts FDA Employees Investigating Neuralink

DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla

Elon Musk wants to 'fix' Community Notes on X

Trump Media says it lost more than $400 million last year while revenue dropped 12%

Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of Trump's Truth Social, site just announced it lost $400.9 million last year.

Trump Administration Wants to Help Get Professional Misogynist Andrew Tate out of Romania

Here’s Why Trump May View Andrew Tate As An Ally—As He Reportedly Pressures Romania To Lift His Travel Restrictions

Nextdoor’s Nirav Tolia thinks he can turn things around with AI; he has a lot riding on it

X blocks users from sharing links to Signal

Uber accuses DoorDash of anti-competitive practices in a lawsuit

Meta Will Build the World’s Longest Undersea Cable

Meta announces LlamaCon, its first generative AI dev conference

Meta Connect 2025

Zuckerberg's New Metaverse Ad Is So Bad That the People Who Created It Must Be Secretly Trying to Humiliate Him

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Pumps the Breaks on AI Hype

Helix: A Vision-Language-Action Model for Generalist Humanoid Control

New Polling Shows Americans Increasingly Disgusted With Elon Musk

MEDIA CANDY

The WIld Robot

The Gorge

SNL50: The Anniversary Special

Norm Macdonald Documentary in the Works from Judd Apatow

Amazon Gains Creative Control of James Bond Franchise

The White Lotus

Scamanda

Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)

Reacher Season 3

Marvel Is Exploring Bringing Back Other Defenders From Netflix

Now We Know Exactly When The Last of Us Season 2 Is Coming

Apple’s Murderbot series starts streaming in May

Apple says Severance has become its most popular show ever, overtaking Ted Lasso

Why Do We Do That? Podcast

AMC STUBS A-List

APPS & DOODADS

Ink Console

Ink Console is a portable e-ink gamebook console

Bludit

NodeHost

BrainHQ

Impulse - Brain Training

All of Humane's AI pins will stop working in 10 days

Horbäach Creatine Monohydrate Capsules | 3500mg | 300 Count | Non-GMO and Gluten Free Supplement

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Andy Stochansky on IG

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