692: Confabulation and Frivolity

This week, the boys kick things off with some serious déjà vu as Fyre Fest’s favorite grifter promises he’s totally throwing another festival — because nothing says “I’ve changed” like doubling down on the same scam. Meanwhile, the IRS decided to become ICE’s BFF by casually sharing migrant tax data, and their commissioner moonwalks out right after. Also: Microsoft’s long game of “let OpenAI set the money on fire while we build empires” is going exactly as planned.

In the news, it’s Elon all day: Starlink might be doing the same government freebie hustle Microsoft perfected, DOGE is monitoring your comms for anti-Musk snark, and apparently has enough data on your family to build Black Mirror Season 8. Tesla’s financials are circling the drain so hard they won’t even take their own Cybertrucks back as trade-ins, but don’t worry — Elon’s ready to bail out Twitter/xAI with monopoly money. Over in the UK, the cops are one coffee away from full Minority Report, and MIT confirms what we already knew: AI doesn’t have morals, just vibes. Speaking of AI, someone sent an avatar to court. Yes, really.

In Media Candy, it’s a smorgasbord: The White Lotus is back, Murderbot looks like a win, and the Tron: Ares trailer wants you to care again. There’s also a full Ask A Ninja drop for your 2006 nostalgia, and “Donald Trump Rides a Cock Horse” makes us long for the innocent absurdity of Morrissey Rides a Cockhorse. Over in Apps & Doodads, we’ve got AI dumbbells (because of course), Instagram still pretending the iPad doesn’t exist, and the Scotty Peeler — the tool you didn’t know you needed. Finally, Dave’s back in The Darkside, riffing on malware, The Owl House, and how ChatGPT sometimes gives your image prompts a side of Lovecraftian horror. RIP to some true legends: Dave Allen, Al Barile, and Clem Burke — your music lives louder than ever.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/692

FOLLOW UP

Fyre Fest Founder Insists Another Festival Is Coming

I.R.S. Agrees to Share Migrants’ Tax Information With ICE

IRS agrees to share tax data with immigration authorities

Acting IRS commissioner resigning after agency reaches data-sharing deal with immigration authorities

Microsoft’s AI masterplan: Let OpenAI burn cash, then build on their successes

IN THE NEWS

Microsoft Hooked the Government on Its Products With Freebies. Could Elon Musk’s Starlink Be Doing the Same?

Social Security Website Crashes Blamed on DOGE Software Update

DOGE is reportedly using AI to monitor government comms for anti-Musk and anti-Trump chatter

Here's All of the Data That Elon Musk's DOGE May Have on You and Your Family

DOGE Is About to Get DOGE’d

UK is going full Minority Report with ‘murder prediction’ research

MIT study finds that AI doesn't, in fact, have values

Elon Musk sets the stage for Tesla to bail out Twitter/xAI at an insane valuation

Tesla Is So Cooked That It's Now Refusing to Accept Cybertrucks as Trade-Ins

Justice Department Says It Will Pull Back on Prosecuting Crypto Fraud

Citation Needed - Issue 81 – Crypto crime is legal by Molly White

Reflexive AI use isn’t optional anymore

Tech founder charged with fraud for 'AI' that was secretly overseas contract workers

Pro Tip: Don’t Send Your AI Avatar to Testify for You in Court

Trump’s TikTok Plan Upended by Chinese Objections Over Tariffs

France to ban students from keeping smartphones in schools

A Tiny Piece of Mouse Brain Has Finally Been Mapped in Mindblowing Detail

MEDIA CANDY

The White Lotus

The Studio

Devil May Cry

Black Mirror Season 7

Ask A Ninja Omnibus What Year Is This?

The Pitt

Tron: Ares‘ First Trailer Brings Us to a Whole New Grid

Tron: Ares | Official Trailer

The Murderbot TV show trailer is here

Murderbot — Official Trailer | Apple TV+

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | Official Trailer (2025 Movie) - Tom Cruise

Brian Eno’s Windows Reboot Chime Inducted Into National Recording Registry

There’s No Future in Optimism

Tripla

Pearlies

Lonely Town

Donald Trump Rides a Cock Horse

Decades After "Morrissey Rides a Cockhorse," Moz Is "Way Worse"

Morrissey Rides A Cockhorse - Warlock Pinchers

APPS & DOODADS

Macbook Air 15“

Scotty Peeler - Label and Sticker Remover

Slipdrive - Portable Hard Drive Sleeve for Laptop

The year is 2025, and Instagram is reportedly 'working on' an iPad app

Nova by Panic

Derek Sivers - Tech Independence

Kabata - The world’s first AI powered dumbbells

Nintendo delays Switch 2 US pre-orders following Trump tariffs

BUSY Bar

Amazon Haul

Mob Control

United States Disappeared Tracker

THE DARKSIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

The Owl House

Eerie, Indiana

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Dave Allen, Gang of Four Bassist, Dead at 69

Al Barile, Guitarist for Hardcore Pioneers SSD, Dead at 63

Blondie Drummer Clem Burke Dead at 70

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