715: Our Wizard Lies
Grumpy Old Geeks26 Syys 2025

715: Our Wizard Lies

Grumpy Old Geeks is back with another round of righteous griping and eyebrow-raising headlines in Episode 715: Our Wizard Lies. We kick things off in FOLLOW UP, where TikTok is still the geopolitical hot potato that both the U.S. and China promise to sort out “someday, maybe,” while Wired’s global editorial director explains how tech’s growing political clout is playing out under Trump. From there, it’s a cavalcade of absurdities: DOGE as federal workforce demolition derby, and crypto bros trying to turn Charlie Kirk’s death into meme-stock retirement plans. Late-stage capitalism is nothing if not creative.

Then in IN THE NEWS, Amazon gets spanked with a $2.5 billion fine for Prime trickery, Microsoft yanks cloud services from an Israeli military unit, and Palantir goes full lifestyle brand—yes, you too can cosplay as a drone strike enthusiast with a $99 pair of gym shorts. Silicon Valley philosophers warn AI regulation would literally summon the Antichrist, while banks whisper the bubble might pop before the devil even arrives. Meanwhile, YouTube toys with letting COVID and election denialists back into the algorithm, “SIM farms” threaten New York’s cell networks, and unlucky tourists are finding themselves trafficked into cyber-scam slavery across Southeast Asia. Progress!

MEDIA CANDY tries to lighten the mood—sort of—serving up everything from Elio, Tron: Ares, and Disney price hikes to AI musicians cashing million-dollar checks. Lionsgate, on the other hand, learns you can’t feed four John Wicks into an algorithm and get an anime out the other side. Over in THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE, we get furries on the DC Metro, Disney plotting your every park step via Ray-Ban spy glasses, a Ponzi scheme in RadioShack cosplay, and even a Jim Henson Company anniversary auction. We close out with shout-outs and sighs, because sometimes the world doesn’t deserve a mic drop—just a slow shake of the head.


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Show notes at https://gog.show/715


FOLLOW UP

US and China agree to agree on a TikTok deal

WIRED global editorial director on tech's growing political power under Trump

The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers

Crypto Bros Are Trying to Monetize Charlie Kirk’s Death


IN THE NEWS

Amazon to pay $2.5 billion for allegedly duping millions to sign up for Prime

Microsoft cuts off cloud services to Israeli military unit after report of storing Palestinians’ phone calls

Palantir Wants to Be a Lifestyle Brand

Silicon Valley’s latest argument against regulating AI: that would literally be the Antichrist

AI Experts Urgently Call on Governments to Think About Maybe Doing Something

‘Workslop’: AI-Generated Work Content Is Slowing Everything Down

Deutsche Bank Issues Grim Warning for AI Industry

YouTube may reinstate channels banned for spreading covid and election misinformation

‘SIM Farms’ Are a Spam Plague. A Giant One in New York Threatened US Infrastructure, Feds Say

They traveled to Thailand. They wound up cyber scam slaves in Myanmar.


MEDIA CANDY

Elio

Superman

Human: Origins

Human: Journeys

Alien: Earth

The Traitors Ireland

Disney is raising the price of Disney+, Hulu subscriptions next month

Wicked: For Good | Final Trailer

Lilith Faire: Building a Mystery

Tron: Ares

AI Artist Signs Million-Dollar Record Deal

Lionsgate Is Finding Out It’s Really Hard to Make Movies With AI

Jimmy Kimmel May Be Back. Trump’s Attacks on the First Amendment Aren’t Over By Merrill Markoe

Jimmy Kimmel is Back!


THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

Disney Explores Using Ray-Ban Meta Glasses To Guide Guests Around Its Parks

The Happiest Story on Earth: 70 Years of Disneyland

The Mandalorian and Grogu | Official Trailer | In Theaters May 22, 2026

The Jim Henson Company 70th Anniversary Auction

Feds Say Company That Bought RadioShack Was Running $112 Million Ponzi Scheme

Furries ride the DC Metro

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(733)

435: Pandemic Brain

435: Pandemic Brain

Drink-up wrap-up; Stanford antibody study; Deepfakes have been floated; Facebook's latest ripoff; Tesla stop sign navigation; Amazon's self-serving algorithm; Westworld; Goonies never say die; SNL getting better; Food Network mindless entertainment; Terry Pratchett TV shows, books coming; a Tyler Perry world; feedback, and lots of it.Show notes at https://gog.show/435See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

29 Huhti 202056min

434: Apex Moron

434: Apex Moron

He may have broken Brian, nothing a little bleach won't fix; toilet paper shortages; CDC warns of second wave; Octoberfest, nein; Quibi versus fans; Magic Leap leaps off a cliff; Abigail Disney & Abigail Amazon; Boston Dynamics pivots; pandemic white lies; FIFA still a festering mess; factory heroes; a manic security segment; sacrificing privacy to get out of quarantine; heavy keyboards; Tyke, Tot and Taters.Show notes at https://gog.show/434See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

25 Huhti 20201h 19min

433: The Woke Must Flow

433: The Woke Must Flow

Furloughs & death clocks; we’re all on the S.S. Minnow; traffic silver linings; Instacart tipping procedures; Facebook misinformation flaws; social media COVID policies failing; America’s funniest Zoom videos; Elmo’s virtual happy hour; the new woke Dune; yet another HBO streaming service; failure is an option; every COVID commercial is exactly the same; masked morons; feedback loop: UVAs, burnt pork & reverse empathy.Show notes at https://gog.show/433See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22 Huhti 20201h 9min

432: Unified Theory of Oprah

432: Unified Theory of Oprah

Eggs, fat, masks & step counts; Apple & Google promise they'll turn of tracking, someday, maybe; Amazon is essential, essentially horrible; JEDI silence; the end of the office as we know it; drone scolding; Peacock launches, not really; coronavirus should make us grateful for big tech; security is back, change those passwords; wear your pants; podcast profiteering; last names; stinky ride hails; selfie-sticks for guns.Show notes at https://gog.show/432See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

18 Huhti 20201h

431: Grump Long and Prosper!

431: Grump Long and Prosper!

Dogs & cats, Apple & Google playing together to track us; South Korea putting wristbands on people for tracking; WeWork won't make deals on rent but asks for them for themselves; Amazon on path to dominance; IKEA blinds finally available; the Witcher; Paraside; god awful Modern Family; BSG live read; Space Force; Minions; tone-deaf celebs; feedback loop.Show notes at https://gog.show/431See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

15 Huhti 20201h 17min

430: Another Day in Paradise

430: Another Day in Paradise

Billionaire's relief funds; WhatsApp trying to stop spread of misinformation; weather prediction; the internet is stronger, scalable; we planted a flag in the moon, it's ours; StageIt sees success after 11 years; we may not be epidemiologists, but; headphones, adapters, jump starters & lighters; HBO pulls app from older Apple TVs; TikTok influencer; parents aren't alright; Disney shares recipes; Michael, the avid gamer.Show notes at https://gog.show/430See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11 Huhti 20201h 33min

429: On the Sauce

429: On the Sauce

Virtual happy hours; wherefore art thou, sports?; Apple frees up some software, releases a new phone; Microsoft Edge gains popularity; more Amazon internal meetings leaked; how US employment has changed in a month; NASA worm; Common Sense; more free media; Quibi; Little Weirds; no, 5G didn't cause coronavirus; Dr. Drew; spirited & spirit-fueled feedback.Show notes at Show notes at https://gog.show/429See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

8 Huhti 20201h 6min

428: Fundamentally Useless

428: Fundamentally Useless

Masks are the new masks; the C19 playlist; Zoombombing; Airbnb, Amazon step up a little; restrictions are slowing things, a little; will a recession mean more automation; DoorDash doesn't know what's open; tech giants giving away ad credits, not cash; pop-up experiences shut down; fired by Zoom meeting; we give up on security and reminisce about the old days; Americans are drinking tons; whiskey doesn't protect you; Ina Garten, hero; dark humor is indicative of a high IQ.Show notes at https://gog.show/428See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4 Huhti 20201h 23min

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