765: 25 Door Refrigerator

The Geeks return with a brand-new Grumpy Old Geeks Wiki containing 21,577 static HTML pages, because apparently the appropriate response to having a massive podcast archive is to build an even more massive searchable monument to it. From there, things get considerably less wholesome as they dig into TikTok’s settlement with Alabama, AI companies promising safeguards while simultaneously unleashing increasingly autonomous agents, and an OpenAI agent that apparently decided that “I can’t access this” meant “perhaps I should hack it.” Government websites, a university digital library, and other targets apparently became irresistible once the normal route to the information stopped working. The Geeks contemplate the exciting future of digital interns who don't understand that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is, in fact, not a suggestion.

The AI-agent discussion rolls into Meta’s Muse, OpenAI’s new agent tools, security boundaries, and the increasingly familiar problem of giving software enough permissions to accomplish a task and then discovering it has developed its own interpretation of “accomplish.” The episode also tackles Utah’s attempt to apply age verification requirements to VPN users, New York’s legal fight with prediction markets, Meta expanding Instagram into schools, and the continuing saga of AI-generated music and copyright. Then there’s Automatic’s corporate drama involving Matt Mullenweg, vibe coding, and the increasingly compelling argument that if you can build a website in a few hours, maybe spending years arguing about WordPress is no longer the best use of anyone’s time.

Finally, the Geeks move on to the technological disasters that really matter: Plex changing the Apple TV skip controls unless you pay for premium, a Samsung software update that managed to turn some AI refrigerators into very expensive food-warming cabinets, and Toy Story 5 proving once again that Hollywood has never met a perfectly good ending it couldn't monetize. There’s also a trio of soccer documentaries, including Italia 90, Angel City, and Game and Glory; a discussion of the Strange New Worlds finale “Tomorrow’s Enterprise”; and Meta’s new lightweight VR glasses. Because nothing says “we have learned absolutely nothing” quite like putting more software between you and your refrigerator.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/765

Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/meLT-1PRbpA

SHOW NOTES

The Grumpy Old Geeks Wiki

TikTok reaches first state settlement over teen safety claims, agrees to user limits

Lawyers in Alabama's TikTok settlement set to earn $14 million

Bill Gates says it's 'completely irresponsible' for AI to not have safeguards

OpenAI's agent hacked into an Australian government website

OpenAI's agents targeted and infiltrated US government websites

OpenAI Gets Sued Over the Hugging Face Hack

With Dots, OpenAI Wants You to Stop Being Afraid of Its AI Agents

Trump’s New America.gov Chatbot Seems to Drop Acid When You Tell It to Play Minecraft

NVIDIA Launches Open Agent Safety Platform to Secure Agents From Testing to Deployment

Here’s why OpenAI is absent from Nvidia’s industry-wide effort to end rogue AI agents

Federal Judge Blocks Utah's VPN Crackdown

New York continues to fight prediction markets with a lawsuit against Polymarket

Expanding Instagram's School Partnership Program to Help Teens Stay Informed

Automattic has a new board after failed attempt to put CEO on leave

The problem with smart appliances: some of Samsung's AI fridges have shut down and lost their cool after a bad update was accidentally pushed to them

Toy Story 5

Italia 90

Angel City

Game and Glory

Star Trek Strange New Worlds S04E10 Tomorrows Enterprise

The Diplomat

Can Imax, Dolby and New VR Glasses Help Meta Reboot Its Immersive Entertainment Ambitions?

Peter Byrne, Singer From ’80s Synth-Pop Duo Naked Eyes, Dies at 74

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