683: There IS a Spoon!

This week, Jason and Brian dive into the chaos surrounding Elon Musk’s growing influence in government tech, with young engineers playing key roles in his takeover. DOGE employees are being ordered off Slack, USAID is crumbling, and Musk’s war with U.S. officials rages on. Meanwhile, AI takes center stage with the EU banning high-risk systems, DeepSeek’s security concerns, and Amazon throwing down $100 billion on AI advancements. Big Tech moves are equally absurd—Google is now open to AI-powered weapons, Meta might scrap risky AI models, and Tesla is struggling in Europe thanks to Elon’s latest blunders. Meanwhile, states are rushing to pour taxpayer money into so-called “strategic cryptocurrency reserves.”

In entertainment, The Devil May Cry anime’s ridiculous theme song is a standout, Mythic Quest returns, and Beast Games looks promising. AI controversially helped The Beatles score a Grammy, and Denis Villeneuve is making Dune 3 because, well, fans demanded it. Over in reboot land, Sarah Michelle Gellar may return for a Buffy revival on Hulu with Chloé Zhao at the helm, while Neil Gaiman finds himself in serious legal trouble. Gadget fans get a look at the Anker Zolo charger, a Google search trick to dodge AI summaries, and Apple’s latest social feature. Also, say goodbye to Apple’s AR glasses before they even had a chance to shine.

Dave Bittner joins The Dark Side segment with updates on cybersecurity, including a wave of ransomware payment refusals and the Andersons’ infamous eviction from Disneyland’s most exclusive club. Pirates in China, Disney park music, and tracking yourself via in-app ads round out the discussion. Closing out the show, a shout-out to Snap’s CEO for supporting LA wildfire recovery and a nod to SoberOutfitters for keeping things clean. Buckle up—it’s another wild ride with the Grumpy Old Geeks!

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Show notes at https://gog.show/683

IN THE NEWS

The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover

Musk, Trump Prosecutor Targeting People Who Divulge Identities of DOGE Staff

One of Elon Musk's DOGE Kids Just Had an Explosive Screaming Tantrum

DOGE Engineer Resigns After Being Linked to Extremely Racist Tweets

Government Tech Workers Forced to Defend Projects to Random Elon Musk Bros

U.S. government officials privately warn Musk’s blitz appears illegal

DOGE Employees Ordered to Stop Using Slack While Agency Transitions to Records System That Is Not Subject to FOIA

Elon Musk’s Enemy, USAID, Was Investigating Starlink’s Contracts in Ukraine

USAID Workforce Slashed From 10,000 to Under 300 as Elon Musk’s DOGE Decimates Agency

Government agency removes spoon emoji from work platform amid protests

Deadline for Trump's federal worker buyout proposal temporarily blocked by judge

US judge blocks Trump buyout program as 60,000 sign up to quit

States Are Racing to Throw Taxpayers' Money Into "Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserves"

Police Use of Facial Recognition Backfires Spectacularly When It Renders Them Unable to Convict Alleged Murderer

AI systems with 'unacceptable risk' are now banned in the EU

DeepSeek iOS app sends data unencrypted to ByteDance-controlled servers

OmniHuman-1

Researchers created an open rival to OpenAI’s o1 ‘reasoning’ model for under $50

Amazon doubles down on AI with a massive $100B spending plan for 2025

Workday lays off 1,750 employees, citing demand for AI

Lyft uses Anthropic's Claude chatbot to handle user complaints

Tesla Sales in Europe Plummet Amidst Elon’s Stupid Meddling

Tesla sees German car sales plunge in January

Volkswagen is unveiling a $21,000 entry-level EV in March

Volkswagon - The 2025 ID. Buzz electric bus

One of Big Tech’s Angriest Critics Explains the Problem

Google Lifts Self-Imposed Ban on Using AI for Weapons and Surveillance

Meta says it may stop development of AI systems it deems too risky

Sonos lays off 200 ahead of rumored set-top box release

Andreessen Horowitz Defends Hiring Subway Vigilante Who Became Right-Wing Hero

MEDIA CANDY

The Devil May Cry Show’s Intro Song Is So Stupidly Glorious

Mythic Quest

Beast Games

AI won The Beatles a Grammy 55 years after they broke up

Denis Villeneuve Is Making Dune 3 Next Because You Want It

‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Reboot Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar Nears Hulu Pilot Order With Chloé Zhao Directing

Neil Gaiman Hit With Rape & Human Trafficking Suits After Months Of Allegations; Estranged Spouse Amanda Palmer Also Named In Multi-State Filings

APPS & DOODADS

Anker Zolo Portable Charger, 10,000mAh 30W Power Bank with Built-in Lanyard USB-C Cable for Travel, Fast Charging Battery Pack for iPhone 16/15 Series, MacBook, Galaxy, iPad, and More

Add F*cking to Your Google Searches to Neutralize AI Summaries

Apple reportedly gives up on its AR video glasses project

Apple Invites Is a New Way to Remind Friends to Celebrate You

750 Words

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

50 Mission Crush

A Lot of People Just Refused to Make Ransomware Payments in 2024: Report

The Andersons were kicked out of Disneyland’s most exclusive club. They would not go willingly.

Pirates in China

Disney Plus: Behind the Attraction

DIsneyland: Music Around the Parks

Disneyland Music

DIsneyland Park Music

I Don't Have Spotify

Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS

Snap CEO helps launch LA wildfire recovery program

SoberOutfitters

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