716: Release the CrackerBot!

The world is a dumpster fire, confirmed. Following California's landmark AI safety bill SB 53, the head of Nvidia is allegedly "quaking in his boots"—which is a good sign, unlike the news that the "Nirvana Baby" Spencer Elden's lawsuit was finally dismissed. Meanwhile, corporate America continues its pivot to chaos: Spotify shuffled its execs, Meta is charging UK users for ad-free Facebook and Instagram, and the UK is introducing digital ID cards (Hello, Mark of the Beast). The entire internet is now dominated by bots, proving the Cracker Barrel logo outrage was manufactured, a fact that's somehow less depressing than the FCC accidentally leaking iPhone schematics. Naturally, Alphabet just paid $22 million to settle President Trump’s YouTube lawsuit, confirming that legal threats are the new VC funding. Disney is panicking over an "AI Actress," sending cease and desist letters to Character.AI, while OpenAI rolls out its new Sora app and ChatGPT's ability to buy things for you, proving it's determined to turn the internet into one seamless, copyright-infringing shopping mall, and it's now worth more than Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The ensuing boredom demands new media, though the pacing is terrible in everything: Slow Horses Season 5 and Human: Neanderthal Encounters are great, but even the original Matrix and Frankenstein trailer (by Guillermo del Toro) feel slow, confirming the Princess Bride litmus test. MXV’s Riot Fest photos were rad, and Disney lost 1.7M subs after suspending Kimmel, which is why YouTube Music is testing AI hosts (who will only be wrong), and the Pivot Tour is happening. Our Apps & Doohickeys department confirms security is an afterthought: macOS 26 unlocked the Journal app, but the smart glasses race is fully on, and Logitech’s new keyboard can be recharged by any light (finally, tech that works!). Amazon Fire TV is expected to ditch Android for Linux, Meta introduced the AI-filled Vibes feed, and Tile trackers were found to have a stalking flaw—a fact only slightly more depressing than the swift failure of the Neon call-recording app and the continued existence of the Comet browser. Finally, The Dark Side with Dave celebrated the low-budget charm of Blue Thunder and the necessity of Disney Park Ride Overlays, while Dave embarked on his quest to unbox the Home Depot R2D2. We thank our patrons for keeping this beautiful noise alive and pay tribute to the amazing Jane Goodall.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/716

FOLLOW UP

California Governor Newsom signs landmark AI safety bill SB 53

Nvidia Is Quaking in Its Boots

‘Nirvana Baby’ Spencer Elden’s ‘Nevermind’ Suit Dismissed Again

IN THE NEWS

Spotify Appoints New CEOs as Daniel Ek Becomes Executive Chair

Meta announces paid subscriptions for both Instagram and Facebook in the UK

UK announces plans for digital ID cards

OpenAI’s New Sora App Lets You Deepfake Yourself for Entertainment

The First 24 Hours of Sora 2 Chaos: Copyright Violations, Sam Altman Shoplifting, and More

OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT’s Ability to Buy Stuff for You

OpenAI Is Now Worth More on Paper Than SpaceX, Catches Up to Elon Musk Himself

Disney sends cease and desist letter to Character.AI

Creator of “AI Actress” Responds to Near-Universal Backlash

FCC accidentally leaked iPhone schematics, potentially giving rivals a peek at company secrets

Alphabet will pay $22 million to settle President Trump’s YouTube lawsuit

Cracker Barrel Outrage Was Almost Certainly Driven by Bots, Researchers Say

MEDIA CANDY

MXV’s Riot Fest Photos

Slow Horses Season 5

Frankenstein | Guillermo del Toro | Official Trailer | Netflix

Human: Neanderthal Encounters

Pivot Tour

YouTube Music is testing AI hosts that present relevant stories, trivia and commentary

How Many Streaming Subscribers Did Disney Lose After Suspending Kimmel?

APPS & DOODADS

macOS 26 unlocks the real potential of Apple’s Journal app

The smart glasses race is really on now

Logitech's new keyboard can be recharged by any kind of light

Amazon Fire TV devices expected to ditch Android for Linux in 2025

Meta introduces Vibes feed for AI generated content

Neon, an App That Pays to Record Your Phone Calls Hit #2 on the App Store, Taken Down Over Security Flaw

Tile trackers reportedly have a security flaw that can let stalkers track your location

Comet - The browser that works for you

THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE

Dave Bittner

The CyberWire

Hacking Humans

Caveat

Control Loop

Only Malware in the Building

The Princess Bride

Blue Thunder

The Best Disney Park Ride Overlays, and Where to Find Them

Home Depot R2D2 Unboxing and Assembly!

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