In this episode of Grumpy Old Geeks, Jason and Brian dive headfirst into the latest tech absurdities, financial scandals, and Elon Musk's ongoing chaos. We start with the annual frustration of unsubscribing from an email list that just won’t quit before jumping into the latest gem from Musk himself: "Some of the things that I say will be incorrect." Meanwhile, British IT worker James Howells is back with his ongoing quest to unearth his lost Bitcoin fortune—this time with a plan to buy the entire landfill where he thinks it’s buried. And despite all the corporate posturing about a return to office, remote work remains steady, much to the chagrin of commercial real estate moguls still waiting for the workforce to return. The Trump Coin debacle takes center stage, where early traders made a quick $109 million, but over 800,000 investors got wrecked to $2 billion. Adding to the dystopian financial landscape, Microsoft’s latest study finds that AI reliance makes people dumber, leading to cognitive atrophy as workers place too much trust in generative AI. Meanwhile, Thomson Reuters lands a major AI copyright win in the courts, striking a blow against legal AI startups. Over at Meta, the latest round of layoffs blindsided workers supposedly meeting performance expectations, proving that job security in tech is about as stable as Musk’s grasp on reality. A man in Alabama pleaded guilty to hacking the SEC’s X account to falsely announce Bitcoin ETF approvals, sending crypto markets on a rollercoaster ride. On the media front, Mythic Quest Season 4 is out, and we’re cautiously optimistic despite needing a breather after Season 2. The White Lotus returns, but can it survive without Stifler’s mom? Meanwhile, Karl Urban's role as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat II is a big win. Walmart’s acquisition of the Dawn of the Dead mall seems hilariously on-brand, while Netflix’s attempt at podcasting smells like another cost-cutting maneuver. Finally, in "good news," the odds of a newly discovered asteroid hitting Earth in 2032 are rising. At least it would mean an end to Jeep’s infuriating full-screen stoplight ads. Tune in for all this and more on Grumpy Old Geeks! Sponsors: DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off. Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month. SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!! 1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1password Show notes at https://gog.show/684 FOLLOW UP Man in Search of Lost Bitcoin Fortune Wants to Buy the Landfill Where He Swears It’s Buried There Hasn’t Been Much if Any Reduction in WFH in over Two Years, Despite the Hype about RTO Early Crypto Traders Had Speedy Profit on Trump Coin as Others Suffered Losses IN THE NEWS Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared” The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers Meta's job cuts surprised some employees who said they weren't low performers Silicon Valley Software Engineers Horrified as They Can't Easily Find Jobs Anymore Man from Alabama pleads guilty over SEC's fake bitcoin post on X Kanye West’s X Account Deactivated After He Declared “IM A NAZI” In Deluge Of Antisemitism Shopify took down Kanye's swastika t-shirt shop, but another antisemitic storefront still operates Shopify says risk of fraud, not Nazi swastika, was reason for Kanye West store takedown Scarlett Johansson Calls for New AI Laws After Fake Video of Her Goes Viral Google will use machine learning to try and tell if a user is under 18 UK drops 'safety' from its AI body, now called AI Security Institute, inks MOU with Anthropic Buzzfeed is launching their own social network Apple Maps plans to show 'Gulf of America,' following Google Gov. Pritzker Says Lake Michigan Is Now Called Lake Illinois Court orders the CDC and FDA to restore deleted web pages related to gender identity EFF sues Elon Musk and DOGE to block their access to federal employee data 14 states sue DOGE, blasting Musk's 'unprecedented' power as unconstitutional USAID workers sue Musk and DOGE over ‘unconstitutional power grab’ that left agency in chaos US aid freeze claims first victims as oxygen supplies cut off Elon Musk's Waste.gov Is Just a WordPress Theme Placeholder Page Fucking DOGE.gov... Robert Garcia drops a dick pic Well, he is a dick Anderson Cooper Snaps At Trump-Defending Chris Sununu On Live TV: ‘Don’t Be A Dick’ The Odds of a Newly Discovered Asteroid Hitting Earth in 2032 Keep Rising MEDIA CANDY Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary Wall of Chefs Mythic Quest The White Lotus Our First Look at Mortal Kombat II Is Exactly the One You Wanted Walmart Bought the Mall From Dawn of the
