Ep 730: Ethical Broads PRIVATE
We kick off FOLLOW UP with California’s AG sending a cease-and-desist to xAI over Grok generating creepy deepfakes of minors, while regulators finally notice Elon Musk’s xAI datacenter illegally running methane turbines in Memphis. The FTC is also appealing its loss in the Meta monopoly case, because apparently breaking up Zuckerberg’s data empire is still the hill they want to die on.
IN THE NEWS, Washington joins the age-verification-for-porn parade, the UK considers an Australia-style social media ban for kids under 16, and governments everywhere continue demanding your ID before you’re allowed to enjoy the internet. OpenAI rolls out age prediction for ChatGPT accounts ahead of a rumored adult mode—though hey, at least you can now group tabs in ChatGPT’s Atlas browser. Anthropic rewrites Claude’s “constitution” to make it more vibes-based, Nevada moves to block Polymarket because gambling is only legal when the house owns the house, and YouTube promises even more AI features in 2026. Elsewhere, a Swiss suicide pod gets an AI “mental fitness” upgrade, Microsoft’s CEO begs AI developers to do something useful before the grid collapses, Musk hunts for a $134 billion payday from OpenAI and Microsoft, and makes yet more Davos predictions about robotaxis and aliens that are absolutely happening this year. On the bright side, A-list creatives push back on AI and Comic-Con bans AI art, buying humans a little more time.
MEDIA CANDY finds us slogging through Wish, The Pitt, and the “Mel’s Diner in Space” look of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. We confirm 20-year-old CGI wargs still look terrible, get cautiously excited for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and note that Fallout Season 2’s weekly drops may not be working for a binge-rotted audience.
In APPS & DOODADS, X launches Bluesky-style starter packs—presumably to help you find more Nazis—while ICE becomes one of the most-blocked accounts on Bluesky. Threads edges out X in daily mobile users, proving the “federated future” is just another Zuck app. And yes, we think we know what the Apple AI pin is—and definitely what it isn’t.
AT THE LIBRARY, we check out The Elements, Jet Tila’s 101 Thai Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die, Half Baked Harvest: Quick & Cozy, and Southern Living’s A Southern Gentleman’s Kitchen. Scott reports back from a Jim Butcher talk, where we learn Harry Dresden sounds suspiciously like Han Solo.
We close with THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE, who is juggling five podcasts while reading Going to the Top: The Story of Videopolis, plus teasers for Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord and a baffling Masters of the Universe trailer, a rant on what “remastered” even means anymore, a dishwasher follow-up, and the grim news that a lot of snow is coming.
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Show notes at https://gog.show/730
Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/LiwVkLKr8Co
FOLLOW UP
California AG sends cease and desist to xAI over Grok's explicit deepfakes
Elon Musk’s xAI datacenter generating extra electricity illegally, regulator rules
Zuck stuck on Trump’s bad side: FTC appeals loss in Meta monopoly case
IN THE NEWS
Washington is the latest state pursuing an age verification law for porn sites
The UK is mulling an Australia-like social media ban for users under 16
OpenAI is launching age prediction for ChatGPT accounts
You can now group tabs on OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas browser
Anthropic Updates Claude's 'Constitution,' Just in Case Chatbot Has a Consciousness
Nevada files to block Polymarket from offering ‘unlicensed wagering’ in the state
YouTube CEO promises more AI features in 2026
Controversial Swiss Suicide Pod Gets an AI-Powered Mental Fitness Upgrade
Elon Musk is looking for a $134 billion payout from OpenAI and Microsoft
Elon Musk Sure Made Lots of Predictions at Davos
A-List creatives sign up to fight AI, say it enables 'theft at a grand scale'
Comic-Con Bans AI Art After Artist Pushback
MEDIA CANDY
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
'Fallout' Season 2's Weekly Drops May Not Be Working
APPS & DOODADS
X is also launching Bluesky-like starter packs
ICE becomes one of the most-blocked accounts on Bluesky after its verification
Threads edges out X in daily mobile users, new data shows
I think I know what the Apple pin is, and definitely know what it isn't
Apple Developing AirTag-Sized AI Pin With Dual Cameras
Not to be outdone by OpenAI, Apple is reportedly developing an AI wearable
Siri’s iOS 27 upgrade sounds exactly right. Apple’s AI pin sounds exactly wrong
AT THE LIBRARY
101 Thai Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die by Jet Tila
Half Baked Harvest Quick & Cozy: A Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard
THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE
Going to the Top: The Story of Videopolis—Part One
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord | Official Teaser Trailer | Streaming April 6 on Disney+
Masters of The Universe – Official Teaser Trailer
CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS
Classic-Era Scorpions Bassist Francis Buchholz Dies at 71
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