717: Quantum of Nope

Grumpy Old Geeks

The Dutch courts finally did something useful: they told Meta to quit force-feeding algorithmic slop to everyone, so Facebook and Instagram users might actually see posts from friends again—if they can remember who those are. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s Sora 2 rollout is the kind of chaos that makes you wonder if the company replaced QA with a TikTok filter, as outrage videos flood the internet faster than you can say “deepfake meltdown.” Apple banned ICEBlock for being too effective while ICE now wants its own social media surveillance tool—one that OpenAI shut down when Chinese accounts tried to build it. California’s hammering Tesla for its abysmal insurance claims handling, OpenAI is gobbling up chunks of AMD, and consultants got caught using ChatGPT to fake reports before proudly partnering with Anthropic, who just landed Deloitte as its latest “enterprise AI” victim. Elsewhere in this circus: a Florida teen asked ChatGPT how to kill his friend, Taylor Swift fans are furious her new promo video used AI slop (“too rich to be this cheap”), and Apple’s “Find My” led cops to a mountain of smuggled iPhones.

In Media Candy, Brian’s stunned The Diplomat scored a third season, The Long Walk is being pitched as Stand By Me meets Squid Game, California finally bans loud streaming commercials, and Amazon censored Bond posters to remove guns because apparently irony is dead. AI “musicians” are signing record deals while Zelda Williams begs people to stop resurrecting her dad with deepfake garbage. In Apps & Doodads, Jony Ive’s OpenAI gadget is delayed (good), Rivian insists we’ll “appreciate” not having CarPlay (we won’t), Spotify and ChatGPT are teaming up to read your soul through playlists, and Jason warns everyone that the Echo Show is basically an ad-spewing parasite. Apple’s now facing a cybercrime probe in France for Siri’s wiretapping habits, and if you’re nostalgic for simpler times, ioquake3 will let you relive Quake III Arena glory on a modern rig. At the Library, Peter Cawdron’s Dark Beauty: First Contact belly-flops as a Slaughterhouse-Five tribute, while Cory Doctorow’s Enshittification nails exactly why everything sucks—even if his fixes are pure science fiction.

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Show notes at https://gog.show/717

FOLLOW UP

Dutch court orders Meta to change its Facebook and Instagram timelines

OpenAI's Sora 2 Already Melting Down Into Outrageous Drama

IN THE NEWS

Apple removes ICEBlock from the App Store after Trump administration's demand

ICE is planning to create a surveillance team that hunts for leads on social media

OpenAI has disrupted (more) Chinese accounts using ChatGPT to create social media surveillance tools

California regulators threaten to revoke Tesla's insurance license for mishandling claims

OpenAI Gobbles Up a Stake in AMD as Its Spending Spree Shows No Sign of Stopping

Consultants Forced to Pay Money Back After Getting Caught Using AI for Expensive “Report”

Anthropic lands its biggest enterprise deployment ever with Deloitte deal

Teen Arrested After Asking ChatGPT How to Kill His Friend, Police Say

Taylor Swift Fans Furious as She’s Caught Using Sloppy AI in Video for New Album

Apple’s ‘Find My’ Leads Cops to Cache of Thousands of Smuggled iPhones

MEDIA CANDY

The Diplomat

The Long Walk

California bans loud commercials on streaming platforms

Amazon Pulls Censored Bond Posters After Pulling the Guns From Them

More AI artists are starting to get record deals

Robin Williams' daughter pleads for people to stop sending AI videos of her dad

APPS & DOODADS

OpenAI's first device with Jony Ive could be delayed due to 'technical issues'

Rivian says ‘customers will appreciate’ lack of CarPlay eventually

Spotify and ChatGPT Team Up for Personalized Music and Podcast Recommendations

Don’t buy an Echo Show (you can have mine)

Apple faces cybercrime investigation in France after Siri complaint

ioquake3

AT THE LIBRARY

Dark Beauty: First Contact by Peter Cawdron

Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow

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