This Week in Tech (Audio‪)‬ This Week in Tech

Startup Chaos, Breaking Ticketmaster, Ultrasonic Coffee

Spotify says it will refund Car Thing purchases
VC Says "Chaos" Coming for Startups, Ads, and Online Business as Generative AI Eats Web
Perplexity AI's new feature will turn your searches into shareable pages
Who's having kids?
The panel discusses Ticketmaster
T-Mobile to acquire most of U.S. Cellular in $4.4 billion deal; U.S. Cellular shares surge
Ticketmaster hacked. Breach affects more than half a billion users.
Internet Archive and the Wayback Machine under DDoS cyber-attack
'Like drinking a music festival': this is ultrasonic coffee – but does it taste any good?
Inside the scramble to 'prebunk' election misinformation before it takes hold
TikTok Pins Its Hopes on Trump to Avoid Ban
How a Self-Published Book, 'The Shadow Work Journal,' Became a Best Seller
Twitch streamers host a fundraiser for Palestinians.
The IRS is making its free Turbo Tax alternative permanent
Tribeca to Screen AI-Generated Short Films Created by OpenAI's Sora
North Korea says it will stop sending trash balloons as South Korea vows strong retaliation
Swiss company develops CPUs from lab-grown human brains & the internet is horrified
Ex-OpenAI Director Says Board Learned of ChatGPT Launch on Twitter
Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Alex Kantrowitz, Nicholas De Leon, and Emily Dreibelbis

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Sky's voice, Copilot+ Surface devices, Car Thing's discontinuation

OpenAI didn't copy Scarlett Johansson's voice for ChatGPT, records show
China's latest answer to OpenAI is 'Chat Xi PT'
Microsoft unveils Copilot+ PCs with generative AI capabilities baked in
Pioneering instant messaging program ICQ is finally shutting down after nearly 30 years
Google scrambles to manually remove weird AI answers in search
Rabbit Holed
Elon Musk says AI will take all our jobs
A jury hands Bungie a victory in a landmark anti-cheating decision
Atari Acquires Intellivision Brand
Congress Just Made It Basically Impossible to Track Taylor Swift's Private Jet
Spotify is going to break every Car Thing gadget it ever sold
Kabosu, Shiba Inu dog who inspired 'Doge' meme, dies at 18
Bitcoin pizza day
C. Gordon Bell, Creator of a Personal Computer Prototype, Dies at 89
Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Christina Warren, Wesley Faulkner, and Alex Wilhelm

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OpenAI and Reddit, Signal Smear Campaign

GPT-4o (omni) + new "Her"-style AI assistant (it's nuts)
It's Time to Believe the AI Hype
The panel discusses their experiences with Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude
OpenAI strikes deal to bring Reddit content to ChatGPT
OpenAI Superalignment team is gone
2023 Was the Worst Year for Internet Shutdowns, Report Finds
Taiwan, on China's Doorstep, Is Dealing With TikTok Its Own Way
French TikTok block in overseas territory sets 'dangerous precedent,' critics warn
Utah Locals Are Getting Cheap 10 Gbps Fiber Thanks To Local Governments
Vermont's data privacy law sparks state lawmaker alliance against tech lobbyists
How a smear campaign against NPR led Elon Musk to feud with Signal
Biden Order to Halt China-Tied Bitcoin Mine Beside Nuke Base Came as U.S. Firm Just Bought it
Robert Dennard, IBM Inventor Whose Chip Changed Computing, Dies at 91
Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Ben Parr, Dan Patterson, and Iain Thomson

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Solar Storm Knocks Out Farmers' Tractor GPS Systems During Peak Planting Season
Apple Closes in on Deal With OpenAI to Put ChatGPT on iPhone
Apple Will Revamp Siri to Catch Up to Its Chatbot Competitors
Google is getting even worse for independent sites
Musk Plans More Layoffs as Two Senior Tesla Executives Depart
At Tesla, a Wild Week That Defined the Company's Future
TikTok Sues US Government Over Potential Ban
Telegram vs. Signal
Sony reverses unpopular Helldivers 2 decision after blistering player reaction
Apple apologizes for 'Crush' iPad Pro ad that sparked controversy
Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Paris Martineau, Sam Abuelsamid, and Mike Elgan

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In this episode of This Week in Tech, Leo Laporte is joined by Georgia Dow, Shoshana Weissmann, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, tackling a wide range of thought-provoking topics, from the ethical implications of AI in sensitive fields to the challenges of creating and consuming content in an increasingly commercialized digital landscape.

The panel grapples with the potential risks and benefits of AI-powered therapists and priests, stressing the need for human empathy and discernment in these emotionally charged roles.

They confront the harsh realities of the internet's "heat death," as the relentless pursuit of profits and engagement leads to a glut of low-quality content and erodes user trust.

The group reflects on the double-edged sword of democratized media, celebrating the value of supporting emerging voices while acknowledging the importance of professional standards.

As Twitter faces existential challenges, the panel surveys the social media horizon, evaluating alternative platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky, and weighing the implications of Jack Dorsey's departure from the Bluesky board.

Elon Musk's reckless tweets about taking Tesla private have come back to haunt him, with the Supreme Court upholding an SEC settlement requiring his Tesla-related posts to be vetted by a lawyer.

The FCC has cracked down on major telecom companies for the illegal sale of location data, while legislators push for reforms to prevent the government from exploiting privacy loopholes.

Congress continues its misguided crusade to protect children online, with ill-conceived age verification mandates and privacy-eroding measures that threaten the very foundations of digital security. The panel offers an impassioned critique of these shortsighted efforts.

The once-beloved video game Helldivers 2 serves as a cautionary tale of platform overreach, as a heavy-handed PlayStation Network login requirement sparks a massive player revolt and torpedoes the game's reputation.

Apple's quarterly results are analyzed, and all eyes are on Apple's upcoming event, where new iPads and an enhanced Apple Pencil are expected to take center stage. But the real buzz surrounds the rumored M4 chip and its tantalizing AI capabilities, hinting at a potential game-changer for the iconic brand.

The group geeks out over Disney+'s radical revival of X-Men '97 and Amazon's ambitious Fallout adaptation, complete with an immersive easter egg phone experience

The freewheeling discussion also touches on Shoshana's ingenious Alexa hacks for Sabbath TV viewing, a UK council's apostrophe apocalypse, the looming cicada invasion, and Fr. Robert's role as a guardian angel for the Vatican's feral felines.

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Georgia Dow, Shoshana Weissmann, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ

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TikTok Ban, Intel's Struggles, Google's Ensh*ttification

'Thunder Run': Behind Lawmakers' Secretive Push to Pass the TikTok Bill
A Chinese Firm Is America's Favorite Drone Maker. Except in Washington.
The panel taks about AI
With YouTube Booming, Podcast Creators Get Camera-Ready
A new California bill would restrict line-skipping service 'Clear' at airports in the name of equity
The Man Who Killed Google Search
Google search boss Raghavan warns employees of 'new operating reality'
Oracle is moving its world HQ to Nashville
Google delays third-party cookie demise yet again
Alphabet Leaps Into $2 Trillion Club as Results Show AI Strength
U.S. chipmaker Intel was once dominant, now struggles to stay relevant
Twilio Founder Jeff Lawson Has Some Serious Plans for The Onion
Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Amy Webb and Kevin Rose

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