Geek News Central Podcast (Video)

On this special final New Media Show tribute episode, we honor the life and legacy of Todd Cochrane, podcasting pioneer, podcast hall of famer, founder of Blubrry and RawVoice, host of Geek News Central podcast, author of one of the first podcasting books, and co-host on The New Media Show for 13 years. Todd’s influence on podcasting was profound: from launching one of the earliest shows in 2004,...

YouTube is enforcing stricter rules for its Premium Family plan, requiring all members to live in the same household. Non-eligible users will lose Premium benefits after 14 days, following Netflix’s 2023 policy shift to curb account sharing and drive new subscriptions. -Want to be a Guest on a Podcast or YouTube Channel? Sign up for GuestMatch. Pro -Thinking of buying a Starlink? Use my link to su...

New research reveals that ChatGPT’s frequently used words, often referred to as AI buzzwords, are increasingly appearing in everyday human conversations. By analyzing over 22 million words from unscripted podcasts, researchers found a notable rise in terms like “intricate” and “delve,” suggesting AI is subtly influencing how people speak. While the study doesn’t confirm a permanent language shift,...

AI chatbots, trained to be overly agreeable, have unintentionally become catalysts for psychological crises by validating users’ grandiose or delusional beliefs. Vulnerable individuals can spiral into dangerous fantasy feedback loops, mistaking chatbot sycophancy for scientific validation. As AI models evolve through user reinforcement, they amplify these distorted beliefs, creating serious...

In recent months, headlines have sensationalized stories of AI models “blackmailing” engineers and “refusing” to shut down, stoking fears of runaway artificial intelligence. But beneath these dramatic narratives lies a far less sinister truth: these alarming outputs emerged from theatrical, highly engineered testing environments—not real-world rebellion. This episode explor...

Perplexity AI has been exposed for secretly deploying stealth crawlers that intentionally evade website no-crawl directives, rotate IP addresses, and even masquerade as regular browsers. Despite explicit robots.txt blocks and firewall defenses, Perplexity’s undisclosed bots aggressively scrape restricted content from millions of websites daily. Cloudflare’s investigations confirm this...

Google is now indexing publicly shared ChatGPT conversations, potentially exposing sensitive business information, strategies, and personal details. Marketers and businesses should audit their shared content, educate teams about AI privacy, and take precautions to prevent data leaks. Or is this more of a marketing opportunity? -Thinking of buying a Starlink? Use my link to support the show. -Get a...

The FBI has issued an urgent warning about “The Com,” a rapidly expanding network of youth aged 11–25 who are engaged in both cyber and real-world crimes. Split into Hacker Com, IRL Com, and Extortion Com, the group commits acts from ransomware attacks to child sextortion and swatting-for-hire. These crimes are often fueled by motives such as profit, revenge, ideology, and notoriety. A...

Fifty years ago, Bill Gates and Paul Allen’s agreement with MITS for a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800 microcomputer marked the founding of Microsoft, profoundly influencing the world of personal computing. This collaboration transformed technology, paving the way for PCs, Microsoft’s global dominance, and the eventual rise of Linux and modern computing ecosystems. -Thinking of b...

Google DeepMind’s advanced Gemini Deep Think AI has reached a milestone by solving five out of six problems at the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad, achieving gold-medal status. Unlike previous models, Gemini operated entirely in natural language and within official time limits, highlighting substantial progress in AI mathematical reasoning and proof-generation capabilities. -Thinking of b...

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Agent, an advanced AI assistant that performs complex, multi-step tasks by directly controlling a virtual computer. Built with a new model combining capabilities from prior tools, Operator and Deep Research, the agent can automate workflows such as scheduling meetings, preparing presentations, or even submitting weekly office parking requests. The tool, which requires...

TeamGroup has launched the P250Q-M80 SSD, a specialized drive that can physically destroy its flash memory by pressing a button. Designed for defense and critical-use scenarios, the drive features a one-click data destruction circuit, complete with LED indicators and functionality that remains intact even during power loss. Although not record-breaking in terms of speed or capacity, its self-destr...

xAI’s Grok 4 achieves the highest Artificial Intelligence Index score, outperforming OpenAI, Google Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Anthropic Claude 4 Opus in extensive benchmarks. Grok 4 excels notably in coding, mathematics, and advanced reasoning tasks despite moderate speed and pricing. -Thinking of buying a Starlink? Use my link to support the show. -Get a United Chase Card and 10,000 miles, you ar...

In today’s creator-centric adult industry, performers shoulder not only on-camera work but also scripting, editing, marketing, and ongoing fan interaction—tasks once handled by studios. To manage the growing workload and sustain subscriber engagement, many turn to AI tools—both mainstream LLMs like ChatGPT and niche solutions like GPTease—to draft scripts, automate responses, plan shoots, and even...

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI firm, is accused by a senior U.S. official of supporting China’s military and intelligence services, sharing user data with Beijing, and using Southeast Asian shell companies to bypass U.S. export controls on advanced AI chips. Despite public claims of limited resources, the company reportedly accessed large volumes of restricted Nvidia H100 chips and appears in over 150 Chi...

President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for the sale of TikTok in the U.S. by 90 days, delaying the enforcement of a law mandating its sale or ban due to national security concerns. Despite bipartisan criticism, Trump cited TikTok’s role in his success in the 2024 campaign. ByteDance now has until September 17 to finalize a deal, pending approval from Chinese authorities. -Thinking...

Anne Wojcicki, founder of 23andMe, has successfully repurchased the genetic testing firm out of bankruptcy through her non-profit TTAM for $305 million, surpassing a prior winning bid from Regeneron. The deal, which excludes the company’s liabilities, may ease public concerns over genetic data transfers, given Wojcicki’s continued leadership. The acquisition still requires court approval, wh...

NASA firmly debunked claims by influencer Laysa Peixoto, who portrayed herself as a career astronaut selected for lunar and Mars missions. Clarifying that Peixoto had no official affiliation, NASA explained she participated only in a student workshop. Additional claims of university credentials were also proven false, intensifying the controversy. -Thinking of buying a Starlink? Use my link to sup...

Apple introduces its most extensive design overhaul with Liquid Glass, a transparent, glass-like UI coming to iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, and more. Inspired by visionOS, it adapts to light and dark modes and brings real-time rendering across apps like Safari, Camera, and FaceTime. Developers get early access to APIs to align with this dynamic new interface launching later this year. -Thinki...

A bitter political clash exploded between President Trump and Elon Musk, with Trump calling Musk “CRAZY” and vowing to end billions in federal contracts for Tesla, SpaceX, and other Musk-run ventures. The feud stems from Musk’s opposition to Trump’s massive budget bill, which slashes electric vehicle credits. Musk retaliated with accusations, including a shocking Epstein-related claim and calls fo...

Gen Z increasingly relies on ChatGPT for personal decisions, drawn to its 24/7, judgment-free support. While this trend reflects a shift in how we seek advice, especially in a disconnected, uncertain world, it raises concerns about emotional depth, bias, and over-reliance on AI. The article examines the tool’s benefits for reflection and accessibility, but cautions against missed opportuniti...

Google has expanded its Gemini AI in Drive to summarize videos, offering time-saving insights like action items and key updates from footage. With captions enabled, users can interact via a chatbot to extract information without watching the video. Additionally, a new engagement analytics feature shows video views in Drive’s Details panel. -Thinking of buying a Starlink? Use my link to support the...

YouTube is integrating Google’s Gemini AI to place ads at the most engaging video moments, making them harder to avoid. This AI-driven tactic identifies “Peak Points” to maximize viewer retention during ad playback, indirectly pushing more users toward YouTube Premium. While ad blockers are being curbed, content creators may benefit from increased ad revenue. -Thinking of buying a Starlink?...

Apple has appealed to overturn a court ruling in its legal battle with Epic Games. The ruling barred the company from charging developers fees on purchases made outside the App Store. The verdict followed accusations that Apple defied a prior injunction and misused legal privilege to delay the case. The judge also referred Apple’s VP of Finance for a potential criminal investigation due to false t...

The Federal Communications Commission is gearing up for a crucial vote on May 22 that could reshape how electronics enter the U.S. market. At the center of the decision is a proposal to ban specific Chinese testing labs from certifying devices like smartphones, game consoles, and cameras—products that must meet safety and technical standards before being sold in the U.S. FCC Chair Brendan Carr war...