WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.700 Ah, you've arrived, and just in time, the tech news is about to start. 00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:09.540 And they're super chill about the dress code, so that's perfect. 00:00:09.540 --> 00:00:15.140 Apple is reportedly gearing up for a big wave of AI hardware, including smart glasses, 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:19.460 camera-equipped AirPods for some reason, and even an AI-pendant thing, 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:23.500 which will finally signal to the normies that they can buy AI wearables now. 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:27.500 According to German notorious Markulon, aka Bloomberg's Mark German, 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.500 the glasses have evolved from early tethered prototypes 00:00:30.500 --> 00:00:35.320 with external battery packs to sleeker frames with everything embedded directly inside, 00:00:35.320 --> 00:00:39.320 including high-resolution cameras, but not a display. 00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:43.300 The pendant, meanwhile, will have a low-res camera for environmental awareness, 00:00:43.300 --> 00:00:48.460 and lean on your iPhone to power its AI features, which I need like yesterday. 00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:51.860 My pendants haven't been hallucinating nearly enough. 00:00:51.860 --> 00:00:53.900 Get these guys some LSD. 00:00:54.900 --> 00:00:57.900 And Apple has pivoted to exploring camera-equipped AirPods 00:00:57.900 --> 00:01:03.860 instead of a camera-equipped Apple Watch after realizing that viewing that video would suck. 00:01:03.860 --> 00:01:09.360 Missed opportunity to redefine the term watching video. These new AirPods could incorporate gesture controls 00:01:09.360 --> 00:01:14.100 and contextual awareness, but most importantly, these new devices will likely be able to let you record 00:01:14.100 --> 00:01:17.420 fingerboard tricks from five different angles. 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:22.340 Six, seven. Valve has confirmed that Steam Deck OLED shortages 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:25.620 are tied directly to, shocker, 00:01:25.620 --> 00:01:28.620 the ongoing memory and storage supply crisis, according to a little notice 00:01:28.620 --> 00:01:33.300 now sitting at the bottom of the handheld store page. The news comes shortly after the Steam machine was delayed, 00:01:33.300 --> 00:01:36.900 and the worst part of me worries that Valve is doing this on purpose 00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:41.060 to create yet another Half-Life 3 situation. Valve could easily survive another 20 years 00:01:41.060 --> 00:01:44.700 on the hopes of fans and commissions on CSGO trading. 00:01:44.700 --> 00:01:47.860 It's legal, kind of. But the fact that even the mighty Valve 00:01:47.860 --> 00:01:52.980 is being affected by this data-centered driven crisis lines up with what memory controller company 00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:58.180 Fyzen CEO recently said in an interview. He predicts that many consumer electronics manufacturers 00:01:58.180 --> 00:02:02.140 will go bankrupt or exit product lines by the end of 2026, 00:02:02.140 --> 00:02:05.580 describing a structural shift in DRAM and NAN supply 00:02:05.580 --> 00:02:09.300 that favors data centers over everyday devices. Which is fine by me. 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:12.460 We don't wait in lines to use the payphone in public places anymore. 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:15.980 I think we really lost something there. Ferdinand has subscribed to things. 00:02:15.980 --> 00:02:20.380 Sitting a box full of graffiti and spit. Meanwhile, Western Digital revealed during an investor call 00:02:20.380 --> 00:02:23.380 that they are pretty much sold out for 2026. 00:02:23.380 --> 00:02:28.900 They apparently have data centers buying drives years in advance. So if you thought going back to the old hard disk drive 00:02:28.900 --> 00:02:32.140 was gonna save you, then you were sorely mistaken, bucko. 00:02:32.140 --> 00:02:35.180 As memory and storage continues to get prioritized for AI infrastructure, 00:02:35.180 --> 00:02:38.820 we're rapidly heading into a situation where hardware will be so expensive 00:02:38.820 --> 00:02:43.220 that people just won't be able to own their own computers anymore. And renting your bleeps and bloops 00:02:43.220 --> 00:02:47.540 will really be the only option. In 10 years, we're gonna be driving across 00:02:47.540 --> 00:02:52.720 the silicon wasteland, pumping buzzling into our EVSwap 1973 Ford Falcons 00:02:52.720 --> 00:02:57.440 as we try to escape the war boys. And we'll still be making payments to a Morton Joe 00:02:57.440 --> 00:03:01.200 for a lease on a Game Boy Color. At least we'll have payphones. 00:03:01.200 --> 00:03:04.880 With a Chrome Edition. Discord's global age verification rollout 00:03:04.880 --> 00:03:08.960 somehow got even messier this week. After users in the UK discovered 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:12.880 they were part of what Discord calls an experiment with Persona, 00:03:12.880 --> 00:03:17.240 an alternate age assurance vendor. Persona is also used by Reddit, Roblox, 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:21.500 and OpenAI for age assurance. But users found this concerning for a couple reasons. 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:25.960 For one, Discord promised that age verification data would be kept local, not stored. 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:29.200 But Persona stores the info users submit for seven days 00:03:29.200 --> 00:03:34.280 and then deletes it. That's not zero days. For two, one of Persona's biggest investors 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:38.640 is Founders Fund, the venture capital firm directed by co-founder of Palantir 00:03:38.640 --> 00:03:43.000 and winner of the world's sweatiest billionaire award, which is the high bar, Peter Thiel. 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:46.160 And while Thiel's company isn't personally handling the face scans, 00:03:46.160 --> 00:03:50.480 the association with the guy whose surveillance company builds tracking tools that helps the U.S. military 00:03:50.480 --> 00:03:54.080 shorten the kill chain, and who appeared over 2200 times 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:58.800 in the recently released Epstein files, isn't going to help with user outrage. 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:04.280 What's wrong with that? He likes a massage. Discord told Kotaku that the Persona experiment 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:08.200 has concluded and they have edited their support blog to remove mention of it, 00:04:08.200 --> 00:04:13.640 but that hasn't stopped the ongoing fallout. Discord competitor TeamSpeak says it hit hosting capacity 00:04:13.640 --> 00:04:18.160 from the wave of users fleeing Discord. And even though the September data breach 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:21.920 that exposed roughly 70,000 Discord users' government IDs 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:25.920 was actually not connected to age verification rollouts in the past year or so, 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:30.520 collecting even more IDs was always bound to be met with significant pushback. 00:04:30.520 --> 00:04:35.520 I, for one, will never push back, though, against our sponsor, I consent. 00:04:35.520 --> 00:04:38.960 The QuickBits and I were just talking and we think it's so brave that you showed up 00:04:38.960 --> 00:04:43.440 to today's tech news without a prom date. I feel like I would be absolutely mortified 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:47.200 if that were me, but you're like the Joan of Arc of tech news. You're like owning it. 00:04:47.200 --> 00:04:51.480 Wow, epic. I have a date every time she's just off screen. 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:56.480 BiteDance is scrambling to add safeguards to its AI video generator, CDance 2.0, 00:04:56.480 --> 00:05:00.800 after Hollywood came at it with the law. Play law and order sound effect. 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:05.920 Disney sent a cease and desist accusing BiteDance of a virtual smashing grab of its IP, 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:09.800 saying the tool treats its characters like free public domain clip art. 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:13.600 That's right. The Lion King is not public domain clip art. 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:17.480 It's just incredibly traumatizing. That said, CDance 2.0 is actually 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:21.280 a genuine leap in AI video. It can cut between shots with consistency, 00:05:21.280 --> 00:05:24.680 generate decent fight choreography, and users have been cranking out everything 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:30.120 from a cat in Godzilla doing a Dragon Ball Z fusion dance to some actually funny Star Wars skits, 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:31.960 which really tickles Riley's heart. 00:05:33.520 --> 00:05:37.600 And other parts. To be fair, it's because a human wrote them. A very clever human was involved. 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:40.620 But a very believable performance from AI Anakin, 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:43.940 doesn't hurt. Open AI has hired Peter Steinbagger, 00:05:43.940 --> 00:05:49.300 the creator of viral AI assistant Open Claw to build its next generation of personal agents. 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:54.140 In his announcement, Steinbagger stated that Open Claw will stay open source 00:05:54.140 --> 00:05:57.220 unlike the vast majority of Open AI's products. 00:05:57.220 --> 00:06:01.660 What does that stand for? Open. He also pointed to Europe's regulatory environment 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:06.820 as a factor for the move to Open AI, tweeting that in the US, people are enthusiastic about his work. 00:06:06.820 --> 00:06:10.900 While in Europe, they shout for regulation and responsibility. 00:06:10.900 --> 00:06:15.260 Cridge. To be fair, Europe itself has acknowledged this. 00:06:15.260 --> 00:06:20.540 Mario Draghi, former Italian Prime Minister, published a 2024 report calling the EU's innovation gap 00:06:20.540 --> 00:06:25.980 with the US an existential challenge. But damn it, they just love regulating things so much. 00:06:25.980 --> 00:06:29.340 It's hard to stop. Nokia, the company that made our dad's cell phones 00:06:29.340 --> 00:06:32.860 has won a patent dispute over the H265 Kodak, 00:06:32.860 --> 00:06:37.620 also known as HEVC, forcing Acer and ASUS to halt certain PC 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:42.300 and laptop sales in Germany. Europe's at it again. 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:46.540 Nokia felt that the use of the Kodak by these brands was not up to the fair, reasonable, 00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:52.540 and non-discriminatory obligations tied to its designation as a standard, essential patent, 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:55.900 allowing Nokia to file for an injunction in Munich courts. 00:06:55.900 --> 00:06:59.620 So many fun words in there. Afterwards, both manufacturers filed for an appeal 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:04.580 and will be pursuing further legal action to reach a fair solution as quickly as possible end quote. 00:07:04.580 --> 00:07:09.260 So if you're a German and you wanna buy an Acer or ASUS PC with your marks or whatever, 00:07:09.260 --> 00:07:13.420 it looks like you have to actually go into Dasgeschaft to get one while supplies laugh. 00:07:13.420 --> 00:07:17.500 T-Mobile is rolling out a live call translation that works without an app. 00:07:17.500 --> 00:07:20.860 Dubbed live translation, it runs at the network level 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:27.340 and can be activated after enrolling in the beta program by simply dialing an asterisk 8-7 asterisk on your phone. 00:07:27.340 --> 00:07:31.340 8-7. Only one person on the call needs to be on T-Mobile 00:07:31.340 --> 00:07:34.900 for a defunction, translating conversations in real time across supported languages. 00:07:34.900 --> 00:07:38.740 And I mean, hey, that sounds great and all, but this is also the carrier that's currently being accused 00:07:38.740 --> 00:07:43.340 of accidentally switching some customers to the wrong phone plans during iPhone promos. 00:07:43.340 --> 00:07:50.420 At least now you can yell at their support agents in any language you want. Putin, T-Mobile, Senne, Funktioné, Pa, 00:07:50.420 --> 00:07:54.660 Zutalo, Tabernacle Baguette. No, not the last one. 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:57.740 The Justin Trudeau. And China's Spring Festival Gala, 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:02.140 an annual Chinese New Year celebration, featured humanoid robots doing backflips, 00:08:02.140 --> 00:08:06.100 nunchuck routines, and kung fu alongside martial arts actors. 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:10.780 Not Steven Stigal, though, that guy. Four robotics firms showcased their bots to an audience 00:08:10.780 --> 00:08:14.740 where nearly 80% of active TVs in the country were tuned in. 00:08:14.740 --> 00:08:18.260 Because they had to be. But of course the bots couldn't pull it all off 00:08:18.260 --> 00:08:23.540 without at least one stumbling and falling. I guess there's still some kinks to work out. 00:08:23.540 --> 00:08:26.660 Oh, what? It's part of the show? 00:08:26.660 --> 00:08:29.580 I wasn't expecting them to use drunken fist style. 00:08:31.420 --> 00:08:35.620 It's self-referential. The whole thing was perfectly choreographed 00:08:35.620 --> 00:08:41.100 and as an added bonus, no little kids got accidentally well done by a nunchuck-wielding robot. 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:45.380 You know what, China? Nice job on this one. I'd like to see more shows like this 00:08:45.380 --> 00:08:48.620 performed over there, far away from me and my children. 00:08:48.620 --> 00:08:52.540 They are nunchuck-free so far. But I want you to stay close, especially on Friday, 00:08:52.540 --> 00:08:56.060 when we come back with more tech news. Right now, we're all heading to Brad's house 00:08:56.060 --> 00:08:59.340 to go swimming in his parents' pool. You can come if you want, but as dad said, 00:08:59.340 --> 00:09:03.220 you weren't allowed in the pool because of what you did last time. But you can come. 00:09:04.380 --> 00:09:06.660 Not in the pool. Sit on the side.