{"video_id":"fp_zl5i0gpTL0","title":"Apple's Epic Flip-Flop, Nikon acquires RED, TikTok ban bill + more!","channel":"TechLinked","show":"TechLinked","published_at":"2024-03-09T06:31:00.028Z","duration_s":588,"segments":[{"start_s":0.0,"end_s":3.56,"text":"Ooh, I hope you're ready for a spicy new episode.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":3.56,"end_s":7.24,"text":"I used my secret recipe, the secret is tech news.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":7.24,"end_s":12.2,"text":"It's the only ingredient. The EU's Digital Markets Act has officially come into force,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":12.2,"end_s":16.04,"text":"dragging the tech giants designated as gatekeepers,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":16.04,"end_s":19.52,"text":"Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":19.52,"end_s":23.24,"text":"into a world where they can't just do whatever the hell they want.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":23.24,"end_s":27.0,"text":"That's for the companies designated as girl bosses.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":27.0,"end_s":31.52,"text":"The EU loves them. Y'alls, Mrs. Quain, you sly.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":31.52,"end_s":37.92,"text":"We've already talked about Apple and Google's plans for compliance, but now Meta has detailed its plans","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":37.92,"end_s":43.24,"text":"to allow its WhatsApp and Messenger apps to be interoperable with third-party chat apps","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":43.24,"end_s":46.72,"text":"that also use the signal protocol for encryption,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":46.72,"end_s":53.4,"text":"which includes Google messages when RCS is enabled, Skype private conversations, and of course, signal.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":53.4,"end_s":57.36,"text":"That was, it's not telegram. TikTok announced it would be giving its users","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":57.36,"end_s":60.6,"text":"more control over their data, but also complained","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":60.6,"end_s":65.24,"text":"about being designated as a gatekeeper because they're so young, and it'll make it harder","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":65.24,"end_s":71.72,"text":"for them to compete with the boomer tech giants, and it's super lame, but the most anticipated changes","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":71.72,"end_s":77.12,"text":"are still Apple's new rules allowing third-party app marketplaces on iOS.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":77.12,"end_s":83.08,"text":"And the first one has apparently launched the Mobyvention App Marketplace,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":83.08,"end_s":86.28,"text":"which is apparently designed to let enterprises use it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":86.32,"end_s":89.36,"text":"to distribute internal company apps.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":89.36,"end_s":92.72,"text":"But there will come cooler iOS app stores,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":92.72,"end_s":96.0,"text":"like the one Epic Games planned to release","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":96.0,"end_s":99.28,"text":"until Apple terminated their developer account again,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":99.28,"end_s":102.88,"text":"citing both Epic's blatant breaking of Apple's rules","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":102.88,"end_s":107.36,"text":"and CEO Tim Sweeney's very public criticism of the company.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":107.36,"end_s":111.04,"text":"Epic complained, prompting EU regulators to investigate","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":111.04,"end_s":114.08,"text":"whether Apple had really just punished a company","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":114.12,"end_s":119.48,"text":"for mean tweets, and the next day, Apple reinstated Epic's account.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":119.48,"end_s":126.12,"text":"Sweeney credited the European Commission for taking swift action, but Apple told Apple Insider","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":126.12,"end_s":132.72,"text":"they changed their mind because Epic committed to follow the rules, something Sweeney had already","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":132.72,"end_s":136.6,"text":"promised to do in an email to Phil Shiller before their account ban.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":136.6,"end_s":142.88,"text":"But I mean, look at how short that email is. There's an unacceptable lack of apologetic groveling.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":142.92,"end_s":147.48,"text":"Make me believe it. Nikon has acquired Red Digital Cinema,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":147.48,"end_s":150.8,"text":"maker of high-end cameras used by Hollywood producers","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":150.8,"end_s":155.68,"text":"and YouTubers using hash browns as a mouse pad. That's Linus, we're professionals.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":155.68,"end_s":159.64,"text":"The amount that Nikon paid to purchase Red is a mystery,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":159.64,"end_s":165.16,"text":"one that gets even deeper when you remember that Red famously sued Nikon for infringing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":165.16,"end_s":169.56,"text":"on seven of its patents related to raw video compression.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":169.56,"end_s":173.68,"text":"Nikon responded to the lawsuit by challenging whether Red should have even been granted","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":173.68,"end_s":177.92,"text":"those patents in the first place. Now it's unclear what exactly transpired","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":177.92,"end_s":183.88,"text":"between the two companies after that, but in April, 2023, a year after Red's lawsuit was filed,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":183.88,"end_s":187.8,"text":"both Red and Nikon agreed to dismiss the case.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":187.8,"end_s":193.08,"text":"And now all of a sudden, Nikon shows up and announces they're absorbing their former enemy.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":193.08,"end_s":197.88,"text":"But as Fstoppers points out, the merger actually makes a ton of sense as a way to combine","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":197.88,"end_s":201.0,"text":"Red's cinema reputation with Nikon's excellence","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":201.0,"end_s":206.08,"text":"in still-camera photography and lenses. It could be that Nikon and Red's leadership","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":206.08,"end_s":210.88,"text":"both realized they'd be better friends than enemies. I believe Tim Sweeney and Tim Cook","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":210.88,"end_s":214.6,"text":"will have that same realization someday. They will, they will merge.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":214.6,"end_s":219.6,"text":"And now we are one, gaze upon us and despair.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":221.32,"end_s":225.24,"text":"And a U.S. TikTok ban is back on the menu, boys.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":225.24,"end_s":228.76,"text":"After the bipartisan House Energy and Commerce Committee","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":228.8,"end_s":232.68,"text":"unanimously voted 50 to zero to advance a bill","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":232.68,"end_s":239.2,"text":"that would give Chinese parent company ByteDance six months to sell the app to Elon Musk.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":239.2,"end_s":242.92,"text":"I made that last part up. As soon as TikTok got wind of the bill,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":242.92,"end_s":248.48,"text":"it sent push notifications to its users, urging them to call their local representatives","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":248.48,"end_s":252.56,"text":"to stop Congress placing a total ban on TikTok.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":252.56,"end_s":257.28,"text":"And call, they did. Congressional staff reported getting bombarded with calls","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":257.28,"end_s":262.08,"text":"from depressed purple teenagers and the millennials who complain about them pleading","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":262.08,"end_s":265.16,"text":"with the government to please let them keep their favorite app.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":265.16,"end_s":272.24,"text":"Saying POV, you're disappointing me. Now at the heart of this issue is the certainty","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":272.24,"end_s":278.68,"text":"among members of Congress that TikTok represents a foreign adversary controlled application.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":278.68,"end_s":282.88,"text":"Despite heavy insistence by ByteDance and their army of E-thoughts","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":282.88,"end_s":286.76,"text":"that the CCP has no control over TikTok.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":286.76,"end_s":290.88,"text":"And I make jokes, but if passed, this bill could have real impact.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":290.88,"end_s":295.4,"text":"There are a ton of small business owners that depend on TikTok for marketing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":295.4,"end_s":299.04,"text":"and questionable psychology takes. I think I have ADHD.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":299.04,"end_s":303.44,"text":"I do. Or do I? I don't know. Now for the quick bits.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":303.44,"end_s":310.36,"text":"The part of the show where you slap your belly and go, ah, well, maybe a few more.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":310.84,"end_s":313.84,"text":"Roku, maker of the smart TV you settled for her","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":313.84,"end_s":318.04,"text":"has figured out a way to make forced arbitration worse.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":318.04,"end_s":321.88,"text":"This week, Roku customers found they couldn't use their TVs at all","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":321.88,"end_s":326.16,"text":"until they agreed to the company's updated dispute resolution terms.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":326.16,"end_s":329.8,"text":"Two weeks after the terms apparently came into effect.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":329.8,"end_s":333.56,"text":"In addition to the forced arbitration Roku already had in place,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":333.56,"end_s":339.6,"text":"the smart TV bronze medalists added an informal dispute resolution process","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":339.6,"end_s":343.28,"text":"where users are required to call Roku's lawyers","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":343.32,"end_s":347.04,"text":"with any concerns they may have before taking further legal action.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":347.04,"end_s":350.76,"text":"And before you sue us, you have to ask Dave. Everything's going through Dave now.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":350.76,"end_s":355.24,"text":"I mean, I don't know who's worse off. Roku's customers or the lawyers they've basically turned","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":355.24,"end_s":360.56,"text":"into unwilling customer support specialists. I don't know how to turn off motion smoothing.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":360.56,"end_s":365.12,"text":"I'm a lawyer. NVIDIA has announced GeForce Now Day Passes","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":365.12,"end_s":370.6,"text":"at $4 for a priority day, gaming at up to 1080p and 60fps","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":370.6,"end_s":373.64,"text":"or $8 for an ultimate day.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":373.64,"end_s":376.88,"text":"Gaming at up to 4K and 120fps.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":376.88,"end_s":382.0,"text":"That day better be pretty good to be called that. Gamers would have to be pretty starved","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":382.0,"end_s":388.44,"text":"for some play time to pay those prices when a month of priority membership is only $6 more.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":388.44,"end_s":391.8,"text":"But on the other hand, GeForce Now is harder to resist","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":391.8,"end_s":396.36,"text":"now that it's added support for NVIDIA Reflex and G-Sync.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":396.36,"end_s":401.64,"text":"Although support for variable refresh rates is currently limited to the Windows app on a PC","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":401.64,"end_s":408.6,"text":"with a relatively recent NVIDIA GPU or the macOS app on a number of Apple Silicon","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":408.6,"end_s":414.04,"text":"and Intel-powered Macs. But not on a PC with Intel or AMD GPUs.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":414.04,"end_s":420.12,"text":"NVIDIA isn't sure whether those can put out frames at all. Can I run it on this GPU on a, what's that?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":420.12,"end_s":424.88,"text":"Sorry, what language is that? In other GeForce news, NVIDIA is reportedly retiring","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":424.88,"end_s":429.52,"text":"the GTX brand. According to multiple sources, NVIDIA is no longer","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":429.52,"end_s":432.92,"text":"distributing GTX 16 cards to partners.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":432.92,"end_s":435.28,"text":"Once all remaining stock of the series is sold,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":436.24,"end_s":440.88,"text":"that's it, I mean, game over. Perhaps in a strange twist, the GTX brand","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":440.88,"end_s":446.94,"text":"will be outlived by the GT name as some GT 1030 cards are still up for sale.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":446.94,"end_s":451.48,"text":"It's unclear if those cards will reach end of life alongside the GTX 16 series.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":451.48,"end_s":456.96,"text":"It's like when a normal healthy adult dog is outlived by an old, shriveled, tiny, ugly dog","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":456.96,"end_s":461.76,"text":"named something like Mr. Poopsie that's missing two legs and is blind in both eyes.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":461.76,"end_s":465.24,"text":"It's sad and it feels weird. Why must Mr. Poopsie suffer?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":465.24,"end_s":466.8,"text":"He was a genetic mistake.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":468.48,"end_s":474.84,"text":"Rivian had a major launch this week where it announced a mid-size electric SUV called the R2,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":474.84,"end_s":479.52,"text":"as well as a compact SUV, sadly not called the D2.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":480.96,"end_s":484.84,"text":"R2-D2, Riley. You're the Star Wars guy.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":484.84,"end_s":488.16,"text":"Well, the compact R3 SUV also comes","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":488.16,"end_s":494.4,"text":"in a more rugged R3X variation with more power, higher clearance, and a wider stance.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":494.4,"end_s":499.0,"text":"You know, it's just a little butch, but there's no shame in that.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":499.0,"end_s":503.4,"text":"What am I reading? The R2 boasts a 300 mile range","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":503.4,"end_s":508.0,"text":"with the larger of its two battery pack options and its single motor configuration.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":508.0,"end_s":514.24,"text":"And it starts at $45,000, meaning it's significantly cheaper than the larger R1S,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":514.24,"end_s":518.04,"text":"placing it competitively among battery-powered mom mobiles.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":518.04,"end_s":522.88,"text":"Whoa, I want this thing. It's cause I'm a mom.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":522.88,"end_s":528.84,"text":"And a former Google engineer has been charged and arrested for allegedly stealing AI trade secrets","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":528.84,"end_s":533.16,"text":"on behalf of a Chinese AI startup. Google apparently determined","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":533.16,"end_s":538.96,"text":"that the employee in question had stolen a large trove of documents by uploading hundreds of files","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":539.0,"end_s":544.88,"text":"onto his personal Google Cloud account, making this possibly the lamest heist of all time.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":544.88,"end_s":548.64,"text":"According to prosecutors, the suspect was offered a CTO position","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":548.64,"end_s":555.7,"text":"at the Chinese firm shortly thereafter with a monthly salary worth around $14,800 a month","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":555.7,"end_s":559.52,"text":"plus bonus and stock. He also allegedly traveled to China","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":559.52,"end_s":564.28,"text":"to raise money for the company and had another employee scan his access badge","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":564.28,"end_s":567.96,"text":"back in the US to give the impression he was still at work.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":567.96,"end_s":571.92,"text":"I'm going to try that strat next time I want to attend a 3PM matinee.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":571.92,"end_s":575.24,"text":"Shh, don't tell Linus. And we're putting it in the video.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":575.24,"end_s":579.8,"text":"Um. You didn't watch these. But do please tell me that you'll come back","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":579.8,"end_s":584.24,"text":"on Monday for more tech news or my heart will break into a thousand pieces.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":584.24,"end_s":589.04,"text":"And that just takes forever to clean up. I'll be here, I'll miss the matinee.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"Ooh, I hope you're ready for a spicy new episode. I used my secret recipe, the secret is tech news. It's the only ingredient. The EU's Digital Markets Act has officially come into force, dragging the tech giants designated as gatekeepers, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft into a world where they can't just do whatever the hell they want. That's for the companies designated as girl bosses. The EU loves them. Y'alls, Mrs. Quain, you sly. We've already talked about Apple and Google's plans for compliance, but now Meta has detailed its plans to allow its WhatsApp and Messenger apps to be interoperable with third-party chat apps that also use the signal protocol for encryption, which includes Google messages when RCS is enabled, Skype private conversations, and of course, signal. That was, it's not telegram. TikTok announced it would be giving its users more control over their data, but also complained about being designated as a gatekeeper because they're so young, and it'll make it harder for them to compete with the boomer tech giants, and it's super lame, but the most anticipated changes are still Apple's new rules allowing third-party app marketplaces on iOS. And the first one has apparently launched the Mobyvention App Marketplace, which is apparently designed to let enterprises use it to distribute internal company apps. But there will come cooler iOS app stores, like the one Epic Games planned to release until Apple terminated their developer account again, citing both Epic's blatant breaking of Apple's rules and CEO Tim Sweeney's very public criticism of the company. Epic complained, prompting EU regulators to investigate whether Apple had really just punished a company for mean tweets, and the next day, Apple reinstated Epic's account. Sweeney credited the European Commission for taking swift action, but Apple told Apple Insider they changed their mind because Epic committed to follow the rules, something Sweeney had already promised to do in an email to Phil Shiller before their account ban. But I mean, look at how short that email is. There's an unacceptable lack of apologetic groveling. Make me believe it. Nikon has acquired Red Digital Cinema, maker of high-end cameras used by Hollywood producers and YouTubers using hash browns as a mouse pad. That's Linus, we're professionals. The amount that Nikon paid to purchase Red is a mystery, one that gets even deeper when you remember that Red famously sued Nikon for infringing on seven of its patents related to raw video compression. Nikon responded to the lawsuit by challenging whether Red should have even been granted those patents in the first place. Now it's unclear what exactly transpired between the two companies after that, but in April, 2023, a year after Red's lawsuit was filed, both Red and Nikon agreed to dismiss the case. And now all of a sudden, Nikon shows up and announces they're absorbing their former enemy. But as Fstoppers points out, the merger actually makes a ton of sense as a way to combine Red's cinema reputation with Nikon's excellence in still-camera photography and lenses. It could be that Nikon and Red's leadership both realized they'd be better friends than enemies. I believe Tim Sweeney and Tim Cook will have that same realization someday. They will, they will merge. And now we are one, gaze upon us and despair. And a U.S. TikTok ban is back on the menu, boys. After the bipartisan House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously voted 50 to zero to advance a bill that would give Chinese parent company ByteDance six months to sell the app to Elon Musk. I made that last part up. As soon as TikTok got wind of the bill, it sent push notifications to its users, urging them to call their local representatives to stop Congress placing a total ban on TikTok. And call, they did. Congressional staff reported getting bombarded with calls from depressed purple teenagers and the millennials who complain about them pleading with the government to please let them keep their favorite app. Saying POV, you're disappointing me. Now at the heart of this issue is the certainty among members of Congress that TikTok represents a foreign adversary controlled application. Despite heavy insistence by ByteDance and their army of E-thoughts that the CCP has no control over TikTok. And I make jokes, but if passed, this bill could have real impact. There are a ton of small business owners that depend on TikTok for marketing and questionable psychology takes. I think I have ADHD. I do. Or do I? I don't know. Now for the quick bits. The part of the show where you slap your belly and go, ah, well, maybe a few more. Roku, maker of the smart TV you settled for her has figured out a way to make forced arbitration worse. This week, Roku customers found they couldn't use their TVs at all until they agreed to the company's updated dispute resolution terms. Two weeks after the terms apparently came into effect. In addition to the forced arbitration Roku already had in place, the smart TV bronze medalists added an informal dispute resolution process where users are required to call Roku's lawyers with any concerns they may have before taking further legal action. And before you sue us, you have to ask Dave. Everything's going through Dave now. I mean, I don't know who's worse off. Roku's customers or the lawyers they've basically turned into unwilling customer support specialists. I don't know how to turn off motion smoothing. I'm a lawyer. NVIDIA has announced GeForce Now Day Passes at $4 for a priority day, gaming at up to 1080p and 60fps or $8 for an ultimate day. Gaming at up to 4K and 120fps. That day better be pretty good to be called that. Gamers would have to be pretty starved for some play time to pay those prices when a month of priority membership is only $6 more. But on the other hand, GeForce Now is harder to resist now that it's added support for NVIDIA Reflex and G-Sync. Although support for variable refresh rates is currently limited to the Windows app on a PC with a relatively recent NVIDIA GPU or the macOS app on a number of Apple Silicon and Intel-powered Macs. But not on a PC with Intel or AMD GPUs. NVIDIA isn't sure whether those can put out frames at all. Can I run it on this GPU on a, what's that? Sorry, what language is that? In other GeForce news, NVIDIA is reportedly retiring the GTX brand. According to multiple sources, NVIDIA is no longer distributing GTX 16 cards to partners. Once all remaining stock of the series is sold, that's it, I mean, game over. Perhaps in a strange twist, the GTX brand will be outlived by the GT name as some GT 1030 cards are still up for sale. It's unclear if those cards will reach end of life alongside the GTX 16 series. It's like when a normal healthy adult dog is outlived by an old, shriveled, tiny, ugly dog named something like Mr. Poopsie that's missing two legs and is blind in both eyes. It's sad and it feels weird. Why must Mr. Poopsie suffer? He was a genetic mistake. Rivian had a major launch this week where it announced a mid-size electric SUV called the R2, as well as a compact SUV, sadly not called the D2. R2-D2, Riley. You're the Star Wars guy. Well, the compact R3 SUV also comes in a more rugged R3X variation with more power, higher clearance, and a wider stance. You know, it's just a little butch, but there's no shame in that. What am I reading? The R2 boasts a 300 mile range with the larger of its two battery pack options and its single motor configuration. And it starts at $45,000, meaning it's significantly cheaper than the larger R1S, placing it competitively among battery-powered mom mobiles. Whoa, I want this thing. It's cause I'm a mom. And a former Google engineer has been charged and arrested for allegedly stealing AI trade secrets on behalf of a Chinese AI startup. Google apparently determined that the employee in question had stolen a large trove of documents by uploading hundreds of files onto his personal Google Cloud account, making this possibly the lamest heist of all time. According to prosecutors, the suspect was offered a CTO position at the Chinese firm shortly thereafter with a monthly salary worth around $14,800 a month plus bonus and stock. He also allegedly traveled to China to raise money for the company and had another employee scan his access badge back in the US to give the impression he was still at work. I'm going to try that strat next time I want to attend a 3PM matinee. Shh, don't tell Linus. And we're putting it in the video. Um. You didn't watch these. But do please tell me that you'll come back on Monday for more tech news or my heart will break into a thousand pieces. And that just takes forever to clean up. I'll be here, I'll miss the matinee."}