{"video_id":"gPm6Etmi6XM","title":"Surprise! Nobody Wants This!","channel":"TechLinked","show":"TechLinked","published_at":"2026-01-04T14:53:29Z","duration_s":572,"segments":[{"start_s":0.8,"end_s":5.879,"text":"I can't get enough of that tech news.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":6.0,"end_s":10.4,"text":"You can never get enough.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":9.17,"end_s":15.519,"text":"[laughter] I'm sorry, that was too much. Microsoft","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":12.88,"end_s":19.76,"text":"is reportedly scaling back its internal sales growth targets for some of its","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":17.44,"end_s":23.359,"text":"newer AI tools after slower than expected adoption by customers.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":21.68,"end_s":28.72,"text":"According to internal sources who spoke with the information, multiple Azure","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":26.0,"end_s":33.44,"text":"sales teams missed aggressive quotas last fiscal year according to this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":30.56,"end_s":38.559,"text":"report. A rare outcome at Microsoft, prompting the company to quietly relax","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":36.0,"end_s":43.92,"text":"growth expectations for certain AI products as enterprise customers pushed","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":40.719,"end_s":47.52,"text":"back on paying for agents whose returns","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":43.92,"end_s":49.12,"text":"they said were hard to measure. Not sure","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":47.52,"end_s":54.079,"text":"what they're going to get you, but the vibes. Oh, I mean, how? However, after a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":52.32,"end_s":60.16,"text":"few outlets picked up the story, Microsoft told Futurism that the initial","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":56.48,"end_s":63.28,"text":"reports inaccurately combine growth and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":60.16,"end_s":65.76,"text":"sales quotas, insisting that AI sales","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":63.28,"end_s":70.159,"text":"targets were never lowered, even as internal adjustments suggest","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":67.52,"end_s":75.6,"text":"expectations are being reset behind the scenes. So, maybe tons of people love","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":73.2,"end_s":81.119,"text":"paying for Co-Pilot. And for everyone who doesn't, great news. The newest","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":77.92,"end_s":83.6,"text":"update for LG TVs bakes co-pilot","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":81.119,"end_s":87.36,"text":"directly into the home screen. And while it can be hidden, there's no option to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":85.84,"end_s":91.04,"text":"uninstall because nothing complements your movie","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":89.2,"end_s":94.4,"text":"watching experience like another button you'll never click on. It's no wonder","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":92.72,"end_s":98.4,"text":"people are building custom tools that get rid of all the AI features in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":96.479,"end_s":102.56,"text":"Windows 11. This isn't an endorsement, by the way. We don't know if this tool","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":100.079,"end_s":107.759,"text":"is malware. It's just an example. People want AI removal tools because the world","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":104.96,"end_s":111.84,"text":"is turning to slop, which is the 2025 Miriam Webster word of the year. Maybe","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":110.159,"end_s":118.88,"text":"this is God's way of answering our prayers. Dear God, please bring back","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":114.0,"end_s":121.28,"text":"Clippy and smite this Mo AI Miko AI baby","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":118.88,"end_s":126.96,"text":"blob thing. I wish to see its face no more. You got it. The RAM apocalypse","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":125.04,"end_s":131.039,"text":"continues as several companies have announced a new round of price","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":128.479,"end_s":136.72,"text":"increases, including Framework, which is increasing the price of its laptop DDR5","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":133.599,"end_s":138.319,"text":"kits by 50%, and Dell, which will be","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":136.72,"end_s":144.4,"text":"raising the prices of their enterprise PC products from 10 to 30%, depending.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":141.36,"end_s":146.959,"text":"Framework says they solemnly do pledge","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":144.4,"end_s":151.52,"text":"to stay transparent, only raising prices to cover real cost increases and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":149.44,"end_s":154.72,"text":"lowering them again if costs fall. But I don't know. They are a for-profit","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":153.12,"end_s":161.2,"text":"company. I'm not going to hold my breath for that. Lionus is invested in them. I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":157.44,"end_s":162.959,"text":"am only invested in having a good time.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":161.2,"end_s":168.319,"text":"Meanwhile, Dell and Lenovo are reportedly considering limiting their","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":164.879,"end_s":170.48,"text":"mid-range laptops to just 8 GB of DDR5","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":168.319,"end_s":175.92,"text":"RAM. I thought we were living in a 16 to 32 GB era, but maybe this will force","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":173.519,"end_s":179.12,"text":"software developers to make less memory hungry products. Or maybe you're just","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":177.68,"end_s":182.72,"text":"going to get a worse laptop for your money. Probably that one. But wait,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":180.959,"end_s":188.72,"text":"there's more. According to YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead, Samsung is winding","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":185.599,"end_s":191.68,"text":"down production of cheaper SATA SSDs","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":188.72,"end_s":196.239,"text":"next year to focus on pricier memory and storage for AI data centers, which as","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":194.48,"end_s":199.84,"text":"these kind of moves often do, could mean fewer options on the market and even","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":197.84,"end_s":204.4,"text":"higher prices for regular consumers. Don't be sad, okay? Think about how","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":202.08,"end_s":209.599,"text":"happy Samsung shareholders are going to be. Imagine hearing the laughter of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":207.2,"end_s":213.2,"text":"children, but they're grown up and spending most of their time on on their","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":211.36,"end_s":217.04,"text":"ketamine yacht when they should be spending time with our sponsor,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":214.799,"end_s":220.64,"text":"MicroEnter. It's December and that means it's shopping season. Whether you've got","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":218.879,"end_s":224.0,"text":"gifts to buy or you just need a bit of personal retail therapy to get through","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":222.319,"end_s":227.68,"text":"the seasonal effective disorder, MicroEnter has you covered with deals","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":226.0,"end_s":232.64,"text":"changing throughout the entire month. Like this gaming PC with 32 gigs of RAM","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":229.92,"end_s":238.0,"text":"for 250 bucks off. Yeah, it's got a 7500 X3D CPU and a 960 XT GPU, but the RAM","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":236.319,"end_s":241.76,"text":"guy. You know, when I think about Winter, I can't help but think about","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":239.92,"end_s":245.519,"text":"Phoenix, Arizona, where the grand opening of their new MicroEnter has been","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":243.519,"end_s":249.2,"text":"a huge success. Learn about that and all sorts of tech stuff through MicroEnter","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":247.439,"end_s":252.799,"text":"News. They've even got holiday gift guides. So, check out MicroEnter in the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":251.12,"end_s":258.239,"text":"link below for all your holiday tech shopping needs and more. They're great.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":256.72,"end_s":263.6,"text":"I'm referring to the Quickbits, of course. iRoot, the maker of the Roomba","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":261.12,"end_s":268.72,"text":"robot vacuum, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and agreed to be bought out","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":265.52,"end_s":270.72,"text":"by its main Chinese manufacturer, Pyia","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":268.72,"end_s":276.16,"text":"Robotics. That's got to be what it is. Or in their own robotic words, iRoot","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":273.759,"end_s":280.24,"text":"announces strategic transaction to drive long-term growth plan. Much clearer. Why","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":278.72,"end_s":285.28,"text":"didn't Why didn't we say that first? The deal comes after years of mounting debt,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":282.96,"end_s":290.4,"text":"stiff competition, and a failed Amazon acquisition, and will take iRoot private","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":287.919,"end_s":294.72,"text":"under Piscia through a courts supervised restructuring expected to finish by","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":292.479,"end_s":299.52,"text":"early 2026. I don't think I'm saying Pyia right, but here we are. But at","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":297.36,"end_s":305.36,"text":"least app support and product services will continue as usual. So, don't worry,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":302.16,"end_s":308.72,"text":"not much is changing for all you room","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":305.36,"end_s":310.4,"text":"baddies, uh, room ballers. We looked","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":308.72,"end_s":313.68,"text":"into it and the Roomba doesn't appear to have a fan club with a cute name for me","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":312.24,"end_s":318.24,"text":"to reference in a joke here, which seems like a real missed opportunity. What are you guys doing? Google's doing their","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":316.56,"end_s":323.12,"text":"favorite thing and shutting down features. This time they're axing the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":320.32,"end_s":327.44,"text":"dark web data leak reports feature for Google 1 subscribers, which will have","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":324.96,"end_s":331.52,"text":"all of its data deleted by February. Apparently, feedback showed that this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":329.44,"end_s":336.24,"text":"feature didn't really help users act on leaks. So, Google's just going back to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":333.759,"end_s":339.12,"text":"saying, \"Oh, you want security? Just turn on two-factor authentication.\" Why","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":338.0,"end_s":345.68,"text":"haven't you turned on two-factor authentication yet? What's wrong with you? Google has also locked the standard","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":343.759,"end_s":348.639,"text":"continued conversation feature, which allows you to keep talking to your smart","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":347.199,"end_s":352.56,"text":"device without saying, \"Hey Google,\" every 3 seconds, sorry, behind a 10","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":350.72,"end_s":356.88,"text":"bucks a month Google Home Premium subscription. This weekend, I couldn't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":354.639,"end_s":361.12,"text":"even get Gemini to play a Spotify song, something Google Assistant handled fine.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":358.72,"end_s":365.919,"text":"Can't even play Spotify. This This is hell. This is a bad place. An Intel","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":363.68,"end_s":371.6,"text":"Panther Lake chip was spotted running in a 1x player handheld. Thanks to a leaked","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":368.4,"end_s":374.96,"text":"firmark run, the chip was a Core Ultra 5","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":371.6,"end_s":378.88,"text":"338H with an integrated Intel Arc B370","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":374.96,"end_s":382.639,"text":"GPU, and it scored 2383 points, roughly","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":378.88,"end_s":384.56,"text":"GeForce GTX 1060 level. Although,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":382.639,"end_s":389.52,"text":"Firmark is less of a gaming benchmark and more of a stress test. So, let's not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":386.96,"end_s":393.68,"text":"write Panther Lake off just yet. That's for later. If you want to feel excited","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":391.6,"end_s":397.44,"text":"about Intel, however misguided that may be, check out this now deleted reply","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":395.6,"end_s":401.12,"text":"tweet from the official Intel gaming account seemingly confirming the rumored","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":399.6,"end_s":406.16,"text":"ArcB770. They say they're thrilled that this fan","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":403.44,"end_s":410.16,"text":"is pumped about the B770, making sure to also mention the other two things the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":407.919,"end_s":415.039,"text":"fan was pumped about as well, and throw in some friendly emojis. Uh, I'm pretty","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":412.639,"end_s":419.44,"text":"sure this is an AI. It's a bot reply. The B770 is canceled, everyone. OpenAI","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":417.52,"end_s":424.0,"text":"has revealed it's using its C codeex coding agent to help improve its C","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":421.68,"end_s":429.28,"text":"codeex coding agent. The system can reportedly monitor its own training runs","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":426.72,"end_s":434.08,"text":"and when prompted decide what code changes to make next, meaning this AI","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":432.0,"end_s":439.28,"text":"has taken another step towards a self-improving singularity situation.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":437.599,"end_s":443.919,"text":"Although the nerds told it to do that, so don't panic yet. The nerds at Google","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":441.28,"end_s":451.36,"text":"DeepMind also announced its first automated research lab in the UK, where","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":447.919,"end_s":453.759,"text":"a blend of AI systems and robotics in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":451.36,"end_s":458.56,"text":"the facility will, I guess, automatically make scientific","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":455.68,"end_s":462.08,"text":"discoveries in material science. Here's hoping they come up with something good.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":460.319,"end_s":465.84,"text":"I'm going to go spend the week on that very fun yacht we talked about earlier.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":463.759,"end_s":472.0,"text":"Oh, but first, the US government has launched a new US tech force to rapidly","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":469.599,"end_s":475.68,"text":"recruit skilled tech workers into the federal government. The plan is to bring","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":473.599,"end_s":479.12,"text":"in a thousand engineers, data scientists, and developers for 2-year","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":477.599,"end_s":484.879,"text":"stints and have them work on what the government is calling the world's most","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":481.039,"end_s":488.319,"text":"complex and difficult problems","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":484.879,"end_s":490.56,"text":"doing it for government people. problems","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":488.319,"end_s":494.16,"text":"which somehow have rapidly sprung up after the government laid off all of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":492.479,"end_s":498.0,"text":"those tech workers that it laid off earlier this year. Critics warned the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":496.16,"end_s":501.52,"text":"program could pose serious conflicts of interest since many recruits are","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":499.52,"end_s":506.319,"text":"expected to come directly from major tech companies where they may return","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":503.36,"end_s":510.639,"text":"after 2 years of accessing all kinds of juicy government data. If only there was","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":508.4,"end_s":515.44,"text":"some way to keep them focused on what really matters. Enter the Stanford","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":513.2,"end_s":521.76,"text":"researchers who developed this audio shield system. It helps people with ADHD","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":518.64,"end_s":524.48,"text":"focus by amplifying the sounds of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":521.76,"end_s":528.56,"text":"everyday tasks instead of blocking them out. The wearable device uses","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":526.399,"end_s":534.16,"text":"microphones and earbuds to turn actions like typing, washing hands, or handling","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":530.8,"end_s":536.399,"text":"objects into real time audio cues that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":534.16,"end_s":539.68,"text":"they say will boost mindfulness and attention while you're doing stuff.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":537.92,"end_s":544.399,"text":"Basically, it's like a hearing aid. It just makes everything louder. In early","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":541.6,"end_s":549.2,"text":"studies, users stayed on tasks longer and reported higher focus. So, next time","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":547.12,"end_s":553.68,"text":"a loud talker is distracting you from your work, don't tell them to keep it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":550.8,"end_s":557.36,"text":"down. Tell them to turn that up. It might just change your life. And so,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":555.76,"end_s":561.44,"text":"we'll coming back this Wednesday for more tech news. In the meantime, I've","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":559.68,"end_s":565.2,"text":"got a wicked craving for a bowl of cereal. It's magically delicious.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":563.279,"end_s":572.6,"text":"Hopefully, there's got to be some around here somewhere. I'll just follow my","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":567.12,"end_s":572.6,"text":"nose. We can remember all that stuff.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"I can't get enough of that tech news. You can never get enough. [laughter] I'm sorry, that was too much. Microsoft is reportedly scaling back its internal sales growth targets for some of its newer AI tools after slower than expected adoption by customers. According to internal sources who spoke with the information, multiple Azure sales teams missed aggressive quotas last fiscal year according to this report. A rare outcome at Microsoft, prompting the company to quietly relax growth expectations for certain AI products as enterprise customers pushed back on paying for agents whose returns they said were hard to measure. Not sure what they're going to get you, but the vibes. Oh, I mean, how? However, after a few outlets picked up the story, Microsoft told Futurism that the initial reports inaccurately combine growth and sales quotas, insisting that AI sales targets were never lowered, even as internal adjustments suggest expectations are being reset behind the scenes. So, maybe tons of people love paying for Co-Pilot. And for everyone who doesn't, great news. The newest update for LG TVs bakes co-pilot directly into the home screen. And while it can be hidden, there's no option to uninstall because nothing complements your movie watching experience like another button you'll never click on. It's no wonder people are building custom tools that get rid of all the AI features in Windows 11. This isn't an endorsement, by the way. We don't know if this tool is malware. It's just an example. People want AI removal tools because the world is turning to slop, which is the 2025 Miriam Webster word of the year. Maybe this is God's way of answering our prayers. Dear God, please bring back Clippy and smite this Mo AI Miko AI baby blob thing. I wish to see its face no more. You got it. The RAM apocalypse continues as several companies have announced a new round of price increases, including Framework, which is increasing the price of its laptop DDR5 kits by 50%, and Dell, which will be raising the prices of their enterprise PC products from 10 to 30%, depending. Framework says they solemnly do pledge to stay transparent, only raising prices to cover real cost increases and lowering them again if costs fall. But I don't know. They are a for-profit company. I'm not going to hold my breath for that. Lionus is invested in them. I am only invested in having a good time. Meanwhile, Dell and Lenovo are reportedly considering limiting their mid-range laptops to just 8 GB of DDR5 RAM. I thought we were living in a 16 to 32 GB era, but maybe this will force software developers to make less memory hungry products. Or maybe you're just going to get a worse laptop for your money. Probably that one. But wait, there's more. According to YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead, Samsung is winding down production of cheaper SATA SSDs next year to focus on pricier memory and storage for AI data centers, which as these kind of moves often do, could mean fewer options on the market and even higher prices for regular consumers. Don't be sad, okay? Think about how happy Samsung shareholders are going to be. Imagine hearing the laughter of children, but they're grown up and spending most of their time on on their ketamine yacht when they should be spending time with our sponsor, MicroEnter. It's December and that means it's shopping season. Whether you've got gifts to buy or you just need a bit of personal retail therapy to get through the seasonal effective disorder, MicroEnter has you covered with deals changing throughout the entire month. Like this gaming PC with 32 gigs of RAM for 250 bucks off. Yeah, it's got a 7500 X3D CPU and a 960 XT GPU, but the RAM guy. You know, when I think about Winter, I can't help but think about Phoenix, Arizona, where the grand opening of their new MicroEnter has been a huge success. Learn about that and all sorts of tech stuff through MicroEnter News. They've even got holiday gift guides. So, check out MicroEnter in the link below for all your holiday tech shopping needs and more. They're great. I'm referring to the Quickbits, of course. iRoot, the maker of the Roomba robot vacuum, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and agreed to be bought out by its main Chinese manufacturer, Pyia Robotics. That's got to be what it is. Or in their own robotic words, iRoot announces strategic transaction to drive long-term growth plan. Much clearer. Why didn't Why didn't we say that first? The deal comes after years of mounting debt, stiff competition, and a failed Amazon acquisition, and will take iRoot private under Piscia through a courts supervised restructuring expected to finish by early 2026. I don't think I'm saying Pyia right, but here we are. But at least app support and product services will continue as usual. So, don't worry, not much is changing for all you room baddies, uh, room ballers. We looked into it and the Roomba doesn't appear to have a fan club with a cute name for me to reference in a joke here, which seems like a real missed opportunity. What are you guys doing? Google's doing their favorite thing and shutting down features. This time they're axing the dark web data leak reports feature for Google 1 subscribers, which will have all of its data deleted by February. Apparently, feedback showed that this feature didn't really help users act on leaks. So, Google's just going back to saying, \"Oh, you want security? Just turn on two-factor authentication.\" Why haven't you turned on two-factor authentication yet? What's wrong with you? Google has also locked the standard continued conversation feature, which allows you to keep talking to your smart device without saying, \"Hey Google,\" every 3 seconds, sorry, behind a 10 bucks a month Google Home Premium subscription. This weekend, I couldn't even get Gemini to play a Spotify song, something Google Assistant handled fine. Can't even play Spotify. This This is hell. This is a bad place. An Intel Panther Lake chip was spotted running in a 1x player handheld. Thanks to a leaked firmark run, the chip was a Core Ultra 5 338H with an integrated Intel Arc B370 GPU, and it scored 2383 points, roughly GeForce GTX 1060 level. Although, Firmark is less of a gaming benchmark and more of a stress test. So, let's not write Panther Lake off just yet. That's for later. If you want to feel excited about Intel, however misguided that may be, check out this now deleted reply tweet from the official Intel gaming account seemingly confirming the rumored ArcB770. They say they're thrilled that this fan is pumped about the B770, making sure to also mention the other two things the fan was pumped about as well, and throw in some friendly emojis. Uh, I'm pretty sure this is an AI. It's a bot reply. The B770 is canceled, everyone. OpenAI has revealed it's using its C codeex coding agent to help improve its C codeex coding agent. The system can reportedly monitor its own training runs and when prompted decide what code changes to make next, meaning this AI has taken another step towards a self-improving singularity situation. Although the nerds told it to do that, so don't panic yet. The nerds at Google DeepMind also announced its first automated research lab in the UK, where a blend of AI systems and robotics in the facility will, I guess, automatically make scientific discoveries in material science. Here's hoping they come up with something good. I'm going to go spend the week on that very fun yacht we talked about earlier. Oh, but first, the US government has launched a new US tech force to rapidly recruit skilled tech workers into the federal government. The plan is to bring in a thousand engineers, data scientists, and developers for 2-year stints and have them work on what the government is calling the world's most complex and difficult problems doing it for government people. problems which somehow have rapidly sprung up after the government laid off all of those tech workers that it laid off earlier this year. Critics warned the program could pose serious conflicts of interest since many recruits are expected to come directly from major tech companies where they may return after 2 years of accessing all kinds of juicy government data. If only there was some way to keep them focused on what really matters. Enter the Stanford researchers who developed this audio shield system. It helps people with ADHD focus by amplifying the sounds of everyday tasks instead of blocking them out. The wearable device uses microphones and earbuds to turn actions like typing, washing hands, or handling objects into real time audio cues that they say will boost mindfulness and attention while you're doing stuff. Basically, it's like a hearing aid. It just makes everything louder. In early studies, users stayed on tasks longer and reported higher focus. So, next time a loud talker is distracting you from your work, don't tell them to keep it down. Tell them to turn that up. It might just change your life. And so, we'll coming back this Wednesday for more tech news. In the meantime, I've got a wicked craving for a bowl of cereal. It's magically delicious. Hopefully, there's got to be some around here somewhere. I'll just follow my nose. We can remember all that stuff."}