WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:07.839 So I ran into my old pal Aragorn, son of Arathornne, and he says to me, "Riders 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:12.320 of Rohan, what news from the mock?" To which I reply, "Buddy, I don't know what 00:00:09.920 --> 00:00:17.680 you're talking about, but I can tell you the tech news." YouTube has finally 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:22.160 addressed concerns over view counts raised by a good number of creators in 00:00:19.920 --> 00:00:26.080 recent weeks, including Redletter Media, Second Win, and even awkward teenager 00:00:24.400 --> 00:00:30.160 with a full beard, Linus Tech Tip, Sebastian. YouTube's response, as 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:36.719 delivered in a support article published this morning, essentially boils down to 00:00:33.040 --> 00:00:40.520 skill issue. It's all in your head. Get 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:40.520 good, pleb. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:47.520 The article first addresses the idea that the reason view counts suddenly 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:51.600 dropped in mid August was due to YouTube rolling out age verification. This is a 00:00:49.680 --> 00:00:55.760 hypothesis that Redletter Media talked about in their video, but they referred 00:00:53.440 --> 00:01:00.879 to accounts that had been age restricted as having restricted mode automatically 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:06.000 turned on, which I guess led YouTube to spend this whole section clarifying that 00:01:03.680 --> 00:01:10.720 restricted mode can only be manually turned on. It's a separate thing that 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:16.400 has absolutely nothing to do with what they call age restricted content. 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:19.759 Restricted mode restricts the viewing of videos based on whether they're 00:01:17.600 --> 00:01:23.840 appropriate for kids. But that doesn't mean that the videos blocked by 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:29.119 restricted mode are classified as age restricted content. 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:31.280 Doesn't make sense. Yeah. This part of 00:01:29.119 --> 00:01:34.960 the response was super helpful in not addressing the question of whether the 00:01:32.880 --> 00:01:39.759 age verification rollout, which happened on August 13th, has anything to do with 00:01:37.600 --> 00:01:43.520 the massive views drop reported by creators around the same time. So, 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:47.759 thanks for that, YouTube. The other major hypothesis going around is that 00:01:45.360 --> 00:01:52.799 YouTube has stopped counting views from devices using an ad blocker or they've 00:01:50.479 --> 00:02:00.320 changed the way they count views in some way. But YouTube says, "You fool, we've 00:01:56.399 --> 00:02:04.680 done no such thing. There is no systemic 00:02:00.320 --> 00:02:04.680 issue that is impacting creators." 00:02:04.960 --> 00:02:12.319 Okay, but there's just one problem. As pointed out by Lionus and one of LMG's 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:17.120 best boys, Dan Besser on the WAN Show, while views have dropped, the ratio of 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:21.440 likes to dislikes has shot up and the revenue per video is about the same 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:25.520 despite lower views, which would be consistent with ad blocked views not 00:02:23.760 --> 00:02:29.840 counting anymore as YouTube creators only get revenue if the viewer sees an 00:02:27.920 --> 00:02:34.400 ad. That's just how it works. Then there's this little detail spotted by 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:39.280 Josh Strife Hayes. It's views from computer users specifically that have 00:02:37.040 --> 00:02:43.280 dropped. You know, the device on which it's easiest to install an ad blocker. 00:02:41.760 --> 00:02:46.800 And you know what? You may have noticed our views have also been down since mid 00:02:45.519 --> 00:02:53.440 August. So, let's take a look at our views from mobile. It looks mostly fine. 00:02:49.519 --> 00:02:55.360 TV, yeah, seems normal. Computer, whoa. 00:02:53.440 --> 00:02:59.440 Okay. But YouTube's probably right. We're just a victim of onplatform 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:02.879 competition. You know, it's it's just hard for me to 00:03:01.040 --> 00:03:06.879 grasp that because we're the only tech news channel on YouTube. I checked. 00:03:04.480 --> 00:03:11.440 Eden, a Nintendo Switch emulator, has launched on the Google Play Store. It's 00:03:09.760 --> 00:03:15.599 not the first Switch emulator on the Play Store. The infamous Yuzu emulator 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:21.040 was also available on the platform before being thoroughly destroyed by 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:25.920 Nintendo's legal team. Eden is a fork of Yuzu, apparently built by a team of 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:30.799 masochistic developers. Its brazen release onto the Play Store has fans 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:34.480 excited, but also probably wincing a little bit as they wait for a legal 00:03:32.799 --> 00:03:38.799 orbital strike from the Mushroom Kingdom. According to Eden's Play Store 00:03:36.799 --> 00:03:43.040 page, the emulator focuses on high performance without compromising 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:46.799 aesthetics, compatibility, or stability. And that concentration on performance is 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:51.760 one of the more attractive points about Switch emulators in general because 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:56.239 Nintendo hardware, first-party hardware, is rarely the best place to actually 00:03:53.920 --> 00:04:00.799 play Nintendo games. For example, just this weekend, Digital Foundry released a 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:05.599 video about how the Switch 2's CPU holds back the performance of games that use 00:04:02.799 --> 00:04:10.319 Unreal Engine 5. With a nearly constant stream of new Android powered handhelds, 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:14.080 the timing of Eden's release seems great, but we'll just have to see how 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:18.720 long they can dodge the wrath of Nintendo. Good luck, Eden, and I'm sorry 00:04:16.799 --> 00:04:23.680 for bringing attention to you. NVIDIA is being accused of violating anti- 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:28.320 monopoly laws by a Chinese regulatory body. These enormous corporations just 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:33.040 cannot catch a break. China launched the investigation into NVIDIA's business 00:04:29.919 --> 00:04:35.360 practices back in December 2024 over 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:39.840 NVIDIA's potential failure to comply with government provisions in its 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:44.080 acquisition of USIsraeli chip designer Melanox Technologies back in 2020. The 00:04:42.320 --> 00:04:48.400 specifics of NVIDIA's breach of those provisions are still vague, but the 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:52.400 timing of this whole scenario makes a lot of sense. The investigation into 00:04:50.080 --> 00:04:56.320 NVIDIA started only a week after the US announced tougher export controls on 00:04:54.400 --> 00:05:01.440 certain chips and chipmaking equipment going into China. And now the Chinese 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:06.320 regulators accusation of monopolistic behavior from NVIDIA comes just as US 00:05:03.919 --> 00:05:11.680 and Chinese officials meet in Madrid for trade talks. So maybe NVIDIA is as bad 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:14.960 as China is making them out to be. Or maybe this is all just part of a 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:20.639 political game between two global superpowers. or you know, two things can 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:24.560 be true at the same time. And no one knows that better than our sponsor, 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:28.560 Ground News. They want to help you break free from toxic algorithms and actually 00:05:27.039 --> 00:05:32.479 understand just what the heck is going on out there. Which is why the Nobel 00:05:30.479 --> 00:05:37.600 Peace Center recognized ground news as an excellent way to stay informed and 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:39.600 avoid echo chambers. But how? Well, they 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:43.440 collect and compare tons of articles covering the same story and analyze how 00:05:41.840 --> 00:05:47.199 it's being covered across the political spectrum. Take this recent story about 00:05:45.280 --> 00:05:52.479 how the education system is being forced to adapt to AI. Right-leaning outlets 00:05:50.080 --> 00:05:57.440 represent only 7% of the coverage here while left-leaning outlets count for 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:59.440 26%. Why is that the case when it seems 00:05:57.440 --> 00:06:03.039 like the left hates AI and the right loves it? That's a great question you 00:06:01.280 --> 00:06:08.639 can dive into with Ground News bias comparison tool. Bias. It's like a 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:12.639 brain. Everyone's got one, even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes. Hey, get 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:16.479 the transparency and understanding you deserve from the news and save 40% on 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:20.479 ground news vantage plan by using our link in the description. So, my other 00:06:18.080 --> 00:06:25.199 buddy Gandalf, who is a white wizard at this point, good for him, told his 00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:27.840 steed, "Shhatter facts show them the 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:32.000 meaning of haste." But I said, "Hold your horses, Fred. These quick bits will 00:06:29.520 --> 00:06:36.960 do just just fine." Tik Tok might be sticking around in the 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:39.199 US after all. While in Madrid for the 00:06:36.960 --> 00:06:43.759 US's trade talks with China, US trade secretary Scott Bessant told reporters 00:06:41.840 --> 00:06:48.639 that the two countries have reached a framework on a deal to switch Tik Tok 00:06:46.080 --> 00:06:51.919 from the hands of bite dance into US controlled ownership. Now, one key to 00:06:50.479 --> 00:06:57.120 the deal succeeding was the fact that China is interested in Chinese 00:06:54.160 --> 00:07:00.639 characteristics of the app, but the US doesn't care about Chinese 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:05.840 characteristics. Tik Tok has been given until September 17th to make a deal or 00:07:03.440 --> 00:07:09.599 they risk being banned from the US, but this date has already been pushed back 00:07:07.280 --> 00:07:13.039 before and probably will be again. The perpetual doom scroll continues. 00:07:11.520 --> 00:07:19.120 Speaking of which, Qualcomm has announced its next flagship processor, 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:20.800 the Snapdragon Elite 8 Gen 5. A doozy of 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:24.479 a name that kicked off a conversation about whether Qualcomm had maybe had one 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:28.800 too many drinks and skipped a few generations of chips. That's because 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:34.560 Qualcomm's preceding uh chip was called the Snapdragon 8 Elite. No genens two to 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:38.000 four. I guess the name caused enough confusion that Qualcomm felt the need to 00:07:36.400 --> 00:07:43.360 explain themselves in a blog post, writing, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 marks 00:07:40.880 --> 00:07:48.880 the fifth generation of our premium 8 series platform since we introduced our 00:07:45.520 --> 00:07:51.360 new singledigit naming and adding Gen 5 00:07:48.880 --> 00:07:56.639 isn't just a number, it's a signal that this platform leads the family forward. 00:07:54.319 --> 00:08:00.639 And uh why is it called Elite again? Because it is Elite. Awesome. Just 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:05.680 checking. Thank you. Google has had a lawsuit brought against it by Penske 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:10.000 Media Corporation or PMC to its friends, the publisher of Rolling Stone, Variety, 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:14.479 Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and they're also an investor in Vox Media. 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:19.680 All my aunts, uncles, and parents' favorites. PMC's complaint claims that 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:23.280 Google's AI overviews give someone no reason to actually click on the source 00:08:21.520 --> 00:08:28.720 of the information that the AI just summarized and that results in a loss of 00:08:25.840 --> 00:08:34.000 traffic for PMC's sites. We've talked about this before in the channel. In a 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:36.560 statement, PMC's CEO Jay Pensky said 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:40.320 that PMC will proactively fight for the future of digital media and preserve its 00:08:38.479 --> 00:08:44.880 integrity, all of which is threatened by Google's current actions. And while I 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:50.160 don't watch a lot of combat sports, I am here for intercorporate juggernaut 00:08:46.880 --> 00:08:52.560 brawls. And TSMC is buzzing about their 00:08:50.160 --> 00:08:56.880 newest announcement. Uh, is that a pun? Maybe. The company, the world's largest 00:08:54.640 --> 00:09:03.200 semiconductor manufacturer, is getting into the honey business. Not the 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:05.519 extension. Nope. As Tom's Hardware 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:14.160 states, TSMC has worked with local beekeepers in Taiwan to produce Gme TSMC 00:09:10.640 --> 00:09:15.519 branded honey. Okay. Uh the Taiwanese 00:09:14.160 --> 00:09:19.760 business isn't just getting into this venture for the honey money, though. 00:09:17.680 --> 00:09:24.560 These beekeeping efforts are to show off that TSMC is environmentally responsible 00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:29.200 and their operations don't affect the natural ecosystems around their 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:31.839 facilities like at all. An uplifting 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:35.040 story, but one that makes me hungry. So, I'm going to go. If you enjoyed this 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:40.240 video, please like and subscribe, and don't forget to come back on Wednesday for more tech news. In the meantime, I'm 00:09:38.880 --> 00:09:46.000 going back to having one-sided conversations with my TV while I rewatch 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:46.000 Lord of the Rings. Bye-bye now.