WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.200 Happy Halloween. You know, when you think about it, this show is a bit like 00:00:03.800 --> 00:00:10.000 Frankenstein's monster. We take bits of tech news from all over the place and 00:00:07.560 --> 00:00:14.960 jam them into one wildly entertaining package. Plus, I'm sure our humor makes 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:21.240 the viewers groan like the monster sometimes, too. Um in ecstasy. 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:27.920 AMD's release notes for their latest GPU driver update mysteriously omitted any 00:00:24.040 --> 00:00:30.640 mention of Radeon 5000 and 6000 series 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:35.440 GPUs, causing concern that AMD was sunsetting those cards. Multiple outlets 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:40.240 reached out to AMD, who clarified that the 5000 and 6000 series cards, still in 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:45.920 the prime of their lives, would be put into maintenance mode, only getting 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:50.160 updates for critical security and bug support. Now, that would be frustrating 00:00:47.720 --> 00:00:54.360 for owners of the RDNA 1 and 2 based cards, and also a pretty wild move, as 00:00:52.960 --> 00:01:00.600 some of those graphics cards are only just over 3 years old. Not to mention 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:02.960 that RDNA 1 and 2 GPUs power many gaming 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:08.240 handhelds, including the just-released ROG Ally. But, we could take some small 00:01:05.960 --> 00:01:12.560 solace in the fact that the Steam Deck and SteamOS-powered devices would be 00:01:10.240 --> 00:01:16.680 unaffected because of AMD's Linux drivers being open source. As if we 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:21.920 needed another reason to yearn for the greener SteamOS pastures. But, don't 00:01:19.600 --> 00:01:25.800 despair just yet. After working the internet all up into a tizzy, this 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:30.160 driver nightmare might prove to be a Halloween trick from AMD, as they've now 00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:35.280 declared that they'll continue to release new features and game 00:01:32.440 --> 00:01:40.680 optimizations for RDNA 1 and 2 based cards, quote, "as required by market 00:01:39.080 --> 00:01:44.920 needs." Whatever that means. And I think it's 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:50.000 safe to assume that the market doesn't need you to make 3-year-old hardware 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:54.840 obsolete. Just a bit too soon, uh guys. Microsoft is being accused of having 00:01:51.880 --> 00:02:00.040 YouTube remove videos detailing how to bypass Windows 11's installation 00:01:57.160 --> 00:02:04.480 requirements. YouTuber CyberCPU Tech, aka Rich, told Tom's Hardware that 00:02:02.600 --> 00:02:08.840 having some of his videos taken down just days apart, he thought something 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:13.400 was fishy when he appealed YouTube's decision and they told him his videos 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:17.240 contained harmful or dangerous content, leading him to assume Microsoft is 00:02:15.200 --> 00:02:21.720 pushing for the take downs rather than it being YouTube's discretion. Now, 00:02:19.920 --> 00:02:26.600 whether Microsoft's actually involved here is still unclear, and there are 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:31.160 many active YouTube videos that cover the same content that he was flagged 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:34.760 for, but the story is worth following because Microsoft does appear to be 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:41.920 taking drastic actions to get folks to use Windows 11 the way they want you to, 00:02:37.480 --> 00:02:44.360 including killing poor Windows 10. 00:02:41.920 --> 00:02:47.960 It's only 3 years old. Microsoft, the answer might just be to make Windows 11 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:54.000 good. But, instead you gave us an optional October update with a funny new bug. 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:59.280 Whenever you try to close a Task Manager window, a new copy of Task Manager opens 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:02.680 up to replace it. Hey, you know what? I guess I can see 00:03:00.760 --> 00:03:08.040 why folks might want to make content about how to more easily deal with 00:03:04.040 --> 00:03:11.160 Windows 11's BS. Tesla CEO Elon Musk 00:03:08.040 --> 00:03:14.000 says idling Tesla vehicles could soon 00:03:11.160 --> 00:03:19.240 double as part of a 100 million vehicle AI supercomputer, generating up to 100 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:25.200 gigawatts of distributed computing power. This plan would allow parked cars 00:03:21.880 --> 00:03:26.720 to lend their on-board chips to train AI 00:03:25.200 --> 00:03:31.440 models, because in a time when we're strapping decommissioned jet turbines to 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:36.320 data centers, heaven forbid we leave a single ounce of computing power on the 00:03:33.920 --> 00:03:39.880 table. It's a bold idea, although owners may have other Tesla-related concerns 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:44.880 right now, what with the company recently issuing a recall of some 00:03:42.600 --> 00:03:49.760 Cybertrucks whose headlights have been falling off thanks to Tesla securing 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:53.560 them with adhesive instead of bolts. Hey, who needs lights anyway, right? 00:03:52.040 --> 00:03:57.120 Definitely not anyone driving during the daytime, the only time people ever 00:03:55.160 --> 00:04:01.040 drive, right? Anyway, meanwhile, the company's robo-taxis, which launched 00:03:59.320 --> 00:04:05.200 this year in Austin, Texas, are reportedly crashing more frequently than 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:09.840 their Waymo-powered counterparts, despite having a human safety supervisor 00:04:07.720 --> 00:04:16.760 on board. Now, on the bright side, SpaceX is reportedly set to land a $2 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:22.600 billion Pentagon contract for Trump's golden dome missile defense network. 00:04:19.760 --> 00:04:26.120 Because when Teslas stop moving, Musk just launches something else. The guy's 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:31.240 so busy, you got to take notes. And that's easy with our sponsor, the Plaud 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:34.760 Note Pro, the world's most advanced AI note-taker, rated the best product ever 00:04:33.200 --> 00:04:39.080 invented by 9 out of 10 future historians. The Note Pro is not an app, 00:04:37.280 --> 00:04:43.440 it's a palm-sized device with four noise-canceling mics to record in-person 00:04:41.280 --> 00:04:47.440 meetings and phone calls from up to 5 m away. However, if you'd like to have a 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:51.040 say in your note-taking, don't fret. Fret. Oh, I'm fretting. Stop. You can 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:54.760 add your own ideas to the mix by attaching typed thoughts or marking key 00:04:53.440 --> 00:04:58.800 points so that the meeting is better captured to your liking. Plus, if, like 00:04:57.200 --> 00:05:02.920 me, you're as bad at remembering to charge your devices as you are at taking 00:05:00.640 --> 00:05:07.240 notes, the Plaud Note Pro can handle 50 hours of non-stop recording on a single 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:10.960 charge. That's a long meeting. So, help future historians and take the first 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:15.320 step towards improving your note-taking game by checking out the Plaud Note Pro 00:05:13.200 --> 00:05:18.920 at the link below. Famously, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein's author, came up 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:22.600 with the concept for the novel while summering in Switzerland. Funnily 00:05:20.760 --> 00:05:27.640 enough, the quick bits also love Switzerland. Big skiers. Not so big on 00:05:25.200 --> 00:05:32.240 taking sides in a war. The US and China have agreed to a 1-year trade truce, 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:37.200 pausing tariffs and restrictions on semiconductors and rare earth exports. 00:05:34.880 --> 00:05:42.960 The deal marks a rare cooldown in the ongoing tech trade war, with both sides 00:05:40.640 --> 00:05:47.600 pledging to reopen supply chains and stabilize the global chip market. Still, 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:52.440 whether China will be allowed to buy NVIDIA's Blackwell chips remains unclear 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:56.280 under the new export rules. So, for now, this is less of a peace treaty and more 00:05:54.560 --> 00:06:03.000 like hitting the snooze button on a trade war that is destined to ring once 00:05:59.440 --> 00:06:04.800 more. Five more minutes. Nay. Samsung is 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:09.960 bringing its Chromium-based mobile browser called Samsung Internet to 00:06:07.280 --> 00:06:15.040 Windows PCs. The browser syncs history, bookmarks, and passwords between Galaxy 00:06:12.280 --> 00:06:18.960 phones and PCs, features we definitely haven't seen in a web browser before. 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:23.640 Samsung says their new desktop browser will deliver a seamless, connected 00:06:21.520 --> 00:06:27.600 browsing experience that is also delivered by a plethora of other 00:06:25.520 --> 00:06:31.840 Chromium-based browsers we now have available that all pitch the same thing. 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:36.120 But, this one is also pre-installed on your phone. Uh 00:06:34.280 --> 00:06:40.240 Chrome is, too. Whatever. It's It's cool. United States Immigration and 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:45.720 Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, has their agents scanning people's 00:06:42.920 --> 00:06:50.360 faces with a smartphone app to verify their citizenship status, as reported by 00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:53.800 404 Media. You know, it's about time someone decided whether law enforcement 00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:57.160 should be able to use facial recognition on the general public despite years of 00:06:55.400 --> 00:07:01.480 debate over the privacy concerns related to such technology. Stop talking. Just 00:06:59.760 --> 00:07:07.000 look at the camera, because according to a DHS document, you can't refuse. Plus, 00:07:04.840 --> 00:07:11.320 it'll store your photo for 15 years for your convenience. Speaking of tools used 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:17.160 by law enforcement, a new leak indicates that Cellebrite's phone-cracking tools 00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:19.320 can pull data from most Pixel models 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:24.240 unless they're running the Android fork GrapheneOS. The leaked slides show that 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:27.920 it works even on locked phones. But, jokes on the feds, because this leak 00:07:26.200 --> 00:07:33.480 seems to have originated from one of their own, a user that goes by Rogue 00:07:30.880 --> 00:07:37.680 Fed. It just goes to show that once again, if you think your data is 00:07:35.080 --> 00:07:40.920 private, there's likely a company or an agent sitting next to you in the mission 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:46.120 briefing room who thinks that's just adorable. And YouTuber Nick Build rigged 00:07:43.880 --> 00:07:51.400 up a Raspberry Pi to make your regular modern Wi-Fi sound just like that 00:07:48.840 --> 00:07:55.040 nostalgic, screechy era of dial-up modems. 00:07:52.640 --> 00:08:01.200 Build's contraption feeds live wireless traffic through a Pi 3 plus a USB Wi-Fi 00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:05.320 adapter, letting a microcontroller convert the signal into analog noise, 00:08:03.520 --> 00:08:10.200 which it plays on a little speaker, resulting in a charming wail that sounds 00:08:07.760 --> 00:08:14.560 a little like the distorted last gasps of a dying robot. 00:08:12.280 --> 00:08:19.640 Feels like home. This episode is dying, too, but we'll be back Monday for more 00:08:16.440 --> 00:08:21.320 tech news. Here's a Franken fact. Boris 00:08:19.640 --> 00:08:27.400 Karloff, who played Frankenstein's monster on screen in 1931, suffered from 00:08:24.320 --> 00:08:30.000 chronic back pain due to a brace he wore 00:08:27.400 --> 00:08:34.640 as the monster while filming. That's horrible. I just hope he feels 00:08:31.880 --> 00:08:34.640 better now.