TWiT 959: The Old Farts Gather - A Retrospective Journey through 2023 and Beyond
2h 17m
·
This Week in Tech (Audio)
·
In this festive end-of-year episode, Leo gathers some of the veteran hosts of the TWiT network, dubbed "old farts," to reflect on the major tech stories and trends of 2023 while looking ahead to 2024. They debate AI and tech's impact on society, discuss the ups and downs of companies like Twitter, Apple, and SpaceX, reminisce about the early days of computing and the Internet, and more, all with good humor and insight gained from decades in tech.
Topics Discussed:
- The explosion of AI in 2023, from chatbots like ChatGPT to powerful new AI demonstrations. Debate on whether we're nearing AGI (artificial general intelligence) and the societal impacts.
- The rise and struggles of companies like Facebook/Meta, Netflix, Twitter, Alibaba. Patterns of tech success, failure, and Corey Doctorow's concept of "ensh*tification."
- Elon Musk: The good (SpaceX, Starlink), bad (Twitter), and unpredictable. Is he still an innovator or has wealth and power corrupted him?
- Open source, Linux, and big tech's relationship to open ecosystems. Concerns about commercialization diluting open ideals.
- Looking back on early tech days. How the history of tech contextualizes what's happening today. Nostalgia and optimism for the early Internet days.
- The revival of space exploration, privatized today by SpaceX and others. What can we expect as we (hopefully) return to the Moon in 2024?
- Chaos, unpredictability, and the feeling of societal flux as we head into 2024. An uncertain but interesting future awaits.
Memorable Quotes:
- "AI is only dangerous to humans if you give it physical agency in the real world. Combine AI with a robotic dog, and now you got something." - Leo
- "When are you getting your stupid thing that you wear that has the laser on your hand?" - Jeff to Leo
- "It's time to hand it over. We're effing up the world. We've done it for centuries. It's time to hand it over." - Jeff on tech leadership
- "So has anybody played with the Apple ones that have the weird eyeballs?" - Doc on Apple's augmented reality efforts
- "Chaos is a weird thing. You could have your faucet dripping slowly and almost all of the drips go down and land and that's it, but somehow about a yard off to the one side is a drip" - Steve on increasing chaos
Host: Leo Laporte
Guests: Jeff Jarvis, Doc Searls, Steve Gibson, and Rod Pyle
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
- rocketmoney.com/twit
- gusto.com/tech
- Stamps.com promo code TWiT
- hid.link/twitdemo
The episode TWiT 959: The Old Farts Gather - A Retrospective Journey through 2023 and Beyond from the podcast This Week in Tech (Audio) has a duration of
2:17:18. It was first published
More episodes from This Week in Tech (Audio)
TWiT 981: Grab Your Rabbit - Sky's voice, Copilot+ Surface devices, Car Thing's discontinuation
Sky's voice, Copilot+ Surface devices, Car Thing's discontinuation
- OpenAI didn't copy Scarlett Johansson's voice for ChatGPT, records show
- China's latest answer to OpenAI is 'Chat Xi PT'
- Microsoft unveils Copilot+ PCs with generative AI capabilities baked in
- Pioneering instant messaging program ICQ is finally shutting down after nearly 30 years
- Google scrambles to manually remove weird AI answers in search
- Rabbit Holed
- Elon Musk says AI will take all our jobs
- A jury hands Bungie a victory in a landmark anti-cheating decision
- Atari Acquires Intellivision Brand
- Congress Just Made It Basically Impossible to Track Taylor Swift's Private Jet
- Spotify is going to break every Car Thing gadget it ever sold
- Kabosu, Shiba Inu dog who inspired 'Doge' meme, dies at 18
- Bitcoin pizza day
- C. Gordon Bell, Creator of a Personal Computer Prototype, Dies at 89
Host: Leo Laporte
Guests: Christina Warren, Wesley Faulkner, and Alex Wilhelm
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
- expressvpn.com/twit
- canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT
- NetSuite.com/TWIT
- bitwarden.com/twit
- IntouchCX.com/twit
TWiT 980: Hed Dek Lede and Nut Graf - OpenAI and Reddit, Signal Smear Campaign
OpenAI and Reddit, Signal Smear Campaign
- GPT-4o (omni) + new "Her"-style AI assistant (it's nuts)
- It's Time to Believe the AI Hype
- The panel discusses their experiences with Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude
- OpenAI strikes deal to bring Reddit content to ChatGPT
- OpenAI Superalignment team is gone
- 2023 Was the Worst Year for Internet Shutdowns, Report Finds
- Taiwan, on China's Doorstep, Is Dealing With TikTok Its Own Way
- French TikTok block in overseas territory sets 'dangerous precedent,' critics warn
- Utah Locals Are Getting Cheap 10 Gbps Fiber Thanks To Local Governments
- Vermont's data privacy law sparks state lawmaker alliance against tech lobbyists
- How a smear campaign against NPR led Elon Musk to feud with Signal
- Biden Order to Halt China-Tied Bitcoin Mine Beside Nuke Base Came as U.S. Firm Just Bought it
- Robert Dennard, IBM Inventor Whose Chip Changed Computing, Dies at 91
Host: Leo Laporte
Guests: Ben Parr, Dan Patterson, and Iain Thomson
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
- mylio.com/TWIT25
- wix.com/studio
- zscaler.com/zerotrustAI
- IntouchCX.com/twit
- eufy.com
TWiT 979: Musk-stache - Solar Storms, Apple and OpenAI, Tesla Layoffs
- Solar Storm Knocks Out Farmers' Tractor GPS Systems During Peak Planting Season
- Apple Closes in on Deal With OpenAI to Put ChatGPT on iPhone
- Apple Will Revamp Siri to Catch Up to Its Chatbot Competitors
- Google is getting even worse for independent sites
- Musk Plans More Layoffs as Two Senior Tesla Executives Depart
- At Tesla, a Wild Week That Defined the Company's Future
- TikTok Sues US Government Over Potential Ban
- Telegram vs. Signal
- Sony reverses unpopular Helldivers 2 decision after blistering player reaction
- Apple apologizes for 'Crush' iPad Pro ad that sparked controversy
Host: Leo Laporte
Guests: Paris Martineau, Sam Abuelsamid, and Mike Elgan
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
- bitwarden.com/twit
- NetSuite.com/TWIT
- mintmobile.com/twit
- eufy.com
- ZipRecruiter.com/Twit
TWiT 978: Baptized in Gatorade - AI Priest, FCC Fines, Jack Dorsey Leaves Bluesky
In this episode of This Week in Tech, Leo Laporte is joined by Georgia Dow, Shoshana Weissmann, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, tackling a wide range of thought-provoking topics, from the ethical implications of AI in sensitive fields to the challenges of creating and consuming content in an increasingly commercialized digital landscape.
The panel grapples with the potential risks and benefits of AI-powered therapists and priests, stressing the need for human empathy and discernment in these emotionally charged roles.
They confront the harsh realities of the internet's "heat death," as the relentless pursuit of profits and engagement leads to a glut of low-quality content and erodes user trust.
The group reflects on the double-edged sword of democratized media, celebrating the value of supporting emerging voices while acknowledging the importance of professional standards.
As Twitter faces existential challenges, the panel surveys the social media horizon, evaluating alternative platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky, and weighing the implications of Jack Dorsey's departure from the Bluesky board.
Elon Musk's reckless tweets about taking Tesla private have come back to haunt him, with the Supreme Court upholding an SEC settlement requiring his Tesla-related posts to be vetted by a lawyer.
The FCC has cracked down on major telecom companies for the illegal sale of location data, while legislators push for reforms to prevent the government from exploiting privacy loopholes.
Congress continues its misguided crusade to protect children online, with ill-conceived age verification mandates and privacy-eroding measures that threaten the very foundations of digital security. The panel offers an impassioned critique of these shortsighted efforts.
The once-beloved video game Helldivers 2 serves as a cautionary tale of platform overreach, as a heavy-handed PlayStation Network login requirement sparks a massive player revolt and torpedoes the game's reputation.
Apple's quarterly results are analyzed, and all eyes are on Apple's upcoming event, where new iPads and an enhanced Apple Pencil are expected to take center stage. But the real buzz surrounds the rumored M4 chip and its tantalizing AI capabilities, hinting at a potential game-changer for the iconic brand.
The group geeks out over Disney+'s radical revival of X-Men '97 and Amazon's ambitious Fallout adaptation, complete with an immersive easter egg phone experience
The freewheeling discussion also touches on Shoshana's ingenious Alexa hacks for Sabbath TV viewing, a UK council's apostrophe apocalypse, the looming cicada invasion, and Fr. Robert's role as a guardian angel for the Vatican's feral felines.
Host: Leo Laporte
Guests: Georgia Dow, Shoshana Weissmann, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
- Stamps.com promo code TWiT
- kolide.com/twit
- IntouchCX.com/twit
- expressvpn.com/twit
- NetSuite.com/TWIT
TWiT 977: Gahoo Yoogle - TikTok Ban, Intel's Struggles, Google's Ensh*ttification
TikTok Ban, Intel's Struggles, Google's Ensh*ttification
- 'Thunder Run': Behind Lawmakers' Secretive Push to Pass the TikTok Bill
- A Chinese Firm Is America's Favorite Drone Maker. Except in Washington.
- The panel taks about AI
- With YouTube Booming, Podcast Creators Get Camera-Ready
- A new California bill would restrict line-skipping service 'Clear' at airports in the name of equity
- The Man Who Killed Google Search
- Google search boss Raghavan warns employees of 'new operating reality'
- Oracle is moving its world HQ to Nashville
- Google delays third-party cookie demise yet again
- Alphabet Leaps Into $2 Trillion Club as Results Show AI Strength
- U.S. chipmaker Intel was once dominant, now struggles to stay relevant
- Twilio Founder Jeff Lawson Has Some Serious Plans for The Onion
Host: Leo Laporte
Guests: Amy Webb and Kevin Rose
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
- zscaler.com/zerotrustAI
- NetSuite.com/TWIT
- wix.com/studio
- mylio.com/TWIT25
- canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT