Diggnation (Rebooted)

This week on Diggnation, Kevin ends his seven-month break from alcohol with a glass of wine and some podcast-inspired reflection on why being too rigid about anything might be its own kind of burden, While Alex sips wine and regrets live theater. Kevin reveals he has aphantasia, aka the inability to conjure mental images, which he says disqualifies him from certain forms of _ahem_ nostalgia. The pair dive into the existential horror of AI-enabled children’s toys that suggest you play with knives and explore kinks. On a lighter note, converting vintage cars to electric sparks a surprisingly feasible business idea. Waymo’s freeway rollout gets love, as the duo dreams of an L.A. where robots take the wheel and people take naps. Meanwhile, Michael Burry shorting AI stocks makes Kevin wonder if we’re still in early-internet territory or just early-stage delusion. Bezos launches an AI company because of course he does, and Nintendo drops the first look at its live-action _Zelda_ movie, which may or may not have been necessary. Also: eggnog aging, budgeting apps, and a play that made Alex fear for his life. It’s an episode.

Chapter Markers

00:00:00 - Kevin's First Sip in 7 Months 
00:00:56 - Welcome to Episode 23 
00:02:58 - Rethinking Alcohol Rules 
00:07:44 - Aged Eggnog: Discuss 
00:09:25 - The Two-Two-Two Rule Returns 
00:12:15 - Birthday Trips and Holiday Plans 
00:14:08 - LA Auto Show Highlights 
00:15:14 - Converting Classic Cars to EV 
00:17:47 - EV Startups: Why It’s Hard 
00:19:20 - Zelda Movie: First Look 
00:20:26 - Who Is Wes Ball? 
00:22:53 - AI Toys Gone Wild 
00:24:49 - Kuma Bear’s Kink Talk 
00:33:48 - Predator and The Red Carpet 
00:34:47 - Christmas Music Timing War 
00:37:05 - Kevin Has Aphantasia
00:40:49 - The Spank Bank Problem 
00:43:44 - Creativity With Constraints 
00:52:56 - Waymo Hits the Freeway 
00:53:52 - Driverless Rides + Paranormal Play 
01:02:47 - Game Awards: Who’s Nominated 
01:08:42 - Burry Bets Against AI 
01:10:53 - AI: Bubble or Beginning? 
01:18:07 - Internet vs. Quantum Hopes 
01:19:30 - Bezos Launches Prometheus AI 
01:21:26 - Robots and Retail 
01:24:14 - Episode Wrap-Up

Sponsors

ZBiotics – Get 15% off your first order of ZBiotics probiotics at https://zbiotics.com/DIGG with code DIGG at checkout.

Henson Shaving – Use code DIGG at https://hensonshaving.com/DIGG to get a free pack of 100 blades with your razor purchase. You must add both the blades and the razor for the discount to apply.

Mizzen and Main – Go to https://mizzenandmain.com and use promo code Digg20 for 20% off your first purchase.

Monarch – Get 50% off your first year with code DIGG at https://monarch.com

DeleteMe – Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan at joindeleteme.com/DIGG with promo code DIGG at checkout.

In this episode, we go full spectrum, from the rise of AI-powered web browsers like ChatGPT’s Atlas and OpenAI’s latest updates, to what it’s actually like hitting six months sober and realizing Jack Daniels might still text back.

We celebrate some new EV purchases (yes, there’s a BMW iX involved), talk about Rivian’s new electric bike, and break down one of the boldest art heists in modern history, where a crew literally used a bucket truck to steal royal jewels from the Louvre.

Somewhere between Apple’s innovation slump, the philosophy of consciousness, and the idea that our brains are just rendering reality like a bad GPU, we try to make sense of existence one story at a time.

Basically, it’s us doing what we do best: chasing tech, culture, and absurdity until it all makes some kind of sense.

📝 Key Points

• Kevin hits six months sober and talks about resetting his relationship with alcohol
• Alex unveils his new BMW iX EV and breaks down its design and performance
• New AI-powered browsers like ChatGPT Atlas shake up how we search the web
• Kevin orders the new Rivian electric bike with 100-mile range and smart features
• Breakthrough retina-implant tech gives vision back to people with macular degeneration
• Deep dive into consciousness, perception, and whether reality is just “rendered” in our brains
• Debate over Apple’s next AI move: build its own model or partner with OpenAI or Google
• Meta’s identity crisis and why the company keeps missing real innovation
• Why a 500-mile EV range could change how drivers emotionally connect to electric cars
• The Louvre Museum jewel heist: thieves, a bucket truck, and French security fails
• Reflecting on time, mortality, and the truth that every 100 years everyone is new
• Finding meaning in the moment instead of doom-scrolling through negativity

⏱ Chapters

00:00 Intro
05:00 The Shirtening Cometh: Computer Costume Creativity
12:00 Louvre Larceny: Art Theft Gone Wild
17:00 Brain Zaps for Gym Motivation
19:00 AI Browsers: The Future of Web Surfing?
27:00 Kevin’s Crypto Conundrum
30:00 The Great Car Reveal: Alex’s New Ride
37:00 Electric Dreams: The Future of EVs
43:00 Two-Wheeled Freedom: Kevin’s E-Bike Adventure
48:00 Seeing Is Believing: Retina Implant Breakthroughs
54:00 The Philosophical Rabbit Hole
1:02:00 Time Flies: The Fleeting Nature of Existence
1:07:00 Living in the Moment: Kevin’s Life Philosophy
1:11:00 Apple’s Appetite for AI: To Build or to Partner?
1:17:00 The Meta Muddle: Facebook’s Identity Crisis
1:21:00 iPhone Woes: Apple’s Production Predicament
1:24:00 Wrapping Up: Sober Reflections and Future Fun

🪒 Sponsors

Monarch – Get 50% off your first year when you use code DIGG at monarch.com

Henson Shaving – Use code DIGG at HENSONSHAVING.com/DIGG to get a free pack of 100 blades with your razor purchase. You must add both the blades and the razor for the discount to apply.

Claude (by Anthropic) – Sign up at claude.ai/DIGG to get 50% off Claude Pro for your first three months.

Mizzen & Main – Visit mizzenandmain.com and use code DIGG20 for 20% off your first purchase.

RSVP for Chicago Digg Meetup! https://app.getriver.io/beta/events/digg-human-captcha-chicago-irl-meetup-sc1

In this week’s Diggnation:
Kevin and Alex drink a mysterious brain fuel that tastes like chemical warfare, get roasted by OpenAI’s video model (bald caps included), and pitch a LAN party for aging nerds. They also question if computer science degrees still matter, fantasize about neurotech that forces you to work out, and ask the most pressing question of our time: what if Instagram was just... Instagram again? Oh, and there's a legit HIV prevention breakthrough hiding in there, too.

Sponsors

ZBiotics
Get 15% off your first order at zbiotics.com/DIGG with code DIGG at checkout.

Square
Learn how your business can grow at square.com/go/DIGG

Claude (by Anthropic)
Get 50% off your first three months of Claude Pro at claude.ai/DIGG

DeleteMe
Save 20% on your DeleteMe plan at joindeleteme.com/DIGG using code DIGG

Monarch Money
Get 50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code DIGG

Chapter Markers

00:00 Intro
03:01 The Shirtening Cometh + When Digg Collabed with Nike
06:06 Happy Birthday, Now Here’s a Deep Cut About Early Digg
07:42 Kevin’s Pro Phone Era and Apple’s Unhinged Glass UI
10:13 Tron Eris, Fake Beer, and Probiotics for Grown-Up Drinkers
14:15 Sora 2 Balds Kevin, Internet Debates If It’s an Upgrade
17:18 Deepfakes, Surrogates, and the Death of “That’s Clearly Fake”
21:31 Brain Zaps for Gym Motivation: Welcome to the Neurotech Era
26:11 Huawei Shrinks AI, Your GPU Fan Starts Screaming
28:36 Local AI Models, No Cloud, No Corporate Listening Devices
34:10 Sponsored by Square: Tap to Pay, Stay for the Data
35:56 Claude 4.5 Fixes Code, GPT-5 Throws Vibes and Errors
41:20 Why Build Apps When AI Can Just Read Your Mind
42:44 Kevin Gives Away Free App Ideas, Again
45:46 “Old Man Weekend”: LAN Parties, Diner Coffee, No Wi-Fi Allowed
52:13 Sponsor Break: Delete Yourself, Then Budget Wisely
54:12 The $40 HIV Shot That Could Change Everything
56:30 Herpes, Stats, and the Stigma Nobody Wants to Talk About
1:02:14 Instagram, But Worse: Where Photos Go to Die
1:07:07 Windowless Jet, Giant Screens, and One Extremely Texas Grill

Broadcasting from Kevin’s new ADU bunker (goodbye Neuehouse, we barely knew you), Kevin and Alex are back with 80-ish minutes of tech, pranks, and philosophical spirals. From Apple’s latest brain-implants-that-go-in-your-ears to a Samsung fridge trying to sell you stuff while chilling your oat milk, it’s a full spectrum ride through what the internet's doing to us—sometimes with our permission, sometimes with ads. Also: AI fails, mystery stereo tubes, and a German slug with strong prank energy. 

🧪 ZBiotics
Go to https://zbiotics.com/DIGG and use code DIGG at checkout for 15% off your first order.

Anthropic / Claude
The AI collaborator for deeper thinking.
50% off Claude Pro at Claude.ai/DIGG with code DIGG

LMNT
Zero-sugar electrolytes that actually work.  
Get a free sample pack with any order at drinkLMNT.com/DIGG.

💰 Monarch Money
Get 50% off your first year at https://monarchmoney.com with code DIGG at checkout.

DeleteMe
Get your personal data off the internet.  
20% off at joindeleteme.com/DIGG with code DIGG.

Chapter Markers
0:00:00 – Cold open
0:00:39 – Officially episode 20, welcome to the chaos.  
0:01:03 – Kevin lost an office, gained a backyard studio.  
0:02:24 – Studio tour features incense, Buddha, and a suspiciously nice stereo.  
0:04:33 – Phones are ruining mindfulness and wrecking millennial intestines.  
0:06:03 – Political engagement exists mostly to keep you angry.  
0:09:16 – Alex pitches viral videos about artisanal charcoal.  
0:11:05 – Kevin reviews face lasers, Alex reviews earbuds.  
0:13:41 – ZBiotics wants to save your liver from you.  
0:16:09 – Thanks San Francisco, next stop Chicago.  
0:18:57 – AirPods Pro 3: now with live translation and pulse checks.  
0:21:06 – An impromptu hearing test roasts the hosts’ ears.  
0:22:27 – Apple keynotes should be heckled MST3K-style.  
0:23:16 – Kevin hates phone cases, Alex chooses peach.  
0:26:24 – MagSafe wallets meet crypto credit cards.  
0:27:43 – Kevin turns credit points into a Japan trip.  
0:30:16 – Apple pretends to avoid AI, then demos AI.  
0:35:57 – Rumors fly about touchscreen Macs and chip envy.  
0:37:54 – Claude AI shows off its straight-A student energy.  
0:40:48 – LMNT: electrolytes, but Navy Seal-approved.  
0:43:29 – Meta glasses want to record your entire existence.  
0:47:37 – Tech companies now monetize the in-between moments.  
0:51:10 – Zuckerberg’s AI kitchen demo burns the recipe.  
0:55:25 – Samsung fridges now idle as ad billboards.  
1:01:47 – Kevin asks if the internet can still be fun.  
1:09:05 – Diggnation is officially everywhere now.  
1:09:57 – Monarch Money: couples’ therapy disguised as budgeting.  
1:12:36 – DeleteMe erases your data from shady corners of the web.  
1:14:20 – A German slug pranks neighbors by ringing doorbells.  
1:16:28 – Childhood pranks involved eggs, TP, and fire bags.  
1:18:48 – Kids now bond over lag screens instead of bike rides.  
1:20:26 – Wrapping up with meetups, studio thanks, and goodbyes.