What if your smart TV and Firefox extensions were secretly hijacking your security and privacy? This episode reveals the jaw-dropping discovery of a massive TV botnet and the surprisingly clever malware lurking behind innocent browser icons.<ul> 
<li>North Korea's profitable fixation on cryptocurrency.</li> 
<li>Amazon uncovers a cryptomining sneaking into customer clouds.</li> 
<li>Insecure Docker API servers are also hosting cryptominers.</li> 
<li>A new and truly massive SmartTV-based botnet discovery.</li> 
<li>DNS Benchmark's 4th release.</li> 
<li>Who, besides Let's Encrypt, offers free automated certs.</li> 
<li>Some interesting listener feedback.</li> 
<li>And how a PNG Icon was used to infect 50,000 Firefox users</li></ul> 
Show Notes - <a href="https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1057-Notes.pdf">https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1057-Notes.pdf</a> 
Hosts: <a href="https://twit.tv/people/steve-gibson">Steve Gibson</a> and <a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte">Leo Laporte</a> 
Download or subscribe to Security Now at <a href="https://twit.tv/shows/security-now">https://twit.tv/shows/security-now</a>. 
You can submit a question to Security Now at the <a href="https://www.grc.com/feedback.htm" target="_blank">GRC Feedback Page</a>. 
For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: <a href="https://www.grc.com/securitynow.htm" target="_blank">grc.com</a>, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written <a href="https://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm" target="_blank">Spinrite 6</a>. 
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! 
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: <a href="https://twit.tv/clubtwit" rel="payment">https://twit.tv/clubtwit</a>
Sponsor:<ul>
<li><a href="http://zscaler.com/security" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">zscaler.com/security</a></li>
</ul>

<description>
&lt;p&gt;What if your smart TV and Firefox extensions were secretly hijacking your security and privacy? This episode reveals the jaw-dropping discovery of a massive TV botnet and the surprisingly clever malware lurking behind innocent browser icons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;North Korea's profitable fixation on cryptocurrency.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Amazon uncovers a cryptomining sneaking into customer clouds.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Insecure Docker API servers are also hosting cryptominers.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;A new and truly massive SmartTV-based botnet discovery.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;DNS Benchmark's 4th release.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Who, besides Let's Encrypt, offers free automated certs.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Some interesting listener feedback.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;And how a PNG Icon was used to infect 50,000 Firefox users&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;Show Notes - &lt;a href="https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1057-Notes.pdf"&gt;https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1057-Notes.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hosts:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/steve-gibson"&gt;Steve Gibson&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte"&gt;Leo Laporte&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;Download or subscribe to &lt;em&gt;Security Now&lt;/em&gt; at &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/shows/security-now"&gt;https://twit.tv/shows/security-now&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;You can submit a question to &lt;em&gt;Security Now&lt;/em&gt; at the &lt;a href="https://www.grc.com/feedback.htm" target="_blank"&gt;GRC Feedback Page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: &lt;a href="https://www.grc.com/securitynow.htm" target="_blank"&gt;grc.com&lt;/a&gt;, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written &lt;a href="https://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm" target="_blank"&gt;Spinrite 6&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 
Support what you love and get ad-free audio &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/clubtwit" rel="payment"&gt;https://twit.tv/clubtwit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sponsor:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://zscaler.com/security" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;zscaler.com/security&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

Free VPNs, Hidden Risks

Security Now 1057: GhostPoster

An update on the story about an Apple developer who lost access to their Apple ID. Apple receives clearance to activate the Apple Watch hypertension detection feature in Australia. Italy fines Apple $115 million over App Tracking Transparency. And we say goodbye to one of the original MacBreak Weekly panelists.<ul> 
<li>Apple developer's account restored after compromised gift card incident.</li> 
<li>Apple receives clearance to activate Apple Watch hypertension detection/notification feature in Australia.</li> 
<li>Apple agrees to third-party App Store alternatives in Brazil.</li> 
<li>Apple's iOS 26.3 will introduce proximity pairing to third-party devices in the EU.</li> 
<li>Free two-hour delivery from Apple Stores now available for a limited time.</li> 
<li>1.5 TB of VRAM on Mac Studio - RDMA over Thunderbolt 5.</li> 
<li>Italy fines Apple $115 million over App Tracking Transparency.</li> 
<li>Apple announces more ads are coming to App Store search results</li> 
<li>Apple quietly discontinued flyover city tours in Apple Maps.</li> 
<li>Why Apple's foldable iPhone may be smaller than expected.</li> 
<li>Apple TV releasing Pluribus season finale early.</li></ul> 
Picks of the Week<ul> 
<li>Alex's Pick: Homey Pro</li> 
<li>Andy's Pick: Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas &amp; Patrick Stewart's 'A Christmas Carol'</li> 
<li>Jason's Pick: Some of his favorite books, TV shows, and podcasts from the past year.</li></ul> 
Hosts: <a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte">Leo Laporte</a>, <a href="https://twit.tv/people/alex-lindsay">Alex Lindsay</a>, <a href="https://twit.tv/people/andy-ihnatko">Andy Ihnatko</a>, and <a href="https://twit.tv/people/jason-snell">Jason Snell</a> 
Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at <a href="https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly">https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly</a>. 
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! 
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: <a href="https://twit.tv/clubtwit" rel="payment">https://twit.tv/clubtwit</a>
Sponsor:<ul>
<li><a href="https://auraframes.com/ink?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=macbreakweeklytwit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">auraframes.com/ink</a></li>
</ul>

<description>
&lt;p&gt;An update on the story about an Apple developer who lost access to their Apple ID. Apple receives clearance to activate the Apple Watch hypertension detection feature in Australia. Italy fines Apple $115 million over App Tracking Transparency. And we say goodbye to one of the original &lt;em&gt;MacBreak Weekly&lt;/em&gt; panelists.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Apple developer's account restored after compromised gift card incident.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Apple receives clearance to activate Apple Watch hypertension detection/notification feature in Australia.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Apple agrees to third-party App Store alternatives in Brazil.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Apple's iOS 26.3 will introduce proximity pairing to third-party devices in the EU.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Free two-hour delivery from Apple Stores now available for a limited time.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;1.5 TB of VRAM on Mac Studio - RDMA over Thunderbolt 5.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Italy fines Apple $115 million over App Tracking Transparency.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Apple announces more ads are coming to App Store search results&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Apple quietly discontinued flyover city tours in Apple Maps.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Why Apple's foldable iPhone may be smaller than expected.&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Apple TV releasing Pluribus season finale early.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;Picks of the Week&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Alex's Pick: Homey Pro&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Andy's Pick: Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas &amp;amp; Patrick Stewart's 'A Christmas Carol'&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Jason's Pick: Some of his favorite books, TV shows, and podcasts from the past year.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hosts:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte"&gt;Leo Laporte&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/alex-lindsay"&gt;Alex Lindsay&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/andy-ihnatko"&gt;Andy Ihnatko&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/jason-snell"&gt;Jason Snell&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;Download or subscribe to &lt;em&gt;MacBreak Weekly&lt;/em&gt; at &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly"&gt;https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 
Support what you love and get ad-free audio &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/clubtwit" rel="payment"&gt;https://twit.tv/clubtwit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sponsor:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://auraframes.com/ink?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=audio&amp;utm_campaign=macbreakweeklytwit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;auraframes.com/ink&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

Into the Cupertino Mists

MacBreak Weekly 1004: A Sad Farewell

After a year tangled in political drama, AI hype, and regulation battles, the TWiT crew explains how many of tech's "biggest stories" simply fizzled into nothing or left us with new headaches by year's end.<ul> 
<li>Year-end tech trends: AI, politics, and security dominated 2025</li> 
<li>Major stories faded fast: TikTok saga, political tech drama, DOGE scandal</li> 
<li>TikTok's ownership battle—Oracle, Trump donors, and US-China tensions</li> 
<li>China tech fears: banned drones, IoT vulnerabilities, secret radios in buses</li> 
<li>Rising political pressure for internet privacy and media literacy reform</li> 
<li>Surveillance and kill switch concerns in US grid and port infrastructure</li> 
<li>Convenience vs. privacy: Americans trade data for discounts and ease</li> 
<li>Age verification, surveillance, and flawed facial recognition across countries</li> 
<li>Discord's ID leak highlights risks of rushed compliance with privacy laws</li> 
<li>Social media's impact on kids pushes age-gating and verification laws</li> 
<li>ISPs monetize customer data, VPNs pitched for personal privacy</li> 
<li>Global government crackdowns: UK bans VPN advertising, mandates age checks</li> 
<li>The illusion of absolute privacy: flawed age gates and persistent tracking</li> 
<li>AI takes over: explosive growth, but profits elusive for big players</li> 
<li>Arms race in LLMs: DeepSeek's breakthrough, OpenAI/Meta talent bidding war</li> 
<li>Ad-driven models still rule; Amazon's playbook repeated in AI</li> 
<li>Humanoid robots and AGI hype: skepticism vs. Silicon Valley optimism</li> 
<li>AI-generated art, media, and the challenge of deepfake detection</li> 
<li>Social platforms falter: Instagram and X swamped by fake or low-value content</li> 
<li>Google's legal, regulatory, and technical woes: ad tech trial, Manifest V3 backlash</li> 
<li>RAM price spikes and hardware shortages blamed on AI data center demand</li> 
<li>YouTube overtakes mobile for podcast and video viewing, Oscars move online</li> 
<li>The internet's growth: Cloudflare stats, X vs. Reddit, spam domain trends</li> 
<li>Weird tech stories: hacked crosswalks, Nintendo Switch 2 Staplegate, LEGO theft ring</li> 
<li>Sad farewell: Lamar Wilson's passing and mental health awareness in tech</li> 
<li>Reflections on the year's turbulence and hopes for a better 2026</li></ul> 
Host: <a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte">Leo Laporte</a> 
Guests: <a href="https://twit.tv/people/mikah-sargent">Mikah Sargent</a>, <a href="https://twit.tv/people/paris-martineau">Paris Martineau</a>, and <a href="https://twit.tv/people/steve-gibson">Steve Gibson</a> 
Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at <a href="https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech">https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech</a> 
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! 
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: <a href="https://twit.tv/clubtwit" rel="payment">https://twit.tv/clubtwit</a>
Sponsors:<ul>
<li><a href="http://expressvpn.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">expressvpn.com/twit</a></li>
<li><a href="http://zscaler.com/security" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">zscaler.com/security</a></li>
<li><a href="http://Melissa.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">Melissa.com/twit</a></li>
<li><a href="http://ventionteams.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">ventionteams.com/twit</a></li>
<li><a href="https://auraframes.com/ink?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=thisweekintechtwit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">auraframes.com/ink</a></li>
</ul>

<description>
&lt;p&gt;After a year tangled in political drama, AI hype, and regulation battles, the TWiT crew explains how many of tech's "biggest stories" simply fizzled into nothing or left us with new headaches by year's end.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Year-end tech trends: AI, politics, and security dominated 2025&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Major stories faded fast: TikTok saga, political tech drama, DOGE scandal&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;TikTok's ownership battle—Oracle, Trump donors, and US-China tensions&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;China tech fears: banned drones, IoT vulnerabilities, secret radios in buses&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Rising political pressure for internet privacy and media literacy reform&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Surveillance and kill switch concerns in US grid and port infrastructure&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Convenience vs. privacy: Americans trade data for discounts and ease&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Age verification, surveillance, and flawed facial recognition across countries&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Discord's ID leak highlights risks of rushed compliance with privacy laws&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Social media's impact on kids pushes age-gating and verification laws&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;ISPs monetize customer data, VPNs pitched for personal privacy&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Global government crackdowns: UK bans VPN advertising, mandates age checks&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;The illusion of absolute privacy: flawed age gates and persistent tracking&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;AI takes over: explosive growth, but profits elusive for big players&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Arms race in LLMs: DeepSeek's breakthrough, OpenAI/Meta talent bidding war&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Ad-driven models still rule; Amazon's playbook repeated in AI&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Humanoid robots and AGI hype: skepticism vs. Silicon Valley optimism&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;AI-generated art, media, and the challenge of deepfake detection&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Social platforms falter: Instagram and X swamped by fake or low-value content&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Google's legal, regulatory, and technical woes: ad tech trial, Manifest V3 backlash&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;RAM price spikes and hardware shortages blamed on AI data center demand&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;YouTube overtakes mobile for podcast and video viewing, Oscars move online&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;The internet's growth: Cloudflare stats, X vs. Reddit, spam domain trends&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Weird tech stories: hacked crosswalks, Nintendo Switch 2 Staplegate, LEGO theft ring&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Sad farewell: Lamar Wilson's passing and mental health awareness in tech&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Reflections on the year's turbulence and hopes for a better 2026&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Host:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte"&gt;Leo Laporte&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guests:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/mikah-sargent"&gt;Mikah Sargent&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/paris-martineau"&gt;Paris Martineau&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/steve-gibson"&gt;Steve Gibson&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;Download or subscribe to &lt;em&gt;This Week in Tech&lt;/em&gt; at &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech"&gt;https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 
Support what you love and get ad-free audio &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/clubtwit" rel="payment"&gt;https://twit.tv/clubtwit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://expressvpn.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;expressvpn.com/twit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://zscaler.com/security" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;zscaler.com/security&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://Melissa.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;Melissa.com/twit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://ventionteams.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;ventionteams.com/twit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://auraframes.com/ink?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=audio&amp;utm_campaign=thisweekintechtwit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;auraframes.com/ink&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

This Week in Tech 1063: The Year's End

Forget the "AI is killing the planet" panic—this episode unpacks what's actually driving tech's power grab, the financial bubble no one wants to talk about, and why the big models are starting to look eerily similar. 
CJ Trowbridge - cjtrowbridge.com - https://www.tiktok.com/@cjtrowbridge<ul> 
<li>Gemini 3 Flash: frontier intelligence built for speed</li> 
<li>The new ChatGPT Images is here | OpenAI</li> 
<li>Last Week on My Mac: How good is AI at solving Mac problems?</li> 
<li>Time Magazine's 'Person of the Year': the Architects of AI - Slashdot</li> 
<li>OpenAI are quietly adopting skills, now available in ChatGPT and Codex CLI</li> 
<li>"I was forced to use AI until the day I was laid off." Copywriters reveal how AI has decimated their industry</li> 
<li>Roomba Maker iRobot Files for Bankruptcy, With Chinese Supplier Taking Control</li> 
<li>Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training</li> 
<li>Purdue University Approves New AI Requirement For All Undergrads</li> 
<li>It's beginning to look a lot like (AI) Christmas</li> 
<li>Trump Pretends To Block State AI Laws; Media Pretends That's Legal</li> 
<li>This major cruise line just banned Meta Ray-Ban and other smart glasses — is this category already doomed?</li> 
<li>Woman Hailed as Hero for Smashing Man's Meta Smart Glasses on Subway</li> 
<li>Oscars Bolts from ABC to YouTube Starting in 2029</li> 
<li>When AI Takes the Couch: Psychometric Jailbreaks Reveal Internal Conflict in Frontier Models</li> 
<li>Simulating Life Paths with Digital Twins: AI-Generated Future Selves Influence Decision-Making and Expand Human Choice</li> 
<li>The worst person in tech bracket</li> 
<li>Banned fonts</li> 
<li>Subway bagel rats</li></ul> 
Hosts: <a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte">Leo Laporte</a>, <a href="https://twit.tv/people/jeff-jarvis">Jeff Jarvis</a>, and <a href="https://twit.tv/people/paris-martineau">Paris Martineau</a> 
Guest: <a href="https://cjtrowbridge.com/" target="_blank">CJ Trowbridge</a> 
Download or subscribe to Intelligent Machines at <a href="https://twit.tv/shows/intelligent-machines">https://twit.tv/shows/intelligent-machines</a>. 
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! 
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: <a href="https://twit.tv/clubtwit" rel="payment">https://twit.tv/clubtwit</a>
Sponsors:<ul>
<li><a href="http://agntcy.org" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">agntcy.org</a></li>
<li><a href="https://auraframes.com/ink?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=intelligentmachinestwit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">auraframes.com/ink</a></li>
</ul>

<description>
&lt;p&gt;Forget the "AI is killing the planet" panic—this episode unpacks what's actually driving tech's power grab, the financial bubble no one wants to talk about, and why the big models are starting to look eerily similar.&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;CJ Trowbridge - cjtrowbridge.com - https://www.tiktok.com/@cjtrowbridge&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Gemini 3 Flash: frontier intelligence built for speed&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;The new ChatGPT Images is here | OpenAI&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Last Week on My Mac: How good is AI at solving Mac problems?&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Time Magazine's 'Person of the Year': the Architects of AI - Slashdot&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;OpenAI are quietly adopting skills, now available in ChatGPT and Codex CLI&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;"I was forced to use AI until the day I was laid off." Copywriters reveal how AI has decimated their industry&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Roomba Maker iRobot Files for Bankruptcy, With Chinese Supplier Taking Control&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Purdue University Approves New AI Requirement For All Undergrads&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;It's beginning to look a lot like (AI) Christmas&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Trump Pretends To Block State AI Laws; Media Pretends That's Legal&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;This major cruise line just banned Meta Ray-Ban and other smart glasses — is this category already doomed?&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Woman Hailed as Hero for Smashing Man's Meta Smart Glasses on Subway&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Oscars Bolts from ABC to YouTube Starting in 2029&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;When AI Takes the Couch: Psychometric Jailbreaks Reveal Internal Conflict in Frontier Models&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Simulating Life Paths with Digital Twins: AI-Generated Future Selves Influence Decision-Making and Expand Human Choice&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;The worst person in tech bracket&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Banned fonts&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Subway bagel rats&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hosts:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte"&gt;Leo Laporte&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/jeff-jarvis"&gt;Jeff Jarvis&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/paris-martineau"&gt;Paris Martineau&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guest:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://cjtrowbridge.com/" target="_blank"&gt;CJ Trowbridge&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;Download or subscribe to &lt;em&gt;Intelligent Machines&lt;/em&gt; at &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/shows/intelligent-machines"&gt;https://twit.tv/shows/intelligent-machines&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 
Support what you love and get ad-free audio &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/clubtwit" rel="payment"&gt;https://twit.tv/clubtwit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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</description>

Open Source AI Rising

Intelligent Machines 850: Bagel Rats

We were inundated with new Windows features in 2025, but which ones actually moved the needle? Fortnite isn't just back on iPhone and Android, it's available on Windows 11 on Arm, and it works great! Plus, 2 big mobile wins for Epic Games and some thoughts on the &quot;right&quot; way to roll out AI features.Windows 11<ul> 
<li>Best Windows 11 updates of 2025, in no particular order...</li> 
<li>Dark mode improvements to File Explorer</li> 
<li>Widgets major overhaul with separate widgets and Discovery feed</li> 
<li>Xbox Full Screen experience - especially good on handhelds, of course, but also any PC you use for gaming with a controller</li> 
<li>Click to Do (Copilot+ PC only)</li> 
<li>External fingerprint reader support for Windows Hello ESS 
-External/USB webcams supported by Windows Studio Effects (Copilot+ PC only)</li> 
<li>Quick Machine Recovery is the tip of a wave of new foundational features like Admin Protection, Smart App Control (updates), and more that go beyond surface-level look and feel</li> 
<li>Redesigned Start menu isn't perfect but it's a nice improvement</li> 
<li>Copilot Vision, though this type of thing may make more sense on phones</li> 
<li>AI features in Paint, Photos, Notepad, and Snipping Tool</li> 
<li>Natural language interactions like the agent in Settings, file search, and more (mostly Copilot+ PC only, but you can do this in Copilot as well)</li> 
<li>Bluetooth LE support for improved audio quality in game chat, voice calls</li> 
<li>Gaming on Windows 11 on Arm and Snapdragon X: Major steps forward, but the same issue as always</li> 
<li>Looking ahead to 2026: 26H1, Agentic features that work, potential Windows 12, and AI PCs</li></ul> 
AI<ul> 
<li>An extensive new interview with Mustafa Suleyman confirms why this guy is special and how confusing it is that Copilot is so disrespected</li> 
<li>Microsoft Copilot is auto-installing on LG smart TVs and there's no way to remove it</li> 
<li>GPT-5.2 is OpenAI's answer to Gemini 3</li> 
<li>ChatGPT Images is OpenAI's answer to Nano Banana Pro</li> 
<li>Disney invests $1 billion OpenAI, sues Google</li> 
<li>Opera Neon is now generally available for $20 per month</li> 
<li>AI is moving quick as we all know but the bigger issue may be the incessant marketing about features like agents that don't even work now</li> 
<li>Microsoft is getting pushback on forced Copilot usage, price hikes</li> 
<li>Google is expanding its use of &quot;experiments&quot; outside of mainstream products with things like NotebookLM, Mixboard, CC, and much more. Maybe this is the better approach: Test separately and then integrate it into existing products</li> 
<li>Oddly enough, Microsoft does have a Windows AI Lab for this kind of experimentation</li> 
<li>Many small models vs. one big LLM in the cloud</li></ul> 
Mobile<ul> 
<li>Fortnite is back in the Google Play Store in the U.S. as Google plays nice</li> 
<li>Apple loses its contempt appeal, the end of &quot;junk fees&quot; (Apple Tax) is in sight</li></ul> 
Xbox and gaming<ul> 
<li>Xbox December Update has one big update for the mobile app and one big update for Xbox Wireless Headphones</li> 
<li>There's a new Xbox Developer Direct coming in January</li> 
<li>Half-Life 3 may really be happening, but it will be a Steam Machine launch title so it could be a while</li></ul> 
Tips &amp; picks<ul> 
<li>Tip of the year: De-enshittify Windows 11</li> 
<li>App pick of the year: Fortnite</li> 
<li>RunAs Radio this week: Zero Trust in 2026 with Michele Bustamante</li> 
<li>Brown liquor pick of the week: Lark Symphony No. 1</li></ul> 
These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit <a href="https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/963">https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/963</a> Hosts: <a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte">Leo Laporte</a>, <a href="https://twit.tv/people/paul-thurrott">Paul Thurrott</a>, and <a href="https://twit.tv/people/richard-campbell">Richard Campbell</a> 

Sponsors:<ul>
<li><a href="https://auraframes.com/ink?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=windowsweeklytwit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">auraframes.com/ink</a></li>
<li><a href="http://framer.com/design" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">framer.com/design promo code WW</a></li>
<li><a href="http://outsystems.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">outsystems.com/twit</a></li>
<li><a href="https://cachefly.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">cachefly.com/twit</a></li>
</ul>

<description>
&lt;p&gt;We were inundated with new Windows features in 2025, but which ones actually moved the needle? &lt;em&gt;Fortnite &lt;/em&gt;isn't just back on iPhone and Android, it's available on Windows 11 on Arm, and it works great! Plus, 2 big mobile wins for Epic Games and some thoughts on the &amp;quot;right&amp;quot; way to roll out AI features.&lt;p&gt;Windows 11&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Best Windows 11 updates of 2025, in no particular order...&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Dark mode improvements to File Explorer&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Widgets major overhaul with separate widgets and Discovery feed&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Xbox Full Screen experience - especially good on handhelds, of course, but also any PC you use for gaming with a controller&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Click to Do (Copilot+ PC only)&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;External fingerprint reader support for Windows Hello ESS &lt;br /&gt; 
&lt;/br&gt;-External/USB webcams supported by Windows Studio Effects (Copilot+ PC only)&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Quick Machine Recovery is the tip of a wave of new foundational features like Admin Protection, Smart App Control (updates), and more that go beyond surface-level look and feel&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Redesigned Start menu isn't perfect but it's a nice improvement&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Copilot Vision, though this type of thing may make more sense on phones&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;AI features in Paint, Photos, Notepad, and Snipping Tool&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Natural language interactions like the agent in Settings, file search, and more (mostly Copilot+ PC only, but you can do this in Copilot as well)&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Bluetooth LE support for improved audio quality in game chat, voice calls&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Gaming on Windows 11 on Arm and Snapdragon X: Major steps forward, but the same issue as always&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Looking ahead to 2026: 26H1, Agentic features that work, potential Windows 12, and AI PCs&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;AI&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;An extensive new interview with Mustafa Suleyman confirms why this guy is special and how confusing it is that Copilot is so disrespected&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Microsoft Copilot is auto-installing on LG smart TVs and there's no way to remove it&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;GPT-5.2 is OpenAI's answer to Gemini 3&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;ChatGPT Images is OpenAI's answer to Nano Banana Pro&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Disney invests $1 billion OpenAI, sues Google&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Opera Neon is now generally available for $20 per month&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;AI is moving quick as we all know but the bigger issue may be the incessant marketing about features like agents that don't even work now&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Microsoft is getting pushback on forced Copilot usage, price hikes&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Google is expanding its use of &amp;quot;experiments&amp;quot; outside of mainstream products with things like NotebookLM, Mixboard, CC, and much more. Maybe this is the better approach: Test separately and then integrate it into existing products&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Oddly enough, Microsoft does have a Windows AI Lab for this kind of experimentation&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Many small models vs. one big LLM in the cloud&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;Mobile&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fortnite &lt;/em&gt;is back in the Google Play Store in the U.S. as Google plays nice&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Apple loses its contempt appeal, the end of &amp;quot;junk fees&amp;quot; (Apple Tax) is in sight&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;Xbox and gaming&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Xbox December Update has one big update for the mobile app and one big update for Xbox Wireless Headphones&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;There's a new Xbox Developer Direct coming in January&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Half-Life 3&lt;/em&gt; may really be happening, but it will be a Steam Machine launch title so it could be a while&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;Tips &amp;amp; picks&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Tip of the year: De-enshittify Windows 11&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;App pick of the year: &lt;em&gt;Fortnite&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;RunAs Radio this week: Zero Trust in 2026 with Michele Bustamante&lt;/li&gt; 
&lt;li&gt;Brown liquor pick of the week: Lark Symphony No. 1&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/963"&gt;https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/963&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hosts:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte"&gt;Leo Laporte&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/paul-thurrott"&gt;Paul Thurrott&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://twit.tv/people/richard-campbell"&gt;Richard Campbell&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; 

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://auraframes.com/ink?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=audio&amp;utm_campaign=windowsweeklytwit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;auraframes.com/ink&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://framer.com/design" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;framer.com/design promo code WW&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://outsystems.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;outsystems.com/twit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://cachefly.com/twit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored"&gt;cachefly.com/twit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

Windows 11's Best Updates of 2025!

Windows Weekly 963: I've Got an Apple Guy

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