Christina and Simone are bringing you a classic chaos hour of Rocket. Today’s questions: is social media dying, and is it possible to build a platform that can thrive without turning users into content for ad revenue? Also, remembering Netflix’s mail-order heyday, now that it has announced the end of physical DVD rentals. Finally, a bombshell allegation about Taylor Swift’s dealings with FTX… the perfect Rocket cocktail.

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Twitter promises it’s really, actually removing legacy blue on April 20th - The Verge

Social media is doomed to die - The Verge

Netflix is shutting down its original DVD business after 25 years - The Verge

The Block: Taylor Swift did due diligence on FTX, says lawyer who finally served Shaq, Tom Brady

The GitHub Shop | Home

Finally, the case of Brianna v. Christina is drawing to a close, as Elizabeth Holmes prison date looms… this week on Rocket, we’re talking about Twitter’s contentious relationship with journalism and the latest “quirks” of the platform, which include private tweets going public, and a feud with Substack. Then, HBO Max is rebranding… again! And finally, Fyre Fest 2. It’s been promised, so you know we’re packing our bags.

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Convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes must report to prison, judge rules | Ars Technica

Peter Rising MVP - YouTube

Is Twitter Circles Broken?

Twitter Is Screwing With Substack Links

NPR quits Twitter after being falsely labeled as 'state-affiliated media' : NPR

HBO and Discovery’s ‘Max’ streaming service is here - The Verge

Billy McFarland Warns, Fyre Fest 2 ‘Is Finally Happening’

The GitHub Shop | Home

There are rumors swirling about a new PlayStation handheld — but can Sony really put out an online-only handheld and expect to compete with the Steam Deck and Switch? Then, the first ChatGPT defamation lawsuits are emerging, and the situation is a mess. Brianna has some controversial opinions about Ryan Gosling as Ken in the Barbie movie, and Simone is not young anymore.

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Could a new PlayStation handheld be built for Remote Play? I like the idea - The Verge

gaming.com/playstation-handheld/">EXCLUSIVE - Sony's Next PlayStation Handheld - Insider Gaming

What happens when ChatGPT lies about real people? - The Washington Post

Watch the new Barbie trailer starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling - Polygon

Read Hari Nef's Heartwarming Letter to Greta Gerwig About Being Cast in 'Barbie' | Them

It's FINALLY time to actually talk about the TikTok hearings, and our opinions on how Congress has handled grilling the social media giant — and the potential bills that they're considering. Then, what are the terms of SBF's bail? Just how much internet access can that man have? Finally, we're talking a rambly and non-spoilery review of John Wick 4, a movie that doesn't feel almost three hours long.

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The RESTRICT ACT known as the tiktok ban, bill S.686 is a terrifying b... | TikTok

The RESTRICT Act creates blanket authority, with few checks, to ban just about anything linked to a ‘foreign adversary’

That TikTok hearing was pretty messed up, right? - The Verge

How TikTok failed to make the case for itself - The Verge

TikTok ban pushed by Missouri's Hawley blocked in Senate | AP News

The RESTRICT Act creates blanket authority, with few checks, to ban just about anything linked to a ‘foreign adversary’

SBF Cut Off From His Favorite Toys Under New Proposed Bail Conditions

The Block: Prosecutors say SBF should only access approved websites. He wants Door Dash and the New York Post

5 ways John Wick’s huge box-office success needs to inspire Hollywood - Polygon

John Wick: Chapter 4 is an eat-the-rich movie - Polygon

We’re talking TikTok WAIT NO we’re talking the SEC fining Justin Sun and numerous celebrities spokespeople for cryptocurrency shenanigans! Then, it’s sadly time to bid goodbye to DPReview, the beloved camera website. Meanwhile, we never even got to say hello to Tax Heaven 3000, a dating sim/tax filing software that Steam yanked unceremoniously this week — or did they?

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TikTok ban hearing: all the news on the US’s crackdown on the video platform - The Verge

US issues sweeping restrictions on chip sales to China - The Verge

TikTok CEO appears on TikTok to warn users about the TikTok ban - The Verge

Biden administration reportedly demanding that TikTok sell or face a ban - The Verge

Congress rolls out new bill allowing nationwide TikTok ban - The Verge

hits-jake-paul-lindsey-lohan-justin-sun-with-crypto-violations.html">SEC hits Jake Paul, Lindsay Lohan, Justin Sun with crypto violations

Tron Founder Justin Sun Sued by U.S. SEC on Securities, Market Manipulation Charges

SEC.gov | SEC Charges Crypto Entrepreneur Justin Sun and his Companies for Fraud and Other Securities Law Violations

Amazon is shutting down DPReview, the go-to camera reviews website - The Verge

The Lost Cities of Geo - 99% Invisible

MSCHF’s Tax Heaven 3000 is a dating simulator that can prepare your taxes - The Verge

Tonight’s special guest is The Verge’s senior writer Elizabeth Lopatto, to discuss what else but: THE COLLAPSE OF SILICON VALLEY BANK. She’s a pragmatic, expert voice to walk all of us through a confusing and dramatic weekend, and she knows what we should be keeping an eye on next. Then, Brianna and Simone discuss the existence of the moon, and Scream 6!

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Elizabeth Lopatto

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Bank Shares Tumble in Wake of Failures - The New York Times

The Demise of Silicon Valley Bank - by Marc Rubinstein

How Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, who it affects, and what happens now - The Verge

Samsung caught faking zoom photos of the Moon - The Verge

Scream VI review: The meta horror franchise fights for its life - Polygon

Simone is back but still dying of Italian respiratory diseases. Still, we’re in for a high-energy show! Let’s talk about Google’s forays into AI — are they behind Microsoft, or will their years of research put them out ahead in the end? Then, a Spotify redesign threatens to make the app more visually similar to TikTok. Is Spotify doing something smart or overextending itself? Finally, Christina explains one of the biggest financial scams in recent memory.

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How Google Became Cautious of AI and Gave Microsoft an Opening - WSJ

Google’s one step closer to building its 1,000-language AI model - The Verge

ChatGPT Success Drives Google to Put AI in All Its Products - Bloomberg

Cory Doctorow (@pluralistic@mamot.fr) on Twitter: "So there's a great Thai restaurant in my neighborhood called Kiin. Yesterday, I searched for their website to order some takeout. Here's the Google result. https://t.co/JFCyvXV9be" / Twitter

I tried using AI. It scared me. - YouTube

Spotify’s new design turns your music and podcasts into a TikTok feed - The Verge

How the Biggest Fraud in German History Unravelled | The New Yorker

Covert cameras and alleged hacking: how bust payments company Wirecard ‘hired spies and lawyers to silence critics’ | Financial sector | The Guardian

Amazon.com: Money Men: A Hot Startup, A Billion Dollar Fraud, A Fight for the Truth eBook : McCrum, Dan: Kindle Store

This week on Rocket, Simone kissed too many Italians, so Brianna and Christina are running amok. They talk about the new ChatGPT API and the potential it could have on different startups and industries, the risky bets Binance made with its customer’s money (without telling them) and Elizabeth Holmes’ latest attempt to get out of jail, thus saving Christina $500.

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OpenAI announces an API for ChatGPT and its Whisper speech-to-text tech - The Verge

Introducing ChatGPT and Whisper APIs

Introduction - OpenAI API

Binance’s Asset Shuffling Eerily Similar To Maneuvers By FTX

Binance Can’t Keep Its Story Straight on Misplaced $1.8B USDC

Tweet / Twitter

Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend: Zuckoff, Mitchell: 9780812968361: Amazon.com: Books

Elizabeth Holmes Gives Birth to 2nd Child, Asks to Remain Free Pending Appeal

Court Filing

This week on Rocket, Simone is in Italy, so Brianna and Christina are joined by special guest Alex Cranz! They discuss some important technology cases in front of the Supreme Court, Meta’s new plan for verified Facebook and Instagram accounts, and finally wrap things up with some delicious dirt about the most successful show on TV that you don’t watch, but your parents definitely do, Yellowstone.

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Alex Cranz

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In lawsuit against tech companies, justices debate what it means to “aid and abet” terrorism - SCOTUSblog

“Not, like, the nine greatest experts on the internet”: Justices seem leery of broad ruling on Section 230 - SCOTUSblog

Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter v. Taamneh: Supreme Court hears Section 230 arguments - The Verge

Meta’s launching $12 per month paid verification on Instagram and Facebook - The Verge

Testing Meta Verified to Help Creators Establish Their Presence | Meta for Creators

Casualties of the Costner-Yellowstone Crossfire - Puck

How ‘Yellowstone’ Became America’s Most Popular TV Show - The Atlantic

Taylor Sheridan Talks Sicario: Day of the Soldado Movie and Yellowstone TV Series

This week on Rocket, the word of the day is ENGAGEMENT! Elon Musk has ordered Twitter engineers to boost engagement of his own Tweets. So that’s normal! Meanwhile, how are things going over on Mastodon? There’s some kerfuffle in the tech world over growth on the platform(s). Brianna and Christina discuss their own experience with the decentralized social network. Finally, Marcin Wichery joins us to discuss his history of keyboards, Shift Happens!

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Yes, Elon Musk created a special system for showing you all his tweets first

The Mastodon Bump Is Now a Slump | WIRED

Martin Holland (@fingolas) | Calckey Social

Lazy Reporters Claiming Fediverse Is ‘Slumping,’ Despite Massive Increase In Usage | Techdirt

Marcin Wichary (@mwichary) / Twitter

Shift Happens

Shift Happens: A book about keyboards by Marcin Wichary — Kickstarter

Microsoft and Google have got it and they’re flaunting it. It being AI-POWERED SEARCH. How’s is going, and what are the benefits and concerns? Then, a Right to Repair bill has passed in New York State — but by the time it was signed it had been somewhat defanged by corporate lobbyists. What does it mean for Right to Repair more broadly? For dessert we have Jason Torchinsky and Matt Hardigree of The Autopian calling in to tell us about the hot new independent automotive news site — and illegal engines.

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Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing is open for everyone to try starting today - The Verge

Google’s AI chatbot Bard makes factual error in first demo - The Verge

Microsoft announces new Bing and Edge browser powered by upgraded ChatGPT AI - The Verge

How Big Tech rewrote the nation’s first cell phone repair law | Grist

John Deere commits to letting farmers repair their own tractors (kind of) - The Verge

Metroid Prime remaster comes to Nintendo Switch - Polygon

Ferrari Patent Shows They've Been Thinking About A Jet-Propelled Car, Just Like Isaac Newton - The Autopian

Tesla is coming under fire for misleading customers with its self-driving promises. Does the case hold any water, and what are the consequences if Tesla is found guilty? Plus, deepfake pornography could (and SHOULD!) be taken to the courtroom as well. Finally — what are Netflix's proposed password sharing rules anyway?

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autopilot-investigation.html">Tesla’s Self-Driving Technology Comes Under Justice Dept. Scrutiny - The New York Times

Mercedes-Benz is the first to bring Level 3 automated driving to the US - The Verge

AP deletes ‘the French' tweet and apologises after it is widely mocked - BBC News

QTCinderella promises to sue creator of deepfake website - Dexerto

Pokimane blasts users who “sexualize and profit” off streamers amid Deepfake drama - Dexerto

Pokimane reveals plans to hold online trolls accountable for their actions - Dexerto

Deepfake porn is ruining women’s lives. Now the law may finally ban it. | MIT Technology Review

Netflix hasn’t confirmed its plans to stop password sharing just yet - The Verge

Netflix lists rules and exemptions to prevent account sharing outside household | TechCrunch

Longtime Twitter users are cast into mourning as Twitter cuts off API access for third-party clients. Many of those apps are beloved by Twitter's power users and built the site that we know and love — love? Is that the right word? — today. Then, furor online over the reveal that CNET has long been using AI to write select financial articles, and that over half those articles had factual errors. How does something like this happen? Finally, two of Rocket's favorite scamsters are making big comebacks.

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The third-party apps Twitter just killed made the site what it is today - The Verge

CNET found errors in more than half of its AI-written stories - The Verge

Inside CNET’s AI-powered SEO money machine - The Verge

Anna "Delvey" Sorokin to star in new reality show while on house arrest - CBS News

Fyre Festival founder launches new venture 

The Wild World of Mobile Game Ads

In an action-packed show, we're talking about the REVIVAL OF THE HOMEPOD. Yes folks, she's BACK and she's ready to woof. The Mac Mini is also here, and Christina has a very compelling case for its existence. Meanwhile, Logan Paul has apologized to a popular YouTuber for calling him a liar and a criminal! But it's not all good news for his CryptoZoo… schemes. For dessert, a Forbes 30 Under 30 alum takes on JP Morgan Chase. And not in a good way.

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Apple announces a Mac Mini with the M2 and M2 Pro - The Verge

Apple announces revamped full-size HomePod two years after discontinuing original - The Verge

JP Morgan Says Startup Founder Used Millions Of Fake Customers To Dupe It Into An Acquisition

The FAA has had a massive outage, and there are rumors about a design change that would make MacBooks — and maybe iMacs? — incredibly exciting. Plus, what's up with Logan Paul's second alleged crypto pump-and-dump? SERIOUSLY?

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flights-faa-outage.html">What is NOTAM? Here’s Why the FAA Grounded Flights - The New York Times

The F.A.A. Said It Traced the Problem to a Damaged Database File - The New York Times

Apple might finally make a touchscreen Mac - The Verge

Logan Paul's OTHER Crypto Scam (Dink Doink) - YouTube

Dink Doink Crypto Scandal? 12 Things to Know About Logan Paul’s Controversial Ties to Meme Coin $DINK | Nasdaq

The bizarre Arthur episode that spoofed South Park, Beavis & Butt-Head, and WWE - Polygon

We're all BACK on the hot mic and talking about our best and worst scams, products, and purchases of 2022. Who still has a LastPass subscription? Who believes in FTX? Who loves to throw money down the Apple well? You'll find it all out here, in the awards show that has, possibly, our MOST unanimous nominations EVER.

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Apple AirPods Pro (second-gen) review: same look, better everything else - The Verge

Apple Studio Display review: nothing to see here - The Verge

How The Steam Deck Is Changing Console Gaming - YouTube

Minder Laptop Tower Stand 2.0 | Brookstone

Hackers stole encrypted LastPass password vaults, and we’re just now hearing about it - The Verge

binance-crypto-explained.html">Why Did FTX Collapse? Here’s What to Know. - The New York Times

PowerWash Simulator review: the ultimate chill out game - Polygon

CLIP SHOW. Are there any two words that bring more joy to listener's hearts? That's right, this week, you'll be finding out how right (or wrong) we were about the Musk acquisition of Twitter by revisiting previous predictions. Plus, we revisit our exclusive interview with Bug from Spooky Games. Because Brianna will not rest until you buy Halloween too.

Guest Starring:

Frank Wu

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Spooky Pinball – The Best Pinball Company in Benton, WI

SBF is getting extradited, Elon Musk is acting up and we’re just about sick of it. Luckily Jake Adelstein is here to chat about Tokyo Vice, his life as a crime reporter, and his new podcast — about disappearances in Japan.

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Sam Bankman-Fried will be extradited to the US tonight, Bahamas AG says | CNN Business

Elon Musk isn’t serious about giving power to a new CEO - The Verge

Elon Musk blocks Twitter Spaces after confrontation with banned journalist - The Verge

Elon Musk Calls Twitter Crashing Plane in Discussion

The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods on Apple Podcasts

evaporated-podcast-review-japan-missing-people.html">‘The Evaporated’ Podcast Review: Japan’s Dark Side

3-review.html">Yakuza 3 reviewed by Yakuza | Boing Boing

Jake Adelstein/中本哲史 (@jakeadelstein) / Twitter

SBF has been indicted so we're ranking him on our tier list of people who should face repercussions for their actions (S-tier). Then, an EU act threatens to require Apple to allow sideloading apps on iOS. Who stands to benefit, and who stands to suffer? Finally, Brianna and Simone discuss their favorite games of the year.

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Sam Bankman-Fried’s arrest in the Bahamas and FTX’s crypto collapse, explained - Vox

bankman-fried-indictment.html">Here is the criminal indictment against Sam Bankman-Fried - The New York Times

sam-bankman-fried-fraud-charges.html">Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX Engaged in Fraud for Years, Prosecutors Say - The New York Times

parents-ftx-collapse.html">Sam Bankman-Fried’s Parents Under Scrutiny in FTX Collapse - The New York Times

Sam Bankman Fried Was Arrested - YouTube

Apple is reportedly preparing to allow third-party app stores on the iPhone - The Verge

Report: Apple plans to support sideloading and third-party app stores by 2024 | Ars Technica

The best video games of 2022 - Polygon

ChatGPT is taking the internet by storm, and Apple is launching a powerful new encryption option. Also, Taylor Swift REALLY dodged a bullet, y'all.

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theranos-coo-sunny-balwani-sentenced-to-almost-13-years-in-prison-224811771.html">Former Theranos COO Sunny Balwani sentenced to almost 13 years in prison

ChatGPT, artificial intelligence, and the future of education - Vox

What is AI chatbot phenomenon ChatGPT and could it replace humans? | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

official on Twitter: "seems legit https://t.co/mGysyzt3W1" / Twitter

Apple Expands End-to-End Encryption to iCloud Backups | WIRED

announces-plans-to-encrypt-icloud-backups.html">Apple announces plans to encrypt iCloud backups

Taylor Swift had a $100M FTX sponsorship deal fall apart prior to its bankruptcy: Report

FTX held talks with Taylor Swift over $100mn sponsorship deal | Financial Times

Alameda & FTX Archive

This week on Rocket, the BAD BOYS OF TECH are all over the news! Elon Musk? He's fighting Apple! Sam Bankman Fried? He's giving ill-advised interviews at Dealbook Summit! All these bad boys and more are the subject of this week's show, so tune in to get the lowdown on Bad Boys near you. (Nearness of Bad Boys is not a guarantee and the hosts of Rocket take no responsibility for your ability to access Bad Boys of Tech. Much like SBF, we don't know anything about commingling.)

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musk-goes-to-war-with-apple-over-app-store-fees-moderation-214024832.html">Elon Musk goes to war with Apple over App Store fees, moderation

app-store-daniel-ek-spotify-ceo-151829989.html">'Apple is shameless in their bullying': Spotify CEO joins Elon Musk in slamming App Store policies

Elon Musk is dragging Apple into the culture wars - The Verge

‘Look, I Screwed Up’: Sam Bankman-Fried Is Challenged on the Collapse of FTX - The New York Times

Full Transcript: NY Times' Interview With Sam Bankman-Fried

ohyeahbriannawu - Twitch

We're revisiting FTX and what we've learned since last week's recording about the goings-on chez team FTX. Then, Bob Iger is back at Disney! The stock market is optimistic — can he make the magic happen again? Last but not least, let's dish about Mastodon. In the wake of Twitter's slow implosion, many people have moved over to the decentralized social network — and Christina has some opinions.

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They Lived Together, Worked Together and Lost Billions Together: Inside Sam Bankman-Fried’s Doomed FTX Empire - WSJ

Tumblr Blog Linked to Ex-Alameda CEO Explored Race Science, ‘Imperial Chinese Harem’ Polyamory - Decrypt

Bob Iger's Risky Second Act as Disney CEO - Variety

What Fleeing Twitter Users Will—and Won’t—Find on Mastodon | The New Yorker

FTX has collapsed so spectacularly over the last couple weeks. Let's start digging into the downfall of crypto's golden boy and a company that many thought was stable. Then, it's a dip into what the heck is going on at Twitter. It ain't good! Writer Alanis King joins us to discuss her book written with Elizabeth Blackstock, Racing with Rich Energy. It tells the story of the rise and fall of one of F1's weirder sponsor scams, and it is Delicious.

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Guest Starring:

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FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried are collapsing. How crypto’s biggest star imploded. - Vox

The fall of FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried - Vox

Interview: Fallen crypto CEO Sam Bankman-Fried opens up about FTX, Alameda Research, and his regrets - Vox

Mercedes F1 team suspends partnership with FTX | Reuters

Exclusive: Behind FTX's fall, battling billionaires and a failed bid to save crypto | Reuters

Sam Bankman-Fried Tells FTX Investors Bankruptcy Likely Without More Capital - Bloomberg

Untangling the knotty empire of Bankman-Fried and FTX | Financial Times

The collapse of FTX has resulted in a proposed class action suit that includes Tom Brady and Steph Curry - SBNation.com

The FTX Disaster is Deeper Than you Think - YouTube

musk-twitter-employee-deadline.html">Elon Musk Gives Twitter Employees a Deadline to Stay or Leave - The New York Times

Twitter's $8 ‘verification’ makes blue check marks mostly meaningless - The Washington Post

Senator Edward Markey and Musk exchange barbs on impersonation scandal - The Washington Post

Musk trolls senator demanding answers on Twitter fake-account scandal | Ars Technica

Racing with Rich Energy: The Book

This week on Rocket — TWIT TAKES OVER! Or, we take over TWiT! Leo Laporte was kind enough to have the whole Rocket gang on his show this week, where we talked at length about Elon Musk's ongoing chaos at Twitter, and Brianna ran a demented quiz for Leo and Christina.

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The Pies Have It

Elon Musk bought Twitter. Now what? Then, Henry Cavill is leaving The Witcher!! Nooo!!

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Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Welcome to hell, Elon - The Verge

musk-twitter-advertisers.html">Elon Musk’s Twitter Faces Exodus of Advertisers and Executives - The New York Times

Elon Musk is the CEO of Twitter - The Verge

musk-twitter-resistance-tweeters.html">Liberals are trying to defend Twitter from Elon Musk like it’s Kyiv.

Scoop: Musk team working to reboot Vine this year

Henry Cavill leaving Netflix’s The Witcher for season 4 - Polygon

Tech Podcasts From People You Trust | This Week in Tech | TWiT

Tumblr Staff — Introducing: Community Labels As you know, art and...

Matt on Tumblr on Tumblr

An AV company shuts down, Apple kills a cable, and Taylor Swift releases Midnights. All that and more on Rocket as we prepare for a year of being forced to cover Twitter on a weekly basis!

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Argo AI, driverless startup backed by Ford and VW, is shutting down - The Verge

Even After $100 Billion, Self-Driving Cars Are Going Nowhere - Bloomberg

Apple Will Switch iPhone to USB-C Because 'We Have No Choice' | PCMag

Taylor Swift’s Midnights album: What do all the lyrics mean? - Vox

The Internet's Biggest Jack Antonoff Hater Explains Himself | Defector

caleb gamman on Twitter: "im able to instantly detect if jack antonoff worked on a song due to a visceral hatred of his production style https://t.co/qebe0nugXS" / Twitter

We've got two new iPads and a new Apple TV coming from Apple — who's already bought them, and who's on the fence? The answer… may surprise you? I don't know you!! Then, Konami definitely surprised everyone with a slew of new Silent Hill games. But are they what the people want? Olivia Wilde also satisfied the whole internet by revealing the salad dressing recipe that shook the world. Rocket is maybe the only tech podcast where you'll get to hear about new iPads AND Olivia Wilde's salad dressing.

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Rocket | Cotton Bureau

The new iPad makes no sense - The Verge

Apple launches redesigned iPad with a bigger screen and USB-C - The Verge

Compared: M2 iPad Pro vs M1 iPad Pro | AppleInsider

How to preorder the 2022 Apple TV 4K - The Verge

Konami announces Silent Hill F and a Silent Hill 2 remake - The Verge

Silent Hill: Ascension Is a Live Silent Hill Event Coming Next Year - IGN

Olivia Wilde Just Shared Her "Special" Salad Dressing Recipe

Simone wanted to be with her mom, so Brianna and Christina try to handle the show without her. They talk about Facebook’s Meta Connect event and all the new Quest and VR news, before debating whether or not Brianna should spend $1600 on an Nvidia 4090, now that reviews are out and the card seems truly excellent.

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The Meta Quest Pro costs $1,499 and ships October 25th - The Verge

The Meta Quest Pro is a cutting-edge headset looking for an audience - The Verge

Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to the Meta Quest - The Verge

NBCU Deal With Meta Will Bring Peacock, 'The Office' and More to VR - Variety

RTX 4090 review: Spend at least $1,599 for Nvidia’s biggest bargain in years | Ars Technica

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition Review & Benchmarks: Gaming, Power, & Thermals - YouTube

Is the fastest GPU ALWAYS the best? - YouTube

We need to have a chat about these 4090 Benchmarks... - YouTube

A brief update in the Chess cheating scandal has Bri and Simone, hat in hand, begging for forgiveness for their understanding ways. Then, Elon Musk… wants to buy Twitter again? Is there any rhyme or reason to his actions? Also: Overwatch 2 launches, and so does a disastrous conservative dating app.

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Hans Niemann Report - Chess.com

Chess Investigation Finds That U.S. Grandmaster ‘Likely Cheated’ More Than 100 Times - WSJ

Hans Niemann's chess cheating scandal looms over his play at U.S. championships : NPR

Overwatch 2 server errors are preventing people from logging in - Polygon

Overwatch 2 changes, explained: Every new map, mode, and more - Polygon

Want to date a hot rightwinger? Sick of all that woke nonsense? I’ve just the app for you! | Arwa Mahdawi | The Guardian

Amazon had a big ol' product showcase and Simone is so, so depressed about it! Who wants to hear about new spy cameras, a clock that watches you sleep, and speakers that are listening to you! YOU DO! Then, new CPUs and GPUs are SO POWERFUL, but is it worth upgrading yet? Finally, the Chess scandal has a new chapter, and it is juicy.

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everything-amazon-announced-at-its-fall-hardware-event-195138747.html?guccounter=1">Here's everything Amazon announced at its fall hardware event | Engadget

The RTX 4090 is begging for a game that can make it shine | Digital Trends

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Review | PCMag

Magnus Carlsen accuses Hans Niemann of cheating : NPR

Chess Grandmaster Maxim Dlugy Admitted to Cheating on Chess.com, Emails Show

We finally have hands-on experience with the new iPhones — so, is it actually going to be worth it to upgrade? Then, a scandal in the world of Chess and Christie Smythe joins us to talk about that Elle story and life before, during, and after Martin Shkreli.

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Apple iPhone 14 Pro review: early adopter island - The Verge

Chess sex toy cheating scandal explained: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, Hans Niemann in wild sports controversy - CBSSports.com

Christie Smythe (@ChristieSmythe) / Twitter

The Journalist and the Pharma Bro

book.com/">SMIRK | Christie Smythe | Substack

'Not Okay' movie: A guilt trip for the influencer age

iPhone 14 reviews are out so in a never-before-seen move, we are speaking about them. Then, the animation industry is in chaos when it comes to streaming services. Where can I watch Infinity Train!? Finally, we have Spooky pinball creator Bug on to chat about the Halloween pinball machine, one of Bri's favorites, and what other John Carpenter movies would make for great pinball.

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Apple iPhone 14 Pro review: early adopter island - The Verge

Netflix Lets Go Of 30 Staffers As Animation Overhaul Continues – Deadline

HBO Max: Animators say they're "clueless" and "confused" by sudden cancellations

Halloween Pinball: Price, Specs, and Images Revealed for New Spooky Pinball Machine

Spooky Pinball – The Best Pinball Company in Benton, WI

Christina and Simone are dishing on the FAR OUT Apple event - new iPhones, AirPods, and Apple Watches, oh my! Then, it’s a delicious and well-deserved chat about Harry Styles and SPITGATE.

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Apple’s iPhone 14 event: the 9 biggest announcements - The Verge

Apple Watch Series 8, SE, and Ultra hands-on: triple the fun - The Verge

iPhone 14 Pro: a first look at the new moving notch, camera, and more - The Verge

iPhone 14 colors: Here's all your options | Tom's Guide

iPhone 14 Pro: a first look at the new moving notch, camera, and more - The Verge

The iPhone 14 lineup won’t have physical SIM support - The Verge

Harry Styles ‘spitting’ on Chris Pine leads to more Don’t Worry Darling drama - Polygon

Harry Styles Did Not Spit on Chris Pine, Rep Confirms - Variety

On this episode of Rocket, Simone is off in Italy, so Christina and Bri are trying to keep things together. After some Rocket Merch updates, we talk about the Twitter Whistleblower leaks, spend some time in the world of AI art with Stable Diffusion, and finally are joined by Kat Tenbarge to talk about the latest Trisha Paytas drama. PLUS: Subscribe to Rocket Booster for even more from Kat, as an extra helping of Dessert!

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Peiter 'Mudge' Zatko's journey from hacker to Twitter whistleblower - The Washington Post

Whistleblower: Twitter misled investors, FTC and underplayed spam issues - Washington Post

Twitter’s Former Security Boss Drops Stunning Whistleblower Report | Techdirt

Twitter Whistleblowing Report Actually Seems To Confirm Twitter’s Legal Argument, While Pretending To Support Musk’s | Techdirt

twitter-legal.html">Elon Musk Cites Twitter Whistleblower Report as Reason to Scrap Deal - The New York Times

Stable Diffusion Public Release — Stability.Ai

4.2 Gigabytes, or: How to Draw Anything - ⌨️🤷🏻‍♂️📷

Stable Diffusion is a really big deal

Exploring 12 Million of the 2.3 Billion Images Used to Train Stable Diffusion's Image Generator - Waxy.org

Kat Tenbarge (@kattenbarge) / Twitter

As Trisha Paytas nears due date, she faces frightening harassment

On a very special episode of Rocket, a very special special guest plays judge, jury, and exe-juiceioner, in a devious trivia game designed by our very own Brianna Wu. Thanks everyone for listening for 400 episodes and here's to 400 chaotic more! PLUS: Subscribe to Rocket Booster for our very first extra helping of Dessert!

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Rocket Merch Store

The chip industry reacts to a new upset, and Adam Neumann is BACK IN THE REAL ESTATE GAME. Stay tuned for the next 399 episodes of Rocket because this is all we'll be talking about!

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Chipmakers Pandemic Boom Turns to Bust With Recession Looming - Bloomberg

US chipmakers hit by sudden downturn after pandemic boom | Ars Technica

neumann-flow-new-company-wework-real-estate.html">WeWork’s Adam Neumann Gets Backing from Andreesen Horowitz - The New York Times

Investing in Flow | Andreessen Horowitz

Disney Criticized After "Baffling" Censorship In Popular Children’s Show Goes Viral - Inside the Magic

Bluey family meeting: Why you can’t watch the farting episode in America | Kidspot

‘Gravity Falls’ Creator Reveals Language Disney Tried to Edit – The Hollywood Reporter

Howdy folks, who's enjoying Apple's new battery percentage indicator? No one? This week on Rocket we're discussing the cloudy future of Unity after an acquisition offer by AppLovin, as well as review workflows and our FAVORITE NEW ESPORT.

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Battery percentage finally returns to iOS 16 and it’s hideous - The Verge

Here’s what iOS 16’s new battery percent indicator should have looked like - The Verge

AppLovin Proposes $17.5 Billion Deal to Buy Unity Software - WSJ

Unity’s perfect storm - Protocol

AppLovin offers to buy video game software maker Unity in $17.5 bln deal | Reuters

Unity loses less than feared, trims outlook as Applovin makes $20 billion bid for software company - MarketWatch

"This MacBook is not for you" - YouTube

Excel esports on ESPN show world the pain of format errors | Ars Technica

Rocket Ruled yet again — Adam Mosseri, longtime fan of Rocket, definitely listened to our episode last week before he walked back Instagram's full-screen changes. That's what happened! Then, Twitter v. Musk heats up, and yet another pretender thinks NFT books could be a thing — but this time, it's textbook. We're opening our vocal folds for another scintillating episode of Rocket!

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Instagram walks back TikTok-style changes — Adam Mosseri explains why - The Verge

Tesla is the latest company to be drawn into the Elon Musk-Twitter legal mess - The Verge

Pearson says NFT textbooks will let it profit off secondhand sales - The Verge

Why the Batgirl movie will never be released, even though it’s done - Polygon

Why wouldn’t Warner Bros. just release Batgirl on HBO Max? - Polygon

Cuban-Dinosaur-Texas-17348773.php">Mark Cuban wants to turn a Texas town into Jurassic Park

We're talking about Instagram's awful updates, the first crypto insider trading scandal, and NFT books on a deliciously bad episode of ROCKET!

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The Kardashians hate the new Instagram - The Verge

How Reels Have Impacted Engagement Rates on Instagram | Later

Instagram is chasing TikTok with a new full-screen experience test - The Verge

Adam Mosseri confirms it: Instagram is over - The Verge

Twitter

Ex-Coinbase Manager Arrested in US Crypto Insider-Trading Case (COIN) - Bloomberg

How Crypto Is Evolving the Future of Books and Publishing

Apple has settled with NO WRONGDOING in its keyboard lawsuit, and some of us are looking forward to purchasing one (1) song on Apple Music with our newfound wealth. Then, some gaming culture chat: Discord is coming to Xbox, and FaZe clan is coming to SPACs! What great timing!

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Apple agrees to pay $50M to settle lawsuit over flawed keyboards on older MacBooks | TechCrunch

A first look at Discord on Xbox - The Verge

Faze Clan goes public in $725 million SPAC deal - The Verge

FaZe Clan's Market Debut Disappoints Investors Who Don’t Buy the Hype - Bloomberg

YouTube hires tech YouTuber Rene Ritchie as its new creator liaison - The Verge

Last week, Sunny Balwani is CHARGED, Elon Musk is being SUED BY TWITTER, and so, so much more. We got Rocket Ruled pretty hard but it's finally time for our take on the tech drama of the day.

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Theranos Ex-President Sunny Balwani Found Guilty of Fraud - Bloomberg

elizabeth-holmes-setencing-hearing-delayed-20220713-bqgwqfplmnbtjbswqax5dxumdi-story.html">Sentencing for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes delayed

Twitter sues Elon Musk to keep his $44 billion buyout alive - The Verge

Apple and Jony Ive’s exclusive consulting arrangement is reportedly over - The Verge

Cameron Diaz Worked as a Drug Mule Before Stardom | IndieWire

Ranged Touch on Twitter

Brianna and Christina talk about the best new console scam, Apple’s new Lockdown Mode, and the #Gentleminions Meme.

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A Web3 Game Console Is a Bad Idea at the Worst Possible Time

The Polium One Is A Web3 Console That Will Never Get Released

Polium on Twitter: "A lot of criticism and mixed reviews. Web 3 Gaming will be the future 🚀🎮. We will have a functional prototype ready before we take any pre-orders or funding. Let’s clear some things up. 👇" / Twitter

Apple expands commitment to protect users from mercenary spyware - Apple

Why Lockdown mode from Apple is one of the coolest security ideas ever | Ars Technica

The GentleMinions TikTok trend, explained - Polygon

'Minions' Meme #GentleMinions May Have Helped Box Office

Brianna and Simone chat about this week's Nintendo Direct, AND the return of Axie Infinity transactions, in a gamer-tastic episode of ROCKET!

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Nintendo’s ‘Mini’ Direct was low-key, but Switch has a strong release schedule - Polygon

Axie Infinity NFT game reopens transactions months after $625 million theft - The Verge

Axie Infinity’s Ethereum Bridge Back Online After $622M Hack - Decrypt

Facebook Groups are being revamped to look like Discord - The Verge

Reviews for Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip are out. And it's… a weird machine? Why are they making this, and for you? Then, cryptominers are dumping their GPUs on the market, and we discuss ways that streaming services could better compete in a saturated marketplace.

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MacBook Pro 13 (2022) Review: For Fans Only

Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) review: new chip, old threads - The Verge

Crypto Miners Start Dumping GPUs, RTX 3080s Listed for $523 | Tom's Hardware

Whatever you do, don't buy a used graphics card under any circumstances right now | TechRadar

GPUs Are the Only Thing Getting Cheaper Right Now 

There has to be a better way to binge - The Verge

Reward for information on missing metro Phoenix woman Roberta Braden

Brianna and Simone tackle a bevy of ethical topics, from "what's going on in crypto?" to "what's up with self-driving cars?" It's a knotty episode of Rocket!

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Coinbase lays off 18% of its workforce. The CEO cites an upcoming crypto winter : NPR

Gillibrand, Lummis plan new regulatory framework for crypto - POLITICO

crypto-culture.html">Inside Kraken’s Culture War Stoked by Its C.E.O. - The New York Times

Tesla tops US government’s driver-assist crash data report - The Verge

driving-car-nhtsa-crash-data.html">Self-Driving and Driver-Assist Technology Linked to Hundreds of Car Crashes - The New York Times

chatbot-ai-blake-lemoine.html">Google Sidelines Engineer Who Claims Its A.I. Is Sentient - The New York Times

Twitter

Tiltify - Made for Fundraisers

Reward for information on missing metro Phoenix woman Roberta Braden

It's WWDC news week! We're talking about iOS 16, MacOS Ventura, and some new M2 chips!! It's a big one!

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Apple WWDC 2022: iOS 16, macOS Ventura, M2 MacBook Air, and more - The Verge

Apple introduces macOS Ventura with slew of new features

I tried Stage Manager on my Mac, and now I don't want to go back | Digital Trends

Apple iOS 16 previewed at WWDC 2022 - The Verge

Apple announces new flagship M2 processor - The Verge

Apple announces redesigned MacBook Air with M2 chip and MagSafe - The Verge

Apple debuts 13-inch MacBook Pro with upgraded M2 processor | AppleInsider

Reward for information on missing metro Phoenix woman Roberta Braden

This week Brianna and Simone are enjoying a chaotic course of news, from Netflix testing additional charges for accounts that share passwords, to the Académie Française banning esports!!

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Netflix Password Sharing Policy is Confusing in Test Markets

Netflix cracks down on password sharing, but early efforts in Peru are a mess - Rest of World

The merging of Comixology and Kindle has created a hell I’d like to escape - The Verge

France’s linguistic watchdog issues edict: it’s not esports, it’s ‘jeu video de competition’ - The Verge

'Star Wars' stands up for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ actor Moses Ingram after she got racist messages

Reward for information on missing metro Phoenix woman Roberta Braden

GitHub - YouTube

Author Edward Neidermeyer joins us to discuss Tesla's checkered past and questionable stock evaluations. Also, Christina has the SteamDeck!

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E.W. Niedermeyer (@Tweetermeyer) / Twitter

Ludicrous - BenBella Books

Ludicrous The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors: Edward Niedermeyer: Hardcover: 9781948836128: Powell's Books

Reward for information on missing metro Phoenix woman Roberta Braden

GitHub - YouTube

Sony keeps revealing more details about the PlayStation Plus evolution and they're just making it MORE CONFUSING. Then, Elon Musk keeps revealing MORE REASONS WHY HE SHOULDN'T BE IN CHARGE OF A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM. Finally, hands-on with the Playdate!

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We made a PlayStation Plus explainer that’s better than Sony’s [Updated] | Ars Technica

UPDATE: All-new PlayStation Plus launches in June with 700+ games and more value than ever – PlayStation.Blog

Sony lifts curtain on PlayStation Plus revamp: New features, curious game list | Ars Technica

Elon goes wobbly - by Casey Newton - Platformer

Elon Musk Trolls Twitter - Bloomberg

Playdate review: WarioWare as a gaming handheld | Digital Trends

Reward for information on missing metro Phoenix woman Roberta Braden

How Call of Duty turned war into a circus - YouTube

GitHub - YouTube

The gang mourns the iPod Touch, the last iPod to fall to the ravages of the time. And then we talk about cryptocurrency.

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The iPod made the iPhone possible - The Verge

Apple Discontinues iPod, Mobile Gaming Icon, After 22 Years

ipod-phasing-out.html">Apple Stops Production of iPods, After Nearly 22 Years - The New York Times

Bitcoin crash is crushing Coinbase. Stock plunges again - CNN

Coinbase Works to Calm Users Fears of Crypto Bankruptcy

You Bought $100 of Crypto 6 Months Ago. What Do You Have Now?

price-crashing-stocks.html">Bitcoin Is Increasingly Acting Like Just Another Tech Stock - The New York Times

Doctor Strange 2 review: spoiler-free thoughts on a multiverse of madness - Polygon

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Sam Raimi is BACK, baby - Polygon

Search intensifies for missing woman with Alzheimer’s after new lead near Arizona Mills

GitHub - YouTube

A Wall St. Journal report on crashing sales of NFTs conflicts with what all the crypto-blogs are saying about the health of the industry — what is the truth!? Then, Overwatch 2's beta happened and it's been… fine. Then, a grifter takes on the Grey's Anatomy writer's room, in a weird sad story of fabulation.

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Square Enix sells off Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Crystal Dynamics, and Eidos - Polygon

Activision Blizzard's Overwatch 2 Game Is a Lot Like the Original: Review - Bloomberg

Overwatch 2 beta will get more heroes, maps, and reworks, Blizzard says - Polygon

So far, the beta makes Overwatch 2 feel like it could have been an email

It may be too late to save the Overwatch fandom - Polygon

How ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Writer Elisabeth Finch Used Lies to Create Must-See TV | Vanity Fair

GitHub - YouTube

Elon Musk HAS in fact secured the financing to buy Twitter, and did it in a reasonable timeline that lets us not look like fools on our own news podcast. This week we talk about the ongoing concerns and what's happening on Twitter, plus Christina's merch notoriety.

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Twitter’s top lawyer reassures staff, cries during meeting about Musk takeover - POLITICO

From punchline to deal in under 2 weeks: how Elon Musk won his Twitter prize | Financial Times

Elon Musk could pay $1bn if Twitter deal falls through | Financial Times

Admit It, You Won't Quit Twitter Because Of Elon Musk

From CNN+ to Fyre Festival: A collector seeks swag from companies with epic ends : NPR

GitHub - YouTube

Please Mr. Elon Musk, wait until Sunday, April 24 to create more news. Thank you. (Yes, this is the whole description.)

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musk-twitter.html">Elon Musk Races to Secure Financing for Twitter Bid - The New York Times

Why Netflix is suddenly losing subscribers - Vox

Report: 28% of U.S. Pay-TV Subscribers Were Once Cord Cutters – The Streamable

Elden Ring fans love Let Me Solo Her, a boss-killing naked pot-head man - Polygon

Elden Ring’s Let Me Solo Her becomes an in-game summon - Polygon

GitHub YouTube

Elon Musk is in and then out of Twitter – aren't you glad we waited a week to cover this? Then, finally discussing Axie Infinity's unfortunate bridge hack, and the general security of blockchain bridges. Then Scam Spring continues with WeCrashed!

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Elon Musk joins the Twitter board - by Casey Newton

Elon Musk leaves the Twitter board - by Casey Newton

Explaining crypto’s billion-dollar bridge problem - The Verge

Hack steals $625 million from NFT game Axie Infinity’s Ronin blockchain - The Verge

WeCrashed review – prepare to boggle at Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway’s toxic billionaires | Television & radio | The Guardian

The Comforts of “WeCrashed” and the Modern Grifter Series | The New Yorker

RRR Trailer (Telugu) - NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt | SS Rajamouli | 25th March 2022 - YouTube

GitHub - YouTube

We're going FAST TODAY in this over-long episode — talking about the collapse of fintech start-up FAST, and SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (now in theaters). Plus, Christina and Simone dish on their experience with the new M1 Macbook Pros.

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Fast, the checkout startup, shuts down : NPR

Fast, the Troubled Fintech Startup, Is Shutting Down — The Information

Live Fast, Die Young: Behind the Fall of a One-Click Wonder — The Information

Ben Schwartz from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 being totally normal for 14 minutes straight - YouTube

ranking all the new covers of THE SUN ALSO RISES by ernest hemingway - YouTube

GitHub - YouTube

Christina's NEW JOB is revealed! Then, we chat about Sony's new PlayStation Plus tiers, and whether they can truly compete with Microsoft. After that, it's Meta's campaign of public opinion against TikTok. Then Simone has a natural gas emergency! We're sure it's fine. If you're reading this, text me.

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Facebook paid Republican strategy firm to malign TikTok - The Washington Post

Instagram Reels, the TikTok copycat, is promoting more video - Vox

Sony’s PS Plus tiers complicate the simplicity of subscription services - The Verge

PlayStation Plus: Sony’s new subscription options to compete with Xbox Game Pass - The Verge

Timothy Burke on Twitter: "VIA JAPANESE TELEVISION: The uncensored exchange between Will Smith and Chris Rock https://t.co/j0Z184ZyXa" / Twitter

Will Smith’s Tragic Lesson - Puck

Will Smith Faces Expulsion, Academy Claims He Refused to Leave - Variety

Will Smith’s Slap Heard Round the Academy - Puck

A viral Tesla jump gone wrong has weird consequences for the wrong people. And then, it's time for Mac Studio and Studio Display reviews!!

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That Viral Flying Tesla Really Messed Up This Guy’s Week

Subaru Owner Whose Car Was Destroyed by Jumping Tesla Meets GoFundMe Goal

TikToker Admits He Lied About Jumping That Tesla to Go Viral [UPDATED]

Apple Mac Studio review: finally - The Verge

Apple Studio Display review: nothing to see here - The Verge

U2 Scripted Series From J.J. Abrams in the Works at Netflix – The Hollywood Reporter

The Senate is ABOLISHING THE SUN. Wait, no, they just passed a bill that would make Daylight Savings permanent. What's that about? Then, turmoil in the chip world once more! And Nightdive Studios is on promoting a Humble Bundle for Ukraine.

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Senate passes bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent - CNNPolitics

saving-time-senate.html">Senate Approves Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent - The New York Times

AMD is returning to budget CPUs with $99-and-up Ryzen 4000 and 5000 chips | Ars Technica

AMD Ryzen 5800X3D promises 15% faster game performance, launches for $449 | Ars Technica

Apple Possibly Exploring Open-Source Alternative to Arm Architecture - MacRumors

layoff-up-to-1000-employees-120604633.html">ARM will reportedly lay off up to 1,000 employees after NVIDIA sale falls through | Engadget

Humble Bundle | game bundles, book bundles, software bundles, and more

delvey-deported.html">Anna Sorokin, Fake Heiress Who Swindled Elite, To Be Deported - The New York Times

It's an APPLE EVENT WEEK. Here's our reactions to Apple's March announcements, including the Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display!

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Legislative Tracker: Anti-Transgender Legislation - Freedom for All AmericansFreedom for All Americans

Apple’s Peek Performance event: the 7 biggest announcements - The Verge

Apple’s new strategy is to give — not tell — users what they want - The Verge

The Batman review: A great Robert Pattinson isn’t enough for this reboot - Polygon

Robert Pattinson Is Too Weird to Be Batman

Norman Lear & Brent Miller To EP Fictional Gamergate Series – Deadline

Hulu's THE DROPOUT premiered on March 3 and we have Executive Producer Rebecca Jarvis back on the show to discuss the making of Hulu's adaptation of her podcast! Then, our feelings on the first episodes of The Dropout. And a little bit of Elden Ring for dessert.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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Guest Starring:

Rebecca Jarvis

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dropout-elizabeth-holmes.html">New Hulu Series, ‘The Dropout,’ Wants to Humanize Elizabeth Holmes - The New York Times

'The Dropout' Review: Amanda Seyfried Triumphs as Elizabeth Holmes - Variety

Elden Ring review: Open-world Dark Souls successor is a massive success - Polygon

On the Verge, a former Pornhub mod reflects on the site's lax content moderation history, and at the BBC we've got an investigation into a whole fake company. Plus, of course Ja Rule is investing in NFTs.

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Behind Pornhub’s decade-old moderation problems

EARN IT Act advances in Senate despite free speech concerns - The Verge

Jobfished: the con that tricked dozens into working for a fake design agency - BBC News

Ja Rule’s NFT fans aren’t worried about another Fyre Fest - The Verge

Ja Rule on Twitter: "https://t.co/KuJYxfsQJ4" / Twitter

Line Goes Up – The Problem With NFTs - YouTube

It's the beginning of Scam Spring, and we're discussing the arrest of alleged Bitcoin launderer Razzlekhan, potential propaganda, and finally the debut of Inventing Anna on Netflix.

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bitfinex-hack-heather-morgan-ilya-lichtenstein.html">Inside the Bitcoin Laundering Case That Confounded the Internet - The New York Times

What I learned from the words and rhymes of alleged Bitcoin launderer Razzlekhan - The Verge

A cringe rapper slash Forbes contributor allegedly found with billions in stolen Bitcoin - The Verge

Heather Morgan is Razzlekhan, the rapper accused of laundering billions of dollars in bitcoin - The Washington Post

U.S. Accuses Zero Hedge of Spreading Russian Propaganda - Bloomberg

The Rising Power of Financial Blog Zero Hedge - Money 2009 -- New York Magazine - Nymag

Unmasking the Men Behind Zero Hedge, Wall Street's Renegade Blog - Bloomberg

'Inventing Anna' Review: Netflix Series Weighed Down by Contradictions - Variety

to all the boys i scammed before - by Brandon

Anna Delvey: Where Is She Now?

BRIANNA IS BACK!! But everyone else is having a bad week. Facebook's stock has crashed, Peloton is laying off 2,800 people, and WarnerMedia is getting sued (...among other things).

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Facebook loses users for first time in history - The Washington Post

shares-plummet-22percent-after-reporting-weak-guidance.html">Facebook stock plummets 26% in its biggest one-day drop ever

Facebook’s Stock Crash Is a Long Time Coming | Vanity Fair

thiel-to-step-down-from-facebook-board.html">Peter Thiel to step down from board of Facebook parent Meta

Peloton is replacing its CEO and cutting 2,800 jobs - CNN

WarnerMedia is being sued for releasing The Matrix Resurrections on HBO Max - The Verge

Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow lawsuit has unearthed a huge problem with streaming - The Verge

Sony has stepped into the fray, acquiring Bungie for $3.6 billion dollars! As the game industry consolidates, which developer or publisher will be next? Then, Spotify is in a kerfuffle with its artists over Joe Rogan's misinformed statements on COVID-19, and the New York Times is buying Wordle!

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Sony acquires Bungie, studio behind Destiny 2, in $3.6B deal - Polygon

Microsoft, Sony acquisitions are the start of further consolidation - Polygon

Why Spotify kept Joe Rogan over Neil Young - The Verge

Here is the Spotify COVID content policy that lets Joe Rogan slide - The Verge

boycott-list-joe-rogan-neil-young-4c83f90a-0ce9-49b9-8abb-e8d040ac85c8.html">7 musicians boycotting Spotify over Joe Rogan controversy - Axios

The Joe Rogan controversy is what happens when you put podcasts behind a wall - The Verge

york-times-wordle.html">The New York Times Buys Wordle - The New York Times

It's looking like NVIDIA might not buy ARM after all, and Christina and Simone are here to talk through why the deal might fall through, and what it means. Then, some gaming news with GamePass numbers and SteamDecks shipping soon!

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Nvidia (NVDA) Quietly Prepares to Abandon $40 Billion Arm Bid - Bloomberg

Microsoft got a whole lot of people to play Halo and Forza - The Verge

Steam Deck Deposit - Steam Deck Launching February 25th - Steam News

Valve Steam Deck hands-on: the Nintendo Switch of PC gaming - The Verge

Save 10% on Strange Horticulture on Steam

Single Drunk Female | Official Trailer | Hulu - YouTube

A huge deal rocks the game industry: Microsoft is buying Activision in a 68 billion dollar deal. Then, crypto exchange Crypto.com sees a breach that affected 400 accounts, and potential losses of $15 million.

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Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion - The Verge

Crypto.com CEO confirms hundreds of accounts were hacked, hedges on other details - The Verge

Crypto.com breach may be worth up to $33M, suggests onchain analyst

Crypto.com CEO Acknowledges 400 Customer Accounts Were Hacked

Inventing Anna | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto Star in Trailer for Apple WeWork Series - Variety

Brianna is back! We've got a robust discussion about Moxie Marlinspike's thoughts on Web3, followed by the lowdown on the World rip-off App Store drama. And then, DRM?!

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first-impressions.html">Moxie Marlinspike >> Blog >> My first impressions of web3

"My first impressions of web3" : ethereum

The Wordle clones have disappeared from the App Store - The Verge

Tech Bro Rips Off Wordle On The App Store And Gloats About It

Canon printers now think Canon’s own toner is fake - The Verge

Microsoft Developer - YouTube

Christina and Simone dish on the death of Blackberry, and the Elizabeth Holmes verdict(s).

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Elizabeth Holmes is found guilty of defrauding Theranos' investors : NPR

Elizabeth Holmes’ verdict won’t change Silicon Valley - The Verge

What Can We Learn From the Trial of Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes? - Bloomberg

BlackBerry's demise is a warning | Reuters

devices-stop-working.html">BlackBerry Ends Service; Devices Will Stop Working January 4 - The New York Times

Cryptoland presentation - YouTube

Cryptoland

Twitter

Microsoft Developer - YouTube

It would be shorter to talk about what Tumblr hasn't banned on this week's Rocket. Plus, updates in the Elizabeth Holmes fraud trial and a discussion of ethics in choosing your own place of employment.

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Waiting for a Elizabeth Holmes trial verdict? Experts say fraud is complicated : NPR

Web3 Boom Is Bringing American Culture Wars to the Tech Industry

Riot Games will pay $100 million to settle discrimination lawsuit - The Verge

Riot Games Reaches Global Settlement Agreement | Riot Games

Tumblr goes overboard censoring tags on iOS to comply with Apple’s guidelines - The Verge

Tumblr's Banned Words - Google Docs

Tumblr is already flagging innocent posts as porn - The Verge

hair-trend.html">Why Is Everyone Going Brunette? The Newest Hair Trend - The New York Times

Microsoft Developer - YouTube

It's our special end-of-year spectacular! This week we're doling out awards for the best and worst games, trends, products, and companies that we covered on this year's Rocket.

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Best Apple Product: 14-inch Macbook Pro

Best Non-Apple Product

Best Console Game

Best Handheld Game

Best Trend in Tech industry

hue.com/en-us/products/smart-light-bulbs">Best gadget under $100

Commercial Electric LED light strip

Worst trend in tech industry - NFTs

Dumbest financial decision by a Rocket host Christina loses $500 in a Yang Gang bet

Worst tech company scandal

Some good news and some bad news. The Pocket Analogue is out for review and it's apparently great! Meanwhile, the Log4Shell exploit has put the entire internet at risk. Classic 2021.

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(Show note: This episode was recorded before the Noth sexual misconduct allegations.)

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A Log4J Vulnerability Has Set the Internet 'On Fire' | WIRED

The Log4Shell 0-day, four days on: What is it, and how bad is it really? | Ars Technica

The Internet’s biggest players are all affected by critical Log4Shell 0-day | Ars Technica

Patch fixing critical Log4J 0-day has its own vulnerability that’s under exploit | Ars Technica

Cas van Cooten on Twitter: "A story in three parts 😶 #log4j https://t.co/XMl02BcaJY" / Twitter

Tech Solvency: The Story So Far: CVE-2021-44228 (Log4Shell log4j vulnerability).

Analogue Pocket review: The world’s best Game Boy Advance - Polygon

Analogue Pocket review: The greatest Game Boy ever made | Ars Technica

Peloton responds to surprise death in And Just Like That... with new commercial - The Verge

just-like-that-big-death-carrie-911-call.html">Should Carrie Have Called 911 on And Just Like That…?

Microsoft Developer - YouTube

Oh boy, Ubisoft is the first AAA developer to make an entrance in the NFT market! What do we think of Ubisoft Quartz, and the cosmetics that it's offering? Then, Politico criticized Vice President Kamala Harris' Bluetooth-aversion this week — and security experts are responding.

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Ubisoft puts NFT in games starting with Ghost Recon Breakpoint - Polygon

Ubisoft’s first NFT plans make no sense | Ars Technica

Kamala Harris is Bluetooth-phobic - POLITICO

The vice president should not be using Bluetooth headphones - The Verge

Twitter

Kamala Harris’s Headphones Are Youth Culture

Adam McKay, Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘Bad Blood’ Movie Lands at Apple – The Hollywood Reporter

Microsoft Developer - YouTube

Jack Dorsey is leaving Twitter, and supposedly voluntarily! Let's talk about his most recent tenure and Twitter, and what his next moves will be. Then, it's a return to our favorite topic of 2021: Elizabeth Holmes is taking the stand during her trial, and admitting to all kinds of nonsense.

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Twitter CEO steps down, leaves company at a crossroads | AP News

Jack Dorsey Out at Twitter: Did He Quit or Was He Fired? | Vanity Fair

Jack is leaving Twitter and we have ~thoughts~ | TechCrunch

Square changes corporate name to Block

Elizabeth Holmes admits that she was CEO of Theranos, the company she founded - The Verge

Elizabeth Holmes admitted to a key part of the case against her - The Verge

Happy Halloween! Theranos showed up in a Pfizer costume - The Verge

Apple Music’s terrible year in review is giving me serious Spotify Wrapped FOMO - The Verge

Spotify Wrapped 2021 is ready to share your music listening history with everyone - The Verge

Microsoft Developer - YouTube

Brianna and Simone sit down on a chilly Halovember evening before Thanksgiving to talk about… Notre Dame Cathedral! Rumors have gone around for years that Ubisoft's Notre Dame from Assassin's Creed Unity could help restore the real cathedral after the 2019 fire. Simone has devoted some time to debunking that. Stick around to the end of the show to find out that Master Chief pees in his suit, and also, why. You didn't read this!!

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strike-new-york-times.html">Wirecutter Staff Go on Strike Against the New York ‘Times’

Assassin’s Creed Unity: Ubisoft can’t help rebuild Notre-Dame cathedral - Polygon

languedoc-roussillon.latribune.fr/innovation/2021-11-19/ubisoft-installera-son-premier-centre-immersif-en-france-a-beziers-896774.html">Ubisoft installera son premier centre immersif en France, à Béziers

What Peloton’s growing pains mean for at-home fitness - The Verge

Membership - Relay FM

How does Master Chief pee? An investigation - Polygon

On an auspicious episode 360, we're looking back at 20 years of Xbox! But first, Nick Guy comes on to discuss the Wirecutter Union and what will happen if New York Times management doesn't come to the table before Black Friday.

Guest Starring:

Nick Guy

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We are the Wirecutter Union. We're prepared to walk out.

New York Times Gadget Reviewers Plan Black Friday Strike - Bloomberg

Wirecutter Union (@wirecutterunion) / Twitter

Wirecutter Union on Twitter: "We're seeking about $300,000 in salary increases via pay floors *across 67 people*. To put it another way, that's 0.029% of the more than $1 billion @nytimes has sitting in cash." / Twitter

20 years of Xbox: a visual history - The Verge

magazine.co.uk/culture/article/xbox-phil-spencer-todd-howard-interview#intcid=_gq-uk-verso-hp-trending_2369beb9-225b-4c55-9351-e8f1c3153cd3_popular4-1">How Xbox outgrew the console: inside Phil Spencer’s multi-billion dollar gamble | British GQ

Original Xbox Controller Was "Embarrassingly Enormous," Co-Creator Says [UPDATE] - GameSpot

Halo Almost Wasn't An Xbox Game | Remember When - YouTube

Stephen Toulouse obituary: Game industry remembers Xbox Live's crusader against abuse | VentureBeat

Quentin Tarantino Sued Over Pulp Fiction NFT by Miramax – The Hollywood Reporter

Can you believe this website costs $36? Yes, this week we're talking about Twitter Blue, the subscription service that is finally available in the USA. We just can't wait to pay $2.99 to have ads on Twitter! Then, will Facebook's — sorry, Meta's — metaverse take off or is it just another big, empty gesture? Oh, also you're all going to jail if you sideload, you cybercriminals.

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Twitter Blue is now available in the US - The Verge

Christina Warren on Twitter: "I can't believe this website is only $36" / Twitter

facebook.html">Planet Facebook

So what is “the metaverse,” exactly? | Ars Technica

The Metaverse Was Lame Even Before Facebook - The Atlantic

The Metaverse Is Already Here — It’s Minecraft | by Clive Thompson | Oct, 2021 | Debugger

John Carmack issues some words of warning for Meta and its metaverse plans | Ars Technica

Apple’s Federighi delivers dramatic speech on dangers of sideloading | Ars Technica

Tim Cook: Users Who Want to Sideload Apps Can Use Android, While the iPhone Experience Maximizes 'Security and Privacy' - MacRumors

Don't Copy That Floppy (Official Video - Digitally Remastered) - YouTube

This week on Rocket, Christina and Brianna are dishing on their new Macbook Pros. How fast are they? Fast enough to speedrun Tomb Raider? And just how many steps DOES it take to install Audio Hijack? All that and more. Plus, Steam has officially ruled that no NFT or crypto-based games can be sold on the platform. A bold new move for a bold new world.

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Valve bans blockchain games and NFTs on Steam, Epic will try to make it work - The Verge

Investors Spent Millions on ‘Evolved Apes’ NFTs. Then They Got Scammed.

Squid Game Cryptocurrency Scammers Make Off With $2.1 Million

Mario NFT Game Shut Down By Nintendo, Fans Are Actually Happy For Once

Mario Kart NFT 'Idea' Is The Worst Thing I Have Ever Seen

Shonda Rhimes' Inventing Anna is premiering in February 2022

The Facebook Papers are in the hands of journalists, and increasingly dire reports are coming out about Facebook's business practices. That, and MacBook Pro reviews on this week's Rocket!

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

• talk.html">HPE Tech Talk: HPE news, tech insights and world-class innovations. Listen now.

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The Facebook Papers: What you need to know : NPR

Here are all the Facebook Papers stories - Protocol — The people, power and politics of tech

Facebook Papers: ‘History Will Not Judge Us Kindly’ - The Atlantic

How Facebook Failed the World - The Atlantic

MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max impressions: giving the people what they want - The Verge

14-inch MacBook Pro review: A Mac Pro in your backpack – Six Colors

Georgia man spends COVID loan on $57K rare Pokémon card, says prosecutor - Polygon

Rocket is blasting into hardware coverage this week with an exciting preview of the Apple cleaning cloth and the redesigned MacBook Pro. Plus the Google 6 pixel announcement. Dessert this week is packed with coverage of 9 different shows you need to be watching. It’s so much Rocket, your podcast client might just crash!

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

• The Intrazone, by Microsoft SharePoint: Your bi-weekly conversation and interview podcast about SharePoint, OneDrive and related tech within Microsoft 365.
• talk.html">HPE Tech Talk: HPE news, tech insights and world-class innovations. Listen now.

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In worst Apple event ever, the tech giant becomes a parody of itself

Apple innovators do it again with $19 'Polishing Cloth'

Apple launches MacBook Pro with new chips, larger displays, and the notch

The 8 biggest announcements from Apple’s Unleashed event - The Verge

Apple Music's new 'Voice Plan' is cheaper, but you have to use Siri

Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro: Specs, Price, Release Date, Details | WIRED

Simone is BACK and we are talking about THOSE JUICY NEW M1X MACBOOK PROS. And then we have two totally mystifying VR and AR headset announcements, one from HTC and another from… Magic Leap!? And finally, most importantly, Timothee Chalamet's twink Wonka look has been revealed and regrettably, it's good.

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'Unleashed' Apple Event Focusing on New Macs to Take Place on October 18 - MacRumors

Magic Leap is back with $500 million in funding and a new AR headset - The Verge

HTC’s new headset has leaked and it’ll make you look like a bug - The Verge

chalamet-wonka-musical-first-look-and-q-and-a-watch.html">Timothée Chalamet Wonka Musical First Look and Q&A: WATCH

Bri and Christina take on Facebook Whistleblowers, Twitch hacks and the ultimate media disaster, OzyMedia

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Gamergate Series In The Works From Mind Riot & Brianna Wu – Deadline

The Facebook Whistleblower, Frances Haugen, Says She Wants to Fix the Company, Not Harm It - WSJ

The Facebook Files - WSJ

4 takeaways from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's testimony : NPR

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen details company's misleading efforts on 60 Minutes - CBS News

Facebook explains the backbone shutdown behind its massive outage - The Verge

Twitch Hack Reveals How Much Revenue the Platform’s Biggest Streamers Make - WSJ

October 2021 Twitch source code, earnings hack explained - Polygon

media-goldman-sachs.html">Goldman Sachs, Ozy Media and a $40 Million Conference Call Gone Wrong - The New York Times

kay-ozy-media.html">Katty Kay Resigns From Ozy Media Following NYT Report - The New York Times

media-lasry-chairman-resigns.html">Ozy Media’s chairman resigns as company faces questions. - The New York Times

media-carlos-watson.html">Ozy Built a TV Show on a False Claim, Says Its Former Producer - The New York Times

media-investors.html">What Investors Saw in Ozy Media - The New York Times

media-carlos-watson.html">Ozy Media's Carlos Watson Says It Is ‘Going to Open for Business' - The New York Times

media-securities-fraud-lawsuit.html">Ozy Media is accused in a lawsuit of ‘fraudulent conduct.’ - The New York Times

Carlos Watson Discusses Ozy Media's Re-Launch, Internal Scandals, New Opportunities + More - YouTube

How Ozy Fest Was About To Become The Next Fyre Festival — Until A Heat Wave (And Insurance Claim) Bailed Them Out

media-founder-carlos-watson-lied-about-investment-sharon-osbourne-says.html">Sharon Osbourne says Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson lied about investment

With disaster hitting not one, but two of the best Rocket hosts, the B(rianna) team steps up with Dan Moren to save the show. We cover Amazon’s event with stalker robots, review the iPad Mini and geek out on Apple TV’s new show “Foundation.”

Guest Starring:

Dan Moren

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Amazon Devices Event

iPad Mini Review

Foundation

Simone is off doing French things so Bri and Christina talk the Microsoft Surface event, iPhone 13 reviews (and Christina’s saga to getting an iPhone 13 Pro Max) and iOS 15 impressions, and finally try to unpack the drama happening around the movie adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen.

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Microsoft Event

New Service Products

Surface Duo 2

Surface Go 3

Surface Accessibility Kit

Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse

13 Pro Max Review

13 Mini Review

MacStories iOS 15 Review

Best Dear Evan Hansen Review

evan-hansen-gay-plot-musical.html">Slate Dear Evan Hansen Review

evan-hansen-will-the-fans-show-up-at-the-movies.html">Will Fans Show Up to Dear Evan Hansen?

Relay FM Tiltify for St Jude

It's yet another Apple Event week here on Rocket, but a weirdly subdued one? Can Apple impress us with its new iPhones and its fancy rack focus camera feature? What about Brianna's long-awaited iPad Mini update? And will anyone, anyone at all be getting a new iPhone this year? Then, in our second story, Apple has patched the flaw that allowed the Pegasus exploit to get access to users' phones, and in our dessert, Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend's testicles. Yeah. Find out what Twitter is ALL aflutter about on this sleep-deprived episode of Rocket!

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Apple Event - The Verge

Apple Event - iPhone

Apple Event - Macro Camera

Spyware - New Apple Update

Spyware - Vulnerability Fix

minaj-claims-to-be-in-twitter-jail-ending-ballgate.html">Ballsgate

The Health Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, on the other hand, shamed Minaj for wasting his time. “Unfortunately, we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim,” he said. “As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported such side effect or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad.”

Relay FM Tiltify for St Jude

Many many tiny slices of Apple are coming to you, listener. First, an update on Apple's CSAM tools and concessions to the anti-trust critics! But will it be enough to save the App Store? Next, we have an upcoming Apple event, so tradition calls for us to discuss what we are expecting. But what we weren't expected was Apple's car guy Doug Field leaving for Ford!! Is he so excited to have a product that finally launches? Maybe! All this and more on Rocket.

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CSAM Tools

Apple’s App Store Concession, Why This is a Big Deal, Devil in the Details

Apple's Sept. 14 event: Here's what we expect to see, from iPhone 13 to Apple Watch 7

Doug Field

Elizabeth Holmes groupies

Britney Spears' father petitions to end her conservatorship

my-crazy-father-actually-lost-his-mind.html">When My Crazy Father Actually Lost His Mind (Published 2012)

Relay FM Tiltify for St Jude

This week on Rocket, tech journalist and author Christopher Mims is here to discuss his new book, Arriving Today. It's the book that critics are saying "makes supply chains interesting" (Simone de Rochefort, 2021) — and guess what he does during this interview? He makes supply chains interesting!! You have to listen to believe it and then you will immediately want to read his book. Then, Google and Apple are being hit with a new law in South Korea, and Elizabeth Holmes is finally going to trial. That is, if they can ever find a jury of her peers.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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Guest Starring:

Christopher Mims

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Arriving Today by Christopher Mims

Apple and Google must allow developers to use other payment systems, new Korean law declares

Google, Apple Hit by First Law Threatening Dominance Over App-Store Payments

China’s Video Game Restrictions, South Korea Passes App Store Payments Law

Apple's Settlement, Explicit Imprimatur, Additional Notes – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

Blog - Cameron v. Apple Settlement

elizabeth-holmes-theranos.html">Schemer or Naïf? Elizabeth Holmes Is Going to Trial.

Retro Gaming Today

Relay FM Tiltify for St Jude

But where are the only solutions? This week on Rocket we're talking about the Only Fans debacle, which came to a tenuous resolution mere hours before we started recording? Reverse Rocket Rule! Then, it's a deep dive into the Mystery of the Exploding PSUs from Gigabyte. Would you give up your hard-won GPU to save yourself from an exploding power supply unit? And finally: hey, new Spider-Man! That's an episode of Rocket.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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Only Fans Tweet

OnlyFans founder blames banks for ban on porn

OnlyFans to Bar Sexually Explicit Videos Starting in October

OnlyFans’ inexplicable ban on porn might be explained by this BBC investigation

Christina's Tweet

Exploding Power Supplies: Gigabyte & Newegg Dumping Unsellable Product

Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer

Relay FM Tiltify for St Jude

WHEELS TURNING ROUND AND ROUND. This week we're talking about, yes, YIKYAK, the zombie social media platform where you can post hyper-local bullying for all the local elder millennials to enjoy. Then, Google joins Samsung and Apple in not shipping chargers with its new phones! This is ALL APPLE'S FAULT. Meanwhile, Intel is trying it with new gamer-focused Arc-brand GPUs that have cool code names like "Battlemage" and "Celestial" and honestly those should just be their real names. Finally, dessert this week is an episode from Wall Street Journal on the tech workers who are taking on not one, but TWO full-time jobs… and getting away with it.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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Local and anonymous social media app Yik Yak is back

The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro won't come with wall chargers

Intel's Arc GPUs are designed to take on Nvidia and AMD for PC gaming

TWO JOBS

Kittens Game - a Dark Souls of incremental gaming

Apple proposes to add controversial machine learning tools to the iPhone to protect children — but is it the right thing to do? Also, hey, new iPhone rumors! Apparently, no amount of questionable activity will prevent us from being consumers in this capitalist hellscape.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

• TextExpander, from Smile: Communicate Smarter. Get 20% off.
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Apple says photos in iCloud will be checked by child abuse detection system

Child Safety

Apple's Plan to "Think Different" About Encryption Opens a Backdoor to Your Private Life

Apple Readies New iPhones With Pro-Focused Camera, Video Updates

Trisha Paytas's YouTube Empire

paytas-youtube-drama-queen.html">Trisha Paytas, YouTube's Problematic Drama Queen

On this episode of Rocket, we're not saying anyone was murdered! We're just not. But we ARE saying the RIAA's ridiculous bullying could MURDER the music industry and their penny-pinching ways won't help creators!! In better news, the OLED Nintendo Switch is looking GOOD and UH-OH… WE WANT IT!!!

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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Donate to General Donations

RIAA, NMPA, More Music Groups Slam Twitter’s ‘Rampant Theft of Creative Works’ in Letter to Congress

Twitter Is Turning a Blind Eye to Music Copyright Infringement, Group of U.S. Reps Says

Nintendo Switch OLED hands-on: a small upgrade that makes a big difference

Hands-On: Nintendo Switch OLED is a striking improvement for portable players | VGC

We tried the new Nintendo Switch OLED... and we're conflicted

Succession Drama Grips Scholastic: CEO’s Sudden Death, an Office Romance and a Surprise Will

This week we're discussing the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard and employee walk-outs protesting widespread sexual harassment at the company. Also, mandatory vaccines at Google, and Adam Driver turning into a centaur.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

• Calm: The #1 mental fitness app. Learn how to get a free well-being ebook and one month free.
• Clean My Mac X: Your Mac. As good as new. Get 5% off today.

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Inside The Cosby Suite From The Activision Blizzard Lawsuit

Activision Blizzard faces lawsuit and employee backlash over sexual harassment

California sues Activision Blizzard over a culture of ‘constant sexual harassment’

Activision Blizzard employees say CEO’s letter ‘fails to address’ key concerns

Activision Blizzard Sued Over 'Frat Boy' Culture, Harassment (1)

blizzard-bobby-kotick-letter-172540779.html">Activision Blizzard CEO says response to harassment lawsuit was 'tone deaf'

Google, Facebook to Require Vaccinations for On-Campus Workers

BURBERRY HERO - THE NEW FRAGRANCE FOR MEN

It's a big week for Rocket Rules: Last week Steam announced its Steam Deck handheld PC, and Netflix announced it was getting into games! But in the middle of all that fun, don't we have time for… some Apple Rumors? You know we do! We always do...

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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blue-origin-resembles-penis-rocket-scientist-explains-why.html">Blue Origin: We asked a rocket scientist why Jeff Bezos' rocket looks so much like a penis.

Steam Deck, Valve handheld for PC games, announced for December release - Polygon

Steam Deck $399 model has 64 GB, too little space for the biggest games - Polygon

Apple AirPods update to arrive later this year with iPhone SE refresh coming 2022: report - The Verge

iPhone 13 rumors grow more certain ahead of September launch - The Verge

Netflix thinks games matter more than buying movie studios - The Verge

Netflix eyes video game expansion, according to new report - Polygon

Tom Clancy's XDefiant Is Ubisoft's New Free-To-Play Shooter

The New York Times has a killer new story on Facebook's relationship with CrowdTangle. And then, speaking of driving engagement, Twitter is killing Fleets? WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!!

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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data.html">Here's a Look Inside Facebook's Data Wars - The New York Times

Microsoft threatens to resurrect Clippy as an Office emoji - The Verge

Get nostalgic with new Microsoft Teams backgrounds | Microsoft 365 Blog

Twitter is shutting down Fleets, its expiring tweets feature - The Verge

Twitter considers letting you limit tweets to ‘trusted friends’ - The Verge

Twitter considers letting you limit tweets to ‘trusted friends’ - The Verge

Five ‘Dead Startups’ from Juicero to Coolest Cooler parodied as toys - The Verge

They welcomed a robot into their family, now they’re mourning its death - The Verge

The Charisma Machine: The Life, Death, and Legacy of One Laptop per Child (Infrastructures), Ames, Morgan G. - Amazon.com

Christina and Simone are tackling the newest model of the Nintendo Switch with its fancy new OLED screen. Is it the Switch we've been waiting for!? Maybe not!? Is it the Switch we have? Yes. And then, social media companies are facing consequences abroad, while Section 230 is under attack in the United States.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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Don’t count out the Nintendo Switch Pro - The Verge

Nintendo Switch OLED model will go on sale October 8th for $350 - The Verge

Facebook, Twitter, Google Threaten to Quit Hong Kong Over Proposed Data Laws - WSJ

lawsuit-facebook-google-twitter.html">Trump Announces Suit Against Facebook, Twitter & Google Over Bans - The New York Times

Twitter has lost legal immunity for users’ posts in India, government argues - The Verge

Police in India raid Twitter offices in probe of tweets with ‘manipulated media’ label - The Verge

The Xbox Gift Card Fraud: Inside a $10 Million Bitcoin Virtual Currency Cheat

coolidge-profile.html">The Joke Was Never on Jennifer Coolidge

This week Christina and Bri are talking about Windows 11, the various events from the launch and they detour into the state of Windows in general.

For dessert, Bri and Christina extol the virtues of F9 and the Fast and Furious franchise.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

• Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code ROCKET at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
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Join us to see what’s next for developers - YouTube

Upgrade to the New Windows 11 OS | Microsoft

Introducing Windows 11 | Windows Experience Blog

Windows 11: The Best Windows Ever for Gaming - Xbox Wire

microsoft/GDK: Microsoft Public GDK

29 results for Laptops

you-watch-f9-having-never-seen-the-other-f-and-f-movies.html">Can You Watch ‘F9’ Having Never Seen the Other ‘F&F’ Movies?

This week we're hitting the road again with Peloton — any paying the price!? Peloton's PR problems are not getting better, with a new update soft-locking their treadmills for non-subscribers. And then, a Supreme Court Snap swears settlement! In a very alliterative episode of Rocket.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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Peloton forced its subscription plan on Tread+ owners, but claims a fix is coming - The Verge

Peloton: All Owners of $4,000 Tread+ Must Pay $39 Membership to Use

Supreme Court says school can’t punish student for profane Snapchat post - The Verge

sexy-beasts-is-a-dating-show-fever-dream.html">Netflix’s Sexy Beasts Is a Dating Show Fever Dream

We have special guest Ashley Carman of The Verge on the show to talk about her INCREDIBLE story about the rise and fall of HiStudios and the podcast hype house that collapsed dramatically over the last year. And then we talk about E3 and all the good games!!

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

• Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code ROCKET to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
• ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free.
• Privacy: Smarter payments. Get $5 to spend on your first purchase.

Guest Starring:

Ashley Carman

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Himalaya Launches Podcast Platform With $100 Million Funding - Variety

How Ximalaya funded one man’s podcasting hype house dreams - The Verge

Square Enix announces action-heavy spinoff Final Fantasy Origin - The Verge

Breath of the Wild 2 trailer analysis: Link’s new powers and other secrets - Polygon

Starfield: What we know about Bethesda’s next RPG - Polygon

New WarioWare game, Get It Together!, announced for Nintendo Switch - Polygon

Metroid Dread: First gameplay and story details from Nintendo at E3 2021 - Polygon

Redfall is Arkane’s new multiplayer shooter with vampires - Polygon

It’s another WWDC with Rocket. We’re chatting about the coffers announcements from Apple’s keynote, and giving yet another dramatic update on MoviePass. What could possibly have happened now?!

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

• Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code ROCKET to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
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Apple WWDC 2021 biggest announcements: iOS 15, macOS Monterey and more - The Verge

Apple is building video and music sharing into FaceTime - The Verge

Apple’s Live Text is going to read all the text in all your photos with AI - The Verge

You’ll soon be able to use your iPhone as ID at the airport - The Verge

Apple’s Siri will finally work without an internet connection thanks to on-device processing - The Verge

Apple introduces Siri for third-party devices - The Verge

Apple announced App Privacy Report, changes to Mail and Safari - The Verge

Apple is making AirPods easier to hear with and find - The Verge

macOS Monterey lets you run Shortcuts and share input between Macs and iPads - The Verge

settlement-ftc.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes">MoviePass Deceived Users So They’d Use It Less, F.T.C. Says - The New York Times

Aunt Christina is having baby-time, but she's still here because we absolutely can't talk about GPUs and Stack Overflow without her! Nvidia has released an updated 3080, the RTX 3080 Ti. But it's $500 more than last year's card? What is HAPPENING? Then, speaking of large numbers, Prosus has acquired Stack Overflow for 1.8 billion, with a B. Is this a yikes or a yay?

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti review: more 4K for more of your wallet - The Verge

Stack Overflow Sold to Tech Giant Prosus for $1.8 Billion - WSJ

Technology investor Prosus is taking over Stack Overflow for $ 1.8 billion - Free to Download APK And Games Online

Inside The ‘World’s Largest’ Video Game Cheating Empire

Christina is at Microsoft Build this week, but what's this?? HOOFBEATS ON THE HORIZON? BRIANNA WU IS RETURNED FROM FLORIDA and she's SO ready to talk about the remastered Mass Effect trilogy. But first, we talk about Valve's new Switch-like CP and AirBnB's whole deal.

This episode of Rocket is sponsored by:

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Exclusive: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC | Ars Technica

Dell’s new Concept UFO puts PC gaming on a Nintendo Switch-like device | Ars Technica

Airbnb 2021

Mass Effect remastered trilogy release date announced - Polygon

Mass Effect remastered trilogy release date announced - Polygon

Mass Effect Legendary Edition review: "The only way to play an unmissable series" | GamesRadar+

Mass Effect Modders Are Using Official Audio To Restore Gay Romances For Jack, Thane, Tali, And More