701: Dancing in the Streets

This week, we light a candle for lost legends and torch a few bad takes. In Follow Up, Molly White reminds us that giving a damn still matters—despite the rising tide of apathy (and flaming robotaxis in downtown L.A.). Protesters across the country chant “No Kings!” while Elon does his best impression of a bootlicker groveling back to Trump. Meanwhile, we take a moment to reflect on 2025’s greatest hits: riots, rollbacks, and rampant idiocy.
In the news, Uber decides buses are cool again—but shittier and more expensive. The UK jumps into the robotaxi game while Tesla, shockingly, misses another launch date. French Tesla fans are suing over the brand’s fashy vibes, Google is ghosting employees via buyout, and Meta’s trying to buy its way to artificial godhood. Oh, and Trump’s launching an AI chatbot. What could go wrong? Elsewhere, China turns off AI so kids can cheat the old-fashioned way, Disney and Universal are gunning for Midjourney, and Shopify goes stablecoin with Coinbase and Stripe.
Media Candy’s popping off: Foundation returns, Strange New Worlds prepares for its final warp, and Spaceballs is back—with the original cast! Meanwhile, we review Mythfits, Princess of Power, and the slow striptease that is David Zaslav’s credibility. On the gadget front: forget your canned air—go full vacuum-blower-keyboard-cleaner madness. And in The Dark Side with Dave, stormtroopers vlog, AI kills joy, and we race the beam in retro game land. Finally, we say goodbye to a few greats—Sly Stone, Brian Wilson, Ananda Lewis, Douglas McCarthy, and Apple legend Bill Atkinson. Play God Only Knows, pour one out, and stay grumpy.
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Show notes at https://gog.show/701
FOLLOW UP
It matters. I care. by Molly White
Waymo Halts Service in Downtown Los Angeles After Its Taxis Are Set on Fire
What to know about 'No Kings' protests against Trump's policies
What It Was Like in the Shit in 2025
Elon Cuck Apologizes to Donald Trump
IN THE NEWS
Uber’s New Shuttle Is Basically a Bus, but Worse
The UK will get its first robotaxis next year
With Roadblock After Roadblock, Is Tesla’s Robotaxi Launch Doomed to Fail?
French Tesla customers file lawsuit over brand becoming 'extreme-right' symbol
Google offers buyouts to employees across the company, including Search
Meta is reportedly forming an 'AI Superintelligence' team
The Trump Administration Is Launching an AI Chatbot
China Takes on Student Cheating by Shutting Off AI Nationwide During Exams
AI Therapy Bots Are Conducting 'Illegal Behavior,' Digital Rights Organizations Say
Disney and Universal file major copyright lawsuit against Midjourney over AI-generated characters
Shopify partners with Coinbase and Stripe in landmark stablecoin deal
MEDIA CANDY
Foundation — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ - July 11th
‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Will End With a Fifth and Final Season
Spaceballs Sequel Set for 2027 with Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks, and Bill Pullman All Returning
APPS & DOODADS
BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Cordless 10 in. String Trimmer/Edger with 1.5Ah Battery and Charger
THE DARK SIDE WITH DAVE
A Stormtrooper Vlog | The Adventures of Dave and Greg
Soapy “Verticals” Helping to Keep Hollywood Employed in L.A. As Film and TV Projects Leave
Finding Atari Games in Randomly Generated Data
Racing The Beam: The Story of Stella
CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS
Sly Stone, Pioneering Bandleader and Funk Virtuoso, Dead at 82
The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson Dies at 82
Sting Performs Moving Cover of “God Only Knows” in Tribute to Brian Wilson: Watch
Strong Songs - "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
Ananda Lewis, Host of MTV’s ‘Total Request Live’ and ‘Hot Zone,’ Dies At 52
Nitzer Ebb's Douglas McCarthy has died at 58
RIP: Bill Atkinson, co-creator of Apple Lisa and Mac
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