Grok-One Non-Consensual Sexualized Image Per Minute; Warner-Discovery Rejects Latest Paramount Bid; WhatsApp Gets Three New Group Chat Features; Steam OS Continues to Spread in Gaming Community

Posted: January 7, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Grok continues to be the ‘bad boy’ of platforms, and now according to content analysis firm Copyleaks, Grok is generating roughly one nonconsensual sexualized image per minute.’ Rolling Stone reports that while Grok isn’t generating nudes…it is creating deepfakes of women in either bikinis or skimpy lingerie or underwear. It should be noted that both the Google and OpenAI chatbots can be used to do similar things, but they apparently don’t have the vast pool of incels in their Moms’ basements cranking out the sheer number of deepfakes that Grok has. Grok is also being used to change pictures of some by putting them in more sexual positions…while remaining clothed…albeit skimpily. There is a humous side…the Grok tool was used to put Trump, Hegspeth, Rubio and others shown in a makeshift Mar a Lago war room in bikinis. Maybe that will move them do crack down on Grok more than the images of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Millie Bobby Brown, and Sidney Sweeney. Even if the US doesn’t act, the European Commission is on the case so we may see some guardrails put on this obnoxious use of AI. 

Paramount has had another offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. According to techcrunch.com, the WB board unanimously rejected the Paramount Skydance revised offer of $108.4 billion. Warner called it a ‘leveraged buyout’ that would encumber the company with $87 billion in debt. The board again recommends the $82.87 billion deal with Netflix for its film and studio assets. It is likely that this isn’t the end of things, but it seems less likely that Paramount will be able to come up with a deal that is actually better than Netflix has put on the table. For movie and video lovers, setting aside the shareholders and corporate suite folks,,,the Netflix deal is best.

WhatsApp has a good user base here, but is very widely used around the world…one reason Meta bought the platform years ago. Now, they have announced 3 group features that will enhance chats. Macrumors.com says the features are Member Tags, Text Stickers, and Event Reminders. Member Tags let you assign yourself different roles in different group chats for more context – so you can be “Coach” in one thread and “Dad” in another, for example. Meanwhile, Text Stickers instantly turn typed words into sticker graphics that users can then save to custom packs.Lastly, with Event Reminders, now when you create and send an event in your group chat you can set custom early reminders for your invitees.The features are being made available to users worldwide now. 

If you aren’t into gaming, you probably aren’t familiar with the SteamOS, Steambox, or Valve. Here’s the thing, though. With the intrusive snoop features of Windows 11, many people are ditching it for Linux and now the SteamOs is making inroads. Arstechnica.com notes that at CES, Lenovo said it is going to launch a version of last year’s pricy but powerful Legion Go 2 handheld device. Lenovo was already the first maker to embrace the SteamOS…which is native to Valve hardware. Valve has now offered support for AMD powered hand held. Now, as Valve works on the Steam Frame VR headset, they are designing it specifically for ARM based hardware, and will make it easier to run on all ARM devices. The Valve Steam Machine is more than a handheld gaming system…it is a pretty powerful little computer, and you can switch from gaming to regular computing tasks. Microsoft should keep an eye on both the SteamOS and Linux…they aren’t anywhere near dethroning Microsoft, but at some point in the not too distant future, could substantially cut into their dominance in the PC market.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Nvidia’s New Chips’ Meta Adds Teleprompter & Virtual Writing to it’s Ray-Bans; Roborock Robot Vacuums Climb Stairs; Free AT&T WiFi on American Airlines

Posted: January 6, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nvidia’s latest greatest Rubin computing architecture was announced at CES by CEO Jensen Huang. Techcrunch.com reports that the system is now in production and will ramp up further this year. Huang told CES attendees “Vera Rubin is designed to address this fundamental challenge that we have: The amount of computation necessary for AI is skyrocketing.” Huang told the audience. “Today, I can tell you that Vera Rubin is in full production.” The Rubin architecture replaces the Blackwell architecture Nvidia has as the top tier for AI. The system is designed to address a bottleneck in AI computing…it introduces an ew tier of storage that connects externally to the compute device, and allows users to scale their storage pool more efficiently. This Rubin system runs three and a half times after than the Blackwell on training tasks and five times after on inference tasks. It is also more thrifty when it comes to electricity use. 

Meta showed a couple of cool features at CES that it is adding to its Ray-Ban Display glasses. According to theverge.com, users are getting an option to text on their glasses without the use of their phone or keyboard. As long as they have the Meta Neural band on their wrist, they can wrote on any surface…a desk top, your leg, whatever is handy. The feature will work with WhatsApp and Messenger. The Display glasses are also getting a new teleprompter feature…that lets users copy notes from their phone into customizable text cards that display on the glasses. The Neural Band is used again here…to navigate through the cards. The teleprompter feature is getting a phased rollout this week.

One knock on robot vacuums is that they aren’t as handy for homes with stairs. Well, that is about to change with Roborocks new Robot Vacuums. Bgr.com notes that The Roborock Saros Rover is a demo item so far, but the company showed it off at CES…not only climbing stairs, but sliding down a ramp, jumping, and even dancing! The company says the final release date and list of features…to say nothing of price…are ‘to be announced.’  Well-heeled people with stairs who would love to automate vacuuming are doing a happy dance!

Free AT&T WiFi will be available on every American Airlines flight later this year. Androidauthority.com reports that in order to get the freebie, you will need to sign  up for American’s AAdvantage loyalty program. It is high speed, satellite-based WiFi. Delta and United already have high speed WiFi on board, via partnerships with T-Mobile and Starlink. So far, American has 900 mainline aircraft fitted with the high speed WiFi…they claim they will have more satellite-equipped aircraft than any other carrier when finished equipping the fleet. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Samsung-Google Gemini AI to 800 Mil. Galaxys; Alexa Plus Website Now Open to All; Kodiak Incorporates Bosch Tech for Self-Driving Semi-Trucks; Anker Smart Lock Uses Face ID

Posted: January 5, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

A big announcement from Samsung Co-CEO TM Roh at CES…and not about a specific device. Androidheadlines.com reports that the CEO says the company will double the number of Gemini-powered mobile devices it makes this year, bringing the total to 800 million. Samsung is adding these features to TVs and home appliances as well. The “Galaxy AI” brand is known by 80% of consumers. But there is a global memory chip shortage that could cause prices for smartphones and other electronics to go up in 2026. With the majority of Samsung smartphones featuring Google’s Galaxy AI, and with Apple now going with Google as well, that means about 80% of smartphones will be running Google’s Galaxy AI. This should send shock waves through the halls of OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, Anthropic…maker of Claude, and at Microsoft too. I will go out on a limb and say I won’t be surprised if an antitrust suit gets filed by Google’s competitors over this. Apple can point out that they have used ChatGPT and find Google to be better…will that fly? We won’t know for a while…but if a suit is filed, I called it.

A few users have already gotten Alexa Plus, but now it is officially available to anyone under an early access program. According to theverge.com, you can sign up at alexa.com and start using the new web interface for Amazon’s new AI chatbot. The Plus is baked in on all new Echo devices and as an update to older ones. As with a number of AI tasks, it is still much easier and faster to use a keyboard and mouse or trackpad to the task than trying to get the chatbot to do it via voice commands. Here’s a cool feature though. You can upload documents, email, and images to the Alexa Plus website, and the AI will pull out important info for you. It can automatically add appointments to your calendar, or spit out your kids’ activity schedules or grocery lists. 

Self-driving truck company Kodiak AI is partnering with Bosch on a system of hardware and software that can be fitted to standard big rigs and give them autonomous driving capabilities. TechCrunch.com notes that Kodiak has already developed and designed a self-driving system with redundant systems for braking, steering, sensors, and computers. In January 2025, Kodiak’s self-driving trucks began making driverless deliveries for Atlas Energy Solutions in the oil-rich Permian Basin of West Texas and eastern New Mexico. So far, Kodiak has delivered 8 self-driving trucks out of an order of 100 to Atlas. The Bosch deal is intended to turn semi trucks — regardless of manufacturer — into driverless ones. Bosch will supply Kodiak with a variety of hardware components, including sensors and vehicle actuation components such as steering technologies. 

A flood of new items and announcements flowing out from the CES…Consumer Electronics Show this week. Macrumors.com reports that Anker has dropped a number of new products under its Eufy and Soundcore brands. One of interest is a $300 Matter-enabled smart lock…the E40. Now, there are plenty of smart locks, and some that use your fingerprint or your nearby smartphone to unlock your door. This one integrates with Apple Home, and uses a cam for a face scan using Apple’s Face ID. The cam also doubles as a security camera, and has night vision and wide-angle coverage. I haven’t upgraded my smart lock in years, but this one is tempting.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.