Tech Gumbo

·S12 E636

OS Age Verification, Vanguard Strikes Back, Waymo Floods, Subsea Data Centers, AI in Space

June 1
22 mins

Episode Description

News and Updates:

  • OS Age Verification Laws: California's Digital Age Assurance Act (2027) requires operating systems to collect and share user age ranges with apps, sparking major privacy concerns nationwide.
  • Vanguard Bricks Cheaters: Riot Games' latest Vanguard anti-cheat update permanently disables DMA cheat firmware on PCs, forcing full OS reinstalls — Riot's response was unapologetic and blunt.
  • Waymo Flooding Woes: Waymo suspended robotaxi operations in Atlanta and San Antonio after vehicles drove into flooded roads, prompting a voluntary recall of nearly 4,000 vehicles for software fixes.
  • China's Underwater Data Center: A $226 million, 24-megawatt subsea facility off Shanghai houses 2,000 servers, using passive ocean cooling and offshore wind power to achieve exceptional energy efficiency.
  • Data Centers in Space: SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Google are pursuing orbital AI data centers powered by massive solar arrays, but engineers warn the economics remain extremely challenging and unproven.
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