Unhinged Grok, ASUS Exits Phones, Possible PS5 Jailbreak + more!

Duration: 08:54

Timestamps:

0:00 keep calm and tech news on

0:11 Grok breaks safety guardrails again

1:55 ASUS exits smartphone business, RAM issues

3:28 Possible PS5 jailbreak

5:13 QUICK BITS INTRO

5:20 Pebble Round 2 smartwatch

5:59 Flipper Zero, Raspberry Pi inauguration ban

6:33 California DROP data deletion tool

7:20 Space furnace!

8:02 Tech Startups offer free Sesh pouches

NEWS SOURCES:

MAINS

GROK, THATS THE WRONG SLOP!

Grok Posts Sexual Images of Minors After ‘Lapses in Safeguards’

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-02/grok-posts-sexual-images-of-minors-after-lapses-in-safeguards

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/02/elon-musk-grok-ai-children-photos

Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/grok-says-safeguard-lapses-led-images-minors-minimal-clothing-x-2026-01-02/

Instagram head thinks it'll be more practical to label real content rather than label AI content due to the prevalence of slop

https://mashable.com/article/instagram-ceo-label-real-content

Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-chief-ai-is-so-ubiquitous-it-will-be-more-practical-to-fingerprint-real-media-than-fake-media-202620080.html

Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DS7pz7-DuZG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&img_index=20

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is now blogging about AI slop

https://www.theverge.com/news/852630/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-scratchpad-blog-ai-slop-comments

The blog: https://snscratchpad.com/posts/looking-ahead-2026/?v=1

HOLD THE PHONE!

ASUS Might Be Exiting The Smartphone Business, As A New Report States That Company Isn’t Planning Any New ROG Or Zenfone Launches In 2026

https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20260102PD236/smartphone-asus-taiwan-mobile-market.html

https://9to5google.com/2026/01/02/asus-android-phones-2026/

Only Android Flagships Are Rumored To Use LPDDR6 RAM This Year, Tipster Claims It Will Be 20% More Expensive Than LPDDR5X, With Only 16GB Configurations Available

https://wccftech.com/lpddr6-ram-rumored-to-be-20-percent-more-expensive-than-lpddr5x-ram/

Image

https://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LPDDR6-RAM-to-be-20-percent-more-expensive-than-LPDDR5X-RAM.jpg?_gl=1*1w7e7pw*_ga*MjcwODkzODI0LjE3NTkzMzQzNTU.*_ga_591JRXV2QC*MTc2NzM3ODIwMi4xLjEuMTc2NzM3ODIwMi4wLjAuMA..

Samsung To Absorb Costs To Prevent A Price Increase For Galaxy S26 Series

https://www.androidpolice.com/samsung-galaxy-s26-pricing-rumor-brings-rare-good-news/

https://www.talkandroid.com/520051-samsung-halts-galaxy-price/

Korean reporting

https://m.mk.co.kr/news/business/11920976

NOW THIS IS PODRACING!

PlayStation 5 ROM keys leaked — jailbreaking could be made easier with BootROM codes (private signing key for 1st stage of the boot firmware, the ps3 had the private signing key exposed and then allowed reverse engineered due to crypto weaknesses)

https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/playstation/playstation-5-rom-keys-leaked-jailbreaking-could-be-made-easier-with-bootrom-codes

Wccftech: https://wccftech.com/console-hacking-has-detonated-an-explosive-playstation-5-rom-keys-leak-online-opening-the-door-to-permanent-jailbreaks-custom-firmware/

This all started from a guy who just wanted to play beatsaber

Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVJZYT8kYsI

Linus playing Beatsaber (7:40 to 7:45): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCw9uG56foo

Best explanation: https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-5-ps5-rom-keys-leak/

The leaked keys: https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps5/Keys

PS3 signing leak: https://vimeo.com/18278625

Forgotten Star Wars Racer Revenge game is key to jailbreaking PlayStation 5, price soars 1,900% overnight amid leaked ROM keys exploit — Physical copies of the PS4 game go from $20 to $400 on eBay

https://www.thegamer.com/star-wars-revenge-race-required-new-ps5-jailbreaking-method/

Twitter post showing the exploit: https://x.com/gezine_dev/status/2006548152913215847

Polygon: https://www.polygon.com/ps5-jailbreak-star-wars-racer-revenge-price-ebay-limited-run-games-disc/

Ebay: https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=Star+Wars%3A+Racer+Revenge+Racing&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313

QUICKBITS

GET STONED

Pebble brings its round-faced smartwatch back from the dead - not rebble

https://www.engadget.com/wearables/pebble-brings-its-round-faced-smartwatch-back-from-the-dead-150000172.html?src=rss

Alternative sources: https://www.theverge.com/news/852587/pebble-round-2-time-smartwatch-price-availability

https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/02/pebble-reboots-its-thinnest-smartwatch-with-the-pebble-round-2/

Product page: https://repebble.com/watch

THE BIG APPLE PI

Zohran Mamdani banned Raspberry Pi devices from his inauguration as New York mayor - here's why

https://www.techradar.com/pro/zohran-mamdani-banned-raspberry-pi-devices-from-his-inauguration-as-new-york-mayor-heres-why

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/nyc-mayoral-inauguration-bans-flipper-zero-raspberry-pi-devices/

https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/31/zohran_mamdani_raspberry_pi_ban/

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

California releases state tool to help residents delete their personal data online

https://www.kcra.com/article/california-residents-delete-personal-data-online-drop/69899586

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/nation/california/2025/12/31/california-launches-drop-to-simplify-deleting-personal-data-online/87973682007/

https://abc7.com/post/new-drop-privacy-tool-helps-california-residents-stop-data-brokers-selling-personal-information/18340148/

Gov site:

https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/

EDITOR: If Riley allows it, include this sound cue somewhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX2zE8YIywA&list=RDRX2zE8YIywA&start_radio=1

FORGE WORLD

UK company shoots a 1,000-degree furnace into space to study off-world chip manufacturing — semiconductors made in space could be 'up to 4,000 times purer' than Earthly equivalents

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62vx0pgyrgo

Quote about vacuum and microgravity:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62vx0pgyrgo#:~:text=When%20they%20are%20being%20manufactured%20in%20a%20weightless%20environment%2C%20those%20atoms%20line%20up%20absolutely%20perfectly.%20The%20vacuum%20of%20space%20also%20means%20that%20contaminants%20can%27t%20sneak%20in.

https://gizmodo.com/startup-satellite-hits-1800-degrees-cooks-plasma-in-orbit-for-the-first-time-2000704796

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/uk-company-shoots-a-1000-degree-furnace-into-space-to-study-off-world-chip-manufacturing-semiconductors-made-in-space-could-be-up-to-4-000-times-purer-than-earthly-equivalents

NERDS NEED LIP DINNA TOO

Tech Startups Are Handing Out Free Nicotine Pouches to Boost Productivity (Hey buddy, gotta get that uppy decky in there bud, some lip dinna to get those creative juices flowing eh? Zyners ferda devs by’s)

https://www.wsj.com/tech/tech-startups-are-handing-out-free-nicotine-pouches-to-boost-productivity-e42d3cbe?st=ZoF6oB&reflink=article_copyURL_share