Daily Tech News 19 August 2026

Top Story

A federal judge has ruled that a state judge who used AI to handle the entire decision in a case so she could spend the day playing Cookie Run Kingdom or something equally important cannot be sued. (Tom's Hardware)

The state judge's actions may not be reasonable, or even legal, and the decision can be appealed, but the judge cannot sued.

Tech News

Move fast and crash planes: Google just bought the anonymised databases of the defunct Spirit Airlines for $10 million to train AI models. (CNN)

With OpenAI training on Reddit, Amazon training on Twitch streams, and now Google training on incompetent and defunct airlines, I don't think we have to worry too much about AI taking our jobs.

And more about AI destroying the economy so there aren't any jobs to be taken.
Building a Steam Machine in an ASRock Deskmeet X300. (WCCFTech)

Interesting thing: The Deskmeet X300 has four DDR4 SODIMM slots. Which is great if you just happen to have a stockpile of DDR4 SODIMMs from old laptops and mini-PCs.

Which I do.
Best Buy apparently did not steal half this customer's memory. (Tom's Hardware)

They took half the memory out, yes, but returned it along with the laptop. And since it has a dedicated GPU, performance won't suffer too much.

Actually, it just sounds like one stick of RAM went bad, and since the laptop was upgraded by a third-party, it wasn't Best Buy's responsibility, and the system is now working again.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: She's a bop girl.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:45 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 w00t

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 04:48 AM (odBC9)

2 !!

Posted by: clarence at August 19, 2026 04:48 AM (jAzRo)

3 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at August 19, 2026 04:48 AM (sAmhv)

4 G'Day everyone

Posted by: Skip at August 19, 2026 04:50 AM (Ia/+0)

5 this is newsy; excerpted from the ONT

452 The IRGC are threatening ballistic missile attacks on European targets in Cyprus and Bulgaria. The IRGC fired two missiles at the UAE yesterday that both fell into the sea.

Posted by: Ben Had at August 19, 2026 04:32 AM (gIjzl)

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 04:51 AM (odBC9)

6 Judicial immunity is nowhere in either the Constitution or statute.

Judges have immunity because judges say so.

Posted by: The Right Honorable Miklos, presiding at August 19, 2026 04:56 AM (XOG/m)

7 Someone should do a mashup of IRGC officials making threats and Ernest T. Bass threatening to throw a rock.

Posted by: Miklos lacks certain technical skill, more of an Idea Guy at August 19, 2026 04:58 AM (XOG/m)

8 m, this reminds me so much of Baghdad Bob. This has precipitated the move to quash all news coming out of Iran.

Posted by: Ben Had at August 19, 2026 04:59 AM (gIjzl)

9 Miklos lacks certain technical skill, more of an Idea Guy

heh

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 04:59 AM (odBC9)

10 8 m, this reminds me so much of Baghdad Bob. This has precipitated the move to quash all news coming out of Iran.
Posted by: Ben Had at August 19, 2026 04:59 AM (gIjzl)

I'll be headed down lots of rabbit holes online!

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 05:01 AM (odBC9)

11 Iran International is doing the best just the news reporting without opinions.

Posted by: Ben Had at August 19, 2026 05:04 AM (gIjzl)

12 m, this reminds me so much of Baghdad Bob.

Posted by: Ben Had at August 19, 2026 04:59 AM (gIjzl)
-

Iran is not Saddam Hussein. Iran is suicidal.

הבא להורגך, השכם להורגו

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at August 19, 2026 05:04 AM (Z3R2R)

13 Oh, and BOING!

Lunch time, already???

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at August 19, 2026 05:05 AM (Z3R2R)

14 Biden's Dog, any opinion on the election?

Posted by: Ben Had at August 19, 2026 05:05 AM (gIjzl)

15 Elections here are stuck on stupid because they are based on a party-only choice. Plus, governments can be brought down before their maximum term. Very much like (once) Great Britain.

Voters here are just as stupid as much everywhere else. They keep on voting for the same ol' same ol'.

Netanyahu is such a farce. Has been for decades.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at August 19, 2026 05:08 AM (Z3R2R)

16 Where is this Barack Obama, and what have you done with him?

Wikipedia, Hamas

In July 2008, Barack Obama, then the Democratic presidential candidate, said: "If somebody was sending rockets into my house, where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that, and I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 05:10 AM (odBC9)

17
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at August 19, 2026 05:11 AM (AMvSw)

18 A federal judge has ruled that a state judge who used AI to handle the entire decision in a case so she could spend the day playing Cookie Run Kingdom or something equally important cannot be sued.
****

It is quite likely that the judge relied on their clerk for the decision. To get to the bottom of this matter, the plaintiff should petition to have the judge explain the ruling in chambers. If the judge can not adequately explain, petition for recusal.

Posted by: clarence at August 19, 2026 05:11 AM (jAzRo)

19 Technology gave us fat feral wimmin in bathrobes on airplane bitching about racis and sheet

I don't like technology anymore

Posted by: the nephew at August 19, 2026 05:12 AM (LOZbR)

20 When going to the Amish market on Saturday, not only did we get good food served by pleasant, polite people , but I got several words search books which I enjoy doing as a diversion. One book was on faith, one was on love and based on passages from scripture This is one I was working on today from Psalm 33:20-22:

"Our soul waiteth for the Lord ; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His Holy Name. Let thy mercy be upon us, as we hope in thee."

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 05:25 AM (xSAlF)

21 Could I guess that judge is a DEI hire, and doesn't have any idea about written law?

Posted by: Skip at August 19, 2026 05:26 AM (Ia/+0)

22 Be bop. Deluxe.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 19, 2026 05:28 AM (fh6Zf)

23 Disclaimer: She's a bop girl.

She yips.

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 05:28 AM (odBC9)

24 Evening and morning, late toilers and early risers!

Woden's Day, Woden's Day, wherefore art thou Woden's day? A Thor's Day by any other name would smell as sweet.

Not that my Thor's Day this week will be a snap. Haircut, gassing up the car, dropping off old clothes and books at the thrift store; a busy morning. Today is lighter. I hope.

Anyway, I'm up earlier than I planned, having my coffee. What about you?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:28 AM (wzUl9)

25 Christian man from MN ( says he works in the agricultural industry) writes on spiritual maintenance and Hebrews 10: 19-25:

https://tinyurl.com/muby72eu

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 05:29 AM (xSAlF)

26 abovethelaw.com has articles about the use of AI in the law and promotes a "resource" called Legal AI.

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 05:30 AM (odBC9)

27 For some reason, when that Cyndi Lauper song came out, I thought the chorus included the word "Baluchistan."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:30 AM (wzUl9)

28 Cyndi Lauper - She Bop

It is super catchy.

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 05:32 AM (odBC9)

29 The local Fox outlet has a story about a gigantic pothole in a neighborhood here that is (supposedly) going to get filled -- after fifty years. A poor, crime-ridden neighborhood, yes, but still! How corrupt, stupid, and incompetent must a bunch of administrations be to let something that dangerous to traffic slide . . . for half a century?

No need to answer that. When the guy told Mr. Gittes in 1974, "Forget it, Jake; it's Chinatown," it resonated with people here, even then.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:39 AM (wzUl9)

30 21 Could I guess that judge is a DEI hire, and doesn't have any idea about written law?
Posted by: Skip at August 19, 2026 05:26 AM (Ia/+0)

Her name is

Mari Parladé

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 05:41 AM (odBC9)

31 And the Plaza Tower, a 1967-era building where I worked in the early '90s, has been standing vacant, condemned for mold issues among other things . . . since 2002. Twenty-four years without selling it or demolishing it?

New Mayor: "I'll get around to it."

(repeat on loop)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:41 AM (wzUl9)

32 Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 05:25 AM (xSAlF)

I just had a goofy idea:

Feral Word Search

Make a little booklet full of word keys, little themed lists of words of varying degrees of oddness, along with some kind of temporary "sticky note" or maybe a weird paperclip with a little pointer or flag you could adjust somehow, and then you use whatever books or magazines you have lying around as the material you search in.

Kinda like a word search scavenger hunt. But re-useable. And with unlimited variations. And no guarantee of success.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 05:43 AM (Ot/FD)

33 Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 05:43 AM (Ot/FD)

Is there anyway you could make money from this?😉

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 05:47 AM (xPsv8)

34 I'd rather be carried by six than judged by Candy Crush.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 05:47 AM (Ot/FD)

35 Flight Aware tells me the plane that just flew over is a Fedex Boeing 777 that left Memphis after 3 this morning and is landing at Newark in 15 minutes. I presume the cargo all will be delivered someplace today.

Modern life is sort of amazing.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 19, 2026 05:48 AM (rlR9Y)

36 Anyway, I'm up earlier than I planned, having my coffee. What about you?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

This Day bears my Name

Hump ye, hump ye all

Posted by: Wotan at August 19, 2026 05:48 AM (XOG/m)

37 Virginia Man Argues His 'FTP&ATF' License Plate Is Free Speech. The Supreme Court Might Hear His Case.

reason.com

https://tinyurl.com/4r7x9znh

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 05:49 AM (odBC9)

38 33 Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 05:43 AM (Ot/FD)

Is there anyway you could make money from this?😉
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 05:47 AM (xPsv

That is the most Dad question anyone has ever asked anyone.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 05:50 AM (Ot/FD)

39 For some reason, when that Cyndi Lauper song came out, I thought the chorus included the word "Baluchistan."
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of

Entirely your fault

Baluchistan is not part of Cyndi's vocabulary-ness

Posted by: Miklos just wanna have fun at August 19, 2026 05:51 AM (XOG/m)

40 84 degrees here, never mind the heat index. Time I took a day off from my workout schedule. The high will be 96.

In contrast, it's 68 in Terre Haute (and it's 6 am there), with a high (amid rain, true) expected to be around 78.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:51 AM (wzUl9)

41 Everybody in our house had a somewhat difficult day for various yesterday, which I won't go into. We are thankful God got us through . Probably the most "exciting" was son and his co-worker had to pry open an elevator which wasn't working to get out. I am trusting that today is smoother.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 05:51 AM (xPsv8)

42 Is there anyway you could make money from this?😉
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026

***
Looks like you're trying to make a suggestion. Would you like some help?
( -- A certain animated Windows annoyance)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:53 AM (wzUl9)

43 Every morning, before I Wordle, I Quordle and Nerdle. Exercise my coffee-addled brain.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 19, 2026 05:53 AM (HIHJq)

44 FTP&ATF

For The Penguins - All The Fish

I don't see the problem.

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 05:53 AM (odBC9)

45 Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 05:50 AM (Ot/FD)

But I'm not a dad. Husband ( and dad) must have worn off on me a bit😉 Anyway, I liked your idea and will have to consider it a bit more when I'm more awake.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 05:54 AM (xPsv8)

46 All seriousness aside . . . is there any other place on the 'Net whose posters/commenters display this level of wit even before dawn??? Hard to imagine!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:54 AM (wzUl9)

47 27 For some reason, when that Cyndi Lauper song came out, I thought the chorus included the word "Baluchistan."
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:30 AM (wzUl9)

ha ha

I see where.

She bop, he bop, we bop
I bop, you bop, they bop
Be bop, be bop, a lu bop
I hope he will understand

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 05:55 AM (odBC9)

48 I am up always earlier than I planned

Posted by: Skip at August 19, 2026 05:57 AM (Ia/+0)

49 In fairness to Cyndi and "She-Bop": It was the '80s, I had been reading some ancient history (didn't Alexander the Great pass through what is now Baluchistan?), and I was hearing the song on an AM radio in the truck with the windows open. (No A/C in the trucks. I hated that job.)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:59 AM (wzUl9)

50 Five am here; time to take the furry thugs' chow out of the fridge to warm a bit, and for me to get dressed and have a little chow of my own.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 06:00 AM (wzUl9)

51 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:54 AM (wzUl9)

If was long after dawn, but we ( or me, anyway) did get laughs from people making fun of the "Outstanding refugee of the year" who bilked whatever state is was for over a million dollars. This is not a funny issue, but I was overly tired.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 06:00 AM (xPsv8)

52 'Scuse me while I kiss this guy.

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 06:01 AM (odBC9)

53 I'd rather be carried by six than judged by Candy Crush.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026

***
Why in the world do the TV ads for that refer to it as the "Candy Crush Saga"?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 06:02 AM (wzUl9)

54 My understanding Cyndi wasn't the song writer much at all, but could be wrong. Can't say she was ever on my playlist

Posted by: Skip at August 19, 2026 06:02 AM (Ia/+0)

55 Stove top brewed cappuccino for Mrs. BD and me, plus a square of Swiss dark chocolate.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at August 19, 2026 06:03 AM (Z3R2R)

56 She looks a lot like Boy George in that screenshot.

Posted by: m at August 19, 2026 06:05 AM (odBC9)

57 Pretty much the only this I know about Lauper is this trivia:

https://tinyurl.com/538fycb7

(YouTube link)

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at August 19, 2026 06:05 AM (Z3R2R)

58 My understanding Cyndi wasn't the song writer much at all, but could be wrong. Can't say she was ever on my playlist
Posted by: Skip at August 19, 2026

***
I remember somebody, probably Weird Al, parodying "Hey Mickey" by casting the song as about Ricky Ricardo, i.e., "Hey Ricky!"

Odd how I remember Weird Al's versions of "Beat It," "Like a Virgin," and "Our Love's in Jeopardy" better than I do the originals.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 06:05 AM (wzUl9)

59 Why in the world do the TV ads for that refer to it as the "Candy Crush Saga"?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 06:02 AM (wzUl9)

If I knew, I certainly wouldn't let anyone know that I knew.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 06:05 AM (Ot/FD)

60 Or Boy George looks like her in that picture.

Posted by: Skip at August 19, 2026 06:06 AM (Ia/+0)

61 She looks a lot like Boy George in that screenshot.
Posted by: m at August 19, 2026

***
Cyndi was much cuter. Not that it's hard to be cuter than Boy George.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 06:06 AM (wzUl9)

62 (1 of 2)

but the judge cannot sued.

Judge Mari Parlade can (and should) be impeached by the legislature for what is essentially dereliction of duty and violation of part of her oath of office.

From the oath is this concluding phrase:

"... and I will well and faithfully perform all the duties of the office of the district court judge for the 8th judicial district, family division, department A, on which I'm about to enter, so help me God."

It could be strongly argued that using AI to build the decision is not faithful performance of her duties, and by using it for that purpose, it is a delegation of her responsibilities to a non-intelligent LLM, at a time when the courts have been repeatedly sanctioning lawyers for submitting briefs with LLM generated hallucinations (citations to cases that do not exist) in them.

A database of AI hallucinations in legal cases (by country) has been compiled by a French lawyer Damien Charlotin:
https://tinyurl.com/bdsyuu63

The United States leads this with 1,324 out of the total 1,933 cases documented.

(more...)

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at August 19, 2026 06:06 AM (O7YUW)

63 (... continued, 2 of 2)

Here's Judge Mari Parlade taking the oath of office, given by Judge Rebecca Burton:
https://youtu.be/TORwoDOyxj8

@ 1:07:
Burton (smoothly): "all the duties of the office of the district court judge"

Parlade (pausing twice while saying): "all the duties ... of the office ... of the district court judge..."

Parlade does get the wording correct, but you can see she's struggling to remember and correctly repeat an eleven word long phrase. Short term memory can only comfortably handle 7 things so perhaps that's understandable.

However, it did make me wonder just how sharp this judge's mental acuity is, now further called into question by the willingness to use an LLM to build a legal judgement.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at August 19, 2026 06:06 AM (O7YUW)

64 84 degrees here, never mind the heat index. Time I took a day off from my workout schedule. The high will be 96.

In contrast, it's 68 in Terre Haute (and it's 6 am there), with a high (amid rain, true) expected to be around 78.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 05:51 AM (wzUl9)

88 here in OKC now. May reach around 110 today. Getting very tired of the heat.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at August 19, 2026 06:06 AM (g8Ew8)

65 The headlines today are filled with anti-Trump screeching. The NYT is especially worried PDJT will get his ballroom completed before the courts can stop him. And if the courts are ineffectual, what do they have left?!

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 19, 2026 06:07 AM (1FJsD)

66 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 06:05 AM (wzUl9

I agree with you. I always thought Weird Al was quite a clever and talented man.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 06:07 AM (xPsv8)

67 Oh, who cares that the Law is broken. No one was using it anyway.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 06:08 AM (Ot/FD)

68 Late start and close to home, will be back to leaving 4:45 tomorrow

Posted by: Skip at August 19, 2026 06:08 AM (Ia/+0)

69 Pork tenderloin marinating in a mojo sauce. Cubanos on the lunch menu for today.

Posted by: Ben Had at August 19, 2026 06:08 AM (gIjzl)

70 Move over Dead Internet Theory.

We got Dead Legal System Theory.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 06:09 AM (Ot/FD)

71 Pork tenderloin marinating in a mojo sauce. Cubanos on the lunch menu for today.
Posted by: Ben Had at August 19, 2026 06:08 AM (gIjzl)
-------------
Mouth watering.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 19, 2026 06:10 AM (1FJsD)

72 66 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 19, 2026 06:05 AM (wzUl9

I agree with you. I always thought Weird Al was quite a clever and talented man.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 19, 2026 06:07 AM (xPsv

Good morning Fen.

Posted by: tubal at August 19, 2026 06:10 AM (Gqar8)

73 "Where were you on the night of the 22nd?"

"That's a great question, you're definitely on the right track."

Posted by: Warai-otoko at August 19, 2026 06:10 AM (Ot/FD)

74 Wolfus didn't see a result of the house hunting went through or not?

Posted by: Skip at August 19, 2026 06:11 AM (Ia/+0)

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