Daily Tech News 26 December 2025

Top Story

AI has reached the Uncanny Valley. (The Verge) (archive site)
I gave Buddy the same dialogue as in the commercial, using my son's name rather than Emma. Hearing that same manufactured voice say my kid's name out loud set alarm bells off in my head. An AI generated Buddy in front of the Eiffel Tower? Sorta weird, sorta cute. AI Buddy addressing my son by name? Nope, absolutely not, no thank you.
Even the idiots at The Verge are, when it comes down to it, human.
2025 marked the year when Hollywood embraced AI, and the results were, frankly, awful. (The Verge) (archive site)
Amazon's gen-AI dubs became a shining example of how poorly this technology can perform. They also highlighted how some studios aren't putting all that much effort into making sure that their gen AI-derived projects are polished enough to be released to the public. That was also true of Amazon's machine-generated TV recaps, which frequently got details about different shows very wrong. Both of these fiascos made it seem as if Amazon somehow thought that people wouldn't notice or care about AI's inability to consistently generate high-quality outputs. The studio quickly pulled its AI-dubbed series and the recap feature down, but it didn't say that it wouldn't try this kind of nonsense again.
Lots of juicy AI hate from The Verge today.

Tech News

It's not a bubble: Nvidia has paid Groq - which was valued at $6.9 billion as of September - $20 billion in cash for a non-exclusive license to its inference technology. (CNBC) (archive site)

Groq who?
Framework is increasing memory prices in its laptops to $10 per gigabyte effective immediately. (Tom's Hardware)

On the one hand, that is about the average retail price now.

On the other hand, I paid less than that and got the rest of the PC thrown in free.
The MiniForum BD895i SE is a mini-ITX motherboard using laptop RAM with a laptop CPU soldered in place. (Notebook Check)

It has a 16-core 55W Ryzen 8945HX and room for two SODIMMs and two M.2 SSDs. Three video outputs, three audio jacks, four USB ports, and 2.5Gb Ethernet.

A soldered-in CPU might seem like a bad idea until you realise that this board is as fast as a 12-core Ryzen 9900X desktop CPU and also costs the same as a 12-core Ryzen 9900X.
MinisForum also announced a PCIe OCuLink card. (Notebook Check)

I mean, sure, I guess. OCuLink is for external PCIe devices and this only works if you have internal PCIe slots available. Useful if you have a system that can only fit a half-height single-slot card and you want to attach a GPU.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: A sin? A mere peccadillo, I would say. More sherry?

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 BOING!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 26, 2025 04:00 AM (BJnkV)

2 G'Day everyone

Posted by: Skip at December 26, 2025 04:00 AM (Ia/+0)

3 Wow! Look at "Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey" go!

Posted by: m at December 26, 2025 04:01 AM (RuTUS)

4 G'Day everyone

Posted by: Skip at December 26, 2025 04:00 AM (Ia/+0)
-

Are you pre or post coffee?

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 26, 2025 04:01 AM (BJnkV)

5 I'm getting up

Posted by: Skip at December 26, 2025 04:01 AM (Ia/+0)

6 Wow! Look at "Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey" go!

Posted by: m at December 26, 2025 04:01 AM (RuTUS)
-

Yesterday I had a ruff day!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 26, 2025 04:01 AM (BJnkV)

7 And now off to visit my MIL with Mrs. BD.

No river to go over here in Jerusalem.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 26, 2025 04:03 AM (BJnkV)

8 Good morning.

Posted by: Fluffy Nuggets, Jr. at December 26, 2025 04:04 AM (5C3gx)

9 Morning all! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are now relaxing.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 26, 2025 04:06 AM (BLOW1)

10 >>>Sometimes you're better off dead
There's a gun in your hand it's pointing at your head

ho ho ho

Posted by: m at December 26, 2025 04:13 AM (RuTUS)

11 Today is the 200th anniversary of the Decembrest revolution, it really didn't have a chance but surely if it did Russia might have came out better in history

Posted by: Skip at December 26, 2025 04:25 AM (Ia/+0)

12 Ya'll see what Trump gave ISIS Nigeria for Christmas, really thoughtful:

https://x.com/KatiePavlich/status/2004326650490871935

Posted by: Pikov Andropov at December 26, 2025 04:57 AM (y7zkd)

13 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at December 26, 2025 05:03 AM (L1JuH)

14 11 Today is the 200th anniversary of the Decembrest revolution, it really didn't have a chance but surely if it did Russia might have came out better in history
Posted by: Skip

Nah. Russia has a long history of everything going wrong and millions die. It's part of there charm.

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at December 26, 2025 05:07 AM (L1JuH)

15 Since probably before Ivan the Terrible

Posted by: Pikov Andropov at December 26, 2025 05:09 AM (y7zkd)

16 Russia has a long history of coulda, shoulda, woulda

Posted by: Skip at December 26, 2025 05:13 AM (Ia/+0)

17
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at December 26, 2025 05:17 AM (tljrc)

18 Morning, Tech Peeps

Posted by: fluffy at December 26, 2025 05:18 AM (AN2gy)

19 The ONT comments (now at 41

are Christmasy and Hordelike.

Posted by: m at December 26, 2025 05:24 AM (RuTUS)

20 *comments ( now at 418 ) are

Posted by: m at December 26, 2025 05:25 AM (RuTUS)

21 Coffee morning.

Coffee = good.
If I want to have a good morning there must be coffee.

Therefore: Coffee morning.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at December 26, 2025 05:31 AM (O7YUW)

22 techish:

Damin Toell
@damintoell
Half of the accounts on this app will be wiped out

Yashar Ali 🐘
@yashar
11h
BREAKING
President Trump says he ordered US military strikes against ISIS targets in Nigeria.

Posted by: m at December 26, 2025 05:33 AM (RuTUS)

23 The ONT comments (now at 418 ) The ONT comments (now at 41

You are either quite the early riser or a serious night owl.

Posted by: fluffy at December 26, 2025 05:35 AM (AN2gy)

24 23 You are either quite the early riser or a serious night owl.
Posted by: fluffy at December 26, 2025 05:35 AM (AN2gy)

You say that like it's a bad thing!

Posted by: m at December 26, 2025 05:49 AM (RuTUS)

25 Evening and morning, all! 'Tis Friday, usually the consummation devoutly to be wished. And for some of us I'll bet it still is. Amirite?

Not a bad Christmas Day at Schloss Wolfus. Roast chicken and stuffing for dinner, with some shortbread cookies after. Watched the original "Grinch" TV special, and then the 1978 Watership Down. (Though Grumpy Cat's Christmas still looms on the DVD stack.) Linda gave me a handsome mahogany jewelry/cigar box that I can use for my pipe tobaccos, and (get this) an air purifier, a small household version of the kind the pipe/cigar store uses. This will be interesting, to see how the cats react to it.

Howzabout you?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 26, 2025 06:01 AM (wzUl9)

26 from the AI Hollywood Verge article:
>>>But rather than pummeling AI purveyors into the ground

Sounds like a job for Pixy!

Posted by: m at December 26, 2025 06:02 AM (RuTUS)

27 Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

Rejoinder: Your Majesty is like a stream of bat's piss.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at December 26, 2025 06:03 AM (qbLEp)

28 Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

Rejoinder: Your Majesty is like a stream of bat's piss.
Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at December 26, 2025

***
"By which we presume you mean, warm and golden? . . . Off with his head!"

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 26, 2025 06:05 AM (wzUl9)

29 >>> You say that like it's a bad thing!

Just taking note.

Posted by: fluffy at December 26, 2025 06:07 AM (AN2gy)

30
Their packing the habits to Stalingrad!

T'anks, Buddy! How's the Buzzsucker coming along?

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM} at December 26, 2025 06:09 AM (xG4kz)

31 I really liked this devotional, "God's glimmers". It relates to idea that a friend shared with me of asking God to show us something good everyday. Yesterday, I had a good talk with the manager of the local convenience store who is a nice, friendly guy. Also, we went out in the late afternoon. and
saw a glorious sunset as well as the large, decorated tree in the local town.

1st Thessalonians 5:12-24

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at December 26, 2025 06:12 AM (ZeH0U)

32 @27/Captain Obvious: "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot."

Whatever fills your cup and caffeinates you.

"Your Majesty is like a stream of bat's piss."

Okay maybe not that.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at December 26, 2025 06:13 AM (O7YUW)

33
Folks still gorged and snoring, it seems. That, or their girding their loins to go snag "bargains" amid the ruins of shopped over areas.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM} at December 26, 2025 06:13 AM (xG4kz)

34 Whoops; Forgot the link for 31:

https://tinyurl.com/2bdyr4t4

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at December 26, 2025 06:13 AM (ZeH0U)

35 It's 62 to 66 F. now, depending on who you ask, with fog and almost no wind. Good workout conditions. Yesterday morning I came home with my hair and eyelashes soaked from fog droplets.

Going up to about 79 today, so that's not good.

Maybe I'll wander out to a local coffee shop later.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 26, 2025 06:16 AM (wzUl9)

36 Oh, I forgot this. We watched the great Alastair Sim in "Scrooge", This time I was particularly struck by the little boy who plays Tiny Tim. What a cutie!

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at December 26, 2025 06:16 AM (ZeH0U)

37
Two days of celebrating amidst the in-laws. A very pleasant, if not outright fun all around. However, too many of my in-laws drink too much -- not judging, but sad to witness.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM} at December 26, 2025 06:17 AM (xG4kz)

38
I'm teaching the same metalworking workshop of two days' duration this weekend and the

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM} at December 26, 2025 06:18 AM (xG4kz)

39 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 26, 2025 06:16 AM (wzUl9)

Well, we're going up to 32 degrees and are supposed to get 4-8 inches of snow later. Well, it will look pretty on the trees.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at December 26, 2025 06:19 AM (ZeH0U)

40
next. The choice of dates was my own. The missus is a rapt pupil in the first one, along with one other person

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM} at December 26, 2025 06:19 AM (xG4kz)

41 Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM} at December 26, 2025 06:19 AM (xG4kz)

What an interesting craft!

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at December 26, 2025 06:21 AM (ZeH0U)

42 This Christmas I hope I avoided giving Linda something that disappointed her. She asked for flavored coffee; I obliged. She handed me a small mahogany jewelry box when we visited a thrift store early this month and murmured, "This would be a good Christmas present." So I bought it. And she pointed out a silver snake chain and silver cat figure to go on it, on eBay; so I will order those today. For once, in other words, she actually told me what she wanted so I could go get it, instead of my guessing and wildly missing the mark.

Oh, and the Killer Kittenz From Outer Space are having fun with the wrapping paper. Everybody's happy. (I don't know how to deal with this state of affairs!)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 26, 2025 06:21 AM (wzUl9)

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