Ep. 505: Time to Upgrade Your AOL Dial-up and more tech tips

Yes, AOL dial-up internet is still a thing, but not for much longer. We reminisce on the "good" old days of the internet and how far we've come. Plus, we had some big news in the AI world this week and so much more.

For full show notes, links, and more, visit: https://www.notnerd.com/episode-505-time-to-upgrade-your-aol-dial-up/

INTRO (00:00)

AI Stuff, should we cover more or less? Let us know in the comments (03:30)

MAIN TOPIC: Pour one out for dial-up (05:45)
- AOL ditching dial-up service, a relic of the internet in the '90s and early '00s
- AOL Sound Board
- AOL Wikipedia
- Net Zero Dialup still kicking - maybe not, but they have a website
- The Commodore 64 is back

DAVE’S PRO-TIP OF THE WEEK: Shared Photo Albums (17:30)

JUST THE HEADLINES: (25:05)
- Starbucks asks customers in South Korea to stop bringing printers and desktop computers into stores
- Jellyfish swarm forces French nuclear plant to shut
- Astrophysicist proposes paperclip-sized spacecraft could travel at lightspeed to a black hole
- Microsoft sued for discontinuing Windows 10 support
- Autonomous AI-guided Black Hawk helicopter tested to fight wildfires
- Xerox buys Lexmark for $1.5 billion as print industry clings to relevance
- US to expedite plan for nuclear reactor on the moon

LISTENER MAIL: Todd - Magnets and computers (28:05)

TAKES:
- Here’s everything OpenAI announced at its GPT-5 event (03:30)
- OpenAI announces massive US government partnership - Anthropic is giving Claude to the U.S. government for $1 as AI companies try to win key agencies (36:20)
- Elon Musk’s xAI releases Grok 4 for free globally, challenges OpenAI’s GPT-5 launch (39:25)
- Reddit will block the Internet Archive (44:45)
- Microsoft Patch Tuesday August 2025 (46:40)

BONUS ODD TAKE: Lex.games (49:25)

PICKS OF THE WEEK:

Dave: Amazon Kindle Colorsoft 16 GB (newest model) – With color display and adjustable warm light – No Ads – Black (51:10)

Nate: Flat Plug Power Strip Surge Protector, 5ft Ultra Thin Extension Cord with 4 USB Wall Charger(2 USB C Port), 6 Widely-Spaced Outlets Power Strip Compact for Travel, Office, Dorm Room Essentials (White) (54:50)

RAMAZON PURCHASE OF THE WEEK (57:15)

TITLE IDEAS:

ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 shortlist

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