Topic: Brave

The hosts compare current social trends to George Orwell's "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World." They specifically highlight passages regarding the state's efforts to turn children against parents and the eventual goal of eradicating natural family instincts and procreation.

The hosts critique Microsoft Start for its intrusive clickbait and the persistent loading of the Edge browser. Technical difficulties regarding Digital Rights Management (DRM) are noted, specifically how certain browsers like Brave may fail to load Netflix content without specific DRM components, necessitating the use of Firefox or Edge.

Actor Tom Hanks narrated a new promotional video for the Biden administration that omits the word "free" from the traditional American patriotic phrase. Instead of "land of the free and home of the brave," the narration repeatedly uses "land of the brave," which critics interpret as a subtle shift in national values.

The hosts discuss their shift away from Google Search toward privacy-focused alternatives like DuckDuckGo, Neva, and Brave Search. They recount the history of Brave founder Brendan Eich, who was ousted from Mozilla after a controversy regarding a political donation. The conversation covers the technical merits of different search indexes and the difficulty of completely abandoning Google's mapping and localized services.

Brave CEO and JavaScript creator Brendan Eich contacted the show to warn against using the unmaintained Dissenter browser, citing security risks. Eich's history with Mozilla and Netscape is discussed, and the hosts express interest in revisiting the Brave browser for its built-in privacy features.

Gab has released the Dissenter browser, a fork of the Brave/Chromium project designed to be lightweight and privacy-focused. The hosts also warn listeners about "google.com/purchases," a tool that aggregates a user's shopping history by scanning receipts in their Gmail account. They suggest this data collection is a precursor to more invasive monitoring.

Google announced changes to its extension API that will effectively disable many third-party ad blockers in the Chrome browser. In response, users are turning to hardware-based solutions like Pi-hole, a network-wide ad blocker running on Raspberry Pi. The move is seen as Google protecting its core advertising business as Microsoft Edge also transitions to the Chromium engine.

The hosts review the Microsoft Surface Go as a potential "Off The Grid" device for those avoiding smartphones. They discuss the technical challenges of using a VPN, such as Bing and Amazon defaulting to the wrong language or country based on the VPN's exit node. Curry praises the device's portability and speaker quality.

Technical advice is given on using a Pi-hole (Raspberry Pi) to block ads at the network level. The Brave browser is also discussed as a tool for privacy, though its business model involving "indicators" and cryptocurrency is viewed with some skepticism. The segment mentions the controversy surrounding Brave's founder and his departure from Firefox.

The passage of SESTA and FOSTA legislation has led to the shutdown of platforms like Backpage.com, forcing sex workers to migrate to decentralized platforms like Mastodon. Specifically, many have moved to the "switter.at" instance to post advertisements via hashtags. This shift highlights the potential for distributed, non-walled garden platforms to gain adoption as traditional social media sites increase censorship and tracking.

The hosts discuss the merits of the Brave browser, which uses a proxy method to block ads without alerting publishers. They compare it to Firefox and Chrome, arguing that users have a responsibility to use tools that prevent data leakage to advertisers.

The Brave Browser, created by Mozilla co-founder Brendan Eich, is highlighted for its ability to block "canvas fingerprinting." This advanced tracking method uses HTML5 to identify a user's unique hardware and software configuration, making them trackable even without cookies. The browser aims to create a more private ecosystem by limiting the data sent to servers.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called for President Donald Trump's resignation following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. A documentary titled "16 Women & Donald Trump" produced by Brave Films features accusers detailing incidents of groping and harassment. The discussion contrasts these allegations with the environment of beauty pageants and fashion shows, while suggesting potential political motives behind the timing of the claims.

Adam Curry describes a recent back injury sustained while moving a bar stool for a studio segment. He discusses being prescribed Carisoprodol, marketed as Soma, and references its namesake in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" while describing the drug's effects and street value.

The hosts reflect on the "perfect storm" of Orwellian surveillance and Huxleyan distraction in modern society. They compare the current climate of "see something, say something" to the anti-communist fervor of the 1950s and the McCarthy era. They express concern that the public is being conditioned to turn against their neighbors, similar to tactics used in historical totalitarian regimes.

A discussion of Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" focuses on the concept of infant conditioning and "narco-hypnosis" as tools of government control. The hosts compare the fictional drug Soma to modern societal distractions and the public's obsession with celebrity culture.

A discussion on Aldous Huxley's Brave New World suggests the book's vision of a society controlled by entertainment and drugs is more accurate to the present day than Orwell's 1984. The hosts then pivot to a job posting for a Director of Corporate Sponsorship at NPR, noting that the public broadcaster's sales goals and agency relationships mirror those of commercial networks like CBS or Clear Channel.