- Bid Rejected | The Launch π 66
eBay dodged a bullet this week, and we dig into the wild story of GameStopβs attempted hostile takeover. Plus, we start plotting summer plans and do a quick check-in on the Musk v. Altman trial.
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Episode Links
- This is the End of Week Two of Musk v Altman Trial
- Shivon Zilis, Mother of Musk's Children, Testifies in OpenAI Trial
- OpenAI Trial Enters Final Week
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Testifies in OpenAI Trial
- Sam Altman Takes the Stand in Trial Against Elon Musk
- eBay History
- eBay to Acquire PayPal
- eBay 2016 Annual Report
- eBay 2021 Annual Report
- eBay 2025 SEC Filing
- GameStop Offers to Buy eBay for $56 Billion
- GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen on $56B eBay Offer
- GameStop Makes $56 Billion Bid for eBay
- eBay Spurns GameStopβs Offer as Not Credible or Attractive
- Land with a Box on It
- Triangle House
- What Does a $20M Home Look Like?
Music
13 May 2026, 1:00 am - Berkeley Suffering Distribution | LINUX Unplugged 666
Who survived the install, who made it to the desktop, and who learned the hard way that one little mistake will blow up the entire BSD box.
Sponsored By:
- Jupiter Party Annual Membership: Put your support on automatic with our annual plan, and get one month of membership for free!
- Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from Defined Networking. A decentralized VPN built on the open-source Nebula platform that we love.
Links:
- π₯ Gets Sats Quick and Easy with Strike
- π» LINUX Unplugged on Fountain.FM
- LinuxFest Northwest 2026 - Back to Root β April 24-26, 2026 - Bellingham, Washington
- Texas Linux Festival 2026 - November 6-7, 2026 Austin, TX
- Texas Linux Fest 2026 - Call for Papers deadline July 1, 2026
- Dirty Frag, a new Copy.Fail like vulnerability β The Dirty Frag vulnerability class, first discovered and reported by Hyunwoo Kim, can obtain root privileges on major Linux distributions by chaining the xfrm-ESP Page-Cache Write (CVE-2026-43284) and the RxRPC Page-Cache Write (CVE-2026-43500) vulnerabilities.
- How to mitigate the "Dirty Frag" CVE-2026-43284 in OpenShift 4 - Red Hat Customer Portal
- Dirty Frag Linux kernel local privilege escalation vulnerability mitigations - Ubuntu
- Dirty Frag Explained: Linux Root Exploit, Mitigation & Patching Guide
- LINUX Unplugged 666 - The BSD Challenge Rules
- Magnolia Mayhem's BSD Challenge Report β Itβs still got that old cowboy feel to it.
- Magnolia's Sinchflat - GitLab β Anyway, Pinchflat now has a FreeBSD-first competitor.
- FreeBSD Foundation's Laptop Support and Usability Improvements Project β The FreeBSD Foundation's Laptop Support and Usability Improvements project aims to deliver a package of improved or new FreeBSD functionality that, together, will ensure that it runs well βout of the boxβ on a broad range of personal computing devices.
- nixbsd: An unofficial NixOS fork with a FreeBSD kernel
- Brent's nixbsd config
- NomadBSD β Persistent live USB flash drives, based on FreeBSD. Together with automatic hardware detection and setup, it is configured to be used as a desktop system that works out of the box, but can also be used for data recovery, for educational purposes, or to test FreeBSD's hardware compatibility.
- GhostBSD β A simple, elegant desktop BSD Operating System
- gershwin-desktop β Desktop Environment based on GNUstep welcoming to switchers
- gershwin-on-freebsd live iso
- gershwin-on-debian live iso
- gershwin-on-arch live iso
- Maintaining the Worldβs Fastest Content Delivery Network at Netflix on FreeBSD - FreeBSD Foundation
- Pick: kiji-proxy β An intelligent privacy layer for AI APIs. Kiji automatically detects and masks personally identifiable information (PII) in requests to AI services, ensuring your sensitive data never leaves your control.
- Pick: Portbook β Local Rust web dashboard that auto-discovers and labels HTTP dev services running on localhost ports β with live SSE updates, project-root detection, and live/error/dead classification.
- Pick: Sylve β Sylve is a lightweight, open-source management platform for FreeBSD. It combines Bhyve virtual machines, FreeBSD Jails, and ZFS storage into a modern web interface designed to deliver a streamlined, Proxmox-like experience tailored for FreeBSD environments.
- AlchemillaHQ/Sylve β Lightweight GUI for managing Bhyve, Jails, ZFS, networking, and more on FreeBSD
- FreshPorts: sysutils/sylve
10 May 2026, 7:10 pm - Safety for You, Features for Me | The Launch π 65
The Musk v. Altman trial is getting messy fast β and nobodyβs walking away clean. Musk wants the story to be a stolen mission. OpenAI wants it framed as a sore-loser lawsuit from a rival.
Plus, Chris finds his perfect Starter Bunker, and Ang ruminates on the eternal problem of photo management.
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- Annual Jupiter.Party Discount - Launch Exclusive!Β
- Google, Microsoft, and xAI will allow the US government to review their new AI models | The Verge
- Joe Lonsdale on AI regulation: National review should be as limited and targeted as possible - YouTube
- Musk wanted to settle with OpenAI just days before their courtroom showdown, new filing says - YouTube
- Every day new evidence is added to the Musk v Altman trial - YouTube
- Starter Bunker
- A Tiny House for Chris
Music:
6 May 2026, 1:00 am - Patch Me If You Can | LINUX Unplugged 665
We dig into the Copy Fail vulnerability and test a proof-of-concept against our own box. Plus, Jon Seager, VP of Engineering at Canonical joins us, and we kick off the BSD Challenge!
Sponsored By:
- Jupiter Party Annual Membership: Put your support on automatic with our annual plan, and get one month of membership for free!
- Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from Defined Networking. A decentralized VPN built on the open-source Nebula platform that we love.
Links:
- π₯ Gets Sats Quick and Easy with Strike
- π» LINUX Unplugged on Fountain.FM
- Copy Fail β CVE-2026-31431 β "An unprivileged local user can write four controlled bytes into the page cache of any readable file on a Linux system, and use that to gain root." β Theori
- Copy Fail: 732 Bytes to Root - Xint β "A single 732-byte Python script can edit a setuid binary and obtain root on essentially all Linux distributions shipped since 2017." β Xint
- Linux Kernel Bug Explained - Jorijn β "CopyFail is more portable. One script, every distro, no offsets. Dirty Pipe needed kernel β₯ 5.8; Copy Fail covers 2017β2026." β Jorijn"Kubernetes Pod Security Standards (Restricted) and default seccomp do NOT block the syscall used." β Jorijn
- Ars: Most Severe Linux Threat in Years β "The most severe Linux threat to surface in years catches the world flat-footed." β Ars Technica
- Sysdig: CVE-2026-31431 Analysis β "The flaw was introduced in 2017 via commit 72548b093ee3, which switched AEAD operations to in-place processing." β Sysdig
- CERT-EU Advisory
- Ubuntu Security Tracker
- The Register: Crypto Flaw
- Kernel Patch (reverts 2017 optimization) β "This mostly reverts commit 72548b093ee3 except for the copying of the associated data." β Kernel Commit
- Buggy Commit: 72548b093ee3 (2017)
- DeepWiki: AF_ALG Internals
- oss-security Disclosure
- PSA + GRUB Mitigation - Jan Wildeboer
- Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon) Released β "Ubuntu 26.04 LTS sets the example for providing best-in-class resilience while simultaneously embracing innovation and the advancement of open source." β Jon Seager, VP Ubuntu Engineering
- The Future of AI in Ubuntu - Jon Seager β "Throughout 2026 we'll be working on enabling access to frontier AI for Ubuntu users in a way that is deliberate, secure, and aligned with our open source values." β Jon Seager
- Ubuntu 26.04 Release Notes
- Ubuntu AI Features Throughout 2026 - Phoronix β "Canonical's approach to AI is refreshingly thoughtful β Microsoft should take note." β ZDNet
- Canonical DDoS Attack Update β "Canonical's web infrastructure is under a sustained, cross-border attack and we are working to address it." β arcticp, Canonical
- Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter #942
- Canonical AI Approach - ZDNet
- 9to5Linux: Opt-In LLM Tools
- uutils/coreutils: Cross-platform Rust rewrite of the GNU coreutils
- LINUX Unplugged 636: Engineering the Future
- LiveCD fails to start X session on QEMU Β· Issue #354 Β· ghostbsd/issues
- Monty's βrescueβ drive NixOS config
- Magnolia Mayhem's BSD Challenge Report
- Pick: NASty β NASty is a NAS operating system built on NixOS and bcachefs. It turns commodity hardware into a storage appliance serving NFS, SMB, iSCSI, and NVMe-oF β managed from a single web UI, updated atomically, and rolled back when things go sideways.
- Pick: Defuse β Defuse is a GTK4 application for removing image backgrounds locally.
- Defuse on Flathub
3 May 2026, 4:40 pm - Big Tech Receipts | The Launch π 64
With a full LinuxFest Northwest crew is still in the mix, we dig into our favorite kind of drama, big tech email leaks. Then, Chris explains why heβs skipping conference talks this year.
CALL 1-774-462-5667
Boost This Episode:- Grab Sats with River!
- β‘ Strike Makes it Quick it Grab Sats in 100s of Countries
- Boost with Fountain
- 1988 - Olive Garden Commercial - YouTube
- Too many breadsticks at Olive Garden? - YouTube
- Elon Musk And Sam Altman Go To Court β Everything You Need To Know - YouTube
- Musk v. Altman: Jury selected in trial that could alter AI's future - YouTube
29 April 2026, 1:00 am - Back to Root | LINUX Unplugged 664
After 26 years, we return to our roots and reflect on why LinuxFest Northwest is still a special event.
Sponsored By:
- Jupiter Party Annual Membership: Put your support on automatic with our annual plan, and get one month of membership for free!
- Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from Defined Networking. A decentralized VPN built on the open-source Nebula platform that we love.
Links:
- π₯ Gets Sats Quick and Easy with Strike
- π» LINUX Unplugged on Fountain.FM
- LINUX Unplugged 666 BSD Challenge - Rules and Regrets
- LFNW2026 - Back to Root
- LinuxFest Northwest 2026 Playlist - YouTube
- LinuxFest Northwest - YouTube
- The New Linux Kernel AI Bot Uncovering Bugs Is A Local LLM On Framework Desktop + AMD Ryzen AI Max
- Bitwarden CLI Compromised in Ongoing Checkmarx Supply Chain
- Bear454's Fundraiser: Support for James Mason's Family
- Pick: Updo β Updo is a command-line tool for monitoring website uptime and performance. It provides real-time metrics on website status, response time, SSL certificate expiry, and more, with alert notifications.
- Pick: Pake β π€±π» Turn any webpage into a desktop app with one command.
26 April 2026, 3:20 pm - High Availability Hens | The Launch π 63
Chris is one month into chicken dad life, almost nothing has gone as planned, and we react to Tim Cook stepping down.
CALL 1-774-462-5667
Boost This Episode:- Grab Sats with River!
- β‘ Strike Makes it Quick it Grab Sats in 100s of Countries
- Boost with Fountain
Become a Member:- Monthly Jupiter.Party Discount - Only for The Launch!
- Annual Jupiter.Party Discount - Launch Exclusive!Β
Show Notes:- Cool Birds
- Bird Setup in the RV
- Signs of Coccidiosis
- We Found Him: An Interview with Saxsquatch - Riot Fest
- Tim Cook to step down as Apple CEO - YouTube
- Apple's Tim Cook Shares Community Letter After Announcing Plans to Step Down as CEO - MacRumors
- John Ternus to Succeed Tim Cook as Apple CEO, Faces AI and Product Challenges - Bloomberg
22 April 2026, 1:05 am - The 99.8% Rescue | LINUX Unplugged 663
We all have data to rescue, you just don't realize it yet. This week we build our own custom live rescue distros, recover real data, and show you how to make your own.
Sponsored By:
- Jupiter Party Annual Membership: Put your support on automatic with our annual plan, and get one month of membership for free!
- Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from Defined Networking. A decentralized VPN built on the open-source Nebula platform that we love.
Links:
- π₯ Gets Sats Quick and Easy with Strike
- π» LINUX Unplugged on Fountain.FM
- LinuxFest Northwest 2026 - Back to Root β April 24-26, 2026 - Bellingham, Washington
- 6 ultimate boot CDs (system rescue) for troubleshooting Windows PCs
- SystemRescue β A Linux system rescue toolkit available as a bootable medium for administrating or repairing your system and data after a crash.
- Finnix β Debian-based, CLI-focused with a comprehensive set of repair tools. Recent updates improved modern hardware support, boot speed, zram compression, and SSH remote access.
- Changes/ModernizeLiveMedia - Fedora Project Wiki β Modernize the live media by switching to the "new" live environment setup scripts provided by livesys-scripts and leverage new functionality in dracut to enable support for automatically enabling persistent overlays when flashed to USB sticks.
- Fedora 41: Modernize the live media Overlay Features?
- aegis-boot β A signed UEFI Secure Boot rescue environment that lets operators pick any ISO from a USB stick's data partition and kexec into it β without leaving the chain of trust.
- netboot.xyz β A network-based bootable operating system installer based on iPXE.
- Greg's nixos-config
- Self-Hosted 129: Forged Alliance β The battle for code forges is heating up. We chat about HexOS' big promises and get excited about Meshtastic.
- pocket-id β A simple OIDC provider that allows users to authenticate with their passkeys to your services.
- What Is Claude MythosβAnd Why Anthropic Wonβt Let Anyone Use It
- v4call β v4call is a decentralised video, voice and text platform built on the Hive blockchain. Users set their own rates for receiving calls and messages.
- Pick: Metadata Cleaner β View and clean metadata in files
- Metadata Cleaner on FlatHub
- Pick: mat2 β mat2 is a metadata removal tool, supporting a wide range of commonly used file formats, written in python3
- Pick: Little Snitch for Linux β Every time an application on your computer opens a network connection, it does so quietly, without asking. Little Snitch for Linux makes that activity visible and gives you the option to do something about it.
- littlesnitch-linux-flake β A Nix Flake for Little Snitch for Linux
- Pick: PCAPdroid β No-root network monitor, firewall and PCAP dumper for Android
19 April 2026, 3:20 pm - Fake News is Good News | The Launch π 62
Some of our favorite parody news from around the web, plus a stinky chicken update, and a nostalgic lookback at GPS navigation tech for our cars.
CALL 1-774-462-5667
Boost This Episode:- Grab Sats with River!
- β‘ Strike Makes it Quick it Grab Sats in 100s of Countries
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Show Notes:- 1986: Satellite Navigation for Cars of the Future BBC Archive - YouTube
- In-Car Sat Nav? Without a Satellite? In 1971? BBC Archive - YouTube
- Β The Onion
- Ninja Parade Slips By Town Unnoticed Once Again - YouTube
- American Baked Potato Association Study Finds It Best To Load βEr Up - The Onion
- Babylon Bee | Fake News You Can Trust
- 42-Minute Delay As Dad Asked To Empty Cargo Pants At TSA Checkpoint | Babylon Bee
- Grandma Announces She Has Finally Joined MyFace | Babylon Bee
- Sudo Satirical
- Man Disillusioned With Firefox Vows to Build Own Internet
- If Ozempic Commercials Were Honest | [Ozempic, GLP-1, Monjauro Parody] - YouTube
- Cozy Little Fixer Upper
- The Center of a Home is Key
- Bumpy in Bellingham
15 April 2026, 1:05 am - The GitHub Diet | LINUX Unplugged 662
Is it time to replace GitHub in our workflow? We git into it. Plus, our favorite features in the new Linux 7.0 release.
Sponsored By:
- Jupiter Party Annual Membership: Put your support on automatic with our annual plan, and get one month of membership for free!
- Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from Defined Networking. A decentralized VPN built on the open-source Nebula platform that we love.
Links:
- π₯ Gets Sats Quick and Easy with Strike
- π» LINUX Unplugged on Fountain.FM β April 24-26, 2026 - Bellingham, Washington
- LinuxFest Northwest 2026 β April 24-26, 2026 - Bellingham, Washington
- LFNW2026 Schedule
- Linux 7.0: Btrfs β A translation layer of logical block addresses that allows changes without moving or rewriting blocks for relocation
- Linux 7.0: XFS β Autonomous self-healing; delivers live filesystem health events to userspace for automatic repairs
- Linux 7.0: EXT4 β Improves write performance for concurrent direct I/O writes
- Linux 7.0: IO-uring β Adds support for BPF filtering to IO_uring for high performance async I/O
- Linux 7.0: Scheduler β Scheduler updates land with time slice extension, performance and scalability work for high core count systems
- Linux 7.0: Rust β Formally concluding the 'Rust experiment'; Rust for the Linux kernel is here to stay
- Linux 7.1: i486 β Begins phasing out Intel 486 CPU support; no known Linux distributions still ship with i486 support
- Give Up GitHub β We realize this is not an easy task; GitHub is ubiquitous. Through their effective marketing, GitHub has convinced FOSS developers that GitHub is the best (and even the only) place for FOSS development.
- opengist β Self-hosted pastebin powered by Git, open-source alternative to Github Gist.
- Forgejo on Codeberg β Beyond coding. We forge.
- Forgejo β Self-hosted alternative to GitHub; liberate your software from proprietary shackles with a familiar environment
- NixOS Wiki: Forgejo β Lightweight software forge; completely free software and a fork of Gitea
- Forgejo Actions β Reusable pieces of code for CI workflows; compatible with GitHub Actions
- NixOS Forgejo Actions Runner β NixOS configuration for turnkey deployment of Forgejo Actions runners
- Forgejo Federation (PR #10453) β Work-in-progress for federated repositories; enabling decentralized software development
- Forgejo Snippets (Issue #1069) β Create a shareable piece of text, be it code or plain text, publicly or privately
- Git Novice Guide β Free interactive tutorial; learn version control with Git from scratch
- Pick: sshroute β Network-aware SSH router - routes connections to different IPs/ports/keys/jump hosts based on active VPN or network
- Pick: rendercv β Resume builder for academics and engineers
- Pick: ESPHome Starter Kit β DIY sensor kit for Home Assistant with ESPHome; build your own smart home devices
12 April 2026, 4:40 pm - History Made | The Launch π 61
The Artemis II crew is headed back to Earth, and they've already made history. We'll look at the highlights, tech issues, and how that ride around the dark side went.Β
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Show Notes:- Wordle
- Artemis II Crew Speaks From Space
- Artemis II Crew Speaks From Space β Intense Unexpected Moment
- Two Microsoft Outlooks
- Houston, Bluetooth Won't Pair
- Artemis II Astronaut Finds Two Outlook Instances Running on Computers
- Moment NASA Loses Contact With Artemis II Crew
- Artemis II Distance Record Clip
- Artemis II Crew Headed Back to Earth After Lunar Flyby
- Crew Reestablished Contact With Mission Control After Expected 40-Minute Communications Blackout
- Artemis II: What's on the Menu?
- A Visual Guide to Artemis II and Previous Missions to the Moon
- First Photo of Lunar Eclipse From Artemis II Crew Looks Almost Too Good to Be Real
- Emotional Artemis II Moment as Crew Names Moon Crater βCarrollβ
- MUSIC: I Need a Little By The Retrograde
- Almost Nothin but Dreams
- Need a Bit of Tidy
- Now This Is a Compound for Chickens
8 April 2026, 1:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App