BENT iPad Pros... :( - The WAN Show Dec 21 2018

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode is a fast-moving WAN Show centered on Floatplane platform updates, a major migration away from LinusTechTips forum subscriptions, and broader product/news commentary. The hosts announce 2FA, live-stream load balancing, support changes, and new merch, then debate the legal gray area of Fortnite emotes and discuss disappointment with The Boring Company’s tunnel demo, NVIDIA’s rumored GTX/RTX segmentation, Apple’s bent iPad Pros, LTX growth, and a special 8K UL log release.

Main Topics: Floatplane platform and subscription migration (Priority: 5/5): The hosts explain major backend and billing changes: moving subscriptions off the LinusTechTips forum onto Floatplane.com, adding 2FA, improving live-stream delivery with edge-based load balancing, and preparing support/contact infrastructure. They frame the migration as necessary for accounting, sustainability, and future creator growth. Membership pricing and user transition details (Priority: 5/5): They clarify how existing subscribers will be grandfathered for a time, how new users may be treated differently, and what steps users should take to move subscriptions. They also discuss free-month compensation and exclusive emoji access for subscribers active by January 31. Fortnite emote copyright/trademark dispute (Priority: 4/5): A long discussion examines Alfonso Ribeiro’s lawsuit over Fortnite’s ‘Fresh’ emote allegedly copying the Carlton dance. The hosts debate who owns dance moves, likeness, improv on a TV show, and how far copyright/trademark law can reasonably extend to choreography and character mannerisms. The Boring Company tunnel demo expectations (Priority: 4/5): They critique the tunnel demonstration as underwhelming, noting a bumpy ride, low speed, and poor expectation-setting relative to Elon Musk’s stated goals. The conversation emphasizes that the demo felt more like a dirt road than a breakthrough transit system. NVIDIA rumor: GTX 11-series and RTX segmentation (Priority: 4/5): The hosts analyze rumors that NVIDIA may release GTX-branded Turing cards without ray tracing features, using the discussion to critique NVIDIA’s naming strategy and the practical value of RTX on midrange cards. They argue the company may be preserving a premium RTX tier while simplifying lower-end product positioning. LTX 2019 planning and event expansion (Priority: 3/5): The show highlights a much larger convention space, city-experience recommendations for attendees, and the promise of bigger activations and special projects. The hosts promote the event’s growth and tease more details about ambitious technical demos. Merch store relaunch and special 8K UL log release (Priority: 3/5): They introduce a new merch store with higher-quality, more subtle designs and showcase a new shirt. At the end, they announce a highly ambitious 8K ultra-long-form log video, noting technical export issues, file-size limits, and the scale of the production effort.

Key Arguments: Floatplane subscription billing must move off the forum because the current accounting flow between Linus Media Group and Floatplane Media is too complex and unsustainable. Existing subscribers are protected through grandfathering/free-month compensation, but new subscribers and billing flows will be standardized around Floatplane.com. The Carlton dance/Fortnite lawsuit is legally murky because dance moves, character mannerisms, and likeness rights are difficult to protect cleanly, especially when the motion is embodied in a game emote. The hosts believe The Boring Company demo failed mainly because of poor expectation management rather than the underlying concept alone. NVIDIA likely wants to preserve a premium RTX product identity while offering cheaper GTX cards that omit ray tracing, since RTX features add cost without equal value for many buyers. Apple’s bent iPad Pros are treated by the company as a manufacturing side effect rather than a defect, which the hosts implicitly view as a cynical framing. LTX is scaling up significantly, indicating stronger ambition and broader event programming than prior years. The 8K UL log showcases the team’s willingness to invest heavily in production experiments despite technical hurdles and huge files.

Data Points: Live-stream platforms: YouTube, Twitch, and Floatplane.com - The show is streamed simultaneously on multiple platforms. Floatplane subscriber compensation: 2 free months - Active subscribers on Floatplane before January 31 receive two free months. Subscription price comparison: YouTube: $5; Floatplane: $3; forum: $2.99 - The hosts compare membership pricing across platforms. Transition deadline: January 31 - Users must be subscribed on Floatplane by this date to receive the migration benefits. Forum billing cutoff timing: 10 days - They say forum-based Floatplane subscriptions will be going away in about 10 days. LTX event space: 75,000 square feet - The new convention space is described as a major increase in size. Boring Company target throughput: 4,000 vehicles per hour - Elon Musk’s stated goal for the Loop system. Boring Company target speed: 55 miles per hour / 250 kilometers per hour - Stated next-step performance target for the tunnel system. Observed tunnel demo speed: 80 kilometers per hour - The reported speed during the disappointing demo. YouTube file size limit: 125 gigabytes - Mentioned during discussion of the 8K UL log upload/export issues. 8K UL log file size: over 1 terabyte - The original 10-hour version of the project was reportedly larger than a terabyte in ProRes.

Pivotal Quotes: "We now have sort of load balancing for live streams, which is cool." — Speaker 1: Announcement of Floatplane infrastructure improvements and live-stream delivery scaling. "We just cannot continue to do this." — Speaker 1: Explanation of why the forum-based subscription/accounting model must be replaced. "I think he's off his rocker. I think he's probably out of money, and this is a desperation move." — Speaker 2: Strong conclusion about the Alfonso Ribeiro/Fortnite lawsuit after discussing legal ownership of dance moves.

Implications: Listeners are being pushed toward a cleaner Floatplane subscription system, while the episode previews a more mature platform and larger creator ecosystem. The broader media commentary reflects ongoing tensions around IP law, product naming, and hype versus reality in tech demos.