Hey Luke Do You Wanna See Something Weird? - WAN Show January 6, 2023

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode mixed CES display weirdness, a strong condemnation of Wizards of the Coast’s leaked OGL rewrite, and a broad tour through processor launches, supply-chain shifts, save-file corruption, and hardware design flaws. A major side discussion covered LMG’s product/labs strategy and Floatplane integration, while the latter half of the show veered into hiring, money, honesty, and deeply personal family/workout reflections.

Main Topics: CES display concepts and their real-world use cases (Priority: 5/5): Linus presented bizarre new display technologies and challenged Luke to justify them: glasses-free 3D OLED laptops, dual-mode e-ink/OLED devices, wireless TVs, foldable/rollable tablets, and ultra-fast microLED panels. The discussion weighed novelty versus actual utility, especially for professional workflows and gaming. Wizards of the Coast’s revised Open Gaming License backlash (Priority: 5/5): The hosts were highly critical of a leaked OGL revision that would impose reporting requirements, royalties, and restrictions on third-party uses of D&D IP. They argued it would damage an ecosystem built on openness, alienate creators, and likely push the community toward competing systems. AMD vs. Intel CPU launch strategy (Priority: 4/5): AMD’s Ryzen 7000 non-X and X3D announcements were contrasted with Intel’s quiet launch of 13th-gen non-K/T-series chips that appeared with little publicity and no review samples. The hosts questioned Intel’s strategy, pricing, and cache reductions while praising AMD’s pricing and power-efficiency improvements. Floatplane/Labs integration and monetization strategy (Priority: 4/5): A long planning discussion laid out how Floatplane could support the LTT Labs site via video playback, side-by-side hardware comparisons, forum/comment integration, and potentially premium features. The speakers emphasized that the system could become a strong tech-focused platform, but only if monetized without ruining UX. Gaming, platform reliability, and data loss (Priority: 4/5): The show covered EA’s inability to recover many Madden save files, Nintendo’s cloud-save policy, and the broader frustration of entrusting saves to companies. They also discussed PlayStation 5 liquid-metal leakage, AMD’s 7900 XTX vapor-chamber defect, and the idea that hardware reliability and data ownership matter deeply to users. Hiring, compensation, and workplace philosophy (Priority: 3/5): Multiple merch messages led into discussion of hiring juniors, salary transparency, startup/VC frustrations, unions, and what makes a good employee-company fit. The hosts favored honesty, strong onboarding, and passionate candidates, while rejecting some conventional HR norms. Personal fitness, body image, and preparation for a photo shoot (Priority: 3/5): A surprisingly long personal segment explored Luke’s workout regimen, body hair removal, injury prevention, and Linus’s long-term struggles with exercise consistency. The conversation became reflective and supportive, emphasizing measurable habits, body composition, and practical self-care.

Key Arguments: Novel display tech is interesting only when it solves a real problem; otherwise it’s just expensive novelty. The D&D ecosystem was built by third-party openness, so a punitive royalty and licensing rewrite could destroy the very market Wizards benefits from. Revenue is not profit; a 25% royalty on gross receipts can punish creators even when they lose money overall. AMD’s non-X and X3D Ryzen chips look compelling because they improve performance-per-dollar and performance-per-watt. Intel’s quiet launch without reviews or samples suggests a product strategy that may be weak, defensive, or deliberately low-profile. A better hardware/software ecosystem comes from making comparison data easier to use, not from forcing users through ad-heavy search and review sites. Consumers should control their own save data; a company-caused loss of saves feels far worse than a self-inflicted loss. Employees and employers both benefit from honesty, but legal and HR realities can make full candor difficult during terminations. Good workplace fit matters, but new hires also need patience, structure, and time to learn team norms. The company’s labs strategy is tied to media, commerce, and infrastructure in a vertically integrated way that could improve content quality and product discovery.

Data Points: Wizards of the Coast royalty threshold: 25% royalty - Leaked OGL revision discussed as applying to gross revenue above a stated threshold. Wizards of the Coast revenue threshold: $750,000/year - Revenue level above which the 25% royalty would apply in the leaked license. D&D industry size cited: $2.5 million industry - Speaker likely misspoke while describing the tabletop RPG ecosystem’s growth; stated as part of the debate over the old license’s impact. Wizards of the Coast revenue share: almost $1 billion - Mentioned as annual revenue, used to argue the company is already thriving. Affected companies estimate: about 20 companies - Wizards reportedly estimated only around 20 businesses would be impacted by the new royalty scheme. AMD X3D TDP: 120W - Compared with 170W for the regular non-X chip variants. AMD non-X vs X price gap: over $100 less - The Ryzen 7900 non-X was noted as substantially cheaper than the X model. Intel non-K turbo power: up to 219W - Reported for a Core i9 non-K/T-series chip despite lower nominal TDP. Intel TDP: 65W or 35W - Nominal power targets for Intel’s quietly launched non-K and T-series chips. LG wireless TV size: 97 inches - The Zero Connect TV was described as a huge wireless display with power still delivered by cable. TV wireless video: 120Hz 4K - The Zero Connect box wirelessly transmits 4K video at 120Hz with low latency. Display response time: 2 nanoseconds - A new microLED display was described as having an extremely fast response time. Madden outage window: 14 hours - Players logging in during the server issue window had save corruption problems. Madden corruption recovery: 60% of players' corrupted save files - EA reportedly could not recover the majority of affected saves. Amazon layoffs: 18,000 - Used as an example of tech-sector layoffs and their impact on job seekers. GPU market note: sales at their lowest in a very long time - Discussed as part of chip and hardware market context, not tied to a specific percentage. Baldur’s Gate 3 studio: Larian Studios - Mentioned as the developer making the upcoming game, bolstering expectations. TSMC Arizona expansion: $28 billion - Additional investment in Arizona fabs discussed in relation to supply-chain diversification.

Pivotal Quotes: "“What is Intel trying to hide with these quiet launches and price adjustments?”" — Linus: Reaction to Intel’s low-key 13th-gen non-K and T-series rollout and pricing changes. "“This is a classic. This is classic. Having absolutely no idea. Out of touch. Parent company.”" — Linus: A blunt summary of Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro’s OGL strategy and its apparent disconnect from the tabletop community. "“I would press the button immediately.”" — Linus: On the hypothetical of going back ten years with full memories and repeating his life.

Implications: The episode signals strong creator skepticism toward closed platforms, punitive licensing, and corporate opacity. For tech listeners, it highlights a shift toward utility-first hardware, better benchmark tooling, and more vertically integrated media/data systems.