Kevin’s 41 days sober and glowing, Alex voices a Viking, and AI is still deeply weird. This week, Kevin tries Google's "Flow" video tool, which turns your prompt into something between an ad and a fever dream. Alex talks loop group voice work on Predator: Killer of Killers, and Kevin explains why Eleven Labs’ new AI is scarily good at conversations. Also: red-tinted contact lenses that might give you night vision, Builders AI getting caught with 700 human coders, and a hot take on residuals from the streaming wars. Alex's kitchen remodel is still chaos, Kevin's skin is allegedly better, and yes, Apple is skipping straight to iOS 26. Because of course they are.

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 Intro and Welcome
01:43 Kevin Discusses Recent Travel (NYC)
02:22 Sober Life Update (41 Days), Physical Effects Discussed
06:32 Diggnation 20th Anniversary Mention (July 1st)
07:41 Alex's New Mac Laptop Purchase (M4 Pro)
13:03 Alex Tries Mascot Harlan Wine
14:16 Kevin Shares Google's Flow AI Video Generation Experiments
24:30 Watching the "Plastic Baby" AI Video
28:00 Discussion of Flow Features (Continuity, Extending Scenes)
29:20 Alex Reveals He is In Predator: Killer of Killers
38:17 Streaming Royalties, SAG/AFTRA, and AI Impact
0:50:54 Apple's Reported Jump to iOS 26
0:55:41 Kevin Shows His New iPhone and Hard Graft Sleeve
0:59:45 Reflections on Aging, Time, and Pet Toaster
1:01:04 Antarctica Trip for Kevin's 50th?
1:03:19 Builder.AI Exposed for Using Human Engineers
1:06:53 Satirical Builder.AI AI Video
1:09:34 Bitcoin and Crypto Bro Kidnapping Story
1:13:17 11 Labs Conversational AI 2.0 Demo
1:23:18 Infrared Contact Lenses Development
1:27:05 Apple AirPods Hearing Aid Feature
1:28:22 Attempting Mouse Contact Lens AI Video
1:32:25 Closing Remarks, Continued Sobriety Reflections

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Monarch Money – Personal finance app that helps you manage your budget without judgment: https://monarchmoney.com/

📰 Top Stories:
Builders AI bankruptcy: https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/20/builders_ai_real_people/
Flow AI demo: https://ai.googleblog.com/2025/05/introducing-flow-google-video-generation
Infrared contact lens tech: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/night-vision-contact-lenses-infrared
Eleven Labs Conversational AI 2.0: https://elevenlabs.io/blog/conversational-ai-update
Apple skips to iOS 26: https://www.macrumors.com/2025/05/15/apple-ios26-2026-plan/

👤 People Mentioned:
Alex Albrecht – / alalbrecht
Kevin Rose – / kevinrose
Dan Trachtenberg – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1502434/
Will Harlan – / willharlan
Alexis Ohanian – https://www.776.com/team/alexis-ohanian
Mauricio Balvanera – / maubrowncow
Heather (Alex’s wife) – still hates AirDrop
Betty White – timeless icon
Wim Hof – https://www.wimhofmethod.com/
Tim Ferriss – https://tim.blog/

🛍️ Products Mentioned:
Flow (Google AI tool) – https://ai.google/tools/flow/
Eleven Labs – https://elevenlabs.io/
Unreal Engine – https://www.unrealengine.com/
MacBook Pro Max – https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/
Mascot Harlan wine – https://www.harlanestate.com/mascot
Builder.AI – https://www.builder.ai/
AirPods Pro – https://amzn.to/3ZakGJV
Snapchat – https://www.snapchat.com/
FaceTime – https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204380
Kore Shorts (Vuori) – https://vuori.com/products/kore-short
Hard Graft – https://www.hardgraft.com/
Costco – https://www.costco.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/
Bitcoin – https://bitcoin.org/

🎧 Follow Diggnation:
Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/diggnation-rebooted/id1766027468
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/0bzwpvUwHNLiGqlcTCBKJZ
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thediggnation

Kevin’s 15 days into sobriety, Alex is resin-printing door parts, and the Digg mobile app is quietly becoming a real thing.
This week, AI is either your creative assistant or the reason you need a new career—depending on how you feel about Marvel using bots for its opening credits.
Jayci Hayes joins with tales of heli-repelling wildfires, building GameCrib, working with Twitch in its early days, and launching a bottled margarita brand designed to protect citrus from UV light.
Also: Alex automates his home with Home Assistant (bye Echo), Apple finally loses its grip on in-app payments, and listener Graz emails in to offer custom Diggnation knives.
It’s a caffeine-fueled episode with actual emotional depth and at least one sincere conversation about electrolytes.

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:15 Kevin hits 15 days sober, skips red wine and Jack
07:19 Mascot wine list opens to listeners
08:41 Graz offers custom chef’s knives
10:46 Gemini AI codes games, Bolt builds apps
13:53 Kevin hits NYC, Alex sees plays
15:23 Sponsor: NordVPN
17:50 Made In Grill
20:59 Starlink camping + Amazon satellites
22:59 Digg app update + $115K raised
26:33 AI friends? Still weird
33:03 Reddit fights persuasive bots
39:33 Kevin goes all in on Home Assistant
41:48 Sponsor: LMNT
44:54 Guest: Jayci Hayes—fires, Twitch, margaritas
50:55 Runway AI makes an animated pilot
51:57 Will AI replace creatives?
1:03:04 Whoop 5.0 features + sleep guilt
1:11:27 Alex prints a custom spacer
1:19:06 Apple loses in-app payment fight

📦 Sponsors:
NordVPN – Secure your internet and hide your IP. Get a deal on a 2-year plan + 4 bonus months: https://NordVPN.com/digg
Vuori – 20% off your first order of ridiculously comfortable clothes: https://vuori.com/DIGG
LMNT – Zero-sugar electrolyte mix. Free sample pack with any purchase: https://drinklmnt.com/digg

📰 Top Stories:
Reddit tightens AI bot rules: https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/06/reddit-will-tighten-verification-to-keep-out-human-like-ai-bots
Runway launches AI pilot: https://variety.com/2025/artisans/news/runway-ai-studio-animated-pilot-mars-siv-1236381403
Whoop 5.0 release: https://www.theverge.com/news/661773/whoop-5-news-price-specs-battery
Apple ruling on in-app payments: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-05-02/ruling-apple-app-store-epic-games
Made In’s new grill: https://madeincookware.com/collections/grill-pans-and-griddles

👤 People Mentioned:
Alex Albrecht – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alalbrecht/
Kevin Rose – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinrose
Justin Mezzell – https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mezzell/
Mau Balvanera – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maubrowncow/
Will Harlan – https://www.linkedin.com/in/willharlan
John Graziano – https://grazmakes.com/about
Mike Mazer – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaser/
Jayci Hayes – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaci-hays-5174a6/
Theo Vaughn – https://www.theovon.com/
Mark Zuckerberg – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Zuckerberg

🛍️ Products Mentioned:
Barebones Pulaski Axe - https://amzn.to/4iX08fj
Made In Grill – https://madeincookware.com/collections/grill-pans-and-griddles
Home Assistant – https://www.home-assistant.io/
Echo Devices – https://amzn.to/3ZakGJV
Eleven Labs – https://elevenlabs.io/
Plex – https://www.plex.tv/
Apple Watch – https://amzn.to/3YJNadz
Aura Ring – https://amzn.to/437ikNb
Whoop 5.0 – https://amzn.to/43dJi5O
Runway AI – https://runwayml.com/
Fusion 360 – https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360
Formlabs – https://formlabs.com/
Disney+ – https://www.disneyplus.com/
Secret Invasion – https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-4cfe6313-7f5e-4544-af84-d31bf718f65a
Photoshop – https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
Kindle – https://amzn.to/3GPDnfP
Crucial Conversations – https://amzn.to/42Sz3VI

🎧 Follow Diggnation:
Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/diggnation-rebooted/id1766027468
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/0bzwpvUwHNLiGqlcTCBKJZ
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thediggnation

We’re not saying nostalgia hits harder with a cocktail in hand. But it helps. Dr. Tiki and Lala from Tiki Bar TV join Alex and Kevin for a tropical-tinged episode full of old internet tales, new tech obsessions, and the slow unraveling of Alex's appendix-related trauma.

They sip Mascot wine, wrestle with home automation setups, and revisit the chaotic brilliance of the early web. Plus: robot horses, maple syrup whiskey, and the most ethical lottery heist ever attempted.

0:00 Intro
0:02 Mascot Wine & Tony Hawk memories – Fancy juice, legendary guests
0:05 Emergency Appendix Removal – Everything is fine, no one panic
0:09 Home Automation – Kevin gifts Alex cursed smart gear
0:14 Emails: Anxiety & Claustrophobia – Meditation, vodka, or both
0:22 Sponsor: Vuori – Soft clothes for hard emotional spirals
0:32 Lottery Hack – They did the math. It paid off.
0:39 Sponsor: LMNT – Electrolytes for the hungover and hopeful
0:43 Kawasaki’s Robot Horse – Childhood dreams, now rideable
0:44 Nintendo Switch 2 – New console, same impulse buy
0:47 Sponsor: Delete Me – Because your data is not vibing
0:49 Guest Segment: Jeff & Lala – The Tiki Bar TV reunion you didn’t know you needed
0:56 Mixology Interlude – Drinks. Weird ones. Made live.
1:01 Mixology Interlude continued – Still shaking things up
1:20 Wrap-up – Tiger count confirmed. French toast pending

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📢 Top Stories

Tiki Bar TV returns (kind of)
https://www.tikibartv.com

Home automation via Unifi
https://community.ui.com/stories/UniFi-Enhancing-the-household-through-automation-wireless-and-wired-access/d438fb9d-f4f7-4b2f-bfcd-d7e812855c6e

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders
https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/nintendo-maintains-nintendo-switch-2-pricing-retail-pre-orders-to-begin-april-24-in-u-s

Texas Lottery heist (the legal kind)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/these-guys-spent-25-million-to-win-the-lottery-they-almost-did/

Robot horses exist now, apparently
https://www.cnet.com/tech/rideable-horse-robot-viral-video-the-real-story-behind-it/

🎧 Listen and Follow
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0bzwpvU
Instagram: @thediggnation

Alex and Kevin recount their tequila-fueled live show in Austin, complete with backstage chaos, crowd energy, and at least one emotional moment that may or may not have involved crying. They officially unveil the relaunch of Digg.com and introduce “Groundbreakers,” a community for early users to help shape the platform’s future. The episode also dives into tech topics like the upcoming GTA game, advancements in AI and local models, and the 23andMe data breach. Rounding things out, Alex goes deep on a startup reinventing helicopter flight with fly-by-wire tech, because of course he does.

00:00 Introduction – Alex and Kevin try explaining the show. Again.
01:19 Studio Location – Live(ish) from Digg Hollywood. Setup crew gets their flowers.
02:18 Austin & Live Shows – Alex survives Austin. Kevin did not.
11:08 Digg.com Reboot – The site lives. Again. Also: secret society vibes incoming.
18:09 Groundbreakers Details – Early access, badges, and archival good deeds. Cloaks not included.
19:40 Sponsor: DeleteMe – Your data’s out there. DeleteMe would like to go get it back.
21:57 Skyryse Cockpit – Helicopter flies itself. Alex ascends.
26:11 General Aviation Complexity – Planes: still confusing. Skyryse: less so.
37:06 AI Guesses Kevin – Kevin asks ChatGPT who he is. Regrets follow.
51:19 Sponsor: LMNT – Electrolytes with a no-sugar, lots-of-branding flavor.
51:38 GTA 6 Delays – No one wants to release near the boss level.
1:00:40 DeepSeek V3 & OpenAI Images – AI on Mac Studio makes weird art. Blame the prompt.
1:07:30 Localized AI & Billy Bass – Singing fish meets custom AI. Chaos sings back.
1:10:35 23andMe Data Breach – Your DNA’s been socialized. Might wanna export.
1:22:36 Limitless AI Wearable – A gadget that transcribes your entire life. Why not.
1:35:16 Wrap-up & Groundbreakers – Sponsors thanked. Groundbreakers plugged. Internet fades to black.

📢 Top Stories
DeleteMe's approach to removing personal information from data broker sites
https://www.deleteme.com/how-deleteme-com-searches-and-deletes-personal-information-from-the-internet-and-dark-web/

SXSW updates and Digg.com information
https://www.sxsw.com/news/
https://digg.com/

"Who Am I" AI search capabilities
https://www.perplexity.ai/

LMNT Zero Sugar Electrolyte Drink Mix and its partnership with Team USA Olympic Weightlifting
https://drinklmnt.com/SQUEEZE

DeepSeek-V3 performance on Mac Studio
https://hyperight.com/deepseek-v3-0324-the-first-open-source-ai-to-beat-non-reasoning-models/

Impact of GTA6 release on other game publishers' release schedules
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/03/26/as-the-gta-6-meteor-looms-publishers-are-fleeing-the-impact-zone/

Sale of DNA data by 23andMe during bankruptcy
https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/30805135934615-Questions-related-to-23andMe-s-Chapter-11-Filing

3D printed and factory-built homes addressing the housing crisis
https://www.enterprise-tocsin.com/housing-crisis-spurs-alternatives-building-homes-3d-printing-walls-made-hemp-0

GPT-4o System Card and OpenAI's stance on generating images of adult public figures
https://openai.com/index/gpt-4o-system-card/

🎧 Listen and Follow
Catch more episodes and join the conversation on our official channels:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0bzwpvU
Instagram: /thediggnation