WAN Show: Floatplane Updates, Apple Bending iPads & Lawsuits

Floatplane Platform Developments

The team is actively transitioning to a more sustainable long-term infrastructure.
• Live Streaming: Recently implemented load-balancing using edge servers to distribute video traffic, significantly improving quality and reducing load on individual servers.
• Subscription Migration: An essential cleanup is underway. All subscriptions will be centralized on Floatplane.com by January 31st. Users who migrate or maintain an active subscription by this date will receive two free months, alongside an exclusive emoji.
• Feature Roadmap: Security has been enhanced with the addition of Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), with support pages and improved account management features currently in development.

The Carlton Dance Legal Controversy

Discussion surrounding Alfonso Ribeiro's lawsuit against Epic Games over the 'Fresh' emote in Fortnite.

"Dance moves are traditionally very hard to protect this way."

Participants debated the intersection of celebrity likeness, intellectual property, and whether a dance movement constitutes a copyrightable "invention," noting the complexity when an actor performs a routine as part of a produced character in a television show.

Tech Industry News & Hardware

Apple's 'Bent' iPads

Apple has stated that a slight bend in the aluminum chassis of the new iPad Pro is an expected side effect of the manufacturing/cooling process and does not consider it a defect.

The Boring Company Tunnel

A recent demo of Elon Musk's underground tunnel system received mixed reviews due to a bumpy surface and speeds failing to live up to initial expectations of a high-throughput future.

NVIDIA GeForce Rumors

Discussion on the GTX 11-series rumors. The hosts theorize that NVIDIA is segmenting its lineup to keep RTX branding for top-tier cards featuring dedicated ray-tracing silicon, while utilizing GTX branding (Turing architecture without ray-tracing) for the mid-range and entry-level market to manage pricing and value perception.