Show Notes
Can autonomous AI agents cause serious harm without being conscious, sentient or malicious?
This week, Dave returns to the unsettling AI-agent experiment from his recent Dave’s Garage episode. He explains air-gapped testing, token limits, rewards, “permadeath,” agent cooperation and the role of human monitoring. We also consider whether the reported behaviour really happened as described—and who should be accountable when autonomous software gains unauthorized access.
Then we answer your latest TMOG questions. Dave covers larger license bundles, beta licenses, Windows and Mac activation, technician licensing, Winget, signed installers and better Linux packaging.
We also discuss some of your most-requested TMOG features:
• A live TMOG screensaver • A compact gaming overlay • Larger fonts and an RDP-friendly mode • Process controls • Better Linux support • A possible terminal version—HTopOG
Plus, we examine TMOG’s CPU readings, uptime calculations, administrator permissions, Linux performance and how much code is shared across platforms.
What should Dave add to TMOG next? And does software need to be sentient before it becomes dangerous?
#ArtificialIntelligence #AIAgents #TMOG #TaskManager #Linux #Windows #DavesGarage
More from Dave’s Garage: Shop Talk
What would 1996 Dave think of rebuilding Task Manager with AI? Dave and Glen celebrate 100 episodes of Shop Talk with Windows stories, retro computing, fresh viewer questions, and a look at the community behind the show.Across the first 99 episodes, our comment archive contains more than 23,000 comments. We recognize some familiar contributors, revisit the rebuilt Task Manager episode’s response, and share the most-liked comment in the archive.Then it’s back to your questions: how overlays helped programs fit into limited memory, porting Colossal Cave to a PDP-11, getting started with AI, checking AI-generated code, and using AI for business strategy.Plus: a difficult day at Microsoft, whether Spy++ deserves a modern makeover, TMOG follow-ups, missing hard-drive activity lights, and Deluxe Asteroids.Thank you to everyone who has watched, commented, and kept the conversation going.
Windows war stories meet AI-assisted retro computing in this week’s Shop Talk. Dave and Glen explore AI development on the PDP-11, how they prompt and review generated code, and what older computers can still teach us.Dave discusses improving top for BSD, compiler changes for ksh, and getting Samba running on a 16-bit machine. Viewer questions cover detailed specifications, native apps versus Electron, ownership of AI-generated code, and improving PDP Gary.We also revisit Microsoft Bob’s connection to the Windows XP disc, instant shutdown shortcuts, and a CHKDSK job that could run for days. Plus: TMOG memory usage and temperature graphs, lessons from the TRS-80, Windows 3.1 on modern hardware, and Tempest with a joystick.
PDP Gary has a personality—but how did Dave define it? This week on Shop Talk, Dave and Glen start with Gary, then explore Dave’s recent work using AI on BSD, the PDP kernel, and its peripherals.
What happens when AI stops being a useful tool and starts becoming a crutch?
Could Task Manager OG become part of Windows—and what should Dave add next?Following the release of TMOG Beta 3, viewers returned with questions, bug reports and a substantial wish list. Dave responds to requests for making TMOG the default Windows Task Manager, Windows 10 and portable versions, Linux repositories, ARM and RISC-V support, virtual-container monitoring and wider macOS compatibility.We also discuss TMOG Pro pricing and discounts, Linux performance, missing sensors, fan-speed monitoring, memory graphs, update failures and the strong demand for a live TMOG screensaver—especially for OLED and multi-monitor systems.Then we look behind the software: how much AI has increased Dave’s programming productivity, how he prevents AI from repeating mistakes, and the trust questions that arise when a system utility is not open source.Finally, we open the viewer suggestion box. Could TMOG lead to videos about native-code optimization, Windows file-copy estimates, classic Win32 interface programming, Windows internals and Dave’s complete AI-assisted development workflow?And before we go: will there ever be an OpenVMS version?