A cheap AirPods Pro fix, get ready for AR/VR, and gloriously strange AI images
Plus, a PlayStation outrage, inside secrets of the treasure hunting business, getting rizzy, how we got Schoolhouse Rock, and so much more
I’m David Gewirtz. Welcome to this week’s Advanced Geekery newsletter. It’s been an exciting week. Let’s dive in.
My articles
Let’s kick it off with a quick recap of the articles I published in the last two weeks on ZDNET:
Do your AirPods Pro constantly fall out of your ears? This $20 fix changed my life: Tired of losing your AirPods Pro? This inexpensive product provides a snug fit and uninterrupted listening pleasure.
Can DALL-E 3 in ChatGPT read and modify images? Come see for yourself: Unveiling the quirks of DALL-E 3 within ChatGPT Plus. See how this AI tool bends reality, turning ordinary images into unusual creations.
I asked DALL-E 3 to create a portrait of every US state, and the results were gloriously strange: This is how AI sees the 50 US states, according to DALL-E 3 and ChatGPT.
Would you believe a VR headset outsold AirPods during Black Friday? It happened: Meta's Quest 3 emerges as a dark horse, dominating Black Friday sales over Apple's AirPods. Here's what that means for you and me.
Get ready for AR and VR coverage in 2024
Can a claustrophobic guy with glasses, and prone to motion sickness actually use a Quest 3? I have no idea (yet). I ordered a Meta Quest 3 headset with the express purpose of trying it out and asking such questions.
As you can see from the above article, the Quest 3 is selling surprisingly well. That means it’s time for me to give it some attention. Other than a somewhat embarrassing VR experience long ago (severe motion sickness, ‘nuff said), I haven’t touched VR or AR (for just that reason).
But tech has evolved and even if I can only test it out for ten minutes at a time, I’ve got more than a dozen ZDNET articles planned for 2024. Stay tuned.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
Here’s a fascinating deep dive (see what I did there?) into the economics of undersea and dinosaur bone treasure hunting.
Peter McKinnon blasted onto the YouTube scene a few years back. He’s a talented photographer and a compelling storyteller. In this video, he shows why he thinks the cameras in the iPhone 15 Pro Max could change filmmaking forever.
And because this is our third bullet and three is a magic number, let’s talk about Schoolhouse Rock. This interesting video gives a look inside the creation of this classic bit of educational media.
Interesting reads
Here’s some good stuff from around the Internet, well worth reading.
I do my best to give each issue of this newsletter some rizz. Do I succeed? You can let me know in the comments. The Oxford English Dictionary has named “rizz” the Word of the Year for 2023.
This article in The Verge talks about how the folks at Sony removed a bunch of purchased media products from users’ accounts. Apparently, licensing ran out. But did Sony refund the purchase price? No. Of course not.
ZDNET Editor in Chief Jason Hiner wraps up 2023 pointing out that two technologies, Generative AI and VR/AR, have had a transformative year. It has been exciting, and now you can see why I’m braving barfing to bring you my AR/VR observations next year, alongside of my ongoing AI deep dive.
Reader projects
I’d like to regularly spotlight a reader project or two here. Your project doesn’t have to be a big Kickstarter launch. If you’ve built something cool, it has some pretty pictures, and you’re proud of it, I might be able to share it here.
If you have a photogenic reader project, send an email to me at david@zatz.com with the subject “READER PROJECT,” a few pictures, and a short one-paragraph description. If you have a social media link or a link to the project, include that, too.
More clicky
I’ve got a lot happening all over the web. Here are links to my various stuff:
House of the Head: home for my published music
ZATZ Labs: where I host my published software projects
Feel free to dig around, visit, and say hey!
Leave some comments
Substack supports comments, so feel free to leave some. I promise to read them. Just, please, let’s keep our personal politics out of any discussion.
That should do it for this week. This newsletter is really starting to pick up subscribers. Please help it out by sharing links on all your socials.
Have a great week!