AI and geneology, my review of a tiny DJI mic, and ChatGPT Operator first look
Plus, Amazon's Temu clone, quantum teleportation, China salami slicing, and Anderson Cooper loses his #**$! over cats.
I’m David Gewirtz. Welcome to this week’s Advanced Geekery newsletter. It’s been an exciting week. Let’s dive in.
My articles
Here’s a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.
Have a genealogy mystery? How I used AI to solve a family puzzle: I met my third cousin on Ancestry. Even though we share just 1% of our DNA, we used ChatGPT to connect the dots between generations. Here's how and what we learned.
How one tiny microphone solved my biggest video production problems: Struggling with audio for your video content? Here's why the DJI Mic Mini might be the budget-friendly solution you need.
Operator isn't worth its $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro subscription yet - here's why: Operator leverages AI to perform basic browser tasks like reservations and orders. But does this tool offer enough depth to justify its cost and hype?
Tool of the week
Digging around Amazon this week, I found a very inexpensive set of router bits that can do double-duty routing out T-track and creating keyhole slots on the back of wooden items you want to hang on the wall. I’m a sucker for sets like this, especially when they’re so inexpensive, yet fairly positively reviewed.
I’m not listing the prices because Amazon gets irrationally cranky if you list prices off their site, but I can tell you that each bit costs less than a cup of coffee.
Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
Here’s an analysis of how China is “salami slicing” the South China Sea.
Did you know Amazon has a Temu clone?
And just for fun, here’s Anderson Cooper dealing with the existence of a cat bar.
Interesting reads
And now, some good stuff from around the Internet, well worth reading.
Quantum teleportation. Apparently, it’s doable (for light).
How much sleep do you need? These folks live on five hours a night.
Send in your 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.
Both my EPs are now streaming
Available on all your favorite streaming services.
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!