Exclusive Raspberry Pi interview, a new Dave video, and my top Photoshop AI tips
Exclusive Raspberry Pi interview, a new Dave video, and my top Photoshop AI tips
Plus, what I hope Apple announces on Monday, a great reader project, Ed is back with more Microsoft Recall insights, and the truth behind Skibidi Toilet
I’m David Gewirtz. Welcome to this week’s Advanced Geekery newsletter. It’s been an exciting week. Let’s dive in.
My latest video
It’s been a minute since I’ve put out one of my review videos. So here you go: Elegoo's giant Jupiter resin printer - An un-review. This is an un-review (watch the video to find out what that means) about one of the largest resin printers on the market.
My articles
Let’s kick it off with a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.
10 things I'd like to see in VisionOS 2.0: Will VisionOS 2 be a game-changer for Apple's Vision Pro? It could be if Apple fixes these 10 VisionOS annoyances, hopefully at this week's WWDC.
Exclusive interview with Raspberry Pi CEO: New $70 AI kit 'a watershed moment for us': In this exclusive ZDNET interview, I talked to Eben Upton, CEO and co-founder of Raspberry Pi and Orr Danon, CEO and co-founder of Hailo, to learn about the future of Raspberry Pi and accessible on-board AI.
I use Photoshop's AI tool every day - here are my 5 essential tips for the best results: Want to add elements or redesign spaces in your images? Here are five things to know about Photoshop's Generative Fill tool to help you make that happen.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
Way back last August, I introduced you to the Internet phenom known as Skibidi Toilet. The craze is still going strong. Now, Looper has the untold truth of Skibidi Toilet. It’s even wilder than I imagined.
Comic Gary Gulman explains how the states got their abbreviations.
The Situation Room in the White House has been renovated. Here’s a tour.
Interesting reads
And now, some good stuff from around the Internet, well worth reading.
The plot thickens. Ed Bott is back with more on how Microsoft is changing Microsoft Recall. Personally, it still freaks me out.
Interesting story on how Shein and Temu are competing (and winning) against Amazon.
Related: I recently published How much tech can I get from Temu for $100 (and is it any good)? TL;DR: Considerably better than I expected.
Reader projects
I am thrilled to show you Nerd Chic Boutique, an online destination for nerdy folks looking for a touch of pop culture in their lives, created by reader (and TV graphic designer) Jerry Witt. He worked on The Orville, which makes him TV show royalty in my book.
I’m always interested in supply chain stories, and Jerry provides some insight into how he managed to set up his online boutique using offshore manufacturing. Let’s listen to him in his own words:
My day-to-day job is graphic design for TV shows. I build interactive applications for playback on set. You might see my work on Bones, Hawaii Five-O, The Orville, or FBI: Most Wanted. Whenever the actors call up a (fictional) internet search, get a text message from a 555-XXXX phone number, or "zoom and enhance" a photograph on a computer screen; the images have to be produced and cleared by us.
Last summer, at the height of the writer's and actor's strikes, and Hollywood production at a stand-still, I found myself without a job or a creative outlet. Just for fun, I created a few shirt designs and found a print on demand producer in Asia called Yoycol to make them. It's a remarkable process where I can take my Photoshop designs, lay them out in a web interface, and see a 3D representation of the final clothing item. They are able to print and sew a cotton or polyester garment to my selected size and deliver it to me in the US in a few weeks.
The results were positive. Folks would remark "cool shirt" or ask where I got it. My daughter, who works in digital marketing, suggested I open a Shopify storefront. It happened that they were running a special for 3 months at a buck a month. So, for $3 plus a $15 domain registration, I had my first online store at Nerd Chic Boutique.
I made it a goal to produce 3 to 5 new designs a month. My initial sales were to friends and family, but by the third month I had people I didn't know ordering shirts. After spending many years as a behind-the-scenes creative, having people organically discover and support my art was an awesome feeling.
I'm also proud that this is a low waste production. I'm not making yards and yards of fabric or scores of shirts that sit in a warehouse. One of the distinct advantages of creating these items on demand is that I am producing exactly how many are wanted and in some cases folks own a shirt that is incredibly rare and unique.
So there you go. Visit Jerry’s creations at Nerd Chic Boutique. And while you’re at it, cross your fingers that he gets more work on The Orville, and we get more The Orville.
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!