First look at Claude Cowork, Gemini in Gmail, ChatGPT fixes a bug, and my Bitcoin holdings
Plus, Ken Thompson on how UNIX was an accident, a wacky mouse, Google's robotics lab, a 3D printed wind tunnel, and how to protect your phone at a protest
I’m David Gewirtz. Welcome to this week’s Advanced Geekery newsletter. It’s been an exciting week. Let’s dive in.
Advanced Geekery is published weekly on Substack and LinkedIn. Same content. Choose your favorite delivery method. Back Issues.
My articles
Here’s a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.
I used ChatGPT to fix a plugin bug in under an hour - no $200 plan required: I stopped paying for ChatGPT Pro and was still able to use Codex to track down and debug a real-world problem fast.
I tried Gmail’s new Gemini AI features, and now I want to unsubscribe: In my testing, Gemini in Gmail misses key details, delivers misleading summaries, and still cannot manage message flow the way I need.
I let Anthropic’s Claude Cowork loose on my files, and it was both brilliant and scary: Let’s just say backups and restraint are nonnegotiable.
Updated for 2026: I put $50 into Bitcoin in 2022 and watched it crash and rally - here's its worth today
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
One more Ken Thompson interview: Here, he explains how a disk scheduling algorithm accidentally led to the invention of UNIX.
Fascinating tour of Google’s DeepMind robotics lab.
This guy built a real, functional wind tunnel using 3D printing for his Hot Wheels cars. It’s both ludicrous and ludicrously cool. If that doesn’t define “advanced geekery,” I don’t know what does.
Gadget of the week
This mouse has 12 side buttons. I want to say something pithy about that, but I’m stuck on the simple phrase, “This mouse has 12 side buttons.” At least my Stream Deck shows icons. But with this, you have to memorize what button 11 does vs. button 9. I love me my mouse buttons as much as the next dude, but 12 side buttons?
I can’t tell if that’s excessive or I need to order one. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Interesting reads
And now, some good stuff from around the Internet, well worth checking out.
Here’s a sign of the times. ZDNET’s Charlie Osborne published a piece entitled “7 ways to lock down your phone before heading to a protest”.
Ever wonder why some of those classic TV shows aren’t streaming? Here’s the full story.
Hurricane Helene’s energy created massive ripples 55 miles high, impacting space technology. Here’s that story.
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!