Hands-on with ChatGPT Agent (a lot), a new David video, how not to use AI for programming
Plus, Starfleet Academy series teaser, inside wireless charging, the (maybe) real Sacagawea, a bendable level, and a look at GPT-5
I’m David Gewirtz. Welcome to this week’s Advanced Geekery newsletter. It’s been an exciting week. Let’s dive in.
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My latest video
Now that I have the Creality K2 Plus working, I’m continuing my testing of its performance in preparation for my formal review. This week, I printed a large Statue of Liberty. It’s pretty amazing, especially compared to the monocolor one I printed previously.
My articles
Here’s a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.
My 8 ChatGPT Agent tests produced only 1 near-perfect result - and a lot of alternative facts: Can ChatGPT Agent replace your assistant? No, and my in-depth testing proves it. Here's what it can - and can't - do.
9 programming tasks you shouldn't hand off to AI - and why: Before you offload your codebase to ChatGPT, read this. From security flaws to copyright nightmares, here's what the AI hype machine isn't telling you.
I got ChatGPT Agent to deliver a truly useful report - and then NotebookLM took it to the next level: Can ChatGPT Agent and NotebookLM actually do real work together? I tested them on a cloud storage comparison project. The result was surprisingly impressive.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
Paramount is finally releasing some details on the upcoming Star Trek Starfleet Academy series, airing in 2026. Here’s a teaser trailer. What do you think?
Canadian comic does a sketch video about what it might be like to pitch the idea of coffee. It’s amusing, although I don’t think she’s showing the proper level of respect the brown elixir truly deserves.
Very interesting iFixit video about how wireless charging works, and why it might be harmful to your devices. I don’t care. I’m still using it. But they have a point.
Tool of the week
This is an odd little device. I’ve never seen anything like it before, which is why I’m spotlighting it now. It’s 28-inch folding level. The folding part isn’t just meant to make it easier to store. You can fold it around corners, which allows you to level items on two adjacent walls.
There are probably more things you can do with such a tool, but that’s about as far as my imagination is going now. Still, it’s cool. Let us know in the comments if you’ve seen this, and especially if you’ve used one. What do you think? How else can it be used?
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.
OpenAI’s GPT-5 model is coming soon. ZDNET’s Sabrina Ortiz takes a good look at what that might mean and what to expect.
Fascinating read about Sacagawea and what her real history might be. In addition to everything this well-researched article covers, did you know she loved coffee?
Francesco at Tool Finder is now publishing an informative series he calls Stacks. It spotlights professionals, and the digital tools they use to accomplish their workflow. As a self-confessed productivity junkie, this stuff is like catnip to me.
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!