Harvard's free coding classes, why I'm polite to AIs, and a very expensive AirPods stand
Plus, Ken Thompson on the creation of C, Jeremy Fielding on relays, why AI PCs are a dud, rats play DOOM, Victorian shoes wash up onto a beach, and Pixel is adorbs.
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 took Harvard’s free online coding classes to better catch AI’s errors - and they’re legit: Harvard’s free programming classes teach you how to think, debug, and adapt in an AI-driven world where knowing code matters more than ever.
I’ve studied AI for decades - why you must be polite to chatbots (and it’s not for the AI’s sake): From Alexa to ChatGPT, our interactions with AI are reshaping communication norms. Here’s why how we talk to machines can affect real human relationships.
I tried Gemini’s ‘scheduled actions’ to automate my AI - the potential is enormous (but Google has work to do): Here’s what you can and cannot automate today via Gemini, including 15 ideas to use as starting points - and a bonus banana in a raincoat with an umbrella.
I tested this $150 AirPods Max stand against a cheap $29 one - and here’s the winner: I tried Mophie’s AirPods Max stand. Is it really worth up to five times more than budget alternatives?
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
Ken Thompson (the Ken Thompson, one of the guys who invented Unix) talks about how the C language came to be.
Jeremy Fielding teaches engineering out of his garage and is frickin’ awesome! In this video, he explains how to use relays and power supplies as the basis for automation projects.
In a wonderfully snarky video, CNET bids farewell to tech that died in 2025.
Tool of the week
I am not at all sure this is a good idea. It’s a handheld MIG welder powered by a normal 110 mains circuit. Besides the obviously questionable build quality, I would think that holding a tool as large as this would make welding control a bit difficult.
That said, this is the entire welding rig. There are no additional big power supplies or anything else. I don’t yet weld, but I don’t know if I’d start here. That said, it’s cool, it’s cheap, and it’s a thing worthy of sharing with you just for the curiosity value.
If you buy this or have one, definitely let us know what you think in the comments.
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.
Hundreds of Victorian hobnailed shoes have washed up onto a beach in South Wales.
Scientists have trained rats to play DOOM. However, there is no truth to the rumor I just made up that Anthropic scientists have trained rats to code.
ZDNET’s Ed Bott says consumers aren’t buying AI PCs. Does this surprise absolutely anyone?
Pixel pic of the week
This is Pixel’s very intense stare. He demands undivided attention, and surprise, he usually gets it. That’s my boy!
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!