How AI voice works, a cool Windows 11 tip, and coding language analysis
Plus, generative AI's power consumption, history hidden behind a Walmart, Chromebooks infested by bedbugs, and more.
I’m David Gewirtz. Welcome to this week’s Advanced Geekery newsletter. It’s been an exciting week. Let’s dive in.
My articles
Let’s kick it off with a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.
AI voice generators: What they can do and how they work: As AI voice generators improve, they bring both opportunities and risks. Here's how this technology is changing everything from accessibility aids to the way scammers operate.
Which programming languages are most popular now (and what does that even mean)? We aggregated data from nine different rankings to produce the ZDNET Index of Programming Language Popularity. Here are the languages that came out on top, and what to make of this information.
This hidden Windows 11 setting lets you kill unresponsive apps much more quickly: Say goodbye to digging through Task Manager and reclaim control of your Windows 11 PC with just a few clicks.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
Being able to get ChatGPT to translate your school paper into pirate speak may seem fun, but it uses an astonishing amount of energy. Generative AI could be a problem for the world’s power grid.
There’s a tiny little sign, behind the trash dump of a Walmart in New Jersey, that marks a technological first. This video is a little ranty, but fun.
This is a great exploration of how and why the camera work in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window was so effective.
Interesting reads
And now, some good stuff from around the Internet, well worth reading.
This one’s deeply disturbing: students' Chromebooks infested with bedbugs.
Real-time strategy games experienced a renaissance, but then stagnated again. It’s why we still love old remasters, like Age of Empires.
There’s an Alexa AI upgrade coming. Here’s the full story from ZDNET’s Maria Diaz.
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!