iPhone update week, AirPod hearing aids, and a warning for Fusion users

Plus, XR meets digital twins, a 3D printed full-sized boat, Google's special AI processors, and Jell-O furniture.

Sep 15, 2024

I’m David Gewirtz. Welcome to this week’s Advanced Geekery newsletter. It’s been an exciting week. Let’s dive in.

Image: David Gewirtz. This is my robot jib, powered by an old iPhone.

My articles

Let’s kick it off with a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.

Attention, free Fusion 360 users! All your projects will be deleted if you don't do this: Using Fusion 360 for free? Here's what you need to know about the new rules that could result in your designs being deleted if you're not careful.
How Apple just changed hearing aids forever - and the lives of those who need them: Millions of people with hearing loss go without assistive devices for various reasons. However, many of those millions likely now possess AirPods Pro 2 earbuds that can soon function as clinical-grade hearing aids.
I maxed out my iPhone 16 Pro Max preorder. Here's how much it cost me: iPhone 16 preorders opened early, and I barely had time to grab coffee before the delivery dates slipped. Here's what I chose for my upgrade and why.
4 ways I reuse my old iPhones instead of trading them in - including with robots: I'm upgrading to iPhone 16 Pro Max from my trusty iPhone 12 Pro Max, but my old phone hasn't outlived its usefulness. Here's what it'll do for me next.
How VR and digital twins are streamlining remote work in technical professions: Digital twins and VR are reshaping our world of work. Dive into the evolution of these technologies and their impact on modern industries, urban planning, and remote teams.

Must-watch YouTube

Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.

Emily the Engineer built a person-sized Benchy. And then she sailed it on a lake! This is why I love YouTube so much.
This is an inside look at Google’s custom TPU chips, which not only power Google’s AI efforts, but were used to help train Apple Intelligence as well.
For fans of The Good Place’s Janet AI, this song’s for you. If you haven’t seen The Good Place, check it out. It’s good stuff.

Interesting reads

And now, some good stuff from around the Internet, well worth reading.

There’s Jell-O-inspired furniture out there. And it’s kind of cool. I know. Right?
What’s it like learning to program when you’re in your 50s? This guy tells the story.
ZDNET discusses more health announcements at this year’s big iPhone event.

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.