Marvel VR, GPT-4os weird coding test results, Microsoft's announcements
Plus, a robot-controlled Etch-a-Sketch, kids rick-rolling parents, the real Leatherman, and talking to whales.
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.
I put GPT-4o through my coding tests and it aced them - except for one weird result: Can OpenAI's GPT-4o code better than its competitors? Yes, but you still need to check its work.
Want to step inside the Marvel universe? With Apple Vision Pro you can - on May 30: Marvel is betting big on the Apple Vision Pro (and only Vision Pro) with its new immersive story experience, coming next week.
How Microsoft's new AI Copilot features could transform teamwork and projects: Build 2024: Microsoft's new AI tools aim to enhance team collaboration, automate processes, and improve productivity. Here's how.
Microsoft's Build 2024: 10 quick developer focused announcements you need to know about: We explore ten developer offerings from Microsoft's Build 2024, with a big focus on adding AI to your developer toolkit.
What’s wrong with this picture?
This was generated by DALL-E 3 with the prompt, “steampunk image of the largest ship that can travel from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and back.” What’s wrong with this picture? Look at it carefully and share your answers in the comments.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
These folks had way too much time on their hands, but it’s cool. They built a robotically-controlled Etch-a-Sketch camera.
You know those Leatherman pocket multi-tools? Many makers have them. Here’s the origin story. Leatherman is a real guy.
Wait for it… these three band students rickroll an auditorium full of parents and students. Why? Because they can.
Interesting reads
And now, some good stuff from around the Internet, well worth reading.
The ongoing quest to communicate with whales continues, but with some recent breakthroughs.
How long have humans been in the Americas? New site changes established timelines.
ZDNET’s Joe McKendrick thinks AI may be creating more work for humans than it saves.
Both my EPs are now streaming
Available on all your favorite streaming services.
Reader 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.
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!