My favorite voice dictation tool, a legendary free course taught by AI pioneers, and I get a new toy

Plus, a deep dive into how Google fixes Chrome bugs, a tiny hidden diorama, a strange Apple movie, why you should buy broken GPUs, and more science on the goodness of coffee.

Aug 10, 2026

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

I am super-excited by this new machine. While I already have a nice CNC, my existing X-Carve is meant for milling large items. I use it mostly to mill plywood sheets for shop storage.

I plan to use this Makera Z1 to mill precision aluminum parts, just as soon as I figure out how to do it. As I did the unboxing, I also discovered it will mill brass. That’s doubly exciting, so you’ll probably also see me making brass fittings at some time in the future. So very cool.

My articles

Here’s a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.

How Google used AI agents to find and fix 1,072 Chrome security bugs - in 60 days: With 3.5 billion active users to protect, Google is relying on Gemini to find Chrome security bugs fast - and before attackers do.

My 3 favorite AI tools for voice dictation while vibe coding - and one is free: I’ve tested the top AI voice tools to find which delivers the best accuracy, privacy, and corrections.

Taught by AI pioneers, Stanford’s free online course takes you far beyond ChatGPT: Most AI courses teach today’s tools, but this free Stanford classic by Peter Norvig and Sebastian Thrun dives into the deeper foundational ideas you need to truly understand artificial intelligence.

Must-watch YouTube

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

This woman built a tiny diorama inside a set of fake books, then hid it inside a bookstore.
It’s ugly and messy, but this dude demuddified a Mercedes with a ton of flood damage. It’s an oddly compelling thing to watch.
This is one of the strangest product placements I’ve ever seen. Somehow Mattel and Apple(?) turned the classic Matchbox cars into an action movie. And we’re not talking about Red One, where Dwayne Johnson magically turns toy cars into big ones. No, this is just a movie with car chases that somehow references Matchbox cars in the characters’ childhoods. Yeah, it’s probably a Dave Movie.

Merch of the week

I know I cover AI a lot. But tell us how you really feel, David. Here you go.

Hey, and I have a favor to ask. In order to get the shop to rank, reviews are really important. After you decide you want one of the shirts (they come in lots of colors and sizes) and place your order, please leave a review. The more reviews, the better. Even if you don’t order, you can help kickstart the store by favoriting a shirt or two.

Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, but not this week.

Interesting reads

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

This guy makes a case for buying broken GPUs.
Science says coffee is better and better for you. True story: back in the day, my doctor actually told me I should drink more coffee. I have been aggressively following his directions ever since.
Fan favorite Ed Bott has a new article on ZDNET. He’s holding Microsoft’s feet to the fire again. This time, it’s over a Windows 11 “quality” progress report (the editorial quotation marks are Ed’s).

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.