My plastic R2-D2, how to tame your OpenAI budget, I fought the spammers and my code won
Plus, a truly nasty (but wonderfully powerful) adhesive, Linux problems, gross drain clogs, 3D printing tips, Lincoln's undercroft, and why desert trees thrive.
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 latest video
I’m getting ready to put out my review of the Anycubic Kobra X, but before I’m ready to conclude my testing, I needed to see how it did on a bigger project. My shocking discovery was, after all this time 3D printing things, that I’ve never made an R2-D2. Well, that was an omission that needed to be rectified. I did, and I have some learnings to impart after doing so.
Here’s an interesting story. When I shared my script with ChatGPT to get its help with the above picture, it refused to help out when it knew the model was called R2-D2. Even when I told the AI that this was fair use and I was holding a physical item I made, it did not relent. But when I started a new session and called R2 a robot instead of its proper name, ChatGPT helped produce the thumbnail you see above.
I also had to spend a few prompts trying to convince it to use my actual face, but I’m fairly certain it finally figured out I’m not a Disney character.
My articles
Here’s a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.
How I stopped a massive WordPress spam attack with 4,700 lines of code in two days - thanks to Codex and Claude: Spam accounts overwhelmed my database. Claude found the weaknesses, Codex wrote the fixes, and I deployed a new defense.
How I set OpenAI API usage limits to stop agent overspending and other AI billing nightmares: OpenAI API costs can spiral when agents run wild. Here’s how to set spend limits, enable hard caps, and avoid surprise AI bills.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
Alexandre Chappel, one of my favorite YouTube makers, has a lightning round of tips and recommendations for 3D printing. It’s definitely worth a watch.
This dude has a bunch of recommendations for what plumbers do to keep their own drains clean. I’m fairly certain at least some of this is AI, but still. Watch it for the tips, stay for the pipe gross-outs.
The Lincoln Memorial undercroft is now open for visitors. While it’s mostly a history museum, the civil engineering required to put such a mass on a swamp is quite interesting all on its own.
Adhesive of the week
This is some nasty stuff, but it’s nasty in a good way. It’s not just “spray glue.” It is closer to contact cement in a can. It grabs fast, covers big surfaces evenly, and bonds materials that are miserable with ordinary glue, like foam, fabric, cardboard, insulation, plastic, metal, wood, laminates, and more. The cool part is the speed and reach. You can coat a wide area without brushing, clumping, soaking, or waiting around forever.
On the other hand, it could kill you, or at least muck you up. Amazon says it’s not for sale in California and “other states.” That’s because of its VOC content. Aerosol adhesives put solvents into the air, and some states limit which versions can be sold or used. 3M’s own aerosol guidance says VOC rules may restrict sale or use in CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, UT, and VA. So it is powerful stuff, but it is regulated like powerful stuff. In other words, use a mask.
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.
Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe just did near-contact flyby of an asteroid near Earth orbit. Did you ever watch Bruce Willis in Armageddon (one of the best movies ever made)? This Japanese probe is kind of like a beta Brucebot, as it’s helping Japan develop what might someday be a response protecting the planet from cosmic extinction-level events.
Why do trees planted in the desert grow faster than trees planted in the forest? Scientists at China’s “Great Green Wall” are trying to figure it out.
ZDNET’s Steven Vaughan-Nichols explains that Secure Boot has always been a nuisance for Linux users, but Microsoft’s expiring 2011 certificate authorities are making it a real pain.
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!