Perspectives on Apple's Vision Pro pricing, how to pivot your career into AI, and a price increase from Google
Plus, Back to the Future 4 (ish), a VR floor, the truth about alien mummies, some gorgeous woodworking projects, and a pic of Pixel pup in raingear.
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:
You can get an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and a Mac for the price of one Vision Pro: I can't share the headset with my wife? Here's why the Vision Pro's price tag is making even avid Apple fans think twice.
Google suddenly raised my monthly Workspace Enterprise fee by 38%: Experiencing sticker shock? Unpacking the sudden and steep price rise in Google Workspace Enterprise. It's a cautionary tale for cloud-dependent businesses.
So, you want to transition your career to work in AI? Follow these 5 steps: Here's how to pivot your career into AI and how your existing skills can help open doors in the booming AI field.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
This is not real. I watched it twice, hoping against hope that this was real. But it’s not. It’s a concept trailer, using some amazing deep fakes, to showcase what a Back To The Future 4 might be if it starred Tom Holland in the Marty McFly role.
This, however, is real. Watch the video to the end, because Disney Research Fellow (and inductee in the Inventor Hall of Fame) Lanny Smoot showcases an amazing moving floor. The applications in VR are fascinating — but I also have to wonder how easy it would be to lose your footing and fall.
Just for fun. The Melbourne Ska Orchestra does an amazingly entertaining video of the Get Smart theme.
Interesting reads
Here’s some good stuff from around the Internet, well worth reading.
Remember those mummified alien corpses captured in a shipment from Peru to Mexico that were big news last year? You know where this is going. They’re not mummified. And they’re not aliens. They are dolls made from terrestrial animals made to look like little aliens. Is anyone surprised? The true story, as reported by Vox, is even crazier.
Want to see some really impressive woodworking projects? Check out this compendium from Bored Panda.
You’ve heard of the Butterfly Effect? This article from The Atlantic dives into more depth about how seemingly minor events have outsized impacts throughout the world. It’s a fascinating read.
Pixel pic of the week
It’s been a while since our very good boy was featured here in the pages of the Advanced Geekery substack. Here, he’s waterproofed so he can take his walk in the wet Oregon weather. For the record, we tried little boots. He was having none of it. But he does seem to like wearing his little slicker and staying mostly dry.
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!