The best AI image tools, my 2025 AI spending, power tools and AI programming
Plus, teaching rats to play Doom, heat pump cost/benefit analysis, the Earth once had 19 hour days, and I fight a Gorn.
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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Happy Holidays
I hope you all have a Cool Yule and a Happy New Year. Due to the holidays, we will not be publishing next week. The next Advanced Geekery newsletter will be out the week of January 3. We’re wrapping up this final 2025 issue with a big five-article bonanza!
My articles
Here’s a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.
10 things I wish I knew before trusting Claude Code to build my iPhone app: Vibe coding sounds effortless, until it isn’t. Building a full iPhone app with Claude Code showed me why baby steps, backups, and testing matter.
I tested the new ChatGPT Images - it’s a stunning improvement, and enormously fun: ‘Lights! Eggnog! Punching!’ OpenAI just overhauled ChatGPT image generation, and the results surprised and delighted me. I had way too much fun with Gorn.
Here’s every AI subscription I paid for in 2025 - and which ones I’m taking into 2026: Are AI tools worth the money? After reviewing my 2025 spending, I’ve made one big change.
The best AI image generators of 2025: I retested the top tools - there’s one clear winner: I tested six popular AI image tools on logos, photos, pop culture prompts, and social media ads. There’s one no-contest, total knockout winner.
Worried about AI coding? Why the invention of power tools is the blueprint for your career future: Now that AI can write software, where does that leave you as a programmer? The answer lies in the past.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
This one guy has a machine shop in Japan that produces 400,000 screws per day, all on his own.
What inspired The Thunderbirds? From a real-life mining disaster in Germany to the birth of International Rescue, discover how a moment of global tragedy sparked one of TV’s most iconic series.
Let’s end the year on a musical selection. My wife found this, and it’s delightful. What if Stayin’ Alive had been written in the 16th century?
Tool of the week
These little flexible sponge-like things are a step up from a Swiffer, and can clean dust from non-flat surfaces. Once they get encrusted, just wash them off and squish out the water, and you can use them again.
They’re great in the shop for clearing sawdust from complex surfaces, but make sure you completely dry those surfaces afterwards to prevent rusting.
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.
Did you know that the Earth had 19 hour days for a billion years?
Scientists train rats to play Doom. I mean, wouldn’t you if you could?
ZDNET has an interesting analysis about the costs and benefits of installing a heat pump in your home.
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!