The charging tower is done! A new video, an important Bluesky safety tip, and my favorite pay-for AIs
Plus, the best gift for techies in 2024, the legal battle over retro games, 2024 tech turkeys, and Billy Joel meets Star Wars.
I’m David Gewirtz. Welcome to this week’s Advanced Geekery newsletter. It’s been an exciting week. Let’s dive in.
My latest video
I seem to be on a roll. Here’s another video. This time, it’s about setting up the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon 3D printer. Overall, setup went well, but there were a few annoying design decisions that I pointed out in my usual subtle way.
My articles
Let’s kick it off with a quick recap of the articles I published in the last week on ZDNET.
I test AI tools for a living, and these are the only two worth paying for: Generative AI can supercharge your productivity, but which tools truly deliver? These are my must-have subscriptions for programming, graphics, and creative workflows that actually pay off.
How to create your own Bluesky domain - and why you should (or shouldn't): Using a domain on Bluesky helps identify you to your followers. Here's how to do it, step-by-step.
If you convert to a domain name on Bluesky, you MUST do this right away: Bluesky blues: I discovered a major flaw in Bluesky's domain registration. Here's how to protect yourself.
Why the Meta Quest 3S is the ultimate 2024 holiday present: This $299 headset provides an entire self-contained entertainment system, delivering stunning mixed reality, incredible gaming, and more for much less than any other comparable setup.
The charging tower is finished!
Well, technically, it was designed to never be finished, to change dynamically as the need arises. But the world’s most flexible, expandable, and over-engineered charging tower is operational. I’m done doing the big build. It’s now able to do what it was intended for: charge my stuff.
Here’s another view. You can see the side tower with all the charging bins. The power tool charging units are on the third tier, below the custom multiboard structures.
Stay tuned. There will be a full build and tour video coming sometime soon.
Tool of the week
I recently picked up a set of two of these small tape measures from Amazon because I always need a little tape measure for one project or another. One now lives in the Fab Lab tool drawer and the other in my jacket for use whenever I’m out.
Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Must-watch YouTube
Moving on, let’s queue up some interesting YouTube videos for your entertainment and edification.
The technology for generating fake crowds in movies and TV has improved over the years.
Very cool tour of a factory in China that makes end-grain cutting boards in mass volume.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a musical selection. Here, I bring you We Didn’t Start the Fire (Star Wars edition).
Interesting reads
And now, some good stuff from around the Internet, well worth reading.
What does a photon look like? These scientists think they know.
A legal case blocking access to retro games. This sucks.
ZDNET’s Jason Perlow’s take on 2024 tech: For every triumph, a turkey.
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!