This Week in AI: Astra Got to Work and Image 2.5 Picked Up the Brush
GPT-6 Astra moved from launch hype to real work while ChatGPT Images 2.5 focused on faster, more controlled editing. Here is what changed and what to test.
Author
Colin Michaels
Florida creator, applications developer, recording and mixing engineer, FPV pilot, and writer exploring unusual gadgets, useful technology, creative projects, and patient-perspective recovery.
Applications Developer
Published articles
36 Sessions Done: Cardiac Rehab, a New Routine, and Little Dreads
I finished all 36 cardiac rehab sessions, my energy is coming back, and I am figuring out how to keep the routine while building Little Dreads.
Project Turbine: A Jet-Powered Paramotor Has My Attention
Tucker Gott's jet turbine paramotor build caught my eye—and brought me back to chasing David Farmer over Jupiter Beach with my FPV drone.
Last Year's Next Big Thing Is in an AI Graveyard
Yesterday's AI breakthrough is today's migration project. A funny walk through the AI graveyard, who's making the decisions, and why I'm still excited about Astra.
Rewatching Man of the Year: Robin Williams, Politics, and Mental Health
The 2006 political comedy is uneven but strangely current. Its biggest lesson now may be what Robin Williams’s life reminds us about hidden pain, brain illness, and how to help.
This Week in AI: The Frontier Race Hit the Gas and the Brakes
GPT-6 Astra, Claude Fable 5.1, Gemini 3.8, Muse Spark 1.3, new voice and world models, NVIDIA’s Hugging Face deal, local AI, and school limits made this a giant week.
Chat Told Me to Touch Grass, So I Asked It What Kind. I'm Taking a Break.
Chat told me to touch grass, and I responded with a follow-up question. After letting AI into almost every corner of my life, I am taking a one-week break from personal use.
Two Sessions Left: Cardiac Rehab, New Music, and LeMullets Ahead
Cardiac rehab is down to my final two sessions. The Dreadnauts' second album is out, work is going well, and I have a return trip to LeMullets on the calendar.
A Drone Pulled a Wakeboarder. What Else Can Drones Do?
A custom 2.75-meter drone pulled a world-champion wakeboarder through Landshut. The bigger story is how drones can help farms, rescues, medicine, wildfires, infrastructure, and science.
Stop Chasing Specs: Your Old Action Camera Is Probably Good Enough
My HERO8 shot Captain Colin Buffalo, two original DJI Osmo Actions made years of early videos and timelapses, and the Action 5 Pro is the newest camera I love using now.
This Week in AI: The Agents Left the Chat Window
Vision, voice, video, browser agents, local AI computers, new chips, and a sobering security report show AI spreading through the whole computer.
Bodycam Is a PhD in FPS Realism—and the Matrix Just Blinked
Bodycam's Locked & Loaded update pushes reloads, optics, sound, FPV flight, and body-camera graphics toward a thrilling—and unsettling—new level of realism.
Flying Car Drones Are Here—but Can You Really Fly One From Your Backyard?
YIVTOL, Pivotal, Jetson, and LIFT make personal eVTOL flight feel real. Here is what you can buy or fly now, what Part 103 allows, and why most backyards still do not work.
Flying Arm Jets: Gravity’s Real-Life Iron Man Suit vs the Competition
Gravity’s arm-mounted jet suit is the closest thing yet to real-life Iron Man flight. Here is how it works and how JetPack Aviation, Zapata, and Jetson compare.
Temu Is Cheap. But Is It a Bargain—or a Shopping Trap?
Temu can deliver real savings, but product quality varies, safety testing has raised serious concerns, and the app is built to keep you chasing deals. Here's how I would decide what is worth the risk.
Could DJI’s 52-Gram Osmo Nano Be My Next FPV Camera?
DJI’s 52-gram Osmo Nano looks light enough to tempt an FPV pilot, but the real test is the mount, vibration, heat, flight feel, and footage it brings home.
How I Brought The Dreadnauts to Life With ChatGPT and Suno
What began as a name mixing Jamaican dreads with astronauts became a nine-track album, a four-member virtual band, music videos, software, a first-party website, and an entire connected universe.
HOVERAir VERSA Is a DJI Pocket With Wings. Is It Actually Worth It?
HOVERAir VERSA turns a pocket gimbal into a self-flying camera. Here is how its camera, complete cost, and real usefulness compare with DJI, Insta360, and the phone you already own.
This Week in AI: Open Models, Robot Learners, and a Safety Brake
A plain-English look at this week's new AI models, OpenAI's Astra safety pause, two giant acquisitions, and the stories that actually matter.
Back in Order: Rehab, a Finished Porch, and Website Upgrades
I believe I have eight cardiac rehab sessions left, the porch is finally finished, the house is getting back in order, and the website has several major upgrades.