Published 5 October 2026
e570 with Andy and Michael R: stories about AI brain for fish, crowdsourced fishing for map updates, inebriated AI, virtual Brutalism architecture, a Minecraft themed hotel and a whole lot more!
Have you ever heard the phrase “fish for brains”? Well in this episode, Michael R and Andy start things of for what kind of AI model is needed to be the brain for fish. Pocket Tank is a tiny, yet sophisticated AI model for how fish interact in the smallest of fish tanks. Andy shares a game about digging a hole which reminded Michael M (while crafting the show notes) of the Wind Rose Diggy Diggy Hole song – which will nicely connect to the Minecraft hotel discussion at the end of the episode.
A longtime focus of this podcast is maps, mapping and improving them, going all the way back to the very first episode of Games at Work. A superb example of this is StreetComplete, which is on android, and newly available via TestFlight for iOS which allows the user to contribute to OpenStreetMap in a gamified, quest driven way, such as detailing the kind of pedestrian crossings are available at a particular intersection.
A Sony Walkman skeuomorphic user experience takes advantage of the new iPhone Duo folding screen to replicate opening up the Walkman and inserting a cassette tape. Check out other examples of what Bitrig is envisioning with the iPhone Duo’s multiple screens.
Michael and Andy both express their appreciation for an impressive full desk set up to charge a qi device wherever the device is placed on the desk. If you are looking for something to buy right now, check out the (no affiliates link) Wirecutter collection below.
Minecraft hotel in Chessington is being crafted / constructed, which will have a potions bar in addition to themed guest rooms. Have to wonder if they will provide the ability of guests to come dig a hole either virtually or on the premises!
Could Dou-Man be the “killer app” for the new iPhone Duo? What do you think the killer app will be? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Selected Links
A Plethora of Posts
Stratobuilds article: Pocket Tank: A Tiny AI Fish Tank
Wikipedia article: Tamagotchi
Wikipedia article: Little Computer People
Games at Work e366: MetaMoney (for Little Computer People discussion)
Gaming on Linux article: A Game About Digging A Hole Together announced
Maps & Mapping
Kottke post: Map of the Lighthouses of the World
Hacker News post: StreetComplete on iOS is now in public beta
Games at Work e00001: Wouldn’t You Like to Be a Mayor Too? (For gamified mapping with Waze)
More Treasures from the Internet
The Verge article: Amazon’s delivery driver smart glasses will reportedly take photos ‘almost constantly’
9 to 5 Mac article: Duo-Man turns your 2026 iPhone Duo into a 1980s Sony Walkman
Bitrig post: Bitrig Now Builds iPhone Duo Apps
RE: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard/117356555017512210
Congrats on inventing Drunk Clippy.
Well — this is awesome!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvLWuK2TU-w&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/@HTXStudio
Wirecutter article (updated September 23, 2026): The Best Apple Wireless Charging Stations for Multiple Devices
The Guardian article: World’s first Minecraft hotel to open in the UK – here’s what we know so far
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:34 — 16.9MB) | Embed
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