Today we’re going to make a little digression from things that we do to look at perhaps why we do the things that we do. This one is philosophical folks, so strap yourselves in. We’ve had an interesting item arrive on the tips line from [Bunchabits] who wanted to let us know about a video, Love Letter to Embedded Systems, from [V. Hunter Adams].
[V. Hunter Adams] is Lecturer of Electrical Engineering at Cornell University and is on the web over here: vanhunteradams.com
In this forty three minute video [Hunter] makes an attempt to explain why he loves engineering, generally, and why he loves embedded systems engineering, specifically. He tries to answer why you should love engineering projects, what makes such projects special, and how you can get started on projects of your own. He discusses his particular interest in other unrelated subjects such as birds and birdsong, and talks a little about the genius of polymath Leonardo da Vinci.
He goes on to explain that engineering can be the vehicle to learn about other fields of endeavor, that the constraints in embedded systems are like the constraints of poetry, that embedded systems are the right level of complexity where you can still hold the details of a complete system in your head, and that embedded systems let you integrate with the physical world through sensors and actuators leading to a greater appreciation of physics and nature.
In his submission to the tips line [Bunchabits] said that [Hunter] was a communicator in the league of Carl Sagan and that he could do for embedded systems what Sagan did for physics and astronomy. Having watched this presentation we are inclined to agree. He is a thoughtful person and a cogent communicator.
If today’s philosophical digression has left you feeling… philosophical, then you might enjoy a little nostalgia, too. Here’s some old philosophical material that we covered here on Hackaday back in 2013 which held some interest: Hacking And Philosophy: An Introduction; The Mentor’s Manifesto; Hacker Crackdown: Part 1, Part II, Part III, Part IV; Future Tech And Upgrading Your Brain; and Surveillance State. All still as relevant today as it was over a decade ago.
Thanks to [Bunchabits] for sending this one in.
HaD should mention https://embeddedonlineconference.com/ at least once.
I’m quite interested in conferences, and have joined near a hundred and organized half a dozen. Conferences are about meeting like-minded people, for me. Sharing knowledge is a bonus. I take quite a lot of pride in creating quality content, and won’t watch it if they can’t be bothered to make it good.
As there isn’t a preview of the content, it’s difficult to judge this embedded online conference. I don’t know the speakers, nor the sponsors, and the website seems to sell fear of missing out. E.g. If you don’t join our conference, you’ll be made obsolete. Not a good argument, IMHO. Nor will engineering ever be obsolete.
Can you tell us a bit about your experience in the field and the conference? How were the talks, was it good quality content and time and care put into the recording? What have you learned from the conference specifically, and how will you apply it?
I signed up for this conference on my employer’s dime a couple of time. The first year I listened to several of the talks. The following year I listened to one or two. This past year I didn’t bother signing up. The talks that sounded the most interesting to me based on their summary didn’t actually inspire me to listen to any other talks. They felt full of fluff, and not very substantial. Hopefully other attendees had a different experience.
A professional conference where the content is all locked behind a large fee doesn’t really sound like HaD’s wheelhouse.
I like the video quite a bit. While I usually didn’t care for electrical systems, electronics has always been very interesting to me. I.e. designing a circuit board, versus mains electrical wiring. I don’t know exactly why, but I assume it’s due to the small tangible, the creation of complex circuits, or sometimes the clever solutions which reduce the complexity greatly.
I’m interested in talks about why people are interested in the things they do. From a purpose perspective, but also from an educational one. I can relate to the da Vincies before me. The interest in dozens of subjects to then come up with expected answers is a rather strong reason to not focus too much on a single topic. Whenever I learn something new, I can very much directly apply it to another field or project. Be it electronics, electronic and mechanical security (lockpicking, etc.), or even learning about metal or wood working. My biggest asset is my curiosity.
In the video, the tutor goes into how electronics can be directly applied to many fields of study and interests. This is quite an interesting take, and I’ve seen it to be true for me at least.
I love everything Hunter says here! If you replace “engineer” with “hacker”, it’s almost exactly my experience of the world.
I got into embedded systems because at the time it was one of the few ways to advance a programming career without having to touch Windows.
Previously I had been exposed to a lot of stuff including COBOL and Windows CE, neither of which I ever wanted to touch again.
I went on to design one of the early Linux based embedded systems – back in the days when management were very wary of things like “open source” and “Linux” instead of a proprietary embedded OS.
Nowadays it’s hard to find an embedded system that isn’t Linux.