Making a device like this that will actually stand up to years of use requires custom PCBs and a rugged case, with sufficient cooling to prevent overheating
Most software hackers can easily handle the programming. Most people with a good grasp of circuit design can design the electronics
Actually making one that safely functions for years is a lot harder
And yes, I make prototype stuff like thus, but I have a home machine shop
..you have old computer controlled machines. The device drivers may not be available, either because the product is obsolete, the company is dead, or they decided to not update the drivers, or the updates are prohibitively expensive
It's not just hardware. Some old (very expensive) software only runs on the old OS.. same problems as device drivers
If all you use is common, recent software... no problem
After I left my last full time job, I worked for 10 years at home
I loved having control of my schedule I loved being able to work when I felt inspired, even if it was at odd hours I loved being able to take a few hours to do other stuff that needed to be done I loved avoiding traffic and parking I loved avoiding silly meetings, especially the crap required by HR
Most of all.. I loved the absence of distraction. When I closed the door of my home office, I could focus I got a lot of stuff done, and was paid well
But, I kinda missed the human interaction I'm an introvert with no social skills, but I still missed being a part of the society of engineering
I despise Apple. I consider them fashion that uses tech, rather than tech Intel is tech, and they have accomplished great things. Of course, they are also stuck with a really bad problem at the moment Atmel and Microchip make useful, but un-glamorous, embedded processors. Their merger has caused us(embedded system programmers) a bit of pain, but on balance, they deserve respect Fairchild, NXP, Panasonic, AVX, Kemet, Bourns, Vishay and others make the essential tiny bits.. resistors, capacitors, small logic that the rest of the tech world couldn't live without At one time, Sony was amazing, then they shifted their focus from tech to fashion LG and Samsung deserve a lot of respect
Until then, they should respond "above and beyond the call of duty" when customers report failures
Methinks there will be LOTS of failures
If they take the typical corporate attitude, and ignore or argue with the customers, instead of taking a detailed bug report..they will fuck themselves
The first driverless cars will be slug-slow. People will do all kinds of crazy and dangerous stuff to pass them and avoid them
Yes, eventually speeds will improve. I even kinda believe the optimists who say that once the entire fleet is automated and interconnected, traffic jams will be eliminated and overall flow will increase
But, in the beginning, they will drive like nearly blind old people, high on cannabis
I did upgrade some stuff, like switching to an SSD, but for the stuff I do, performance is fine
The main reason I don't upgrade more often isn't price, it's pain
With restrictive licenses, activation, patches, drivers..etc, it's a MASSIVE PAIN IN THE ASS to upgrade. If I could just pop the hard drive in a new box and have everything adjust itself automagically, I would love to have the latest and greatest, even if I don't really need it
Industrial products with a clear specification Consumable items you have bought before and need re-supply Replacement parts Anything cheap enough that gambling is OK
Online does NOT work for stuff like..
Anything where color is critical. Most monitors aren't calibrated and most online sellers aren't real careful about color Anything where touch or feel is critical. All you get online is a photo, and sometimes it's crappy Some clothing. Sizes are NOT standard, it's why physical stores have dressing rooms
Online works OK for stuff like...
Consumer appliances, where reviews provide useful guidance
Methinks that after the novelty and fashion wears off, they will be abandoned, or evolve into something more useful
I'm studying glassblowing. I slog through the river of FB crap to see posts by other glassblowers, showing stuff they made. This is a tiny bit useful, since I can ask the poster, or my teacher.. How was that done"
Unfortunately, the technical ability to do so is rapidly disappearing. I can rework fine pitch surface mount parts with a microscope. BGA is beyond my skills
We are the last generation of electronic engineers who are able to build our own prototypes and fix our stuff
There are lots of super basic articles and videos on science that use no math at all
There are graduate level articles and videos using difficult math that the student is assumed to know
I find it very difficult to locate articles and videos that gently introduce the math to an engineer like me who knows engineering math, but never studied things like tensor calculus
Slashdot Mirror
So is the circuit design
The hard part is the fabrication
Making a device like this that will actually stand up to years of use requires custom PCBs and a rugged case, with sufficient cooling to prevent overheating
Most software hackers can easily handle the programming. Most people with a good grasp of circuit design can design the electronics
Actually making one that safely functions for years is a lot harder
And yes, I make prototype stuff like thus, but I have a home machine shop
Modern electronics is becoming impossible to repair, by its nature
Replacing a BGA chip is not feasible with normal electronic tech tools
Excellent idea!
...self driving cars will be obstacles
They will be slow, very slow.. kinda like a stoned old dude
People will attempt all sorts of extreme maneuvers to get around them
Most will succeed, some will fail
Stop copying Apple!
We need analog output, replaceable batteries, removable storage and easy repairability, not thinner copies of iphones
..you have old computer controlled machines. The device drivers may not be available, either because the product is obsolete, the company is dead, or they decided to not update the drivers, or the updates are prohibitively expensive
It's not just hardware. Some old (very expensive) software only runs on the old OS.. same problems as device drivers
If all you use is common, recent software... no problem
After I left my last full time job, I worked for 10 years at home
I loved having control of my schedule
I loved being able to work when I felt inspired, even if it was at odd hours
I loved being able to take a few hours to do other stuff that needed to be done
I loved avoiding traffic and parking
I loved avoiding silly meetings, especially the crap required by HR
Most of all.. I loved the absence of distraction. When I closed the door of my home office, I could focus
I got a lot of stuff done, and was paid well
But, I kinda missed the human interaction
I'm an introvert with no social skills, but I still missed being a part of the society of engineering
I despise Apple. I consider them fashion that uses tech, rather than tech
Intel is tech, and they have accomplished great things. Of course, they are also stuck with a really bad problem at the moment
Atmel and Microchip make useful, but un-glamorous, embedded processors. Their merger has caused us(embedded system programmers) a bit of pain, but on balance, they deserve respect
Fairchild, NXP, Panasonic, AVX, Kemet, Bourns, Vishay and others make the essential tiny bits.. resistors, capacitors, small logic that the rest of the tech world couldn't live without
At one time, Sony was amazing, then they shifted their focus from tech to fashion
LG and Samsung deserve a lot of respect
Possibly my favorite is Texas Instruments
Sometimes, it's strictly about the tech. One language is superior to another for the job being done
Other times, it's about the team. If the entire team is expert at a language, there needs to be a really, really good reason to change
Other times, it's about the tools, or the libraries
Unfortunately, some times it's driven by clueless management, who have no idea how to program but still have strong opinions
Individual programmer preference is only important for personal education or hobby projects
Until then, they should respond "above and beyond the call of duty" when customers report failures
Methinks there will be LOTS of failures
If they take the typical corporate attitude, and ignore or argue with the customers, instead of taking a detailed bug report..they will fuck themselves
..if it's made from waste oil, left over from cooking
Same problem on Chrome and Edge
>>If I were to describe the "personality" of a self driving car
A nearly blind old person, high on cannabis. Yes, they will be hyper-cautious, but they will also make slugs seem fast by comparison
The first driverless cars will be slug-slow. People will do all kinds of crazy and dangerous stuff to pass them and avoid them
Yes, eventually speeds will improve. I even kinda believe the optimists who say that once the entire fleet is automated and interconnected, traffic jams will be eliminated and overall flow will increase
But, in the beginning, they will drive like nearly blind old people, high on cannabis
...and it still works fine
I did upgrade some stuff, like switching to an SSD, but for the stuff I do, performance is fine
The main reason I don't upgrade more often isn't price, it's pain
With restrictive licenses, activation, patches, drivers..etc, it's a MASSIVE PAIN IN THE ASS to upgrade. If I could just pop the hard drive in a new box and have everything adjust itself automagically, I would love to have the latest and greatest, even if I don't really need it
Seems faster
My projects were always small. I was usually the only developer. Sometimes there were one or two others
I always wanted independent testing, in fact, one of my favorite rants was.. "the worst possible tester is the person who wrote it"
But, independent testing never happened, so I did my best. I started writing automated test tools long before they were popular
Industrial products with a clear specification
Consumable items you have bought before and need re-supply
Replacement parts
Anything cheap enough that gambling is OK
Online does NOT work for stuff like..
Anything where color is critical. Most monitors aren't calibrated and most online sellers aren't real careful about color
Anything where touch or feel is critical. All you get online is a photo, and sometimes it's crappy
Some clothing. Sizes are NOT standard, it's why physical stores have dressing rooms
Online works OK for stuff like...
Consumer appliances, where reviews provide useful guidance
I only use the internet on my phone when on the road, and there's something I REALLY need
Tiny screens suck. Tiny keyboards suck
I much prefer my 30" monitor on my desk
Methinks that after the novelty and fashion wears off, they will be abandoned, or evolve into something more useful
I'm studying glassblowing. I slog through the river of FB crap to see posts by other glassblowers, showing stuff they made. This is a tiny bit useful, since I can ask the poster, or my teacher.. How was that done"
YES! we should have the legal right
Unfortunately, the technical ability to do so is rapidly disappearing. I can rework fine pitch surface mount parts with a microscope. BGA is beyond my skills
We are the last generation of electronic engineers who are able to build our own prototypes and fix our stuff
There are lots of super basic articles and videos on science that use no math at all
There are graduate level articles and videos using difficult math that the student is assumed to know
I find it very difficult to locate articles and videos that gently introduce the math to an engineer like me who knows engineering math, but never studied things like tensor calculus
It's hard
I'm skeptical that fully autonomous vehicles will be perfected any time soon
If you really want to pay attention to the show, do it at home, with pause, rewind and replay
Theaters can be fun as a party place, where food and drink are the main attraction, and there's a movie playing over there
Older workers aren't obsolete, they're just more expensive
Managers need to re-calibrate their measurements
Young managers who fail to do this, or who care more about culture than results, are missing out on a vast talent pool