Thanks for sharing that list Nat! I'll have a proper read through it today, but I have already spotted a few entries that I want to dig into!!
> I want to understand why we still have physical monitors and look for ways to replace them. -> This is also a topic I have been interested in, but I have never had a chance to try the latest products myself, mostly due to the costs and the fact that I am not based in the US. Did you try any yourself?
I am in the same boat for space and med tech. I do have a degree in physics, in which I did some quantum physics and quantum computing basics. I really enjoyed it, back then, and have been keeping an eye on the latest advancements since then, but haven't dug in too much. Might be a good time to do so!
Thanks! I actually did work in the battery/energy field for a bit, and the automations and optimisations that could be made using AI were definitely interesting and inspiring, if only because of the scale of the impact they could have! Will have a listen to the podcast tonight
Wow, thanks for sharing this! I had no idea these scrolls even existed, and what a massive challenge it is. Technically and historically. Definitely one of the most interesting application of AI I've seen in a while. I was definitely on the negative side of my "conflicted" feelings about AI when making this post and this has actually made me feel better :)
I would say it's pretty gentle. Most 3D printers these days perform very well out of the box, and there's tons of online stl files to print stuff and get a feel for your printer. After that designing your own things can be in any CAD tool or even a modeling tool like Blender. Fusion 360 is very approachable IMO. For prusa printers, prusaslicer is also serviceable for just putting some primitives together to make objects.
After that it's just tweaking stuff as you see things that can be improved. Since smaller objects can be printed relatively fast, it's super quick to see what tweaks do in the real world.
I've stuck to software all these years because I know hardware is be a dangerous hobby for me to start...I am going to end up with so much stuff because I'll want to try this and this and that but I guess it is worth it at this point! Seems to be so much on that front that I've never played with, and it'll probably push me to start new side projects which is good! Any specific fun tutorials or projects that you would recommend starting with?
It's really funny how many of the comments here mention 3D printing, I guess there must really be something to it! Thanks for your explanations as well, I didn't realise it had become that cheap (relatively speaking, of course). Never had the money to play with it when it came out but will definitely give it a go. Are second-hand printers a bad idea in general or is it safe?
3D printers have made so much progress in the last 1-2 years that rarely are second-hand printers a good deal unless you just get really lucky finding someone unloading a new model they just didn't use. And even then, you probably won't save very much.
If you are on a budget, buy a brand new Bambu A1 Mini for <$250. You'll get industry-leading quality and ease of use and have a great time. Or if you have a little more tolerance for messing around but want the most possible printer for your money, you can get an Elegoo Centauri Carbon for $300 (it's a cheaper knock-off of the higher-end Bambu P1S and X1C models).
The used market is flooded with cheap old 3D printers right now because the new crop of printers is so much better that the old crop of printers are essentially paperweights. Bambu came along and totally disrupted the market. If someone offers you an old Ender 3 even for free, don't take it. It's a waste of time unless you just want to learn 3D printer mechanics instead of actually printing things. It would be like someone giving you a free horse cart because everyone has moved to cars and they don't want to have to figure out how to get rid of it.
I have a friend who has been given 5 (5!) free Ender 3 printers. It's ruining his life, taken over his house, and he spends all his time not printing things. Just spend $250+ and get something modern.
Didn't even know what a raman spectrometer was and had to google it. Interesting stuff for sure, so thank you! Had a look at these github accounts as well and will definitely have a browse in their repos tonight.
> I want to understand why we still have physical monitors and look for ways to replace them. -> This is also a topic I have been interested in, but I have never had a chance to try the latest products myself, mostly due to the costs and the fact that I am not based in the US. Did you try any yourself?
I am in the same boat for space and med tech. I do have a degree in physics, in which I did some quantum physics and quantum computing basics. I really enjoyed it, back then, and have been keeping an eye on the latest advancements since then, but haven't dug in too much. Might be a good time to do so!