Magnitude and Direction — Issue #156
Chocolate printing, Mac-anical keyboards, and Spotify Mapped
Welcome to the latest installment of my bi-weekly newsletter, covering some of my favorite new developments in the fields of biotech, data science, engineering, and more. If this is your first issue, it's great to have you! For everyone else, thanks for coming back!
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Notes
Yes, that is the font you think it is…
Jobs
No new job opportunities in this edition, check earlier editions for previous posts.
Hardware, Prototyping, and Fabrication
🍫 Chocolate printing has come a long way since I first encountered it a decade ago back at 3D Systems.
🚦 Telraam appears to be a kind of DIY-Numina system for monitoring traffic patterns.
🧸 I'd wager many of you didn't even know Furbies were still around, but here's a teardown of a 2023 edition of the once-iconic toy.
Software and Programming
🎨 Remarkably, all of the exhibits in the Glitch Gallery really were created by accidental software errors.
🔁 Can you keep track of which way the objects are spinning?
⌨️ Klack turns your low-profile Macbook keyboard into a big, clacky mechanical keyboard.
Science, Engineering, and Biomedicine
⌬ The Molecule of the Month (luckily I decided on maps for this newsletter…) has been sharing a molecule each month for 28 years and counting.
🪱 Watch an accelerated evolutionary process create a functional worm (and other body plans).
🌌 If you're into stargazing, you probably want to keep this online calendar bookmarked.
Mapping, History, and Data Science
🏙️✉️ This website uses old postcards and contemporary photos to make some pretty beautiful before-and-afters.
🌲🌳🌴 The world has lost a lot of tree cover in the last two decades.
🕸️ You've heard of Spotify Wrapped, but this is Spotify Mapped.
🗣️🎙️🗺️ If you're an avid podcast listener, then you might be interested in this map, which gives a geospatial context to a near-countless number of podcasts.
Events and Opportunities
I’m involved in one of this edition’s upcoming events, but it isn’t a Mouthy Baby show…
Tuesday, 2/6 New York Hardware Meetup. This month’s NYC Hardware Startup Meetup takes a healthcare-oriented turn with two great talks (one of which is by someone you might know) covering how to bridge the “valley of death”. Hosted by creative consultancy frog in downtown Brooklyn, this will be a great meeting of minds across New York’s diverse technology landscape.
Wednesday, 2/7 SPARC Kips Bay Open House. Join NYCEDC and partners for a community open house event to learn more about the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kips Bay, the city’s biggest and boldest initiative to build a thriving center for life science innovation and education to-date.
Thursday, 2/8 Longevity NYC 2024 Kickoff Happy Hour. Kick off 2024 by getting together and discussing what everyone is working on in the longevity biotech space (or interested in working on/helping with)! Attendees are also encouraged to bring their ideas for which NYC longevity events the community should plan for the year ahead, such as startup founder roundtables or any scientific presentations/discussions you'd like to see.
Thursday, 2/8 Hudson Research Center Industry Mixer. Get ready for a dynamic collaboration between CUPS (Columbia University Postdoctoral Society) and Elevate Research Properties, kicking off a series of events with rotating content curation with an Industry Mixer located in the Hudson Research Center. Don't miss out on this opportunity to network and connect with like-minded professionals!
Thursday, 2/8 Secret Science Club at Hudson River Park. The next in-person edition of the Secret Science Club’s casual lecture series heads to the west side of Manhattan in Hudson River Park’s “Discovery Tank”. Presentations from biologists Shannon Curley, Maxine Montello, and Jill Pryor will get hands-on with New York’s marine wildlife, covering everything from rescuing sea turtles to birds that migrate to New York for the winter.
Monday, 2/12 DeSciNYC - Focused Ultrasound and Longevity. DeSciNYC warmly invites you to their monthly academic forum in New York City, where they’ll be diving into the enthralling world of neuroscience and the revolutionary technology of Focused Ultrasound (FUS). This event is a unique opportunity to discover how FUS, a non-invasive, precision-driven method, is transforming the treatment of internal medical conditions, including tumors and Parkinson's disease, without the need for surgery.
Tuesday, 2/13 Deep Tech NY/NJ Happy Hour. Come join SOSV's programs IndieBio and HAX in bringing together the scientists, engineers, climate folks and others for drinks, snacks, and conversation. Even though this will be an “away game” for the New Yorkers, I’d like to point out that Jersey City is easier to get to than a lot of Brooklyn and Queens…
Wednesday, 2/14 BioVenture eLab Interview: Carlo Yuvienco. Join the Weill Cornell BioVenture eLab for a discussion with the founding Director of the Rockefeller University Ford Center for Life Science Innovation. Carlo will be discussing how he and the Ford Center are working to help foster biotech startups in the New York ecosystem, in particular the Upper East Side neighborhood surrounding the Tri-I.
Tuesday, 2/20 (+ 3rd Tuesday of the month) Mid-Atlantic Bio Angels 1st Pitch Office Hours. Continuing the tradition that began with their 1st Pitch Life Science™ series of live events, MABA Office Hours are meant to provide constructive feedback to companies that may be too early for funding, and those who wish to pitch for feedback. This monthly office hours session gives companies 10 minutes to pitch a panel of MABA investors, followed by 10 minutes of feedback from the panel. You need not be part of a startup to attend, either — these pitch events are open to all to attend.
Thursday, 2/22 Biotech & Brews NYC. 1bio and Cushman & Wakefield team up for the next installment of this casual networking happy hour for the NYC biotech community and friends.
Tuesday, 2/27 JLABS JMIX Networking Event w/ BiotechXYZ. Get ready to start the New Year at the JMIX Kick-Off, co-hosted by Biotech XYZ! Join the JLABS team for an electrifying evening of innovation, networking, and fun. Don't miss out on the perfect blend of technology and biotech excitement, so be sure to register for this unforgettable kickoff event!
Wednesdays, 2/28-3/30 Tactile Toolbox: Thinking Through Making. Join this workshop series, hosted at Index, with an “area of inquiry” that you’re ready to explore in a new way, whether it’s something you’ve just thought of or a project you’ve been working on for years. The weekly series introduces 3D scanning and printing, 2D scanning and collage, and basics of prototype assembly as skills that empower participants to investigate and communicate their ideas. From day one, you’ll take a “ready, aim, fire” approach to dive in and start using new skills and tools to explore your area of inquiry before recognizing, analyzing, and reflecting on where you landed and what you learned in the process.
Friday-Sunday, 3/8-3/10 Cornell Tech Health Hackathon. Cornell Tech’s annual Health Hackathon returns for a weekend of prototyping, workshops, and pitching, all for $10,000 in prizes and hosted at the beautiful offices of Next Jump. Participants from any institution are welcome to attend and form multidisciplinary teams comprised of medical, business, engineering, data science, developers, and design students create solutions to improve patient safety.
Friday 4/12 TEDxCUNY 2024: Unravel. CUNY’s annual TEDx conference returns this spring, featuring talks from students, faculty, and other luminaries as they quest to unravel the complexities of life and weave the fabric of our future.
Other events coming up you think I should know about? Let me know here!
Map of the Month
🧠 This edition's Map of the Month isn't a map of a geographical location, but it'll still take at least the next four weeks to peruse in its entirety.
Odds & Ends
🥄 The Spoon Collectors of Southern California are REALLY into spoons.