Magnitude and Direction — Issue #157
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
This edition’s font is called Grand Hotel, although I feel like it also reminds me of the font for a brand who’s name I can’t remember right now…
Jobs
No new job opportunities in this edition, check earlier editions for previous posts.
Hardware, Prototyping, and Fabrication
✈ This new plane developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin is generating a lot of hype, but not much noise.
🔋 The charge on this battery might outlast you.
📐🖥️ Autodesk's slides from their pre-IPO meetings are a fascinating window into just how much (and in some cases, how little) the Computer-Aided Design world has changed since 1985.
Software and Programming
🕹️ 1-D Pac-Man.
👾 This app let's you play Space Invaders wherever you are.
🔎 Unless you get really lucky, this search engine will not show you what you're looking for.
🗣️ If you want your voice assistant to have a little bit more personality than what Google, Amazon, and Apple can offer, you might want to consider building your own.
Science, Engineering, and Biomedicine
🦖🧓 Could we be living much longer, happier, and healthier lives today were it not for the dinosaurs? Some scientists theorize that may be the case.
🐶 Now you can see the world as dog intended.
Mapping, History, and Data Science
☀️🚌 Thanks to this website, the next time you go on a long bus trip, you don't have to worry about sitting in the sun the whole time.
🏙️ This website shows you what interesting Wikipedia entries may be right around the corner.
😡 Most of us seem to be pretty fed up with our leaders right now...
Events and Opportunities
I’m involved in one of this edition’s upcoming events, but it isn’t a Mouthy Baby show…
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.
Tuesday, 2/20 The Secret Science Club. Dying stars do not go gentle into that good night. They go out with a bang —more powerful than almost anything in the Universe. At the next Secret Science Club, astrophysicist Jared Goldberg gets into the strange lives of supernovae, what’s up with the beloved red supergiant Betelgeuse after it ejected a monster-sized chunk of its mass, and what happens when these unstable giants of the Universe finally “burn and rave at close of day.”
Wednesday, 2/21 The AI Drug Discovery Era: Code to Cure. Join BIOTECH XYZ at BioLabs for their next panel event "The AI Discovery Era: Code to Cure". The guest panelists will be discussing AI in life science developments from research, challenges, regulations, and integration, plus time for Q&A from the audience at the end.
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.
Thursday, 2/22 Exploring the Future of Robotics in NYC. In partnership with Cybernetix Ventures, the NYC Robotics Meetup is kicking off their new NYRN Forums series with an overview of the robotics ecosystem in the area. The discussion — moderated by Brian Heater, Hardware & Robotics Editor at TechCrunch — will cover the state of robotics, the key verticals and organizations leading the way in robotics, and the unique opportunities for robotics in NYC.
Saturday & Sunday, 2/24-25 Stupid Hackathon. NYU's ITP program is once again hosting their annual Stupid Hackathon, where the only problem you should be solving is how to make your demo even more ridiculous. All are invited to attend and try their hand at making the worst idea you can think of a reality. If you're curious about what kind of innovations are being developed at this hackathon, may I refer you to my submission from 2017, a computer designed to fail the Turing test.
Monday, 2/26 Transit Techies Meetup. If an elevator goes out of service and no one is around to report it, does it make a sound? Join the NYC Transit Techies for a talk about elevator monitoring from Doug Spencer, the CTO of LiftNet, the elevator monitoring company used by airports, high-rise buildings, and metro mass transit systems such as the MTA! He will explore LiftNet's universal compatibility with heterogeneous elevator technologies. The conversation will explore what LiftNet does and how elevator monitoring generally works. You won't enter an elevator the same again!
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!
Tuesday, 2/27 Taste of Science: Virus Hunters. We share our city with many different species of urban wildlife, from pigeons to rats, mice to trash pandas. What are they hiding? Could they be carrying the virus that causes the next global pandemic? Join Taste of Science at their usual stomping grounds of Ryan's Daughter for talks from two virus hunters trying to keep us safe by understanding what lurks in the birds and rodents we see every day.
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.
Thursday, 2/29 Applied Vol. 2. Make the most out of your leap year and join scientists, engineers, designers, and artists for an evening of networking and community building. This event is open to any and all who want to build a more cross-disciplinary technology ecosystem in and around New York City.
Thursday, 2/29 ECHO Bio-Entrepreneurship Happy Hour. Derek Brand’s long-running bio-entrepreneurship happy is hour is back again this month to bring together the entrepreneurs, clinicians, and operators that help build the vibrant New York City biotech ecosystem. All are welcome to attend and, as always, "bring an entrepreneur".
Saturday, 3/2 AI & Hardware Virtual Job Fair. In response to an outpouring of interest in new career opportunities, the Hardware Meetup community is coming together to host their first ever Hardware Job Fair. Complementing an in-person event happening the week before in San Francisco (which you can also check out if you happen to be over there), this job fair will aim to bridge the gap between people looking for roles and people hiring for roles. Everything from full-time roles to summer opportunities will be featured, from top companies in the hardware, manufacturing, and artificial intelligence spaces. There'll even be some asynchronous opportunities for anyone who can make it the day of, with opportunities being shared through the first week of March.
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
⚡ Here’s all the lightning happening right now.