Magnitude and Direction — Issue #193
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!If you like this email, forward it to a friend (I can't encourage this enough) and if you're seeing it for the first time, subscribe here to get it regularly. As always, if you come across something cool you'd like to share, send me a note.
Notes
Happy US Independence Day - let's see what the readership numbers look like this week compared to usual…
Given the day, I think it's also worth noting that this edition of M&D is being composed for you on my Chinese phone that I bought while I was in the United Arab Emirates (largely because I forgot to queue this email up yesterday evening). So, apologies in advance for any typos, and make of that fact what you will…
This edition's font is called Manufacturing Consent (and last edition's was called Luckiest Guy 😉)
Jobs
No new job postings in this edition. For previous job postings, check out the Magnitude and Direction archive.
Hardware, Prototyping, and Fabrication
🤳 Still got an old smartphone sitting around? Try turning it into a tiny, personal data center.
👇 e-Flesh might be the easiest way to give robots a sense of touch to-date.
💰 Importing a live goat into the US will probably run you a decent bit more than importing a live sheep...
Software and Programming
🖐️ This app forces you to go out and touch grass.
🪞 I could have put this link in the Data/Mapping section as well, but since the core tech behind this heatmap of restaurant clientele ranked by attractiveness is based on AI analysis of photos of said restaurants posted on Google Maps, it felt more appropriate to include it up here.
💧 This app let's you monitor the ISS urine tank capacity in real-time, from the comfort of your iPhone or MacBook.
Science, Engineering, and Biomedicine
🔋🪫 How much energy are you using on AI? (Somewhat relatedly, it's nice to see how much energy consumption I'm offsetting just by virtue of living in NYC and taking public transportation.)
💡 Find the leaves changing color a little later than usual? It might not be just because of climate change and warming temperatures - your streetlights may also be playing a role.
🏠🔵🟩 Culture doesn't just figuratively change the way you see the world.
Mapping, History, and Data Science
🏪 Find pun-ny businesses near you today!
📺🌏🌍🌎 Never be at a loss for something to watch again, with this website that gives you access to TV channels from all over the world.
🎶🎵 When it comes to the interrelatedness of music, sampling is just the tip of the iceberg...
Events and Opportunities
⭐SEVERAL DATES THIS SUMMER. The Mouthy Baby Tri-Boro Tour. Teethers rejoice, your favorite local band is back in a big way with four shows this summer across three borough (apologies to the Bronx and Staten Island). Whether your a long-time “Teether”, a brand new fan, or a long-time fan who’s never managed to get out to a show (we don’t hold it against you too much) this is your chance to catch the band once, twice, or even four times in two months! There’s just one more chance to earn your teeth this summer:
Saturday, 5/31Mouthy Baby with Ian Persaud at The Windjammer.
Thursday, 6/5BRC Benefit Concert at McCarren Parkhouse.
Thursday, 6/19Mouthy Baby Live at the Cutting Room.Wednesday, 7/30 Mouthy Baby and Friends at Berlin.
Wednesday, 7/9 ECHO Biotech Happy Hour. July's edition of ECHO’s monthly happy hour hang will once again bring together the usual lineup of life sciences-oriented entrepreneurs, clinicians, healthcare operators, and beyond. For this month, the gathering will be at Avenida at 1 Penn Plaza.
Thursday, 7/10 ASRC CAT x HB July Innovators Social. Are you passionate about the intersection of science, technology, and entrepreneurship? Whether you're a scientist, student, aspiring entrepreneur, startup founder, or simply curious about the innovation ecosystem, this is your chance to connect and learn! Join for an exciting networking event hosted by Harlem Biospace and ASRC CAT featuring Jacob Trevino, Chief Innovation Officer at Chemeleon. Jacob's startup has created a platform technology for the rapid, instrument-free, detection of chemical compounds in the field, eliminating the need for slow, complex, and expensive lab analysis.
Tuesday, 7/15 Networking Night at The Borden Complex. Join LIC Partnership, the LIC BID, and the Queens Chamber of Commerce at this networking night on the rooftop of The Borden Complex, one of the newest buildings in the LIC Business Improvement District. Mingle with business and civic leaders from across Queens over drinks and light bites from Manducatis Rustica, one of the original members of the LIC BID, while celebrating the BID's 20th Anniversary!
Wednesday, 7/16 Health2Tech NYC July. Join for an exclusive gathering that brings together the brightest minds in the digital health space. Hosted by Alex Koshykov and Perrin Joel, this evening promises to be a confluence of innovation, inspiration, and invaluable networking.
Thursday, 8/28 ASRC CAT x HB x Activate NY August Innovators Social. For the August edition of West Harlem's long-running innovators socials, Harlem Biospace and the ASRC are co-hosting with Activate NY. The two-year Activate Fellowship provides early-stage science entrepreneurs with funding, technical resources, and unparalleled support from a network of scientists, engineers, investors, commercial partners, and fellow entrepreneurs. Join for an exciting networking event to learn more about this fellowship and hear from one of the newest cohort's founders! Stay tuned for the public announcement about the 2025 cohort!
Friday & Saturday, 10/3-10/4 2nd Annual NY BCI Symposium. Following up on a stellar inaugural conference last fall, BCI’s leading minds and most exciting emerging startups will once again descend on the New York Academy of Medicine for two days of panels, presentations, and networking, all with the mission of advancing and expanding the brain-computer interface space. With NYC increasingly becoming the center stage for this technology revolution, this is a can’t-miss event for anyone working in neurotech, AI/ML, medtech, and beyond. Early-bird registration is now available!
Other events coming up you think I should know about? Let me know here!
Map of the Month
🌍 Depending on your views towards fonts (and let's be honest, if you're a longtime subscriber to the newsletter, you probably have strong ones...) you're either gonna love this map or hate it.
Odds & Ends
⌚ How punctual are you? (https://vole.wtf/how-punctual/)