Hardware, Prototyping, and Fabrication
I'm eagerly waiting for someone to make an MTA version of this circuit board-based MBTA system status map.
This Pelican case-based Raspberry Pi computer is ready for whatever the situation can throw at it. (I'd just like to say that I'm a big fan of hardware projects that aim to build something inside of a very specific form factor.)
It's the most wonderful time of the year! The Prepared's 2019 tool guide is out and once again it's a who's-who of excellent hardware.
Software and Programming
On Black Friday, you might be competing against dozens of other consumers who want the same flat screen TV as you do, but on Cyber Monday, you're competing against hundreds, if not thousands, of bots designed to swipe the best deals out from under you.
🧠 Co-founder of Union Square Ventures and personal newsletter inspiration, Fred Wilson, recently got the machine learning treatment to his daily AVC newsletter posts. While the intellectual depth was a bit lacking in the AI-generated posts, I was pretty impressed with how well the "beats" of Fred's actual posts were captured. Check out the AI-generated and actual posts to see what I mean.
Science, Engineering, and Biomedicine
🧲🧠⚡ Usually magnetic resonance is used to image the entire brain at once. This new, miniature, implantable NMR device, however, is designed to measure data at the neuron-level.
Dawn on Mars looks an awful lot like dawn on Earth (at least in some places).
➡ "Fish will mate with a species outside their own if the male's colouring is attractive enough or if the female can't see him properly, according to new research. Such 'mistakes' in mate choice can lead to the evolution of new species..." Ummm, excuse me?!
Mapping, History, and Data Science
🥓🥧 The Food Timeline may not be the prettiest of websites, but it's certainly a thorough breakdown of what the human race was eating when.
🧥 The Smithsonian may not have every jacket on file, but they've got all the ones that matter.
Different regions of the United States have reputations for having certain "personalities". It turns out there might be more to the concept than just regional stereotypes, though.
Where on Earth do people live? The German Aerospace Center provides the most accurate (and detailed) map to-date.
I'm sure many of you have done the Spotify Wrapped year-in-review for your personal listening habits. Here's the Spotify Wrapped for the world. (Since it's from the BBC, some of the categories are UK-specific. Sorry to all of my readers - everyone, I think - who are from the US.)
Events and Opportunities
I don't know about you, but December 18th is making me which I could make copies of myself...
Sunday & Monday, 12/15-16 The graduate students from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and their new Interactive Media Arts (IMA) program come together to showcase the creative design projects they've been working on for the semester at the annual Winter Show.
Monday, 12/16 New York's hardware innovators, enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs gather together at General Assembly once more for the last hardware meetup of 2019.
Monday, 12/16 Join the Secret Science Club at the Bell House for a deep dive into the world of Marine Biology with explorer David Gruber.
Wednesday, 12/18 The Mid Atlantic Bio Angles host their annual end-of-the-year 1st Pitch event, featuring the year's 1st Pitch winners from New York and Pennsylvania going head to head pitching biotech angel investors and getting the business critiques that would normally happen after they leave the room. The 1st Pitch events are always a great gathering of the NYC biotech community, but the year-end Best of the Best events are especially so.
Wednesday, 12/18 JLABS hosts their December Innovators and Entrepreneurs mixer giving attendees a chance to meet the current JLABS residents, the NYC team and not to mention, expand your network with fellow NYC Innovators and entrepreneurs.
Wednesday, 12/18 Bristol-Myers Squibb and BioLabs team up to host a Pitch Event, Partnering Panel Discussion, and Golden Ticket Award reception. Six Golden Ticket finalists will present their work developing new approaches to tackling tough science and improving the lives of patients. There'll also be an assortment of panels and presentations from BMS and a networking reception.
Thursday, 12/19 Join the most friendly and fun group of scientists and engineers in the city for the inaugural Nanotech NYC Holiday Party! Meet up for great conversation and laughter at the CUNY Graduate Center from 6:30-9:30PM. There'll be food, drinks, and music - and all are welcome to attend!
Thursday, 12/19 If hardware startups are more your speed, the entire NYC hardware community is getting together at Craftsman Ave for a holiday party filled with snacks, drinks, a holiday jazz band, and the inevitable, impromptu demos of IoT devices.
Some other upcoming events to keep on your radar...
Monday, 1/13 The LifeSci NYC program hosts a panel on January 13 at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City about what it takes to work in a startup in New York City, and how startups fit into the City's health care ecosystem. The panelists will also share their own career journeys and offer advice to those looking to follow in their footsteps.
DUE Friday, 1/17 Apply to NYDesigns Hardware Accelerator, a program designed to provide early-stage hardware entrepreneurs with access to prototyping facilities; light industrial manufacturing space to build, assemble and distribute products, and an expert team of investors, mentors and manufacturers.
Map of the Month
The Urban Archive takes tons of historical photos of New York City and aggregates them all onto one map for you to peruse for hours on end.
Odds & Ends
🪕 The best-selling single from every decade of human civilization.