The hosts share their light-hearted adventures of skunks and dogs. They dive into the world of embedded systems and upcoming talks, blending humor and tech insights. Discussions on the Playdate handheld console reveal its unique crank control and indie game potential. Troubles with Network Time Protocol bring back nostalgic tech drama. They also engage playfully with topics like RSS feeds and the challenges of podcasting, while weaving in charming anecdotes about Winnie the Pooh and friendship.
The hosts humorously reconnect with their audience after a hiatus, apologizing for the lack of newsletters and promising to return to regular content.
A recent talk focused on debugging techniques for embedded systems underscores the importance of handling hard faults and logging errors systematically.
Excitement surrounds the Playdate handheld gaming console, praised for its innovative crank controller and supportive environment for aspiring game developers.
Deep dives
Return from a Break
The hosts discuss their brief hiatus from producing content, likening it to an 'in-cubicle vacation' where they continued working but paused their usual activities. They express their apologies to listeners for the lack of recent newsletters and commit to re-establishing a regular schedule moving forward, hinting at potential sponsors and guest appearances. This return is marked with some light humor and banter about potential future content. The mention of listener questions introduces a sense of community engagement, yet the hosts also amusingly acknowledge uncertainty in addressing many inquiries.
Skunk Encounter
A humorous anecdote arises when a host recounts an unexpected encounter with a skunk while letting their dog out. The small dog, being new to the house, faces the unfortunate experience of getting sprayed, leading to a late-night bathing session. This incident sets a light-hearted tone for the conversation, with both hosts laughing about the dog’s reaction and the chaos that ensued from the skunk encounter. The discussion touches on themes of pet ownership and the amusing challenges that come with it.
Creating Chaos in Embedded Systems
One of the hosts shares insights from a recent talk about creating chaos and hard faults in embedded systems. The aim of the session was to teach listeners how to understand hard faults and stack overflows using systematic approaches to debugging. They emphasize the importance of being prepared for unforeseen bugs and how to effectively log errors for later analysis. By knowing how to create and handle these errors, engineers can better manage unexpected issues in their systems.
Introduction to Embedded Systems
The hosts discuss a recent webinar on embedded systems, designed for professionals seeking a foundational understanding of the field. It highlights key concepts in embedded systems that are essential for communicating effectively with management or non-technical stakeholders. Practical advice is given for simplifying complex technical concepts for diverse audiences, thus bridging the gap between engineers and management. This educational endeavor underscores the hosts' commitment to fostering knowledge sharing within the engineering community.
Exploring the Playdate Console
One host shares their excitement about a new handheld gaming device called the Playdate, detailing its unique features and development process. The system is distinctive for its crank controller, which introduces innovative gameplay mechanics and a nostalgic return to simpler game designs. They also discuss the developer-friendly environment of the Playdate, highlighting the ease of access to the SDK for both novice and experienced developers. This console taps into a rich community aspect, encouraging creative experimentation and interactive gameplay.
Chris got a handheld game console, the Playdate (play.date), and has been writing a game for it. There is an interesting looking MicroPython port for it.
We also mentioned Tiny Tapeout Demoscene which sounds pretty neat. And KiCanvas where you can see KiCAD schematics without loading KiCAD.
Our newsletter has been off but will be back to normal next week. The RSS feed is probably not fun to look at but Elecia’s Rebloginator shows some Python tools for parsing feeds.