Unlocking value in plain sight: not as common as you’d think
I like to walk expo floors that have a lot of machines, gadgets, and gizmos and engage with vendors, doing some research and testing out some ideas. Last fall, ...
Category: Strategy
Why changing your spots is hard: shifting a business from hardware to software
Shifting from a hardware business to a software business is not easy. Organizations need to be prepared to make the changes necessary to succeed.
One big wish for CircuitPython in 2022
I thought I could add my voice to the folks sharing their wishes for CircuitPython in 2022. Boards I likeI was really pleased with how many boards came out last...
The back and forthing when selecting microcontrollers for my projects
The tools we use not only deliver the experience we wish to build, but also shape the experience. So when I think of what will be the brains of my project, the ...
Ever-evolving organizational management
I’ve been full-out making for about twenty months (as I count them). As I get deeper into building more complex projects based on microcontrollers, bare c...
Does open sourcing hurt mid-sized hardware makers?
In a recent video, Seon talked about his struggle with open sourcing his products. He’s in favor of open sourcing, obviously, and makes most of his software and...
Makers in the Mittelstand and the business of making
Long before I started tinkering in electronics, I have had a fascination with the Mittelstand. The Mittelstand refers to small- and medium-sized, usually privat...
Project hiccups already
Today is the 16th of the month. I had challenged myself to a project a month (from 15th to 15th – don’t ask). My first project was a multi-mode game...
Mundane ‘aha!’ moments, mistakes, and mental models
A while back, I bought some LED pendants that I put on my dogs when I send them our into the yard at night to do their business. The pendants help me see where ...
The Twelve Projects of Charlie
Based on my notes, on 15jul20 I will have completed one year since I started researching and designing a project for work that set me off on my crazy maker ride...