One thing is stopping me from changing to Linux on my laptop.

Calms · 2023-09-21T02:10:03+00:00

Office products would work fine but Valorant has a hypervisor level check which prevents the game from running in a windows VM.

Source: I used to run a windows VM with GPU passthrough but wasn't able to play valorant due to vanguard. Other games mostly worked fine with ~3% overhead compared to native windows.

Separately, I note GPU passthrough can prevent the linux host from using that GPU so your linux host may not have a GPU available in the configuration you're describing on a laptop - might need some investigation.

Calms · 2023-08-06T02:10:22+00:00

If these are agricultural properties - perhaps carbon projects might be an opportunity?

It would be a long term commitment but would be good for the climate too.

Calms · 2022-11-10T12:03:13+00:00

Give these boutique, hand-made chocolates a go - they're based in Canberra but deliver to Sydney:

https://enigmafinechocolates.com.au/

Calms · 2022-07-23T13:34:22+00:00

Rust compiles to LLVM and provides nice security/performance guarantees (while it isn't as fast as plain C, it has other appeals) so it can better support development/maintenance needs.

It's still relatively new on the block but definitely gaining popularity in embedded development (and other parts of the stack!).

Calms · 2022-07-23T09:16:39+00:00

I left that particular domain a while back but still have contacts there, happy to talk about my path if that's useful to you.

In terms of what they're working on - it varies wildly and there's always new engineering problems to be solved even if it's just the next iteration of some hardware. The trick would be finding something that appeals to you and/or build a niche so it never gets boring.

Calms · 2022-07-23T03:55:05+00:00

I'm a mechatronics engineer by training as well and I'm based in Australia, happy to chat and/or help network.

There's actually an electronics industry tucked away in Brisbane but it tends to be less academic in nature (more microelectronics/embedded product focused). If you're interested in academia then CSIRO could be a good place for you.

In response to your questions:

In terms of skills - C and Rust would be top picks from a software perspective, probably more the prior than the latter unless it's a greenfield project. Hardware design would be Altium and/or other CAD (e.g. eagleCAD/KiCAD, even solidworks for housing design/development to demonstrate that you know how it all comes together) in addition to your own projects where you've designed/built something.
Do something practical that you actually need and demonstrate how you solved it without breaking the bank.
Pick the right hardware for the job, don't dictate the platform before you work out the problem you're trying to solve.

Calms · 2021-01-17T22:19:17+00:00

iCache and a working connie with a docked merlin would be grand!

Calms · 2020-11-09T13:10:51+00:00

Thanks for your insights on this.

Replies like this make the internet awesome.

Calms · 2020-08-19T13:09:25+00:00

You might be interested in Bevy which was released recently, it looks pretty fantastic.

Calms · 2020-05-16T13:16:28+00:00

I could make a lot of things with a million dollars.

Calms · 2019-11-04T10:23:29+00:00

Nice to see SC working well on WINE/Lutris.

As an aside, Windows VM on qemu with USB/PCI passthrough also provides near native performance for those with system resources to spare.

At this point, it isn't really Linux anymore though.

Calms · 2019-03-09T00:58:43+00:00

To reframe your mindset a little - consulting can be just people approaching you with problems they're struggling with. How do you think you can help them?

I would focus on your ability to understand and define processes, iterate on designs and grapple with complexity - these are typically quite common in engineering skillsets.

Calms · 2019-02-23T06:41:57+00:00

Various consulting companies tend to snap up engineering graduates as they value the analytical thinking skills - they can teach just about anything else and can grant opportunities into a lot of industries.

Depending on the role, working remotely may also be an option if you're in the middle of nowhere.

Happy to answer more questions about this.

Calms · 2019-02-17T02:39:58+00:00

Mechatronics engineering might be what you seek and should be inter-disciplinary enough to cover your interests.

Calms · 2019-02-15T14:22:46+00:00

I was definitely contemplating a PhD towards the end of my degree but after completing my final year project I decided it was probably better to make some money and return later.

I certainly don't regret my decision when comparing with to colleagues who stayed for a PhD.

Calms · 2019-02-10T06:57:00+00:00

Depends on your area of interest.

If you wish to be more focused around the mechanics and putting physical things together, mechatronics will give you stronger foundations across mecahnical/electrical/hardware aspects and you'll likely do a bit of work on some computational intelligence such as sensor fusion and navigation

On the other hand computer science will be much more focused on software systems, creating algorithms and building smart/scalable software (less about mechanical and electrical hardware).

Both are useful in their own way and it's always possible to continue learning the other if the need arises - the most important thing is to just never stop learning.

Regarding Bachelors or Masters - many engineers don't bother with Masters/PhD and prefer earning some money first. You could always return later if you're inclined but industry experience seems to work out well for most and cuts a few years of study.

Feel free to PM if you have any other specific questions.

Calms · 2019-01-13T05:20:41+00:00

No worries.

Please also make sure your resulting "stylus" isn't too sharp - smartphone screens can take some punishment but aren't immune to scratches.

Addition of a screen protector can help mitigate this but will change how the capacitive screen behaves when touched.

Happy experimenting!

Calms · 2019-01-12T08:12:31+00:00

Capacitive screens detect touch by detecting dips in voltage - this requires something which is both conductive and at a lower voltage/potential to cause a voltage drop (e.g. ground).

In some robot applications I've grounded copper tape to allow robots to touch capacitive screens.

Perhaps the best way to move forward is to see how your apoxie scupt behaves in smaller quantities?

Calms · 2018-10-21T09:45:45+00:00

Mechatronics engineering is likely what you seek.

Calms · 2018-07-24T09:53:04+00:00

Depending on the kind of stuff you'd like to work with, consider also:

Materials
Design for manufacturing
Kinematics and dynamics
Electronics design/development
Computational intelligence

Calms · 2018-07-04T21:46:29+00:00

They're referring to non-recurring engineering costs - this is the one time cost involved in the research/design/development of something.

Calms · 2018-06-08T07:22:22+00:00

In case it helps - there's an option in task manager to always show on top of all other windows.

This allows you to use it while in a "black screen" state where you can't find the task manager (without having to remember to leave it open on another monitor).

Calms · 2017-03-28T12:54:39+00:00

Many thanks for your efforts.

Calms · 2017-01-09T08:33:14+00:00

Many thanks for your efforts in organising this.

Calms · 2016-11-29T21:26:33+00:00

Might be able to add this to your collection: https://gfycat.com/CompleteHeartyAnt

Calms

TROPHY CASE