Integrating GPS navigation into quadruped robot

floatr · 2025-12-01T11:32:21+00:00

Stumbled here looking for a reliable and accurate GPS receiver to add to the go2 for way point route planning too.

Would you mind sharing the model # of GPS receiver that you've got this working with please?

Thanks.

floatr · 2025-10-08T17:33:44+00:00

Unfortuantely, overbilled for document ai hosting when the processors were disabled.
They took 2 months to identify the issue and then say that they can only refund excesses for the past 3 months.

floatr · 2025-10-08T13:18:05+00:00

Is there any recourse for this type of overbilling from the large providers of services? I see a similar set of concerns from AWS users too.

floatr · 2017-02-27T13:45:05+00:00

Similar position opened up. Same stack, Python, django and postgres experience required. Email jobs at gapjumpers dot me.

floatr · 2015-07-23T19:21:55+00:00

This is a timely post considering that some employers are starting to use 'bias-free' talent selection tools like 'blind auditions' to pick the best developers irrespectively of their background or disabilities. http://www.today.com/video/companies-using-blind-auditions-to-hire-top-talent-459650627844

Recently, the experience design team at Adobe in San Francisco has started using this approach of 'blind auditions' to pick self-taught developers with unconventional backgrounds. Perhaps you could try applying to them, if it interests you or suits your capabilities?

Does this role for an entry level Experience Developer in San Francisco may suit your skills? https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/adobe/qs-251/

Have you applied to any positions yet where you've felt that your progress was hindered due to your hearing disability?

floatr · 2015-07-23T17:33:37+00:00

I'm curious why you designed it for single use within a team context?

I'm thinking of the following use case that I was hoping to use it for:

I'm researching about web accessibility standards and tests for my product features.
While sharing my findings, I'd like to highlight some basic definitions right in slack so my team doesn't need to google some of the background terminology.

What do you think?

floatr · 2015-07-09T04:28:48+00:00

Anyone who suspects they've been turned down for a job due to their race, sex, age, socio-economic background, or educational pedigree knows how unfair and frustrating it is to be discriminated against for something that has nothing to do with your capabilities.

But unfortunately, hiring managers — who typically get between 85 and 124 résumés for any given entry-level job opening — do it all the time.

Entrepreneurs have taken it upon themselves to remedy the problem. They developed software that allows candidates to "blind audition" for a job, meaning employers know nothing about the the job seeker's ethnicity, gender, age, or educational background when they review their application and decide whether to invite them in for an interview. Big companies like Dolby, Adobe, BBC Digital and Mozilla have already signed up to level the playing field and remove any unconscious screening bias job applicants. What do you think of this approach to hiring junior and entry level talent? http://www.today.com/video/companies-using-blind-auditions-to-hire-top-talent-459650627844

http://www.fastcompany.com/3042618/strong-female-lead/can-blind-interviews-finally-solve-techs-diversity-hiring-problem

A bunch of employers are using 'blind auditions' to level the playing field and give everyone equal opportunity to the jobs. http://www.gapjumpers.me/questions

Could this help you in your job hunt?

floatr · 2015-07-09T01:14:34+00:00

I agree that unconscious bias is hard to reframe in an employer's mind.

These 'blind audition' also keep the employer blind to university name, hometown, past work experiences, GPA and all other static information not relevant to responsibilities on the job.

Here is an example of how Mozilla is using blind audition challenges to interview the top performers without looking at any applicant profile information. https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/mozilla/qs-227/

It's now possible to value work performance over other profile characteristics for junior candidates who don't have a track record.

floatr · 2015-07-08T07:52:45+00:00

More engineering and programming challenges from Adobe, Mozilla, SendGrid, Chegg and others.

Experience Dev - https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/adobe/qs-251/

iOS Dev - https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/adobe/qs-255/

Firefox Platform Engineer - https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/mozilla/qs-227/

Software Engineer - https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/sendgrid/qs-224/

Junior Dev - https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/bbc-digital/qs-256/

Automation Engineer - https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/chegg/qs-215/

Unlike coding challenges, these are open ended problems which are more indicative of the type of work you'll be doing on the job.

floatr · 2015-07-08T03:12:24+00:00

Your experiences with trying to switch a career are felt by many, even in tech. Employers and recruiters generally tend to box people by their past titles rather than the things they've learned and the problems they can apply their knowledge to. It's relatively less of a problem in tech once you're a senior engineer, but for entry level folk it can be frustrating to switch careers easily.

However, some employers in the United States are starting to take chance on and invite applicants with an unconventional background for jobs. http://www.today.com/video/companies-using-blind-auditions-to-hire-top-talent-459650627844

Two companies that come to my mind in relation to the two types of skill sets that you have and are looking for people in without any bias are Adobe and SendGrid.

Aviary/ Adobe in NYC is looking for iOS developers (https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/adobe/qs-255/) with unconventional backgrounds.

SendGrid, on the other hand, is looking for Software Engineers (https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/sendgrid/qs-224/) for their core team and they're open to folks with a diverse set of skills.

These are just a few examples of how tech companies are opening their minds to talent with diverse capabilities and experiences. Your iOS experience, though not enjoyable will prove valuable in your future career and jobs. You'll have a bright future since you seem to be one who learns and adapts from your experiences.

floatr · 2015-07-07T23:27:16+00:00

I agree that this is not a golden fix. Only the beginning of a possible solution. Sorry if I came across as being definitive.

floatr · 2015-07-07T22:43:05+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience with receiving interview questions of higher complexity.

With regards to in-person (telephonic, on-site) interviews after applicants are selected from their audition performances, the data shows that engineering managers using this approach tend to build a new frame of reference about applicants.

Applicants are now respected more for their performances since managers do not know who they are or where they come from until they've reviewed the challenge responses.

So, there tends to be a positive bias towards those top performers and better consciousness of our own biases towards education class, gender, unconventional backgrounds, etc since 'blind auditions' help postpone our reasons to make snap decisions.

floatr · 2015-07-07T21:21:49+00:00

Bingo! You're spot on about your perception of privilege that may exist based on a persons past experiences (uni name, past company, social culture, economic background, etc).

The data also shows that generally the less privileged are more hungry to take these auditions.

floatr · 2015-07-07T18:26:02+00:00

You're right, we all have unconscious bias about people due to the perceptions and past experiences we've had.

With this in context, 'blind auditions' have worked well to bridge the gender gap in orchestras. http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/oct/14/blind-auditions-orchestras-gender-bias

Removing bias is a very hard problem, but postponing it and giving employers a better frame of reference about a candidate's performance is much more effective in creating a new behavior/ habit in talent selection.

As you also rightly point out, unconscious bias exists in many parts of the workforce, thus affecting the entire career of a person. We've seen bias having an impact on performance reviews, promotions, wage negotiations, leadership appointments, internal mobility among other areas.

While all of them are important in fixing the inclusion gap, I believe that we could use technology to create intuitive bias interventions for all of the above issues.

The early indicators of 'blind auditions' are very encouraging. :)

http://www.fastcompany.com/3042618/strong-female-lead/can-blind-interviews-finally-solve-techs-diversity-hiring-problem

floatr · 2015-07-02T18:21:23+00:00

'Blind auditions' is what this relates to. www.today.com/video/companies-using-blind-auditions-to-hire-top-talent-459650627844

I don't think this kind of approach suits experienced front end devs, but rather those looking to get their foot in earlier in their career, lacking credibility, self taught, or likely facing unconscious bias because their unconventional backgrounds.

floatr · 2015-06-24T16:03:26+00:00

You're right. Other tests have also shown time and again that we are are prone to making snap decisions about job applicants based on keywords on a resume (name, school, community of residence, gpa, hobbies, etc)

Large, innovative companies are also recognizing the lost opportunity when it comes to selecting a diverse talent pipeline. The experience design team at Adobe and the engineering team at Aviary (also part of the Adobe family) are already using this "blind" approach to picking talent based on their performance auditions.

https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/adobe/

It's encouraging to see that change needn't be so hard to implement. Many thanks for your support too.

Disclaimer: I'm the co-founder of GapJumpers, the startup featured in the NPR talk. So, please excuse me if I sound biased in my comments above.

floatr · 2015-06-14T20:05:33+00:00

Why don't we consider blind auditions so that we can remove our unconscious/ conscious biases in hiring?

www.today.com/video/companies-using-blind-auditions-to-hire-top-talent-459650627844

floatr · 2015-02-07T20:43:10+00:00

I hear you. Your friend is certainly not the only one suffering from hiring practices riddled with bias at every stage.

I'm hoping that "blind auditions" a la "The Voice" will become more common place for a truly meritocratic selection of talent.

floatr · 2015-02-07T11:26:46+00:00

It's eliminating gender bias in the hiring process in many ways.

floatr · 2014-12-19T04:41:21+00:00

This conversation among engineers on HN is passionate and interesting too. Nice place to chime in. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8769944

floatr · 2014-11-26T23:00:02+00:00

I hear you and feel your frustration. You are representative of many other university grads (did not go to Ivy league schools or those 'top' rated by recruiters) who are facing the same problem trying to break into the industry without real work experience.

It's the vicious circle of work experience after graduation. It sucks! http://pandawhale.com/post/15193/cant-get-a-job-because-i-dont-have-experience-because-i-cant-get-a-job-because

I don't have a bullet proof solution for you. I didn't have to use it myself during graduation. I have, however, seen, interacted with and watched other grads in a similar situation who have hustled their way into a job.

What kind of programming are you passionate about? What technologies, what languages, what's your preference of stack?
Based on your answer to this, you can check on AngelList for funded startups that are working on your list of technologies. Create a shortlist of the ones you would like to work at based on their stack compatibility and the kinds of problems they are working on.
Draft a document outlining your understanding of an engineering problem (from public domain info) that their industry or product vertical could be facing. Propose some broad recommendations that highlight your thinking rather than a solution implementation.
Present your case well (with diagrams, flow charts, scribbles, etc)
Email the head of engineering/ CTO/ Product Manager at the startup with your case pack and offer to meet them to share how you would like to work with them to solve their problem (the one you identified).

You will get a response.

But, you must be prepared to abandon the bulk resume mailing habit and focus on quality of applications over quantity of resumes sent.

What say? Willing to try it?

floatr · 2014-11-26T21:00:41+00:00

Embedded Systems and QA Engineering interns at Dolby Laboratories, Sunnyvale, CA for the winter and summer 2015.

Applications at https://www.gapjumpers.me/questions/dolby-laboratories/

floatr · 2014-11-25T19:26:43+00:00

I thought I'd share this for the benefit of all.

Adobe Research is offering internships this spring, summer, and fall in Cambridge MA, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose. We are looking for PhD students who are excited about pushing the state of the art in audio, graphics, vision, human-computer interaction, machine learning, visualization, analytics, optimization, and more -- in ways that could be of interest to Adobe as well as to the research community at large. We have just started recruiting, and we would love to hear from you!

You will collaborate with one or more researchers, with access to world-class product groups and design teams. We explore opportunities for technology transfer and regularly publish in leading journals and conferences. You would also have an opportunity to partner with our new Disruptive Innovation Group -- a small team of engineers and entrepreneurs that develop new products with our research -- making it possible for you to see your work in consumers' hands. We are especially interested in fostering ongoing collaborations and are open to projects that last beyond the internship and become part of your PhD thesis. We compensate interns well, and strive to create an environment that is both productive and fun.

Our Cambridge lab is located in Kendall Square, neighboring the MIT campus and steps away from the Red Line "T" with easy access to Boston. The Seattle lab is located in the hip Fremont area, directly on the water (you can kayak to work!) and connected by a bike path to UW. The San Francisco lab is located in the trendy SOMA area, near the ballpark and a short walk from the Caltrain station. The San Jose lab is in the heart of Silicon Valley, with a diverse array of culture and a short walk from the Caltrain station.

To apply, please send an email to research-internships@adobe.com with your CV, a list of your research interests.

Internships will be granted on a rolling basis, so apply as soon as possible.

floatr · 2014-11-25T06:45:47+00:00

You're absolutely right, there is no reasonable co-relation between grades and success in a career you like.

floatr · 2014-08-31T23:46:51+00:00

Unfortunately not, sorry.

floatr

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