Karman Drones

214 Stories To Learn About Computer Vision

Over the course of a year, I embarked on a project, initially uncertain about its nature and significance. It began with an attempt to solve the Collatz "3x+1" conjecture, a mathematical game involving the transformation of numbers. If a number is odd, you multiply it by 3 and add 1; if even, you divide it by 2. For example, starting with 3: 3 = 3*3+1 = 10 = 5 = 16 = 8 = 4 = 2 = 1, and so on. This sequence forms a loop (4 = 2 = 1) that repeats indefinitely, and similar loops exist for numbers like 7, though my memory of this is somewhat uncertain. The central notion is that mathematics cannot definitively prove whether there exists a number x that perpetually grows towards infinity, given the intricacies of infinity and related concepts. The very idea of infinity can be fragmented into various categories, some tangible and others abstract. While my mathematical knowledge and ability to articulate it are limited, I dedicated most of my time to pondering the philosophical aspects of these problems. After nine months, I have arrived at a conclusion. The connection between my initial project and the thoughts I want to convey is somewhat intricate. In February, when I initiated this project, I was openly proclaiming my interest in psychology. Despite my lack of recent formal studies in psychology, my past knowledge was extensive, especially compared to those I conversed with. While the concepts I discussed were not novel, their historical depth and significance remained intact. With this background, let's delve into a seemingly simple yet deeply controversial notion: "The Earth is flat." On the surface, this idea may appear unsophisticated or even foolish, yet it has persisted through the years. How could such a concept exist in a world of science, mathematics, and quantum physics? The answer lies in philosophy. Our unique ability to create and explore the uncharted realms of imagination by blending bits of information from various sources, incorporating ideas from Euclidean geometry, spherical geometry, and hyperbolic geometry, allows us to engage in profound philosophical contemplation. We can explore new facets of our world by contemplating possibilities such as a reversed universe's geometry. What if we are not at the center of a sphere but positioned outside it, offering a primordial perspective that encompasses all? These musings open doors to understanding how a being could be so powerful in facing a sphere and simultaneously embodying the two opposing aspects. At this juncture, religion could interject, asserting that spheres cannot exist, thereby transforming our existence into something akin to Minecraft (though, of course, I jest). My fascination with these ideas led to numerous conversations with ChatGPT, delving deeply into philosophical discussions. One topic that emerged from these dialogues was the concept of primitive humans, beings capable of consciousness yet hindered by their lack of physical tools for exploration. How did they interpret the nature of reality? One example of such interpretation is the philosophical and esoteric tradition known as Hermeticism, which draws wisdom from ancient texts attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Hermeticism encapsulates several core principles: Everything is fundamentally mental, suggesting that the mind is the primary source of reality. The Principle of Mentalism: As above, so below; as below, so above, implying a connection between the universe and individuals. The Principle of Correspondence: Everything is in constant motion, with varying vibration levels corresponding to different forms of energy and matter. The Principle of Vibration: Everything has its opposite, and these dualities create balance. The Principle of Polarity: Everything follows natural cycles, offering insights into harmony with the universe. The Principle of Rhythm: Known as the Law of Karma, this principle highlights personal responsibility for one's actions. The Principle of Cause and Effect: Recognizes gender at all creation levels, suggesting masculine and feminine energies contribute to the creative process. The Principle of Gender: Explores the presence of both masculine and feminine aspects within an individual's mind. The Principle of Mental Gender: These principles can be found in texts like the "Emerald Tablet," attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, and have influenced various esoteric and spiritual traditions, including alchemy, astrology, and the Western magical tradition. This interplay of ancient philosophical concepts and modern science is particularly engaging. Despite my limited scientific knowledge, I ponder ideas that bridge the gap between quantum and Newtonian physics. From a higher vantage point, we might interpret the probabilities and chaos within the subatomic realm. Imagine this chaos as akin to the interactions of cells (and our immune systems particularly), with some perishing while others engage in conflicts. This perspective posits that the universe could be teeming with viruses. Building upon an idea suggesting life on Earth originated from space. Each creature possesses a specific DNA length, with viruses potentially disrupting it to establish replication factories, spreading themselves further. While the existence of extraterrestrial viruses remains uncertain, this line of thought is nonetheless intriguing. The concept of DNA ladders traveling through space, carrying the knowledge of unconsciously combatting viruses, and ultimately regaining their previous level of consciousness to fully understand their bodies, presents a fascinating perspective that bridges the gap between evolutionism and creationism. It suggests a common origin for all Earthly creatures, featuring shared body parts like eyes, ears, and mouths. These may have derived from a central DNA structure that gradually evolved in complexity over time, eventually leading to the development of higher cognitive functions. Cognition, in this context, might be a product of complex interplays within the brain. Such complexity could be intricately tied to a specific DNA length and the information required to guide the body. In a scenario where a virus threatens the existence of intelligent beings on a planet, these beings may decide to replicate segments of their DNA using repetition as a space-saving mechanism. This would ensure the continued existence of their genetic code, even in the face of potential devastation. Through this replication process, they would preserve the repetitive instructions necessary to restore the original guiding principle that initiated their evolutionary journey. Frequently, following the same path results in collapse, emphasizing the importance of not adhering to this path unless one seeks failure. Now, to anchor to reality, repetition serves to maintain space and initiate the cycle of life's evolution and self-development. In this context, these beings are akin to gods, with the struggle between matter and antimatter now manifesting as a conflict between viruses and our internal systems, revealing their underlying similarities. In conclusion, my intention was to capture the attention of individuals interested in contributing to a better future. While the concepts and theories discussed are captivating, tangible progress necessitates a solid grounding in the real world. We must embark on the creation of revolutionary inventions to prepare for an array of potential scenarios, from nanobots capable of predicting diseases to small drones collecting excess sunlight to prevent overheating. The scope of work is vast, requiring collaborative efforts. While some might perceive these ideas as delusional, I'd rather dwell in a world colored by optimism than one marred by war, pain, and suffering. The cognitive revolution occurred approximately 70,000 years ago, marking the inception of ideological conflicts. The advent of agriculture 12,000 years ago led to further conflicts, often unintentional, which took a toll on our species. The scientific revolution, dating back 500 years, has provided us with powerful instruments, including destructive ones. Two hundred years ago, the Industrial Revolution made these tools readily accessible to all. I propose that we pause intermittently, looking beyond our immediate concerns to contemplate the broader picture. What might we discover when we shift our perspective? Will we encounter a reflection of ourselves, or will we encounter something entirely new? My hope is that the next revolution will prioritize the future's well-being.

How Complex is Humanity? Short Answer: Very; Long Answer? Well..

132 Stories To Learn About Robotics

Applications for logistics help collect and process data and control logistics processes. After a brief downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the logistics industry has returned to robust growth. By 2027, the global logistics market is expected to exceed 13.7 billion euros. The main competitive advantage in logistics is the speed of delivery. To some degree or another, all innovations and improvements in transportation and warehousing relate to reducing delivery times and improving the safety of shipping and storage. Software applications help make the logistics business more efficient. Our review focuses on logistics app development and the business benefits of implementing software solutions. Types of Logistics Applications Application types depend on the area of logistics in which they are applied. are designed to collect, process, and store data related to transportation. Routing and fleet management software applications App users can track the fleet location, analyze fuel consumption, repair costs, and distance traveled, and look through the vehicle maintenance history. Apps can remind users of scheduled fleet maintenance. Timely decisions based on data analysis allow the company to optimize routes, save resources, and increase business efficiency. are built to keep records of goods delivered to storage, track the location of assets, and monitor temperature, humidity, expiration dates, and other parameters. Asset tracking and warehouse applications A warehouse IoT system consists of devices equipped with humidity and temperature sensors. Gadgets transmit data via LoRaWAN to the AWS server. AWS Lambda, Amazon SNS, and AWS IAM services are used to store and process data. A cross-platform mobile logistics application receives and analyzes device data. Sensors' data-receiving process Many goods require strict adherence to storage conditions. The C++ application, developed using the Qt framework, displays the temperature and humidity of the warehouse in real time and notifies users in case of significant deviations from the set values. The app's functionality contains statistical time reports on fluctuations in temperature and humidity. A warehouse app pre-design This monitoring system allows companies to reduce storage costs and minimize raw material losses. Transportation and warehouse software can be integrated into a single system that covers the entire supply chain, from order processing to delivery of goods to the consumer, including return shipping. The world's leading suppliers of logistics management systems are the German company SAP and the American company Oracle. The HMI application displays information related to product placement and order priority. Warehouse process automation is growing along with the warehouse industry. The size of the warehouse automation market increased by $10 billion over the ten years from 2012 to 2022, with further growth of $12 billion by 2026 projected. Size of the warehouse automation market worldwide from 2012 to 2026 (in billions of U.S. dollars). Source: Statista The logistics industry is driving the growth of autonomous IoT and robotics markets as companies incorporate robots and drones into their workflows. Mobile logistics robots are expected to generate more than $9.8 billion in revenue by 2025. Revenue from logistics robots until 2025. Source: Statista The global warehouse robotics market is forecast to triple in dollar terms in the next ten years. Features Logistics App Devs Should Optimize For All software applications, regardless of their scope, need to possess shared features to be beneficial: Speed and efficiency, Reliability, Data security, A reasonable price, Easy to install and use, Integration with internal and external systems Logistics applications have unique features related to the scope. Mobile applications for the logistics industry have unique features. Truck Tracking Apps can get vehicle location information using real-time GPS location. The simple and effective system helps track vehicles, optimize delivery, and provide consignees with information about where their cargo is. The system consists of GPS devices installed on trucks and an application that stores the GPS coordinates transmitted by the sensors and displays them on a map. The Qt framework, its useful tools, and C++, QML, and JavaScript helped create a cross-platform app for iOS and Android, and the Kalman filter helped improve the accuracy of the GPS positioning of logistics vehicles. Best Routes You can plan the best delivery routes and save time, fuel, and overhead costs without having a bunch of reports and files, but only by installing a logistics application on your smartphone. Route planning and optimization support solving the “last mile” problem when consumers want fast and inexpensive delivery, although this is often the most expensive and time-consuming part of the logistics process. For example, a navigation system developed for a delivery service assists couriers in choosing the best routes. The manager assigns tasks to the courier through the web portal, indicating the delivery addresses on the map. He always knows the couriers' location by receiving GPS positioning data. Route optimization Couriers use mobile cross-platform applications that depict the shortest route calculated using mathematical algorithms. The application sends notifications to the company manager and the shipper when the courier marks the delivery. Multilingual Support Misunderstandings and translation errors can be troublesome when decisions should be taken quickly. Multilingual logistics applications are user-friendly and can attract more customers to your company. Offline Functions The web connection is not always stable. If the mobile app has offline functionality, app users can enter data, view saved numbers, and access reports even when the network is unavailable. Chat and Calls to the Driver Built-in messaging and calling can be useful communication channels between company managers, shippers, and drivers. Logistics managers can learn about car accidents or breakdowns on the road and adjust the route. Customers can obtain the necessary delivery data directly from the driver. Network Protocols and Technologies Support Logistics software solutions typically interact with IoT devices, robots, and sensor-enabled systems to obtain the GPS positioning, temperature, humidity, and other data. Applications can support various communication protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and BLE. The customizable GPS tracking platform is built for asset monitoring. The system consists of a GPS tracking device with BLE, Wi-Fi, and GSM/HSPA communication interfaces and a cloud platform that stores the location and status of assets and displays this data to users in real time through a web interface and a mobile app. An asset tracking system is a GPS tracking device, a server, a mobile app, and a web app for displaying the asset’s location and condition. A cross-platform application for iOS and Android with Google Maps allows employees to monitor the location of assets 24/7. Asset tracking not only helps with warehouse management but also extends to other related areas. For example, the plug-and-play solution can be applied to localized online advertising of shops, restaurants, and other places using a distributed BLE beacon system, a web server, and a mobile application. Using the Android Studio IDE, the developers have created an SDK that can be integrated into any Android application. The Android application uses the iBeacon protocol to receive data from beacons located in shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The application then sends it to the web server, which determines the user's location. Data related to discounts, sales, and promotions is stored on the server and can be sent to recipients using push notifications. Interaction of components in our Bluetooth Low Energy beacon system This system allows various businesses, such as small coffee shops, boutiques, or cinemas in shopping and entertainment centers, to effectively advertise their services and promotions to their target audience. Cross-Platform App Capabilities Cross-platform logistics applications can run on iOS, Windows, and Android operating systems on mobile and desktop platforms without any or minimal differences in the UI. Users can choose the most convenient way to use the app. Logistics Software App Benefits The implementation of logistics applications contributes to the diminishing of transport and storage costs and the reduction of human errors. There are other crucial benefits to developing transport and warehouse applications: Good company image The convenient interface of the logistics application captivates users and positively affects the company's image. Automated fleet tracking and management By automating fleet management, the company frees up labor resources and saves time. The manager receives real-time data on the state of the company's vehicles, corrects routes, and uploads data. Customer trust and confidence Senders and recipients are always aware of the cargo location and delivery times, thanks to mobile logistics applications. Customers are confident in the safety of goods because they control the logistics process 24/7 and can contact the driver on the way. If the delay does occur, the customer receives comprehensive data on the timing of cargo receipt and never remains in the dark. Fewer paper documents Reducing paperwork to a minimum saves time and resources. Benefits of having software apps for your logistics business Logistics App Development Outsourcing When entrusting the development of logistics applications or software and hardware complexes to an outsourcing company, you should state your wishes and requirements regarding the final product in as much detail as possible. Requirements may take into account the following points: application platform (mobile, desktop, or web version), operating system, application functionality, UI design, description and brief technical characteristics of the device with which the application will communicate, equipment communication protocols, certification requirements (if the project involves hardware development with subsequent certification). Software application development is not always beneficial. Sometimes software solutions turn out to be unsuccessful, inconvenient, or of little use. Also published here.

Logistics App Development Overview: An Essential Guide

A survey of liquid rocket engine propulsion and space shot student efforts in the USA In the past few years, liquid propulsion and space-shot rocket clubs have popped up at high schools and colleges worldwide. These clubs give students hands-on experience designing, building, and testing rockets using liquid propellants. The most well-known of these clubs is probably the one at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The MIT Rocket Team has been around for over 50 years and has launched many successful rockets, including a recent one that reached an altitude of over 30 km. Other notable clubs include those at Stanford University, the University of Southern California, and Purdue University. These clubs allow students to learn about a cutting-edge field of engineering. They also provide a path for those interested in careers in aerospace engineering and other related fields. MASA at UMich Michigan’s student rocketry team is MASA. Engineers are brought together to design, build, and launch liquid-fueled rockets using a multidisciplinary approach. MASA is divided into seven subteams, allowing team members to develop their engineering, business, outreach, and leadership skills. As a team, MASA is working to take Michigan to new heights! masa.engin.umich.edu The Clementine rocket was designed by MASA as a single-stage, supersonic sounding rocket. In addition to its pressure-fed kerolox system, Clementine features seam-welded stainless steel propellant tanks, advanced avionics, composite aerostructures, and more. It is the largest student-built rocket in the United States, standing over 20' tall and 10.5" in diameter. https://youtu.be/2v1LnBObIhM?embedable=true University of Southern California Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (USCRPL) Having set out to build a rocket from scratch, USCRPL was the first student organization in the world to successfully launch and recover a rocket (Traveller IV) that was designed and manufactured entirely by students. The Karman line, which is located at 100 kilometres (328,084 feet), is an international boundary of space. The lab is now moving forward with more ambitious goals within and beyond our atmosphere. An 8-inch diameter vehicle, Traveler IV was launched from Spaceport America in the spring of 2019. It reached an apogee of 339,800 ft with an uncertainty of 16,500 ft, setting the record for the highest altitude ever reached by a student-designed vehicle in history; it is also the first fully designed vehicle built by students to cross the Kármán line with 90% confidence. www.uscrpl.com The leading edges of Traveler IV’s fins showed excessive heating, and the paint was completely burned off. Additionally, imperfections in the flight trajectory were observed immediately off the pad, as the rocket appeared to oscillate for the first few seconds of flight. It is unknown what caused this phenomenon; the most likely explanation is that it was caused by damage observed after the flight. Recovery system deployment ensured that the vehicle landed gently, and the avionics unit successfully recorded data on several instruments that would determine apogee altitude. They even have a documentary covering their historic effort. https://youtu.be/72VkAoYt8mk?embedable=true MIT Rocket Team With a mission to push space exploration to its highest potential, the MIT Rocket Team is at the forefront of collegiate sounding rocket development. Around 100 undergraduates make up The team, which builds rockets to reach space, learning as much as possible while doing so, and sharing our rocketry experience. The team launched in 2014 and has climbed to over 30,000 ft since then. Every year, they use fewer off-the-shelf parts and learn more about how to reach space. rocketry.mit.edu Besides designing, manufacturing, and testing liquid rocket engines, their liquid propulsion team also manufactures all necessary test infrastructure and feed systems for testing. Team members manufacture all components on campus. We have recently completed the fabrication of a heat sink 1.6 kN Ethanol/LOX engine ready for hot-fire, and we are now designing a regeneratively cooled Kerosene/LOX engine. They made a video that shows some of the activities of the team. https://youtu.be/nP_4IuiQ1XM?embedable=true SEDS UC San Diego SEDS at UCSD stands for the simple mission of advancing the next generation of space exploration and industry development. These students are some of the brightest and most driven students on the planet. Through innovative engineering advances and business development, SEDS pushes the boundaries of what is deemed possible. While performing research that pushes the space industry forward, they pioneer industry-level rocketry projects and cultivate leaders in both engineering and business fields. SEDS UCSD Propulsion Team focuses on pushing the boundaries of propulsion technology both collegiately and in the industry. The team has a proven history of firsts, such as the first additively manufactured rocket engine to be hot-fired (Tri-D) and the first additively manufactured rocket engine to be flown (Ignus I). Ignus II Hot-fire has been published on YouTube. https://youtu.be/ddH0S3rseSs?embedable=true A next-generation rocket engine, Nephas, is currently being designed and verified by the Propulsion Team. www.sedsucsd.org The Nephas rocket engine is a throttling, thrust vectoring, reusable, restartable, pressure-fed, LOX-LCH4 rocket engine manufactured from copper superalloy additively. Designed to operate as a complete standalone package with minimal integration with its vehicle, Nephas will propel both Odyssey and Halya. San Diego State University Rocket Project Founded by San Diego State University students, the SDSU Rocket Project designs, builds and launches liquid and solid rockets. By providing hands-on engineering experience, they aim to develop members’ technical and professional skills while creating innovative aerospace systems. This mission motivates the SDSU Rocket Project to build complex rockets at the forefront of collegiate engineering.​ As of this year, Kármán San Diego, their ongoing project, is being designed virtually. www.sdsurocketproject.org Kármán San Diego (KSD) is not competing in a traditional rocketry competition. Based on the Base 11 liquid-to-space challenge, Rocket Project set out to achieve a more attainable objective: reach space through two stages, utilizing a liquid booster stage and a solid sustainer second stage. They are currently working on the booster stage of KSD, which is one of three steps that will help us reach space. After validating the first stage, the next two launches will be a mass simulator followed by a real space shot! If Kármán San Diego is successful, it will become the first rocket to reach space using a liquid rocket at the collegiate level. The SDSU Rocket Project has a promotional video on YouTube. https://youtu.be/Si10u2-gs6Q?embedable=true Waterloo Rocketry Founded in 2009, Waterloo Rocketry is an engineering, science, and mathematics student design team at the University of Waterloo. They have around 50 members currently. Each June at Spaceport America, New Mexico, they build, launch, and design rockets to a target altitude of 30,000' for the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition. The team's primary objective is to provide students with a hands-on learning experience in all aspects of engineering design, including research, design, analysis, fabrication, and testing. www.waterloorocketry.com As a result of a long week at Spaceport America Cup (SAC) 2022, they are proud to have received awards from the SAC judges for some of our technical achievements. As well as winning the Jim Furfaro Award for Technical Excellence for their podium presentation on Reefing Recovery System Design and Characterization, they also won the SDL Payload Challenge for Most Professional Looking Payload! Waterloo Rocketry published their Liquid Engine Static Fire on YouTube. https://youtu.be/zRoR-EW0NYI?embedable=true A new student-designed and researched liquid rocket engine was fired at Waterloo Rocketry’s new test site for the first time. Powered by ethanol and nitrous oxide, this engine is Waterloo Rocketry’s first step into developing liquid engines. Starting in 2022, it will power their rockets. Waterloo Rocketry uses ANSYS simulation software to simulate the complex structural, vibrational, and thermal loads that our rocket components undergo during flight. As a result, we can quickly iterate through designs and develop lighter, more efficient parts. For the engine section of their rocket, they utilized ANSYS thermal simulations and topology optimization features to design their 3D-printed Inconel rocket nozzle, “Ghost Pepper”. Compared with our previous graphite nozzle, it is significantly lighter and can handle exhaust gas at 2326°C. They have  published the Ghost Pepper Static Fire on YouTube. https://youtu.be/pTEnzSuGnm4?embedable=true Society for Advanced Rocket Propulsion (SARP UW) At the University of Washington, the Society for Advanced Rocket Propulsion (SARP), students design and build rockets of the highest power. Their first liquid bi-propellant rocket, Pacific Impulse, is scheduled to be launched, and they plan to compete in the FAR Dollar Per Foot Challenge (DPF) with it. Previously, they had participated in the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) hosted by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ERSA) with 95 other teams. In 2019, they placed first in the 30,000 feet category and won the Spaceport America Cup. As of now, Pacific Impulse measures 8 inches in diameter and 20 feet tall. It weighs 160 pounds dry and 190 pounds wet. An average thrust of around 1200 lbf will be produced by the rocket’s O-class motor, which is fuelled by 75% ethanol/water, oxidized by nitrous oxide, and pressurized by helium. sites.uw.edu/sarpatuw Several components make up the thrust chamber assembly. These include an aluminium combustion chamber, pintle injector, phenolic pre-combuster, rocket candy igniter, and graphite conical nozzle. The payload will consist of an autonomous drone that keeps in touch with and flies close to the descending rocket. The drone will contain a camera for collecting data throughout the flight. They have published their Injector Trade Study on YouTube along with a hype video. https://youtu.be/mzAkiICZiSE?embedable=true https://youtu.be/eL33axvlka0?embedable=true Portland State Aerospace Society (PSAS) In addition to building ultra-low-cost, open-source rockets, liquid-fuel rocket engines, and satellites, the Portland State Aerospace Society maintains all open-source technology development. In the aerospace industry, there are historically significant silos, creating highly protected proprietary technologies. LV4 (Launch Vehicle 4) is their second rocket, which aims to win the Base 11 challenge. Upon reaching the edge of space, it would make history as the first liquid-fueled rocket built by a university. ' www.pdxaerospace.org Based on their purpose, their engines are printed in aluminium, plastic, or steel procedurally using a Python script. The current version, which will produce 2.2kn and is 14,000 scale, has been printed in aluminium and “hot-fire” tests will begin soon. To reach their goals, LV4 will need a 6kn engine. The engine will be 3D printed out of stainless steel. The philosophy of PSAS is that everyone is needed. There are engineers, mathematicians, chemists, and software developers, but they also have project managers, digital artists, and soon-to-be marketing experts on their team. It is a business-like organization, and anyone interested in helping the space industry is welcome to contribute. They have contributors from all over the state, and from every field of study. They have published an orientation video on YouTube. https://youtu.be/Td8eZCaVhgw?embedable=true Purdue Space Program The mission of PSP is to empower students to innovate in space exploration, but their work goes beyond academics. Boomie Zoomie is a student-designed and developed rocket from PSP Liquids. It is the first liquid-liquid rocket entirely designed by Purdue students to reach 45,000 feet and meet the requirements of the 2017–2019 FAR MARS Liquid Rocket Competition. purdueseds.space They have published a paper called in an AIAA journal. Student Development of a Liquid Oxygen, Liquid Methane Sounding Rocket and Launch Infrastructure They also made many videos showcasing their progress over the years. Like the First-Ever Liquid Methane Rocket for Purdue Space Program. https://youtu.be/4hCYp-smbEQ?embedable=true And the Boomie Zoomie Hotfire 1. https://youtu.be/NQEti3GFIXU?embedable=true A methalox rocket with 900 lbf of thrust and 500 psi tank pressure, Boomie Zoomie B was designed and built by students at Purdue University, where SEDS (Students for Exploration and Development of Space) has the largest chapter in the country. In March 2022, they travelled to the Mojave desert and launched Boomie Zoomie B as part of the FAR-Mars competition. They recovered the rocket safely, recycled it, and launched it once again. The Purdue Space Program managed to launch its liquid methane rocket twice in one weekend. https://youtu.be/gIdVV04Bm6Y?embedable=true What an amazing time to be a student. These clubs allow students to learn about a cutting-edge field of engineering. They also provide a path for those interested in careers in aerospace engineering and other related fields. These programs are giving students around the world the chance to get hands-on experience in the field of space exploration. With the help of these programs, we may see the next generation of astronauts, engineers, and scientists who will take us even further into the cosmos. Stay tuned for Part 2, where we will explore other student rocket clubs from around the globe. About The Author I am a Data Scientist, an Amateur Rocket Scientist and an Indie Game Developer. During my free time, I work on — A realistic physics-based game where you can design, build and test liquid propellant rocket engines. Meco Rocket Simulator Also Published here

Student Spaceshot Rocket Clubs — Part 1 (USA)

Student Spaceshot Rocket Clubs — Parte 1 (EE. UU.)

Student Spaceshot Rocket Clubs — Partie 1 (États-Unis)

छात्र स्पेसशॉट रॉकेट क्लब - भाग 1 (यूएसए)

学生スペースショット ロケット クラブ — パート 1 (アメリカ)

Clubes de foguetes de tiro espacial para estudantes — Parte 1 (EUA)

Câu lạc bộ tên lửa Spaceshot dành cho sinh viên - Phần 1 (Hoa Kỳ)

学生 Spaceshot 火箭俱乐部 - 第 1 部分（美国）

A One Month update on my Learning Path Photo by on Nghia Le Unsplash As I’m writing this, I’m waiting to Meet Sebestian Thrun and then we’d discuss my cool ideas with Larry Page regarding the Kitty Hawk Flyer. I might get to do a Test Flight of it as well. Edit: Earlier the Flying Car Nanodegree was a Two-Term Nanodegree. It has been changed to a Single Term Nanodegree, which means: I’m Officially a Flying Car Engineer now. 😎 If you’re thinking this is what I’ve achieved none of this is true. This is my Dream from Last Night nothing remotely close to my reality. It has been One Month since I publicly shared my and this post is to share a huge Milestone. Machine Learning Path ’s Pioneer batch and the last few months which have just flown past. This Valentine’s day I got an accepted into the Flying Car Nanodegree This is reflection of my Journey: The Dream I’ve been very vocal about my Dream of Flying Cars and I’m a fan of Udacity. So I had to sign up for the ND. I just had to. My expectations were realistic-there are no flying cars. For a while there will not be any either. But, if there’s even one possible simulation of this universe where they will exist. I’m definitely not going to miss out on that. TL;DR: I expected to learn more about How things fly rather than just how to build a flying car Challenge Accepted! The Challenge The main challenge for me was Time.I was pursuing the , the Google India Scholarship, and now the Flying Car ND too!Needless to say, I’m a Full Time University Student too. Self Driving Car Nanodegree I was also trying to do a during the same time. Fast AI marathon And I had hoped to start practising on Kaggle. Did I mention I was the youngest student in the Complete Batch? I was hoping to put in all my waking hours into studies if not more. I did that, but still I was short on time. Path The Path was filled with way too many ups and Downs. I had taken quite a challenge and No Excuses, I failed at many of the goals. Failed to Sleep a few nights, quite often. I started Blogging about my Flying Car Path. I was even offered to write on the Udacity Blog since My Blogs were doing great I put out a few posts that I’m very proud of:- - - - - Diary of a Flying Car Engineer #0 Quadcopter as the Test Platform Quadcopter Components Explained Quadcopter Physics Explained ReaderBot: An Event Driven ChatBot However, Due to a personal problem, I couldn’t watch the lectures for 3 weeks, I couldn’t keep up and I lost that chance. I failed to finish my on time. (I’m still behind) Fast AI marathon I failed to finish my on time. (Also behind on this, No excuses) PyTorch Blog posts No Excuses, I took the challenge, got back with double the speed. And Finally, I graduated the Term on 30th June, 2018. Outcome 4 Months since I joined, I graduated the Term! Still retaining the Pioneer batch badge. I have learned many things that I will surely get to. Thanks to the Amazing Community that was built, I met many many amazing people. I was the youngest noob, so I had everything to learn. Picture this, 4 weeks ago: I knew nothing about or Flight Controllers or Drones. Aviation Now, I’ve been considered fit enough to be an Admin for the Slack/Flying Car Community- A Peer Moderator. I’m close to completing my Self Driving Car ND too! The Flying Car Nanodegree (Earlier Term 1) The real deal. Here’s a 50 feet view of the Complete Course: The first term consists of seventeen lectures and four projects. Personally, I’m a fan of the Production quality. I think they are the MKBHDs of Education when it comes to the Video Production. MATH! The Nanodegree is very very Math Heavy. If you’re a Math Person, you’d be much more comfortable on here. The Programming too, is very challenging. Udacity mentions the Nanodegree to be Advanced, I believe that is the toughest Nanodegree. The Code includes implementing Algorithms, and Math! and much of about physics. I really wish I had been a better student during school. learning Term: : Introduction to Autonomous Flight and the Basics. Introduction : Path planning introduction and beyond: from A* on a grid to a real-world 3D planning. Path planning : Vehicle dynamics, control architecture(cascade PID controller) and full 3D control. Control : Introduction to estimation, sensors(GPS, IMU, etc.) and extended/unscented Kalman filter. Sensor Fusion and Estimation Projects: Link to My Github: https://github.com/init27/ Backyard Flyer Project We used Event Driven programming to create a basic Flight Controller. This was very basic, I assumed the ND is a piece of cake- I was very wrong. My Solution: https://github.com/init27/Flying-Car-ND-Backyard-Flyer Path Planning We start from A* Search Algorithm in the 2D world to 3D motion planning using random sampling, graphs. This project is a continuation of the Backyard Flyer project, we coded path planning through an urban environment in 3D! My Solution: https://github.com/init27/Flying-Car-Nanodegree-Project-2-3D-Motion-Planning Control MATH! The Math in these lectures literally made gave me nightmares! This part had the toughtest lessons and Project. The lectures start with vehicle dynamics. The Key things taught were:- PID Controller. - Cascade PID Controller applied to a Drone. This lecture was so difficult that they eventually relaxed the requirements and made us submit just the C++ implementation and removed the need for the Python submission. Project: The project consists of the implementation and tuning of a cascade PID controller for drone trajectory tracking. My Solution: https://github.com/init27/Flying-Car-Nanodegree-Project-3-Control-of-a-3D-Quadrotor Sensor fusion and Estimation This was divided into: Intro to Estimation. Sensors. Kalman Filters. GPS. Project: We develop the estimation portion of the controller used in the CPP simulator. There are various scenarios that we had to pass:- Implement a better rate gyro attitude integration scheme- The prediction step should include a correct calculation of the Rgb prime matrix, and a proper update of the state covariance.- Implement the magnetometer update.- Implement the GPS update. My Solution: https://github.com/init27/Flying-Car-Nanodegree-Project-4-Building-an-Estimator Community I was in the Pioneer batch. Needless to say I was going to be surrounded by many amazing people. I need to take a little minute to mention all of the amazing people that had very much inspired me and allowed me to be exposed to thinking and mindsets that are simply not to be seen anywhere on my Teenaged college campus. Many of these were people with experience more than my age! Ankur Kaul: He has a brilliant website on his cool AUV hacks: http://www.allthatido.com : She is a lecturer at Istanbul University, we are competing against each other for Nanodegree batches. (I’m losing, terribly). She had been an amazing help and mentor to me during the course. Aysin Tasdelen Bernd Rietberg: A Master Applied Physics & Aerial Robotics Engineer: Ten winning teams were announced for the first round of the $2 million to develop a compact personal VTOL aircraft for a single person capable of traveling up to 20 miles. Hist team was one of the winners headed to the second round!!! Boeing Gofly competition Another Researcher! I was obviously feeling completely out of the place. Be sure to check out his amazing work. Brian Ringley: A Professional Software Engineer. He was is of the same league as all the other mentioned people. Also, one of the first few to graduate. (He has experience of years more than since when I got interested in Code!) Darien Martinez Torres: Xinjie Qiu: A Stanford Scholar! I had a classmate from Stanford. Xinjie is a Deep learning data scientist and he speaks Math and Code! His discussions really had an extra amazing element to them. Also, A special and big thanks to : Our Student Experience Lead. Thanks to his Tweets and constant updates and involvement in the discussions we were not just on speed with the curriculum but also on the Industry News, the hiring landscape and the events too! Tucker Dunn Final Mention: My Roommate, . I’m known to be quite the introvert and geek and I socialize with limited people. However, we’ve been a great team. And this guy has convinced me that we’ll build a Flying Car in India someday, if there isn’t a single hiring company-we’ll be the leaders in India. Rishi K Bhalodia What’s Next For Me? I need to fix all the goals that I have missed Complete the Fast AI marathon. Complete my PyTorch Blogs. Complete the SDCND Term (I’m close). I’m also Cheating with the Computer Vision Nanodegree on the Side. I will not be pursuing the Term 2 right away, I’m losing the Pioneer badge but I feel I want to explore more about DL, ML. I will come back to it, later. Edit: (Re:) The Term 2 has been cancelled by Udacity and even though I was hoping to take it later, it will not take place. I’m now a Proud Flying Car Engineer. Once I’m a little more knowledgeable and I’ve “built” something or made a submission to kaggle that actually did well. But I promise you this, I’ll fly a Flying Car before I die. Yes, I hope to live long 😎 Note: During my Freshman and Sophomore Year I was part of an AUV: Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team. I spent my Third Year of studies learning about Self Driving Cars and Autonomous Aerial Vehicle. Air, Water and Land is done. I’ll keep my journey updated about what comes next. Again, I’m not an Expert. I’ve barely scratched the Surface but I’m enthusiastic and optimistic and this my journey, shared with you; Unfiltered. Also, As I’m writing this-I’m waiting for my Flight to Taiwan. I’ve been selected for a fellowship for a two weeks AI Training programme at Asia University. Oh, How much I wish I had my De-Lorean! Your, Flying Car Engineer and Neighbourhood Noob. If you found this interesting and would like to be a part of My Learning Path, you can find me on Twitter here .

Graduating the Flying Car Nanodegree Term

A note on what follows: As I take what’s been a five-year night-job I’m putting pen to pixel in an attempt to articulate my lens on early-stage investing. I call this framework my own, though in truth it’s a synthesis of counsel from wise predecessors, observation of fantastic (and not-so-fantastic) entrepreneurs, industry literature (more history than blogs), personal experience — including more mis-steps than I would like to admit — and a splash of my own techno-optimism. full-time This is far from a formula. It is not meant to be an absolute calculus on predicting the future (I’ll leave that to or the ) but rather a lens through which to standardize the hundreds of pitches you see as an early-stage technology investor. Contrary to what many established VCs will have you believe, it’s not difficult to pick startups with prospects; investing is as much about avoiding the bad ones as identifying the good. While operational, financial, and technical knowledge are part and parcel to savvy early-stage investing, they have diminishing marginal returns. Hari Seldon TechnoCore The highest contributor to portfolio success (read “IRR”) is quantity*quality of deal flow, and ability to get into the best. VC is an access game, and in access games the motto is location, location, and likability. Criterion 1 of 2: Scored (100 of 120pts req’d for fiduciary-level conviction) i.) Founder + Founding Team (40pts) Ability * Background: I look for uncanny founder-market fit, industry-familiar smart creatives who intimately understand a vertical but approach it in a novel way with new technology–e.g. at , who’s an amputee building human augmentation software, or Jenna Brown at , who became frustrated with the software in dry bulk shipping while at a commodities house. Unusual familiarity with a market is an easy, early defensibility-driver. Jeff Huber Standard Cyborg Shipamax Determination (Grit) * Passion (Conviction): i.e. Are they truly with solving the problem at hand? Why? What would make them give up? The entrepreneur’s motivation (or lack thereof) is a major risk factor. All seems fine and dandy when you close your seed round, but you know, Murphy’s Law. obsessed Honesty + Character (gut read, ‘reference checks’): i.e. Can I trust them? At Seed the entrepreneur has total control — . Not to mention, culture stems from leadership, especially the CEO (a certain Lyft competitor comes to mind). It is my firm belief that Silicon Valley has without regard for empiricism largely deified the wrong entrepreneurs (and investors, for that matter). as they should, though that’s another post Vision * Pragmatism (user-centricity): i.e. Can they inspire others to see a common vision while building a realistic bridge? It’s often easier to see the long-term than the mid. Salespersonship * Connectedness: i.e. Can they sell, and who will read their emails? Note: I believe the Sales Ability-to-Success curve is non-linear. That is, past a certain point it is dangerous to be better at selling as it can disconnect expectation from reality. I’ve seen a lot of vaporware shortsightedly sold to both customers and investors. Your product should largely sell itself. Team history & Cohesiveness: How do they know one another, and for how long? By what mechanism do co-founders resolve disagreement and how well do they move on? There’s no room for resentment on their journey, or for ego. Co-founder disputes are one of a startup’s greatest risk factors. Capacity for speed. A good measure of this is how many code commits you have per week. Bonus points for women, minorities, ‘disabilities’. Venture capitalists systemically undervalue these founders. Notes: Brand and culture are more important (for growth and defensibility) than most entrepreneurs realize. However, both largely extend from the CEO and are incredibly nuanced. I will judge your e-book by its homepage. I look for CEOs who hate raising capital, because they love building businesses that make money. Funding should be a function of traction on positive gross margins, not vice versa. If you’re spending more time fundraising than running your business, you’ve got a problem. Drop VCs who drag their feet — they’re not investing. ii.) Technology * Defensibility / Competitive Landscape (35pts) Numerator: (15pts:) UNDERLYING TECHNOLOGY: If you just hired a freelance developer to build you an MVP then your company probably isn’t for me. If your problem wasn’t hard to solve then you’ll have quite a few competitors who are likely at least as smart as you are. . If you don’t have that — and no one has network effects from the start — then a great team with a head start will buy you a year, two (I saw this first-hand when Common Bond fast-followed SoFi). I’ll only bet on a ‘head start’ if there’s what I call “Competitive Osmosis” (see Note below). There are really only two ways to be long-term defensible: IP and Network Effects maybe : Only acceptable if you’re truly ‘deep-tech’, but by then your defensibility likely derives more from a world-class team than from the patents themselves. I care not a lick for business process patents (they’re circumventable) and steeply discount software patents by “1,000 ways to code a cat”. IP : When this term came into vogue a decade ago it referred to social network effects — i.e. each new user makes the network more valuable. This is why VCs like marketplaces so much: once the network is big enough then it’s difficult to build a viable competitor. You wouldn’t start an Airbnb competitor today and network effects are why. But I’m more interested in a new type of network effect: ML/DL. Machine learning models improve, definitionally, with more data. Network Effects very I believe that any software company not leveraging machine learning (or that’s built as a distributed application vis-a-vis blockchain) has a very good chance of not being around in 5–10 years. (13pts:) Why now? A solution can easily be too late or too early. What technological, societal, regulatory, or market development prevented this company from being started three years ago? Note: Technologies can be too late or early too… IMO, AR/VR and drones are a bit too early (and over-hyped), while mobile is (way) too late. (3pts:) Brand (this is often under-valued, esp. by 1st-time entrepreneurs) (2pts:) Do they have killer advisers? I don’t mean your buddy who’s worked in the industry a few years more than you, I mean people who can pick up the phone and get you your first five customers or coach your engineers through technical problems no one has ever solved before. (2pt:) Cash on hand (Note: Cash-to-Defensibility is non-linear; too much cash breeds profligacy and complacency.) Denominator: # of competitors (direct & possible; there’s always a competitor you don’t know about yet–maybe I’ve seen their deck) Agility of competitors Competitors’ cash on hand (over the “can catch up fast” threshold, discounted by solution’s prioritization on their product roadmap) As frustrating as it is, there are certain entrepreneurs and funds the lion’s share of VCs simply won’t bet against — e.g. Musk, Bezos, Sequoia. Notes on Verticals & Competitive Osmosis (more on this in an upcoming post): First of all, I don’t invest in consumer technology . I don’t pretend to know what consumers want. While the largest technology companies are predominantly B2C, the competition is more fierce, defensibility more difficult, and the risk profile such that it requires a large fund that’s able to make many bets and follow on big in the winners. That doesn’t work with a small fund like Cantos. Companies are much more predictable. They only want to do two things: Increase top-line and reduce cost. Venture capital is a game of statistics, and I like my odds in B2B much better. Now, this is where vertical really matters. I look for sectors that have big, slow movers, and where your average Millennial entrepreneur isn’t yet focused (i.e. NOT social networking, ad-tech, marketing-tech, CRM/sales-tech, on-demand, e-comm, cloud infrastructure, dev tools). This could mean manufacturing (e.g. Bigfinite , Standard Cyborg ), construction (e.g. BuildingConnected , ALICE ), finance (e.g. Qwil , Maxwell ), healthcare (e.g. Patch , GreenLight Medical ), logistics (e.g. Shipamax , EasyPost ), agriculture (e.g. Arable , AgriData ) and other niche sectors that require knowledge thereof. Generally speaking… YES: Finance/insurance (blockchain solutions only; pure software solutions have been played out), manufacturing (esp. +AI), logistics, agriculture (though sensitive to robotics), construction (though ALICE may be my only bet here), gov/law (where ‘humans are serving as middleware’, to borrow a quote from Manan Mehta at Unshackled), synthetic biology (non-clinical), infrastructure for a decentralized web NO: Social, on-demand, ad/marketing/sales-tech, e-commerce, hospitality-tech, hiring tech (too many of you), AR/VR (too soon), bio-pharma (takes a whole other skill set), real estate (played out) Because I don’t/can’t know all of these sectors intimately, be prepared for me to ferret out a SME and revert with more specific questions. iii.) Clarity of Business Model, Unit Economics (10pts) Numerator: Business model simplicity (do one thing, do it well). One of my mantras is: Sell one product to one demographic. Know your fixed and variable costs! Model in ~20-30% uncertainty. Complexity is the enemy of speed. Day 1 revenue or <6-month path to product-related revenue. I typically invest in companies with $5–30K monthly revenue, even at ‘pre-seed’ (pre-money valuation under $5M). Gross-margins > 60%. While I wouldn’t echo his hallmark condescension, a quote from Don Valentine comes to mind: “We need guys [/girls] to have 70% gross margins, because they abuse so much money. You need to be in a business that has huge gross margins, because the managements are not very experienced. You start with a 60% minimum margin as the ideal, because you know the management is going to spend 20% on marketing and 20% on research. We have guys who are 27 years old and have never managed anything.” LTV/CAC > 300%. Payback period also needs to be taken into account–can’t be longer than your ability to fundraise! Churn < 3%. Past that you eventually churn through the entire market. The revenue model must be aligned to incentives of the customers. Note: Its violation of this principle is my fundamental problem with companies driven by ad revenue. Denominator: Extreme bias toward low burn (sub-$50K/mo at pre-seed, $100K at seed). Use advisers for early sales, not FTEs, and don’t sign a lease before product-market fit! CEO will consider herself cash-poor until $5M+ raised. Until then use the currency you have: equity! Notes: Major preference toward enterprise — lower risk profile (granted, lower possible upside), lower churn, deeper pockets I will not invest in anything I feel is or could quickly become commoditized — UI-based products, storage, algorithms on publicly accessible datasets, cybersecurity, on-demand services (better called “labor arbitrage”), or anything that is ‘trending’. Advertising (eyeball-based) revenue is an unacceptable answer for my risk/return profile iv.) Exit Opportunities / Valuation (10pts) Numerator: Natural acquirers at multiple stages. I believe in optionality, not IPO-or-bust. Assume Google won’t buy you (though I do think their acq. activity will pick up; what else will they do with all that cash?) I want to know your market is large enough that a 10% share means at least $100M in revenue–$100M ARR roughly being the hurdle for a SaaS IPO Vertical has high M&A activity, incumbents have large cash reserves, industry is facing or will soon face sweeping changes at the hands of innovation Denominator: Look for “arbitrage” opportunities, i.e. underpriced deals. Note: these are in fact fairly priced deals, often found outside of the Bay Area, where we’ve accustomed ourselves to price inflation. Bias against seed round >$10M post-money valuation, as most acquisitions happen under $50M Berkeley, MIT, & other engineering-heavy universities are overlooked opportunities. Stanford is a fantastic school but over-emphasized. Note: Wary of scientist CEOs unless innate business acumen is present. Notes: If your total addressable market (TAM) — and this should be real revenue potential, NOT GMV! — is under $2B, you’re wasting your time speaking with most VCs, particularly $100M+ funds. What types of outcomes VCs will bet on are primarily a function of their AUM & # of investment professionals. Acquisitions have slowed in recent months but Google, Apple, Facebook, Oracle, and others (e.g. Berkshire Hathaway’s $60B war chest) are sitting on huge piles of cash that they need to put to work. These cash piles will be heightened should the current administration incentivize repatriation of foreign cash. I believe Google & Facebook will become the Berkshire Hathaway’s of tech. I like the types of acquirers that are more likely to be in $BRK’s portfolio than Benchmark’s — e.g. GE, GM, Marmon, Honeywell, Mastercard, Verisk, John Deere Train thoroughbreds, don’t hunt unicorns. Nine-figure exits are OK for a small fund like Cantos, though I do need conviction you’ll be able to raise Series A. Seed is less affected by bear markets due to lower burn and valuation. As NEA Co-Founder Dick Kramlich once said, “Good ideas don’t go on strike.” Companies seed funded in ‘08-’09 include Airbnb, Twilio, Dropbox, Slack, Credit Karma. v.) Financing Risk (5pts) Since I will write smaller checks, my co-investors must be able to carry the day. My $50–100K check will buy a seed-stage startup only 1–2 months… …Or the company must be riding a wave/in a market/run by a CEO that I’m confident up-stack VCs are likely to fund. Note: I know enough VCs to have a fairly good read on this ;) If the latter is the case, I want to be familiar with the metrics that will be required for a strong Series A and confident the CEO can hit them I want the round I’m participating in to buy the startup at least 12 months of runway. In this wary market, 18+ is preferable. Note: I always test companies against a few friendly VCs at larger funds before writing a check. I’m showing my hand here but if I introduce you to another investor I’m not being 100% altruistic. [Shout-out to some of my usual suspects… Arianna Simpson , Shivon Zilis , Zavain Dar , Vaughn Blake , John Komkov , Nan Li , Katherine Boyle, Ela Madej , Zal Bilimoria , Michael Berolzheimer , Trae Stephens , Anya Schiess , Mo.ElBibany , Howie Diamond , Alastair Trueger , Ryan Gembala , Seth Winterroth ] vi.) Additive Business (10pts) The company’s product or service is “additive” to the world, i.e. contributes to: Health (e.g. , , ) Patch Recursion Enlitic Financial Inclusion & Private Sector Accountability (e.g. Robinhood, , ) Qwil Ethic Democratization & Public Sector Accountability (e.g. OpenGov, ) Vendor Registry Environment, Waste Reduction, & Food Security (e.g. , , ) Opus 12 Tri Alpha Energy Arable Education (e.g. Duolingo, AltSchool, Treehouse) Quality of Worklife (e.g. Slack, WeWork, ) Ambition Notes: I acknowledge this is highly subjective but hey, it’s my fund! This may read as an ‘impact investing’ filter but is in fact a financial decision. IRR stems from value-creation, and I believe the most valuable companies are created by solving the largest pain points. This is also a meaningful differentiator in hiring talented Millennials… as sometimes even getting away with under-paying them (until you can afford market rates). vii.) Gut (5pts) The indescribable feeling that you should invest despite non-obvious reasons Note: I believe what we call “gut” is the brain’s own deep learning. It is a complex layering of so much information as to feel intuitive when it is in fact deeply logical. While it has an explicit 5% here, it affects all of the scores above. Criterion 2 of 2: Binary (e.g. technical risk, market risk, funding risk, competitive risk, hiring risk, retention risk, co-founder fallout risk) I typically frame this by asking, Then I attempt to give a % likelihood for each over 5- and 10-year timeframes. What risks am I taking, specifically , and am I willing to take them as a fiduciary? What assumptions must hold true for this company to succeed? Or, as one veteran VC put, “Ask yourself, ” What price glory?

My Seed Investing Source Code

When doing good, brings you good I recently received a package from Amazon. This isn’t totally out of the ordinary. We have a prime subscription and order quite a lot from the online retailer. I didn’t recall ordering anything recently though. I logged into my account and checked, and there wasn’t an open order. I opened the package and saw what was delivered … I definitely would have remembered ordering this … There was no message in the package so I was stumped, where did this awesome drone come from? Later that day I received a slack message from a friend, asking if I’d received a package that day. Off course I put 2 & 2 together and got to pretty quickly to 5. I have yet to meet , something that needs to be fixed, but I’ve known him for a couple of years now and consider him a good friend. Eric Willis He posted to (my first project on ), and that random act has led to some amazing things. Interviewed Product Hunt Product Hunt Shortly after Interviewed was launched, Eric launched a website called which collected blog posts about successful product launches on Product Hunt. Maker Success Unfortunately the website had some performance issues and was having trouble handling the traffic from Product Hunt. Since Eric isn’t a developer, I offered to lend a hand. In true hacker fashion, rather than fixing the issues with the CMS that Eric had selected, I decided instead to just rebuild the website from scratch, and the following day we relaunched . Maker Success (Maker Success) When Eric started his next project: Maker Hunt, a slack community for Product Hunt makers, I was thrilled to be involved. In helping to build the Maker Hunt community with Eric and many other volunteers, I got the opportunity to know people that I would not even have even met let alone worked with. Since I’d had the chance to get to know before we talked about his idea for a website listing marketing resources, I was happy to help him. It didn’t really matter what the idea was to me: he was passionate about it, and I wanted to help. Ben Tossell A few weeks later that led to the launch of . The website was very well received, joining the 1000 vote club on . Product Hunt was so impressed in-fact that Ben now works as a Community Manager there! Marketing Stack Product Hunt By this time I’d become hooked on Product Hunt, and launched a number of other projects there. I’d set myself the target of being the #1 Maker. I even purchased a t-shirt from a project by , but I wouldn’t wear it until I made it to number 1. Maker Tees Daniel Kempe In case you were wondering ... Yes I am wearing my #1 maker tshirt today! // @danielkempe @ProductHunt — @mubashariqbal It didn’t take long for me to get to the top of the , and I’m still there! maker leaderboard Getting to know Daniel thru his projects and the Maker Hunt community, led me to be involved with . Daniel had a great idea for helping people keep their social media timelines full of awesome, relevant content. Unfortunately he didn’t know anyone who could help him turn his idea into a functioning project, so of course I volunteered to help. Quuu After a couple of weeks of hacking we had the MVP for Quuu ready to go, and go it did. Quuu has become a very popular social media marketing tool, and a solid business. This was just the start of a journey that I could write an entire book about. I’ve done more projects with Ben and Daniel, not to mention: , , , and many others. Jonny Nastor Dylan Feltus Bhavesh Patel Seth Louey In doing all these projects I’ve never expected anything in return, I just enjoy working with great people and turning their ideas into reality. There might not be a direct return for taking part in these projects, but the karma roundabout spins quickly. Being selected as is an intangible, invaluable reward, even if it did come with a . Once the weather improves, I’m going to enjoy flying my drone and find a real roundabout I take a spin on. 2016 Product Hunt maker of the year Golden Kitty Thanks again Eric for the gift, and I look forward to doing more projects with friends old and new.

KARMAN DRONES

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Since n.d.

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