# 128: The American Pi

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2015-12-03
- Length: 1h 01m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/embedded-ep128mp3

## Summary

Simon Monk, author of over 20 electronics books and founder of Monk Makes, discusses his transition from software engineering to full-time technical writing. He details his workflow for writing books like The Maker's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, emphasizing routine, tracking progress via spreadsheets, and building every project to ensure accuracy. Monk also compares the Raspberry Pi and Beagle Bone Black platforms, explaining why the Raspberry Pi has gained dominance in education and hobbyist markets despite the Beagle Bone's initial technical advantages.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi#t=6) Introduction: Simon Monk and his background
- [1:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi#t=97) Transitioning from software engineering to full-time author
- [5:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi#t=332) Writing workflow, routines, and project management
- [12:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi#t=743) The Maker's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse and haptic communicators
- [26:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi#t=1582) Monk Makes kits and the Raspberry Pi vs Beagle Bone Black debate
- [38:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi#t=2312) Challenges of solo authorship and publishing economics
- [45:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi#t=2721) Creating O'Reilly videos and multimedia content
- [49:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi#t=2972) DRM, piracy, and the future of book publishing models

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Simon Monk (other)
- Monk Makes (company)
- Raspberry Pi (product)
- Arduino (product)
- Beagle Bone Black (product)
- Spark Photon (product)
- ESP8266 (chip)
- NodeMCU (product)
- NRF24 (chip)
- McGraw Hill (company)
- O'Reilly (company)
- Seeed Studio (company)
- Adafruit (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [The Spark Gap - Episode 15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-spark-gap/2014-09-24-the-spark-gap-episode-15) (The Spark Gap)
- [Documentation as Code: A chat with Alasdair Allan from Raspberry Pi](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-electromaker-show/2022-07-21-documentation-as-code-a-chat-with-alasdair-allan-from-raspberry-pi) (The Electromaker Show)
- [Work on it for 10 years...](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-30-work-on-it-for-10-years) (The Amp Hour)
- [New 2GB Raspberry Pi Benchmarked, E-Ink Typewriters, ARM SBC Laptops, and much more!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-electromaker-show/2024-08-24-new-2gb-raspberry-pi-benchmarked-e-ink-typewriters-arm-sbc-laptops-and-much-more) (The Electromaker Show)
- [An Interview with Matt Richardson - Raspberry Risorgimento Regent](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-02-05-an-interview-with-matt-richardson-raspberry-risorgimento-regent) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-12-03-128-the-american-pi. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.