# 235: Imagine That, Suckers!

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2018-02-21
- Length: 1h 08m
- Episode: 235
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-02-21-235-imagine-that-suckers
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/235-imagine-that-suckers

## Summary

Author Robin Sloan, known for novels like Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore and Sourdough, discusses his background in technology and how it informs his fiction. He details his use of machine learning and neural networks to generate text and audio for his books, specifically creating a neural net for the music in Sourdough. Sloan also explains his low-tech publishing experiment, a zine called 'zine' that forces offline reading, and shares advice on finishing projects.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-02-21-235-imagine-that-suckers#t=6) Introduction: Robin Sloan and his books
- [3:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-02-21-235-imagine-that-suckers#t=188) Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore and Google politics
- [9:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-02-21-235-imagine-that-suckers#t=579) Sourdough: Robot arms and the food industry
- [35:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-02-21-235-imagine-that-suckers#t=2130) Using machine learning and neural nets for text and audio
- [55:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-02-21-235-imagine-that-suckers#t=3328) The zine project and offline reading
- [1:06:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-02-21-235-imagine-that-suckers#t=4004) Advice on finishing projects

## Topics

- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore (product)
- Sourdough (product)
- Google (company)
- Twitter (company)
- Current TV (company)
- TensorFlow (tool)
- GitHub (tool)
- wizard.limo (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [331 - I wrote a book and it's out TODAY!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-12-05-331-i-wrote-a-book-and-its-out-today) (People of Packaging)
- [Episode 212: I get to work on vacation!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2019-05-03-episode-212-i-get-to-work-on-vacation) (Making It)
- [Episode 262: Mixed Making Metaphors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2020-05-22-episode-262-mixed-making-metaphors) (Making It)
- [Author and Podcaster: Tim Ferriss](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-12-21-author-and-podcaster-tim-ferriss) (How I Built This)
- [104. Recapping 2022](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-01-10-104-recapping-2022) (The Next Byte Podcast)

## 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/2018-02-21-235-imagine-that-suckers. 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.