# 281: Tame Geek

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2019-03-14
- Length: 1h 08m
- Episode: 281
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-03-14-281-tame-geek
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/281-tame-geek

## Summary

Jenny List, a contributing editor at Hackaday and former 'tame geek' at Oxford University Press, discusses her unique career path from computational linguistics to hardware journalism. She details the rigorous editorial process at Hackaday, the definition of a 'hack' rooted in MIT's Tech Model Railroad Club, and the relentless nature of digital publishing. List also provides a deep dive into her research debunking 'drone hysteria' surrounding airport incidents at Gatwick and Heathrow, arguing for higher standards of evidence in such reports.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-03-14-281-tame-geek#t=7) Introduction and Background
- [3:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-03-14-281-tame-geek#t=234) Daily Life and Editorial Workflow at Hackaday
- [10:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-03-14-281-tame-geek#t=606) Defining 'Hack' and Linguistic History
- [29:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-03-14-281-tame-geek#t=1775) Debunking Drone Hysteria at Gatwick and Heathrow
- [53:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-03-14-281-tame-geek#t=3209) Computational Linguistics and Language Spy
- [1:02:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-03-14-281-tame-geek#t=3744) Advice for Writers and Contributors

## Topics

- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Hackaday (company)
- Oxford University Press (company)
- Oxford Dictionaries (product)
- Tech Model Railroad Club (other)
- Gatwick Airport (other)
- Heathrow Airport (other)
- Raspberry Pi (product)
- Language Spy (product)
- The Register (company)
- Word by Word (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep 213: Not your Grandfather's Grandfather Clock, the Engineering Behind Art, Hydrogen Powered Flight](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2023-04-07-ep-213-not-your-grandfathers-grandfather-clock-the-engineering-behind-art-hydrog) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Pedantic or Andrantic](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-01-03-pedantic-or-andrantic) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ep 123: Radioactive Rhinos, Wile-E-Coyote Jetpack, Radio Hacks 3-Ways, and Battery Welders on the Spot](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-06-18-ep-123-radioactive-rhinos-wile-e-coyote-jetpack-radio-hacks-3-ways-and-battery-w) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Open Hardware and Self Publishing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2010-09-28-open-hardware-and-self-publishing) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ep 350: Damnation for Spreadsheets, Praise for Haiku, and Admiration for the Hacks In Between](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-12-19-ep-350-damnation-for-spreadsheets-praise-for-haiku-and-admiration-for-the-hacks) (Hackaday 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/2019-03-14-281-tame-geek. 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.