# 358: Woodturning Influencer

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2021-01-15
- Length: 1h 08m
- Episode: 358
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-01-15-358-woodturning-influencer
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/358-woodturning-influencer

## Summary

Emily Velasco, a science writer at Caltech and creator of the YouTube channel Emily's Electric Oddities, discusses her hobbyist projects that blend electronics with retro-future aesthetics and unconventional materials. She details the construction of specific devices like the Optical Sound Decoder, the Port-A-Vid, and the Lissajukebox, explaining her use of salvaged junkyard parts and her resistance to the 'hustle culture' pressure to monetize or constantly document her maker process. Velasco also shares insights from her professional life, including her work on complex science communication and recent research into sweat-powered fuel cells and Jupiter's atmospheric storms.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-01-15-358-woodturning-influencer#t=6) Introduction and Background
- [1:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-01-15-358-woodturning-influencer#t=106) Lightning Round and Materials
- [10:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-01-15-358-woodturning-influencer#t=619) Aesthetic Philosophy and Retro-Future Design
- [21:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-01-15-358-woodturning-influencer#t=1276) Caltech Science Writing and Research
- [39:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-01-15-358-woodturning-influencer#t=2366) Project Deep Dive: Port-A-Vid and Lissajukebox
- [44:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-01-15-358-woodturning-influencer#t=2642) Documentation, Hustle Culture, and Motivation

## Topics

- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Creator business](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/creator-business)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- Emily's Electric Oddities (product)
- Optical Sound Decoder (product)
- Port-A-Vid (product)
- Lissajukebox (product)
- Hairy Cacti (product)
- Raspberry Pi (chip)
- Hackaday (company)
- Caltech (company)
- Media Archeology Lab (company)
- Internet Archive (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [030 - Supercon 2019](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-12-01-030-supercon-2019) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [Ep 364: Clocks, Cameras, and Free Will](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-04-03-ep-364-clocks-cameras-and-free-will-46615bb6) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Episode 188: Robots that will kill you](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2018-10-26-episode-188-robots-that-will-kill-you) (Making It)
- [Ep 319: Experimental Archaeology, Demoscene Oscilloscope Music, and Electronic Memories](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-05-02-ep-319-experimental-archaeology-demoscene-oscilloscope-music-and-electronic-memo) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Ep 364: Clocks, Cameras, and Free Will](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-04-03-ep-364-clocks-cameras-and-free-will) (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/2021-01-15-358-woodturning-influencer. 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.