# Ep 340: The Best Programming Language, Space Surgery, and Hacking Two 3D Printers into One

- Show: [Hackaday Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast)
- Published: 2025-10-03
- Length: 1h 12m
- Episode: 340
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i
- Listen: https://hackaday.com/2025/10/03/hackaday-podcast-episode-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-into-one/

## Summary

Hosts Elliot Williams and Al Williams discuss the IEEE Spectrum's 2025 programming language rankings, noting Python's dominance and the potential for AI to obscure language popularity metrics. They review several hardware hacks, including a surplus industrial robot arm repurposed as a bartender, a minimalist analog drum machine built with shift registers, and a high-power avalanche laser driver. The episode also covers porting a Fortran F-16 flight simulator to Unity 3D, the challenges of switching Linux distributions, and the medical logistics of performing surgery in microgravity.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i#t=1) Introduction and SuperCon Announcement
- [5:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i#t=331) IEEE Spectrum Programming Language Rankings and AI Impact
- [19:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i#t=1149) Surplus Industrial Robot Arm Bartender
- [26:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i#t=1566) Minimalist Analog Drum Machine with Shift Registers
- [33:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i#t=2029) Cannibalizing Two 3D Printers into a Voron Clone
- [38:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i#t=2306) Avalanche Laser Driver and Other Quick Hacks
- [43:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i#t=2634) Porting Fortran F-16 Simulator to Unity 3D
- [53:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i#t=3237) How to Switch Linux Distributions Without Data Loss
- [1:05:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-10-03-ep-340-the-best-programming-language-space-surgery-and-hacking-two-3d-printers-i#t=3937) Surgery in Space and Microgravity Challenges

## Topics

- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Analog & power electronics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/analog-and-power-electronics)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- IEEE Spectrum (other)
- Python (other)
- ChatGPT (other)
- Unity 3D (tool)
- Fortran (other)
- F-16 (other)
- Ender 3 (product)
- Voron (product)
- SEGGER J-Link (tool)
- OpenSUSE (other)
- Tumbleweed (other)
- Distrobox (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Raspberry Pi 500, Robot Roadies, Huge 3d Printers and Car Hacking!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-electromaker-show/2023-11-26-raspberry-pi-500-robot-roadies-huge-3d-printers-and-car-hacking) (The Electromaker Show)
- [Gremlins in the machine](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2023-03-27-gremlins-in-the-machine) (The Amp Hour)
- [351: Dextral or Sinistral](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-11-13-351-dextral-or-sinistral) (Embedded.fm)
- [144: Asking For Clippy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-03-23-144-asking-for-clippy) (Embedded.fm)
- [446: World's Best PB&J](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2023-03-30-446-worlds-best-pb-j) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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