# New Year Education

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2016-01-01
- Length: 1h 35m
- Episode: 280
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-01-01-new-year-education
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/280-new-year-education/

## Summary

Chris Gammell of Freak Labs and Hacker Farm discusses his work on sensor networks for rice paddy and boar trap monitoring, detailing the use of 3G modems and Python back-ends. He and host Dave Jones critique the traditional education system, advocating for creative, practical learning over rigid testing, and discuss the challenges of hardware startups, including manufacturing risks in China and the importance of community. Gammell also shares insights on overcoming depression and imposter syndrome in the tech industry by focusing on collaboration and simple, meaningful projects like interactive children's books.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-01-01-new-year-education#t=0) Introduction: Chris Gammell and 2015 Highlights
- [5:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-01-01-new-year-education#t=326) Sensor Networks: Rice Paddy and Boar Trap Monitoring
- [14:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-01-01-new-year-education#t=842) PCB Prototyping: Mills vs. Cheap Fabrication
- [17:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-01-01-new-year-education#t=1076) Education Reform: Creativity vs. Testing
- [51:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-01-01-new-year-education#t=3107) Hardware Startups: Manufacturing and Crowdfunding
- [1:09:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-01-01-new-year-education#t=4170) Depression and Imposter Syndrome in Tech
- [1:18:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-01-01-new-year-education#t=4683) Interactive Books: Chibitronics and NFC

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Freak Labs (company)
- Hacker Farm (company)
- Contextual Electronics (company)
- Punch Through (company)
- Lightbloom Bean Makers (product)
- Salier (company)
- Tokyo University (company)
- 3G modem (chip)
- Python Flask (tool)
- AWS (company)
- Seed (company)
- Dirty PCBs (company)
- Seeed Studio (company)
- SparkFun (company)
- Adafruit (company)
- Lamore (other)
- Media Lab (company)
- SolidWorks (tool)
- Alibaba (company)
- DK Publishing (company)
- National Geographic (company)
- Chibitronics (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [228: Pedantic or Andrantic](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-01-03-228-pedantic-or-andrantic) (Embedded.fm)
- [181: Work on It for Ten Years](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-12-30-181-work-on-it-for-ten-years) (Embedded.fm)
- [504: The Robot Was Expecting It](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2025-06-27-504-the-robot-was-expecting-it) (Embedded.fm)
- [351: Dextral or Sinistral](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-11-13-351-dextral-or-sinistral) (Embedded.fm)
- [387: Bucket of Spiders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-09-23-387-bucket-of-spiders) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-01-01-new-year-education. 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 The Amp Hour.