# Stick 'Em On Whales

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2018-12-28
- Length: 1h 27m
- Episode: 422
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/422-stick-em-on-whales/

## Summary

Chris Gammell joins Alicia White and Dave Jones of Embedded.fm to recap the year and discuss the state of the electronics industry. They cover the shift in PCB prototyping costs, the rise of the ESP32, and the challenges of IoT device management, including firmware updates and security. The conversation also touches on career transitions, remote work trends, and specific technologies like LoRaWAN and CircuitPython.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales#t=0) Introduction: Chris Gammell, Alicia White, and Dave Jones
- [2:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales#t=156) Consulting vs. Full-time Work and Career Transitions
- [19:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales#t=1195) The Impact of Cheap PCB Prototyping and 'Lego Prototyping'
- [27:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales#t=1652) Prototyping Speed, NRE Costs, and Skill Development
- [39:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales#t=2399) The ESP32: Fad or Production Standard?
- [46:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales#t=2769) IoT Management Platforms and OTA Firmware Updates
- [1:00:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales#t=3647) LoRaWAN: Low Power Wide Area Networks and Applications
- [1:07:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales#t=4023) Favorite Gadgets of the Year and Industry Predictions

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Embedded.fm (other)
- KiCad (tool)
- ESP32 (chip)
- LoRaWAN (other)
- CircuitPython (other)
- Particle (company)
- Electric Imp (company)
- Microsoft Azure (company)
- AWS (company)
- SparkFun (company)
- ST (company)
- Adafruit (company)
- Semtech (company)
- Roomba (product)
- Vector (product)
- Anki (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [272: Stick 'Em on Whales](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-12-28-272-stick-em-on-whales) (Embedded.fm)
- [350: The State of the Empire Is Good](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-11-06-350-the-state-of-the-empire-is-good) (Embedded.fm)
- [100: Unintentional Radiator](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-05-06-100-unintentional-radiator) (Embedded.fm)
- [498: To Consume Stickers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2025-04-04-498-to-consume-stickers) (Embedded.fm)
- [#019: END-OF-YEAR CELEBRATION: Moments You Loved, Stories You Missed, and 2026 Predictions You Need](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-12-11-019-end-of-year-celebration-moments-you-loved-stories-you-missed-and-2026-predic) (Coredump Sessions)

## 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/2018-12-28-stick-em-on-whales. 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.