# 050 - Four Years In

- Show: [Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast)
- Published: 2021-08-22
- Length: 53m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in
- Listen: https://unnamedre.com/episode/50

## Summary

Hosts Alvaro and Jen reflect on four years of the Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast, discussing the evolution of the field from FPGA bitstream extraction to modern crypto-mining and ransomware economics. They highlight specific reverse engineering projects, including Asahi Linux’s port of Linux to Apple’s M1 processor and a DEFCON presentation on hacking smart meters to map power outages during the Texas snowstorm. The episode also covers Alvaro’s impromptu teardown of a Q Health COVID-19 test, detailing the microfluidics and chemical exposure risks involved.

## Chapters

- [0:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in#t=27) Introduction: 50th Episode and 4-Year Reflection
- [5:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in#t=308) Evolution of Reverse Engineering: FPGAs, Crypto, and Ransomware
- [7:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in#t=438) Book Recommendation: 'This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends'
- [11:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in#t=693) Hardware Tools: AfterShokz Bone Conducting Headphones
- [14:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in#t=864) Community News: Alsa's Smokehouse Closure and Twitter Spaces
- [22:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in#t=1361) Defining Reverse Engineering: Repair, Recycling, and Retro Computing
- [30:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in#t=1815) Featured Projects: Asahi Linux and Smart Meter Hacking
- [40:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in#t=2454) Live Teardown: Q Health COVID-19 Test Analysis
- [50:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in#t=3002) Outro: Show Notes, Patreon, and Future Plans

## Topics

- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Maker community & events](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/maker-community)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- AfterShokz (product)
- Asahi Linux (other)
- Q Health (company)
- ST 24 C (chip)
- Darknet Diaries (other)
- Hackaday (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [An Interview with Dmitry Nedospasov](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-06-17-an-interview-with-dmitry-nedospasov) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ep 193: Found Computers, Internet Over WhatsApp, Two-Factor C64, Shifting Cars, and Self-Shooting Fighter Planes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2022-11-18-ep-193-found-computers-internet-over-whatsapp-two-factor-c64-shifting-cars-and-s) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [New Life Skills with Joe Grand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-01-31-new-life-skills-with-joe-grand) (The Amp Hour)
- [259: Calculators Changed My Life](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-09-07-259-calculators-changed-my-life) (Embedded.fm)
- [Ep 139: Furter Burner, Glowing Potato Peeler, Hacked Smartwatch, and The Last Atlas](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2021-10-08-ep-139-furter-burner-glowing-potato-peeler-hacked-smartwatch-and-the-last-atlas) (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/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2021-08-22-050-four-years-in. 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 Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast.