Allow me to introduce myself. I am David Mays, a Systems Engineer at a networking company. I have a degree in space systems engineering, and am perusing a masters in computer science. Outside of work during college, I have 5-years experience. So, that’s what I am on paper. What is it that I actually do?
Well, as a systems engineer, my day to day focuses on a wide variety in tasks. I’ve done a lot of work in the field of sUAS (drones), specifically business applications involving integration of my employer’s product which use Robot Operating System (ROS) based co-processors in collaborative clusters of drones (swarming). This includes software development, mechanical design, electrical systems, the whole shebang really. Systems engineering really gives you a great opportunity to collaborate and plan projects across multiple disciplines from the top level down.
OK, that’s what I do at work. What do I do at home? A lot of my free time (that I’m not spending with my fiance, two cats, dog, or on school) is spent on General Embedded LLC, which is basically a company that encompasses my eBay store. There, I sell a lot of products related to vintage technology. This includes vintage computers, music equipment such as samplers and synthesizers, and others. I’ve always loved vintage computers and tech. I believe there are a few reasons:
- It provides perspective on today’s technology: you learn a lot about current technology by looking at earlier examples. You can recognize how certain things have evolved over time, and why (or, sometimes, why not) certain features provide better performance and experiences today. You also have a better historical perspective, and can understand the context of the perspective of senior engineers much better.
- Older technology is more primitive: and much less complex. It’s much easier to dissect the designs and figure out what is going on. Logic is a great example: most technology prior to the late 1980’s used discrete logic components. What you see is what you get, versus the highly integrated designs that you see today.
- A lot of the time, you have to fix it: most vintage equipment will require at least some sort of maintenance or repair. This forces a lot of learning and understanding to be accomplished if that device is to ever work properly again.
- Aesthetic: old equipment is just cool.
Cool, so I’ve established who I am and what I do. Now for the final question: why write a blog? I really enjoy following the projects of others. I’ve learned a lot from the detailed documentation from various individuals. Beyond that, I think they are very entertaining. I would like to share my own projects to hopefully provide an opportunity for others to learn from me, or at least to be entertained. It also let’s me exercise my passion for developing cool technology.
Here’s my links:
Github: https://github.com/dmays-io
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mays/