Spent half the day at the #redshirtdublin Microsoft Azure event at UCD watching #ScottGuthrie talking about new features in Azure and Visual Studio. Some great features – especially Cosmos DB, the Azure Logic Apps for easily harnessing machine learning functionality; and my personal favourite – the ability to build iOS apps in Visual Studio without the need for a Mac.
Although Microsoft is definitely moving in the right direction regarding support of industry standards (such as git and linux etc) it still very much feels that to get the most out of Azure you have to wholeheartedly embrace the entire ecosystem – options to easily plug other 3rd party tools efficiently were not mentioned.
Great to bump into some old colleagues, and hang out on the UCD campus in the fabulous sunshine.
Staying in Shape!
Although I’ve been exercising by going for walks and bike rides, and doing kettle bell work outs, I think that the amount of running backward and forwards between meetings I used to do must have had some exercise value. Spending more time focused at my desk has meant a net decrease in exercise, and I’ve put on a bit of weight.
To rectify this I’m going to increase my daily exercise regime and adjust my diet (which I need to do anyway). Trying to get a regular bike ride into my routine; but I’m not sure how good it is finishing it off with a pizza :-S
I’m really starting to enjoy the flexibility of being able to work wherever I take my laptop – especially when it’s sunny it gives me a great opportunity to get out and about and enjoy the sunshine. Sitting here in a café up in Dublin, updating this blog and getting a prototype web-site set up.
It’s been a busy week – after starting to play around with Brain Control Interfaces, a proposal we have put together for brain-controlled art has been accepted by the Dublin Science gallery for its Hack the Brain event (https://dublin.sciencegallery.com/page/hackbraindublin). So I have been spending part of the time working on a way to connect the OpenVIBE Brain Control system to the Unreal 3D engine, so we can use brain-control to control elements within the game engine. It’s slow progress, but last night I got as far as causing a virtual ball to roll around the screen under the control of OpenVIBE, so we’re getting there.
Alongside this, my main focus is learning about Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing; both of which are fascinating, and key to some ideas I have; and on looking at the possibility of joining a team focussed on consolidating an existing start-up business and trying to make it really fly. More on this as I when I get fully involved…
All told there are now four different projects I’m involved in, alongside the learning I’m doing. A couple of these are potentially commercial viable; and the others are great experiences which I think will bring me a lot of value through the things I learn through them; so in general I’m feeling pretty positive. I’ve still not had that light-bulb moment of thinking ‘This is it!’ around a project; but I’m not really expecting that yet – I’m feeling that getting involved in a variety of ventures, learning relevant tech; and giving myself head-space to freewheel a bit; are all pushing me in the right direction.
Starting Balls Rolling…
The last couple of weeks, now that I’m beginning to settle into the fact that I’m no longer having to go to work every day to work on the same project, have felt very much like trying to follow my instinct, learn as much as I can, and start getting some balls rolling to see where they end up…
I’m finding that I’m working longer hours than when I was fully employed; but loving having the freedom to work (at least at the moment) on what I want to focus on!
On the learning front, it’s been great to put together a Proof of Concept around an events and listings app… no immediately obvious revenue streams; but a chance to get more comfortable with Angular 2, Python, and using HTMLs Canvas object.
As far as more formal learning goes, I’ve enrolled on a machine learning course (https://www.udemy.com/machinelearning/) as this has always been an area I’ve been fascinated with, and also because a lot of the concepts and ideas I’m starting to play around with all at their core have a requirement for some intelligent processing of data to extract meaning from it. As yet, I don’t know whether some form of Machine Learning will be the solution to this; but my instinct tells me that it is going in the right direction, and so definitely something I need to understand better.
I’ve also started collaborating with some friends on a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) investigation – wiring up my head with electrodes and then trying to derive some meaning or intent from the signal produced. So far I think one of the biggest challenges is coming up with a way of quickly, easily and reliably attaching electrodes to the right location on a person’s head – the whole procedure is messy, fiddly, inaccurate and time consuming. To do it properly involves two people and careful measurement. Then spending hours working on and debugging code with wires trailing from your head is not the most comfortable thing to do. I’m not sure if there’s an easy way around it, but I’ve bought some bits and bobs that I think I could use to build a makeshift sensor head-piece. Will give this a go over the next week or so…
In the meantime, I’m enjoying the amazing weather and being able to head off on my bike through the mountains to clear my head – it’s not a bad view to have on my way to the ‘office’.
Tightrope Walking…
Over the last couple of weeks it has definitely been a case of ‘don’t look down.’ It’s been great to have some time to play around with some prototyping, but it has also been interspersed with moment of anxiety about what I’ve done.
That said, I feel like I am moving forward and making progress. I’ve met with some great people and got a couple of interesting projects underway that are stretching me technically and giving me a chance to learn new things. It’s not clear if either have any commercial viability, but at the moment that is less important for me than to be getting stimulated in technically new directions, and also seeing how other people think about ideas and ways to work.
One thing I have learned this week is to be super-clear on why an idea is worth doing, if it is to be something that has a chance of being commercially successful. Talking some of my ideas through with people I respect I have had some great feedback:
– Who would want or use this?
– Why would they want it?
And if there isn’t a clear, one sentence answer, the chances are the concept is too woolly.