The Shape of Things to Come

As a software engineer working on graphics I’ve drifted a pretty long way from my original specialty, aerospace controls. I’m glad I got my PhD in controls though, because it taught me a unique way to approach problem solving, one which I tend to apply well beyond the traditional realm of controls. Controls is a very math-heavy discipline, focused on proofs and guarantees of safety because in many situations lives depend on the reliability of the system: autopilots come to mind, but there are countless examples in many fields. At its core is uncertainty and the management thereof. The first thing we’re taught when modeling systems is that our models are inevitably wrong, and not by a little: nothing is linear, nothing is rigid, nothing is independent of the world around it. These assumptions make our math tractable, but they are not realistic. And yet, all is not lost: we take our terrible models and our unreliable sensors and we bound their uncertainty. No matter how poor the input is...

My boss and I had a career conversation where he asked about what motivates me. I realized it’s not really money, as I’m already so far beyond the financial position I grew up in. I eventually had to admit, to myself mostly, that I’m actually motivated by fame, or more generally by being respected in my field. The funny thing is that I am almost certainly well past my high-water mark as far as fame is concerned.  I achieved my modest internet stardom through an unexpected avenue: 3D printing design. I discovered 3D printing through my first job which sent me to a UAV conference (back before everyone called them drones) and I saw a printed radio controlled samara (one wing helicopter) that some college students had designed. They crashed and broke it, then went over to the Stratasys booth with a thumb drive and had them print a replacement. They were back flying the next day. My coworker mentioned that a new company called Makerbot was selling a kit to build your own 3D printer for...