Nov 18, 2020The seven stages of net-zero commitments — Carbon DirectCo-written with Julio Friedmann. It’s exciting to see CEOs of major corporations publicly commit to achieving net-zero emissions. Just in September, we saw AT&T, Walmart, Facebook and Morgan Stanley make commitments, with over 70 companies declaring their intention to achieve carbon neutrality at some date. They join over 60 countries…Climate Change5 min readClimate Change5 min read
Sep 9, 2019Brexit limericks, Part 2Limericks may be the only way to understand this mess. — Three years ago, I thought I had gotten Brexit limericks out of my system. Now the UK is at it again, thanks to the ineffable antics of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. So I could hardly resist taking another crack at capturing the ongoing political mayhem in short, rhyming jingles. Boris…Brexit2 min readBrexit2 min read
May 10, 2019Having fun teaching cars to drive themselvesThoughts on the Udacity Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree — After two years, thirteen projects, and countless hours, I’ve finished the Udacity Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree! It’s been a lot of fun, and I’ve learned an enormous amount about the underlying software systems that enable autonomous vehicles to navigate the world. …Self Driving Cars5 min readSelf Driving Cars5 min read
Feb 12, 2019Could CFIUS block a foreign investment in autonomous vehicles?Sooner or later, the powerful regulatory committee will face a decision on a significant foreign investment in the US autonomous vehicles sector. They could veto it. — Originally published on Back\Line in March 2018. With the site’s demise in late 2018, I’m republishing it here, because it’s still relevant. Earlier this month, technology markets witnessed the rare spectacle of the US government directly vetoing a major technology acquisition. The $117 billion hostile takeover of US-based semiconductor manufacturer…Self Driving Cars5 min readSelf Driving Cars5 min read
Jan 28, 2019Helping autonomous vehicles learn to driveInsights from completing Udacity’s Path Planning project — I just completed the Path Planning project for Udacity’s Self-Driving Car Engineer nano-degree program. Path planning is a key piece of the self-driving car software stack, and it’s been fun to see it in action. My code is available here. Self-driving cars run many different algorithms simultaneously to operate safely…Self Driving Cars4 min readSelf Driving Cars4 min read
Published inHackerNoon.com·Sep 11, 2018Uber’s autonomous vehicle program finally grows upThe Uber-Toyota deal is a marriage of opposites — fortunately. — It’s been a busy few weeks for those following Uber’s evolving corporate strategy. …Self Driving Cars6 min readSelf Driving Cars6 min read
Aug 13, 2018Teaching foreign policy majors to codeFour lessons about what to (not) do with first-time programming students. — This spring I taught a class on low-cost air quality sensors at Georgetown University. As I’ve described elsewhere, the class was a fun way for students in a policy school to get their hands dirty by actually building and testing working devices. …Programming5 min readProgramming5 min read
Aug 2, 2018Kalman filters and fake newsWhat autonomous vehicles can teach us about our social media feed — I just finished an autonomous vehicle programming project called “Catch the Run-away Car” (part of the Udacity Self-Driving Car Nano-degree). …Self Driving Cars5 min readSelf Driving Cars5 min read
May 23, 2018Building low-cost air pollution monitors at Georgetown UniversityStudents in the School of Foreign Service discover the promise and pitfalls of DIY air quality sensing. — Air pollution is one of the largest public health challenges the world faces today. In 2015, polluted air was responsible for over 4 million deaths worldwide, the 5th-highest risk factor for death globally. Its economic impact is also enormous: as much as 0.3% of global GDP is lost due to…Environment3 min readEnvironment3 min read
Mar 3, 2018Sourdough: Nibbling around the edges of AIA spoiler-filled book review of Robin Sloan’s latest novel — Spoiler alert — many major plot points revealed below! “The next wave of economic dislocations won’t come from overseas. It will come from the relentless pace of automation that makes a lot of good, middle-class jobs obsolete.” — Barack Obama, Farewell Address The Bay Area of California is simultaneously the…Robotics6 min readRobotics6 min read
