Inspiring Computing

 In this episode of Inspiring Computing, Marco Gorelli discusses the unexpected success of Narwhals, a highly downloaded and extremely lightweight and extensible compatibility layer between data frame libraries such as pandas and polars. We dive into Marco's inspiring journey from a mathematics background to becoming a key contributor in the open-source community.  Marco shares his initial struggles, motivations, and the eventual widespread adoption of narwhals.  The conversation goes into the technical underpinnings of his project, from the importance of typing to robust testing techniques.  He highlights collaborations, testing practices, and the challenges of maintaining backward compatibility.  This episode is both a technical deep dive and an inspiring story of persevering through challenges and negativity to make a substantial impact in the open source ecosystem. Here are a few links: Quansight YouTube Channel to see Marco coding live. Narwal discord Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

 This episode of Inspiring Computing features a discussion with Athan, the maintainer of stdlib, a JavaScript library designed for numerical and scientific computing. Athan shares his experience and his career journey, starting from a non-computer science background through his PhD program at Oxford and eventually leading to his passion for open-source development. He explains the unique benefits and challenges of building scientific computing tools for the web, emphasizing the powerful capabilities of JavaScript when written correctly.  Athan also discusses the importance of standardizing arrays, the evolution of web technologies, and the collaborative efforts required to make projects such as stdlib.io successful. This episode highlights industry use cases, potential applications, and the ongoing efforts to attract contributors and to fund open-source initiatives.  For the curious here is the GitHub repo. Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode of the Inspiring Computing podcast, Marcus shares his fascinating journey from growing up in Fortaleza, Brazil, to becoming a notable figure in the tech industry in the Netherlands. He discusses his academic background, including his master's and Ph.D. work on sensor fusion and robotics, and how he learned the vital importance of integrating various technologies like MATLAB, Python, and C++ for different applications. Marcus also recounts the challenges and successes in launching his own startup focused on LIDAR technology and explains his motivations for creating a YouTube channel to teach others about Practical Software development. The conversation covers crucial topics such as the use of ROS (Robot Operating System), the complexities of real-world testing, and the significance of respecting language diversity and multidisciplinary collaboration in tech projects. Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode, we sit down with Tyrone from CodeGlass who shares his inspiring journey from an inquisitive 11-year-old, fascinated by computer games to founding a company that aims to revolutionize how developers troubleshoot and optimize code. We discuss the unique features of CodeGlass, which include real-time profiling across multiple programming languages, without needing changes to your source code.  Tyrone delves into the technical challenges and breakthroughs achieved by his company, such as achieving 10 million operations per second and accurate memory profiling. He also shares insights into his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges of gaining trust in a tool, and the support he received from the academic and startup ecosystems.  Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode of The Inspiring Computing podcast,  Gareth interviews Jousef Murad, a successful podcaster, YouTuber, and founder of Apex Consulting. Jousef shares his journey from studying structural mechanics and computational fluid dynamics in Germany, to working with startups in Europe, and eventually creating a consultancy focusing on tech and SaaS marketing. The conversation dives into his use of MATLAB and Python, the importance of failing fast, the nuances of marketing in technical domains, and the continuous learning required in this ever-evolving field. Jousef emphasizes the value of being a generalist and staying humble. They also discuss the challenging but vital role of CFD engineers. Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode of Inspiring Computing, I chat with  Filip Rak, the team leader at the Czech Aerospace Research Center. Filip tells me about his journey from engineering to leading the development of attitude and orbit control systems for satellites. We talk about the technical challenges and triumphs, like launching satellites and using MATLAB and MicroPython. Filip also shares how they took a selfie from space at their facility and how this achievement inspired future projects. He also talks about the complexity of late attitude control, using cube sats with limited resources, and their agile risk tolerance approach. The conversation highlights how advanced computing is used in aerospace and emphasizes the importance of balancing innovation with practical constraints. Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode, we go deep into the tram manufacturing business with Robert Grepl more specifically, what does it take to be able to create a tram that does not crash into any infrastructure in an existing city? Have you ever wondered why there's only a couple of centimeters between the tram and the infrastructure? How do tram manufacturers and cities, figure out which obstacles to avoid, and what infrastructure needs to be built or avoided when a tram has put you into a city Robert explains from the  beginning where trams manufacturers in cities make decisions what the common tools they use and how his company, which created a simulation engine called TRAMotion helps solve this problem. Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode of inspiring computing, Max shares, how he created Callr.ai an AI caller agent called Julia, and how Julia can be integrated into phone agents, transforming people's businesses, around a practical use case of AI. Not only does Julia schedule appointments and potentially replace that first line of phone calls but could be also integrated into CRMs and completely transform the way that cells and or internal requests services, HR processes are done. Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode, I have a wonderful conversation with Ralf Gommers, a director of Quantsight Labs, and he's a key contributor to NumPy. He shares his journey of how he started working and contributing to several open source projects. But more importantly, the journey that he took inside NumPy.  NumPy is a project that most scientific computing projects rely on heavily and he shares the thought behind the government's model. The importance of having a community funding models and how to maintain longterm open-source projects. Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode, we explore the journey of Juan Luis an aerospace engineer turned data scientist who now works at QuantumBlack, part of McKinsey. Starting with a background in aerospace engineering, he transitioned from using proprietary software like Mathematica to open-source tools, ultimately becoming an influential figure in the Python community. As a co-founder of PyData Spain and organizer of PyCon Spain, he has made significant contributions to the open-source ecosystem. Currently, he’s working on Kedro, an open-source data science and engineering library. The episode delves into his thoughts on the role of generative AI in the industry, Kedro’s approach to modularity, and the importance of community and open-source collaboration. Support the show Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode, I speak with Wolf Vollprecht  Co-founder of Prefix.dev and to key player in the condo forge ecosystem. We discuss the critical role of open source infrastructure, like PyPi aAnd the monthly cost associated with it emphasizing the importance of sustained investment for infrastructure. Wolf shares his journey from studying mechanical engineering and falling in love with open source to contributing, to Conda forge and creating Mumba and pixie, a fast package manager. We dive into the capabilities of pixie a Rust  based package management tool designed to be faster and more efficient than Conda. Pixie integrates well with both conda forge and PyPi environments and addresses the dependency and reproducibility issues, and supports cross-platform package management.  Wolf also talks about the open-core business model supported by VC funding and grants, aiming to build a sustainable and enhanced packaging management ecosystem.  Support the Show. Subscribe to mailing list here.

This episode describes an interview with Teddy, the creator of the YouTube channel Branch Education. Which focuses on deep diving into engineering and technology topics using animation. Teddy started the channel in 2018, after working in the semiconductor industry, particularly on iron implanters. This episode outlines, how he makes his videos, including the extensive research and 3D modeling and blender and discusses the future of brunch education, hoping to create a high school. Engineering curriculum. Support the Show. Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this podcast, Abel  discusses his transition from academia and Brazil to becoming a research software engineer in the Netherlands. He emphasizes his reasons for choosing Julia such as its package ecosystem and speed.  Abel  details, his involvement with the Netherlands eScience Center, where he collaborates with researchers to develop software solutions.  He also covers his background in applied mathematics and his early adoption and advocacy of Julia. The conversation touches on Julia Smooth Optimizers its utility and optimizing non-linear problems. And the importance of benchmarking for development. Abel shares insights into maintaining multiple interdependent packages in the Julia. And underscores the role of automation in testing and documentation. You also mentioned his contributions to the Juliet community through YouTube. And expresses openness to collaborating and supporting both academic and industrial projects involving Julia. Support the Show. Subscribe to mailing list here.

Embark on a journey of innovation. As we explore the world of zero emission vessels powered by hydrogen cells. Dive into the educational background of Franziska and automation engineer at Future Proof Shipping. As she shares insights on retrofitting vessels for zero emissions, the dynamics of hydrogen fuel cells and the pivotal role of data analysis in the transforming maritime transport for a sustainable future. Support the Show. Subscribe to mailing list here.

In this episode of Inspiring Computing, we delve into the world of Julia and the Genie framework with Adrian Sarchanu, CEO of Genie Frameworks. Adrian shares insights into the advantages of using Julia for web development, including its high performance, distributed computing capabilities, and ease of scaling. He discusses his professional journey from a web designer in Bucharest to founding Genie in Barcelona, and explores the open-source Genie framework which offers a powerful ecosystem for building web applications. The conversation also touches on the integration of Julia with existing technologies, the roadmap for Genie, and the supportive community that surrounds it. Support the Show. Subscribe to mailing list here.

This podcast, delves into innovative research, leveraging data science to enhance public transit access to suburban areas, based on a paper written by Alma Liezenga.  The episode  explores the intersection of urban transportation, social impact, and sustainable solutions emphasizing the importance of equitable access to jobs and services. The conversation portrays the significance of using data analysis and technology to improve transit efficiency while considering social implications and urban planning challenges. See her paper here. Support the Show. Subscribe to mailing list here.

Join the conversation with William Thielicke, the developer of PIVlab, as he shares insights into the world of particle image velocimetery (PIV) and its applications. Discover how PIV accurately measures fluid velocities, non invasively revolutionising research across the industries. Delve into the development journey of PI lab, including collaborations, key features and future advancements for aerodynamic studies, explore the advanced hardware setups camera technologies, and educational prospects offered by PIVlab, for enhanced fluid velocity measurements. If you are interested in the hardware he speaks of check out the company:  Optolution. Support the Show.

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of scientific computing with Mark Kittisopikul, who has a background in computational biology. He shares insight into his career journey. And the critical role of scientific computing and modern research. Scientific computing involves leveraging computers to analyze interpret experimental data, bridging the gap between theoretical models and real world outcomes. Despite his non-computer science background, Mark helps his colleagues in biology. And other fields with computational tasks emphasizing the importance of data interpretation. He takes us through his journey, experimenting with various programming languages before discovering Julia. Which he now prefers for sufficiency in ease of use, especially in scientific applications. Mark illustrates the benefits of Julia with the specific challenge he faced managing data from 10 cameras in a very specific microscope. Showcasing how Julia provided the solution by being able to parse gigabytes of data per second. We also explored the vibrant community around Julia and the upcoming JuliaCon conference highlighting the inclusive nature of the community and the opportunities for calibration and growth. So join us as we uncover the pivotal role of scientific computing in modern research and the advantages of using Julia for computational tasks in biology and beyond. Send us a Text Message. Support the Show.

In this episode, Albert recounts his journey from Nakhodka  Russia to the CEO of a Dutch company Lazy Dynamics.  He describes his academic trajectory from studying in St. Petersburg. To earning scholarship and master programs in Kyoto, Japan. There he focused on , developing driving aids for elderly drivers, but face challenges with system performances, leading him to pursue a PhD in Bayesian Inference. Albert explains Bayesian inference as a method for updating beliefs, about uncertain quantities based on new evidence. He discusses its applications and addressing uncertainty in complex systems like personalized. Just hearing it, the conversation touches on the differences between patient AI and reinforcement learning,  I'll but also introduces RxInfer and for an open source toolbox programmed in Julia designed to automate Bayesian Inference through reactive message passing. He emphasizes RxInfer and its efficiency in handling computational resources by processing information only when necessary. Support the Show.

This episode (recorded late 2023) of Inspiring Computing features Nikki, a tech lead in machine learning at a company called Adyen.  She discusses her journey into AI and our role at adjunct. Nikki initially studied econometrics, but found it lacking in practical application. She then delved into programming, building apps and websites, and eventually combined her love for mathematics and programming.  She worked at KLM as a software engineer, primarily on C++ plus before transitioning to ING. Was she, when she began working on extensively with Python and data related projects.  At Adyen Nikki explains that the company facilitates payment processes for various businesses, ensuring integration with different payment methods for companies like streaming services and eclipse Cromer's platforms. She elaborates on the, behind the scenes process of payments, including the risk checks authentication. Emphasizing agent's role as a payment. Gateway and its banking license, which allows for same day payment processing.  Nikki discusses the complexity of payment optimization due to different messaging protocols and the rules across banks, particularly. With visa and MasterCard edge and maintain standards and smooth transition of these protocols. Leveraging machine learning models, trained on past data to adapt, to changes and ensures seamless payment processing across various banks and regions. They experiment different models per region, per group, and companies to optimize this performance.  Support the show