Byline_

For music geeks, building a synthesizer has always been a way to experiment with sound, far beyond what commercial synths will allow. But for those who have never picked up a soldering iron, it can be intimidating. Last week, open-source hardware startup littleBits unveiled its answer: SynthKit, a modular synthesizer kit that lets anybody–from hardcore hobbyists to toddlers–snap together their own miniature playable synths. advertisement advertisement The littleBits Synth Kit , a collaboration with Japanese synthesizer company Korg, comes with 12 color-coded modules that each contain a standard synthesizer component: oscillators, a sequencer, a delay knob, a speaker, even a tiny keyboard. These pieces can be snapped together in any combination, making for an open-source, DIY analog synthesizer with hundreds of thousands of possible arrangements. At last Thursday’s launch event in New York City’s East Village, these little interchangeable widgets were … [Read more...] about This Open Source DIY Synthesizer Makes Music Hacking Dead Simple

The pandemic’s shift to remote work could have long-lasting positive implications—if we get it right. advertisement advertisement We can already feel that we’re in a period of change, even if we can’t quite analyze it with the benefit of historic context yet. As Brian Chesky recognized in AirBnB’s going fully remote: “You can’t fight the future, we can’t try to hold on to 2019 any more than 1950. We have to move forward.” During the pandemic, the US went from only a 6% remote workforce to 22% . That is an astounding increase in a dramatically short time frame. The most remarkable byproduct of this transition is just how much employees came to embrace this new format for work. In a continuous year-long survey of US workers published by the Chicago Booth Review , 60% said working from home was better, substantially better, or hugely better than they expected; 26% said about the same; and under 15% said worse. Now that remote work is becoming … [Read more...] about Remote work shouldn’t be the antithesis of in-person work. Here’s how to do the format correctly

Nobody likes to feel uncomfortable. Well, maybe there are a few masochists out there, but for the most part, discomfort is something that most of us avoid. Ironically, by avoiding discomfort though, we’re ultimately left with more of it. And it becomes debilitating for us individually and as companies. advertisement advertisement From an evolutionary perspective, avoiding discomfort makes a lot of sense. The discomfort of walking toward a lion on the Savanna didn’t end well for our ancestors. As far back as Darwin, biologists studied discomfort as being a driving force powering predatory avoidance, resource gathering, and overall survival tactics that have been critical to keeping our species (and most others) alive. It was literally what caused us to deal with the necessities of survival. While discomfort may have driven our ancestor’s survival, today it’s a different story. Modernity has ushered in an era where most of us are rarely in … [Read more...] about This paradoxical way of thinking can help you build resilience

The Great Resignation has changed the balance of power for employers and employees in every industry. advertisement advertisement Of course it’s completely understandable that younger employees would take this opportunity to find jobs with the best financial returns. However, these same professionals should put their job searches in the context of their larger career road map. Once they’ve landed at a new company, how will they move forward to build a career they can be proud of? In the short term, jumping from company to company may prove to be the most lucrative. However, this approach may limit your potential over the long term. Over the course of my career, I’ve identified three key steps that are essential to building a successful career road map both in the context of my own experiences and in the careers of those I’ve interviewed and hired. While my professional career has focused on the people, processes, and technologies within the field … [Read more...] about 3 steps to build a solid career road map

There’s been a lot of job and career shuffling occurring over the last year, leading people to brush the dust off their résumés and refresh their job-searching skills. A key skill in this time is knowing how to set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd. This is always a good idea, but it becomes all the more important to do when, each month for nearly a year, four million people have been quitting their jobs and many are looking for new ones. But exactly how do you make yourself stand out? advertisement advertisement Résumé crafting is definitely important, but 75% of U.S. companies use résumé-scanning software and most are never seen by human beings. Interviews and follow-up thank you notes are where you get to make a strong impression. Handshakes: Yes or no? We are in a gray area right now when it comes to handshakes. Earlier in the pandemic, it was clear that nobody would be shaking hands for a while. More recently, you … [Read more...] about How to stand out from a sea of job candidates

The race to save the planet has given an urgency to corporate efforts to make and deliver net-zero carbon commitments. But for their companies to be truly sustainable, CEOs must focus not only on the E in ESG but also on the S and the G. Human rights, workplace safety, fair pay for a fair day’s work, ethical business practices—these are just a few of the social and governance issues that CEOs must address in their company and in the companies they do business with—their suppliers. advertisement advertisement This is not just about complying with regulations. It is about fulfilling the terms of an unwritten social license to operate. But doing the right thing is hard. To help CEOs, we have identified a series of actions that they should instruct their CPO and the procurement team to take in order to address social and governance issues. To start with, companies should set out their social and governance expectations in their supplier code of conduct, … [Read more...] about To truly address ESG, your company has to also consider its suppliers

It’s safe to say that we’re in another crypto winter as projects begin to go under and investors hold their heads. Arguably what set off this series of unfortunate events was the depegging of TerraUSD (UST) from Luna back in May, along with rising interest rates and macroeconomic recession. advertisement advertisement Stablecoins can be a tricky business, so I want to be able to provide potential users with a guide on what kinds are out there, which to look for, and why the Luna and UST depegging happened. Let’s dive in. Types of stablecoins There are three kinds of stablecoins: fiat-backed (e.g., USDC) algorithmic (e.g., UST) overcollateralized (e.g., DAI) Fiat-backed stablecoins are the most popular and widely used and are self-explanatory. They’re backed most commonly by the government-issued U.S. dollar, which tends to be very stable. advertisement Algorithmic stablecoins , which everyone has … [Read more...] about Why people fell for UST and how to potentially avoid getting burned by not-so-stable stablecoins