Resources for inspiration

These are some resources that I like to use.

Learning Resources

  1. Codecademy - I got my start in programming in Python here, but I don't recommend the Pro because a lot of the material under the Pro courses are quite short and simplistic.
  2. Frontend Masters - High quality courses taught by industry professionals. Very focused. It feels like being taught by a TA who has been with the course a long time and knows all the nuances. I particularly like Brian Holt's classes. I highly recommend taking his computer science intro classes (2 of them!) because the exercises are pitched at just the right level.
  3. Lynda - Also known as Linkedin Learning. Available for free through the National Library Board. I've used Lynda for some time and I feel that the focus is not as tight as Frontend Masters. This is the lowest on my list of online resources
  4. Udemy - I don't really like Udemy because it feels pushy with their forever discounted courses, and it is hard to determine the quality of the teacher or content. However, there are some good folks there like Dr Angela Yu. There are always deals on their courses so definitely get that. Check if your work or school offers access as part of their e-learning resources.
  5. Quiklabs - Google Cloud Learning resource. Good for an intro to cloud technologies. Might be available through your workplace or university.
  6. The Great Courses - Courses on general subjects taught by professors in audio format. It is structured to be a bit more seminar-like where you can sit back and listen.
  7. Udacity - An expensive paid option (compared to the others), but I do think that if someone else is paying, it provides more value than the other resources. Less value per dollar, but overall greater value.
Review: Frontend Masters
My review of my time learning with Frontend Masters. It is a fantastic paid resource that you should definitely consider using.
West Side ElectronicsBenjamen Lim

Design

  1. Photopea - Photoshop in your browser. No sign ups, and it just works.
  2. Neocities - Prototype simple webpages with direct uploads. Again, it just works.
  3. Vectr - Vector editing in your browser. No sign ups.
  4. Coolors - Color Selection. No sign ups.
  5. Excalidraw - Quick Rough.JS drawing. No sign ups.

Interesting Personal Websites

  1. https://www.norwegiancreations.com/
  2. https://nathanpetersen.com/
  3. https://jaycarlson.net/microcontrollers/
  4. https://www.benjaminpoilve.com/projects/
  5. https://fasterthanli.me/ - Known Rustacean
  6. http://vernie.ninja/
  7. https://hw-by-design.blogspot.com - STM8 enthusiast

Engineering

  1. https://www.compliantmechanisms.byu.edu/ - Compliant Systems
  2. https://github.com/kiloreux/awesome-robotics - Robotics resources

Interesting Sites

Hutscape | Exploring low power wireless sensor networks with practical everyday things
Hutscape - Exploring low power wireless sensor networks with practical everyday things
Hutscape

Reverse Engineering a Insulin Pump

Fictiv - A rapid prototyping firm with a lot of teardown videos/analysis

Nguyen Duc Thang - He is a retired engineer that designs mechanisms in Autodesk Inventor for fun. As of this date he has 3000+ animations on YouTube.

TI Webench - Power designer tool

Patrick McKenzie - Engineering and business

Bartosz Ciechanowski - Amazingly clear explanation of gears

Cheap FPGA Boards - A list of cheap FPGA boards for development

Useful links

Online IDEs for quick prototypes

  1. Javascript
  2. Python 3
  3. C++ Compiler

CS50 Harvard: Mobile Development with React

  1. Lectures

Learning Flutter

  1. Codelabs

KiCad

  1. https://kicad.txplore.com/

Gears

  1. https://khkgears.net/new/

Machine learning

  1. Machine Learning (Coursera) - The fundamentals of machine learning by Andrew Ng
  2. Gradient Notebooks - Free persistant Jyupter Notebooks
  3. Google Colabs - Cloud based python notebooks with GPU backends
  4. Google Seedbank - Machine learning examples
  5. Google Codelabs (Cloud)

Dev Guides

  1. https://techdevguide.withgoogle.com/

Hand tool Woodworking

  1. Lee Valley - Modern, premium hand tool line with innovative tools  
  2. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks - Expensive, beautiful tools build in the traditional style
  3. Rex Krueger - Hand tool woodworking on a budget

Masters

These are some people who might be considered modern day masters in their fields. Judged by the consistency of how often they are recommended when searching for a topic.

Woodworking - Paul Sellers

Drawing - Glenn Vilppu, Peter Han