Comment by godelski

Comment by godelski 4 days ago

Home Assistant integrates with WebRTC btw[0].

Also, why make the ESP32 the the hotspot? Why not just connect to the same network? Then you're not really range limited.

  > I also think I unfairly like ESP because it’s an excuse to write C :)

Is the comment about Home Assistant being python? Yeah, I can get that. Feels weird to be using slow scripting languages on lean hardware. Though of course you can write whatever routines in C and just patch it in to the interface.

The ESPs are cheaper (here's the non-dev kit which has WiFi[1]), but way less powerful. I don't think you could get away with doing things on device. Though I wouldn't call that dev kit cheaper and that price point was context of my comment.

FWIW, I don't think there's really anything wrong with the project other than just that it comes off as doing things that have already been done before but presenting as if something novel was done. I'm all for reinventing the wheel. For fun, education, or even to improve. Just if I'm being honest, it came off with some weird vibes because of that. I imagine that's how some people are responding as well.

[0] https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/homeassistant/

[1] https://shop.m5stack.com/products/m5stamp-esp32s3-module

regularfry 4 days ago

> Also, why make the ESP32 the the hotspot? Why not just connect to the same network? Then you're not really range limited.

Because then they don't have to include the ability to configure wifi, which (while not that hard) is one more thing to do and for a hackathon that's not really contributing to the end goal.

Reply View 3 replies

Sean-Der 4 days ago

I couldn't get on WiFi at the office at all. Corporate WiFi had a bunch of hoops to jump through that made ESP32 hard.
Once I got it working it felt really cool though. As a user I don't want to configure WiFi on the microcontroller at all. I would be really cool if I could walk up to a 'smart device' and set my phone next to it and do zero configuration.

Reply View | 2 replies
- regularfry 3 days ago
  
  Hah, that doesn't surprise me either. You're really hoping for guest WiFi in that situation.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies
- godelski 3 days ago
  
  That makes a lot more sense now. Thanks
  
  Reply View | 0 replies

Sean-Der 4 days ago

I thought about your comment a lot. I worry that most people just say nice things (but think the opposite) so I appreciate you being direct.

-----

I don't expect you to know anything about me. It made me feel like you have written me off/dismissed me when you mention HomeAssistant + WebRTC. HomeAssistant uses Go2RTC and the WebRTC library it uses is Pion[0]. I created that and maintain it. Getting WebRTC on tiny devices is something I have been working on for years and always doing it Open Source/making it best for users.

-----

> comes off as doing things that have already been done before but presenting as if something novel was done.

I don't think 'Hardware AI Assistant' is a novel idea. What I hoped was a novel idea was putting it in an easy to use package for others to build upon and use. WebRTC + Hardware is something I have been trying to make easier for a long time https://github.com/awslabs/amazon-kinesis-video-streams-webr... [1] I wrote this code, but things still felt too difficult.

When ESP32s got powerful enough to do WebRTC I wrote [2]. Reflect inherits from that. So I am proud of that. I have been on this journey to make RTC + cheap hardware possible so that others can build upon that.

-----

Again I really appreciate your comment, and sorry to be so defensive. Someone I really respected (and I thought they respected me) said the same thing about my work not being novel. They said people have been building security cameras for years that use WebRTC, you are over inflating what you are doing. That has stuck with me. So part of me does fear that I am wasting my time trying to solve these problems.

I don't think what I am doing is novel. I do think that I am solving it differently because I make it accessible/Open Source. Most people solving these problems/building it just keep their code at work and don't try to help others use it.

If you are up for it shoot me an email sean@pion.ly and https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-dubois/ I would love to have a friend that calls me out/is honest whats good work and what is just BS :)

-----

[0] https://github.com/pion/webrtc

[1] https://github.com/awslabs/amazon-kinesis-video-streams-webr...

[2] https://github.com/Sean-Der/embedded-sdk

Reply View 1 reply

godelski 3 days ago

Maybe you thought about my comment too much. You're right, I don't know you. That also means it is difficult to interpret intent and perspective, right? Not an easy task on the internet.
I don't think you should apologize for being defensive. I'm not upset and what you said does change how I interpret things. Hell, I now know you have way more experience than me in the domain! I'm still reserved on novelty but that doesn't mean you don't know something I don't.
Also, I want to be clear, not everything needs to be novel. There's tons of utility in things not being novel. I want to stress that because we both are in groups which overemphasize novelty (sometimes to a toxic level). Sometimes you should rebuild the wheel for the learning experience/fun. Hell, sometimes you should rebuild the wheel because it can be better, and one of the best ways to figure that out is just by rebuilding that wheel. Or maybe you just rebuild the wheel and show others how to do so (though I'd say there's novelty in that ;). My critique was not due to your work, but messaging. I think it is a fun project, but it came off as if pitching something like an Alexa but as if those devices didn't exist[0]. There's an entirely different take with "this is a fun thing I did (and here are some unique things)" vs "look at this novel thing".
I'll send an invite, but only on one condition: you also call me out on my BS lol. Friends aren't sycophants. Sycophants don't care outside themselves. Human relationships comes with conflict (are we even nerds if we don't argue about stupid nuances?). What matters is if at the end of the day friends can grab a beer together and be friends lol
[0] Back to the first paragraph. There's probably things I incorrectly assumed, especially due to the connection with OpenAI. I'm just getting a small glimpse of this, right? Sounds now like you weren't intending that message. It also sounds to me like that person was telling you something similar. "Over inflating" is "over selling" not "your work is meaningless." Pitch differently. If "for fun", just say that. Don't let anyone tell you there's something wrong with that. If there is something novel, then it's not coming across in your pitch. It's entirely possible you know something we don't. Though the reverse is true too lol.

Reply View | 0 replies