Gadget magpies: retrieving the simple joy of tech with the M5 Cardputer
The following is an AI generated summary of the video
Why Every Engineer Needs a Gadget Magpie Project
Recently, I picked up an M5 Cardputer.
It's a tiny gadget about the size of a credit card with a screen, keyboard, speaker, microphone, battery, infrared transmitter, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and enough computing power to run surprisingly sophisticated software.
It's completely unnecessary.
Which is exactly why I bought it.
The Gadget Magpie Problem
Most engineers have a weakness.
We see an interesting piece of technology and immediately think:
That's cool. I should buy one.
A Raspberry Pi.
An Arduino.
A Flipper Zero.
A software-defined radio.
An FPGA board.
A smart sensor.
A strange little handheld computer.
Before long, we've accumulated a shelf full of gadgets that seemed fascinating at the time but rarely get used.
I call this the Gadget Magpie Problem.
We're attracted to shiny technical objects.
The challenge is making sure they become projects rather than e-waste.
Solving a Real Problem
When the Cardputer arrived, I decided it needed a purpose.
Like many families, we have a recurring problem:
We lose the TV remote.
Frequently.
This inevitably leads to someone reaching around the back of the television, pressing random buttons, selecting the wrong input, and somehow ending up on terrestrial television with no idea how to get back.
Clearly, a technological solution was required.
So I built a replacement remote control.
A Small Project With a Big Payoff
The project itself was simple.
I captured the infrared codes from the original remote, wrote a small amount of C++ code, and programmed the Cardputer to send the same commands.
Power.
Volume up.
Volume down.
Input selection.
That's all I really needed.
The finished application was only around seventy lines of code.
Nothing revolutionary.
But it solved a genuine problem and gave the device a purpose.
The Unexpected Lesson
The interesting part wasn't the remote.
It was how the project made me feel.
Over the last couple of years, a lot of discussion in software engineering has revolved around AI, automation, and the future of the profession.
Every week seems to bring another prediction about which jobs will disappear, which skills will become obsolete, and which tools everyone needs to learn immediately.
It's exhausting.
One moment you're convinced everything is changing forever.
Ten minutes later you're wondering whether the latest AI tool is actually useful at all.
The constant uncertainty can be mentally draining.
Rediscovering the Joy of Building
What these little projects remind me is why I got into technology in the first place.
Not because of frameworks.
Not because of certifications.
Not because of career planning.
Because building things is fun.
There's something deeply satisfying about taking a small problem and solving it.
No deadlines.
No stakeholders.
No meetings.
No performance reviews.
Just curiosity, experimentation, and the satisfaction of making something work.
It reminds me of being a child sitting at a computer and discovering that software could make things happen.
Tinkering Is Important
Professional development often becomes very goal-oriented.
Learn this platform.
Study that certification.
Master this framework.
Optimise for the next role.
Those things have value.
But they can also make technology feel like work all the time.
Tinkering is different.
Tinkering gives you permission to explore without a specific outcome in mind.
You can experiment.
Break things.
Try strange ideas.
Build something utterly unnecessary simply because it seems interesting.
That's where some of the most enjoyable learning happens.
A Reset Button for Engineers
For me, small projects act as a reset button.
They help cut through the noise of industry trends, hiring concerns, and endless discussions about the future.
They remind me that technology isn't just a career.
It's a creative medium.
After spending an evening building a tiny remote control, a game, a synthesizer project, or some strange home-lab experiment, I often return to work feeling calmer and more focused.
The problems haven't disappeared.
But they've been put back into perspective.
Final Thoughts
The pace of change in technology can feel overwhelming.
New tools appear constantly.
AI is reshaping workflows.
The industry feels more competitive than ever.
In the middle of all that, it's worth making time for small projects that exist purely because they're fun.
Buy the gadget if it genuinely interests you.
Just don't let it sit on a shelf.
Turn it into a project.
Solve a tiny problem.
Learn something new.
And occasionally remind yourself why you fell in love with technology in the first place.