078 - Séance Mode - An Interview with Michael Ossmann
Summary
Alvaro and Jen interview Michael Osman from Great Scott Gadgets about the HackRF Pro and Cyntheon. They discuss Cyntheon’s USB emulation capabilities for reverse engineering and the HackRF Pro’s expanded low-frequency range. The conversation also covers Great Scott’s rejection of AI-generated code, regulatory compliance, and chip shortages.
Topics discussed
Introduction and guest welcome
HackRF Pro release and Cyntheon introduction
USB emulation and FaceDancer capabilities
Reverse engineering VNA calibration kits
Packetry software and Rust adoption
Stance on LLM-generated code
Embedded Rust development challenges
Impact of AI on hacking and bug bounties
HackRF Pro hardware design and low-frequency performance
Regulatory compliance and test equipment exemptions
Chip shortages and component sourcing
Frame WTF and Geoguessr games
Radio astronomy and time synchronization projects
Longwave time signals and atomic clocks
High-frequency SDR limitations and future tech
Quantum computing and encryption
Board games and Taskmaster
Common RF engineering mistakes and signal integrity
SDR learning resources and decibels
Favorite tools and closing remarks
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