This book is for those who are attempting to launch a massive engineering project or expedition with minimal financial or human resources. It is not about specific hardware or software technical methods; it is about the meta-hack of developing enough support and buzz to get your project to take on a life of its own. Large corporations do this with brute-force methods (unlimited money and people), but individuals face daunting hurdles when competing for mindshare and resources. Without the ability to leverage larger forces as a sort of "martial art," it is exceedingly difficult for a lone geek to escape the gravity well. This little book is the collection of "trade secrets" that have made my 25 years of adventures possible... the art of working with sponsors, media, and volunteers to get an insanely ambitious project off the ground and keep it moving on its own momentum.
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About the Author
My own career has been the proving ground for the techniques revealed in this book. In 1983 I took off across the US on a computerized recumbent bicycle, freelance-writing and consulting while underway. This was bizarre at the time, though of course it would now be unremarkable. But the project took on a life of its own, and I eventually covered 17,000 miles on three versions of this increasingly geeky machine. With a handlebar chord keyboard, heads-up display, head mouse, console Macintosh, and 24/7 satellite net connection (in 1990) it was a sort of geek extravaganza... and the project had about 150 corporate sponsors, 45 volunteers, and almost continuous mainstream media coverage. It became self-supporting, then segued through the '90s into the Microship project - an amphibian pedal/solar/sail canoe-scale micro-trimaran with similar technological overlays. As this book goes to press, I am making the transition to a full-time voyaging life aboard a 44-foot steel pilothouse sailboat. Naturally, this is extensively networked with embedded data collection and control systems, streaming telemetry to a public web server, and a user-interface layer somewhat reminiscent of the Enterprise. I have published 6 books over the years (ranging from travel and adventure to microprocessor design), and prior to all this nomadness spent a decade developing custom industrial control systems, early home computers, and other paleo-geekery. Home base is in the Pacific Northwest, and you can see my projects and bloggage at http://microship.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reaching Escape Velocity: A must read for adventure seekers!,
By lesval "lesval" (stanwood, wa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Reaching Escape Velocity: Launching gonzo engineering projects with sponsors, media, volunteers, and other potent forces (Paperback)
Folks,
A major international project I am involved with was needing contemporary media kick start with an underlying guerrilla marketing strategy due to the devastating economic turmoil (downturn.) This publication gave inspiration, ideas and a no-nonsense plan to the entire operation. The program Steve has developed and the simple (now obvious after reading the book) steps he outlines were instrumental in generating new media interest, not to mention major sponsorship. This book paid for itself within hours, and will continue to add value for a lifetime. Two hearty thumbs up, a must read! Les
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get sponsored. Geek out. Explore.,
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This review is from: Reaching Escape Velocity: Launching gonzo engineering projects with sponsors, media, volunteers, and other potent forces (Paperback)
From what I've seen, this book fills in some important gaps in the sponsorship world. Most of the other stuff out there seems to be directed more at getting sports sponsorship deals. Rather than a path to sponsorship that relies on becoming a motivational speaker or media whore to procure swag and travel expenses, Steve lays out a strategy that provides value to sponsors on more robust levels. Not only that, but the value exchange he details adds a layer of engineering and experimentation missing from traditional sponsorships.
One of the projects he got funded using these principles was a technology laden bike that cost something like $1,200,000 to build. Not only is the knowledge from that project invaluable, but he built his experience putting together at least two other bike projects and at least two boat projects. The book is short on pages, but straight to the point. I'm putting together an expedition requiring some serious tech and it answered a bunch of nagging questions I couldn't get answered anywhere else.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you're thinking of launching a gonzo project, this is for you,
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This review is from: Reaching Escape Velocity: Launching gonzo engineering projects with sponsors, media, volunteers, and other potent forces (Paperback)
Not only is Steven Roberts a heck of an adventurer, he has now undertaken the painstaking work of detailing everything you need to know about the forgotten and mysterious side of gonzo engineering: the sponsoring, volunteering and media parts. Roberts is a man who knows his topic well and lives it. Thankfully he is also articulate and has distilled his knowledge into Reaching Escape Velocity. This should be one of the first books you should reach for if you're undertaking any sort of gonzo engineering project.
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