Today is a huge day for us. We are launching not one, but two new projects today.

The first is Obi, a smart laser toy for pets. The idea for Obi originated about a year ago, when my wife and I adopted our first cat, Mr. Littlejeans. It became clear almost immediately that we wanted a toy that could entertain him in some kind of automated way without being a total eyesore. The Kickstarter project page and video give a good overview of everything Obi can do. Tom and I have been working on Obi for about 7 months and couldn't be more excited to finally reveal it. This is new territory for us, combining both electronics and software, and is certainly our most ambitious project to date.

Alongside Obi, we are also launching a new podcast, Thoroughly Considered. We are producing this together with our friend Myke Hurley from Relay FM, and it will trace the journey of bringing Obi into existence. Our highest aspiration is for the podcast to be like Startup, but for a hardware product. Tom and I have recorded nearly every conversation we've had since the inception of the idea, and those recordings will be woven together with questions and narration by Myke. We hope this podcast provides an honest look at what it takes to develop an idea, run a Kickstarter campaign, manufacture a product, and ship it to customers. Warts and all, as they say. The first episode is already available to download, and please, consider subscribing as well.

For a while now, Tom and I have wanted to create a product that combined electronics and software, as well as a vague desire to start a podcast, so it is kind of overwhelming we are attempting it all in one fell swoop. This is our most ambitious project to date, by far, and we definitely can't do it without your help.

Check out our Kickstarter page and please consider backing. Even if you don't want or need an Obi, your support will help bring the podcast to life. And don't forget to tell your friends with pets!