Archive - The Hidden Layer

From Sand to Smartphone: A Field Guide to the Electronics Stack

The essential guide to how electronic goods are made, layer by layer, for consumers, and industry newcomers.

Dec 22, 2025 • Neil Hawke

Christmas Dispatch: Two Small Towns That Quietly Run the Holidays

How Oregon forests and a Chinese manufacturing hub shape Christmas across continents.

Dec 8, 2025 • Neil Hawke

October 2025

Special Dispatch: Normal Computing’s Thermodynamic Chip

Noise, heat, and the next frontier in AI hardware

Oct 30, 2025 • Neil Hawke

From Highways to High Tech: Vietnam’s Bid for Electronics Relevance

As global supply chains rewire around risk, Vietnam’s next leap won’t be built in factories, it’ll be paved on its roads.

Oct 16, 2025 • Neil Hawke

August 2025

I’m Not an Expert, but I’m Building in Public Anyway

There’s something refreshing about being early.

Aug 6, 2025 • Neil Hawke

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