My freind Simon and his wife Sian came to visit us at work inMunuch. Simon is a blind ultramarathon runner I met at an IBM conference wearler this year. It was really great hosting the two of htem here today. My freinds John, David and I had worked for several hours yesterday workign an ultrasonic obstacle avoidance prototype yesteray and we were eager to have simon try it out. He’s trying to figure out a way to run a marthon like boston or NYC without a guide.. and he needs a way to ‘see’ other poeple in his path

the device is just a simple maxbotic ultrasonic rangefinder attached to a partical photon all on a velcro strap taht attached to simns chest. . Its controlled  via a mobile app we created in BLYNK. it works surprisingly well … As you get within a threshold distance it starts to vibrate.. the closer an obsitcal comes, the fasterit vibrates.. .. here’s simon walkign around he office without hitting things.. it needs to be a little faster.. and a little more aggressive in the vibration.. overall.not bad for an initial prototype

 

 

simon is pretty amazing.. ..so is Sian. they are both writing books.. his is about beig a blind runner pushing the bounds of techology.. hers is a kids book about bears..

 

i’m really glad to get to know them both !

Gotta sleep now..

night all,nightsam

-me

 

I had a fun and super busy day.. got a good run in this morning. then did soem work-work.. Around 1 i met up with my friends John and David for a quick lunch .  We have much in common.. John and I in particular have very similar pasts.. One thing I hadn’t know is that we had grief  in common. I need to check with him about sharing his story here..  we were sharing stories .. and talking about greiving , healing and the crazy ‘magical’ things that happened afterwards  .. I was telling the story of all the crazy things that have happened with lights and electricity around Sam ..

just as I finished the story… the lights went out in the resturant..

thank you sam …

nite all, nite sam

-me

 

I woke this morning at 9:30… 9 hours of sleep !!!.. I met up with my freinds John. David and Eric at 10 and headed to the  Deutsches Museum…   beutiful walk ..

 

 

on the way We stopped for breakfast… ..

 

where I learned tha Leanard Cohen had died..

It really hit me..  I’d been thinkign of him quite a bit recently ..he was much in the press recently..  he just put out a new album at age 82… I just read a great article about  him in the New Yorker..   I wonder.. Did he know it was near his time ? .

 

I’m laying in bed in the hotel listenign to lots of his old songs.. Suzanne, Hey thats no way to say goodbye, Angels of Mercy.. Chelsea Hotel (one of my favorites)..  So long Mariane Perfect Blue Raincoat…

Just hear ‘Who By Fire’. based ona Yom Kipper prayer… I always liked Cohen’s music.. it resonated with me and put me in a nice and sad mood…

thats what I feel like feeling   right now..

 

Current mood aside… had a great day .. the detches museam was a wonderful geekfest…

 

 

 

they had a fantastic high voltage setup and demo !

(scott.. they had an amazing Marx generator.. you would have loved it !!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

they had a great aircraft exhibit.. including soem movies of the hindenburg.. did you knwo it had swastikas on it ?

 

one of my favorite parts was the historical computing exibit

 

we also saw a cool liquid nitrogen demo..

 

and I foudn a ‘perpetual motion’ proposal by someone with Dianes Last Name and the kids middle names !

 

and I found diane and all three kids initials on a building

 

had a great veggie meal downtown.. where trump was never far away..

ok.. time for sleep…  more tomorrow

nite all,nite sam

-me

I want to take a quiet moment at the end of crazy week to rember that this is Veterans day. I am a confirmed pascifist.. but that doesn’t stop me for a moment for being thankful to all people of whatever country that were so passionate in what they beleved that they would fight to protect the people they loved..

I want to give a special shout out to our dear friend and neighbor Pat Quinn who’s in the hospital today.. on the mend.. and was a WWII ventran. Diane visited him today in the hospital .. both looking good !

 

as always,   I want to remmeber the service of my dad Hugh

 

andmy fatehr in law Gabriel…

we apreciate all you did for us !

nite all, nite sam

-me