All posts by johncohn

Monday night -wasta man

July 1, 2013 johncohn Leave a comment

I just learned another cool,new word.. Its 'wasta' (واسْطة) an arabic,word meaning connections.. Or 'pull' or grease Or something you get from connections rather than merit. I learned it at a really interesting workshop i'm attending on entrepreneurship and water at the Harvard Innovation lab. The workshop is with fellows of the I2 program…. Which has been set up to promote entrepreneurism in Saudi Arab

I was so impressed with the fellows and organizers of I2.. They were smart, visionary and hard working..They all had really superb technical backgrounds.. And were deep thinkers…i felt honored to be there.. Dr. Sindi,a the founder of I2 was an insipring woman…she'd jsut invented a disposable test for liver falure made of paper.. How cool is that..

One of my favorite talks of the workshop today was from His Royal Highness Fahad al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family, a stanfrod grad, social entrepreneur and tottally awsome and inspiring guy.. Hes The guy who told me the meaning of the word Wasta.. Or ,vitamin-W, His talk. Was aimed at the saudis in the audience encouraging them to move beyond privelidge and to come back and serve their country by inspiring their countrymen to innnovate, invent and give back.

Ok.. Its late and i need sleep.. More to orrow from the workshop !

Nite all, note sam

-me

Posted with Blogsy

Sunday night – back in boston

July 1, 2013 johncohn Leave a comment

back in boston for a series of meeting these next two days. A nother nice excuse to visit my folks.. and this time I had a hitchhiker.. Diane came along.. It was a really nice surprise for my folks.. we got here just before 10.. . Mom and dad had gone out and gotten really nice indian food for me.. luckily they had enough for 2 !

Too sleepy to write more noe.. more tomorrow !

nite all, nite sam

-me

Saturday night – carbon offset

June 29, 2013 johncohn Leave a comment

I spent the entire day hanging out with Diane doing as little as possible.. We did venture away from home twice. once for a very fast 3 mile hike around preston pond.. Very fast just to stay ahead of the mosquitos which were out in force.. and once to go restart the floorish piece after a power outage in Burlington.. and to drop off my jolts and volts equipment at work. That was a fascinating trip if only oto see the extent of the flooding in burlington.. soem of the city streets were under several inches of water. The firehouse gallery had water in its basement.. and IBM had water in the halls.. amazing weather…

As we drove around, diane and I compared notes on our week.. I’d been in boston, ny, illinois, Ct and back.. I’d slept in 5 differnt beds, been on several planes, and driven over a thousand miles..My carbon footprint is horrible..

Diane had not left the driveway once in 4 days.. she’d been hanging out working in the garden, eating from the garden and taking hikes all week. We realized that she is my carbon offset .. the more I travel for work, the more she stays home to kharmically make up for my horrible carbon footprint

I am lucky to have her.. (and not just for her low carbon)

nite all, nite sam

-me

Friday night – kids today

June 28, 2013 johncohn Leave a comment

Back in vermont after being in a different hotel room for each of the last three nights. Whirwind busy week.. but totally fun and very interesting from a work perspective.

My flight into white planes was almost 2 hours late.. so that I got in around midnight… I didn’t trust making a 5 hour drive, so I got a hotel in Connecticut.. Good choice. I actually managed to get a few hours sleep before starting again for home early this morning.. I had a fll day of phone meetings.. so the drive time was quite perspective.. but by the time I got home in late afternoon i was really beat.

I had to rally everything i had to get back in the car and shlepp down to UVM for tonight’s Governors Institute finale.. Every year i do an electricity show for the GIV Engineering program for my friends Tom, Beth and Ann.. I think I’ve done it for 10 years.. this year was one of the best crop of kids.. they were high school kids from all over the country and a few from outside of the US.

It’s always hard adjusting my show for older kids. they know tons more stuff.. but they are harder to engage .. this group was really great.. they new their science.. and they were a ton of fun.. I was talking to my friend Joe who was there working on robotics with he kids.. he confirmed what I’d been thinking.. kids are getting better at hands on stuff.. things like FIRST and the internet maker sites are giving more kids a maker experience earlier in their careers.. i suspected (and hoped) it was happening.. but today was the first time a teacher had confirmed