Well.. this morning started out in an unusual way..Today I gave my self a late 50th bitrhday present and visited the local gastrointerologist for one of those uh… well.. invasive tests. I had ever square centimeter of my lower GI photographed by a freindly robotic camera.. Like 99 percent of eveyone who does this.. I was A-OK… and my lower GI is the picture of health. Let’s just say that the experience was interesting and memorable.. actually.. not that memorable since the drugs they give you make you forget everything that happened.  It’s something every healthy adult over 50 should do .. but many never do because.. well..  if you’ve been putting off getting a colonscopy. because t sounds painful and unpleasant…. I’m here to tell you it wasn’t bad.. . . in fact  it beat a day at work ! just do it. !
    Since I should spare you pictures of that part of my day.. I’ll show you what Diane and I have been working on all evening. We’ve just finished the light strips for one of the burning man TimeCycle vehicles giant wheels.. Here’s a movie of the strips going through a few pattern changes.. note the two strips combined are more than 60 feet long !  I think this is going to look way cool on the vehicle !

OMG>. i’s 1AM again.. gotta get to sleep.. More tomorrow.. Night everyone… night Sam !
-me

Did I really just say “I luv my veapon of doooooooom” on TV ? You guys.. I cannot even get close to describing how unutterably wierd it is to sit down with my family and friends and watch The Colony. I’m seeing it for the first time just like everyone else… The key difference is that I got to see all the stuff that isn’t on the show. All the cooking cleaning, writing, hanging out, arguing, goofing around… etc.. There was so much stuff that I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been to edit it down to an hour of TV each week. It’s really strange to see how people and situations are portrayed.. For example. it kinda seems like the women in the show aren’t getting as much face time as the guys. .. not sure why.. they awere all amazing. it’s quadruply wierd to see how you yourself are portrayed. I gotta say that I’m enjoying the ride.. though it can get bumpy at times. You need to have pretty thick skin to not let some of the more mean spirited blog and twitter comments get to you.. (eg.. one recent twitterer wrote : Colony Ep.1: pretty good until old, pale, naked computer engineer in the rain lol”).. On the other hand.. I’m really digging most of the feedback. it’s actually very good.
   Tonight’s show was fun for me because I remmeber this was the week I really started to figure out what I was doing on the show. It was strange for me… a pacifist..  to be making weapons (we made many more than they could show).. I can now say that the phrase ‘do not try this at home’ has appeared on the same screen as me.. I would have liked to have been able to explain the science behind the flame thrower .. actually a ‘propane accumulator’  a little more. It’s actually a very cool device I learned how to build at Burning Man..  

Just back from a 650 mile roundtrip to ny in 28 hours . I had some meetings in somers and did a mad science show for several hundred kids in the IBM Somers cafeteria. Giving those shows is one of the things I feel most good about doing these days.. When I’m talking to kids about science is when I feel most at peace with myself.. and most … i don’t know.. aligned wiht the cosmos or something…   Aside from the show, the trip was pretty good. I stayed with my friends Chandu and Patty in there new carbo nuetral house, It’s an engineering and architectural marvel. Chandu and his late father designed it from scratch.  The idea had been for Chandu’s parents to move into the house from india.. Sadly, Chandu’s father passed away early this year.  He was a great man,..
    Mutual friends of Chandu and Mine.. Prof. Ralph O. and Clara from the Netherlands  were also staying at the house. It was a wonderful coincidence.. I got to catch up with both couples. I even smuggled Ralph in to see my show today..
    I have a ton of IBM work  and hobby work that I should do tonight … but I’m just too exhausted.. I can’t even think straight..  The long drive back and forht to NY is sometime energizing.. and sometimes exhausting.. this time it was the latter. I came hioome feelign sad and worn out.. I hope it will be better in the morning after a good nights sleep.. let’s hope..
  Nite all. Nite sam.. thanks for riding with me today..
-me