Nico and Maya joshing around while we wait for our dinners to arrive. The family dined out on the eve of Nico’s return to Colorado College. He did an independent study for his fourth block so he could participate in the Amputee World Cup.  I think it is safe to say he is anxious to get back to school but will also miss his family and girl friend, Karuna.

I spent the bulk of the day working on a name for the company I am thinking about forming.  When I co-founded Truevision, the Internet did not exist and the challenge of securing an available .com domain was not an issue.  Now it is a huge challenge and something you need to consider early in the naming process.  I purchased about 12 domains and have already narrowed my choices down to four.  Next I need to do a little user group testing for appeal while searching the trademark database to make sure the name will not infringe on another entity.

Until it stops working, you often do not appreciate how important a particular bit of technology can be. In the case of our electronic pet containment system, which ceased to function earlier this week, we have learned that lesson all too well. When the system went down we had to deal with an escaped dog gone on a walkabout and once re-captured having to bundle up several times a day to take her outside to relieve her aging bladder. A new system arrived today, not a moment too soon. It features a new capability that I hope Nala will appreciate. When she enters the boundary zone at the edge of her play-safe area, her new collar will beep to warn her that a shock is imminent if she does not retreat. The old system would simply zap her when she went too far afield. Whether she is smart enough to figure out the connection remains to be seen.

Jeanine has raised three kids who really know how to cook. This evening Nico prepared focaccia that was out of this world.  Photographed here prior to the application of a balsamic vinaigrette drizzle they were absolutely scrumptuous. I too have grown in my mastery of the culinary arts and am routinely entrusted to toast bread or boil water.

While at CES I happened upon a Tesla Model X prototype. Last summer I placed a $5,000 deposit on this all-electric car, sight unseen. The plan is to eventually convert all our petroleum fueled cars to electric powered. The BMW i3 has proven to be a fantastic commuter car but the Tesla offers the promise of long range touring and much greater cargo capacity. Seeing the falcon-wing doors in person left me with significant concerns about the practicality of this design in the presence of driving rain or heavy snowfall. I will reserve judgement until I have had a chance to take one for a test drive, presumably about a year from now.

I have never found it easy to tell the people I work with that I am leaving the company. I managed to do so this morning with a mildly humorous ice breaker to start the meeting during which I made the announcement. Being late (even by a minute) for my staff meetings will earn you a $1 fine. If I am late, the cost for me is $2. Over the last five years these fines have been placed into an envelope which is guarded by my administrative assistant. At the beginning of the meeting, I collected a buck from a straggler and asked my assembled staff to guess how much money was in the envelope. Today’s photograph captures their estimates. I then announced that the person with the closest guess would win the entire pot which was being disbursed because I had decided to leave the company in pursuit of a new opportunity.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working at iRobot which is an exceptional company filled with extraordinary individuals. When I joined the company, my original plan was to stay for four years. Last December when my first boss left, I made a commitment to stay for an additional year. Having achieved the results I was hired to deliver, the time has come for me to climb a new mountain. I have another opportunity in hand and others on the horizon but I am leaning towards starting another company of my own. This has been a dream of mine ever since creating Truevision and I have a very exciting idea in mind. For the moment, however, I am focused on a smooth wind down of my responsibilities and have agreed to stay with iRobot through April. I am also toying with the idea of a 6-month adventure-travel-photography sabbatical before jumping into the next cauldron!

Bell Labs, AT&T Epicenter, Truevision, RasterOps, Pinnacle Systems, Avid Technology, Sonos, iRobot, the ninth inning.

While at CES I came across these Rocketskates (electric-powered skates). I thought they might be something that would interest Nico for zooming around campus. He was intrigued, but not enough to have me place an order. He is still after me to invent a shoe that converts to a proper roller blade at the push of a button (not like the flimsy roller shoes that are currently available).

Furnace Creek is aptly named if you visit in the summer. Temperatures here have reached as high as 134F.  This morning it was in the low 30s when I emerged from my tent. Despite overcast skies and a slight drizzle I made good use of the morning hours before having to set out for the airport in Las Vegas. Had I known my flight would be delayed by five hours, I would have hung around much longer.

I could spend days in the Badwater Basin alone. The salt crystal formations are as unusual as they are beautiful. I travelled through Twenty Mule Team Canyon on my way out of the park using my own trusted steed, a Jeep Wrangler that did more than earn its keep over the last three days.

My plan for the day was to explore a very remote area of Death Valley called the “Race Track” where the famous sailing stones can be found. Unfortunately, I missed a turn last night while making the three hour journey and found myself a hundred miles off course in Panamint Springs before I realized my mistake. It was late and I was tired so I decided to make camp. In the morning, I was up several hours before sunrise and decided to visit the Panamint Sand Dunes. Thirty minutes of driving and an hour of hiking had me well positioned for sunrise but cloud conditions only afforded me a 3 minute window for decent photography. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not. The trek was not a total loss as I passed an interesting pair of abandoned cars on my return.

After breakfast I enjoyed hiking to Darwin Falls where the color green appeared for the first time. Later I drove to the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns and Aguereberry Point. The ten beehive-shaped kilns were built in 1876 to provide fuel to process silver/lead ore.

By late afternoon I arrived at Stovepipe Wells and the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Here I had better luck with the setting sun and got some nice shots before driving on to Furnace Creek for my final night in the tent.

Last night I rented a Jeep Wrangler and headed to Death Valley National Park for a weekend of tent camping, photography and exploration. I met my colleague from Truevision (he prefers to keep his name off the grid) this morning and we hiked up to Zabriskie Point through aptly named Golden Canyon.   Later in the day we explored the  Devil’s Golf Course, Natural Bridge, and the Badwater Salt Flats, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. Winter temperatures in the park make this the perfect time of year to visit although lighting is hit or miss as the clouds rapidly evolve from great backgrounds to obstinant blockers of the sun. Here are a few of the hundreds of photos I took.

The view from my room at the Westin Hotel looks on to the recently completed 550 foot tall High Roller, the world’s tallest observation wheel. High Roller features 28 spherical passenger cabins which can accommodate up to 40 passengers each, and is illuminated with dynamic multicolored LED lights nightly. I briefly considered going for a spin but I was too tired to wait in line after another long day at CES.

I spent an exhausting day touring the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  For some reason I can trek continuously for 12 hours at a stretch with no problems but am left with an aching back and blistered feet after an 8-hour trade show.  My focus at the show is all things robotic.  The robot pictured above is by far the creepiest one I have ever seen.  It is an animatronic “communication” robot that features facial gestures and movements that are very human-like but not quite.  It is the not quite part that makes this thing very disconcerting to be around.  The day is coming when such a robot will be mistaken for a human and despite my love of technology, I am not sure that is something I want to witness.

It was not a great day for aerial photography as I flew from Boston to Las Vegas but I did manage a nice shot of the mouth of the Charles River.  After arriving at my hotel, I had an opportunity to reconnect with a former Truevision colleague who I have not seen in 21 years. He has been photographing the deserts of the world for the last three years and has created an exquisite collection of beautiful one of a kind images. He was kind enough to share his post processing workflow with me as we reviewed selections from his portfolio.  My work responsibilities limited our time together but we made arrangements to meet in Death Valley National Park for a day of shooting together later in the wee

For twenty years I attended the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) trade show in Las Vegas.  Let’s just say that it is one of my least favorite travel destinations and yet that is where I am headed tomorrow.  I will be attending CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, for the rest of the week where I will be surveying whats new on the competitive and technology horizons and meeting with colleagues.  I will have new posts when I return on Sunday.

It was with mixed emotions that Jeanine and I dropped Kyle off at the airport early this morning. He is returning to Santa Clara University where he will resume his senior year after spending a gap semester at home with us. We are pleased that he took a break to focus on his future and that he has decided to add a computer science minor to his finance degree. On the other hand, we have really enjoyed the extended visit with him and are going to miss him more than usual this time. The hectic scene at the airport thwarted my effort to get a decent photo of him as he was leaving.

Today’s photo features Maya following precisely in her friend’s footsteps as she navigated an inch of slushy snow and frigid temperatures in a pair of flip-flops and shorts. Why does a child attempt winter snow traversal in flip-flops and shorts? That is a very good question for which I have no good answer.