Life in the Calabria household without fire on which to cook is a very scary prospect. Jeanine cooks food from scratch every day and the microwave is nothing more than a convenience for heating left overs. It will be at least a week and possibly two before we receive and I can install a new cook top. The fear of Jeanine embarking on a homicidal rage before then inspired me to find a way, against all odds, to return our existing unit to temporary service. I will spare readers the gory details which involved the use of crow bars and a hacksaw but I managed to gain access to the interior of the unit. Once inside, I removed the damaged and no longer necessary components, pictured here. When all was said and done, I was able to return 4 of the 5 burners to manual operation.
gas-tra-tion : the frustration experienced when servicing a poorly designed gas appliance
I installed this GE gas cook top seven years ago. Recently the automatic ignition system failed and we have been lighting the burners manually. Today I set out to repair the problem. What should have taken an hour or two turned into an all day affair and unresolved outcome. In order to access the electronic ignition module, the most likely source of the problem, you must first gain access to the inside of the unit. This involves removing the range from the counter top, releasing two screws and the five burner tubes. When I attempted to loosen the final burner tube it would not budge. All the others had come out easily so I continued to apply more torque. Eventually the tube began to rotate but not because it was backing out of the casting below. Instead the casting had broken free of its mount and was rotating in place, wrapping the associated gas lines around itself destroying the assembly and associated control valve. To make matters worse, with no possibility of removing the final tube, access to the interior and any hopes of a repair are out of the question. If it were just a matter of replacing the unit with a new one this story would have a happy albeit expensive ending. Even though our kitchen island counter top has a standard size cutout for the range, it is also equipped with a telescoping side draft exhaust system which sits flush along the back edge. This creates a dimensional constraint on the cook top rear flange which as luck would have it does not conform to any model currently available on the market. It will now be necessary to cut a larger opening in the one and a half inch thick slab of granite along the already narrow front edge to fit a replacement. Not a great note on which to end the year.
One of the items I retrieved from my parents home when my mother and I began preparing the house for sale was a 48 inch flat screen TV that I purchased with my father shortly before his death. As of today it hangs in our breakfast nook where it displays my photographs in a random sequence with a new picture every 30 seconds. This wall has always been used to display artwork. We painted it with magnetic paint before it was papered allowing us to use magnets to “hang” flat artwork and photos. During the holiday season it is used to display the cards we receive. This location in our home can be seen from the kitchen, living room, and my office making it the perfect spot. I completely underestimated how much joy this little project would bring me and the family.
Jeanine, Susan, her friend Jean and I decided to spend the afternoon at Plum Island. The air temperature, in the low 40s, was unusually high but this was offset by sustained high winds which easily gusted over 30 knots. Everyone was dressed for the weather but even so we all were rosy cheeked by the end of the outing. We arrived at high tide and enjoyed a massive display of power as the wind driven waves assaulted the shore. After a brief walk on the ocean side of the nature reserve we finished our excursion touring the salt water marshes where we were fortunate to see a bevy of swans. After ample fresh air and exercise we returned to Concord with a few stops along the Merrimack River in hopes of a bald eagle sighting which was not to be realized.
Maya, over the course of the day, baked and decorated a giant cupcake utilizing a special mold she received as a Christmas present from her Aunt Lauren. The resulting treat was quickly devoured by a small army of boys (friends of Kyle and Nicolai who were gathered at the house) and members of the family except for Nico who is dieting to make a target weight of 112 pounds.
Nicolai and I made an early morning visit to Emerson hospital for additional testing to confirm that it is safe for him to return to wrestling. The first series of tests passed small electric currents through his body to confirm that his muscles were properly reacting to stimulus. The second series was far more painful. A tiny metal wire was placed deep (2 inches) into his muscles while the doctor monitored the electrical signals present when he flexed the muscles. The good news is that the test appears to confirm an absence of nerve damage or muscle weakness.
I enjoyed my vacation day by indulging in a little creative photography. This image was not made with Photoshop. I carefully deposited water drops on a plate of glass. The drops act like small inverting lenses which I focused on a framed photo of Maya which was positioned below.
Today I put down my camera and simply enjoyed being immersed in family as we celebrated Christmas day with each other. We enjoyed Jeanine’s famous popovers for breakfast before beginning to share gifts. We took our time, enjoying each surprise, which occupied us well into the afternoon. Jeanine’s sister Susan, who we are always delighted to spend the holidays with, brought the movie Saint Ralph with her. This uplifting story of a boy in pursuit of a miracle made for a perfect finish to our celebration. Having spent the better part of the day nibbling on snacks and treats we unanimously opted to postpone Christmas dinner until tomorrow.
It would not be Christmas Eve without Zeppole Balls. These fried spheres of dough are coated with honey and sprinkles. They have been a part of my Christmas tradition since I was a small child (50 years). There are several levitra discount strains of viral hepatitis. After noticing the ongoing and continuous bad effects of impotency on the world population the medical science starts the production and manufacturer of some suitable anti-impotency patterns by accumulating all the knowledge the experts have earned during the research work. tadalafil 50mg Sounds familiar, right? Unquestionably, technology has made almost all foods that are consumed very refined and processed. order cheap levitra Physicians will consider psychotherapy for patients who are likely to make you feel better even before you 100mg sildenafil : More than 20 million men all over the world has approved the use of that kind of medicine. Jeanine prepared the dough, Maya and Nicolai working as a team formed the balls, and I did the deep frying. A more recent tradition (only 20 years) has been dining out after Church service. We were joined this year by the Budris family at Chang An’s our preferred Christmas Eve restaurant.
Jeanine’s sister Susan drove down from Burlington, VT and will be spending the holidays with us. Celebrating Christmas with family makes the holiday that much more wonderful and we are thrilled she is here. If the weather cooperates next week I hope to get her out on the Sudbury River for her first kayaking experience. Launching from a dock and wearing the proper clothing is the key to enjoying kayaking during the winter months. Throw in a couple of inches of wet snow and you have the makings for a winter wonderland on the water.
Nicolai has been invited to become a provisional member of Team USA by the American Amputee Soccer Association. They have been following his career since we contacted them years ago and he is now of the size, age and skill to compete at the international level. Nicolai has distinguished himself on the field against 2 legged opponents. It will be very interesting to see how he fares against other one legged players. Sadly, the popularity of amputee soccer has been on the rise due to the increased use of improvised explosive devices and the effects of natural disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti. Provisional membership is essentially an invitation to practice and compete with the national team. Full membership is conferred if a player is deemed sufficiently skilled to join the starting roster. I took this portrait of Nicolai for the Amputee Soccer website and we are looking forward to his first opportunity to play with the team.
Yesterday Nicolai received some very encouraging news during a second opinion consultation regarding his cervical spine disc issues. Although the initial bulging disc and congenital defect findings were confirmed, the new doctor, based on an additional x-ray view, offered two welcomed observations. First, that he saw no reason why Nico could not continue to play soccer. Second, that should Nicolai decide to wrestle he was at no greater risk than his opponent of paralysis. The doctor still recommended against wrestling, however, because Nico will eventually suffer permanent nerve damage and associated loss of strength in his arm if he continues to get stingers. New testing was ordered to confirm the revised diagnosis/prognosis and we are planning to get a third opinion to validate these latest findings. With the threat of paralysis off the table Nico is hell bent on wrestling. We discussed the situation and have agreed, for the moment, to allow him to begin practicing with the team provided he does extra work to strengthening his neck muscles. Should he suffer any further stingers we will reevaluate the decision.
Although it will be several weeks before Nico is ready to compete, the team was in action this evening against Lincoln Sudbury. I photographed the varsity dual meet for the team’s soon to be published brochure while Jeanine manned the concession stand.
Kyle is feeling much better and no less intelligent than last week when his four wisdom teeth were removed. I am not sure which was more painful, the multiple extractions or the news he received today that his truck requires $1300 of repair work (new gas pump and brakes). On a much welcomed positive note, Kyle received and shared with us his first semester college grades. They were exceptional and we are very proud of the great start he has made. This photo with Hannah (back from Emory for her winter break) was taken on Friday last week when she joined us for dinner.
Every so often we are treated to a magnificent if fleeting sunrise. I have learned to run for my camera on such occasions as the intense colors can dissipate in a matter of seconds. With all of the activity over the weekend I returned to work today with my batteries only partially recharged and a longer than usual list of things to be done (the toll for Friday’s team building excursion). I didn’t return home until well past 8PM and opted for sleep over dinner.
Looking almost fully recovered my mother enjoys some of her favorite music streaming from her iPod Shuffle. My brother took the time to set her up with and train her on all the latest technology including an iPad which she uses all the time to check e-mail and visit family blogs. The morning was spent filling my car to the brim with old photographs, several of my mother’s sculptures and Chinese water colors, old tools, electronics, a guitar (for Maya), books, and memorabilia. We joined my sister Alissa for lunch and a discussion of next steps as my mother continues down the path to sell her home. Tentatively, she will spend the winter months in warmer North Carolina with my other sister, Mayela, before transitioning to live with my brother Mark in Minnesota. We returned to Concord in time for dinner and thoroughly exhausted from our 24-hour round trip to NY.
Maya performed in a ballet recital early this afternoon and I secured a front row seat for the event. Jeanine really wanted to attend as well but she is at the University of Brockport completing her final anatomy class (update: she scored a perfect 100% on her final examination). Between soccer and ballet Maya moves with both power and grace propelled by legs with muscles of steel.
My mother has been recuperating from bronchitis with us for almost two weeks now making steady progress each day. As a result of this health incident, she has decided it is time to move from her home of close to 50 years. The three story house in the historic General Electric plot of Schenectady, NY where I grew up has 8 bedrooms and a 4 room basement apartment. For a family of four it was huge. For my mother living alone it is positively cavernous. Most difficult to leave behind will be the magnificent Japanese style garden, a perennial centerpiece in the city’s annual garden show, that she created over the decades. After Maya’s performance, my mother and I made the three hour drive to Schenectady where we began the process of preparing the home for sale. Despite fond memories of my childhood home, I felt like this was the beginning of a new chapter for the family rather than the end of an era.
For the second time this week I participated in a team building event led by one of my direct reports. Our mechanical engineering team faced two challenges that rewarded teamwork, collaboration, planning and communication. The first was a pit stop competition in which teams of four serviced an actual race car (positioned floor jack, simulate lifting car, adding an exact amount of fuel, washing the windshield and headlamps, and replacing two tires with pneumatic wrenches). The second event featured a 60 minute endurance race with 8 driver changes and a strict set of rules and time penalties for violations. Everyone was a winner and I could not have been more pleased with the event and the outcome.
In celebration of stellar financial performance this year, iRobot HRD (Home Robotics Division) employees enjoyed a catered lunch in one of the undeveloped spaces in our building complex, the only one large enough to seat everyone. In early January, we will hold our annual evening holiday party at the House of Blues adjacent to Fenway Park. I enjoyed greeting folks as they entered our make shift dining room and thanking them for the hard work and dedication which has contributed to our success.
After studying together with his good friend Julia, Nicolai takes a break to demonstrate his new found (as of this morning) interest in cup stacking. She uses a stop watch to time while he builds an eight layer pyramid of plastic cups and then collects the cups into a neat stack. It was an entertaining distraction for the entire family. My mother, who has been staying with us since last week, is slowly but surely recovering from her bout with bronchitis. Kyle was in some discomfort having eased off the pain medications for his wisdom teeth extraction a little too early. Before all was said and done I got roped into the action and produced a sub one minute result which paled in comparison to Nico’s 26 second best effort which can be seen by clicking the linked video above.
I am a huge proponent of team-building events that force folks to climb outside their comfort zones. Today I joined our electrical engineering team on their annual outing which was held at the Boston Rock Climbing Gym.
The focus of the event was on improving communication and the facilitators led us through a number of exercises designed to engage us on this topic. I was very pleased with the outcome and the manager who organized the outing.
We celebrated Kyle’s return from college by having all four of his wisdom teeth removed. Based on a his very successful first term at Santa Clara University we decided he is already wise enough. Here he employs his hoody to hold ice packs wrapped in towels to both sides of his face. Fortunately the procedure went well and he is mending quickly. Rice pudding has been prepared to nourish him and thus far I have been banned from sampling it.
For the first time, the kids were totally responsible for the Christmas tree. All three piled into Kyle’s truck and drove to Mahoney’s where they located a perfect specimen. Maya drilled a hole in the base to prepare it for our stand and the whole family, including my mother who is feeling much better, trimmed the tree by the warmth of our first fire of the season.
One of my main objectives on this trip to China was to learn more about injection molding of plastic parts which are used extensively in iRobot products. Today we toured a subsidiary of Jabil which is focused largely on molding and painting of plastic components. Before entering the production area for vacuum deposition we were required to change into the outfits pictured here to minimize the introduction of contaminants. Photography within the plant is forbidden but our host graciously offered to take this picture for us.
After our meeting, we returned to Hong Kong where I used the final hour of daylight to grab a few pictures. Because of the “haze” (read pollution) it is impossible to take good photographs of objects at a distance. Because of this, I decided to use an object in the foreground to anchor a photograph that still included the cityscape I was interested in capturing as a background element.
Our final factory visit is with Jetta, manufacturer of our wet floor care product line. By all accounts they are our least sophisticated supplier but they are doing an admirable job of building our most complicated robot. Meetings and a factory tour were followed by lunch in their executive dining room.
Although everyone was out in the field, we did not want to miss the opportunity to visit our newest iRobot office located adjacent to the train station in Guangjhou. Despite its diminutive size it is easily iRobot’s most posh facility. We arrived back at our hotel with 30 minutes of sunlight remaining and everyone ventured out on their own to enjoy the surroundings by daylight. Bicycles still abound but are rapidly being replaced by automobiles as the rising middle class grows in size and economic stature. I dined with one other colleague and selected a casual Shabu Shabu restaurant for our first departure from traditional Chinese fare.
After dinner I treated myself to a 90 minute full body massage (the therapeutic variety) which was the best of my life. It was a combination massage and chiropractic adjustment of my neck, back, and shoulders including 20 minutes on just my forehead and face. I have never felt so relaxed in my life and at $20 (including tip) for the entire session I would do this every day if I lived in China. Sleep came easily this evening and I have made the full night for day time zone shift just as my return to the US grows near.
Meetings with Standard Motor today went very well. We reviewed improvements they have made to one of the less reliable motors we use in our Scooba 230 wet floor cleaner and then received a tour of the factory. Our robots typically use 5 motors per design so it is essential that we have a very close relationship with our motor supplier and that their quality matches our requirements. In the afternoon we again enjoyed the bullet train ride as we returned to Guangdong where we joined a contingent of our Far East iRobot team for another eyeball centered meal (see before and after photos).
For followers of this blog, it should now be apparent that I do not generally care for food served with eyeballs intact.If truth be told, I am not that fond of the head either. You can safely add feet to the list. My sarcastic comments to the contrary, the food in China is quite wonderful and I simply need to put aside my squeamishness and continue to expand my gastronomic horizons.
After visiting Jabil (our second contract manufacturer) during the morning we traveled to Shaoguan by bullet train operating at 190mph. The Chinese government has made it a priority to develop the high speed rail system throughout the country to facilitate inland development. As impressive as the train is, the station from which we departed was even more so. The shear scale was only surpassed by the architectural beauty. I place my camera on the ground to make this self portrait with the ceiling of the station as a backdrop. The little girl was interested in my camera and was thrilled when I showed her this image of herself.
We are met at our destination by a representatives of Standard Motor who will host us for meetings tomorrow. En route to our hotel they treat us to a brief visit to Danxiashan park a World Natural Heritage site. This geological red rock wonderland is best known for what is aptly named the Male Stone. Dinner this evening features more eye ball laden food as well as several new challenges to my gastronomic sensibilities. Out of respect for our gracious hosts, I sample duck tongue, jellyfish, shin meat (from undisclosed animal) and several other “delicacies.”
After dinner I went for an extended walk and spent most of my time with a group of teenagers who were in-line skating at a local park. They had set up plastic cups to create a slalom course which they traversed with great speed and stylized footwork. I approached and asked (using gestures) if I could videotape them. After filming for almost 30 minutes I showed them some of what I shot. They asked (using gestures) for my e-mail address which I was happy to provide. Despite a total language barrier, I was able to connect with some pretty cool kids using my camera as a bridge. I hope to post an edited video when I return to the US.
I traveled from Hong Kong to mainland China this morning with my colleagues. We spent the day touring Kin Yat, one of our three contract manufacturing partners we are here to visit. It was a long day spent largely on our feet. This factory has made huge strides since the last time I visited and I was pleased with the state of affairs. Regrettably, photography is not permitted inside the facilities. You will simply have to imagine a sea of young Chinese women wearing uniforms and hats sitting in one production line after another. Each performs a small number of simple tasks on a robot which moves via conveyor to the next worker. In all, our line with related sub-assembly stations, employs in excess of 1000 workers. Despite the monotony of the work these positions are highly sought after. Dinner this evening could have easily been confused with a trip to the aquarium. On the main floor of the restaurant we view tank after tank filled with live exotic sea creatures looking out at us through the glass. Our food order is taken here by pointing out the species that we wish to eat. We move to a second floor private dining area with circular table where course by course the food arrives and is placed on a lazy Susan at the center. Once again we are eye-ball to eye-ball with our food. I have a rule about eating food with eye-balls which I suspended in order to be respectful of our dinner hosts. After settling into my hotel in Dongguan, I ventured out for what turned into a two hour walk. Pictured here is a pagoda found at the top of a large hill in Chang’An Park.
I arrived at my Hong Kong hotel at about 9PM feeling relatively awake despite not having slept a wink on the plane. I decided to head out for some exercise and photography. The city is decorated for Christmas which only intensified the night time illumination for which this city is already legendary.
Lately, I have been drawn to photographing moving water using slow shutter speeds. A plethora of lit fountains offered many opportunities to explore this theme. The youth of China, as in cultures everywhere, are pushing the boundaries in this very conservative society. I expect this is the one force the government here will find impossible to contain.
I began my travel to China early this morning with a flight to Chicago where the airport was decked out for the holidays. A three hour layover is followed by a 15 hour flight to Hong Kong arriving on Sunday eveningand where I will overnight before continuing on to China. With some time to kill at O’Hare, I searched our interesting photo opportunities and found this interesting view of the inter-terminal rail tracks as viewed through a frosted window from an overpass.
After conducting an interview at the office I drove downtown to the Microsoft NERD (New England Research and Development) Center where I attended a seminar on the Future of Robotics. It was an extremely informative session and I made a number of good connections. After the presentations, mostly by local university researchers, I walked over to the MIT campus where a tour was given of the robotics sections of the CSAIL (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab). I saw walking robots, flying robots, underwater robots and even this cooking robot (she was stirring a bowl of cookie batter). If there was any doubt in my mind before, I am now convinced that Boston is the worldwide epicenter of robotics.
Tomorrow I depart for Hong Kong and China where I will spend a week visiting with our contract manufacturers and several key vendors. In the past my website has been blocked by the Chinese government (censorship at its finest) and if that is the case again I will not be able to make new posts until I return.
