I found the pictured welcome box on my desk yesterday when I reported for my first day of work at Formlabs. In addition to my security key card and parking pass it contained a Formlabs tee shirt, fancy chocolate bar, and Formlabs stickers. A very nice touch that mirrored the warm welcome I have received from everyone here. My second 13-hour day in what is likely to be a week of the same. Getting up to speed is always the biggest challenge and I suspect things will taper off to something approaching normal by the end of the month.
Little doubt I will be struggling to avoid weight gain at Formlabs where I started my new job as Head of Engineering today. Lunch is provided on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Today we enjoyed quiche, corned beef hash, and fresh fruit. Instead of the one-mile round trips I had to walk for breakfast and lunch at Superpedestrian, I only have to walk about 30 feet here. This is not a good combination and is going to require that I find a way to get exercise as a part of my work routine which began today at 5:45 am. Leaving at that hour allowed me to reach the office by 6:30 am leaving plenty of time for a workout at a nearby gym, something I will need to sign up for ASAP.
Heavy rain during the past few days has the Concord River overflowing its banks. The Old North Bridge pictured above looks more like a causeway than a bridge at the moment. Fortunately, the well-drained CCHS turf soccer fields were in perfect playing condition for our semi-final play-off match against the Northshore Seadogs. My team advanced to the finals with a 1-0 win against a highly disciplined and defensively focused team. For the first time ever, the Concord United franchise will advance to the Division 1 finals in the over-56, over-50, and over-40 divisions. We have an over 30 team in the hunt as well but results were not in at the time of this posting. I played well and most importantly avoided any new injuries. The finals will be held in Lancaster on grass, which is not a surface we traditionally play well on. After a celebration barbecue with the team, I paused on the way home to capture an image to celebrate Veteran’s Day.
Jeanine and I joined our good friends Tom and Karen for dinner in Boston this evening. We dined at Whaling in Oklahoma, a modern American brasserie located in the South End in the legendary space formerly known as Tremont 647. We enjoyed a memorable meal with exceptional friends. Tom was my wrestling partner in high school and outside of my family, the person I have known for the longest time.
Each year, timed to coincide with Giving Tuesday (Nov 27), Open Table launches its annual appeal campaign. This year’s flyer includes two photographs that I took for the project at Jeanine’s request.
She provided me with three very photogenic kids, access to the new Open Table truck and laid out the general “Fill the Truck” theme for this year’s campaign. It was a fun project and I hope that it proves to be a successful fundraiser.,
Sushi and Thai food (outside the frame) were on the menu this afternoon for the farewell lunch at Superpedestrian to thank me for my contributions to the company over the last year. Kind words were spoken and I felt genuinely appreciated. I also had an opportunity to thank my colleagues for making my time with the company so enjoyable and productive. I am pictured below with my direct reports and with the COO. Assaf, the CEO, has been in Spain for the entire week and I hope to catch him briefly tomorrow evening to say goodbye in person.
As much as I enjoyed my time in Mexico last week, the timing of the Amputee Soccer World Cup meant that I entirely missed Halloween in the US. Fortunately, I encountered several reminders of the holiday on my walkto breakfast this morning. I must say, innovation in pumpkin carving tools has led to much more intricate designs than were possible during my youth when the main objective was not to stab yourself with a pairing knife that could only cut in straight lines at best.
Formlabs has many ways of introducing new employees to the rest of the company. Throughout the facilities are a number of large flat-screen TVs which are used to run a looping slideshow with one slide for each new hire. There is a general template to be followed but much latitude for personalization. I decided to create a new headshot for the project this evening. As you might gather, the work culture features a heavy component of fun.
Two months ago I accepted a position as the Head of Engineering for Formlabs, a pioneer in desktop photolithography 3D printing based in Somerville. Pictured above is their Form 2 printer. I offered the CEO of Superpedestrian a two-month notice period which he accepted and asked me to keep news of my departure under wraps during that period. Today, the embargo was lifted and I was finally able to disclose my transition to members of my team. My last day will be this Thursday and I will start with Formlabs on Monday of next week. I am quite familiar with the company having served as an engineering management consultant to them for over a year now. I was actually days away from accepting an offer from an Australia based public company in the sports tech field when the CEO of Formlabs and I began to explore the idea of a permanent role with the company. As excited as I am about the new opportunity, I am going to truly miss Superpedestrian where I enjoyed working on a product that was guaranteed to put a big smile on customer’s faces, a terrific boss, and a fantastic set of colleagues.
Nicolai was not able to make my 60th birthday celebration due to work commitments. Spending the week with him at the World Cup has been the best belated present I could have asked for.
Here is a summary of the US results and of links to photos and videos from the World Cup.
Results
USA v Liberia (won by forfeit)
USA v Kenya (1-2)
USA v Turkey (1-5)
USA v Costa Rica (2-1)
USA v El Salvador (1-0)
USA v Nigeria (2-1)
While I spent the entire day traveling from San Juan de los Lagos to Boston, Team USA took care of business winning 2-1 against Nigeria in their final match of the tournament. Nico had assists on both goals. Yesterday I took some time to create a proper team portrait which turned out pretty well considering I did not have any of my lighting gear or the appropriate lens on my camera at the time.
Nicolai scored his fourth goal in as many games. It proved to be enough for the US to defeat El Salvador 1-0. He received a beautiful cross which just cleared the keeper and he headed it into the back of the net. The US faces Nigeria tomorrow for their final match. Unfortunately, I must leave early in the morning so I can be back to Boston for my own soccer match on Sunday.
Finally, a win! The US defeated Costa Rica 2-1 in the first round of consolation play. Nico scored on a penalty kick and had an assist for which he is being thanked above. The coaching and medical staff were equally moved when the final whistle blew.
The US game was at 2pm local time, our first during proper daylight. The sun was diffused by clouds, perfect conditions for sports photography and Nico was kind enough to provide some very athletic moments for me to capture . The only complaint I have about this World Cup tournament is the extremely poor night game lighting. It is so dim that the players complain about seeing the ball. Taking high quality photographs with so little illumination is next to impossible. Today I was excited to finally have a chance to create some nice images. I have already taken two thousand action photos and half as many off field shots. Slow internet has prevented me from uploading them, something I will take care of as soon as I return to the states. I will be sure to post links to the albums when I do.
On the way back to the hotel after the match I ran into a couple of girls that were ready for their Day of the Dead festivities. I can’t wait for tomorrow when I suspect most of the locals will be in costume.
Today is a rest day for all teams. A portion of the US contingent used the time to visit Guanajuato, one of the most beautiful urban tapestries I have ever seen. I have a 21 image stitched panorama of the entire city of which the above photo is but a single panel. It may be my favorite pano of all time.
After viewing the city from above we went on a short walking tour of the main open air market where we had lunch and later visited the Parroquia de Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato and the Teatro Principal.
We then re-boarded our tour van which took us to the Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato, a most appropriate destination on this first Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos). On display here are 59 mummies of a collection that totals 111. The naturally mummified bodies interred during a cholera outbreak in 1833 were later disinterred when a local tax was imposed for “perpetual” burial. Bodies for which the tax was not paid were exhumed and those in the best condition were stored and are now a major attraction for the city.
Continuing on our tour of truly haunting stuff, we next stopped at the Galeras de la Inquisicion, the most horrifying place I have ever visited. Here, in the name of the Catholic religion, indigenous people who failed to renounce their traditional beliefs were tortured to death in the most gruesome and drawn-out ways imaginable. For all the importance and meaning it has for so many, it never ceases to amaze me how much killing has been and continues to be done in the name of religion. Some victims were locked into the chamber pictured below until they bled to death or died of thirst. This was one of the more benign methods used. I will not describe the more heinous ones.
Our final destination was distinctly more uplifting, to the tune of 8,900 feet. The Cristo Rey (Shrine of Christ the King) stands 75 feet tall atop the summit of Cerro del Cubilete (Dice Cup Hill) and was completed in 1950 after a smaller statue was destroyed in 1928 by the anti-religious (and particularly anti-Catholic) regime of President Plutarco Elías Calles.
When we returned to San Juan de los Lagos we rejoined the rest of the team for a formal dinner in honor of all the World Cup athletes, their delegations and the referees, some 500 people. We were treated to more musical and dance performances as well as a lovely dinner. Pictured below are a couple of the 40 odd tables located in the open air court yard of a local school. Nicolai can be seen on stage, where team captains from all countries were invited to try a Mexican game of dexterity called Barrel on a Stick. Not a single one could catch the barrel, including the Mexican captain who, no doubt, was both familiar with the game and had plenty of time to practice.
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