Today I had a rare chance to do some actual engineering at work.  You would be amazed at how much of my normal day is consumed with meetings, resource planning, budgets, schedules, staffing issues and the like.  To top things off, I came up with an extremely creative new feature for one of our products that could make a huge difference in the market if we elect to implement it.

At iRobot we make extensive use of our AVA 500 Telepresence Robots.  Last week, for the first time ever, we had a meeting with two participants attending via AVA.  I have proposed an idea for a cartoon which has a bunch of AVAs sitting around a table having a virtual meeting.  If I ever find a free moment at work, I may orchestrate a photo of exactly such a scene.  I think it would be really funny.

With real sadness, I placed my John Deere tractor up for sale on Craig’s List today. I need to start making room for the new BMW when it arrives. I purchased it when Kyle was born and it has been a reliable workhorse that has never let me down.  Since moving to Concord (11 years ago) it has remained largely idle as we employ a lawn service to mow the lawn.  I had a half dozen inquiries within hours of the listing going active.  John Deere tractors of this vintage were made to much higher standards than the current ones and even those stand a cut above the competition.

Maya produced an exceptionally nice goal this afternoon , scoring from the top of the box on a powerful left footed drive.  She played center midfield for 90 minutes and helped her team to a 4-1 win. Her distribution, vision, and tenacity on the ball reminded me so much of her brothers. They would have been very proud of their baby sister today.

Although I was almost feeling match ready, I wisely sat out this morning to give my tweaked hammy a little more time to full mend. My team managed to tie Belmont, the first place team in the division, which was a great outcome given how many injured players we have at the moment.

The Concord Journal carried a nice article about Nicolai this week covering his involvement with Powerade and trip to Barcelona to meet Andres Iniesta.  First Spain, then Italy, and today Nico is off to California to visit with Kyle for a week.  He is racking up the frequent flier miles.

My day started with a very enjoyable test drive of a Tesla Model S.  In twenty five years, I predict people will look back and regard the internal combustion engine as a relic.  This is the car that will have set those dominoes in motion.  It is a no compromise Automobile 2.0 whose only downside is an exorbitant price tag.  As battery technology improves, electric cars will eventually cost less than their petroleum fueled counterparts. Despite the extreme temptation to pick up the Model S, I think I will stick with my original plan and wait until the company comes out with their all wheel drive Model X cross-over, scheduled for release in 2015.

My brother-in-law’s father, John “Jack” Elliott Quinn, age 79, passed away yesterday from Parkinson’s Disease complications.  Jack was a gentle and kind soul who loved spending time with his grandchildren, Johnnie and Rachel, and his “grand puppies”, Harpo and Bella.  Jack also loved gardening, was a wonderful cook, enjoyed doing Civil War re-enactments, and was an avid reader of anything history or Civil War related.   He served in the army from 1957-1959 and worked at the General Electric company for his entire career.  A fellow photographer, Jack enjoyed documenting his adventures and kept meticulous photobooks, labeled with fine details. 

Our thoughts are with my sister Alissa and her family on this sad day.

At her high school freshman class awards ceremony, Maya received a High Honors award as well as certificates of excellence in Math, French and PE. We are enormously proud of Maya and she has started her secondary education on an extremely positive note.

Nicolai returned from Italy this evening with tales of fine food and an extremely successful presentation which earned him a standing ovation. He shared the stage with world famous soccer player, Luis Figo of Portugal and Western Union CEO, Hikmet Ersek who invited him to dine at his table. Later he enjoyed watching the Europa League Finals in style for the luxury WU suite.  Despite nearly missing his return flight, Nico appeared tired but otherwise no worse for wear.world-famous

In the tradition of Native American naming, this evening’s full moon is known as the flower moon, to reflect the spring blooms seen this month.  Jeanine alerted me to the moon rise and I took this photo hand-held with a 300mm lens.

Maya and Sarinnagh will be joined later this evening by Fiona for a backyard camping sleepover.  This adventure is somehow related to a school project which involves building a fire using flint and steel. The girls made quick work of tent setup on our recently plowed and beach soft field.  If the clouds cooperate they will enjoy a beautiful full moon to illuminate their campground.

Nicolai taunts us from Italy with pictures of the lake where he is staying and of the food he is enjoying.

I left my soccer match this morning late in the second half with a strained hamstring muscle which will keep me sidelined for two or three weeks. We managed a 1-1 tie against arch rival Acton Boxborough and preserved our third place position in the league rankings.

Nicolai is headed for Milan, Italy today and I dropped him at the airport shortly after noon. He has been hired by the Western Union Company to speak at an event they are hosting in conjunction with the Europa League finals. They are covering the cost of his travel, 3 days of meals and accommodation at a luxury lake side resort, a premium seat for the finals and a 5-figure speaking fee. Not bad work if you can get it!

On the way back from the airport, I stopped in Boston’s North End for lunch where I literally ran into Jay Leno as I was leaving Regina Pizzeria. I never know what to do when I run into a celebrity.  I start by playing it cool and treating them like anyone else.  Then I kick myself and decide I am not going to miss the photo opportunity.

Later in the day Jeanine and I enjoyed the perfect weather with a stroll at the Old North Bridge before collecting Maya for a soccer game in Wellesley.  The tenacity and skill of her play is approaching that of her brothers and she had a very solid match.

Later we celebrated Mother’s Day at the Farmstead Table restaurant in Newton which serves only locally sourced and exquisitely prepared foods. We dined outdoors and made a few portraits while waiting for our food.

It has been almost four years since I purchased my Audi Q5. At that time, I was very interested in purchasing an all-electric vehicle but there was nothing on the market that I could get excited about. Last week, BMW introduced its all-electric i3 model.  I test-drove one last night and purchased one this morning.  It should be delivered towards the end of July. It is rated for 134 MPGe in the city and has a range of 80-100 miles.  My round-trip commute is 22 miles and iRobot offers free charging stations at work.  I have owned two Mercedes (320SL, ML320) , two Porsches (944 red, 944 black), two Audi’s (A3, Q5) and the BMW makes my seventh German car.  Prior to that, I owned two British (Triumph Spitfire and GT6), two Italian (Alpha Romeo Spyder and GTV), and two Japanese (Nissan 300ZX Turbo, Lexus SC300) cars.  If Tesla follows through with their Model X it may become my first American car (I have a deposit holding a place for one that is probably 18 months from production).

Even a five-minute stop at Great Meadows before work helps me get centered.  With the lengthening days of summer upon us, I have many more opportunities, both before and after work, to spend time in nature, and am grateful we live in a place with so much to enjoy.

It is painful when we lose one of our employees to another company but we always make sure to thank them for all their contributions to iRobot. Today we bid one of our top Program Managers farewell as he prepares to move his family to California where he has taken a job with Google. For every two engineers that leave the company, I would estimate that one eventually returns or wishes they could.