Dyson announced a robotic vacuum today. They reported that it took 12 years and $46M to develop. At iRobot we have been anticipating this move for years and it comes as no surprise. It appears to be a very capable machine in some regards but also has significant design flaws that are immediately apparent to me. While Dyson is a serious competitor, their entry into robotic floor care only further serves to validate the category and will expand the market. It is said to begin shipping next year and by then we will have a new model of our own. iRobot stock closed up on the day.
We live a stone’s throw from several large fields. The one directly behind our house is currently used to produce hay. The one down the street, a favorite destination for dogs and their owners, is being used to grow sunflowers and one other crop that I do not recognize. The tiny structures on these plants are simply fascinating.
Using left over scraps from last year’s deck project, I built a matching table this morning. Because the deck boards are not a structural material most of the project entailed building the underlying wood frame. Now that I see the photo, I think I will paint the wood edges of the shelves black or white. I have just enough decking material left to construct a 5 foot bench, a project for a future weekend.
The afternoon was spent with Maya’s friends and parents at a Labor Day party. I slipped away for 2 hours to play in a final tune up scrimmage before my soccer season starts next weekend. I was in much need of the cardio workout, but it came at the price of re-injuring my not fully recovered back.
Kyle’s girlfriend, Isabella, arrived yesterday on the redeye from California. The two spent the day touring the area and I hope to get some photos of them in the coming days. Meanwhile, Nico reports that he is having a blast at Colorado College.
I rarely spend an entire day relaxing but came pretty close today. I completed a few small projects (vacuuming my car’s interior, relocating the air compressor we use to inflate tires in the garage and installing a bracket on which to store the hose, and a little shop maintenance). I spent almost an hour at the website 24hoursofhappy.com which I highly recommend. I then decided to search the yard for small subjects to photograph.
I spent the entire day working on the garage with help from Kyle, Maya, her friend Maddie, and Jeanine. At some point, the BMW i3 I have on order will arrive and it will need a place to sleep. The bulk of today’s project involved reducing the size of the landing between the garage and our mudroom by half to make room for more efficient storage of our bicycles. The railing pictured here used to go straight across instead of turning. I was able to recycle all the wood for this project and the girls did a fantastic job of giving it a new coat of paint.
John William Quinn, my nephew, arrived from Albany, NY, and will be staying with us until his fall semester at Babson College begins. We always enjoy his company but it is even nicer with Kyle at home giving the cousins someone their own age to hang out with.
The iRobot 710 Kobra is a powerful, rugged, fast robot that carries multiple heavy payloads without sacrificing mobility over rough terrain and stairs. It can lift in excess of 330 pounds and travel at 8 mph. It is a beast. This evening after work, members of the development team and management celebrated our first customer order. During the celebration we received word of a second order.
After a ten-hour offsite financial planning meeting, iRobot participants enjoyed dinner together at Chopps. Several in our party of 22 ordered the ribeye steak. I don’t think any of them were expecting quite so large a portion. I had the tuna which was quite good and sized more reasonably. Unfortunately, I also had shrimp for an appetizer. Based on the fever, aches and other symptoms I experienced in the middle of the night, I believe I may have developed an allergy to these crustaceans. I was almost fully recovered by the morning but there was no getting back the lost four hours of sleep.
When Maya returned from a friend’s house this evening, she was eager to continue watching the Emmy Awards show, something she had never been interested in before. It occurred to me that she had never seen a video of her own father accepting an Emmy. I did so 24 years ago on behalf of Pinnacle Systems which was subsequently acquired by Avid where the trophy is currently on display. The award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences was for pioneering work in the field of desktop video which I led while at Truevision, the company I co-founded. Truevision was subsequently purchased by RasterOps and then Pinnacle Systems. Emmys awarded for technical achievement follows the company, unlike those given to artists who get to keep the trophy. The only positive thing that can be said about my acceptance speech is that it was the shortest of the evening.
Jeanine sent me this photo today. It came with a message that said “AM walk.” I will interrogate her for more details when she returns from Colorado Springs tomorrow.
I was unable to play in a soccer scrimmage this morning because of a back injury I sustained during last week’s tournament. By late afternoon I was feeling good enough to install a charging station for my new electric car which should be arriving in the next few weeks. Expect a photo of said installation in tomorrow’s post.
Kyle and I spent quite a bit of time together today. First we went to Emerson Park to watch Maya play in a soccer scrimmage against Wakefield High School. Concord won by an impressive 6-0 margin and Maya is looking very strong on the pitch. Kyle befriended this very affectionate dog that was out for a stroll. After lunch at Verrill Farm we completed a 7 mile hike on the Minuteman Trail giving us plenty of time to catch up with each other.
Jeanine departed for Denver today. There she rented a car and visited the Denver Botanical Gardens before driving to Colorado Springs. She plans to rendezvous with Nicolai who has just completed a cross country road trip to Colorado College. She is schlepping two 50 pound duffle bags in addition to her carry on. They are filled with everything Nico wants to bring with him to college. Jeanine will spend the next several days helping him to feather his nest, an instinctive maternal need that cannot be suppressed by even the most independent child. Meanwhile, I am holding down the fort with Maya and Kyle.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
