The Harvard Business School campus, as one might expect, features rather conservative architecture. This structure is the notable exception.

The first keynote speaker at the Cyberposium was the CEO of Research in Motion (makers of the Blackberry phone). It was interesting to get a glimpse into the future of mobile smart phones and to understand why these devices are starting to bump up against the limits of physics. The second keynote speaker was the founder of YouTube but I opted to get back to the family rather than hang around all afternoon once my panel was done.

Today, I attended the Harvard Business School Cyberposium where I was a panelist discussing Converged Devices (the next generation of television). The one-hour session was over in the blink of an eye, and I enjoyed the interaction with the four other panelists and the audience.

Today my brother’s family (minus my brother) flew from Minnesota to Boston where they will spend the weekend with us before driving to Schenectady to visit with my parents and sister next week. This is my niece Sophia who is as delightful as she is beautiful.

I flew back to Boston today and went directly from the airport to Lynn where Kyle’s soccer team was competing in the semi-finals of the state high school tournament against the team from Sandwich. CCHS scored a single goal late in the second period to advance to the finals which will be contested on Sunday.

It never ceases to amaze me what I come across while in Santa Barbara. This bicycle rig seems to include an air damn, windshield, dashboard, storage compartments and who knows what else. If I was not on my way into the office I would have hung around to see what the rider looked like which would have surely been entertaiing as well.

After work, I did a little nighttime photography and shopping in downtown Santa Barbara. Evenings here at this time of year are really quite delightful. I am hoping that all the walking is also helping my pinky toe to recover. It still smarts with every step.

Today I traveled to Santa Barbara where I will be working for most of the week. My routing was through Phoenix for the first time exposing me to some new aerial landscapes.,

I have attributed my recent surge in scoring to being injury-free for the first time this season. Another possible explanation is that our team manager recently started awarding a jar of salsa for each goal scored. I must confess, I really like the salsa.

A bruised pinky toe and fat lip were the price I paid this morning for 3 goals and one assist against Foxboro. The very physical contest ended our fall outdoor season with a satisfying 6-1 defeat of a team that had beaten us earlier in the year. It was raining but not too cold and we played on grass. My first goal was the best. I beat a defender down the right side and unleashed a rocket from at least 25 yards out. It screamed past the goalie and set the stage for the rest of the game. On the second, I intercepted a goal kick and dribbled in to easily beat the keeper. The final goal was another breakaway down the right in the second half. This time I was tackled be two defenders but not before releasing a well place ground shot that was beyond the keepers reach and just inside the left post.

As if Maya did not have enough soccer for one day she left her party for an indoor match. This league is for 5th and 6th graders and Maya finds herself battling giant opponents. The score was reflective of the height differential. Maya remained fearless and would attack the largest of her opponents like a wasp after a bear.

The head coach, an MIT guy, keeps very careful statistics throughout the season. He keeps track of and awards points to players on the field when goals are scored and detracts points when goals are surrendered. Maya was recognized during the awards ceremeony for jointly holding the highest power score on the team.

The girls enjoyed quite a feast, which included both healthy and not so healthy snacks.

Maya played her final game of the soccer season in the pouring rain and bitter cold. Her team secured a 2-0 victory despite the very hostile conditions, and we followed the match with a team party.